Lina Malkawi

Democracy is an acquired trait; Respect for tyrants is innate

2011-10-17T09:36:00.001-04:00

A colleague of mine who has recently come back from a trip to Libya said she was amazed by the number of people—particularly among the poor—who still harbor loyalty, respect and love for former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

It took seven months to overthrow the Gaddafi regime, despite the help of a NATO air-campaign. Why are dictators so hard to oust?

Regime change and promoting democracy—especially if it sought by an outside force—face unexpected difficulties because they fail to understanding human nature.

If there is one thing people hate more than a brutal dictator, it is a foreign occupation.

Here is my amateur attempt at explaining this from a sociobiology perspective:

There is a strong biological basis for being suspicious of invaders; there is no strong biological basis for resisting a brutal dictator. In fact, there is a strong social instinct that drives people to rally around their leader in times of war, even if he is a tyrant.

Dictators who practice brutal aggression often gain reverence among their people. This aggression is often followed by acts of kindness and generosity, which nurtures the "Stockholm syndrome."

It is human nature to appeal to a higher power, whether it is a deity or a leader, since humans are primates that have evolved to look up to the alphamale for protection and guidance; someone who is a symbol of the group's identity and unity.

This might also explain why so many people are greatly offended when God's name is desecrated, even though they are taught that God is omnipotent and omnipresent.

On the other hand, democratic behavior seems rare in the animal kingdom--and among humans for that matter. Dictatorship is a die-hard trait and it is still prevalent, even in countries that call themselves democracies.

By democracy, I don't mean choosing a leader through social consensus. What passes for democracy is often collective complacency. I mean the ability of individuals in a group to criticize the leader, hold him accountable and prevent him from misusing his power.

The status of the alpha in animals is usually achieved by means of superior physical strength, but this also applies in human democracy, since groups want the strongest and fittest to be their leader.

The presidential debates mirror animal behavior where individuals competing for the alpha position challenge each other to a fight, and in some species, to the death.

On the other hand, biologists are now realizing that shared decision making is not unique to humans and is probably widespread in social animals. The alpha status is also achieved through social efforts and alliance building.

The attempt to oust the last brutal dictators today should be approached with the understanding of why humans have an instinct to cling on to them.

Also, the attempt to build democracies should be approached with the understanding that democracy is an acquired human social trait that doesn't come naturally and requires a reprogramming of social values, which takes time and a string of setbacks.

Differences between religion and spirituality: My experience

2011-04-26T00:47:00.012-04:00

Based on my personal experience of being at one time religious but not very spiritual and later spiritual but not very religious, here are some differences that I have observed between religion and spirituality.

This list is only meant as a general comparison. There is no one who is strictly religious with no spirituality or the other way around.

After all, religion and spirituality are interrelated and they need each other. Religion is a bridge to the spiritual. It is the language used to communicate spirituality. On the other hand, our spiritual needs and impulses are probably the reason why religions evolved.

A good way to compare religion and spirituality is to compare Salafism and Sufism.

I hope this comparison does not lead to a polarization. For a spiritual person to say, "I am more tolerant than you are" is just as egocentric.

The reason why it is important to be aware of these differences is that spirituality alone has its problems and religion alone has its problems. When we tilt one way or the other, we face imbalances.

Religion: My way is the only way. Not only should you be of my religion, but my brand.
Spirituality: There are many paths and they all lead to the same truth—the oneness and interconnectedness of all things; the focus on positive emotions such as love, compassion, gratitude and joy. Religion divides, spirituality unites.

Religion: Leads more often to egotism than to humility.
Spirituality: Leads more often to humility than to egotism.

Religion: There should be strict rules to ensure that we stay on "the straight path."
Spirituality: There are no rules, although you do need a "compass."

Religion: There is more evil in the world than good.
Spirituality: There is more good in the world than evil.
Note: In the Levant, a dervish (darwish) is used as an adjective to describe a naive person who is oblivious to the evils of the world.

Religion: Kindness is preached but not often practiced.
Spirituality: Kindness is practiced spontaneously as a result of spiritual practices that cultivate humility.

Religion: God is personal.
Spirituality: The Divine is multidimensional. He/She/It can be personal or impersonal. Any attempt at a definition is a limitation.

Religion: Attempts to reduce the universe and/or God to the level of the understanding.
Spirituality: Seeks to expand consciousness to identify the self with the universe and/or God.

Religion: Tribalistic. Relies on religious group identity in making decisions and taking positions. I always have to side with my religious group.
Spirituality: Doesn't not seek to strongly identify the self with a religious group. Avoids identity politics. It is human nature to side with your group, but always remember that we are one.

Religion: Religious laws are written in stone because God knows what is best for us better than we do. Any attempt to modify them will lead us astray because it will be motivated by our desires.
Spirituality: Religious laws should be read from the perspective of their original intent. They can be reinterpreted and modified as long as our intent is that of goodness, justice and wellness.

Religion: Quickly despises other faiths. Focuses on finding differences with others.
Spirituality: Recognizes commonalities with people of different spiritual traditions and realizes that they are the same.
Example: A woman once approached me after a Zumba dance class and said, "You are a spiritual person, aren't you?" I said, "How did you know?" She said, "We know one another."

Religion: The world is heading for the worse. Pessimistic about the present and future.
Spirituality: The world is heading for the better. Optimistic about the present and future. (Example: Doomsday scenarios are common in religious discourses. On the other hand, a New Age interpretation of the 2012 transition posits that during this time Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era of awakening.)

Religion: Creativity is risky. It weakens our foundations.
Spirituality: Creativity is safe. It leads us to improve and grow.

Religion: Suspicious of art, music and dancing. They might be permissible but they are unnecessary.
Spirituality: Appreciative of art, music and dancing. They are avenues for spiritual growth.

Religion: Happiness must be delayed until the afterlife. If you are happy now you should feel guilty about it.
Spirituality: Happiness can only be experienced now. True happiness is spiritual and it is a means to an end. Happiness leads to wellbeing and success.

Religion: If you don't have enemies, create one. Followers will tighten and cohere when they have your cause to believe in and enemies to destroy.
Spirituality: Mystics don't feel the need to have enemies.

Religion: War is the answer to conflicts. More likely to be revengeful. Not usually able to love their enemies.
Spirituality: Peace is the answer to conflicts. More likely to be forgiving. Better able to love their enemies in a healthy and effective way.
Note: War is not necessarily unspiritual. It's just a different type of spirituality. A woman in Jordan once told me that during times of war she feels that life has meaning. During times of peace she feels life has no meaning.

Religion: skeptical about the efficacy of love.
Spirituality: has faith that pure love ultimately triumphs.

Religion: Human nature is basically bad. People cannot be trusted with freedom. Freedom will lead to deterioration and disarray.
Spirituality: Human nature is basically good. People when given freedom will do the right thing because that is their basic propensity.

Religion: Searches for the bad in everything and everyone. More likely to be judgmental and critical.
Spirituality: Searches for the good in everything and everyone. Less likely to be judgmental and critical.
Note: Being judgmental and critical is mostly a genetic trait; but religion, spirituality and other environmental factors influence it.

Religion: Exhibits a "holier than thou" attitude of religious superiority and self-righteously pious.
Spirituality: Does not take a "holier than thou" attitude or look down on everyone else.

Religion: Often takes an all or nothing approach. Revolution is better than evolution.
Spirituality: Recognizes the value of small improvements toward growth. Evolution is better than revolution.

Religion: Takes pleasure in making things hard. It is gratifying to be hard on myself.
Spirituality: Takes pleasure in making things easy.

Religion: God is more punitive than compassionate. He won't forgive me if I say I am too tired to pray.
Spirituality: God is more compassionate than punitive. He knows my weaknesses and does not want me to suffer.

Religion: Prefers to take metaphysical topics at face value.
Spirituality: Appreciates the symbolic and metaphorical value of metaphysics.

Religion: God is in another realm and He is unknowable. There is no way to experience God directly. He is far away and you just have to believe that He exists.
Spirituality: Seeks a direct experience with the Divine or union with a mystery. God is here and now and can be experienced in a way that is not different from ordinary experience.

Religion: Favors a dualistic approach to reality. The seen and the unseen are two separate domains. The metaphysical is beyond our experience and there is no way for us to imagine it. We just have to have faith that it exists.
Spirituality: Favors a non-dualistic approach to reality. The seen and the unseen are inseparable

Religion: God created the universe and created us.
Spirituality: God is the universe and He is us.

Religion: Seeks to experience awe by searching for miracles and other extraordinary phenomena. Frequently shares invalidated news of miracles happening to people and uses them as a source of inspiration.
Spirituality: Seeks to experience awe in ordinary things. Sees everything as a miracle. "If you could understand a single grain of wheat, you would die of wonder." - Martin Luther

Religion: The main source of knowledge, guidance and morals is from scripture rather than from the experience. If there is a contradiction, experience must be rearranged to accommodate scripture.
Spirituality: The main source of knowledge, guidance and morals is from the experience rather than scripture. If there is a contradiction, scripture should be re-interpreted to accommodate experience.

Religion: Less welcoming of women's presence, creativity and leadership.
Spirituality: More welcoming of women's presence, creativity and leadership.

Religion: Focuses on prayer—asking God for what you think is good for you.
Spirituality: Focuses on meditation—listening attentively for guidance on what to do and what is the highest good.

Religion: Sex is a drive for procreation and physical gratification. It should have no other place in religion, knowledge or life.
Spirituality: Sex is a source of knowledge and inspiration. Sex and spirituality are interrelated. Spirituality awakens Eros, because Eros is a passion for all the beauties of life.

Religion: Likes to preach. Aggressively reaches out to people. Desperate for converts.
Spirituality: Does not like to preach. Waits for people to approach them to share their inspiration. Not desperate for converts.

Religion: God last came down and left a message for humanity 1400 years ago and has never been heard from since. It is only through going back in history that we can search for God's guidance.
Spirituality: God is here and now. He is everywhere, every time, and in everyone. His thoughts can be heard if we listen quietly and contemplate.

Religion: Focuses more on the past and future and less on the present.
Spirituality: Focuses less on the past and future and more on the present.

Religion: Acknowledges that it is important to be thankful for illness, pain, loss and adversity, but struggles to accept it emotionally.
Spirituality: More likely to be genuinely grateful for illness, pain, loss and adversity as a gift that pushes us to see more clearly, grow and heal emotionally, to be closer to God, to be willing to forgive and to feel authentic within ourselves.

Religion: When good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people it is a test. When good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people it is justice. Since I am good and my enemies are bad, there is a simple explanation to everything that happens to me or them.
Spirituality: The universe is not as simple as that. The divine plan always works at the grand level towards the evolution of mankind and the universe, but there is absolutely no way for the human mind to comprehend how a single event fits into the general plan. As humans we want to create meaning, but people of spiritual depth withhold judgment of praise or blame. They are content with the state of not knowing. It can be egotistic to claim to know when people are being punished or rewarded for their actions. Being comfortable with not knowing is the highest level of peace.

Religion: Less comfortable with uncertainty and groundlessness.
Spirituality: More comfortable with uncertainty and groundlessness.

Religion: Searches outside the self for happiness, peace and solutions to problems.
Spirituality: Searches inside the self for happiness, peace and solutions to problems.

Religion: Less likely to be interested in eating healthy, exercising, losing weight, managing stress, and feeling good about their bodies. A recent study found a link between obesity and attending church.
Spirituality: More likely to be interested in eating healthy, exercising, losing weight, managing stress, and feeling good about their bodies. People interested in yoga are more likely to be spiritual.
Note: My guess is that being overly concerned about your health and looks is considered self-indulgence and frowned upon in religious circles, but praised in spiritual contexts because it is interrelated with other aspects of one's being. Also, spiritual people are more likely to have experienced long term suffering and thus feel the importance of taking care of their health.

Religion: Advocates simple, one-dimensional answers to complex problems.
Spirituality: Open to complexity, paradox and new possibilities.

Religion: Less likely to have inner peace and happiness.
Spirituality: More likely to have inner peace and happiness.
Note: Happiness is basically a genetic trait. It is influenced positively by both religion and spirituality (in addition to other environmental factors.) The comparison here is between religion and spirituality, with all other factors equal.

When Religion has an advantage over spirituality

Obviously I am biased towards spirituality, but here some differences where religion has an advantage.

Religion: More effective in reaching wide audiences.
Spirituality: Less effective in appealing to wide audiences.

Religion: More effective in rallying adherents for war when war is necessary.
Spirituality: Reluctant to go to war. The sad reality is that, in politics, hate is a much more powerful motivator than love.

Religion: More likely to be politically active. More likely to be organized.
Spirituality: Less likely to be politically active. Less likely to be organized.

Religion: Attracts people who are suffering or at ease.
Spirituality: Only seems to attract people who are suffering. As it is said, "Religion is for people who want to avoid going to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there."

Religion: Attracts both young people and old people.
Spirituality: Attracts old people much more than young people.

Religion: Cultivates anger and judgment and therefore is able to mobilize efforts to change things that need to be changed. Anger and impatience are important in dealing with injustice.
Spirituality: Avoids cultivating anger and judgment and therefore is less effective in mobilizing collective efforts towards change.
Note: Anger is a health energy force if invested wisely and channeled into motivation for doing things.

Religion: Hard work and perseverance are the necessary ingredients for success and subsequently lead to happiness.
Spirituality: Acceptance and non-doing are necessary for happiness and subsequently lead to success.

Religion: More often a Type A personality--highly motivated, competitive, controlling, time-conscious, and impatient.
Spirituality: More often a Type B personality-- relaxed, easy-going, patient, and at times lacking a sense of urgency.

Religion: Existential questions should not be dwelled upon much. We should come to simple answers to them and move on with our lives. This attitude puts an end to vexing unanswerable questions that drive many people crazy.
Spirituality: Pondering existential questions is a necessary part of the spiritual journey. It is often frightening to look inside of ourselves, but that is ultimately how we discover who we are and our relation to the universe.

Examples:

"ويسألونك عن الروح قل الروح من أمر ربى وما أوتيتم من العلم إلا قليلا"

"They will ask you about the Spirit. Say: 'The Spirit is one of the commands of my Lord. You have only been given a little of knowledge.'" (17:85)

Religious people interpret this ayah as "Don't ask and don't ponder". Spiritual people infer from this ayah that the spirit is God; it should be pondered and explored.

"ثم استوى على العرش"

"Then He (God) firmly established Himself on the Thrown." (7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 25:59, 32:4, 57:4)

Religious interpret it by saying, "The establishment on the thrown is known, but how it happened is unknown. Believing in it is obligatory but asking about it is a heresy."
"الاستواء معلوم والكيف مجهول والإيمان به واجب والسؤال عنه بدعة"

Spiritual people believe that we are called upon to ponder how this happens, and because they appreciate metaphors, they are able to find a perception that is compatible with reality.

Religion: Motivated by hate and love.
Spirituality: Motivated only by love.

Religion: Rules are rules. There should be no individual exceptions. Individual discretion leads to corruption. Strict rules serve as a safe-guard from our desires and temptations.
Spirituality: Rules can be molded to the person or circumstance. The pitfall is that loose rules can allow us to fall victims to the desires of our egos. Mystics often give themselves permission to be released from responsibility and misuse that permission. A recently study showed that people who believed in a loving, compassionate God were more likely to cheat than those who believed in an angry, punitive God.

Religion: More likely to be high achievers and successful in business.
Spirituality: Less likely to be competitive. Willing to leave their family, friends, and jobs to find the answers to life. The egolessness that spirituality produces, in its extremity, leads mystics to a life in which union with God is the only true happiness and wandering around with a begging bowl is more fulfilling than any worldly achievements.

Religion: Focuses on the society. More interested in changing the world than changing oneself.
Spirituality: Focuses on the individual. More interested in changing oneself than changing the world.

Religion: More likely to be conservative politically and socially.
Spirituality: More likely to be liberal politically and socially.

Religion: Relieves the individual of searching for truth for himself by providing him with a ready-made package and asking him to have faith in it.
Spirituality: Puts the responsibility on the individual in finding his truth and source of ecstasy. Only the individual can find that kind of intimacy for himself. You can't share that kind of experience of the mind with others.

Religion: Non-accepting of the status quo.
Spirituality: Accepting of things as they are.

Religion: Seeks to promote discipline in oneself and others through coercion.
Spirituality: Seeks to promote discipline in oneself and others through gentleness.
Note: Both are necessary at different times for different people.

Religion: Looks outside the self for answers to life's basic questions.
Spirituality: Looks inside the self for answers to life's basic questions.
Note: We need both.

How does Facebook affect our emotional well-being?

2011-04-12T04:29:00.004-04:00

There have been numerous studies recently suggesting that using Facebook could have negative effects on people's psychological health.

One study linked facebook use and teen depression. Another found a link between using Facebook and lower grades in college. This one suggested Facebook users are insecure, narcissistic and have low self-esteem.

On the positive side, this study found that Facebook Enhances Self-Esteem.

My guess is that Facebook serves as a refuge for people who already have emotional problems, so there is a correlation, but not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship.

Jay Leno joked about the study linking Facebook use among teenagers and depression, by saying, "You know what else leads teenagers to be depressed? Everything. They are teenagers."

My personal experience with Facebook has been mostly positive and I have been able to avoid the negative effects.

Since I've been on Facebook, I've gotten more Happy Birthday wishes than any time in my life.

When someone posts a status update saying they are sick, they get more "Get Well" wishes than they could in real life. I'm sure it does wonders for their immune systems.

People vent off when they have minor inconveniences such as being stuck in traffic, studying for an exam, or having a tough day at work.

Facebook is giving people the opportunity to give and receive love more than any time in history. This does wonders not only for the person who is facing difficulties, but for the people giving the empathy. Compassion heals the giver as well as the receiver.

In terms of good news, I delight vicariously when I see a friend sharing joyful news. There are people who might feel envious when they see people posting pictures of them having fun, but jealousy, envy and other destructive emotions are things people have to work on themselves. It's not Facebook's fault. They need to remember that people who post happy pictures are not necessarily always that happy.

The "Like" feature is a great way for people to contribute their "two cents." Many people often don't have the time or the eloquence to give complements to others, but clicking "Like" is easy for the giver and effective to the receiver.

From what I see, maliciousness on Facebook is rare because people are cautious of appearing cruel in public. Duplicity is also rare because it's hard to hide.

Mindfully eating and breathing should not lead to choking

2011-03-21T23:25:00.000-04:00

I frequently get questions from people who worry that focusing on breathing while eating could cause choking.

I can tell you that it has never happened to me while practicing mindful eating.

The only time I might choke is when my mind is neither on my breath nor on what I'm eating.

Choking while eating usually happens when you are not relaxed; either eating too fast, laughing or remembering something that makes you gasp.

You might choke when, while eating, you are listening to the news, remembering a bad incident that happened in the past or might happen in the future; or when thinking thoughts of anger, regret, resentment, fear, guilt, shame, blame, worry, frustration, hurt, bitterness, hatred, nervousness or envy.

So what do I do when these thoughts arise? I replace them with positive thoughts.

I remember holding my baby nephew, Faris. I remember a warm and loving smile from a very dear friend. I remember fun moments with my family. Then, I turn my attention back to the food I am eating.

As for swallowing while inhaling, it is unlikely to happen when you are mindful because mindfulness elicits relaxation.

Remember, eating should be a natural process. We instinctively know when to breathe and when to swallow. We learned it when we were babies. Mindfulness only makes us aware of it and awareness reduces the chances of choking.

If you don't have the time or presence to be mindful during the whole meal, just be mindful while swallowing, because that is when you sense of smell influences your sense of taste.

Inhale before swallowing and exhale after swallowing. Breathe continuously while chewing.

All breathing should be through your nose unless you are congested. To be honest, I never had allergy problems, so I can't comment on how to deal with them.

Zumba is a form of meditation

2011-03-01T23:54:00.018-05:00

I have come to realize that the Zumba dance classes that I go to are actually a form of meditation.

We all meditate from time to time without really knowing it. Meditation is when you are concentrating on something, yet relaxed and enjoying the process. It is when you feel whole in the present moment and in harmony with all that is. However, what makes you a meditator is when you know you are meditating.

When I am in a Zumba class, I am in the present moment. I cannot think of the past or the future. I have to concentrate on the choreographies (if I don't I will go out of synch with the class). Yet, I'm smiling and I'm not feeling time passing by.

I don't feel like it's a grim duty that I have to finish. My aim is not to get to the end of the Zumba class. The dance itself is the goal. I am enjoying the moment and opening up to the infinite.

Dancing is a way of communicating emotions through movement. It helps people have a dialog with their bodies.

Because Zumba is a group form of choreographed dance, it makes us feel part of something larger than ourselves. The class is like a team that works together to produce a work of art. The creative synchronicity that we all achieve together expands spirituality.

Dancing meditation makes us more spiritual because it helps us transcend our egos.

We bless the Lord by dancing.. because dancing kills the ego, and once the ego has been killed, there is no further obstacle to prevent you from joining with God. -- told to Greek writer Nikos Kazantakis by a Sufi dervish

Dancing is like meditation in that it cultivates love.

While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. That is why I dance. --Hans Bos

The mind wanders and returns

Does my mind wander off in Zumba class? It sure does, but not for long. There are repetitive moves that become second nature and don't require concentration. These moves might allow my mind to drift to my thoughts, but they only last a few seconds. After that, the moves change and I have to bring my mind back to the moment, else the class will notice that I'm not concentrating.

This is what happens in meditation. It's not that your mind does not wander off. It is that every time it does, you bring it back to your focus of attention.

Different strokes for different folks

So why doesn't everyone get into a meditative state in Zumba class like I do?

Because we all march to the beat of a different drummer. We are made with different predilections.

For some people, painting is what makes them feel in the flow. For others, it is being in nature, writing poetry, playing with children, going to a place of worship, helping people in need, or sitting and watching one's breath.

"God calls one man with a song, one with a shout, one with a whisper, one with a dance. Which way are you called?" Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Fragrances that smell like food might make us hungry

2011-03-01T22:48:00.009-05:00

How do pleasant scents affect your appetite? In my case, they usually suppress my appetite, because they make me feel good. However, I have a suspicion that fragrances that smell like food might slightly increase my appetite because they remind me of food.

I recently shopped at Bath and Body Works for body sprays, soaps, home fragrances, lotions and other beauty products.

What the trend seems to be the past couple of years is that most of these products now have scents of edible foods such as vanilla, apple, citrus fruits, coconut, cinnamon, melons, tropical fruits, etc.

I personally don't like perfumes that smell like food, but my friend reminded me that "men like to eat." That's another story, though. My main concern here is how these products affect me. They remind my subconscious mind of food, and since smell is stored in the area of the brain related to long-term memory, it has strong connections to emotional memory.

On the other hand, pleasant scents that do not remind me of food, such as lavender, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, pine, aqua essences, oak, and musk, promote my emotional well-being in a way that suppresses hunger.

The effect might not be significant. The factors that influence our weight are far more complex than just smells. It could perhaps be less than 5 percent. But for those of us who have a tendency to gain weight, every little bit counts.

Of course, scents that smell like food are better than no scents, but if I had a choice, I would choose scents that don't remind me to eat.

To enhance your sense of taste, focus on your exhale

2011-01-23T22:54:00.002-05:00

My experience with the practice of mindful eating has helped me enjoy food more.

It has been particularly fascinating to explore how paying attention to my breathing while eating affects my sense of taste.

Many people are aware that our sense of smell is essential to our sense of taste. We can observe this by noticing that food loses most of its flavor when we have a cold and we can’t smell anything. Also, when we want to force ourselves to consume something repugnant, we plug our noses so that we can't taste it.

But here is a piece of information that has greatly improved my sense of taste and my enjoyment of food since I learned it: It is during exhalation that the olfaction (sense of smell) contribution to flavor occurs, in contrast to that of proper smell which occurs during the inhalation phase.

Apparently this happens immediately after we swallow (retro-olfaction), which is why it is important to take a deep inhale before we swallow and a long exhale afterwards.

I also like to pause after I swallow and take another breath (in and out) to savor the experience, and to remind myself to take small bites and chew them well, else 90 percent of the food I eat, I will gobble without tasting.

When I have a big bite in my mouth, I don't swallow the whole thing at once. I swallow it in bits.

Study which tells people to clench their fists is misleading

2011-01-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

My mother recently told me that she read a news story about a study that showed that clenching your fist can help you deal with stress.

The study concluded that clenching fists, calf muscles or biceps "can serve as a non-conscious source to recruit willpower, facilitate self-control, and improve consumer wellbeing."

My mother said she started that same day to practice clenching her fist in order to relieve tension.

In this study, half the group were told to clench muscles as they took part in the experiments, the other half were not given any instructions.

I wonder what the results would look like if the study compared people clenching muscles in response to stress with people relaxing and thinking positive thoughts.

Also, the study only examined the short term effect of clenching muscles. I wonder what the results would be if it compared the long term effects of frequently clenching muscles in response to stress vs. frequently relaxing and thinking positive thoughts.

Unfortunately, people who get their health information from the daily news read this and say to themselves, "The latest scientific evidence indicates that clenching your muscles in response to stress is good for you. I must do it."

And unfortunately, news editors are not aware that lay people act on a lot of the health information that they publish and make decisions about their health based on studies that they are not able to interpret correctly.

The results of this study run contrary to what five thousand years of yoga have proven; the best way to alleviate stress is to train ourselves to greet it with an inner calm and awareness rather than with anger, anxiety, and aggression.

Why it's important to give complements to others and yourself

2011-01-19T17:02:00.002-05:00

I recently had a conversation with my sister about giving complements. She mentioned her professor who is a sharp dresser but would still give complements to others who are far less dressed up.

We were wondering if giving complements could be a form of lying or hypocrisy.

I think it is neither. It is truth that we want to start with and build on.

Giving complements sets the energy momentum upwards for growth and improvement. It is finding the positive in any situation and focusing on it.

When we build on our strengths, our weaknesses take care of themselves. Finding the positive in any situation sets in motion the process of attracting change. Whatever we focus upon, increases.

You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you and allowing that goodness to emerge. Eckhart Tolle

Atheists are a minority that should be accepted and appreciated

2011-01-10T15:58:00.006-05:00

Atheists have always existed in all societies throughout history. It is not a new enlightened and progressive movement. Even the most ancient theological scriptures contain debates with atheists.

I imagine that atheism is similar to being left-handed or being gay. It is something that is innate. I think it is something that is different yet normal. Atheists are a minority that should be accepted, appreciated and accommodated. We have a lot to learn from them because, like gays and left-handed individuals, they teach us how to view the world differently and to think with our non-dominant faculties.

And similar to gays, the variation we see among societies is dependent on the levels of freedom. In some societies you can be openly gay or openly atheist, but in others you have to hide it for fear of persecution.

It is unfortunate that, even in progressive democratic societies, it is politically incorrect to attack any religious minority, yet OK to attack atheists.

Belief in God is not a choice for most of us. It doesn’t seem to be something we can control. On the other hand, most people who believe in God are agnostic to one degree or another. Therefore, we occasionally put on our skeptical hats. This is when we allow some rationalism to modify our dogmatism and it is when atheists can be a big help.

Equanimity: freedom from passion, aggression, and prejudice

2011-01-02T15:42:00.005-05:00

I've been studying Buddhism for a while now and the concept that I have the most difficulty with is how to achieve equanimity without becoming dull.

Equanimity is defined as freedom from passion, aggression, and prejudice. Aggression and prejudice, I understand. But passion? What would my life be without passion? It's true that being too passionate about someone or something causes heartbreak when you lose them. But what passionate people will tell you is that, when it comes to love, all the pleasure is worth all the pain.

I used to think that I had achieved that state of equanimity when I would say in my last relationship, "I love you, but if we broke up tomorrow, it would be OK." The truth is, I did love him, but I was not passionate about him. I was not attached and that is why I didn’t shed a tear when it was over. Call me a love addict, but that's not my idea of love.

Love without attachment helps us to be free of suffering, but a lot of people who are in love, also love the suffering that is involved. There were those who couldn’t bear the pain and when they were heartbroken turned into hermits and ascetics. They wanted detachment from the pain and a guarantee that it will not happen to them again. An example is the Arab poet Abul Atahia. He was madly in love with a woman named Utba, but when he was unrequited, turned into one of the most notable poets of asceticism.

Unrequited love is responsible for many suicide attempts, but it is also responsible for great art, music, poems and songs.

"Love till it hurts," as Mother Theresa says. "If it does not hurt it is not real."

I think romantic love is an exception to other worldly attachments, because it is a spiritual quest rather than a materialistic one. In it, one feels a deep sense of truth, wholeness and timelessness. It is also different in that it is altruistic. It is only concerned with the happiness and well-being of the other person. Moreover, it is unconditional. It does not turn into anything other than love.

Passionate but emotionally free?

Perhaps a passionate love that is also free from suffering is when the passion is directed towards the other person’s happiness, like saying, “I love you but knowing that you are happy is what really makes me happy. I will be happy when I receive love from you, but my happiness will not depend on it.” Or when the the love is based on freedom, like saying, “Loving you does not mean that I can force you to love me. I don't have the right to control you or demand anything from you. You are free to love someone else and you are free not to love me.”

Can a person be passionate but emotionally free? Or will emotional freedom compromise the passion? I am not sure I have an answer.

This is the best time for Islam—Muslims are pressured to reform

2010-10-10T17:44:00.002-04:00

Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a dinner that I attended last night that, contrary to what many Muslims feel, this is the best time for Islam, because the media is constantly shedding the spotlight on Islam, and when the spotlight is on Islam, Islam shines.

I agree that this is the best time for Islam, but I don't think that Islam is shining. The only things that seem to be emphasized in the media are the misconceptions about Islam and the dysfunctionality of Muslims.

The reason why I think this is a good time for Islam is that Muslims are being forced to address and correct the problems in Islamic culture being highlighted in the media. The constant negative publicity is too embarrassing.

Another reason why this is a good time for Islam is that, despite the negative publicity, any publicity is good publicity. When Islam is constantly on people's minds, it becomes accepted as a reality, rather than dismissed as something strange or alien. Islam is here and it's here to stay.

Zamzam water heals, but so does all water when you believe

2010-09-19T23:10:00.005-04:00

Since, thus far, there have been no randomized placebo-controlled, peer-reviewed studies of Zamzam water, I would attribute reported incidents of spontaneous healing following its consumption to the placebo effect.

Anything wrong with the placebo effect? No. As a matter of fact, I am in favor of it. Your mind can heal your body better than drugs can, and the more you believe, the better it works, so why not believe?

The problem with believing in Zamzam water without basing it on scientific placebo controlled studies is that we appear delusional, naive and we are not likely to use the placebo effect in its correct way. We might waste valuable time, money and effort securing Zamzam water from far-off places when there can be more effective treatments (placebo or material) readily available.

German physician Dr Knut Pfeiffer studied Zamzam water, but through listening to this interview and googling his research, I found no consideration by him of the placebo response.
It’s OK to lie to ourselves when we are desperate for a miracle, but when we are not, we need to be more objective and realistic.

Not only are we being unscientific, we are being un-Islamic when we believe that Zamzam water has miraculous powers. Aren't we asked to use our minds and not take anything on faith unless we have proof?

Zamzam water was not mentioned in the Quran, so how can we have blind faith that it has miraculous powers? The Quran asserts in numerous ayahs that miracles don't happen anymore. This happens to be an issue of creed so we need unequivocal and conclusive evidence to believe in it.

As for the Sunnah, the following are hadiths that mention Zamzam water:

"إنها مباركة. إنها طعام طعم" مسلم

"Indeed it is blessed, and that like food, it fills." (Muslim)

And in Abu Dawud's narration, there is this addition:

"وشفاء سقم" (زيادة في رواية أبي داود)

"And a cure for illness." (Abu Dawud)

But that can be said of any water. The ayah says,

"وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً مُبَارَكًا فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ" (ق، 9)

"We have sent down blessed water from the sky and irrigated with it gardens and seeds" (50:9)

The following hadith is considered weak by many Hadeeth scholars, but even if you consider it strong, it supports the argument that the effect is nothing but a placebo that is activated by intention.

"ماء زمزم لما شرب له، إن شربته تستشفي به شفاك الله، وإن شربته لشبعك أشبعك الله به، وإن شربته ليقطع ظمأك قطعه الله، وهي هزمة جبريل وسُقيا الله إسماعيل" الدارقطني والحاكم

"Zamzam water is for whatever you drink it for. If you drink it with the intention of being cured, Allah will cure you. If you drink it to satisfy your hunger, Allah will satisfy your hunger. If you drink it to quench your thirst, Allah will quench your thirst. It was dug by Jebril and is the water with which Allah quenched the thirst of Ismail." Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim

I look forward to the day when I can drink Zamzam water and imagine myself being healed by it, but until then, I will drink filtered tab water and imagine myself being healed by it.

Fasting: No fight, no flight—just surrender

2010-09-15T02:08:00.001-04:00

Much has been said about the many health benefits of fasting. After a month of daily fasting, here is what I took from Ramadan this year: a great way to tame the sympathetic nervous system.

I often feel like my day of fasting is a struggle to surrender. I start off OK, except for the craving for coffee, but I usually kick the caffeine habit after the sixth day of Ramadan. My body begins to struggle around lunch time by demanding that I eat. After about three hours of resisting this urge, it gives up trying to send hunger signals and instead slows down my metabolism in order to conserve energy. This slowdown is often good for me. It calms the fight-or-flight response and makes me better able to cope with headaches, pain, discomfort, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, or any other stress related condition.

My productivity level at work during the fasting hours of Ramadan tends to be just as high as when I am not fasting. Somehow, the adrenalin kicks in and I am able to find the energy to get the work done.

When I am home on non-work days however, I find that all I can do during the day is sleep, watch TV, read or browse the Internet. I feel completely out of energy and it is hard for me to motivate myself to unleash the dormant energy within my body.

This used to make me feel guilty, but then I started accepting Ramadan as a time to rest, let go and focus inward.

I sleep more during Ramadan than in other months, but I think that's OK.

Learning to let go is not an easy thing to do, but it is important if we want to achieve inner peace.

There is no risk for me of becoming complacent and irresponsible, because the fatigue and laziness that I feel during fasting is only temporary. Once I break my fast, I am fully energetic and ambitious.

Even though I am not as energetic physically, I am able to think more clearly while fasting.

Taming the fight-or-flight response can be achieved by learning to meditate, but it takes years to acquire mind-body skills that allow you to calm your sympathetic nervous system at will.

With fasting, you calm it immediately from the first day of fasting. Other than patience, fasting does not require you to engage your mind. Thus, it can be useful in eliciting relaxation in people who are not good at meditating, which is most of us.

So here is my recommendation for myself as Ramadan ends: the best way to calm my sympathetic nervous system, which is aggravating a stress related condition, is to abstain from eating and drinking.

Will I heed this self-advice? I am not sure. I grew up viewing fasting as a full day process. Either you fast the whole day or you don't fast at all. Also, it's hard to get myself to fast on days other than Ramadan. But discovering firsthand over the course of a month how the nervous system is affected by food gives me information that I can use when all else fails.

Fasting and smoking is better than not fasting at all

2010-09-03T17:51:00.002-04:00

I had a conversation today with a friend who says he cannot fast in Ramadan because he is unable to abstain from smoking due to his strong addiction.

Then I remembered Gamal al-Banna's opinion that smoking does not break your fast.

Although it is an opinion that I don't completely agree with, I think it gives leeway to an option that avoids an all-or-nothing approach in favor of a do-what-you-can approach.

It's is better to bend than to break is my principle. If I were my smoking friend and it was extremely difficult for me to abstain from smoking, I would fast during Ramadan by abstaining from all food and drink, except smoking. Isn't that better than not fasting at all?

Many people will say, "Allah will not accept your fast, so you shouldn't even bother," but how do they know? We can choose to view God as caring and benevolent or rigid and mean. I prefer to view Him as Caring and Benevolent.

After all, there is no mention in the Quran of a punishment for those who don't fast in Ramadan, yet there are caring and considerate ayahs regarding fasting that say "Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire for you difficulty" (2:185) and "It is better for you that you fast, if ye only knew." (2:184)

I'm all for the placebo as long as it doesn't cost much

2010-08-29T14:27:00.000-04:00

Proponents of mind-body therapies have recently been looking at the placebo effect as a positive response that should be enhanced and taken advantage of, rather than tossed away as useless.

I agree with this completely. If I can get healthier by believing that I am getting healthier, why should I let go of that belief?

My only concern is when the therapies are expensive and controlled clinical trials on the effects (beyond placebo) have not been established. It is especially worrisome when marketers of unproven therapies take advantage of people who are desperate.

Many types of herbs might not be any more effective than a placebo, but I don't want to have to pay $50 for a herbal supplement when most of its efficacy comes from my belief in it. I can get a similar effect by picking a flower from my backyard, smelling it and staring at it. They are both placebo effects. The difference is, one costs $50 and the other costs nothing.

If an acupuncture session costs $100 but is really no more effective than a placebo, than I would rather save my money and do something just as evoking of "remembered wellness" but much less expensive, such as taking a walk in a park or going to a comedy club.

The Quran was not sent down to us so that we may be miserable

2010-08-26T01:29:00.005-04:00

Praying Taraweeh the passed few nights made me think of whether we need to have a discussion about how to stand in prayer for long periods so that it doesn't cause us pain, discomfort or injury.

I was not encouraged to be experimental during my Islamic education, but I think experimentation is called for, particularly as it relates to health. It has been said that the occasion for the revelation of the following ayah was that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to stand reciting the Quran for long hours during the night until his feet would get swollen. He was reproached in this regard. God Almighty said to him:

"طه. مَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى" (طه: 1-2)

"Taha, We have not sent down the Quran upon you to cause you misery". (20:1-2)

One way to avoid distress or hardship is to reduce the time spent praying, but another way, is to modify the prayer positions that cause pain, discomfort or injury.

Standing for long periods during prayer gives me discomfort between my shoulder blades.

Experimenting with different standing postures led me to conclude that the best posture for me is to stand straight with my hands either by my sides or clasped behind my back, my spine straight and my gaze forward (same height as my eyes) rather than downward.

It is true that having your head up during praying can cause distraction, but I avoid distraction by fixing my gaze on a single point --usually staring at a dot on the scarf of the woman standing in the row in front of me.

This allows me to stand for hours comfortably without any kind of discomfort, enjoying the recitation of the Quran and calming my mind by returning to the present prayer every time my mind wonders.

Some might say that having your head down promotes humility, but that is only if you assume that God is a person looking down at you from the sky. To me, God is Greater if I imagine Him everywhere, including inside me and around me.

I would like to emphasize that this standing position only applies to me. Everyone has a different body and different weak points along their spine. People should experiment for themselves to find out what is most comfortable for them.

We are often reminded that we have an option to pray while sitting on the floor or in a chair, especially that Taraweeh is a Sunnah rather than a Fardh.

However, what I have noticed that the only people who utilize this option is the old or the sick. If a healthy young person experiences pain or discomfort while praying, he would often be embarrassed to pray while sitting. He would rather stop praying and go home because he doesn't want people approaching him and asking if he is OK.

Here are other issues to be aware of to minimize hardship during prayer. You can learn more by practicing the elements of mountain pose in yoga.

Remember to breathe deeply (diaphragmatic breathing.) Breathing not only reduces stress, but it increases spiritual awareness.
Keep your tailbone tucked in to help protect and flatten your lower back.
Relax your shoulders and keep them back and down.
Feel your chest and collarbone moving upward, but not hyper-extended.
Do not lock your knees. Keep a micro-bend in order not to put pressure on your kneecaps and let your thigh muscles do most of the work.
Elongate the spine by stretching the crown of your head toward the ceiling, but at the same time feel a sense of relaxation.
Mentally do a body scan to identify areas of tension in your body and release that tension.
Keep your chin tucked in slightly.
Try not to clench your toes against the floor or each other. Keep your weight distributed over your entire foot, including your heel.
Remember to relax. The Quran was sent down as mercy and tranquility.

Also see: Can you pray with your hands behind your back?

The new line of defense: calling evolution an unimportant theory

2010-08-24T03:43:00.001-04:00

It seems that calling evolution an unimportant theory is a new line of defense that many Muslims are employing in order to avoid the debate on the theory, especially those who have recognized that it has merit.

Following the publishing of my post “Bridging evolution and religion through nondualism”, I had a discussion about the topic with someone who is specialized in science education and the philosophy of science. He stated that “I don't think that the theory of evolution, at least in its natural science, would help or harm the advancement of science and technology. It is a theory about history.”

I wonder if this approach was inspired by the ayah, "Ask not about things which if declared to you may trouble you." (5:101) Is it possible that they just want to avoid the debate about evolution because it is more than they can cope with ideologically?

I wonder if they also consider geology useless knowledge. What good would it do to study how mountains were formed? Isn’t it just history?

The big bang theory is also a historical theory that is no stronger than evolutionary theory, but when some Muslims talk about it and loosely link it to ayahs in the Quran, they embrace it as a fact, rather than a tentative theory that is subject to refutation or modification. Further, they don't find it necessary to label it as a useless theory that is just history.

Bridging religion and science does not consist in running away from science when it apparently contradicts religion or presents a challenge to our worldview.

Is it OK to pray while sitting, walking or driving?

2010-08-19T17:34:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, I was in Washington, DC and I needed to pray Dhuhr and Asr combined. I didn't want to make a scene by praying in public—many Americans see it as provoking. So, I sat on a bench on the Washington Mall and prayed by just moving my eyes. It was one of the best meditative experiences I have had.

I decided to pray sitting on a bench when I remembered that the Quran says it is OK to pray walking or riding if you are afraid of something. I would imagine sitting is also OK since it offers better conditions for concentration.

The Quran doesn't state what you have to be afraid of in order to qualify for praying while walking or driving (the modern equivalent of riding an animal).

"حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَى وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ. فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالًا أَوْ رُكْبَانًا فَإِذَا أَمِنْتُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ". (البقرة: 238-239)

"Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up with devotion to Allah. But if you are fearful, then (say your prayers) on foot or on horseback; and when you are secure, then remember Allah, as He has taught you what you did not know." (2:238-239)

Do I lack courage for being afraid of praying in public? Chances are low that I would be harmed if I did it. But I want prayer to be a peaceful and calming experience. I think this is more important than doing something that can be perceived as a provoking political statement.

So what about praying while walking or driving? There is a provision for that in the Quran. Why don't we take advantage of it?

I would imagine it to be difficult to concentrate while praying and walking or driving. However, since the provision is there, it seems that multitasking is permitted in certain situations. We can make up for the concentration and remembrance when we are in more secure conditions, as the ayah above states.

Bridging evolution and religion through nondualism

2010-08-10T16:15:00.005-04:00

If something happened autonomously, does that mean that God has nothing to do with it?

The theory of evolution by natural selection can diminish the concept of God as we conceptualized Him because life, according to the theory, evolves through a blind process that is obedient only to gravity and not "intelligently designed". It is a trial and error process and, at the same time, there is no end result in mind. Yet it results in continuous improvements that better sustain life.

But this is also the case in the formation of mountains, valleys, canyons and rivers. The Quran states that God created mountains as pegs in order to stabilize the earth, but we know that they didn't just magically spring into existence in the form that we see them, but are a result of a long evolutionary process that took twists and turns over millions of years. Quakes, volcanoes, wind and water do not have an end-result in mind when they shape landforms. They take the path of least resistance, but the end result is more stable. A process which appears on a grand scale to be intelligently designed but not by omniscient intelligence, because it appears to use a method of trial and error.

Bridging science and religion has generally not been a problem for Muslims. But evolution theory poses a new challenge, because it presents a new problem that in my view can only be tackled through the concept of nondualism, which is really the essence of tawhid.

It is a philosophical debate that is necessary if we are to come to terms with the theory of evolution, which we have to eventually. The evidence is overwhelming and we are fooling ourselves if we try to continue to resist it.

The concept of non-dual awareness was addressed by Islamic scholars such as Ibn Rushd (Averroes) in "The Decisive Treatise, Determining the Nature of the Connection Between Religion and Philosophy" فصل المقال فيما بين الحكمة والشريعة من اتصال and Ibn Taymiyyah in "Refuting the Conflict between the intellect and Revelation" درء تعارض العقل والنقل.

The Mutazilite school pursued a rational Islamic theology, based on reason and ordinary experience, called Ilm-al-Kalam (scholastic theology), where they presented both cosmological and ontological arguments.

Modern Islamic scholars such as Taha Jabir Alalwani proposed the concept of "Converging the Two Readings: that of Revelation and that of the Natural Universe" الجمع بين القراءتين: قراءة الوحي وقراءة الكون.

Many practical Muslims dismissed the importance of these debates as hairsplitting or fruitless philosophical sidetracks. They had a point at that time. Life can go on perfectly harmonious without them. But since evolution poses a serious ideological challenge that unravels the concept of intelligent design, it is important today to come to terms with the problem of dual-awareness.

Avoiding the debate by denying evolution is only rejecting scientific inquiry. It is not in Muslims' interest. Evolution has been described as by historian of science William Provine as “the greatest engine of atheism ever invented." Muslims face a challenge of making it an engine for belief rather than atheism.

Evolution theory is not "useless knowledge"; it has tremendous explanatory power, it helps us understand who we are, why we are so great as a species, and why we have the problems that we do, whether they are medical, social or psychological. This makes us more effective at tackling them.

Envy and magic as placebo/nocebo effects

2010-08-05T17:58:00.006-04:00

Many Arabs that I know, especially women, believe in the power of magic spells, envy and the evil eye. Being a realist all my life, I've never believed in any of them. I have always understood the reference to them in the Quran as being actual acts that cause harm—not supernatural phenomena.

An example of the envy that was mentioned in the Quran, based on my understanding, would be a woman who is jealous of another woman, and out of her jealousy causes actual harm to her by spreading negative rumors about her, secretly sabotaging her property, or disrupting her livelihood.

An example of the magic spells that was mentioned in the Quran, based on my understanding, would be a man who hates another man, and out of his hatred, utilizes clever techniques that cause him harm, such as remotely setting his house on fire, hacking into his computer, or disabling his car.

But after reading about topics such as guided imagery, visualization and the powers of placebo effects and nocebo effects (negative placebo response), I began to wonder whether envy and magic can be understood from this perspective.

The power of emotions and belief is well documented, and people have harnessed it throughout history for good and evil.

The power of positive thinking has been known to cause spontaneous healing, while the power of negative thinking has been known to cause psychological disturbances, physical illnesses, and in extreme cases, death (voodoo death) which is brought about by a strong emotional shock, such as fear.

Walter Cannon who first coined the term voodoo death in 1942 cited examples of extraordinary deaths in aboriginal societies. He posited the idea that fear of supernatural consequences caused the deaths witnessed in the natives, where an individual receives some sort of shock—often the breaking of some social/religious taboo—that he interprets as a pridiction that something bad will happen; his physical condition then deteriorates and he eventually dies.

Cannon explains this phenomenon by noting that the shock causes a reduction of the volume of circulating blood, preventing a proper flow of blood within the body and causing a drop in blood pressure.

Since 1942, scientists have discovered many more of the processes involved in the effect of stress upon the body.

Similar responses can occur on smaller levels causing illness or psychological disturbances.

Based on this, a woman who believes that she or her child might be envied by someone is likely to have something negative happen to her or her child because of her belief or fear that it will (nocebo effect.)
Yet the potential of superstition rests entirely on degrees of belief. So, if you don't believe that something is dangerous or harmful it won't affect you.

Perhaps that is why envy and magic happens to be effective in primitive societies and less effective in modern societies. Primitive societies actually believe that it is effective.

The Quran's antidote

The Quran addressed this phenomenon by asserting that there are people out there that can harness the power of thought and belief to cause you harm. But you can protect yourself from this harm through belief itself by clinging to your faith and asking for Allah's protection, by saying, "I seek refuge in the Lord of the Dawn" and "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind," (the last two surahs in the Quran).

Thus, an example of envy would be a woman who is jealous of another woman, and out of her jealousy says something to her that causes her to lose confidence in herself or sets a psychological feeling that something negative is going to happen. This feeling if powerful enough in the envier can be transferred to the believer and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why is belief in envy and magic more common in cultures that are less educated or less developed?

Perhaps because these cultures are less reliant on sophisticated methods. Long ago before the advancement of science and medicine, people had nothing else to rely on but the placebo. With the adoption of the scientific method, the placebo effect with its 35-40 percent efficacy was tossed out.

People in developed countries are so absorbed by modern science, technology and medicine for problem solving that they have lost interest in the power of belief to effect life.

Recently, psychology and medicine have become interested in these subtle responses to address problems that modern medicine is not yet able to treat effectively. The placebo effect has also gained increased respectability today, because unlike allopathic medicine, the placebo effect gets better over time. The more you believe, the better it works.

Music only blocks remembrance of Allah if you allow it to

2010-08-04T08:19:00.001-04:00

The most common rationale given by Muslims who oppose music is that it prevents you from remembering Allah and being in a religious mode. They say that it causes hypocrisy because there is a contradiction between them.

But I think music only blocks remembrance of Allah if you allow it to. If you are convinced that there is a contradiction, there will be one. You will find it inappropriate to remember Allah while listening to music.

But if you look at music differently you can reconcile the two. Music makes you humble, loving, passionate, and peaceful. These same things are supposed to make you spiritual.

Perhaps people find a contradiction because the themes of most songs revolve around love and sex. But if you embrace love and sex as part of your nature and stop denying them, you will find it easier to reconcile them with religion.

It may causes hypocrisy if you think it is necessary to switch modes between music and religion, but if you reconcile the two, you will not need to switch modes. You can be thinking of Allah while you are listening to a love song, and you can be thinking of romantic love while you are reading the Quran.

Music, romantic love and sex happen to be human traits that exist in every society on earth. When something is so widespread it is unrealistic to assume that it can be suppressed. We are better off coming to terms with them and embracing them.

What to do when you fall off the prayer wagon

2010-07-09T18:12:00.007-04:00

Don't set yourself up for failure. Lower your standards to make it easier for you to get back on track. If you make it too hard by intending on praying all the prayers that you missed right away, you will essentially de-motivate yourself.

Do what you can at the moment, and if you find that any plan you make is discouraging you from getting back on track, lower the requirements for that plan.

What to do if you spend two days not praying?

I suggest beginning anew from the time you decide to go back to praying regularly. Don't worry about the prayers you missed, but keep them in mind. Once you pick up momentum and you get into the habit of praying again, start praying extra prayers here and there to make up for what you missed.

I look at prayer the way I look at exercise. If you haven't been exercising in a while and you want to get back into the routine, you have to be realistic and start slow if you want to make the process enjoyable and easy.

Say your routine is to exercise for an hour a day and you haven't exercised in 10 days. Exercising for 10 hours to make up for what you missed will cause fatigue and undermine your resolve.

Prayer can also be compared to brushing your teeth. Just because you didn't brush your teeth yesterday doesn't mean you shouldn't brush them today, and if you haven't brushed them in a long time, it doesn't mean that it's wrong to brush them every now and then.

The following poem was meant as a joke to make fun of ignorant Bedouins, but I see it as a practical way to stick to prayer, and an example of positive intentions toward God:

إليك اعتذاري من صلاتي جـالـسـا .. على غير طهر مومياً نحو قبلـتـي
فمالي ببـرد الـمـاء يا رب طـاقة .. ورجلاي لا تقوى على ثني ركبتـي
ولكنني أستـغـفـر الـلـه شـاتـياً .. وأقضيكها يا رب في وجه صيفتـي
وإن أنا لم أفعل فـأنـت مـحـكـم .. بما شئت من صفعي ومن نتف لحيتي

Lord, I apologize to you for praying while I am
sitting down, without taking baths when I need to. I can only make gestures
towards the direction of my prayer.

Oh Lord, I am unable to
tolerate cold water and my legs are unable to bend my knees. But I ask for your
forgiveness in the winter and I will make up for my shortcomings in the summer.
And if I don't, you have the authority, if you wish, to smack me and plunk my
beard.

What's wrong with quitting prayer?

I think the reason this is important is that many people who begin praying often do so because they feel the need for a sense of meaning, connection and belonging, perhaps the deepest human longing. If for some reason they stop praying, they might feel a sense of separation from themselves, which often causes unhappiness.

Prayer keeps you anchored spiritually even if your prayer is dry and even if you don't think of what you are reciting during prayer. The fact that you have intended it is a good spiritual anchor.

If you can achieve that sense of spiritual fulfillment in ways other than regular prayer, it might be enough to keep you inspired, happy and at peace. If you can't, it might be necessary to take the steps mentioned above to insure that a sense of connection and belonging can be held on to.

Also see: Ideas for making prayer easier

Why do people get offended when God's name is desecrated?

2010-07-09T16:46:00.008-04:00

Do we really believe that God is bothered when someone desecrates His name? Many of us imagine God as our invisible leader, our alpha male who is the symbol of our tribe. We rally around him; he unites against other tribes. He is the strongest amongst us and protects us. Or perhaps He is imagined as a dictator like the leaders in the Arab and Muslim world who need to stifle dissenters in order to hold on to their power.

When contemplating the term "Allahu Akbar", I think the very fact that we are offended is offensive in itself. If God is greater than the universe and greater than time and existence, than how can He be offended by anyone? And why should we be offended on His behalf?

Let's suppose, for the sake of argument, that we worship the sun, since the earth was born out of the sun and all energy on earth ultimately comes from the sun. Would the sun be offended if someone said, "Damn the sun, the source of all evil"? Would the sun stop providing that person with energy?

Now, if we believe that God is the Creator of the Sun, then that should apply even more.

We should laugh when someone says things that sound "insulting" about God, just as we laugh when someone says something "insulting" about the sun.

Why do people desecrate His name?

There are people who lose their faith when faced by a traumatic event because they feel that God has abandoned them. I would think that this is a consequence of viewing God as a person up there somewhere who answers some people's prayers but doesn't answer others, therefore take it personally.

We don't take it personally when gravity causes us harm, nor do we damn gravity, because we know that damning it or losing faith in it will not do us any good. We continue to surrender to its laws.

On the other hand, people often damn religious symbols out of a need to rebel against people around them. And since Muslim societies tend to be collective, we tend to use religion to enforce unity and conformity. But taking offense only gives a rebellious person what he wants and that is attention.

Then there are people who damn life out of depression or hopelessness. In this case, the reason we would want to intervene is that people like these are harming themselves but attracting negativity and also causing harm to the universe by Propagating negativity.

This reminds me of the Hadith Qudsi, "Allâh said: 'The son of Adam hurts Me by damning Time, for I am Time; in My Hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night and day.'" (Bukhari 6/351; 9/583 and Muslim 4/5581)

قال الله عز وجل: يؤذيني ابن آدم يسب الدهر، وأنا الدهر بيدي الأمر، أقلب الليل والنهار

I think comparing our response to acts of God with our response to the laws of the universe is a good way to examine whether or not we are making progress in viewing Him as "Akbar."

Five percent is acceptable; I need all the help I can get

2010-07-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

When I hear that something has a five percent impact on my health, I don't belittle it. I look at it this way: If I have a health problem that has no known cure, and I need to cope with the symptoms, I need all the help I can get. If I can find 20 things that have a five percent impact on my health, then perhaps the negative impact of that problem on my health and wellbeing can be diminished and possibly eliminated.

Also, often the five percent will grow exponentially when it is something that gets better over time, like breathing and mind-body interventions which have accumulative benefits.

But there is also an issue of the cost/benefit ratio. There are things we can do that don't take much time, effort or money, such as popping a vitamin pill, breathing and relaxing your muscles, positive thinking, dancing, laughing, wearing comfortable shoes, and being mindful of the things that aggravate your condition and avoiding them.

If something is going to take a lot of time, money and effort only to produce less than a five percent benefit, than I might want to put a priority for more cost effective things.

I believe that any improvement in any aspect of your life (physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc.) affects the other aspects because it affects your overall wellbeing.
We are integrated beings of multiple interconnected dimensions. It is interesting to hear about research that links health with unexpected aspects, such as personality type, behavior, relationships, nature, socio-cultural environments, etc.

Wudu, nail polish and our perception of God and His Prophet

2010-06-24T17:13:00.001-04:00

Nail polish has long been considered inconsistent with wudu because the physical layer it creates over the nails prevents the penetration of water to the nails, which is a requirement for wudu. Therefore, a woman may pray while she has nail polish on but she has to take it off every time she needs to renew her wudu, which may mean taking it off and putting back on several times a day.

As much as women tried to beg for a way to put on nail polish and still pray, they couldn't find Islamic scholars to give them a break (that I know of.)

Yet, today I see more and more Muslim women who pray painting both their fingernails and toenails.

Who gave them a provision to do that? No one—many of them did it on their own.

This is my take on the matter: I could be wrong, but I pray that I will be rewarded for making an effort to help people enjoy life and enjoy their religion at the same time, and not see it as an arbitrary set of rules that make no sense.

Contemplating God as the Creator of the Universe creates a perception of God that is not as hard-headed as the "scholars" who make up rules on his behalf. I prefer to view God and His messenger differently.

I would imagine that the Prophet (PBUH) would be more flexible than these scholars. After all, if you contemplate "what would Muhammad do" based on what we know of him, we cannot imagine him preventing men and women from enjoying the beauties of life, just to apply a rigid rule that does not really have any practical benefits.

The Prophet was known to welcome objections and arguments. As far as I know, no one ever came to him asking for a provision and was denied it. If that was the case for the people who were around him at the time, why wouldn't it be the case for us today? Aren't we part of his Ummah too?

The Prophet's friends (yes they were called his friends, not his followers) didn't see him as a dictator, who dictates rigid rules. They saw him as a reasonable person with whom they could argue.

There are new things that come up everyday. Based on what we know about the Prophet, wouldn't he make accommodations for these new things? Or would he prefer that time stand still? New things came up during his lifetime and he accommodated them. Why would he expect time to stand still after his death?

Wudu, from the perspective of Maqased (purposes of Islamic law) is more of a ritual than anything else. It is meant for us to feel clean before prayer. Does making wudu without nail polish make you feel cleaner than when you have it on?

We wouldn't look at issues of science and medicine in such arbitrary rules without inspecting their practical purposes. Is religion at a lower level than science and medicine to be approached with different standards?

Nail polish is not a necessity, but why deprive ourselves from it?

So why is it important for some women to put on nail polish? This is a question that many clerics would ask. They would say that nail polish is not a necessity, so provisions are not in order.

The answer simply is that nail polish makes women's nails look prettier, and women have an instinctive desire to beautify themselves. Having beautiful things on you and around you makes you happier and for that matter closer to God. Neither God nor His Prophet would desire to deprive men or women of simple beauty—not based on my perception of them.

Henna and Kohl, although artificial beauty, were considered permission in traditional Islamic Law. The reason being that they were fashions that happened to be prevalent at the time of the Prophet. But times change and fashions change. Muftis cannot expect time to freeze. They also need to accept fashion as a social custom that will continually change. An old fashion isn't more conservative than a new fashion, because that old fashion used to be new at some point in time.

Nail polish today is perhaps equivalent to henna those days. While henna is a dye and nail polish is a physical layer, it is still a prevalent fashion today that the Prophet would likely have accommodated.

Is it worth the risk?

Some of them would say, since it is not a necessity, then there is no need to risk performing Islamic rituals in the wrong way, and perhaps not have any of your prayers counted in the eyes of God (yeah God would do that).

Perhaps their thinking is that God is somewhere in the sky and there's no way to know what his intentions are. We will never know what is acceptable and unacceptable by him until we meet him after we die. If it turns out that making wudu over nail polish was unacceptable, then we are in trouble. It is as if he is a person who is hiding and there is no way to communicate with him to know what he wants. There is no way to improve life and religion by experimentation and contemplation of life and the universe. Examining the Quran and the Hadith is the only way to know if we can make provisions regarding ibadat (Islamic rituals.)

God is near, God is here, and God is now. He is "Greater" than to be confined to a far away time or place.

Can we stop the oil leak through visualization or prayer?

2010-06-09T15:47:00.002-04:00

Chunyi Lin, a Qigong master who I am a fan of on Facebook, recently wrote about the Mexican Gulf oil spill, saying,

"This huge oil gush in the Gulf is part of Mother Earth's body and could be
compared to bleeding. Something we can all do together is to visualize the oil
leak surrounded in green light with the love and message sent to Earth to stop
the bleeding and be completely healed. There is power when many come together to
send love and healing."

This reminded me of the Islamic supplication for rain and other prayers we do.

Today, the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR) issued an action alert saying,

"CAIR is calling on mosques and other houses of worship across the nation to
offer prayers for an end to the Gulf oil spill and the environmental disaster it
is causing."

I'm not sure that visualization or prayer could be very effective in stopping the oil "bleeding," but at least it will stop me from "bleeding" along with it emotionally.

I would guess that the purpose of these prayers and visualizations is to make sure that you remain in good spirits despite difficulties beyond your control.

And if we were emotionally disturbed over the oil spill, visualizing the healing can help heal this emotional disturbance.

There is a reason why Hirsi Ali has barely any Muslim admirers

2010-06-07T05:50:00.005-04:00

I have recently been getting emails from non-Muslims praising me for my criticism of Arab and Islamic culture. The last email was from someone who sent me an article about Ayaan Hirsi Ali thinking that I might be impressed and saying that we need more people like her.

Here is my take on this woman:

I believe that respect, love and compassion are the only engines for change. Hate, bigotry and hostility will only make people more resistant to change because they are direct attacks on what people consider a core aspect of their identity.

I don't believe that encouraging people to hate their religion and culture helps much in reforming anything.

I sympathize with the ordeals that Hirsi Ali went through in her personal life, but I and most Muslim women I know, did not have it as hard as she did, therefore we are not willing to rebel against Islam and Islamic culture with such zeal, since we are not as emotionally charged.

As for non-Muslims, they have to realize that people who have been through personal traumas like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, are traumatized for life and therefore unable to use reason or think objectively. It is only an emotionally damaged person who can say things like "Islam is evil in and out." She is like a woman who has been hurt by a man and, because of it, hates all men.

I, and most Muslims I know, cherish and admire the vast majority of aspects in Islam. I cannot and should not focus on the negative only, and neglect all the great roles that Islam has had and still has in people's lives on all levels.

I'm also not sure that it is realistic to expect that it is possible for over a billion people to renounce Islam and embrace something else because Ayaan Hirsi Ali wants them to.

She does not believe in reform, but what is her alternative? Neither Christianity nor secularism seems reasonable for Muslims to embrace on a grand scale any time soon. Reform is likely a more practical option.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali might be a hero among some Westerners, but there is a reason why she has barely any Muslim admirers.

She is no different than the many Westerners who renounce their culture, convert to Islam, and are greeted like heroes when they go to the Middle East to give lectures about the evils of the West.

Islamic contribution to modern medicine: Can we do better than olives, figs and honey?

2010-05-23T22:09:00.011-04:00

A Muslim friend of mine, who happens to be a biomedical scientist, recently explained to me how important it was for Muslims to reveal to Westerners the scientific miracles in the Quran and to turn to the Quran for guidance on health.

He gave, as examples, the fact that the Quran mentions olives, figs and honey, and that modern science has now discover the miracles of these foods, among which was a supposed research study done by Japanese scientists that found that a mixture of figs and olives by a ratio of ratio 1 to 7 provides miraculous benefits in removing the symptoms of aging.

You can find this claim in thousands of Islamic Web pages, but no reference to any names of Japanese scientists, publications, or other specifics. Is it possible that someone who is desperate for an Islamic miracle made it up?

The is no shortage of scientific studies showing the health benefits of olive oil. Why not use them instead of making up studies?

We are doing a disservice to the Quran and to Islam by providing weak or non-existing research and linking it to the Quran.

Moreover, God swears by all His Creation, but gives examples in the Quran of things that were familiar to Arabs in their environment. That doesn't mean that they are superior to plants that grow in other areas of the planet.

Modern medicine with all its achievements is now turning to religious practices which are thousands of years old, such as yoga, which has its roots in Hinduism; Qigong and acupuncture, which have roots in Taoism; mindfulness, breathing and emotional awareness, which have roots in Buddhism.

If Muslims want to contribute to modern medicine using the Quran, I think we have to do a little better than olives, figs and honey.

Kafur: A testament to Levantine racism and Egyptian tolerance

2010-04-03T15:08:00.009-04:00

The story of al-Mutanabbi and Kafur al-Ikhshidi testifies to Levantine/Iraqi racism and Egyptian tolerance.

The notorious satirical poems in which the Iraqi/Levantine poet Abut-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi insults the ruler of Egypt Abu al-Misk Kafur Al-Ikhshidi for being a former black slave and mocks the people of Egypt for allowing him to rise to power and accepting him as their leader, is often cited as an example of Arab racism. However, I see it as an example of tolerance, particularly on behalf of the people of Egypt.

Abu al-Misk Kafur was originally a black slave from Ethiopia. Muhammad Bin Tughj, the first of the Ikhshidid princes of Egypt, purchased Abu al-Misk Kafur as a slave in 923 AD and, recognizing the slave's potential, made him a tutor to his children and a military officer, and later promoted him as minister (Vizier) of Egypt. Eventually, Kafur gained so much power that he succeeded bin Tughj after his death, becoming the de jure ruler of the Egypt and southern Syria.

For a black save to climb the power ladder to become a prince or king is quite extraordinary and it took al-Mutanabbi by surprise. Not only was this black slave able to take control of Egypt—one of the most important countries of that time—but the people of Egypt were fine with it.

This is not the only example of slaves rising to power in Egypt. The Mamluks were soldiers of slave origin who converted to Islam, and eventually became a powerful military caste in various Muslim societies, particularly in Egypt. The mamluk phenomenon lasted from the 9th to the 19th century AD.

However, Kafur was not only a slave—he was black. Also remarkable about him is the way he outsmarted and made a fool out of al-Mutanabbi (perhaps the most famous Arab poet in Arabic history).

After trying unsuccessfully to gain political power in the Levant, by praising Saif al-Daula, Prince of Aleppo, al-Mutanabbi went to Egypt and tried to get close to Kafur in hopes of being appointed governor of Sidon in reward for his poetry.

Kafur could see through al-Mutanabbi's praise poetry that he was actually a racist and ignored him. Al-Mutanabbi became furious and started mocking him instead.

Here are some verses of scathing satirical poems Al-Mutanabbi wrote about Kafur:

صارَ الخَصيُُ إمام الآبقين بهـا .. فالحُـرُّ مُستعبدٌ و العبدُ معبودُ

The neutered slave has become leader of free people (in Egypt). The free are now enslaved and the slave is worshiped.

لا تشترِ العبد إلاَّ والعصا معـه .. إنّ العبيدَ لأنجـاسُ مناكيــدُ

Never buy a slave unless the stick come comes along with him. Slaves are sleazy and belligerent.

ما كنت أحسبني أحيا إلى زمنٍ .. يُسيء بي فيه عبدُ وهو محمودُ

I never thought I would live to a time when a slave would insult me and he would be praised for doing so.

من علّم الأسود المخصي مكرمة .. أقومُــه البيضُ أو آباؤه الصيدُ

Who taught the neutered black man to become noble: his white people or his aristocratic fathers?

وتعجبني رجلاك في النعل إنني .. رأيتكَ ذا نعل إذا كنت حافيا

I am amused by how your feet look in your shoes. I would think you had shoes on even if you were barefoot.

ومثلك يؤتى من بلاد بعيدة .. ليضحك ربات الحداد البواكيا

A person like you is sought from far away places just so he can make sad, morning women laugh.

For establishing support and credibility, Kafur was more comfortable surrounding himself with religious scholars than with poets.

Al Mutanabbi mocks the people of Egypt and their religious scholars for accepting Kafur as leader by saying:

سادات كل أناس من نفوسهم .. وسادة المسلمين الأعبد القزم

The leaders of all nations are from amongst themselves, except the Muslims; their leaders are low-life slaves.

أغاية الدين أن تحفوا شواربكم .. يا أمة ضحكت من جهلها الأمم

Is shaving your mustaches the most important thing in religion? You are surely a nation that all nations have laughed at because of your ignorance.

Well, look who got the last laugh!

Why غ is better than ج for transliterating the hard G into Arabic

2010-04-03T09:24:00.002-04:00

For a long time, Arabs have been following the Egyptian style of transliterating the hard G, by using the letter ج for it, because Egyptians pronounce the ج as a hard G.

The Arabic language does not really have a letter for the hard G, even though it is widely pronounced in colloquial Arabic instead of the letter ق or soft ج.

The current trend, particularly in the eastern Arab world, is to use the letter غ instead of ج for the hard G.

I think this is a much better practice, because ج causes ambiguity; it can be either a hard G or a soft G—there is no way to tell. By contrast, the letter غ will rarely cause ambiguity because it does not exist in English and most other foreign languages that are translated into Arabic. The typical Arab reader knows that there is no غ, and will therefore know that the غ is actually a hard G (e.g. غارث is Garth and not Gharth).

I have heard some Arabs pronounce Chicago as "Shicagho," because they see it spelled شيكاغو but they are only the uneducated. Had it been spelled شيكاجو, they would have pronounced it Shikajo, which is even worse.

Here are some cases of ambiguity that result from using ج rather than غ in transliterating the hard G:

When Arab readers read the name جوردن they have no way of telling if it is Gordon or Jordan.

When they read the name جيري they have no way of telling if it is Gary or Jerry.

When they read the name جيل they have no way of telling if it is Gill, Jill or even Gale.

When they read the name جينزفيل they have no way of telling if it is Gainesville or Janesville.

Also, using ج rather than غ results in pronouncing Peggy بيجي as Pejjy, Indigo إنديجو as Indijo, Gilmour جيلمور as Jillmore, Arlington آرلنجتون as Arlinjton, and Asperger أسبرجر as Asperjer, which all sound silly. Or if readers assume that the ج is a hard G, they will pronounce Bridgeton بريجتون as Briggton, Woodbridge وودريج as Woodbrigg, Edgewood إيجوود as Eggwood, Judson جدسون as Gudson, and names like Ranger رينجر and Geronimo جيرونيمو with a hard G.

All of these ambiguities can be avoided by designating غ for the hard G and ج for the soft G.

Why losing weight permanently is harder than other addictions

2010-04-03T09:03:00.001-04:00

From my experience, I would say losing weight and keeping it off is like quitting smoking. It takes 7 years of complete abstinence and not relapsing to get it out of your system.

After that, you will have won the battle, but not the war. Unlike quitting smoking, drinking and drugs, which you quit completely, you are still going to continue to eat, but smaller portions. It's like telling a recovering alcoholic, "Now you can go back to drinking, but watch the quantities."

Further, it's much easier to count cigarettes or drinks than calories. Counting calories is more complex, because there are different kinds of calories (fats, protein, simple sugars, complex carbohydrates, fiber, etc.) and you have to look through charts to find out how many calories are in every kind of food. The charts, and even the calories on food labels, are not always accurate. Exercise habits should also be considered when assessing your daily calorie requirement.

This is why I believe overcoming overeating is more difficult than overcoming any other kind of addiction. For addicts, abstinence is easier than moderation, but in the case of food, it is not an option.

Does dualism impede scientific inquiry? Is it that bad?

2010-03-18T18:20:00.004-04:00

I think dualism can impede scientific inquiry and it can get in the way of living a realistic life, but it is not as bad as one might expect.

Dualistic thinking –the tendency to perceive and understand the world in overarching categories or to alternate between physical and metaphysical worldviews– might not be awfully obstructive to a progressive life, especially that I see a lot of highly effective people balance it gracefully, and it works fine with them.

Of course, there are problems, but they are few, and they do not usually outweigh the benefits of having a spiritual life that provides comfort, serenity and happiness.

After all, great scientists like Newton, Copernicus and Kepler didn't seem to have a problem with reconciling science and religion. Newton was a Biblical scholar who wrote more on the subject of the Bible than on physics. He was obsessed with finding numerological significance in the Bible. A serious scientist like that today would be considered a nut.

One problem with dualism is that it is only a coping mechanism. It does not promote unity of knowledge. It creates a dichotomy and leads people to live double lives, going to the laboratory with one worldview and then going home or to the church/mosque with another.

Another problem is that there are few instances when this kind of thinking can indeed obstruct scientific inquiry, when certain theories or hypotheses seem to contradict with religions teachings. Two prominent examples of how dualism did not work well are the theory of evolution by natural selection and Heliocentrism (the astronomical theory that the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun and that the Sun is stationary and at the center of the universe.)

See also What can we do to insure that religion does not obstruct science again?

How can we insure that religion does not obstruct science again?

2010-03-03T06:47:00.006-05:00

It was said that Charles Darwin did not become a non-believer because of evolution, but that his abandonment of religion helped him to discover evolution.

A century and a half later, it is still hard for many religious people to be receptive to the idea of evolution.

This is a demonstration of how faith can hinder scientific inquiry.

Heliocentrism –the theory that the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun and that the Sun is stationary and at the center of the universe–was also blocked for hundreds of years because of religion.

What other discoveries are currently blocked because of this kind of obstruction?

What can people of religion do to insure that this doesn't happen again?

Religion never obstructed science in the past, did it?

It is true that a great number of major scientists in history did not have issues reconciling science and religion.

But evolution and Heliocentrism are not minor discoveries; they are major ideas that greatly revolutionized our world views.

As more complex disciplines continue to advance, particularly those related to the nature of the mind and consciousness, abiogenesis (study of how life on Earth could have arisen from inanimate matter), and the Fermi paradox, the more we are likely to see religion once again play an obstructive role.

What can Muslims in particular, who pride themselves as heirs of the scientific method, do to demonstrate that Islam does not contradict with science or reason?

We were created male and female.. that we may know one another

2010-02-26T17:44:00.010-05:00

"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)." Quran (49: 13)

"يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ" (الحجرات: 13)

This ayah is often cited as a reminder of Islam's guidance to tolerance, interaction, acculturation, cooperation and understanding between peoples.

I see an additional instruction, which is the tolerance, interaction, acculturation, cooperation and understanding between men and women.

There are significant differences between men and women. Each has a unique thinking style. They are different but not better or worse and the differences are only in degree.

Further, to get along, both men and women must respect, accept and expect these differences.

Men are said to be generally more logical, orderly, analytical, and aggressive than women, while women generally are more emotional, intuitive, verbal, holistic, creative, integrative, peaceful, and rule oriented.

But it is not healthy for a man to be too macho with no connection to his intuitive and compassionate side, nor is it healthy for a woman to be too weak and emotional without seeking to promote her strong and intelligent side.

Everyone has a masculine and feminine side to him or her. When these two sides are in balance then we are whole and complete. A society where there is a balance in contribution between men and women is likely to be more just, healthy, and prosperous.

Google's Autocomplete reveals a lot about cultures and countries

2010-02-19T21:24:00.046-05:00

It's amazing what Google's Autocomplete feature can tell you about the kinds of things that people are searching for and what they find important. It is also interesting to observe differences in different countries.

Google's Autocomplete guesses what you're looking for based on the most popular searches, giving you an idea of what other people are searching for. It also gives you an idea of the kind and quantity of content that is on the Web by listing the number of results for each search phrase.

I thought I'd see what people in my home country of Jordan are searching for, so I used the terms "what," "when," "why," and "how" in Arabic ما، متى، لماذا، كيف in Google Jordan domain.

The results were pretty interesting. Here they are with the screen shots.

What

What is love?
What is masturbation?
What is the name of Satan's wife?
What is Facebook?
What is the religious decree regarding watching porn?
What does the name Remas mean?
What is the meaning of love?
What is sex?
What are the seven wonders of the world?
What is real love?

Why

Why do men sleep after having sex?
Why does eating camel meat invalidate wudu?
Why does sleeping make you taller?
Why do we love?
Why do I love you?
Why is the sky blue?
Why don't you pray?
Why where the righteous khalifas named that name?
Why is Taraweeh prayer named by that name?
Why do men like big breasts?

When

When is Eid al Adha for 2009?
When does pregnancy happen?
When does pregnancy happen after the period?
When will the Tawjihi results come out for 2010?
When did Umniah reach 1.5 million subscribers?
When will you know how much I love you, man? (song)
When do the signs of pregnancy begin?
When does a fetus's heart start beating?
When did Urban II declare the first Crusades?
When will the construction of the Eiffel tower be completed?

How

How do you make someone love you?
How can you know your personality?
How can you know who likes you?
How can you tell if someone is lying?
How do you deal with someone you love?
How does pregnancy happen?
How do you become a millionaire?
How can you learn English?
How can you make a man love you?
How can you make a girl love you?

I also did a survey of these search words in the international Arabic Google page. I found little differences.

I then did a survey of how these phrases come up in other Arab countries. The results were similar, however occasionally you see differences that are culture and country specific.

Sex seems to be a pretty common result. Although sex is also popular in Western countries (it held the number one spot as a search word for many years), the topic among Arab users takes a different angle. Most of the question are about masturbation, virginity and pregnancy. They are wondering what is love and sex and whether it is religiously acceptable to watch porn.

This is understandable since sex education, although taught in Arab schools, does not address these kinds of topics openly and extensively. Kids resort to the Internet for answers to these important questions and issues because they cannot discuss them easily with people they know.

Another reason for these kinds of results is that the demographics of people who use the Internet in the Arab world. There are more young people in the Arab World then there are in Western countries and these Arab youth use the Internet more than the older generation.

Also interesting is the number of religious questions. Something you wouldn't find perhaps in this amount in non-Muslim countries. It is another indication of how influential Islam is in Arabs' lives. Whether this is good or bad is another question.

I would imagine that some of these results could be due to a particular event that sparked a great number of people searching for an answer such as a question on a trivia TV show or a question in an exam that is taken on a national level, etc.

These bazaar results are not only in Arabic countries. Search for "why" in Google's general English page (google.com) and Autocomplete will come up with the following:
Why do men have nipples?
Why is the sky blue?
Why is my poop green?
Why are black people so loud?
Why did I get married too?
Why can't I own a Canadian?
Why do dogs eat poop?
Why do cats purr?
Why did the chicken cross the road?

Here are the Google domains for specific Arabic countries. Search for the words "what," "when," "why," and "how" in Arabic. You'd be surprised at the Autocomplete suggestions. I have listed notable questions I found on various Google Domains for Arab countries:

Note: search results vary by time and date

Lebanon
http://www.google.com.lb/
When is the Day of Judgment?
When is the end of the world?
Why was the Al Assi river named that name?
Why did God create man?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
How do I get rid of my belly?

Morocco
http://www.google.co.ma/
Why philosophize?
Why did philosophy emerge among the Greek?
What is philosophy?
What is the meaning of philosophy?
Why should we get married?
How do I pray?
How do I put on makeup?
What are the rights of children?
When did Morocco gain independence?

When was King Muhammad VI born?

What is freedom?

How do I know if I'm a virgin?

Saudi Arabia
http://www.google.com.sa/
When will the stocks for Buruj Insurance be traded?
When will the stocks for Al Khaleejia be traded?
What is metaphysics?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
How do I know my sign?

Why was I blocked on MSN?

Egypt
http://www.google.com.eg/
Why did they become Muslim?
Why are people around you stupid?
When was the first World Cup?
What is masturbation for girls?

What are the signs of the Day of Resurrection?

How do I know if I'm a virgin?

Bahrain
http://www.google.com.bh/
Why was Bahrain named by that name?
Why is my period late?
When did Bahrain become a kingdom?
When was oil discovered in Bahrain?
When was the fortress of Arrad built?
When did Bahrain gain independence?
Why do problems happen between people?
What is the name of the devil that comes to you while you're praying?

Oman
http://www.google.com.om/
When did Oman become a member of the United Nations?
When do you become like Omani women?
When did Sultan Qaboos rise to power in Oman?
What are drugs?
Why do we yawn?

Why was the Empty Quarter desert named by that name?

United Arab Emirates
http://www.google.ae/
When did Sheik Zayed die?
When was Sheik Zayed born?
Why is pork forbidden?

What was Abu Dhabi's called in the past?

How do I know if I'm a virgin?

Algeria
http://www.google.dz/
Does not use Autocomplete for any search words

Israel's Arabic page
http://www.google.co.il/
Why do we need to preserve the dead sea from drying?
Why were Hebrews named that name?
What is violence?

When did Mahmoud Darwish die?

Palestinian Territories
http://www.google.ps/

When was the Islamic University in Gaza established?
When will the Rafah border crossing open?
When was the University of Hebron established?
When was the An-Najah National University established?
Why was the Beshara Church named that name?
Why was the Al Aqsa mosque named that name?

Why should we study psychology?

How do I know if I'm a virgin?

Kuwait
http://google.com.kw/
When did Kuwait become a member in OPEC?
When did export of oil begin after independence?
Why was Egypt in English named by that name?
What are wet dreams?

What are the factors that contribute to the rise of CO2 levels?

How do I know if I'm a virgin?

Libya
http://google.com.ly/
Why do Jews hate the number 88?
Why was Libya called by that name?

When is Eid al Adha in Libya?

Qatar
http://google.com.qa/

Why was Qatar named by that name?
Why do we study history?
How can I know if I'm a virgin?

Why was the Great Wall of China built?

Djibouti
http://www.google.dj/

How do I memorize the Quran?
How do you please your husband in bed?
How do I become smart?
What is the religious verdict on masturbation?

How do I know if I'm a virgin?

Really comfortable shoes are hard to find, but they are worth searching for

2010-02-18T17:02:00.004-05:00

Comfortable shoes are not something that you have to wait till you get used to them. You should feel comfortable from the first time you where them and thereon. I have never found comfortable shoes that I didn't find comfortable from the first time I wore them. There was never a time when I gradually got comfortable wearing shoes that weren't 100 percent comfortable at first.

I might notice a 1 percent discomfort at a store and think it's a minor inconvenience, but then that 1 percent becomes amplified after wearing the shoes for a few hours.

There are high heels that are comfortable, but they can only be found through experimentation. Because every foot and body is unique, it is hard for manufacturers to produce a "one size fits all." Not all size 7 feet are the same, and not all people with size 7 feet have the same body.

Today I am wearing shoes Rockport shoes that look pretty comfortable and actually are comfortable in the sense that they are not really killing me, but I know that my Dansko clogs would drain less energy during the day.

Danskos have a 0 percent impact on how tired I am during the day.

Rockport have a 10 percent impact.

High heals have a 70 percent impact.

Because my energy is precious to me, I am not willing to give up any of it to look good; I will only chose to wear shoes that don't drain any energy.

Related post:
To me, wearing uncomfortable shoes to look nice is self-abuse

To me, wearing uncomfortable shoes to look nice is self-abuse

2010-02-18T16:52:00.001-05:00

The kind of shoes I wear can spell the difference between feeling great and feeling exhausted at the end of a work day. It can also spell the difference between being highly productive and inefficient during the day.

I can only wear comfort shoes. They are expensive but I consider them a health expense.

I don't know how women wear high heals to work on a daily basis. I consider it self-abuse. No offense to those women who figure that the pain is worth it. Perhaps some don't find any inconvenience wearing them, but for those who do, I would recommend putting yourself first. Life is too short to wear shoes that hurt.

Yes, high heels encourage an erect and tall posture, help with balance and make a woman look and feel sexier, but, in my view, the this benefit does not outweigh the cost. Posture is something that can be worked on through awareness and practice. Although physical tools can be a good way to promote behavior modification, I think it should not be done at the expense of comfort. There are enough stresses in life that we can't escape. We shouldn't have to be inventing and imposing new ones.

Related post: Really comfortable shoes are hard to find, but they are worth searching for

Etymology of "spirit" and "breath" in Arabic goes beyond them

2010-02-18T16:41:00.009-05:00

In many languages the words for spirit and breath are the same.

It is interesting that in Arabic, it goes beyond that. If you look at the root for both spirit and breath "rouh" (روح), you will also find that it has many other meanings that come as a result of breathing deeply and being spiritual, such as relaxation, happiness, relief, livelihood, sustenance, inspiration, strength, etc.

The common root of the words spirit and breath is used as an argument for the importance of focusing on the breath for physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

In yoga, the breath is seen as the connection between the body and the mind, the physical and the non-physical. By learning to control your breath, you can learn to control your thoughts. You can also learn to control your body, including involuntary function such as influencing heart rate, blood pressure, circulation and digestion.

Breath is believed to represent the movement of spirit in the body and the central mystery that connects us to all creation.

In "Lissanul Arab", the most extensive Arabic dictionary, the root for breath and spirit in Arabic "rouh" (روح) has 11 pages of definitions. Similarly, the root for soul (نفس), is the same root for breath. According to Lissanul Arab, spirit and soul are the same thing, but soul is more individual.

Here are just a few of the derivations for spirit روح:

روح spirit
رِيحُ wind
الرُّوح inspiration
راحة rest, relaxation
رَوْحِ mercy
روْح happiness
الرُّوحُ blow, puff
رائحة pleasant smell
مِرْوَحَة anything that provides relief, fan
الرَّاحُ wine
التراوح أو المُراوَحَة alternating
استراحة place or time for rest, breather
ترويح ventilation, providing leisure
ترويحة resting period
الرواح going home
مريح comfortable
وتذهب ريحكم: ريح strength, victory
ريّح relaxing, pleasant
التشمم :الاسْتِرْواح carefully smelling something, enjoying a smell
سبحان الله ورَيْحانَه: ريحان livelihood, sustenance
فروح وريحان: ريحان blessing
الأَرْيَحِيُّ easy going person, pleasant to be with
الرَّواح end of the day
راح to leave, go away
الرُّوحُ The Quran
الرَّيْحانُ basil
الرُّوح The Archangel Gabriel
الراحة palm of a hand

Here are just a few of the derivations for soul نفس

نَفْس soul, individual spirit, blood, mind, brother, self, eye, same
نَفَس breath
الفَرَج من الكرب: النَّفَس relief from difficulty
تنفيس deflate
تنفيس release from anxiety, tension or hardship
النَّفَس drinking
النسيم: النَّفَس breeze
نَفِيس precious, desired
نَفِس بالشيء، بالكسر، أَي بخل became stingy
النِّفاس accouchement
المَنْفُوس: المولود born
تَنَفَّسَ الصبح awakened
تنافس competition
منفوس something that is desired
دارُك أَنْفَسُ من داري: أنفس wider, more spacious

Complex diets erode dieters' resolve, but they are necessary in the long run

2010-01-28T16:42:00.006-05:00

A new study on 390 German women found that the more complex a person's diet plan, the sooner the person will abandon it. It was published online in Appetite.

The study attests to my post "In Defense of Fad Diets." However, I would like to clarify that a comprehensive diet that actually keeps weight off has to be complex. It is a way of life that has to address almost everything in life: emotional eating, social eating, mindful eating, how to count calories, calories from fat, sugar, complex carbohydrates, the right amount of each type of exercise (cardio, resistance, walking, etc.), eating in relation to sleep, snaking vs. big meals, the right distribution of calories throughout the day, morning eating vs. night eating, etc.

Since everyone is different, all these factors are things that only the dieter herself can determine through experimentation and contemplation, which makes it all the more complex.

Walking is the best form of rest for my body

2010-01-28T15:53:00.001-05:00

I have discovered that walking is the best for of rest for my body after any kind of stressful experience, whether it is strenuous workout, a stressful day at work, menstrual cramps, a headache, or any other kind of discomfort.

Monday I did an hour and 15 minutes of power yoga, 20 minutes of ellipticals, and a full hour of Zumba. I got home very tired and I was sore the next day. I planned to rest and not doing any form of exercise the next day to allow my body to recover, but then my sister asked me to go to the mall with her. We spent two hours in the mall; about half of it was spent walking.

Since the muscle groups involved in walking are different from the muscle groups involved in the workouts the previous day, it didn't put stress on those muscles.

Resting after an intense high impact or strength training workout does not mean sitting home doing nothing. That just adds to the pain and discomfort. Walking releases endorphins—our natural painkillers—which helps me cope with the fatigue or soreness that results from the previous stressful workout.

I could actually feel the endorphins kicking in after the walk in the mall. I ate a moderate diner when I got home that was filling and fulfilling, and then slept like a baby.

90 percent of the food we eat, we gobble without tasting

2010-01-03T21:27:00.005-05:00

Why there should be no excuses for eating a lot of something I like

Mindful eating led me to notice that a small bite tastes just the same as a big bite and that 10 peanuts taste just the same as one peanut. I recently began trying to estimate how much of a bite goes un-tasted. It seems to me that most of the food we eat we gobble without tasting, possibly up to 90 percent. Even if I try to chew very slowly and carefully, I find that a large percentage of any bite that I put into my mouth, I will wind up swallowing without really tasting. This should refute any excuse that if I like a certain food, I have to eat large portions of it in order to enjoy it. I don't need to eat a lot, I just need to eat it slowly, and even then, I will be swallowing a lot of it without tasting it.

The only way I can really taste most of a bite before swallowing it is to do the "raisin meditation," which means that each meal would take at least 3 hours.

Mindful eating also led to notice that breathing and smelling are essential to tasting. The more you breathe while you are chewing a bite, the more you taste and enjoy it.

As the Swedish Proverb goes: Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.

The next time I am having a meal with someone and they say, "You didn't eat much," I will say, "With the little that I ate, I bet I enjoyed it more and tasted more of it than you did."

Balancing mindful eating and social eating not as easy as I thought

2009-12-14T06:14:00.007-05:00

I wrote previously about how I thought mindful eating and social eating can be reconciled.

Well, I have recently noticed that it's not as easy as I thought.

During the Thanksgiving weekend, which also coincided with Eid Al-Adha, we had several festive family dinners. My two brothers, whom we hadn't seen in a while, came to town. They are both athletes, so they eat a lot and quickly.

It is helpful to be mindful of the factors that hinder mindful eating. I overate during that weekend and I found it hard to eat mindfully for the following reasons:

It's hard to divide your attention between your food and the people you are eating with, especially if you are having a deep or exciting conversation with them.
Most people eat faster than the mindful eater. When you are eating with people who are eating faster than you are, you unconsciously tend to increase your pace of eating to catch up with their pace. I actually get nervous when I am eating with someone who is eating fast.

When you are eating with people who eat faster than you, they will likely finish before you. Then, they either have to wait for you to finish or you have to explain why you are so slow.

If you eat too slowly, you might miss out on certain rare foods that you only eat on special occasions because it gets eaten up before you get some or you only get to eat a little bit of it.

When you are full but there are dishes you still haven't tried, you tend to want to try them anyway before they are gobbled by others. If you don't want to miss out on something, you can say that you want to save it for later, but sometimes you don't want to look cheap or greedy.

You can't say, "hey everyone, why don't we eat slowly and mindfully." People consider it rude to preach about how to eat right during a family dinner. People are having a good time and want to enjoy the food. When people are eating together, they expect conformity.

Eating mindfully means being different. Everyone is going to be eating in a certain way, while you are eating in a peculiar way. You are eating slowly, breathing, looking at their food, and smelling it. You are going to have to explain yourself.

People who don't know what you are doing will find it awkward. I don't mind being considered weird and my family understands me, but I know others might be self-conscious about telling people they are practicing "mindful eating." People don't want to see you "making love to your food." Breathing is essential to mindful eating, but people don't want to see you practicing deep breathing and smelling your food.

Here's what I learned from this experience:

On special occasions, only eat the rare and special foods that you don't get to eat every day.

Eat a little bit of everything, so that you at least get a taste of it and don't feel like you missed out on it.

Exercise vigorously the following days or plan ahead by exercising beforehand and cutting down on calories.

Remind people that you are a slow eater so you have to save some things for later.

If you do miss out on eating something, just remember that you had a good time with the people you were with.

How I use Google as an Arabic thesaurus

2009-12-12T13:29:00.022-05:00

Due to the scarcity of good Arabic thesauruses (or thesauri, if you prefer), I have always looked for synonyms while writing in Arabic by translating the word into English, looking up the English synonyms, and then translating them back into Arabic.

As you can imagine, this was a long process before I had access to electronic dictionaries and had to flip through paper references.

Now, however, there is an array of Arabic-English dictionaries online. Moreover, there is Google, which can itself be used as a dictionary/thesaurus. I have written in another post about how to use Google as a dictionary.

To use Google as an Arabic thesaurus, I take advantage of the Google Translate tool combined with thesaurus.com. This allows me to translate a whole page of English synonyms into Arabic simultaneously, instead of translating each one word by word, like I used to do in the past.

Here are the steps:

1- First, I translate the word into English using one of the many online dictionaries, such as Alburaq, Ebnmasr, SPTechs, Tarjem, or Sakhr. This step can be skipped if I already know the English word.

2- I look the English word up in an online English thesaurus, such as thesaurus.com.

3- I use Google Translate to translate the English synonyms, by copying the link from thesaurus.com and pasting it in the Google Translate field.

Shortcut: Just bookmark this link and change the word in the link "build" into the English word you want synonyms for in Arabic:

Here are some examples:
بناء
يدعم
يفتخر
يطلب
إلهام
سيطرة
تلميح
نادر
توازن
مرادف
تشجيع
شاكر

I can also click on one of the hyperlinked synonyms and I will get its synonyms. Once again, the whole page will be translated into Arabic.

Common sense, intuition and acquired skills

If I don't find what I need, I try another word. It's an intuitive process that requires experimentation and learned skills. Using a thesaurus can trigger your thoughts and give you hints that help you get closer and closer to the word you are looking for. You will not always find what you want immediately. The process requires creativity and exploration.

There's always something new from Google

Be on the look out for new Google services. There is something new almost every week. There are constantly new tools that can improve our productivity.

In the past two weeks alone, Google unveiled a dictionary that supports 28 languages; Translated Search, which allows you to search for information in other languages; Real-Time search, which indexes real-time content published on Twitter, Facebook and blogs; and Google Goggles, which lets people search online using pictures taken with cameras in mobile phones or spoken words in multiple languages. It also improved Google Suggest, by displaying the search results right below the search box, it announced Quick Scroll for Chrome, and began handing out an experimental cell phone to its employees. This is just what I have heard of; there might be more.

Any good Arabic thesauruses?

The lack of good Arabic thesauruses is an issue that will be addressed in another post. The good news is that technology has made it easy to develop new references and harness existing tools to compensate for the scarcity of references.

Furthermore, these tools are getting better each day. Google is allowing users to contribute to them by adding translation suggestions. The democratization of dictionaries might very well gradually end up becoming better than any reference we use to rely on.

How I use Google as an English-Arabic dictionary

2009-11-25T07:49:00.016-05:00

Through learned skills, intuition and common sense, you can do wonders with Google. I use it when I get writer's block to finish thoughts and sentences. I use it for research, of course. I also use it as an English-Arabic dictionary, especially for terms and phrases that cannot be found in regular dictionaries because they are new or specialized.

I often get a wide variety of results that I can choose from.

This is what I do: I go to an Arabized Google page such as http://www.google.ae/

I enter the English term and, to force the search results to be Arabic pages, I enter an Arabic word that is likely to be found in those pages. Commonly used words such as من or في will be excluded because they are too common; therefore, you have to find a unique word that you think is likely to appear in the Arabic Web page that you are looking for. If I don't find good results, I try another Arabic word.

I just browse through the snippets of the search results. I often have to go deeper into the results because Google's algorithm displays English only results even though I entered an Arabic word. I can restrict it to Arabic results by choosing نصيحة: بحث عن النتائج باللغة العربية فقط . But this might restrict your results because some Arabic pages might not be labled as Arabic.

Here are some examples of English terms that I found Arabic translations for using Google:

Mindfulness
It was in the seventh page that I began to find good Arabic translations such as:
الانتباه الواعي أو الإدراك أو اليقظة أو الحرص أو حضور العقل أو المراقبة أو ملء الذهن أو المراعاة أو الملاحظة

dandelion
زهرة أسنان الأسد
الهندباء
الحوذان
الطرخشقون

Out of print books
الكتب نافدة الطبع
الكتب النافدة من الطباعة
الكتب المفقودة من الأسواق
التي نفدت من الطبع
الكتب التي نفدت طبعاتها من السوق

Fiber optics
الألياف الضوئية

Libertarianism
التحررية
التحررانية
الليبرتاريانية
الليبرتارية

primate
الحيوان الأعلى
فصيلة الرئيسيات

Hominid
شبيه الإنسان أو الإنسان البدائي أو أسلاف الإنسان
فصيلة الكائنات الإنسانية
البشريات
الهومينيد

high definition tv
التلفزيون فائق الجودة
ذو الدقة العالية
عالي الوضوح

bipolar disorder
اضطراب العاطفة الثنائي القطب
الاضطراب ثنائي القطب
تعكر المزاج الثنائي القطب

metabolic syndrome
الاستقلاب
الأعراض الاستقلابية
متلازمة أو مرض الاستقلاب
المتلازمة الأيضية
متلازمة التمثيل الغذائي
اضطراب التمثيل الغذائي

bullying
التنمر
البلطجة
الاعتداء اللفظي و الجسدي بين الأطفال وطلاب المدارس
العنف بين الأطفال
العنف بين طلاب المدارس
الاستقواء
الاستئساد
المضايقة
الإيذاء المتعمد بين الطلبة
الاستضعاف
الاستنمار
الإرهاب المدرسي
الضغاط
رُهاب المدرسة

placebo effect
العلاج الخادع
الغُفْل
ظاهرة الحبة الوهمية
البلاسيبو
العلاج الإرضائي
العلاج المموه
العلاج التمويهي
العلاج الوهمي
العلاج بالعقَّار المُمَوِّه
الدواء الموهم

Google as an Arabic-English dictionary

I also use Google to translate an Arabic term into English. I recently tried to look up a translation for the Arabic term التلاحق الثقافي but couldn't find it in Arabic-English dictionaries.

So I googled the term and added the English word "cultures".

Here is what I found as a translation for التلاقح الثقافي:
acculturation
Encounters
cultural cross-pollination
cross-fertilization

Women who gain weight later in life have advantages and disadvantages

2009-11-22T22:33:00.000-05:00

While talking to friends that have been thin all their lives and gained weight only after the age of 40 about weight management, I have noticed that they have both advantages and disadvantages over people who have struggled with their weight most of their lives. Awareness of both aspects can help these women build on the advantages and address the disadvantages.

Advantages

* Women who gain weight later in life don't have the food addiction history that people who have struggled most of their lives have.

* They don't have the fat genes that are perhaps the strongest factor contributing to weight gain.

* They usually don't have emotional eating. They usually don't use food as a soother or pain reliever.

* They usually don't have a big self-esteem issue related to their weight because they are more mature. Low self-esteem is worse when it develops early in life. Low self-esteem often drags women into a downward spiral of weight-gain and depression. It drains the energy they need to remain positive and strong to stick to their diets and avoid binging.

Disadvantages

* They don't have as much information and experience with weight management. Women who have struggled with their weight for long periods tend to read, contemplate and experiment with weight-loss. They usually know what to do, but lack the will-power or time. On the other hand, women who gain weight later in life need to start learning how to count calories, how many calories each type of food has, how many calories each type of exercise burns. They also need to experiment to explore what type of diet is best suitable for them.

* In terms of exercise, they often don't have the muscle memory that people who have exercised in the past have. They might not know how to pace themselves to avoid burnout or injury. They might be prone to injury because of weak or untrained muscles.

Listening to something repeatedly is better than listening to many things

2009-11-22T21:21:00.005-05:00

I have found that listening to a good audio program several times is often better than listening to a large number of audio programs because it allows me to internalize the program and understand it well.

I recently lost my MP3 player which I have been attached to for the past four years. It was an iRiver that only holds 1 GB of memory.

I preferred it over an iPod because of its voice recorder, which I need to record thoughts that I get while I am in the gym or driver, and also because of its convenient neck strap that keeps my hands free.

Because of the limited storage, it couldn't hold very many audio programs, so I would often listen to the same audio files again and again until I had time to swap them with some of the other thousands of programs I had on my computer.

Although this was constraining, it offered me the benefit of fully absorbing some of the good audio selections that I would listen to over and over again. I learned something new every time I listened to the same audio program. It also improved my English language because I would memorize the structures of sentences.

Sometimes I memorize something without really understanding it, but when the time is right and something in life motivates me to do so, I will retrieve it and reanalyze it .

My new Creative Zen has made me disoriented. It has 32 GB of memory. I'm finding it hard to stick to listening to one thing because I want to explore what else is there.

I also recently burned 250 audio programs (audio book samples) on a CD which I listened to in my car (my car CD player reads data mp3s). Although this allowed me to explore what is out there, I think it would be better to choose the ones that I find beneficial and enjoyable to listen to and make a playlist of them to listen to repeatedly.

Why my MP3 player has to have a voice recorder

2009-11-22T21:05:00.000-05:00

I use the voice recorder that is included in my Creative Zen MP3 player to record my thoughts whenever I get them, then writing them down when I get home.

I also use it to record a melody that comes to mind for my Arabic prosody project.

I use my voice recorder very often in the gym and while I am driving because that is where I often get ideas but don't have access to a computer or a pen and paper to jot them down.

Examples of times when my mp3 player really comes in handy:

* I often get thoughts while I am driving. Unlike Tom Waits who when driving his car on the freeway told the unknown source of a new song, “Can’t you see I’m driving?!”, I take out my mp3 player and record the thoughts while behind the wheel.

* I get thoughts while I am doing my regular work out routine. Whenever I get them, I go to a quiet corner and record them on my mp3 player with my voice.

* I have used it to record rhythms for my poetry project. I don't know musical notation, and so I had to depend on using the auditory method. I would record a rhythm with the mp3 player then go home and record it on my computer to upload on my website awzan.com.

* I sometimes hear interesting thoughts during yoga class. I record them as soon as I get out of the yoga class so that I don't forget them.

* I use it as a voice memo. When I here something on TV that I would like to look up or research further, I would pull up my MP3 player, record a voice memo and look it up later.

* I was once in a grocery store, I heard a nice song that I wanted to look up. I took out my voice recorder and recorder some of the lyrics. When I got home, I looked up the lyrics and found the song.

A low-carb diet is easier to stick to and keeps you more relaxed

2009-11-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

A study came out this week showing that both low-fat and low-carb diets are effective in keeping weight off.

I can attest to that because I have tried both.

However, here's the catch. While people found it easy to stick to the high protein diet, the low-protein dieters struggled to stick to theirs. Also, while all the study participants saw their blood pressure go down as they lost weight, average blood pressure went up in the high-carbohydrate group during the weight maintenance phase. In contrast, the high-protein dieters were able to sustain their blood pressure reduction.

I can attest to that also. It was easier for me to stick to a low-carb diet and I felt much better, short term and long term on it.

Yesterday, I ate no meat. I did not sleep well and I remained hungry. I also woke up hungry and uneasy.

Is it too late to optimize the Arabic keyboard?

2009-11-15T21:47:00.016-05:00

The PC Arabic keyboard has numerous layout flaws, many of which were the result of the migration from the Arabic typewriter layout to the electronic keyboard.

Any touch-typist who uses the PC Arabic keyboard might have noticed that there are frequently used letters (such as د ج and ذ) that are located in hard to reach keys on the keyboard and typed using the pinky finger.

Arab PC users might also notice that the lam alef "لا" key that corresponds to the letter b in English is almost never used, even though it is conveniently located in the middle of the bottom row. This key was used in mechanical typewriters because mechanical typewriters couldn't automatically redraw a "lam alef" when the two letters are typed consecutively. The result would be لـا rather than لا. With the advent of electronic keyboards, which are able to redraw letters based on their location in a word, this key became redundant, yet somehow the keyboard designer failed to realize it.

Wouldn't it be better if the frequent letter د were placed in the لا location instead of its current location on the far right of the top row?

Another issue is that every Arabic sentence contains at least one period or comma, yet these two characters require a Shift combination.

My Master's thesis (direct study project) dealt with this issue and proposed to two alternative designs. The first was considered optimum but very different from the prevailing layout. The second remedies only the most problematic characters (، ذ د ج and .).

My study favored the second option because the possibility of its success is far greater. History has shown that, for reasons of path dependency, market inertia, and resistance to migration and retraining, alternative layouts that are radically different than the current standard rarely succeed.

The period and comma in this design correspond to their locations in the English QWERTY keyboard without requiring a shift, thereby eliminating the confusion for bilingual typists.

Is it still possible to optimize the Arabic keyboard layout even though millions of Arab users have gotten used to the current layout? Or has the current layout become ubiquitous that making any changes would mean too much disruption of what people have gotten used to?

I think rearranging the layout to remedy the most problematic characters is realistic. I think there are factors that make market inertia less relevant in the case of the Arabic keyboard.

Firstly, unlike products that are expensive to repurchase, computers make it easy to switch between layouts, hence the economic burden on the user to switch in not great. There can be options to switch between the standard and optimized layout based on the user's preference. There is actually no economic burden; anyone can remap a keyboard at no cost.

Secondly, the number of characters that need to be rearranged is only 9, therefore relearning them will not take very long for the average user. From my experience of switching from the Macintosh Arabic keyboard to the PC Arabic keyboard, which was different in just about the same number of characters, the process takes about a week.

Thirdly, we are in a time when users have gotten used to learning and relearning to use technology. There have been products—such as Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, cell phones, etc.— that have been redesigned radically to enhance usability, and although users complain at first when they are required to relearn how to use them, they usually conclude that it was for the better.

First alternative:
Second alternative:

Learning to relax requires constant repetitive input

2009-11-15T21:37:00.004-05:00

While doing yoga poses, Jane, one of the yoga instructors in my gym repeats phrases like "relax your face, relax your jaw," "relax your mind," "breath," "relax your shoulders, relax your neck," dozens of times during the class. She can't repeat them enough because these are things that I forget to do and I have to be reminded of constantly.

Jane also tells us to direct our exhale to the area where we feel tight and imagine the exhale dissolving that tightness.

In my daily life, I am gradually undoing the tenseness that my body has locked in over the years, by remembering to relax my face, jaw, mind, shoulders and neck in the hopes that these will become natural responses that will no longer require conscious effort and become part of my involuntary nervous system.

I remember Jane's voice during my daily life as I try to establish a more relaxing pattern for my body.

Release the tension; you don't need any of it

I listen to a relaxation audio program where the narrator repeatedly says "release all tension," "let it go; you don't need any of it."

The phrase "you don't need any of it" is interesting and worth repeating. We have to be reminded continuously that we don't need the tension that we are holding in our bodies because our bodies seem to want to cling to it.

Why didn't anyone tell me about this before?

2009-11-08T22:42:00.002-05:00

It seems everything I used to do to deal with difficulty and stress in my life was counterproductive.

I used to stress my muscles and overwhelm my mind unnecessarily throughout the day, particularly when I felt uneasy physically, mentally or emotionally. This was counterproductive and just made bad situations worse. Yet, I never realized it, nor did anyone tell me about it.
It is better to relax my muscles when I am in pain, when I am cold, when I am disturbed, when I am under any kind of stress, even though my body's reflex reaction is to tense my muscles under these kinds of circumstances.

Sounds simple right? Well, why haven't I learned it yet? Why didn't I hear about it when I was growing up?

I have spent thousands of hours during high school and college learning things that I never used neither in my daily life nor in my professional career, such as calculus, imaginary numbers, and ancient poetry.

Why hasn't anyone told me how to deal with stress, which is something I will face every day of my life at one level or another?

It has taken me more than two years—through yoga, breath work and mindfulness—to unlearn the bad habits that I have acquired throughout my life and learn new habits that are more productive.

It has been rather difficult reversing decades of destructive thinking practices and unhealthy ways of using my body.

If I had learned what I know now much earlier in life, I would have saved myself a lot of suffering, or it would have taken me less time to learn positive habits of thinking.

I think our educational system needs revamping to focus on the things that are important on a daily basis for a successful and productive life, like staying relaxed, positive and happy.

Why isn't this more commonly known?

Instead of running away from pain or discomfort, it is more beneficial to embraces it.

Why don't more people know about this? Why isn't it emphasized?

It's a simple "think outside of the box" idea. Why is it that only Buddhist philosophy has recognized it?

If you don't wear hijab in public, you shouldn't wear it while praying

2009-11-01T22:09:00.007-05:00

I wrote previously about how I think that wearing hijab might not be necessary during prayer and that it might have a negative impact on our perception of God. Here I would like to stress that this negative impact is even worse for women who don't wear hijab in front of men.

I think it is a great contradiction for women who don't wear hijab in front of men to wear it while praying, because it signifies that God is more aroused or more offended by their hair and bodies than men.

There is no ayah and no strong hadith about how to dress while praying, yet there are two ayahs in the Quran that talk about dressing modestly in front of men (even though the interpretations of modesty may differ.)

So why put more emphasis on hijab during prayer than hijab in front of men?

The opposite makes more sense to me. But if you're not going to wear hijab in front of men then why wear it in front of God and why assume that it is only during prayer that He can see you?

I wouldn't wear it at all in either situation.

This promotes the perception of God as anthropomorphic—having human characteristics. Wearing hijab exclusively during prayer degrades God's image to human characteristics of the most degradable kind—the sexual aspect.

This contradicts what Islamic prayer is supposed to promote with the repetition of "Allahu Akbar" up to 24 times during each prayer. This is meant to expand our perception of God higher and higher.

This practice also assumes that God, like men, only has two eyes that can't see through clothes, someone we only meet occasionally and who we can elude if we do a good job covering our bodies.

How long is God's beard?

How does the requirement of Muslims to wear hijab during prayer affect our perception of God?

God created the Universe, and that is why some Sufis and other religions equate God with the Universe. Yet orthodox Muslims consider this to be blasphemy, because, to them, God is greater than the universe. If so, why don't you treat Him as if He is greater than the universe? I know the universe is not offended by my ankles or my hair, so why should God be?

I can't imagine anything greater than the universe. All I know is my experience. When I am thinking of God as the universe, life and existence, I am not self-conscious about my body. So why do I feel self-conscious about my body when I am praying even though God is supposed to be greater than the universe?

Teaching women to be self-conscious about their bodies during prayer depicts God as not only a man, but a man with a long beard and a frown.

The longer a man's beard is, the more he is likely to be offended by a woman's hair, and the more we women need to cover up in front of him. Men who don't have beards are less likely to be offended by our hair. We are comfortable in their presence and they are comfortable with ours. Religious men who have a short beard are easier to be with. They will not be offended if they see parts of our hair coming out of our scarves. As for the men with the long beards, we have to cover up really well in front of them. They are also fearful to be with. They will react with a vengeance if they see something they don't like. Those are the men whom we imagine to be like God, based on how we are told to act when we are praying.

Based on that, how long do we think God's beard is?

I know what some readers would say: "astaghfer Ullahal Azeem; this is blasphemy!" Yes, it is blasphemy to consider God as a man in our words, so why do we treat Him as a man in our actions?

It seems that some of us have the perception of God as having a mentality that is slightly greater than the clerics who issue fatwas for us—quite unlike the Universe which is awe inspiring when we contemplate it.

Why is this a big deal?

It's not just an issue of putting on a headscarf and it's not just a ritual.

I think this issue is important because it has a profound impact on our belief system "Aqidah."

I think we should be mindful and aware of any acts that promote the concept of an anthropomorphic god; one with human characteristics.

I also think we should promote acts that expand our perception of God to a higher level. God is supposed to be "Greater" than the universe, since He created it. We shouldn't be thinking of Him as if He is one of us.

Chanting mantras in your native language is better

2009-10-31T11:42:00.005-04:00

I think chanting mantras in your own native tongue is more beneficial than chanting them in their original languages, since the neuro-linguistic effect of the mantra is direct and doesn't have to go through a foreign language.

I go to Kundalini yoga classes where we chant mantras in Sanskrit.

One of them is "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo," which means "I call upon infinite creative energy, I call upon divine wisdom."

It is only after I learned the meaning of this mantra that it truly began to affect me in a profound way. Even now, after I have known it for a while, it affects me the most when I contemplate it in English.

The same holds true for the mantra "Sat Nam" which means "truth is my identity" or "my true self."

I admit that chanting mantras that you don't understand does give you a sense of awe because of the mystery it evokes, but I don't think that this feeling has to be deliberately induced by ambiguity. There are enough mysteries in the world that are worth exploring, so we don't have to intentionally create new ones.

The vibration benefits don't outweigh the obscurity cost

When I ask why we have to chant the mantras in their original languages, I am told that there is something about the vibrations of the mantras in Sanskrit that have a special physical effect.

That maybe true, given that eastern languages are more pharyngeal than Western languages.

But I don't think this benefit outweighs the benefit of knowing what you are saying. Mantras are affirmations. If they are to enter your mind and become ingrained in it, they need a convenient linguistic pathway.

Neuro-linguistic programming gets its name from the supposed connection between neurological processes, language and behavioral patterns. This connection should not be hindered by linguistic barriers.

Affirmations such as "I am happy" and "I am relaxed", and "I am at aware", are more likely to influence me than foreign phrases which I need to memorize and reprogram my mind as to how it should affect me.

An inaccurate translation is better than gibberish

Some say that the original mantras are chanted because none of the translations are accurate. For instance, Sat Nam can mean "truth is my identity," "my true self," "The essence of God is within me," "express the truth within you," "in name there is truth," "I call upon the eternal Truth that resides in all," "the light shines in you", and "God's Name is Truth."

I say pick one or several of the translations that are meaningful to you and say them in English, then switch to others when you feel ready.

Do we have the right to be fickle?

2009-10-25T21:36:00.001-04:00

لا يُصِلحُ النفسَ إذْ كانتْ مدبرةً .. إلا التنقل من حالٍ إلى حالِ

Is it a bad thing to be fickle? I recently learned this word. It means likely to change, especially in affections, intentions, loyalties, or preferences.

It was addressed to me as a criticism because I had changed my mind a few times.

Some people find it convenient to poke at your credibility when you contradict yourself.

I often get nasty looks from others because I held positions in the past which I no longer hold. I even get those looks for simple changes: I didn't use to like spicy foods; now I like them. I used to like tea; now I don't. I didn't used to like strength training; now I do. I didn't used to like Hatha yoga; now I do. I used to like a certain type of music; now I don't. I didn't used to like certain types of poetry; now I do.

People don't like it when you change your mind because they like predictability. It is easier to deal with things when you know what to expect.

But I think being fickle is a good thing. It means that you are evolving, searching for new and better things and not sticking to positions just because you are worried about what others will say.

I think part of a healthy life is feeling that you have the right to change your mind about how you feel about things, because it gives you the opportunity to correct bad decisions, to improve good ones, and to find better alternatives.

Sometimes you make a decision because the evidence as you know it at the time points to that particular decision, but then sometimes circumstances change or you come to a better understanding and awareness of things, which necessitates that you reverse that decision.

If a decision turns out to be a poor one than you should feel the right to change that decision, and not be stuck with a bad decision just because other people want predictability out of you.

Being fickle is better than being consistently wrong.

Why don't people like it when you are fickle?

I would understand why people would want predictability. Commitment and trust are important in human relationships from the personal level to the organizational to the political. I wouldn't want to marry someone who plans to leave any time he found something better.

It is very important to minimize harm and avoid causing inconveniences to others. What I am talking about here is changing your mind about things that don't impact anyone but you.

Not all decisions in life are bound by contracts. As long as our personal decisions don't affect others, we should feel flexible and free to explore new ideas and solutions.

Why should I stick to a bad decision just because I'm worried about what others will say? Who is living my life?

What could be wrong with being fickle?

Changing your mind too often does have a downside. If you change your mind too frequently then it is possible that you seek only instant gratification and you are not patient enough to let solutions take their course.

Being mindful means paying attention to the short term and long term cause-effect relationships.

The Benefits of Yoga are Incremental

2009-10-19T00:11:00.002-04:00

I have been practicing yoga, mindfulness, breathing and meditation for a little less than three years. For me, improvement has been slow but incremental. I would say that I witnessed a five percent positive impact on my health during the first year I started these practices. The second year, the effect was perhaps 10 percent. It is now the second half of the third year and I estimate that my health is about 20 percent better than it was a year ago as a result of these practices.

When we start learning mindfulness latter in life, it can be rather difficult because we have to unlearn the negative thinking patterns and behaviors that we have become addicted to.

Learning mindfulness at a young age can save people a great deal of misery throughout their lives, but most of us do not learn to cultivate awareness at a young age, although we spend a lot of time learning things that are not very important in our lives, such as calculus. However, we are never stuck. Reversing acquired negative habits is possible at any age.

Mindfulness helped me avoid the little things that I was doing to myself that were making me more stressed out. It also helped me identify solutions that were right in front of me but that I had failed to notice.

It is amazing how we can go through life suffering from a problem, not realizing that the solution is right before our eyes. Some of these are little things but they add up because they were numerous and frequent.

We have a tendency to unknowingly do things that are harmful to us or attempt to solve problems in a counterproductive way. Constantly being aware helps us notice these things.

We have a tendency to indulge in negative thinking patterns and destructive emotions that don't help us in any way. In fact they only hurt us--emotions such as hatred, craving, delusion, anger, fear, jealousy, resentment, anxiety, sadness, guilt and greed.

Mindfulness helped me be on the look out for these destructive emotions and detect their early signs.

Yoga and mindfulness are also helping me deal with counter-productive bodily reactions that happen as a result of physical pain and discomfort, such as stressing my muscles and holding my breath and limiting my movement.

Also see: The effect of positive thinking on our health is accumulative

Weight-loss that depends on exercise is slow to show results

2009-10-10T11:00:00.003-04:00

Based on my calorie calculations, I know I have lost one pound even though the scale shows that I have gain three pounds.

I have been watching my calorie input and output (food intake and exercise) and I believe I should have a calorie deficit resulting in a loss of one pound, but the scale says that I have gained three pounds.

I have faith that I really did lose a pound. I believe the three pounds are due to fluid retention caused by muscle cramps. I have been working out vigorously six days a week. I went to a power yoga class four days ago and I have been stressed out since then.

I have written previously about the importance of counting calories daily for some of us who have a tendency to overeat. I also wrote about how counting calories helps me monitor real weight gain and loss, and adjust the impact of water retention that results from eating foods I eat absorb water.

I also think it is important to note that working out often causes initial weight gain because muscles that are in recovery retain water. Muscles hold on to extra water in order to repair the damage that happens when your muscles are fatigued, and your body will significantly increase your glycogen stores as well.

Being aware of this helps you avoid getting discouraged when you see little or no weight loss—or even weight gain—on the scale when you begin an exercise routine.

Al-Jazeera Says "Ardi" Disproves Darwin's Theory of Evolution

2009-10-03T20:19:00.026-04:00

Al-Jazeera, which is considered by many to be the most professional Arabic news organization–the so-called “CNN of the Arab world” – has reported the story of the discovery of the oldest "human" skeleton by saying that it refutes Darwin's theory of evolution. I translated the report below from Arabic word by word with a screen shot of the original Arabic story beneath it.

It proves how agenda and ideologically-driven Al-Jazeera is and how they are willing to forgo journalistic professionalism to further their agenda.

Know your facts, Al-Jazeera, before you report them. Darwin never said mankind descended from chimpanzees. He said we both descended from a common ape-like ancestor.

Make sure your science editors have some scientific background. Where did you get the idea that this story disproves evolution?

Also, who is Zaghloul El-Naggar and what are his qualifications to comment on this story? Did you not find any specialists on the topic to interview?

Translation of Al-Jazeera Story:

Ardi Refutes Darwin's Theory

American scientists have presented evidence that Darwin's theory of evolution was wrong. An international team of researchers specialized in the origin of the human race in "Ken" State University (It's actually Kent State but they spelled it wrong) and the University of California (-Berkeley, but they did not add it) have unveiled the oldest known evidence of humans on earth, which is an Ethiopian human skeleton dating back about 4.4 million years, which was named "Ardi."

The team announced Thursday that Ardi's discovery proves that humans did not evolve from ancestors that resemble chimpanzees, which refutes the longstanding assumption that humans evolved from monkeys.

The researchers wrote in the journal Science that Ardi is one of mankind's ancestors and that the lineages that descended from her were not chimpanzees or any other type of monkey currently known.

The scientists say that Ardi could be the oldest of known human ancestors, because she is a million years older than "Lucy," who was considered one of the most important known origins of man.

A Blow to Darwin's Theory

Dr. Zaghloul El-Naggar, who is a professor of geology in several Arab universities, (didn't bother to mention where) commented by saying that Westerners are beginning to come to their senses after they used to deal with the origins of man from a materialistic perspective and by denying religions.

He said in a phone interview with Al-Jazeera that this scientific discovery, which delivers a big blow to Darwin's theory, is a very important development.

El-Naggar said that the researchers' estimation of four million years is an exaggeration. He predicts that man's age on earth is no more than about 400,000 years.

On the other hand, C. Owen Lovejoy, who is an American scientist at Kent State University, specializing in the origin of Man, said that he conducted a study on the primitive human that is known as Ardipithecus ramidus, which lived 4.4 million years ago in Ethiopia.

He added in a study that will be published today in the journal Science that "people often believe that humans evolved from monkeys, but that is not correct; in fact monkeys evolved from us."

He added that "the idea that humans are an advanced version of chimpanzees was widespread, but studying the primitive human contributed to our conviction that it is impossible for humans to evolve from chimpanzees or gorillas."

Screenshots of the story:

Could Angels be Symbols for the Laws of Nature?

2009-10-01T00:06:00.005-04:00

Deism and mysticism, to me, are the only reasonable way of reconciling the metaphysical worldview with science without causing a dualism, since they observe God through the universe and recognize the importance of symbolism.

I think contemplating angels as symbols for the laws of the universe can help bridge the gap between science and religion.

Instead of living a double life, where we envision angels as bodily spirits with wings in a religious setting, to only switch modes when we are in a laboratory or science classroom and imagine the universe being run by the laws of physics, I suggest the two be converged and consider angels and the laws of nature to be the same.

In the past, imagining angels literally as winged creatures who fly around guiding the affairs of the universe by being consistently obedient to God's commands was perhaps a suitable way of explaining how God runs the universe to an illiterate Bedouin who was unaware of the laws of physics and nature. There was no science back then; people had to rely on these depictions.

But in the post-scientific era, I think that such a view creates a dichotomy between the natural and the supernatural. Symbolism is one way to make sense out of this disparity.

Laws after all are nothing but symbols. When we say E=MC^2, this is a mathematical equation that reflects reality. It is only a symbol, but it is the best way we know of to understand how the universe works.

Mathematics is the use of abstraction and logical reasoning to reflect reality. Equations are symbols. The same is true for angels.

Laws of nature behave consistently; they appear to apply everywhere in the universe; they are absolute and stable; nothing in the universe appears to affect them; the laws are unchanged since first discovered and omnipotent; everything in the universe apparently must comply with them.

I observe the universe being run by God through a system of laws that are constant and dependable.

This in a metaphysical worldview corresponds to angels. So they might as well be the same.

Converging physics and metaphysics, which is something necessary if we want to avoid living a double life, entails such attempts.

Our interpretation of the supernatural must be modified each era based on the understanding, knowledge and awareness available to us at the time.

It also can be modified as a person grows older and more knowledgeable. We can attempt to observe things at different levels. Just as we explain things differently to children than we do to adults when it comes to science, the same should be true for religion.

I believe we can and should modify and develop our perception of God and the metaphysical world rather than allow it to remain static. The universe is too great to be contemplated at a static level - God is even greater.

Over time, humanity's understanding of how the laws of physics work has evolved. Yet, our understanding of scripture remains at undeveloped. The illustration of angels, which are soldiers of God who obey His every command, is still as it was a millennium and a half ago.

The Internet as an Example of the Human Altruistic Gene

2009-09-28T00:24:00.004-04:00

The Internet is full of human altruism; it is a great example of the altruistic gene that made humanity extraordinary.

There is widespread belief that humans are basically selfish; that they are only concerned with their own interests, and that competition is what drives the world.

But if you really want to appreciate how altruistic and empathetic the human race is, just look online.

There is a tremendous amount of information that is free and the people who offer it for free do it because they care about others.

If you have a health question, a problem with your computer, a relationship question, you can ask on the internet, and you will find many people who are happy to help you solve your problem. They don't do it for money; they don't even do it for recognition; they use screen names rather than their real names; they will help you even though they don't know you and they know that you will never return the favor.

Why do they do it? Just because it feels good for them to know that they have helped someone else. This tendency to feel good about helping others is embedded in our genes at a group level. It varies from person to person, just as aggression and selfishness varies from person to person. But at a group level there is so much of both. I tend to presume that there is more altruism among humans than aggression.

I am often touched when I have a problem or a question that is troubling me, and I get help from a total stranger.

There are millions of people who blog about their experience and offer their knowledge. Some of them make money off of it, but the vast majority of people do not make any money. In fact, they pay money to set up their blogs and websites. They write about their experiences and opinions in the hope that someone out there among the billions who live on this earth will benefit and relate to it.

People post user reviews on amazon.com, epinions.com, and other websites about products they have bought, allowing others who are thinking of buying them to get a sense of the pros and cons. Sometimes these reviews are carefully detailed.

Reviewers are not paid to write about how satisfied or unsatisfied they are with a product. What is it that makes them want to share their experience with others? It is the instinct of altruism. People feel good when they feel they have benefited others.

It has even come to a point where free user generated content, such as Wikipedia, is more viable than commercial sources such as Microsoft Encarta when has been discontinued.

There are people who give carefully presented video reviews and demonstrations on Youtube for such things as writing a check, peeling a potato, putting on makeup, tying a tie, setting up a website, creating an animation in Adobe Photoshop, playing the guitar, giving a speech, repairing your car, and virtually anything you can think of.

It is the altruistic gene that has made humanity so great. It has allowed the species to advance exponentially. Altruism towards other group-members improves the overall fitness of the group, which is why it was selected.

Do Tech Companies like Microsoft have Political Agendas?

2009-09-25T15:20:00.005-04:00

It is interesting to contemplate how Arabs and Muslims around the world today are harnessing the power of the Internet (and have the potential to embrace it even further.) They are contributing to their culture and civilization, propagating their thoughts, communicating with each other in effective ways, and are reaching out to other nations, cultures and religions.

These capabilities were made possible to a large part by companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Google, and by the U.S. military which first developed the Internet.

Did these companies and institutions know how much they were going to benefit world cultures? If so, how did they feel about it? Are they pleased or unpleased by the cultural revolutions that have happened around the world?

Conspiracy theorists - who are quite rampant among Arabs and Muslims - would love to believe that the entire West, with all of its institutions, operates with a unified agenda which aims to oppress them. If that is the case, why would these companies allow Arabs and Muslims to harness technologies to advance their culture?

Many of these companies have yet to make a profit on the services that they have provided to diverse populations around the world, but they offer access to new technologies regardless in hopes to strengthen their stand in future markets and also to maintain their credibility and integrity as inclusive content providers.

Do technology companies have cultural, religious and political agendas? Are they working in collaboration with political institutions that have imperialistic agendas?

Although the ultimate goal of companies is to expand and make a profit, they are finding that promoting and respecting world languages, religions and cultures is in their corporate interest.

Microsoft contributed to the promotion and even the revival of world cultures; what was its motive? When opening the Windows local language settings you will find dozens of other languages and dialects.

I remember the ‘90s when only English was supported well in Web browsers. Also, Windows did not have multi-language support. In order to read or type in Arabic, you needed a localized Windows version. Arabs were forced to communicate with each other in English or French.

Now any Windows version supports virtually all languages and any browser can read any language on the Internet. Microsoft could have chosen to restrict multi-language support, so that only an Arabic version of Windows could read and write Arabic.

Microsoft now provides local language settings not only for Arabic in general, but for two dozen Arab countries, just in case there might be certain words that are spelled or used differently.

What about Google, another international technology giant? It has localized its services so that they can be available in nearly 130 languages and dialects. When I look through the list I find languages that I never heard of before. Why has Google provided this for people around the world? It is a for-profit company that wants to expand and earn income for its shareholders. But Google knows that giving consumers what they want and need is the way to do it.

Is there a political, cultural or religious agenda beyond that mission?

Google has a translation service that translates to and from 51 different languages. You can translate a section of text, a Web page, email messages, documents, blogs, etc. The translated versions are rough, as all machine translation is, but it gives people a gist into content they would otherwise know nothing about.

Let's remember that the Internet itself was begun by the U.S. military as a data communications network.

The Unicode Consortium went out of its way to make sure that languages such as Arabic, Tamil and Devanagari, are all fully represented in Unicode. Unicode even converts the name Allah in Arabic to a decorative style.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was also developed by the U.S. armed forces. In 1996, GPS became available for civilian users. The GPS device I have speaks in Arabic and can be used anywhere in the world.

Why would the U.S. military allow other nations to make use of the GPS system?

The conspiracy theories began again last month when news emerged that Yahoo made a deal to buy the biggest Arabic Web content provider Maktoob.

It is understandable that humans by nature are territorial and suspicious of strangers. This is embedded in our genes and is especially true for people who have had recent trauma with invaders.

But this should not lead us to be delusional. Economic expansion does not necessarily lead to exploitation. In the case of technology companies, the proliferation of products and services is leading to the empowerment of cultures around the world.

God does not Look at a Crooked Line? Where Did We Get that Idea?

2009-09-25T13:53:00.010-04:00

In order to get people to straighten their lines for prayer, many imams say at the beginning of a group prayer

"إن الله لا ينظر إلى الصف الأعوج"

"God does not look at the crooked line."

People often wind up with a curved line, but they can't do anything about it. They end up being so preoccupied with the line that they can't concentrate on their prayers. They are discouraged because they feel that all this prayer will not be accepted because the line was not straight.

This saying turned out to be a something that is completely fabricated with no origin whatsoever. It is not a hadith, neither weak nor strong, according to scholars such as Ibn Baz and Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen.

But who could have made it up and what could have inclined him to make it up? More importantly, why did Muslims believe him and follow his example?

It is perhaps a religious culture that paints God as a tyrant who is hard to please and quick to reject things that are less than perfect.

It is perhaps popular weak hadiths that create a perception about God that leads Muslims to say things about Him that are not characteristic of a Compassionate and Loving Deity.

Religion Survives Because it is Fit for Survival; Atheism is Less Fit

2009-09-20T22:04:00.008-04:00

I wonder if atheist evolutionary scientists like Richard Dawkins, who call for the elimination of religion as soon as possible for the salvation of humanity, I wonder if they ever considered that religion, even if was wrong, might be more "fit for survival" from an evolutionary perspective than atheism.

Religion has existed since man has been walking upright, and it is showing no signs of going away any time soon. The reason is that it works for humans. Otherwise they would have done away with it.

It is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It is highly unlikely that Muhammad could have inspired his illiterate people to build and expand an extensive empire and civilization without religion.

Wrong or right, as long as it works, people are going to depend on religion at the group level for motivation, human social organization, and spiritual and emotional livelihood.

The best that secularists can hope for is that religion will enter a more liberal era where its negative effects are ameliorated.

The Calculation of Zakat Al-Fitr Needs to be Updated

2009-09-20T14:26:00.011-04:00

I went to the masjid a few days before Eid to pay Zakat al-Fitr and the amount on the box said that it was 10 dollars per person. I found that to be too little, and I also found it to be disproportionate to what I make. It didn't make sense to me that a person making minimum wage should be paying the same as a person who makes a good salary or a person who makes a million dollars.

It also didn't make sense to me that we should be calculated the amount based on the cost of one saa` of dried dates, one saa` of barely or grain (a saa` صاع is four double handfuls.) People's needs are different nowadays.

The amount of Zakat al-Fitr was not mentioned in the Quran. In the hadith, the amount seems to be mentioned as a suggestion. I don't think it should be taken literally.

Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet (PBUH), made Zakat al-Fitr compulsory on every slave, freeman, male, female, young and old among the Muslims; one saa` of dried dates or one saa` of barely. [Sahih Bukhari - Arabic/English, vol. 2, p. 339, no. 579]

Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree said, "On behalf of our young and old, free men and slaves, we used to take out during Allaah's Messenger's (PBUH) lifetime one saa` of grain, cheese or raisins". [Sahih Muslim - English transl. vol. 2, p. 469, no. 2155]

People tend to be afraid to rewrite the rules because they consider religious decrees to be sacred (even if the evidence and/or indications are flexible).

Being aware of this thinking style is necessary if we want to guarantee that religion does not stand in the way of creativity, productivity, aptness and effectiveness.

Counting calories helps me keep track of real weight gain and loss

2009-09-18T21:31:00.011-04:00

I know I have gained one quarter of a pound during Ramadan, not by looking at the scale—the scale says I have either gained three pounds or lost three pounds, depending on when I weigh myself. But I know I have gained one quarter of a pound because I have monitored the extra calories that I ate. There were several nights during Ramadan when I went over my daily budget of calories, which accounted for a total of 1000 calories extra. Since 3500 calories is equivalent to one pound of real fat, 1000 accounts for a little more than one forth.

I talked in another post about the importance of counting calories daily for some of us who have a tendency to overeat. Another benefit of counting calories is that it helps me monitor real weight gain and loss.

Water retention and water release accounts for most of the weight fluctuations we see on the scale from day to day. That is why some people say that it is better to weigh yourself once a week rather than every day.

Although I weigh myself every day, I don't freak out when I see major weight gain, nor do I rejoice when I see weight loss, because I know it is due mostly to water fluctuations as a result of the kinds of foods I have eaten during the past day and the kinds of exercises I have done.

However, because I count calories every single day, I know when I have a calorie deficit which results in weight loss, and a calorie surplus which results in weight gain. I know when I have gained weight even though the scale says that I lost weight, and I know when I have really lost weight, even though the scale says that I gained weight.

I know that a deficit of 3500 calories means losing one pound and vice-versa. I have monitored this for 13 years and I can swear by it.

I deal with calories like I deal with money, and the checkbook always balances

If you want to stay out of debt, you have to monitor your spending always, not just occasionally, and if you go on a spending spree, you can't expect that it will go unnoticed by your credit card. Also if you spend just a little too much every day, the debt can pile up without you noticing.

The same is true for eating. If you binge one day, you can't expect that it will go unnoticed by your body, and if you eat a little too much every day, the weight can pile up without you noticing.

Exercising at a young age makes it easy to lose weight later in life

2009-09-18T20:47:00.005-04:00

It is true that as women grow older it becomes more difficult for them to lose weight.

But exercising when you are young means that you will be equipped with the tools you need when you are old to counter the effects of a slowing metabolism: stronger muscles (if they become like SUVs they will be able to burn more calories easily), endurance, muscle memory, motor skills (A lot of the effort that goes into many forms of exercise is the mind-body coordination of the movements; Establishing that at a young age is easier), flexibility, an established habit of exercising, an awareness of your body's capacities and limitations (you are less likely to hurt yourself).

My local gym makes me feel like a citizen of the world

2009-09-14T00:38:00.002-04:00

One of the great gifts of living in America is my discovery of other people's cultures, traditions, and wisdom.

The health classes that are offered in my local gym draw on wisdom, inspiration and beauty from all over the world.

Attending yoga and dance classes involves not merely getting to know the cultures but actually living and practicing them. It promotes a realization that each culture has its own special genius.

Being exposed to this kind of diversity doesn't mean in any way that I abandon my tradition and my identity, but that I build on it and expand it.

Yoga classes often incorporate a diverse array of eastern wisdom: Hindu, Buddhist, Tibetan, Sikh, Taoist, and Zen.

There are also specialized yoga classes. Kundalini yoga, which is taught in my gym by Sikh instructors, introduced me to Sikh wisdom and thought.

Tai Chi introduced me to Chinese philosophy including both Taoism and Confucianism.

I get a sense of unity of wisdom when I attend classes that mix different types of practices together, such as Yochiga (a blend of yoga and tai chi and Qi-Gong), Yogalates, which combines the practice of yoga with Pilates, and BodyFlow, which is a combo of yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi.

I go to Zumba classes, which mix different Latin dance forms, many of which themselves were influenced by African and European culture in addition to the indigenous cultures of Latin America.

Before I started Zumba classes, the Hispanic culture was completely alien to me. After taking on Zumba, I began to understand and appreciate that culture very much.

Hip-hop classes are primarily African American.

Sport Dance Endurance classes exposed me to European dance types such as ballet, ballroom and Waltz.

Bollywood classes introduced me to Indian dance styles.

I have even gained a better understanding of my own culture through a systematic understanding of belly dance.

That is why I believe that belly dancing could be a great way to introduce Americans to Middle Eastern culture.

Luckily, it is the Westerners and other non-Arabs that are gravitated towards this beautiful form of art, and the culture that is behind it.

Should secular Muslims be banned from celebrating Ramadan?

2009-09-09T06:15:00.002-04:00

I was recently discussing with friends the topic of special Ramadan entertainment programs that air on Arabic TV networks, which feature music, singing and dancing. As can be expected, the reaction was that it is outrageous to celebrate Ramadan, which is a religious occasion, with singing and dancing.

Ramadan is a time of worship. Muslims abstain from permissible acts such as food and drink, and are to pray at night. According to them, such "indecencies" are blasphemous and offensive during this month in particular.

This kind of reminds me of the debate that goes on every year over the commercialization of Christmas.

While Ramadan is indeed a religious occasion, I think it is unfair and unwise for religious people to claim monopoly over it. Ramadan is not only a religious occasion of great spiritual significance, but it is also a family, social and cultural occasion for the millions of Muslims who are not religious.

I think these Muslims have the right to celebrate Ramadan in their own way. Ramadan to them, if they are not religious, is part of their cultural identity which they have the right to be proud of. It is something that has been part of their history for up to 14 centuries. It is part of who they are.

Non-religious people will always exist in any society. It is unrealistic to expect that there will one day be a society where everyone is religious. Secular Muslims have the right to be secular and still be proud of their identity. These Muslims are often just as proud of being Muslim as religious Muslims. Religious nationalism should not be rejected, but embraced. It is just as powerful in cultivating national aspirations. Religious holidays promote and solidify the sense of pride in people's religious identity.

It is unfair and disadvantageous to ostracize secular Muslims by telling them, "You either celebrate Ramadan the right way or you don't celebrated at all." This only serves to push them further away from both their religion and their religious identity.

It is also worth mentioning that a lot of the people who love to sing and dance are not necessarily non-religious. Many of them pray and fast, but they like to have fun, too. There is no basis for the idea that spirituality and amusement are at odds.

Does laughing too much kill your heart? I don't think so

2009-09-07T10:18:00.010-04:00

There is a hadith that was narrated by Ibn Majah as saying,

"لا تكثروا الضحك فإن كثرة الضحـك تميت القلب"

"Don't laugh too much. Laughing too much kills your heart."

This hadith was popularized by Hassan Albanna as one of his "ten commandments."

However, I have issues with this hadith and wonder about its authenticity since it seems to contradict common knowledge about wellness and emotional health.

I am not sure that laughing too much kills your heart. I tend to think that it is the lack of laughter that kills your heart and spirit.

I wonder if this hadith was made up by someone who is depressed or who has a very serious personality; someone doesn't like to laugh and doesn't want anyone else to laugh either.

Many people, including very religious people—not all by any means—are just serious by nature and have no sense of humor or fun. I think genetics plays a large part in that and perhaps an unhappy upbringing. People are the way they are and if they are happy with being serious all the time that is fine, but they have no right to tell others that they have to live like they do and shun laughter and happiness.

كمْ عالمٍ منغـّص اللذاتِ .. يفضـّلُ الموتَ على الحياةِ

There are also people who have what is called "happiness anxiety" and feel guilty when they are happy because they don't feel that they deserve to be happy. This is a view of life that does not cultivate wellness, optimism, or productivity. It just makes people depressed and gives them a sense of hopelessness.

Yes, too much laughter sometimes makes you look like an idiot, but you don't have to laugh like an idiot. Laughter can be pleasant and heartwarming.

Laughter has been said to be the best medicine. Some call laughter "internal jogging."

There is solid research that indicates that laughing releases endorphins (our natural pain killers), reduces stress hormones, strengthens cardiovascular functions, lowers blood pressure, oxygenates the body by boosting the respiratory system, and produces a general sense of well-being.

I would love to hear evidence that laughing, little or much, has negative effects.

Shunning happiness does not cultivate progress

There is a tendency especially in the Arab World--perhaps because of our grim political situation--to shun happiness, based on the thought that we have to keep working diligently and not distracting ourselves with pleasures.

Many people believe that having fun and feeling good makes you an unproductive person because you become too immersed with life's joys.

But in fact, laughing in times of difficulty recharges your battery and makes you more positive, which makes you more productive and better able to face challenges.

After a long laugh, it is common for people in Jordan to say something like.

"اللهم اكفنا شر الضحك؟"

"God spare me the evils of laughing."

As if laughing is going to result in something bad.

If you dance and have fun for no occasion they will say, "How can you be singing, dancing and laughing when there are people dying?" People are afraid to be jinxed if they get too happy.

For these people, being happy in any way tends to activate voices, internal or external, that say, "This happiness is bound to bring bad luck", "You don't deserve to be happy", "It will never last", "Happiness is only an illusion", or "No one else is happy so why should I be?"

This is a reflection of the state of depression and anxiety that I believe people feel on a group level in the Arab World. Negative attitudes are self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating. Feeling better allows you to live better. It allows you to respond to challenges and opportunities more resourcefully and effectively.

Happiness correlates with optimism, intuitiveness, creativity, independence, ability to manage change, and flexibility. Unhappiness correlates with pessimism, rigidity, negativity and lack of determination.

Being confident that we are worthy of happiness, and being able to experience and enjoy it, gives birth to self-fulfilling prophecies.

Are laughing and spirituality at odds?

I think there is a misconception, particularly among many Muslims, that spirituality requires a person to be serious and dull. Hassan Albanna in his "ten commandments" says,

"لا تكثر الضحك فإن القلب الموصول بالله ساكن وقور. لا تمزح فإن الأمة المجاهدة لا تعرف إلا الجد"

"Do not laugh much; for the heart that is connected with God is still and dignified. Do not joke; for the nation that is in jihad only knows seriousness."

I disagree with this and I believe that it does not have a strong basis in the Quran.

Spirituality doesn't mean hating life and just waiting to die. That is just depression. Spirituality means loving life and being happy to be alive. It means enjoying the simple pleasures of life such as laughing. It means being appreciative of what life (God) has offered. It means expressing and receiving the joys of life knowing that it is your divine privilege. It means being grateful and giving back.

"Meditation is embracing the full catastrophe and dancing with it."
Jon Kabat-Zinn

Can you chew no-calorie gum while fasting?

2009-09-03T20:57:00.004-04:00

With a trembling voice I would say yes, if you are worried that your bad breath might annoy others.

I think chewing no-calorie gum can be comparable to using the miswak which was used by the Prophet (PBUH) while he was fasting, which makes analogical reasoning (Qiyas) applicable.

عن عامر بن ربيعة: "رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ما لا أحصي يتسوك وهو صائم".

Narrated Amer bin Rabi'a, "I saw the Prophet cleaning his teeth with Siwak while he was fasting so many times as I can't count."

I think bad breath in Ramadan is something that should be controlled. It is true that there is a hadith that says "The breath of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allah (SWT) than the scent of musk." Well, it may smell like that to God, but not to us humans.

This hadith motivates a person who is fasting to be patient and it also motivates a person who smells his bad breath to be tolerant.

But the purpose of fasting is to train a person to persevere hunger and thirst. It doesn't mean that bad breath is necessary.

Brushing your teeth and chewing no-calorie gum can be the modern equivalent to miswak. Miswak has a taste and it is likely that using it will give you a few calories, yet it was allowed by the Prophet during fasting. Are we to stick only to what he used for caring for his teeth and breeth?

There is no reason why we can only use ancient remedies even though there are modern solutions. If the Prophet had lived these days, I think he would have allowed for no-calorie gum to remedy bad breath. When I wonder, "What would Muhammad do?" I would think he would be understanding. That is how I perceive him.

I recently went to get a facial while I was fasting and I was worried that my breath would annoy the esthetician. She was not Muslim which made me even more self-conscious because I didn't want her to get a bad impression about Muslims, Ramadan and fasting. The Prophet was always sensitive to offensive smells and was willing to make exceptions to the rules occasionally to ensure that no bad odors came from him. Besides using siwak while fasting, he asked people who had eaten foods that cause bad odor, such as onion and garlic, to avoid going to the masjid so as not to annoy others. He was once told by one of his wives that he had a bad smell because of something he had eaten. He promised never to eat it again. He later went back to eating it when it became clear that it was just a jealously issue of another wife whom he had eaten it with.

Therefore, I believe that there is enough evidence from the tradition of the Prophet to suggest that avoiding bad breath is a justifiable ground to allow small amounts of sugarless gum while fasting if you need to get in close proximity with others while fasting.

Chewing gum (especially sugarless gum) has been shown to be good for your teeth, good for stress reduction, good for improving memory, good for controlling hunger, and good for alertness if you are trying to stay awake (say while you are driving).

Nevertheless, I would use gum sparingly while fasting and only to control bad breath.

I wouldn't chew gum too much because it stimulates acid secretion in the stomach which prepares it to receive food, but when nothing comes, it makes you feel hungry.

Why is the English font larger than the Arabic on Web pages?

2009-09-02T11:23:00.012-04:00

Following the post "Avoiding word shuffling when writing English within Arabic text", another issue that Arabic web editors face when they publish web pages that contain both Arabic and English text is that the English text is usually larger than the Arabic text making the two languages seem odd and unbalanced.

I remedy this by increasing the size of the Arabic text to make it look more balanced with the English text. But this adds extra work and it doesn't seem like a reasonable thing to ask people to continually do.

I did notice, though, that there are some fonts in which the Arabic is similar to the English in size.

I did an experiment to see what fonts are closer together in size. What I found was that only the Courier font in Arabic has a size similar to the English font.

Courier however is not a suitable font for writing articles. It is neither modern nor legible.

It is perhaps something that needs to be adjusted by tech companies like Microsoft and organizations for Web standards such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Unicode Consortium.

I would be interested to know how other people deal with the issue of Arabic and English font size imbalance.

Here is how the fonts available in blogger appear for both Arabic and English text:

Arial
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ"(التين: 4)
"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

Courier
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ"(التين: 4)
"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

Georgia
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ" (التين: 4)
"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

Lucida Grande
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ" (التين: 4)
"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

Times
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ" (التين: 4)

"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

Trebuchet
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ" (التين: 4)

"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

Verdana
"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ" (التين: 4)
"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

What would Muhammad do?

2009-08-29T06:39:00.019-04:00

The phrase "What would Jesus do?" is a popular personal motto for Christians who use the phrase as a reminder of their belief that Jesus is the example to be followed in daily life, and to act in a manner of which Jesus would approve. Many Christians use this phrase especially with young children.

I wish that Muslims can use the phrase "What would Muhammad do?" or "What would Jesus do?", since Jesus is recognized as a compassionate prophet who should be admired and heeded as an example.

However, before we consider what either of them would do, we should be actually sure that this is what they would really do, and not base it on narrations that could be false or inaccurate.

A distorted view of what Muhammad would do

Unfortunately many Muslims often have a distorted view of what Muhammad would do because a lot of their perceptions about him come from hadiths that contradict with the Quran's description of him as a compassionate, caring and flexible prophet, and the vast number of hadiths that confirm that image.

Based on evidence, the prophet always gave breaks to people who asked for them. Why don't we take the spirit of these hadiths and say "what would Muhammad do if I asked him if I could combine and reduce the number of rakaas because I am tired?" He would probably be compassionate and give me a break. Is there any evidence that he would say, "sorry, tough luck. You're gonna have to suck it up"? He never said that to anyone.

It's tricky because a lot of our perception of how Muhammad would handle certain situations is built on weak hadiths that are contrary to how his wife Aisha described him "his morals were the Quran".

We rarely stop to think if a hadith was actually reflective of his other morals and rapport with his friends and family.

For example, there are many hadiths that damn Muslims for petty things like plunking eyebrows, while the Quran never damned Muslims for such things. Damning is a serious thing and it was reserved in the Quran for very serious offenses. Yet such hadiths are often more familiar to Muslims than the ayahs that talk about love and compassion and kindness towards Muslims. These hadiths skew a Muslim perception of Muhammad to a person who just wants to make things difficult for people. Instead of deterring his friends from doing things by compassion, Muhammad is painted as a man who intimidates them by telling them that God will damn them if they plunk their eyebrows, extend their hair, beautify their teeth, or masturbate.

Examine these hadiths

"لعن الله ناكح يده"
"God damned him who has sex with his own hand."

"لعن الله الشارب قبل الطالب"
"God damned him who drinks before asking."

"لعن الله النامصة والمتنمصة"
"God damned women who plunks her eyebrows and women who are hired to plunk eyebrows."

"لعن الله الواصلة والمستوصلة"
"God damned her attached extensions to her hair or who is hired to do this."

"لعن الله المتفلجات"
"God damned women who make a gap between there upper front teeth for beautifying reasons."

"لعن الله الواشمات والمستوشمات"
"God damned women who get tattoos or who are hired to give tattoos."

"لعن الله قوما كثرت أعيادهم"
"God damned those who have too many holidays."

"لعن الله قوما حكمتهم امرأة"
"God damned a nation who is led by a women."

"لعن الله زائرات القبور"
"God damned women who visit graves."

"لعن الله قوما يأكلون وفوقهم المزامير"
"God damned people who eat while there is a clarinet playing above them."

"لعن الله قوماً اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد"
"God damned a people who made mosques out of their prophets' graves."

"لعن رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- النائحة والمستمعة"
"The Prophet, PBUH, damned the woman who cries over a dead one and the woman who listens to her do it."

"لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المتشبهين من الرجال بالنساء والمتشبهات من النساء بالرجال"
"The Prophet, PBUH, damned men who act like women and women who act like men."

"إن الله لا ينظر إلى الصف الأعوج"
"God does not look at the crooked line."

How do these hadiths shape our perception of God and Muhammad?

Have any of us stopped to think if this is something that the Prophet would say to his friends? Would the Prophet really damn his friends over things like these? The Prophet had the morals of the Quran and the Quran never cursed Muslims.

What kind of friend goes around damning his friends for petty things? That doesn't sound like a person people would be comfortable being around. It sounds like a repulsive person people would run away from.

The Quran was gentle when dealing with Muslims, and described the prophet also as being gentle and kind, which was the reason for his success. The following are ayah that describe Muhammad's compassion.

"لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ"
(التوبة: 128 )

"Now has come to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that you should experience hardship: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind and compassionate." (9:128)

"فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ" (آل عمران: 159)

"It is part of the Mercy of God that you dealt gently with them. If you had been severe or harsh-hearted, they would have been repulsed by you: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (God's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when you have taken a decision, put you trust in God. For God loves those who put their trust (in Him)." (3:159)

Many of the hadiths mentioned above are more familiar to some Muslims than the ayahs in the Quran that talk about the love and compassion that God has towards people.

For some reason, the following hadiths are not very popular amoung Muslims. I am not sure about their authenticity, but they seem descriptive of a compassionate person, and I don't think there are motives for anyone to fabricate them.

"قيل يا رسول الله ادع على المشركين قال إني لم أبعث لعانا وإنما بعثت رحمة"
The prophet was asked to damn the pagens, he said, "I was not sent as a damner, I was sent as compassion."

"ليس المؤمن بطعّان ولا لعّان ولا فاحش ولا بذيء"
"A believer is not a defamer, nor a damner, and he is not obscene nor vulgar."

"لا تلاعنوا بلعنة الله ولا بغضبه ولا بالنار"
"Do not damn each other by saying God damn you or invoke God's wrath or Hell."

"لعن المؤمن كقتله"
"Damning a believer is just as bad as killing him (It is a severe offense)."

"لا ينبغي لصديق أن يكون لعانا ولا يكون اللعانون شهداء ولا شفعاء يوم القيامة"
"A friend should not be a damner; damners will not be intercessors on the day of Resurrection."

Obese People Have 'Severe Brain Degeneration'

2009-08-25T14:22:00.002-04:00

A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals.

How's that for a scare? Perhaps it should be posted on our refrigerators. That'll help us throw away food that we don't want to eat instead of forcing ourselves to eat it.

It's not a crime to throw away food! And it's not wasteful to throw it away if you don't need to eat it. Throwing away food can be cheaper than eating it.

Investing in your health (by throwing away unwanted food among other things) is one of the best investments you can make. It is investing in your future; it is investing in your retirement; it is investing in yourself.

In Ramadan, counting calories and exercising are essential

2009-08-23T12:13:00.008-04:00

I mentioned before that I think some of us have to count calories every day of our lives because our bodies don't know how to count calories on their own. We have a tendency to overeat while not even knowing that we are overeating.

This is especially true in Ramadan, when many of us feel like we haven't eaten for so long that anything we eat won't be fattening. It is also significant because many of us cut back on our physical activity during the day because we don't want to get too tired while we are fasting.

On the first day of Ramadan, I realized that I consumed more than my daily allowance of calories between iftar and suhoor.

I tried to practice mindful eating during iftar by breathing, eating slowly and drinking a lot of water. Although I did not eat much during iftar, I ate later on during the night. I did not exercise at all during that day.

Exercising while fasting gives you more energy than it takes

While it may seem that exercising while fasting makes fasting more difficult, we tend to forget the endorphin releasing benefits of exercise that actually help a person persevere hunger and thirst.

It is true that you burn energy and lose water while exercising, but it is also true that moderate exercise releases endorphins that act as natural painkillers which give you the feeling that you have more energy than before.

History is Written by the Victors, and by the Losers who Play the Blame Game

2009-08-21T17:05:00.002-04:00

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, in his new book, accuses the Bush administration of pressuring him to raise the terror level for political purposes.

He is one of a long list of former Bush administration officials who have sought to cover their butts by blaming others for what went wrong during the "war on terror": Colin Powell, Scott McClellan, George Tenet, William Fallon, Paul Bremer, and others.

When things go wrong, people start a blame game, which emphasizes mistakes that were made, big and small, playing to the advantage of the enemy. History records this as failure.

When things go right, people don't feel the need to blame each other. All's well that ends well. They enjoy the victory together. Those defeated will play the blame game amongst each other.

So Winston Churchill's quote "History is written by the victors" might need to be completed with "and by the losers who play the blame game."

Condoleezza Rice once admitted that the US has made tactical errors in Iraq, "thousands of them."

Did the US make mistakes during the first Gulf War of 1991? It probably did, but that doesn't matter. It succeeded.

Muslims are Missing Out on the Benefits of Dogs

2009-08-15T12:53:00.002-04:00

This is an example of how dogmatic religious thinking can impede progress and make life less convenient.

Instead of a guide dog, Mona Ramouni of Dearborn Michigan uses a horse as a guide. Her parents would not accept a dog into their home for religious reasons.

Muslims have had a long history of irrational hatred towards dogs and they have based it on hadiths that are either weak or have an historical context related to diseases such as rabies.

Dogs are wonderful pets, guards, and are used heavily in helping the blind, those with epilepsy and psychiatric disorders, search and rescue, etc. A dog is man's best friend and it is the only creature in the world that will love you more than you love yourself. It will risk your life for you.
Yet, the Muslim world has lost out on many of these benefits, because they choose to put more emphasis on weak hadiths than super-strong ultimate ayahs.

The Quran actually praises dogs for their benefits to man, and encourages humans to train them in order to take advantage of their abilities. Dog training is described as human knowledge inspired by God which utilizes the knowledge and skills of dogs.

"يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُمْ مِنَ الْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ اللَّهُ فَكُلُوا مِمَّا أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ" (المائدة: 4)

"They ask you what is lawful to them. Say: Lawful to you are all things good and wholesome: and what you have taught your trained hunting animals to catch (as dog trainers). You teach them what God has taught you: so eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of God over it: and fear God; for God is swift in taking account." (5:4)

The Quran also talks about the dog as a companion of the People of the Cave. The dog was so important that a special grave was dedicated to it, and was mentioned repeatedly in the story as a sign of its significance.

"وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَكَلْبُهُمْ بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا" (الكهف: 18)

"You would have deemed them awake, while they were asleep, and We turned them on their right and on their left sides: their dog stretching forth his two fore-legs on the threshold: if you had come up on to them, you would have certainly turned back from them in flight, and would certainly have been filled with terror of them." (18:18)

"سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ رَابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ قُلْ رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِمْ مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلا قَلِيلٌ فَلا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا وَلا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا" (الكهف: 22)

"(Some) say they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; (others) say they were five, the dog being the sixth, doubtfully guessing at the unknown; (yet others) say they were seven, the dog being the eighth. Say: "My Lord knows best their number; it is but few that know their (real case)." Enter not, therefore, into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that is clear, nor consult any of them about the affair of the People of the Cave." (18:22)

There is nothing in the Quran against dogs

If dogs were indeed ritually unpure, the Quran would have mentioned it, but instead, the Quran spoke only positively about dogs. Since ritual purity is an issue of creed (aqeedah) we should only be taking it from a strong source which is the Quran, and not give a hadith overriding significance, especially when the issue has practical implications on our livelihood.

A dog is much better than a horse as a guide for the blind. Mona Ramouni might be making her life more difficult and losing out on the benefits of dogs. It is unfortunate that she has built it on irrational dogma rather than reason.

There is also a tendency among Muslims to be prejudicial against those who own dogs. If you don't like dogs because you think they are unclean, that's fine. Don't own a dog, but don't denounce people who own dogs and love dogs.

As for the third instance where a dog was mentioned in the Quran, it did not speak of dogs as harmful to humans. The ayah aims to criticize certain humans that do not use their full human potential (their minds), therefore being similar to animals. There are other ayahs that make references to cattle to make that point. That doesn't mean that cows and sheep are evil.

"وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ إِنْ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَثْ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ" (الأعراف: 176)

"If it had been Our Will, We should have elevated him with Our Signs; but he inclined to the earth, and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him, he lolls out his tongue, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our Signs; so relate the story; perchance they may reflect." (7:176)

I also believe that this ayah requires more examination in terms of the behavior of dogs, since there are several explanations, none of which made sense to me.

I think the first ayah (وَمَا عَلَّمْتُمْ مِنَ الْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ) also requires further examination. The grammatical structure of the ayah is confusing.

Imam Malik considers dogs pure

Dogmatic thinking is so endemic among Muslims that they often fail to consider other points of view by imams they recognize.

Imam Malik bin Anas considers dogs pure and does not subscribe to the claims of impurity. Yet, for some reason, his opinion is not taken into account even when it is a matter of necessity.

The Intelligent Designer Likes to Experiment Over a Long Time

2009-08-14T17:27:00.014-04:00

If "evolution is God's way of giving upgrades" as evangelical geneticist Francis Collins presumes, then it is no wonder that religions are resistant to the theory of evolution, even if they reconcile it by suggesting that it was guided by God.

What evolutionary creationism entails is that the Deity that created the universe and created life liked to experiment.

The Intelligent Designer would build upon His previous accomplishments, making gradual improvements over time. The Intelligent Designer would try different things randomly to see what works well. The Intelligent Designer takes His time and does not come up with ideas with the blink of the eye or "happen and it happens" (كن فيكون).

It took the Intelligent Designer billions of years of trial and error to come up with a masterpiece like the human species.

The Intelligent Designer often suffers setbacks and has to start all over again, such as cataclysmic events that lead to mass distinctions including the K–T extinction event that caused the extinction of the majority of species including the dinosaurs.

Is this congruent with the concept of an omniscient and omnipotent God?

On the other hand, the Intelligent Designer in the monolithic religions spent six days building the heavens and earth, with each day being equivalent to thousands of our days. A thousand in old Arabic means "a very large number" and does mean exactly a thousand.

So maybe there could be reconciliation from that angle.

What about man being created in "the best of molds"?

So how do we reconcile an Intelligent Designer Whose designs are not always perfect but improve over time with the ayah that says God created man in the best structure?

"لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ" (التين: 4)

"We have indeed created man in the best of molds" (94:4)

I understanding it to be the best possible result that evolution can come up with. Humans are after all the most advanced among all creatures. They are indeed the best of molds among all other molds. Evolution can attest to that.

I also believe the phrasing of this ayah can actually support evolution in the choosing of the word "molding".

Molding indicates a process by which the Molder gradually reaches the final outcome. A sculpture or clay artist progresses little by little in a creative process that often involves inspirations during that process, unlike a magician who waves a wand and something pops up out of thin air (fictitiously). We perceive the natural world to have a process of change and development. This process is the work of God.

The following ayah also indicates a process:

"الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ" (الانفطار: 7)

Who created you, fashioned you in due proportion, and gave you a just bias; (82:7)

What about "Happen and it happens"?

The ayah that says that God says to something "Happen and it happens" should not be understood to mean that there is no process to the happening. I understand it to mean that God creates the mechanisms by which things happen. But there is no reason to infer that it happens suddenly in the blink of an eye and without a means or process, unless in the context of the ayah that says that a thousand years (probably meant to mean a great many years) to us is like one year to God (time is relative).

"وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ" (الحج: 47)

"Verily a Day in the sight of your Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning." (22:47)

What about between the "kaf" and "noon"?

While we were growing up we used to hear that when God says to something "Happen and it happens", it happens before God finishes saying "happen" "بين الكاف والنون". This is meant to indicate that things happen suddenly, but even literal scholars, such as Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen, one of the most prominent Saudi scholars, says that this is not true. Things don't happen before God finishes saying "happen" but after He says it.

قال الشيخ العثيمين رحمه الله تعالى في "شرح الأربعين النووية" (ص 65):
"أود أن أنبه على كلمة دارجة بين العوام: (يا من أمره بين الكاف والنون)، وهذا غلط عظيم، الصواب: (يا من أمره - مأموره - بعد الكاف والنون) ، لأن ما بين الكاف والنون ليس أمراً، الأمر لا يتم إلا إذا جاءت الكاف والنون، لأن الكاف المضمومة ليس أمراً، والنون كذلك، لكن باجتماعهما تكون أمراً.
فالصواب أن تقول: ( يا من أمره - مأموره - بعد الكاف والنون)" انتهى.

Then again, the problem with this debate is that it assumes that God is a man sitting on a throne up in the sky (perhaps with a white beard) and makes orders with his tongue like a man would do. When one contemplates God through the Universe, one finds that this image is belittling and dishonorable of God.

The Intelligent Designer lets human conduct play out on its own

It seems the Intelligent Designer, as intelligent as He is, allows things to play out on their own.

This also applies to human conduct, technology, religion, governance, etc. They evolve in efficiency over time.

They all go through evolutionary processes, by which they try things out and continually improve and build on them. If things don't work out in the long run because they fail to sustain life efficiently, they die off, and people try new things.

God in the Quran, says that He could make things perfect if He wanted to, but He lets things play out on their own. When things take their course naturally, the best emerges eventually. He advises believers to leave wrongdoers alone and have faith that bad conduct will die off on its own. If something is not good for people in the long run, it can only live temporarily, but it cannot be sustained.

"وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنْتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ" (يونس: 99)

If it had been your Lord's Will, they would all have believed, all who are on earth! Do you compel people, against their will, to believe! (of course not) (10:99)

"وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ" (هود، 118)

"If your Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one People: but they will not cease to dispute" (11:118)

"وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الإِنْسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ" (الأنعام: 112)

"Likewise We made for every Messenger an enemy, evil ones among men and Jinns, inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of deception. If your Lord had so planned, they would not have done it: so leave them and their inventions alone." (6:112)

In Defense of Fad Diets

2009-08-11T05:49:00.001-04:00

Temporary imperfect solutions are better than no solutions – and are far better than failure.

I disagree with people who flat-out tell others not to go on fad diets because they don't work in the long run or because they might be harmful to your health.

Yes, fad diets are not a permanent answer, but they are better than being fat. Sometimes focusing on a comprehensive lifestyle that includes exercise and a balanced diet is not possible due to the stress of life. Fad diets relieve you from the complexities of counting calories and balancing your diet by focusing on one simple thing. This can be a short-term relief when you are going through a tough period in your life (due to work, family, study, money, emotional issues, etc.)

As for the negative impact of fad diets on our health, they are unlikely because very few people who go on a fad diet stay on it for an extended period of time, enough for the negative aspects to take effect. As long as the diet lasts a few weeks to a few months then it shouldn't be harmful to your health.

It's true that fad diets don't work in the long run, but healthy balanced diets combined with exercise also don't work long-term because very few people who are attempting to lose weight stick to them. Overeating is an addiction, you have to counter it with different strategies and not limit your options. The healthy way when possible, the not-so-healthy way when necessary. I think of it as a minor side effect. We take medicines and put up with their side effects sometimes because the benefits outweigh the negative consequences.

Because permanent weight control is very difficult for most people to manage, an all-or-nothing mentality only sets people up for failure. Diet consultants who give the advice "you either do it the right way or you don't do it at all" might have caused many people to remain overweight because they were led to believe they deserved to be.

All diets work - most people just have a difficult time sticking to them. That is why it is not important what diet you are on. What is important is what diet you are likely to see through. The same is true for exercising. It's what you will actually do.

It’s true that there out people out there who have suffered severe adverse affects as a result of fad diets, but I think they are few and do not justify the kind of warnings that we hear against fad diets.

Obesity has been linked to major causes of death (including heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes). Some consider obesity as harmful as or worse than smoking.

Obesity also affects our well-being. General unhappiness, stress, low self-esteem and a sense of insecurity has been linked to it.

The low risks of fad diets do not outweigh the high risks of being fat.

Dieting is Sometimes Easier than Maintaining…So Be It

For some people who have a tendency to gain weight, dieting is easier than maintaining weight. When you are dieting, you don't struggle as much, because you’ve committed yourself to a diet. While attempting to maintain your weight, you are continuously tempted, which is harder for those who have a tendency to overeat.

This is Not an Advertisement

This is not an endorsement of fad diets, and I hope fad diet advertisers don't take advantage of it.

I am an advocate of making weight control a permanent way of life, and I think fad diets should only be used in unusually difficult times when a balanced diet and exercise program cannot be followed.

If You Have "Fat Genes", Can You Change Them?

2009-08-05T15:18:00.001-04:00

It's not easy, but I think it's possible.

People who have been overweight since they have been children might consider that they have no hope of losing weight and keeping it off permanently. They think, "if I've been overweight all my life than I must have fat genes and genes can't be changed".

But consider the many cases of women who have been very thin since they have been children, and then start gaining weight when they are in their twenties and thirties and are never able to go back to being thin. It seems that their thin genes turned into fat genes.

So if you can turn thin genes into fat genes, it stands to reason that you can also turn fat genes into thin genes.

It's not easy because modern living favors a sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of food encourages overeating. But it is possible if you remain mindful of the fact that overeating is an addiction. If you are able to overcome that addiction by staying away from it long enough, than your body will change at the cellular level.

Also, if people can start exercising regularly and stick to it long enough, not only will they burn calories, but their DNA will change (as demonstrated below) and they will create conditions that make it much easier for them to lose weight. Plus they will feel better and happier because of the regular dose of endorphins they get from exercising.

Your genes change during your lifetime

There have been numerous studies that show that lifestyle changes trigger genetic changes. This means that what you do in your life becomes part of your genes and will affect the lives of your decedents. A 2007 study showed that six months of resistance training can cause dramatic changes at the genetic level. "The genetic fingerprint [of the elderly participants] was reversed to that of younger people—not entirely, but enough to say that their genetic profile was more like that of young people than old people," according to biologist Simon Melov, director of genomics at the Buck Institute in Novato, Calif., and coauthor of the study.

In another study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2008) a group of men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation. After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes -- including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off.

Suppose that you cannot change your genes, how fat do you want to be?

Suppose you do have strong genes that propel you to overeat and it is unrealistic to believe that you can become thin and remain thin. If you can't be thin, how fat do you want to be? At the lower or higher end of the spectrum your genes set for you? Are thin and fat the only choices that you have? Why does it have to be all or nothing?

Genes are NOT the only factor at play when it comes to your weight. Your weight is an aggregate of complex factors among them are your activity level and emotional dependence on food. So you still have a lot to work with besides your genes to affect your weight.

Utilizing Energy Burnt While Exercising for Practical Use?

2009-08-05T14:30:00.001-04:00

We spend a lot of energy when we exercise, yet that energy is not utilized in a productive way.

When I was growing up, when I would exercise, my mother used to tell me, "There is a lot of work to be done around the house. Why waste all that energy for nothing when you can be putting it to practical use?"

I have always wondered about that. In a time of energy crises, we are looking for ways to use energy efficiently, yet we are letting the energy within us just burn into the air.

I love to exercise, and I can go to the gym and run around for hours, but when it comes to cleaning the house, I feel like I have no energy to do it. Why is that?

The answer is simple. Exercising is fun, housework is not.

But then again, that is only a thought. Can't that thought be changed?

Perhaps exercising for half an hour before doing housework will energize you to do housework wholeheartedly. Perhaps it will ignite some starting emotional energy that will motivate you to do practical work. Perhaps listening to something motivating can motivate you. Maybe mixing housework with dancing, by taking dance breaks every half hour can help you motivated.

Much creativity is needed to make housework fun. I have to work on this and find a way to change my attitude. I would appreciate any ideas.

Housework isn't the best exercise for weight loss, because it depends mostly on your arms (the small engines) and not your legs (the big engines). Nonetheless, it does strengthen your arms, which is important. It also makes you feel good when you actually complete chores.

Mass Public Protests: Iran Vs. the Arab World

2009-08-05T11:31:00.003-04:00

Why don't we witness mass demonstrations and mobilized public outcry in Arabic countries like we do in Iran when there are incidents (real or perceived) of voter irregularities and other injustices?

I asked a colleague of mine this question and his take is that there is no strong external support for the opposition movements in the Arabic World like there is in Iran. I asked him what about the Iranian revolution of 1979? He said that there were other external forces that supported that revolution such as France and the Soviet Union.

While I do recognize the important role of external support especially in today's interconnected world, I think a more important factor maybe the morale of the Arab street.

The collective psychology of people in the Arab World seems to be that of helplessness and defeatism, perhaps because the state of continuous setbacks went on for too long.

The Iranian revolution of 1979 boosted the morale of the Iranian people; especially that it was a people's revolution. It was not lead by a particular political party, such as the Baathists or the Muslim Brotherhood, nor was it the result of a military coup. It was initially supported by secularists in addition to conservatives.

This empowered the Iranian people into believing that they could make a difference. It also boosted their sense of pride.

By contrast, people in the Arab World have endured a long time span of defeatism, to the point where they have developed what psychologists call a Premature Cognitive Commitment. Essentially their will has been broken.

A long history of dictatorship also contributed to that learned helplessness.

This phenomenon can be illustrated in the experiment of flies in a jar.

Take a group of flies and put them in a jar and put a lid on that jar. After a while remove the lid from the jar. You will find that only a few pioneer flies will escape. The rest of the flies have given up and committed to the fact that they are trapped.

That is perhaps why conspiracy theories are so popular in the Arab World.

Arabs have to dig deep into history to find examples of greatness that boost their self-esteem and morale. This often doesn't help much because it was too far back.

When people feel helpless, they often become depressed. When they have some control, or when they can do something about their environment, they feel happier and more powerful.

There have been many studies that used animals such as dogs to study helplessness, in addition to human subject. People have been given in research studies impossible tasks to solve. Human subjects have been put into conditions of loud noise that they couldn't escape. What the researchers have found is that over trials, perfectly happy, normal self-controlled people, will learn how to feel helpless. They will give up; they will say there is nothing I can do about it.

But what is important to remember is that the learned helplessness is not based on reality. They could control their environment, but if they have learned to feel helpless, they give up and they never try again.

Perhaps we can become more compassionate if we compare the state of the Arab street with an individual who has suffered severe and recurring traumas since an early age. This person is likely to be very paranoid and suffer from PTSD or depression.

The question is how do you overcome this sense of helplessness, hopelessness and defeatism?

Can the recommendations given by psychologists on a personal level apply to a group level?

I am not sure what the remedy is, but I do believe that non-judgmental mindfulness is a good place to start, and in this case it involves awareness of habitual cognitions such as beliefs, assumptions, and prejudices.

Self-criticism only serves to maintain or increase negative convictions.

Self-compassion is an open-hearted way of relating to the negative aspects that we want to change.

Do as I say, not as I do

2009-08-04T15:26:00.002-04:00

It is true that being a good role model is very important if you want to have influence on others, but I believe that it is unfair to discredit someone who does not practice what he preaches.

In fact, I think people who have trouble practicing what they preach can be highly credible sources of knowledge and wisdom—the kind of knowledge and wisdom we cannot get from people who have no trouble sticking to their principles.

The reason is that they experience obstacles that prevent them from sticking to what they preach. They know how it feels to fall down and have to get back up over and over again. They know the difficulties that stand in a person's way towards change, so they can address them more realistically and effectively.

I think we should be cautious before labeling these people as hypocrites. We should seek to understand where they come from and what causes them to be weak.

A person who has an addiction to a substance, to food, to certain behaviors or thinking patterns will likely continue to face problems all his life.

While self-improvement can make him less susceptible, it cannot make him impervious.

Why is it that so many people do not practice what they preach?

Here's my theory: It is often because those who are passionate about a certain issue are so because they themselves struggle with it. They know more about it because they have so much experience in dealing with it, yet they still have a problem in coping with it, so they are vulnerable to failure.

Sometimes people are just genetically weak or they have a genetic tendency for addiction or psychological instability. Yet, because they have a certain problem, they read more about it and think about it then others.

Here are some examples:

A person who is overweight is a more authoritative source for information and guidance on weight loss than someone who has always been thin. She knows how it feels to be hungry all the time. She knows how it feels to try and fail, and try and succeed. She is motivated to read a lot about the topic of weight loss, so she has a lot of knowledge of different weight loss methods. She knows that pains of being overweight so she can empathize with others who have that problem.

A recovering addict (smoker, alcoholic, or drug abuser) knows more about how to kick a bad habit that someone who has never had that problem. It's easy for someone who has never smoked to say "just don't smoke", but a smoker will give more practical advice.

A sex addict or someone who is not monogamous by nature knows the kinds of temptations that get people in trouble, so he can be more realistic in addressing them.

Someone who is unstable emotionally or psychologically might give advice on these matters when he himself is "messed up". But then again, he probably reads much more on the topic than someone who is not motivated to read about them because his problems are not chronic.

People who are in poor health often have a lot of information about health, because they are motivated to search for ways to improve their health condition.

You might hear a person who practices yoga talk about its benefits and how much it improved
her health. Then you realize that she is tired all the time. That might lead you to say, "Well, so much for yoga." But, in fact, her health might have been poorer if she does not practice yoga, and she might not have been motivated to search for alternative health practices if it weren't for her desperate search for solutions. People who are in good health are less likely to be motivated to learn yoga.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Religious scholars, like doctors, often don't practice what they preach

People often like to point to the scandals of some religious figures or emphasize the contradictions in their lives. But this is usually by people who already hate them and are looking for ways to discredit them.

But I think of religious scholars like doctors who sometimes smoke, drink, eat unhealthy foods or don't exercise, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be consulted. In fact, they might have more practical advice on these issues. Instead of simply telling people to quit smoking, lose weight, or eat healthy (which are things easier said than done), they might address the issues that prevent people from doing them.

Walking works because there are few excuses not to walk

2009-08-04T01:00:00.006-04:00

Walking was the only exercise that I used to lose weight, and it work great for me. By walking an hour a day, 4-5 days a week, I was able to lose over 50 pounds (over several intervals) often without needing to restrict my caloric intake. After trying many other types of exercises (and gaining endurance), I still consider walking to be the best for me for weight loss.

Why walking works

- Walking works great for weight loss for many reasons, but the most important for me is that there are few excuses that you can make for yourself to skip walking on a particular day, so you are more likely to do it than any other exercise.

Walking is something you can do anytime, anywhere, no matter what you are wearing (I used to sometimes walk in high heels), and you can do it no matter how tired you are. Therefore, you can't give yourself excuses not to walk, and you are more likely to do it. There might be other more effective forms of exercise, but it is not the most effective exercise that matters, it is whatever exercise you will actually do.

Exercises such as running, weight training, or kickboxing might be very effective, but many people are unlikely to stick to them and do them regularly because they have too many deterrents. They often lead to discomfort and it is hard to motivate yourself to do them if you are tired.

- By walking, you are not likely to get exhausted or cramped the next day. That means that you will look forward to it knowing that it will be pleasant with no downside. Cramps deter you from exercising again until they subside. They also make you hungry. This sets you up for failure.

45 minutes of walking gives you all the benefits of exercise (endorphins, heart pumping, strengthening of essential muscles, etc.) without the potential side effects (cramps, fatigue, injuries, etc.)

- You are not likely to injure yourself when you walk. If you do exercises that cause injury every once and a while, that will mean that you will quit exercising until you recover from the injury.

- You can walk when you are stressed out, in pain or any other form of discomfort. You can do it when you have menstrual cramps, when you have a headache, when you are emotionally down, when you have a cold, when you have muscle cramps, etc.

Not only is it easy to do when you are in stressed out or in pain or discomfort, walking will also alleviate that stress, pain or discomfort, because of the endorphins (natural pain killers) that it releases. Because it is not likely to cause fatigue or cramps, it will not add to the already existing pain like other exercises might.

- You can walk after you have eaten a big meal, whereas doing other types of exercise can be difficult after eating. You can't give yourself an excuse not to walk, so the chances that you will do it are higher.

- You can pace it easily, increasing and decreasing the speed and intensity according to your energy level.

Exercise priorities

I still practice yoga, dancing, strength training, and jogging. Each one of them is important, but many of us cannot do them all. That is why it is necessary to set priorities.

All the other forms of exercise are beneficial in their own way. If you can do them all, that would be great. But if you can't, and your purpose is weight loss, I suggest walking.

Exercises ordered by importance

1- Walking: great for everything, but most importantly weight loss.

2- Dancing: great for your emotional health and happiness.

3- Yoga: great for your spiritual wellbeing and for cultivating awareness.

4- Jogging and ellipticals: They save time. Instead of walking an hour, you can jog for half and hour. But not everyone has that endurance and it takes time to gain it. Also, they are more likely to cause cramps.

5- Abdominal workouts: good for posture.

6- Strength training. It often strengthens non-essential muscles that you don't really need in your everyday life.

Exercise priorities for general health

These priorities apply not only to weight loss but general health as well. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body. Heart attack is the number one killer. That is why I consider cardio workouts more important than strength training. Having strong triceps is good, but having weak triceps won't kill you.

Serendipity

I lost weight at first by walking at least an hour every day, 4 to 5 days a week. I did this out of necessity; it was the only exercise that I could do in Jordan at the time. There were no gyms for girls in Irbid and I couldn't run in the streets. All I could do is walk. But I'm glad I did. Walking turned out to be best form of exercise.

I must admit that I suffered a lot of harassments by walking in the streets of Jordan. This was the only annoyance that I had to endure. However, my walkman kept me occupied and I developed an ability to block myself off from negative surroundings.

During those long hours of walking, I listened to lectures that improved my Arabic and English language skills. I also listened to Quran recitations which I almost memorized.

Egyptian Arabic text and alef maqsura with dots underneath

2009-08-02T10:38:00.014-04:00

Why does an Egyptian Arabic document appear on a non-Egyptian system with too many alef maqsuras with dots underneath them?

We know that Egyptian Arabic does not display the dots under the ya's, whether it is ya' (ي) or alef maqsura (ى), but why do the texts we receive from them display dots on both?

For a non-Egyptian this looks really odd. I received the following text by email, and I knew the original author had to be an Egyptian.

نظرت إلي الخلق فرأيت كل مخلوق منهم متوكلا علي مخلوق مثله، هذا علي ماله وهذا علي ضيعته وهذا علي صحته وهذا علي مركزه. ونظرت إلي قول الله تعالي 'ومن يتوكل علي الله فهو حسبه'، فتركت التوكل علي الخلق واجتهدت في التوكل علي الله.

The reason why this happens is that Egyptians don't see these dots on their screens. Their operating systems are set to display Egyptian Arabic which doesn't display the dots on either the ya' or the alef maqsura.

So why doesn't it display that way on other systems? The reason is that on the Arabic keyboard, there are two key stokes, one for ya' and the other for alef maqsura. When a user strikes either of these keys on a system set to display Egyptian Arabic, both will appear on the screen as an alef maqsura. If words such as علي and إلي are typed, they will appear as على and إلى.

However, when this text is sent to a user who has a system set to display non-Egyptian Arabic, the letters display according to which key the original user typed. If an Egyptian typed إلي on his computer it will appear as إلى on his screen so he thinks it looks alright, but when he sends it to a non-Egyptian it will appear as إلي which looks odd.

Solution

I suggest replacing all ya's with alef maqsuras when the ya's are at the end of words. This can be done by using MS Word's "search and replace" feature. The search must be for a ya' followed by a non-letter (space, punctuation mark, paragraph mark, etc.) I am sure a script can be written for that easily. I am not sure if anyone has ever written it.

I think it would be beneficial if Microsoft did this automatically on systems that are set to use Egyptian Arabic.

For a non-Egyptian, it is not only odd, it is also wrong for منتدى to be spelled منتدي and for أخرى to be spelled أخري.

Whereas it doesn't look very odd for المالكي to be spelled المالكى for non-Egyptians, because that is the way it is spelled in old Arabic scripts including the Quran.

The Egyptian Arabic School is a valid school

Many non-Egyptians tend to view these dots as a sign of weak language standards among Egyptians, but this is not fair. It is only a compatibility issue between different local language settings.

The Egyptian Arabic School of omitting the dots from underneath the ya is actually the traditional school. Old Arabic scripts do not apply the dots nor does the Quran.

The problem is that Egyptians do not see the dots on their screens because their local settings hide them, but non-Egyptians see them because their local settings don't.

Imam Ali: Your source of sickness and health is from within

2009-07-27T11:06:00.011-04:00

I thought I'd share some poetry attributed to Imam Ali about the source of sickness and health. He says,

Your cure is within you, if only you can see
And your sickness is from you, if only you can feel
You might think that you are a small body, but in fact
the great world is hidden inside of you

دواؤك فيـكَ وما تـُبصـِـرُ .. وداؤك منـــكَ وما تشــعرُ
وتـَحسب أنك جِرم صغير .. وفيكَ انطوى العالمُ الأكبرُ

These verses sum up the positive impact of positive thinking on our health, and the negative impact of negative thinking on your health, in addition to what you can do with your body alone to improve your health through mind-body techniques.

These techniques however, are yet to be discovered by you. It is essential to look within, rather than without, to understand your mind and body and the dynamics between them.

These techniques need practice, and it order to practice them you need a "practice."

This is where I believe yoga comes in. It increases awareness about your body and refreshes your mind and emotions. It helps you breathe better. Breath is the connection between your mind and body.

It gives you insight into various stress reduction techniques. It teaches you how to quiet your mind, which helps to notice and observe your body in order to understand it.

It helps to focus your energy where you want it to go.

I hope that those Muslims who prohibit yoga would develop their own practice which would be as effective as yoga in promoting self-discovery.

It's not a crime to throw away food!

2009-07-24T10:28:00.011-04:00

Repeating "it's not a crime to throw away food!" to myself has recently helped me overcome one of the factors that have contributed to my overeating since I was very young, which is that it's inappropriate to throw away food.

The main reasons many of us feel that it is better to eat extra food than to throw it away are:

It would be wasteful, especially if the food happens to be expensive, hard to get or hard to prepare.
It is immoral because there are people starving in the world.

I refuted the first point by remembering that people are willing to spend hundreds and often thousands of dollars every year in order to lose weight. Why not spend money in order to avoid gaining weight. It would often be cheaper and less painful. The last bite that we feel inclined to swallow often only costs a quarter. It expands our stomachs and fat cells making us more prone to overeating. It often makes us feel uncomfortable which defies the purpose of eating, which is nourishment and enjoyment. We should never eat if we are not enjoying our food.

If you ask people, 'would you pay $200 to lose 10 pounds instantly without effort?' most would give you a definite yes. Why not allocate an annual budget (say $200) for not gaining weight?

Every time you are inclined to swallow a bite you don't enjoy, estimate how much it costs, throw it away and deduct it from your annual budget.

Throwing away food can be cheaper

Throwing away food may even be cheaper than eating it because you avoid the dieting expenses later and you also avoid the health expenses that are linked to being overweight. According to a study published in the journal Health Affairs, obesity is not just dangerous, it's expensive. Obesity-related diseases eat up nearly 10 percent of U.S. health care spending. Medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for an obese person than for someone who is normal weight.

You can't help a starving person by overeating

As for the morality issue, "people are starving, so you can't throw away food." If you stop and think for a moment you will realize that the extra bite that you feel reluctant to throw away is not going into the stomach of a starving person, it is going into your overstuffed stomach. So you are not helping that starving person by overeating.

We can get over the guilt by donating money to that starving person. Helping the needy makes us feel good. It feels better than eating something we don't enjoy.

Support for evolution in the Quran

2009-07-20T00:20:00.030-04:00

It is my belief that evolutionary theory and Islam can be reconciled by considering the story of Adam and Eve as symbolic. The idea that evolutionary theory degrades humans can be refuted by underscoring the many Quranic ayahs that remind man of his humble origins and warn him of thinking too highly of himself.

Moreover, clarifying the misconceptions that surround evolutionary theory will help bridge the gap between the theory and Islamic thought, among these misconceptions are:

- Evolution theory does not belittle man; on the contrary it elevates him far above any other animal including his closest relatives.
- Evolution theory does not explain how life began but rather how living species diversified.
- Evolutionary theory does not demystify life; life, although now better understood, is still full of mysteries.

I also believe that there are Quranic ayahs from which we can infer strong support for evolutionary theory. The following are some of these ayahs:

"مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا، وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا" (نوح: 13-14)

"What is the matter with you that you fear not the greatness of God, when you see that it is He that has created you in diverse stages?" (71:13-14)

Stages was interpreted to be the stages of a fetus in the womb, but I think there is no reason why it can't also be interpreted to mean stages of evolution.

"قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الآخِرَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ" (العنكبوت: 20)

"Say (Oh Muhammad): Travel in the earth and see how He originated the first creation, then God creates the latter creation; surely God has power over all things." (29:20)

This is a direct order to investigate the origin of life. There should be no taboos and no restrictions. Else why would God make this order? God gave us minds and ordered us to use them to the full extent; He would never punish us for using them.

"وَاللَّهُ أَنبَتَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ نَبَاتاً، ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمْ فِيهَا وَيُخْرِجُكُمْ إِخْرَاجاً" (نوح: 17-18)

"And God has produced you from the earth growing (gradually). He later returns you into the earth, and then raises you forth once again." (71: 17-18)

The ayahs above indicate that mankind grew out of the earth gradually rather than suddenly; thus in stages.

The following ayahs assert that man grew out of the earth, as did other living things.

"هُوَ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُجِيبٌ" (هود: 61)

"It is He Who has produced you from the earth and settled you therein: Ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is (always) near, ready to answer." (11:61)

"سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ" (يس: 36)

"Glory to Him, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as from their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge." (36:36)

"هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنْتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ فَلا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَى" (النجم: 32)

"He is Best Aware of you (from the time) when He created you from the earth, and when you were hidden in the bellies of your mothers. Therefore, do not attribute purity to your souls; He knows him best who guards (against evil)." (53:32)

"From so simple a beginning"

The following ayahs remind man of his humble origins and describe how far he has come from almost nothing to a distinguished disputer (able to reason and argue unlike any other creature).

"وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا" (مريم: 9)
"I have indeed created you before, when you were nothing." (19:9)

"خَلَقَ الإِنْسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ" (النحل: 4)
"He has created man from a sperm-drop; and behold this same (man) becomes an open disputer!" (16:4)

"أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الإِنْسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ" (يس: 77)

"Does not man see that We have created him from the small seed? Then behold he is an open disputer." (36:77)

"هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الإِنْسَانِ حِينٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْئًا مَذْكُورًا" (الإنسان: 1)

Has there not been a long period of Time, when Man was nothing, (not even) mentioned? (76:1)

"الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِينٍ، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ" (السجدة: 7-8)

Who made good everything that He has created, and He began the creation of man from clay. Then He made his offspring from a draught of despised fluid" (32:7-8)

The Quran supports learning from animals

As for the concern that evolution leads to immoral behavior and that if we believe that we are animals, we will behave like animals, this can be addressed by emphasizing the many ayahs that describe humans as members of the animal kingdom, and invite humans to learn from them.

"وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ" (الأنعام: 38)

"There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies with its wings, that does not form part of communities like you. We have omitted nothing from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end." (6:38)

"فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِي الأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُ كَيْفَ يُوَارِي سَوْءَةَ أَخِيهِ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَتَا أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَذَا الْغُرَابِ فَأُوَارِيَ سَوْءَةَ أَخِي فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ النَّادِمِينَ" (المائدة: 31)

"Then God sent a raven, who scratched the ground, to show him how to hide the shame of his brother. "Woe is me!" said he; "Was I not even able to be as this raven, and to hide the shame of my brother?" Then he became full of regrets." (5:31)

Quran asserts similarities between humans and animals

"وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَلِكَ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ" (فاطر: 28)
"And so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, there are those of various colors. Those truly fear God, among His Servants, who have knowledge (scientists): for God is Exalted in Might, Very Forgiving." (35:28)

"فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ" (الشورى: 11)

"He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means He multiplies you: there is nothing whatever like Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things)." (42:11)

Take a look at this ayah, it mentions livestock right in the middle of speaking about creating humans from a single soul.

"خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَأَنْـزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِنْ بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلاثٍ ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ" (الزمر: 6)

"He created you (all) from a single Person: then created, of like nature, his mate; and He sent down for you eight head of cattle in pairs: He makes you, in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness. Such is God, your Lord and Cherisher: to Him belongs (all) dominion. There is no god but He: then how are you turned away (from your true Centre)?" (39:6)

What is the purpose of starting out an ayah by talking about the creation of man, then about livestock, then back to man again? I'm not sure, but this seems worthy of reflecting upon. What does the creation of man have to do with livestock?

Humans without minds are animals or worse

As for the ayahs that condemn humans who act like animals, they were a reminder that humans have advanced intellectual capabilities and that, if they neglect to use, they will be no better than animals.

"وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا أُولَئِكَ كَالأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ" (الأعراف: 179)

"Many of the Jinns and people We have prepared for Hell: they have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle, nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)." (7:179)

"أَمْ تَحْسَبُ أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ أَوْ يَعْقِلُونَ إِنْ هُمْ إِلا كَالأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلا" (الفرقان: 44)

"Do you think that most of them listen or understand? They are only like cattle; nay, they are worse astray in Path." (25:44)

"إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ الأَنْعَامُ وَالنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَهُمْ" (محمد: 12)

"Verily God will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds, to Gardens beneath which rivers flow; while those who reject will enjoy (this world) and eat as cattle eat; and the Fire will be their abode." (47:12)

The Quran and evolution both exalt man

As for the ayah that speaks of the special place that humans have in Creation, there is nothing in it that contradicts evolution, because evolution itself speaks of the evolutionary superiority of mankind, which is really self-evident. You don't need either to prove that humans are smarter than chimpanzees.

"وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا" (الإسراء: 70)

"We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of Our Creation." (17:70)

Other areas where evolution and Islam converge

Evolution reaffirms the idea in Islam that all mankind descended from a common ancestor.
Evolution reaffirms man's one-ness with the rest of Creation.
Evolution reaffirms that man evolved from the earth.

Life after death in the Quran: individual vs. communal

2009-07-19T17:15:00.008-04:00

The following Quranic ayahs may provide an alternative way of looking at the afterlife, considering it the life and welfare of the group that you belong to after you die. All these ayahs are related to the children of Israel, which could help explain why many Jews do not believe in the aftermath the way Muslims and Christians do, but think of it as a continuation of life by others.

"وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ اقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ أَوِ اخْرُجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ مَا فَعَلُوهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ مِنْهُمْ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُوا مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتًا" (النساء: 66)

"If We had ordered them, 'kill yourselves' or 'leave your homes', very few of them would have done it: but if they had done what they were (actually) told, it would have been best for them, and would have gone farthest to strengthen their (faith)." (4:66)

Here God addressing the Children of Israel uses the term "kill yourselves" to mean kill the wrong-doers among you, but why would He use this expression?

"وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوا إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ عِنْدَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ" (البقرة: 54)

"And remember Moses said to his people: "O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and kill yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." Then He turned towards you (in forgiveness): For He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful." (2:54)

According to most exegeses "Kill yourselves" means "kill the wrong-doers among you." But why would Moses put it that way? What is the purpose of saying "Kill yourselves" rather than "kill the wrong-doers among you"? Perhaps he was dealing with the nation as a whole as one entity, therefore life and death is the life and death of the nation. So killing the wrong-doers improves the life of the nation.

"ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ" (البقرة: 56)

"Then We revived you after your death, that you might be grateful." (2:56)

Again, God is talking about the death and resurrection of the tribe in general. It could be symbolism, but this style was repeated several times in the Quran.

"ثُمَّ أَنْتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَتُخْرِجُونَ فَرِيقًا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ تَظَاهَرُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَإِنْ يَأْتُوكُمْ أُسَارَى تُفَادُوهُمْ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِخْرَاجُهُمْ أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ" (البقرة: 85)

"Yet you it is who kill yourself and turn a party from among you out of their homes, backing each other up against them unlawfully and exceeding the limits; and if they should come to you, as captives you would ransom them-- while their very turning out was unlawful for you. Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the reward of such among you who do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do." (2:85)

Again using the term "kill yourself" to refer to the tribe.

"وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا وَاللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ، فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ" (البقرة: 72، 73)

"And when you killed a man, then you disagreed with respect to that, and Allah was to bring forth that which you were going to hide. So We said: Strike the (dead body) with part of the (Sacrificed cow), thus God brings the dead to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may understand." (2:72-73)

What I don't understand about this ayah is the part that says "thus God brings the dead to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may understand." How does the story of the cow of the children of Israel demonstrate how God resurrects the dead? There seems to be a great deal of symbolism, and the fact that the longest surah in the Quran is named after that cow gives it all the more significance.

According to Jewish tradition itself, King Solomon, the wisest of all, said he couldn't fathom the secret of the Red Heifer.

I think it is worthwhile for anyone trying to search for the meaning of life after death to further research and reflect on this story. Other than reviving a barren land, this is the only other demonstration in the Quran of God reviving the dead.

The Last Day is a cardinal tenet in Islam

However, it does not seem possible in Islam to deny the Day of Judgment based on these ayahs. Belief in the Last Day is a cardinal tenet in Islam, second only to belief in God. Belief in "God and the Last Day" was mentioned dozens of times in the Quran as the way of salvation.

Salvation was referred to as an individual thing in several ayahs, such as:

"وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا" (مريم: 95)

"And every one of them will come to Him singly on the Day of Judgment." (19:95)

"وَنَرِثُهُ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًا" (مريم: 80)

"To Us shall return all that he talks of, and he shall appear before Us bare and alone." (19:80)

"كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ" (المدثر: 38)

"Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds." (74:38)

The term Last Day indicates a final phase, whereas incarnation and communal fate indicts continuity, where life never ends, but just goes higher and higher.

No one can know for sure if they are on the "True Path"

2009-07-18T17:05:00.015-04:00

It is fascinating that the Fatiha, which is the first surah in the Quran and possibly the most important and most read by Muslims, is so broad and open to interpretation by people of different ideologies and philosophies of life.

Reading it in a new light fascinated me so much that I enjoy reading it more now. Al-Fatiha is also called "the mother of the Book" (Umm al-Kitab)

I have recently been thinking about the last two Ayahs..

"اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ، صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ" (الفاتحة: 6-7)

"Guide us to the true path; The path of those on whom You have bestowed your favor, not of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who go astray." (1:6-7)

But what is the right or straight path? It doesn't say. It is something we should strive for, but we will never know for sure what it is, so the effort to achieve it should be continuous.

For some people the "right path" is liberalism because it is what is best for the individual and society, for others it is conservatism, because to them it is the best for the individual and society.
For me, at this point in my life, the straight path is being tolerant and loving to yourself and others.

But I might be wrong as might anyone else. The ayah doesn't tell you what the right path is. It is a supplication to search for the "right path", to think, study and judge what the right path might be. But you will never know for certain that you are on that right path, so it is an ongoing process.

The last ayah, "The way of those on whom You have bestowed your grace, not (the way) of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray," is also a very broad description of that path. It can be right, it can be outrageously wrong, making you a bad person, thereby earning God's anger.

But you can also be on the wrong path while having good intentions, thereby going astray, even though you used your good judgment and did not intend to be malicious.

"قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِالْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًا، الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا" (الكهف: 103- 104)

"Say: Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?" (18: 103-104)

We should never be too sure of ourselves and always strive to search for what is better.

Another ayah elsewhere in the Quran says:

"قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَى سَبِيلا" (الإسراء: 84)

Say: "Everyone acts according to his own disposition: but your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way." (17:84)

The process of seeking truth is an ongoing one.

“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.”
Andre Gide quotes (French writer, humanist and moralist, 1947 Nobel prize for literature, 1869-1951)

I would also caution against understanding the straight path as a "one way" that you just have to stick to. I think the straight path should involve a lot of creativity in seeking goodness and within the context of being good.

Optimism is not good when you are in debt

2009-07-14T11:44:00.002-04:00

Although being positive is generally a good thing, I think there are situations where it can get you in trouble. One of them is when you are in debt.

It is my feeling that people who keep accumulating debt are always under the impression that things are going to get better in the future, so it is safe to overspend.

They always seem to believe that they will strike it rich in the upcoming months, they will win the lottery or get a high paying job.

On the other hand, people who save money tend to be fearful that they will lose their job soon or get into some kind of financial trouble. They always plan for the worst. In extreme cases these people can get themselves sick by worrying too much.

Striking the right balance by hoping for the best but planning for the worst requires assessment and awareness. It requires being positive mentally but not practically.

Chewing gum reduces stress while stuck in traffic

2009-07-14T11:14:00.001-04:00

I have found that chewing gum while I am stuck in traffic helps reduce the stress that results from this situation.

Driving is a major source of stress in my daily life so I have to keep looking for ways of reducing its stressful impact.

I should remember to chew gum when I am in other stressful situations to see how it works.

Chewing gum also helps me stay alert while I am driving while sleepy, as when I drive home after an overnight shift. I have found that it is even more affective than caffeine.

Sometimes there are solutions that are right in front of you but you fail to see them because you are fixated on the problem rather than the solution, or you are thinking of solving the problem rather than ameliorating the negative impacts of that problem.

Chewing gum is also good for your teeth.

It can be annoying to others

You have to be careful though when chewing gum in the presence of others. They can get annoyed. I love chewing gum, but I get annoyed when someone talking to me or sitting with me is chewing it.

Honor killings in Jordan: it's an ego thing

2009-07-13T11:20:00.001-04:00

The reluctance in Jordan to change the laws concerning honor killing seems to stem from an ego problem. They don't want to change it because the West tells them to. Many in the Arab and Muslim worlds see it as a conspiracy to corrupt their societies. Many are fearful that women will go wild if the death threat against them for committing indecent acts is abolished. Many are cautious to speak up against honor killing for fear of being accused of promoting indecencies or being coconspirators with the Westerners. The first thing that comes to mind when a woman speaks critically about honor killings is that she must be a slut that wants to justify her behavior.
Responding to a discussion on our extended family's e-group about honor killings in Jordan, a relative sent the following remark:

"Few cases (10-20) of honor killing in Jordan do not require much attention and cries from outside power EU, USA etc. I still have big reservations on the real intention of advocates who comes under the banner of modernizations, freedom of committing sins, and globalizations etc. They are seeing that the only way to attack the inner circle of our societies is through breaking the bonds of religion and manners. We usually do not see much cries when thousands or more are politically imprisoned or killed in illegitimate wars. My point is to be careful of hidden outside agendas"

Here was my response to him:

I don't know how you can condone murder under any circumstance. Have you forgotten what murder is? It is the most serious crime in all human laws.

Is murdering women and condoning murdering women the only way you know to stop women from "committing sins" and "becoming modernized"?

If you want to stop outsiders from "attacking the inner circle of our societies" why don't you change the law and get it over with?

Since there are only a "few cases (10-20) of honor killings" each year then changing the law wouldn't have a big affect, would it?

Are the "the bonds of religion and manners" so weak in our societies that we have to enforce them by killing women?

OK, so you are worried that changing the law might make girls go wild? You would rather maintain the threat of death to keep them from going wild? Is this the only way of taming them?

If you think killing, condoning killings, and threatening to kill are good ways to establish a moral society who else would you like to kill?

Just because there aren't as many outcries about political imprisonments and killings doesn't mean that there shouldn't be outcries about killing women.

And just because your enemies are point out your problems doesn't mean you don't have problems.

What is the best tone to use against honor killings?

2009-07-13T10:42:00.004-04:00

I recently had a discussion about an article on honor killings in Jordan written by an emotional angry writer.

My sister suggested that this kind of angry tone, especially by a woman, usually falls on deaf ears. When a woman writes with such sentiment and anger, she's bitchy and nagging, if a man wrote that same article, he has fervor and courage to speak out.

But I think the problem very often with cases of social injustice is that when people grow up seeing them they don't think of them as a big deal. Familiarity breeds content. Slavery is a good example.

You have to be bitchy sometimes in order to draw attention.

Nonetheless, different strategies are needed because different people respond to different styles.

Reformists are always resented by society at first, because they disturb the peace. Politicians don't like them because they expose dark sides of society. People would rather just turn a blind eye and be in denial about certain problems. With the media being global in nature these days, people are concerned about their country's image abroad, so they don't like these kinds of issues to grab too much media attention.

I think honor killings fall into the category of domestic violence. There is no solution for domestic violence. There will always be men who abuse women. Here in the US there are shelters to protect these women. Also, courts can issue restraining orders banning the man from getting near the woman. There is even a special visa category for battered and abused women. These laws took a lot of activism on behalf of women to be instituted.

Unfortunately, because legal systems in the Arab and Islamic Worlds are not mature and institutions of civil society are still weak, it will be a long time before women are able to depend on them.

In the mean time, I guess women are just gonna have to be bitchy about it in order to slowly change public opinion and the opinions of lawmakers. They also have to be strong and shout for help when they are in danger.

Laws take a lot of activism to be instituted. Media and political activists also shouldn't be discouraged, because laws follow public opinion which changes but slowly. Even here in the US, a bill is usually rejected several times before it is finally passed into law. Much public debate goes on before attitudes change, norms are shifted, and laws are revised.

It is important first to break the taboo, so that people can discuss things that they felt uncomfortable discussing in the past. Then it is important to keep the debate going, because sometimes debates can die off. Awareness should be spread through different strategies so that the issue is on people's minds frequently.