Vagrant...

I must say...I am a vagrant at heart and have established homes elsewhere as well...I will post to all as much as I can...

Most posts will be made at Tumblr...If you haven't tried Tumblr yet...I urge you to do so...It makes blogging a non-time consuming effort...

at Wordpress...
at Tumblr...

Much Love and Respect
Tws

Prophet And Caliphate Models of Leadership and Efficiency - INTRO

[Prophet And Caliphate Models of Leadership and Efficiency - INTRO]

Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Rahim.

[NEED AND IMPORTANCE FOR PROPHETIC AND CALIPHATE MODELS OF LEADERSHIP AND EFFICIENCY]

Leadership and efficiency are quickly becoming major issues within Islamic communities everywhere. From the largest mosques to local MSAs, brain drain and other factors have made community leaders a rare commodity in a time when such leaders are absolutely essential to the political and social environments that we live in. This problem is compounded by a lack of knowledge on methods of managerial leadership, efficiency, inefficient communication, delegation as well as failure to integrate emergent forms of organization and communication to maximize effectiveness. These failings not only result in a less proactive, driven and successful organization but also severely limit the scope and reach of the organization in question. Also, one must note that while someone may (or may not) be a leader in the public sphere (i.e. an MSA or organization), they are almost always leaders in private spheres (amongst friends, family etc).

[Before I proceed, I would like to say that many groups are indeed doing an excellent job. However addressing some of the failings above can go a long way...Also to be honest...in these times Islamic organizations/leaders must be as proactive as possible. Of course, this is addressed first to myself, then to myself, then to myself, THEN to everyone else.]

While there is a great body of literature discussing leadership and efficiency that absolutely must be read (ex. Stephen Covey's work), such works don't account for unique circumstances present in Islamic leadership structures, such as the Shura'ah. Thus, these works can only strengthen and not form the foundation of Islamic Models of leadership. So to whom must Muslim leaders turn to? The answer is simple...Muslims have the example of the Prophets and the Sahaba (Companions of the Prophets).

Certain individuals have attempted to graft Prophetic leadership onto the 7 habits and other existing literature. Personally, I find this approach is not satisfactory in forming Islamic models for the reasons outlined above (i.e. it still does not address unique circumstances and conditions found in traditional Islamic structures). From a faith-based perspective, this approach is also flawed as we find the best example in the Prophets (A.S.) and Sahaba (R.A.).

Anyway...There has been less of an effort (at least to my limited knowledge) to analyze and present the leadership observed in the examples of the Prophets and their closest followers. I am also unaware of any such effort accounting for the University MSA/youth based perspective on this issue. This will be my goal for the next couple of weeks depending on work/class/personal schedules. I hope this work will not be restricted to the Muslim community...as I feel regardless of one's religious beliefs, the Prophets and the Sahaba form amazing examples of leadership from which anyone and everyone can draw good lessons.

[INTENTION]

Before I proceed, I'd like to state my intention. The goal of this piece is to analyze and present Prophetic and Caliphate models of leadership. This move is done as much to organize my own thoughts as to present it as an issue to the Muslim and Non-Muslim community. Also, by posting it here, I hope to generate a discussion on my observations so that the overall community (and myself) can determine that which is accurate/strong and that which inaccurate/weak. Ideally I would like to present the findings to the various MSAs and Islamic Organizations.

[THE GROUND RULES]

Here are my ground rules...If I stray I expect one of y'all to call me on it.

1) I am not an Islamic academic or scholar. I'm a (loud mouthed) humble University student who has been around a number of MSAs and Islamic Organizations and has made some organizations. As such, I hope to use direct evidence from a small series of sources (with references of course...see below). I will NOT be making extrapolations on the actions or intentions of the Prophets and Sahaba...This falls out of my realm. Also...due to severe time limitations, most of my examples will be regarding the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)...I'll try to give other Prophetic and Sahaba examples where appropriate.

2) Like I said...I am neither an Islamic academic or scholar. I'm sure mistakes will be made...and this is not a 'sweeping' analysis of leadership. Its a loud mouthed student attempting to organize his thoughts. Please, if you do see mistakes, notify me immediately as this is a topic that deals with sensitive and important material. I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that whatever good/strong/accurate conclusions are drawn from this stream of thought are from Allah and any bad/weak/inaccurate/incorr

ect conclusions are from me. And Allah knows best.

[SOURCES]

My sources will be both Religious and non-religious text...As such...the list stands at...

"Muhammad - His Life Based on the Earliest Sources"
(Martin Lings)
Imam Anwar Aw-Laki's lecture series "Life of the Prophets".
Various Sahih hadith

I'm sure this list will continue to expand as I try to incorporate appropriate examples.

[ROUGH IDEA OF ITINERARY]

I also have a rough idea of some of the qualities I'll be looking at...Again...these are rough so keep that in mind...More clarification and examples as we proceed.
-Intention and direction
-Leading from the front
-Proactivity
-Assigning Priorities
-Ijtihaad - Thinking outside the box
-Conducive environments
-Compromises
-Patience and love
-self reflection and reconstruction
-Recognizing specialties/synergy, establishing domains
-Maximizing equal gain...Thinking Win/Win

Also...I'll try to include a glossary depending on the reception.

So enough of my rambling...I'd like the reader's thoughts on this endeavor...and of course I encourage you to participate in the generation of these observations.

Salaams/Peace
Much Love and Respect
TWS

Come September

While I have my own thoughts on September 11th, they are most beautifully expressed by the amazing Arundhatti Roy. And my words pale in comparison...So I simply leave you with some of her words from her address, titled 'Come September'...

Last year, like many others, I too made the mistake of scoffing at this post- September-11 rhetoric, dismissing it as foolish and arrogant. I've realized that it's not foolish at all. It's actually a canny recruitment drive for a misconceived, dangerous war. Every day I'm taken aback at how many people believe that opposing the war in Afghanistan amounted to supporting terrorism, or voting for the Taliban. Now that the initial aim of the war -- capturing Osama bin Laden (dead or alive) -- seems to have run into bad weather, the coordinates have been changed. It's being made out that the whole point of the war was to topple the Taliban regime and liberate Afghan women from their burqas. We're being asked to believe that the US marines are actually on a feminist mission.

...

Since it is September 11 that we're talking about, perhaps it's in the fitness of things that we remember what that date means, not only to those who lost their loved ones in America last year, but to those in other parts of the world to whom that date has long held significance. This historical dredging is not offered as an accusation or a provocation. But just to share the grief of history. To thin the mist a little. To say to the citizens of America, in the gentlest, most human way: Welcome to the world.

...

For how many Septembers, for decades together, have millions of Asian people been bombed, burned, and slaughtered? How many Septembers have gone by since August 1945, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary Japanese people were obliterated by the nuclear strikes in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? For how many Septembers have the thousands who had the misfortune of surviving those strikes endured the living hell that was visited on them, their unborn children, their children's children, on the earth, the sky, the wind, the water, and all the creatures that swim and walk and crawl and fly?

...

September 11 has a tragic resonance in the Middle East too. On the 11th of September 1922, ignoring Arab outrage, the British government proclaimed a mandate in Palestine, a follow up to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which Imperial Britain issued, with its army massed outside the gates of the city of Gaza. The Balfour Declaration promised European Zionists a national home for Jewish people. (At the time, the Empire on which the Sun Never Set was free to snatch and bequeath national homes as a school bully distributes marbles.) Two years after the declaration, Lord Balfour, the British foreign secretary said, "In Palestine we do not propose to go through the form of consulting the wishes of the present inhabitants of the country. Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad, is rooted in age-old traditions, in present needs, in future hopes of far profounder import than the desires or prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit this ancient land."

...

Donald Rumsfeld said that his mission in the War Against Terror was to persuade the world that Americans must be allowed to continue their way of life. When the maddened king stamps his foot, slaves tremble in their quarters. So, standing here today, it's hard for me to say this, but: "The American Way of Life" is simply not sustainable. Because it doesn't acknowledge that there is a world beyond America.

The complete text of Ms. Roy's work can be found here...or just do a Google search.

------
TWS

Disrepair

I've been extremely busy between attending the ISNA convention in Chicago, catching up with the fam, work and prepping for school. Hopefully some substantial updates in a few days about stuff at the convention and things that have been building in my mind.

I've been toying with some design ideas for the past couple of weeks (due to lack of sleep and writer's block). At this point they're just static images and I've been lazy enough to no start writing the code for them...Well...got to start somewhere right?

Feedback...please!

Forgive the nonsense thought...

Strange, shifting dreams...far too obscure and vivid.

The buoyant mind amongst the flotsam of old friends, new ones, ones I'll never see again, ones I couldn't live without...family who are and will be. Wreckage caused, wreckage received...all to the melancholy of a saxophone solo.

And all of it fading like the last notes in Coltrane's 'In a Sentimental Mood'. Nonsense thought giving way to the stillness of 5 A.M. leaving one thought.

What does it mean?

White cloud rivers ran through me
I felt them pass through my bones
through liver and lung
and stomach
Washed me into the big white cloud lake
and I floated
no knowledge of swimming
but I floated
right between fear and mountains
just beneath blues and birds
right next to the Sun
and God
Even in the middle of wind
Even in the middle of wind
Humbled

...

Beneath blues and birds
caught in my scream
right between fear and mountains

....

Humbled
Humbled
Humbled
Humbled
Humbled
Humbled

-Ursula Rucker, Humbled

0_0

MY GOD!

MY CHILDHOOD:

Transformers (Warning: Movie Link)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Warning: Movie Link) - Would it be too late for a Vanilla Ice comeback you think? Go Ninja Go Ninja Go!

(I am far too old) . . .

Yea...I'm sure they'll suck (like my other childhood Cartoon -> Movie... Spiderman)...But the Nostalgia alone is worth it.

On Disarming Hezbollah

[So here goes...this has been welling up in me for some time...and I'm writing this a bit rushed...]

The 24-hour news networks have become a constant in our house. Something reached me a couple of days (actually weeks) ago through the white noise of hourly updates and flashy news graphics. Israel is hellbent on 'disarming Hezbollah'. This seems to be the primary obstruction to a permanent cease fire and peace talks in the region.

[ASIDE: It is interesting (but not surprising) to note the lack of support in disarming Israel, a nation that has demonstrated its ability to use its superior weapons against civilian populations with blatant disregard for life. Or the question: why Hezbollah should be disarmed? Or rage on part of the U.N. and the West in response to Israel's so called 'Measured' response?]

Israel's strategy for 'disarming' Hezbollah has consisted of 'targeting Hezbollah hideouts and infrastructure' ( Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs). However, Israeli policy on the issue does not account for the fact that Hezbollah is not a foreign government (although they do provide many government services to the Lebanese people, more on this later). Unlike traditional governments, Hezbollah lacks isolated 'strongholds'. They have no hardened bunkers, or government complexes or structured centers. Their infrastructure is intertwined with civilian infrastructure. In effect, the Israeli army has (knowingly) been targeting primarily civilian areas, civilian roads, and civilian homes. Wiping out 'Hezbollah supply lines' essentially means blocking aid from entering Lebanon. Shelling Hezbollah strongholds essentially means the displacement and destruction of Lebanese civilians and civilian properties.

Hezbollah's integration with the civilian population is far greater than traditional 'guerilla ' organizations or other resistance movements. In terms of categorization, Hezbollah falls somewhere in the gray zone between militia, social organization, grassroots movement and social services provider. According to CNN: "Hezbollah did everything that a government should do, from collecting the garbage to running hospitals and repairing schools." The U.N. reported that Hezbollah "boasts an extensive social development programme. The group currently operates at least four hospitals, 12 clinics, 12 schools and two agricultural centres that provide farmers with technical assistance and training. It also has an environmental department and an extensive social assistance programme." It maintains media programs for much of Southern Lebanon. It is an active advocate for women’s rights and has been key to aid efforts such as water purification in devastated regions. So when Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah strongholds, the statement is not to be taken lightly. Are these military strongholds or are they centers for Hezbollah's other branches? Does Israel care? Israel's history with the region (Lebanon, Palestine etc.) suggest that they don't. The casualties suggest they don't (for God's sake, look at the numbers). First hand reports from journalists, bloggers and extracted Lebanese suggest they don't.

By simply throwing firepower in Hezbollah's general direction, Israel has bolstered support for the group. National and international support for the organization was extremely high during the previous occupation of Lebanon and even higher during the Qana massacre, Israel's previous show of force. No, continuous shelling will not weaken Hezbollah like it did to the P.L.O. Even Israeli military officials disagree with the tao of the Israeli army. Captain Mitch Pilcer, a military spokesman concluded that if the shelling of Lebanon results in a flattened town, the population would simply turn and join Hezbollah. Another Israeli soldier remarked that "Nobody here looks down on Hezbollah. This is their home, they're the defenders." I think at the end of the day, Hezbollah has already won this bout, because Israel will not take care of clean up duty in shell shocked Lebanon. It has only added to the chaos and displaced a quarter of the population.

So what is the answer? Diplomacy, I'd guess. I do not know...but there HAS to be an immediate ceasefire (without conditions). If Israel truly hopes to 'disarm' Hezbollah, they must realize something. It was perhaps best expressed best by the Lebanese Prime minister: The continued presence and threat of Israeli occupation of Lebanese lands, the unfair and often illegal imprisonment of Lebanese is what contributes to the presence of Hezbollah's arms. Stockpiles of arms steadily increased during mounting tensions between Israel and Hezbollah just before everything came to a head.

Still...when the deathcount stands at 11 Lebanese : 1 Israel (bear in mind 1/3 of Lebanese casualties are children under 12) and displacement sits at 3 Lebanese : 1 Israeli (total of 1 Million displaced Lebanese...about a 1/4 of the population) and there is no heavy defense for Southern Lebanon besides Hezbollah, one must ask why Hezbollah should be disarmed? What of Israel who has used tanks and carpet bombings on civilian targets and stone throwers?

These I think are difficult questions...slippery slopes. At the end of the day, Israeli and Lebanese civilians are the losers. Because as the rockets and guns stop firing on either side, both lands will be left in the silence of grieving families, devastated homes and displaced populations. Allah help them.

You Have Your Lebanon and I Have My Lebanon
Khalil Gibran

You have your Lebanon and its dilemma. I have my Lebanon and its beauty. Your Lebanon is an arena for men from the West and men from the East.

My Lebanon is a flock of birds fluttering in the early morning as shepherds lead their sheep into the meadow and rising in the evening as farmers return from their fields and vineyards.

You have your Lebanon and its people. I have my Lebanon and its people.

...

Let me tell you who are the children of my Lebanon.

They are farmers who would turn the fallow field into garden and grove.

They are the shepherds who lead their flocks through the valleys to be fattened for your table meat and your woolens.

They are the vine-pressers who press the grape to wine and boil it to syrup.

They are the parents who tend the nurseries, the mothers who spin the silken yarn.

They are the husbands who harvest the wheat and the wives who gather the sheaves.

They are the builders, the potters, the weavers and the bell-casters.

They are the poets who pour their souls in new cups.

They are those who migrate with nothing but courage in their hearts and strength in their arms but who return with wealth in their hands and a wreath of glory upon their heads.

They are the victorious wherever they go and loved and respected wherever they settle.

They are the ones born in huts but who died in palaces of learning.

These are the children of Lebanon; they are the lamps that cannot be snuffed by the wind and the salt which remains unspoiled through the ages.

They are the ones who are steadily moving toward perfection, beauty, and truth.

...

You have your Lebanon and I have my Lebanon.

---------
-TWS Out

Of Nukes n' things

[NOTE: This post is long]

Words are monstrously beautiful. Some hurt, some heal and some do both. They can create and destroy. They can convey our deepest truths and our greatest lies. Encourage action (good or bad) or even worse...encourage inaction. Sometimes it is all necessary, including the pain. Sometimes not.

In truth, words (and language) are the Creator's gift and can be the Devil's plaything. And for those of us with short tempers and little patience, they are the greatest gift and the worst curse. There is no shortage of Hadith on these matters.

I have been brooding about their dichotomous nature for far too long.

----------Rant----------> ITS A LONG ONE

Although over a month has passed since the arrests of the 17 in Toronto, it remains in the back of the city's mind. The event hangs low in the hazy Torontonian air, like smog. Those more eloquent than I have written on their own individual reaction/feelings to the whole event (ALL MUST READ IT).

There have been fewer articles however, on the numerous Muslim communities' (relatively limited) response to the whole event (and one must remember there is neither a single united community nor a response) - most of these responses were either apologetic or directed blame onto others (such-and-such sect, the Government etc.) While discussion is important, these two methods do not fix social problems. Few looked at the lack of Islamic culture available to the youth, or the lack of outreach programs to high school students...or community aid for Muslim and non-Muslims in impoverished aread of Toronto. There was very little support (from organizations AND people) for the rallies at the courtrooms or signed petitions or wrote letters to government officials.

In all honesty, most of our responses to contemporary crises are a far cry from the proactive nature of our Islamic models (i.e. the Prophets [p.b.u.t.], the Sahaba [R.A.] and the successful communities preceding us) which analyzed social/cultural/local/global issues (such as crime) and actually went about fixing the root causes (creating the system of Zakat, implementing the Sharia'ah and so on). We are now strictly reactionary and defensive. This is to say that we have (for the most part) become stagnant.

The Global Warming situation, the AIDS crises, the proliferation of corporate entities and power, the loss of public spaces, the lack of proper Islamic governance (Saudi, I'm looking in your direction), the lack of Islamic economic models (i.e. non-Friedman Models), the cultural double standard, the instability or absence of an Islamic infrastructure in the West (we don't even have a big library in T.O.). There are no shortage of issues that need to be addressed by Islamic Scholars, activists and all practitioners of the faith. The youth cry out for answers and solutions. As said before, the responses to recent and not-so-recent events have rarely analyzed and addressed the conditions that led to these events. What are the social conditions of 'suspected terrorists' (and the primarily muslim youth in Rexdale/Jamestown Toronto for that matter)? What are their educational conditions? Are there prejudices in the system? Again, there is no shortage of questions.

Gone from the bulk of contemporary Ummahs (as we have now been divided, subdivided, classified and labeled) is the passion ignited in the Prophet (S.A.W.) and his followers by the command ‘Iqra!’ It seems that many of our people ignore the Prophet's words to Khadija (R.A.) after revelation. "The time for sleep has ended." In truth, we lie dormant and divided and our only comfort comes from the mantra of victimization. Like a narcotic.

Looking at other victimized communities, we know that one can rise from such a state in only one way. A proactive, productive response. A violent (well...not always physically) upheaval... A revolution. We must realize however that not all revolutions must shed blood. No, the tools of revolution are largely decided by social conditions of the people. Nat Turner had his sickle and machete. Ghandi chose the path of nonviolence. Simply repeating the mantra however, lulls us into an even deeper state of stagnation and victimization (a victim is far easier to kick when he's down).

It is the other mantra however that kills me. 'Islam is a religion of Peace'. It is repeated by nearly every speaker, pundit and tactful politician. In a world of 30-second sound bites, ticker-tape headlines, one liners...where lex parsimoniae is the dominant principle of philosophy and science, we (society AND the Muslims) have shortened Islam to the English word 'peace'. I take issue with that. Islam isn't a religion of peace. Nor is it a religion of war. [Nor of pink polka dots (borrowed from B) ]. Not anymore than Christianity is about war (or peace or pink polka dots). It contains rulings and conditions for all these states (and obviously more…well not the pink polka dots). I wonder, in a world where September 11th is shortened to a simple 9/11, about the state of the history of Islam after this amputation. It is more frightening to think how much is lost with that reduction. And there’s the question that has haunted me for the last few weeks. How much is lost? Of ourselves? Of our past? Of our future?

Like Reza Aslan or Irshad Manji, I do believe we (as a people under one faith) are (or very soon will be) undergoing a period of Islamic Reformation. This is where our similarities end however. I think that it is not the religion that we must reform but ourselves. Self renewal and adaptation to environment is not a modern idea (as much as Tony Robins might want you to think). Rather it is a Prophetic tradition seen clearly throughout the Prophet’s life (the Seerah), his Hadith and the lives of his companions. And so I state again, it is not the Religion that requires a revolution, but ourselves. After all, The Prophet himself declared (over 1300 years ago) that the time for sleep has ended.

In truth, what we need is a gigantic Islamic Manhattan Project. A nuclear bomb of change (man...I’m going to end up on some suspect list...). This is to say that we must coordinate the skills of the Ummah to develop Islamic (and just) alternatives in all spheres of life [all the while directing our actions by the moral/ethical compass of the Prophet as found within the Sahih Hadith and Seerah]. Economics, Biology, Medicine, Ecology, Art and Culture, Manufacturing...so on and so forth.

[ASIDE: These studies are not new to Islamic civilizations. Rather, the consolidation of knowledge in these fields (from Muslim AND non-Muslim scholars) combined with intention and the grace of Allah formed the basis of our strength during the 'Islamic Golden Age'. But harkening back to the 'good old days' isn't productive and I digress].

Moreover, these alternatives should not be restricted to Muslims...we are after all from the Ummah of the Guidance to MANKIND. By that same reasoning, we must fight for the right of return for Palestinians as well as Native Americans. We must petition for the release of political prisoners in Iraq as well as in China. We must rally to end unjust Governments...East or West. By that same reasoning, we must fight state sponsored terrorism, Government wiretaps, sexual slavery, deforestation, child labor, free trade and so on. The movement must be grass-roots...global...and always in progress. Always fighting. After all, The Time for Sleep has Ended.

But when all is said and done, these are simply my 3 A.M. ranting on a page (mostly unread). And Allah knows best what we must (and will) do.

----------End of Rant----------

[wow...that was a lot longer than I remember...that was definitely building up]

July is a month of departures. Two brothers have left Toronto (one East, one West), both with beautiful parting gifts...and Two sisters will be leaving before the month ends.

1) Yossof - > Yossof, done with school (temporarily) returned to his family in Morocco after 5 years...perhaps never to return to Toronto. He refused to let me accompany him to the airport ("Akhi, gas is at $1.07 / L!" were his words if I recall). He left me with a tiny bottle of Ittar Gulab (musk)...one that he made himself from back-yard roses (hand pressed!). It is now the favorite of my small collection (this one makes 4). He also left me with a pretty beautiful Dua'a (prayer):

O Allah!

Make me sufficient only upon whom all are sufficient! O Master of the Day of Judgment! You alone do we serve, and to You alone do we cry for help! Guide us on the true Path, the path of favors and of the right hand. Not of those upon whom wrath is brought down or of those gone-astray.

O Allah! Cover my shame, pacify my fears, guard me from what is in front of me and behind me, from what is on my right and on my left, over my head and under my feet.

O Allah! Grant health to my body. O Allah grant health to my hearing. O Allah! Grant health to my sight. There is no deity except You.

O Most Merciful! Forgive my sins and those of my parents and my ancestors. Give me the strength to guard my intentions and leave me not without light in the dark and without guidance in my time of ignorance! Nor leave me quiet when I must speak, nor let me speak when I must remain silent!

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the evil of my self, and from the evil of every creature. O my Lord, keep me on the straight path.

O Allah! You hear my words, You behold my situation, You know what is open and what is hidden within me; nothing is hidden from You. O Allah! Soften my heart to the words of the Guidance and harden it to those of the Whisperer!

O Allah! Grant me soundness of belief, goodness of character, forgiveness of my sins, and Your eternal pleasure in the Hereafter.

May Allah's blessings be upon Muhammad (S.A.W) and his family and Companions

His quick flash of white teeth (almost Chesire-cat like) that he calls a smile and his tardiness in getting jokes will be severely missed.

2) David - > David transferred back to UBC to be closer to his Grandfather and the rest of the fam. Being the road-trip sort, he organized a cross country caravan/vacation back to Victoria with his sister and her kids (man of courage...that one). He also left me with a most beautiful Ojibwa prayer (he's half Ojibwa, half Salishan I think):

Oh great Spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the wind,
Hear me for I am young, small and weak.

I need your strength and wisdom.
not to be superior to my brothers,
but to conquer my greatest enemy, Myself.

I seek wisdom,
the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock,
so that I may carry this message of life and hope
to all people.

May my hands respect the many beautiful things
you have made. May my ears be sharp to hear your
voice. May I always walk in your beauty and let
my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunsets.

So when life fades like the setting Sun my Spirit
I will come to you without shame.

I have spoken.

His arguments (almost fist fights) and his crooning (mostly the classic Aerosmith and LZ) will be severely missed.

I wish the both of them the best of luck and open my home to them when they return to visit (We shall meet again in the place where there is no darkness). May Allah keep them well.

Thankfully, I am not friendless in Toronto (yet!).

We (Q, Z, Anum and myself) spent today (yesterday?) downtown for Street Support. Not many people downtown (volunteers OR homeless). I suppose it was too hot out (smog alert). Z returned to her home away from home (Residence) and her fam away from the fam (us) and FINALLY joined us for street support. The circle was almost reunited today. After we finished the route, we actually did something that was waaay overdue. Coffee and tea at the Moonbeam Café (Kensington Market)[...the atmosphere alone was worth the trip (Waeed...you were missed!). Old school coffee house, rickety chairs, old school tunes (man I'm ancient! I knew ALL the lyrics and riffs...Hendrix's 'Hey Joe', Dylan's 'Man who sold the world', LZ's 'Josephine'...) and an eclectic crowd. The place oozed history]. Then off to a rice bar-> $8 and it was all organic...then a packed subway ride home, jokes along the way.

A pretty good day to end a not so great couple of weeks. I'll take what I can get. And for now that mean's a nice pre-sunset stroll and some (semi) fresh air to the tune of John Coltrane's 'In a Sentimental Mood'.

C'est la Vie.

No haiku...but I got some Bowie lyrics:

Who knows? not me
We never lost control
Youre face to face
With the man who sold the world

-----
-TWS Out

Linkage

Don't have much time...but thought I'd post some links.

There are a few movies coming out that are quite interesting:

Aaron Russo poses some very thought provoking questions in 'America: From Freedom to Fascism'. Its a bit too soon to tell, but it looks pretty intense.

The War Tapes is a first hand account of the war in Iraq as taped by soldiers on the front line. The movie is very over due. There seems to be a major disconnect between the Governments rehtoric and the opinions/thoughts of many soldiers on the field (I'll post some milblogs of friends later on).

Road to Guantanamo is a first hand docu-drama of three British Muslims ('The Tipton Three') who were held at Guantanamo for something like 2 years before being released without restriction or charges.

Longer post soon as I'm done studying.

-TWS

'Til she bled sunshine

So much on my mind that I can't recline
Blastin holes in the night til she bled sunshine

Breathe in, inhale vapors from bright stars that shine

Breathe out, weed smoke retrace the skyline

Heard the bass ride out like an ancient mating call
I can't take it y'all, I can feel the city breathin
Chest heavin, against the flesh of the evening
Sigh before we die like the last train leaving

-Mos Def: "Respiration"