Category: Uncategorized

It’s hard to imagine what COVID-19 could do to countries already affected entirely by war when you live in a country where currently the worst thing going on falls quite short of that. Yemen currently is under siege from a Saudi based Militia, and an Iran based Militia. One of these Militia’s recently attacked an oil line. Luckily this oil line was not in use, but the group that did it won’t take credit. Neither side has made a single claim or message regarding the attack.

This country has many many people left stranded due to the war, which means during the COVID-19 pandemic they can not take the precautions necessary to combat the pandemic. It’s sad but extremely true and something I think that everyone should take time to be informed upon, to see just how good we have it in America.

There are hopes that this stalemated war, will come to peace talks because of the current situation of the war. Definitely something to follow and look into if you’re not doing anything at home! None of the information above, is mine. It was all presented to me by the Middle East Monitor, and I simply analyzed it for my colleagues to be better informed.

In my last blog I touched a bit on the Middle East and it’s tourism economy tanking. However I ran across some Tok Tok posts recently, that alarmed me. These were videos of people getting gas for as cheap as less than a dollar per gallon. Absolutely unreal right? It seemed fake, fake enough for me to do some digging.

After I began to research this I found that not only was it true, but even my gas station is selling gas for $1.34 per gallon. As someone who is used to paying $2-3 per gallon this is absolutely unreal gas prices. While as a consumer this must be great, I quickly thought about where the majority of oil comes from in the world. And what that would do to their economy.

While digging through news articles, I found one from hurryietdailynews which I credit this information to, that showed the statistics on country growth. While I won’t get into insane specifics, all of the major oil countries are either projected to grow much less than they were going to, or are expected to sink more than they were expected to. Countries. Not the oil companies themselves, the countries that they inhabit. It’s very sad to see the COVID-19 crisis affecting the world in this way, and crazy how much you can find interest in on something as simple as Tik-Tok.

This week, I tutored the same students as last week. We conducted the tutoring sessions on Tuesday and Thursday via conference call. We covered chapter three in their ESL textbook and worked on material for the U.S. citizenship test. Chapter three was about the three branches of government and the purpose and primary members of each branch. In the textbook, there are exercises related to grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and other comprehension exercises. Not only is the vocabulary related to the government and the three branches of government difficult (“legislative,” “executive,” etc.) but understanding the purpose of each branch is also a challenge. It is easy to mix up small details, but it is very important for the students to understand the structure and purpose of the U.S. government.

On Tuesday, there was a greater focus on pronouncing the vocabulary words correctly and understanding the basics of the three branches of government (the purpose and members). This was difficult for the students. However, repetition was important. On Thursday, which was the second day we were covering the material, the pronunciation and reading comprehension came more natural for the students. We were then able to have more discussions about the United States government as well as the government in the students’ native countries. Learning about the government in other countries was interesting because it demonstrates how lucky we are to be in a democracy. I think we frequently take that for granted and fail to understand how governments operate in other countries and how this can be oppressive in certain instances.

Covering the content in this chapter aligned well with the weekly readings about democracy in Islam. Many people associate Islam with dictatorship, but a majority of Muslims actually live in countries that embrace democracy in some form. In the article on social justice by Sayyid Qutb, he mentions that Islam “grew up as an independent country owing allegiance to no empire and to no king, in a form of society never again achieved.” Some Muslims live in a very democratic country; however, some do not. The type of government that is associated with Islam is rarely democracy, but there is a blurry line and mix of information that is provided that speaks the truth. I found the chapter about democracy in Modernist Islam to be a bit confusing. I had to re-read several times to understand the point about democracy the author was trying to make as well as the inconsistencies of equality that is present. Hearing about someone’s government from their real perspective helps me better understand what the public’s perception of that government is like. Either way, it was important to utilize the resources I had to learn about the government and Islam.

One of the students was from Romania. This student clarified my perceptions of what Romanian government was like. She lived through the transition from communist government to the government Romania has now and was able to describe the differences for me. Having a real-life perspective like this helps me understand the government, but also proves to me that I should not make assumptions based on stereotypes and I should try to understand different governments. Being curious and wanting to be educated is an important trait to possess and a trait that I can apply to many areas of my life. I developed a deeper sense of responsibility to learn about other types of governments before making quick judgments or assumptions.

While pondering things to write about today I came across a rather interesting article about something that I’ve been yet to think of. During all of the outbreak the only thing I feel that I’ve thought about is how much longer I’m stuck in my house, and when am I going to be finished with online school. I’ve been researching the stock market, and keeping in touch with basic world news.

However after tying both these world interests and stock interests together I found an article that was rather alarming. The Arab Tourism Organization has projected to lose $40 Billion, if the COVID-19 virus continues to ravage the world in line with its projections through the end of April.

This was a huge shock to me just to read, I mean 40 billion dollars? That’s enough to shut down probably hundreds of vacation areas, imagine the restaurants or shopping areas that purely rely on tourism to come around. A truly sad number, and sad to read about for the people that will be affected by this.

Any of the above factual information is credited to the Haaretz news paper, I am not claiming as my own. Simply analyzing it, and giving other people things to think about.

As cooking has become one of my hobbies during quarantine, I decided to make one of my favorite Eastern dishes, fried rice. In the past, I have ate many authentic fried rice dishes from different Chinese establishments. Many fried rice dishes I’ve had have been prepared slightly differently. Some contain different vegetables such as peas, peppers, carrots, onions, sprouts and broccoli. Other fried rices contain meat, including shrimp, chicken, or beef. Some other proteins I’ve had in fried rice have included tofu and eggs. While mixing these ingredients into the rice, typical fried rice is made with soy sauce to create a brown color. 

To make my fried rice I used the ingredients that I had in my house. First I chopped and  grilled the vegetables that I was using in a frying pan. The vegetables I used were carrots, red peppers, yellow peppers, and broccoli. After grilling them I scrambled an egg and fried it with the vegetables. After this I added some cooked grilled chicken that I cooked for dinner the night before. Finally I added the white rice in and mixed it in with soy sauce. It was very tasty and was a good cooking project for the day!

The concept of the Five Pillars is quite interesting to me. I knew about a few of them prior to this class, the Salat, Sawm, and Hajj were all concepts I had heard of before regarding Islam, but I did not know that they were part of the Five Pillars, nor did I know that one of the Five was Zakat, or the paying of alms to the poor. Nor did I specifically know that the Shahada was part of the Five as it seems like a basic tenet of any religion. Secondly, the fact that these Five things are the central part of Islam tells me that the religion is very focused on the act of rituals and paying homage to Allah. Four out of the Five are directly related to paying homage to Allah in a very ritualistic type way. Always staying sincere to the Muslim faith, praying five times per day, always facing Mecca, fasting during Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Zakat seems more like a central tenet of most religions, giving of your own to help the needy and poor. In my opinion its emphases are more or less quite similar to those of many other religions. Believing that your God is the one true God and staying true to the faith is central to most religions. Prayer is central to most religions, but I don’t think most religions require their followers to pray five times per day facing a certain direction, so that is a bit different. As I said, giving of yourself to the poor is a central tenet of most religions, and fasting and having rules about which foods you can consume show up in many religions, most notably Hinduism and Judaism. Also, there are some passages in the Christian Bible that restrict the eating of shellfish. Lastly however, there is nothing quite like the Hajj. It is a terrific thing for any follower of Islam to be able to do, let alone more than once. As far as I know, no other religion has anything quite like the Hajj. Lastly, the documentary really helped me to see just how important the Hajj is. As every Muslim must make the Hajj at least once in their lifetimes, it is an incredibly important milestone in a Muslim’s life, and the documentary really helped hit that home for me.

The chapter revolves around the meaning and creation of Jihad. As Muhammad declared Yathrib as a sanctuary city, Mecca was dealing with Medinan raids and attacks. The Battle of Badr started as the Medina’s and the Muslim community fought the people of Mecca. I remember learning about the Battle of Badr as it was more of a turning point for Muhammad as he struggled against Meccan pagan tribes. From this Battle and his victory, especially over the Quraysh tribe, this allowed him to rise to even further power in Medina, the Arabian Peninsula, as well as furthered his takeover of Mecca. The word Jihad was partially developed from this as it was seen as more of a “struggle” or “striving” (Aslan, 67) in a fight against enemies. It is fascinating to hear because to this day, people still say this word, especially in the Middle East. Aslan explains how this struggle and striving for war are more understood as defensive and less about aggression. This helped Muhammad evolve more within his prophetic consciousness.

The Battle of Uhud and conflict between the Quraysh tribe and Muhammad’s followers helped bring a rise in the tribe because of the Jewish tribes. It also crushed the morale of the Ummah. However, Muhammad did have the Jewish people surrender and leave Medina. There were many further battles that Muhammad won that allowed him to rise to more and more power. One thing he did was allow many people to surrender, but their punishment was depended on who they were. Sometimes it would be death or harsh punishment for tribes who were anti-semitic. The Jewish tribes that did not ally with the Quraysh were not punished and allowed to live in Medina.

Tolerance was a big part of Muhammad, but it didn’t mean that the tolerance of another religion made them feel equal to theirs. However, they were viewed and part of the same Ummah, which was described as People of the Book as well as the community. Muhammad had his views on many monotheistic religions, especially Judaism. Aslan stated that he respected Judaism even though the Qur’an is fairly critical of it. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all believe in one God, but these religions have distinct stories and views on what they believe with divinity. At the end of this chapter, and which I found very fascinating, Muhammad made a truce or peace agreement with the Quraysh as he went to Mecca and to the Kaaba and hacked the idol of the Syrian god, Hubal, into pieces. Overall, this was a very interesting chapter as it deals with the power Muhammad created through Jihad.

This blog is about the Sufism and Rumi articles, along with my favorite Rumi poem given to me.

Here’s why I learned from the Sufism article: Sufism’s practices include the maintenance and visitation to shrines and tombs of deceased saints, Islamic endowments, or waqfs, buildings intended for Sufi practice, and the passing on of the traditions. Sufism, to the Sunni and Shi’I, refers to the inner mystical dimension of Islam. Sufis believe that the universe forms a unified whole, which is bounded by love. Rumi was a pious Muslim during the 13^th century. Rumi is well known for his mystical literature contributions towards Sufism. There is some counter-cultural aspect of Sufism were Sufi mystics lived on the outside of society and rejected petty cultural norms. Sufism has always been an integral part of mainstream Islam. Sufism should be practiced in regards to inner life and within the outward prescriptions for living life in compliance with God’s will. For many Muslims, Sufism allows them to have some type of spiritual enlightenment. Over time, Sufism has been incorporated into other religions within Islam, allowing Sufism to be more flexible towards other Islamic religions.

I really enjoyed this article because I have never heard of Sufism before and was glad to learn something new. I respect the main teaching that Sufis believe in where they think that the universe forms a unified whole, which is bounded by love. I didn’t know that Sufism became blended with other Islam religions over time and thought that was interesting because usually society has many religions for distinction and not for them to have some type of overlap.

Rumi Article: Rumi was a 13^th century mystic poet who circumnavigated the Middle East and helped spread Sufism. Once in Middle East, he became one of the most beloved religious figures in the realm. His reputation and appeal, both across time and in his own, lay in some elusive layering of acute religious knowledge, personal charm and wit, and a capacious spirit that was both deeply human and haloed with otherworldly prescience. Eventually, Shamsuddin of Tabriz showed up and changed Rumi’s approach to religious devotion. Shams was kicked out of Konya by Rumi’s devotees, but Rumi went searching for him. That search became internal when Rumi infused the teachings of Shams’ masaterwork called the “Masnavi” with his spiritual teachings. Rumi preached and lived by a stance of tolerance. He stated that all religions were in pursuit of oneness with God. This didn’t mean that he thought Islam was mixed together with all other monotheistic religions though.

I didn’t mind this article. I respect what Rumi did for the spread of Sufism and didn’t understand how important he was to that religion. After reading some of his poems, I really respect his work because as someone who usually understands what they are reading, I appreciate the hidden meanings behind his poems.

Poem of Rumi: When your love reaches the core, earth-heavals and bright irruptions spew in the air. The universe becomes one spiritual thing, that simple, love mixing with spirit.

I really enjoy this poem because it explains the main theme of Sufism by showing that the universe forms a unified whole, which is bounded by love. People in society are brought together because they want to build relationships, which are created by sharing a type of love towards one another. When people love one another, good things typically happen. The world around us becomes one since there is no anger towards one another. This poem shows the importance it is for one to have love in their life to make life easier and better for the people around us in my opinion.

After reading Layla and Majnun I noticed some similar themes that were familiar to me. In the beginning of the passage the author sets the scene of a sayyid who is very wealthy. The author compares the amount of gold and jewels to the amount of sand in the dessert. Beyond all of this wealth the the sayyid wanted one thing, a son. In our own Western culture many individuals value family and relationships over wealth. A common quote said in movies and everyday life is, “money can not buy happiness”. The importance of strong bonds can not be compared to money because money could never by such thing. The sayyid later has a son who he values highly. This heightens the theme, proving money is no match for a valued relationship even in the Eastern world.

The story expresses a theme about the importance of wisdom. Later in the story, the son becomes educated, becoming wise and knowledgable. Other students looked up to him as his words were powerful in their eyes. In the Western world, the young respect elders as older people tend to have a better grasp on the world we live in. This creates a sense of great respect for people who obtain much wisdom. Personally, I look to my elders for guidance since they have already surpassed the stages of life that I am living in now. To compare, the story’s theme matches with Western ideals, proving once again that our world is more similar than one may believe.

This chapter revolves around who the first Muslims were and their significance to the city of the prophet. I also wanted to state how much I enjoy how these chapters are transitioning through this story very efficiently. As these chapters continue, it is incredibly fascinating how Muhammad has instilled such change into most people’s lives at this moment. There are new movements the Muslim citizens are doing, especially the Hijra, which was a secret operation for “daughters to sneak out of their fathers’ homes at night, young men gathering whatever provisions they could carry on their backs for the arduous week-long journey through the barren wilderness” (Aslan, 48). This was a long journey for many people who could not receive homes in Yathrib. It was also interesting to note how the Medinan period helped shape and model the religious ideology of Islam and the Islamic Empire came to be after Muhammad’s death with the Medina.

Once many couldn’t find homes in Yathrib, the area was mostly controlled by the Jewish population as well as the Bedouin tribes. However, there was a huge quarrel between the Was and the Khazraj. However, the Constitution of Medina was a document Muhammad created signaling that he was the leader for all the tribes and religions in Yathrib in order to stop the disputes. This constitution is the model for the power of a specific ruler for the Muslim people, who designates responsibilities and rights to the various communities. This created more equality amongst the communities as well as the blood-worth in order for one’s life to not be less valuable than another. He outlawed usury, supported the needy, as well as supported and fought for more equality with women. However, Muhammad’s wives did practice wearing a veil that is still used to this day, but it is used to protect women, especially in the Middle East. After Muhammad’s death, the legacy he left for equality in the Muslim community was next to none. Overall, this chapter was very fascinating to see how Muhammad utilized his power to influence the Islamic communities as well as others in Yathrib as well as Medina.