asiyahahmed-blog

[asiyahahmed-blog]

#Feed500

  Ramadan is back! A week has already flown by and despite everyone wishing the days were shorter; one can’t help but feel happy with the prospects of delicious food and family gatherings. A month of self-reflection and most importantly a month of giving.

 What does that even mean? We have a habit of sometimes getting lost in our lives and though we mean well, we forget the less fortunate, we forget our obligation to help others, and what is so beautiful about Ramadan is that it’s a way in which we are reminded of the gift of charity.

 What are we meant to achieve whilst fasting? I always used to wonder as a child and would regularly ask my mother why we would abstain from food and water during this month. Her answers sometimes were funny. “ Because you eat too much junk food”. I won’t deny it, but I do use Ramadan to try and diet (and secretly indulge in all the fried food goodness) but one of her answers really hit home. “ Because Asiyah there are people out there that don’t have food and water, and we need to remember them and understand what they go through”. I would struggle all day long at school whilst my friends were eating their packets of monster munch, but when it came to iftar time I would indulge in whatever I had been craving that day. (Yes I have dominoes on speed dial), but I have that privilege. Some people don’t.

 And it is those people who we need to concentrate on, in whatever way we possibly can.  Each Ramadan I make a pledge to try and make a difference to even one person. In the famous words of mother Teresa,

     Al-Mizan chartable trust is an organization that really embodies this ethos of really empathizing with the needy and giving in a way that is truly admirable.

 This year the #feed500 campaign will literally send out 500 food parcels to areas across London, Manchester and Birmingham. And when I say parcels, what I really mean is huge boxes. Boxes to feed a family, providing them with not only the essentials but also what they feel the average family would shop from their local supermarkets.

So in line with the philosophy of One community, One goal and One ramadhan it doesn’t take much to sponsor a food parcel, where you can really make a remarkable difference to someone this holy month.

You can donate by clicking on the following look and you can enjoy this fun little video put together by the team. 

Happy fasting!

  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RamadanFoodParcels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcpJgDqgvvw&sns=fb&safe=active

[asiyahahmed-blog]

British Happy Muslims

The British happy Muslims video had an unprecedented response within only a few days reaching well over a million views. There has been an abundance of reactions both good and bad, and some surprising conversations in its response.

I knew from the beginning that there was always going to be a backlash, but in no way did I anticipate the magnitude of responses that would surface in just a few days. I decided to observe these reactions before I gave my two cents.

I was sent an email, from the honesty policy, anonymously, who wanted to film a take on the happy video, but featuring British Muslims. It didn’t take much convincing as the idea just clicked with me straight away. What a breath of fresh air. I was waiting for something like this. I had been attentively following the international happiness day movement and the United Nations agenda to raise awareness of global poverty, so this was just up my street.

I also started to realise that the ethos of the honesty policy really spoke to me. As stated on their blog, they are:

��A group of young and curious Muslims saying what you’re thinking. Honestly. Those thoughts, moments and reflections you’ve always had, but just never could quite express them. Maybe it was too inappropriate? Maybe it was too revolutionary? Maybe it was too true? Too funny? Too serious? This is a blog to show you that you’re not the only one who thinks that way. There are many of us and we should laugh, cry and hear each other. And as everyone else seems to have their space to express themselves… so should we.”

 Expression is really important. As humans we express ourselves through many varied mediums. If I dare to remove the religious argument for a moment, and we analyse the act of singing, dancing, smiling and so on, they are all reactions to an emotion, and from what I gathered after viewing the video, was that everyone involved was expressing joy, in their own personal ways. And that is exactly what it was, pure unadulterated joy.

Now I know what you may argue, as some of you have, that you don’t need to dance around to prove that you are a happy Muslim. I totally agree. I also don’t recall the honesty policy arguing that point. In a response to the article http://www.haseebrizvi.com/culture/im-a-british-muslim-and-i-dont-need-to-sing-and-dance-to-show-im-happy/,which did indeed highlight some very good points, it’s a little naïve to assume that the argument is happiness = feeding into western pop culture. There is a reason the lyrics aren’t “because we’re happy”. It is completely subjective. As picked up by http://www.abiggersociety.net/community/live-let-live the definition will always vary to the individual. Which is also so beautifully portrayed in the video. The variation of smiles and laughter, awkward movements and jumps of joy is merely a reflection that there isn’t a one-dimensional view to fit social acceptable norms to be happy.

On the point of re-humanising Muslims in society, I really feel this point has to be explained. I personally do not agree that Muslims should have to bend and break rules, on what they want to do, to be accepted into western society. But then what is western society’s culture? Surely we (in my case), being first-born British Muslims no longer just associate ourselves with the traditions of our forefathers. I previously worked on a project on what it means to be British, and its so wonderful how this country in particular is like a sponge, taking in a colourful variety of cultures and practices and calling them their own. I mean who would have thought that curry would be the nations favourite dish?

So what I argue to you is, Muslims do not have to sell-out to be accepted, but we have to embrace who we really are. And in my case I am a British Muslim. Britain is quintessentially British through its diversity and we also have to understand that Muslims have the youngest age profile of all religious groups in Britain. And if you want to speak out and reach out to people, sometimes you have to speak to them in their language.

On the point of the debate on halal and haram, I really hope I can educate others and myself more on the impacts of music and the laws surrounding it.  The fact is we are constantly learning, and music is a grey area, there isn’t a definitive answer on the legalities in Islam. What helps me in distinguishing what should be allowed and what shouldn’t is identifying what brings about good and what encourages the bad. Was the singing and the dancing provocative? Was there anything sinister about the video? What kind of emotion did it spark in the viewers? I think it becomes self-explanatory with the cosmopolitan Muslims featured in the video, and the general positive response it received.

"Happiness may have different meanings for different people. But we can all agree that it means working to end conflict, poverty and other unfortunate conditions in which so many of our fellow human beings live." – ban ki moon

Bringing this back to why I initially got involved, happiness is not only an emotion, but it is also a tool. We can face the world with misery on our faces, or we spread joy. I don’t believe its one or the other. The reality is, Muslims in the 21st century are the most persecuted people, and there are so many injustices happening in the world, but by being happy, doesn’t mean we are ignoring these realities, it merely means we are endeavouring our struggles with a smile on our faces. Maybe I am naïve and too optimistic, but I do believe through happiness we can do better things. This isn’t about feeding into the ideologies of others, and liquidising down our identities. It is about building new identities, and defining ourselves the way we want to be defined.  That’s one of the beauties of our religion, is the acceptance, it’s the diversity and the fact that a debate came from this video, good and bad, acting as a learning tool in its own way, is a form of dawah itself.

[asiyahahmed-blog]

Mother’s day.

So I finally got round to writing my first blog-post. After reading an article on productiveness, I realized talking about being productive isn’t very productive at all, we end up spending our time making lists and over thinking things, and then we never get around to the actual ‘doing’. So here we are.

I have decided this is the perfect time to start a new chapter, as I close a previous one. Last week I was finally told, that I could ‘get on with my life’, as I feel I have been in this weird state of limbo for the last five months, (as some of you may know), I had lung surgery, out of the blue but (Alhamdulillah) I am finally free from the doctors waiting rooms and the routine x-rays. 

This blog will (hopefully) consist of a collection of things that interest me, ideas and thoughts, and hopefully the more I write, the more confident I shall grow. In the worlds of Stephen King: “ If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot”.

With it being mother’s day yesterday, I’m going to dedicate my first post to my mother, and explain to you why she really is my inspiration, as someone who really does push me to work hard in order to achieve my goals.

My mother has always been a little bit different, so to speak, but in a way she has been able to define herself just the way she wants to. The best way to describe her is a little weird and wacky, (I do say that out of love). You see my mum is an artist. A brilliant one. From the peculiar way that she dresses (my sisters and I try and explain to her there is a difference between hobo chic and just plain hobo), to the brightly coloured, giant canvases scattered around the house, my mum is truly an expert in her field.

She has literally done it all. Till now I find it hard to comprehend where she gets all her energy from. One thing that drives her is she really does put her heart and soul into what she loves, and she loves to paint.

Life is always throwing you punches, and my mum has literally taken them all. But this has never disheartened her, or made her want to give up, in fact its always pushed her harder, trying to prove to the world and to her self that she is the best.  Working in the creative industry is never going to provide you with stability, but today I can honestly say my mum is the most successful person I know.

On Tuesday (25th March), I got to celebrate my mum’s talents as one of her pieces was chosen to be showcased at the spirit of womanhood exhibition held at the OXO tower in London, by the women’s interfaith network.  The art on display was pretty amazing, and my mums ‘diversity’ canvas really did stand out, with its glossy finish. I think it was then, when I appreciated the amount of inventiveness that she puts into her work as she stood there explaining what the colours and patterns meant and seeing people give their own interpretation of what they felt when looking at the painting.

  http://www.flint-pr.com/news/flint-client-news/womens-interfaith-network-launches-the-spirit-of-womanhood-at-the-oxo-tower/

  Seeing what my mum has achieved, with her superhuman abilities to juggle being a wife, daughter, sister, director, artist and most importantly a mum, makes me want to aspire to be more like her. She has this warmth about her, incomparable to anyone else (I know I’m biased), and she has always supported anything my sisters and I have wanted to do. And that is why I dedicate this post to her.

So here is to my wonderfully wonderful insane mother, on this mother’s day may you continue to drive us mad with your odd dancing and collection of red shoes, and may you continue to inspire us, through your wonderful talents.

  http://siddiqajuma.co.uk