We will not go down (Song for Gaza)

A Tribute to Palestine



Imagine if you will a land teeming with refugees; a land of the dispossessed, closed off from the outside world; where smuggling is often the only source of subsistence; where families who are not disappeared-are on the brink of starvation; surrounded by an army and bombarded by that army.

The year was 1943. The place: the Warsaw Ghetto.

The description is hauntingly familiar. But it is now 2009.

And this is Gaza.

Roughly the size of the US great capital, Washington DC, it is s closed in on all sides. There is no escape. There is not entry.

And it’s residents-already stateless after 40 years of occupation and a majority of them refugees - are at once being blockaded and bombarded by land, sea, and sky: it is a situation that is unprecedented in modern history.

Gaza-where acute malnutrition rates, after 3 years of Israeli blockade, are now on scale with the poorest nations in the southern Sahara, according to the UN; where half of all Palestinian families eat one meal a day; Where the siege has killed not only lives, but hopes and dreams and futures.

Today in Gaza, no where is safe. People are trapped, terrorized, and traumatized.

This is Gaza.

It is about the denial of basic Palestinians rights. the right to statehood; the rights of refugees to return to their homes; the rights of family to reside together and to visit one another; the right to travel freely; to receive medical treatment; to education; to a childhood free of violence; the right to worship; the right to live free of occupation and siege.

Palestinians must be allowed to realize their most basic human rights-freedom and self-determination, the same concepts this country was founded on.

Busy Life?

Health Benefits of Saying "Alhamdulillah" and other Zikr

There are many examples in the Qur'an and Hadith of the virtues of a positive mental attitude, perseverance and optimism in the face of adversity. However, did you know that patience and a positive outlook on life are two of the greatest healing tools that you can use?

The Qur'an (2:155) says, "Give glad tidings to those who exercise patience when struck with adversity and say, 'Indeed, we belong to God and to Him is our return.' Such ones receive [the] blessings and mercy of their Lord, and such are the guided ones." According to the findings of modern science, it appears that this mercy may often come in the form of improved health.

Bernard Jensen says, in his book The Science and Practice of Iridology, "The doctor of the new day will recognize that a man's most important workshop is not the physical body, but the mind that controls it." Dr. Ted M. Morter confirms this in his book, Your Health... Your Choice, when he says that "negative thoughts are the number one acid producer in the body (and high body acidity levels are a major cause of disease)… because your body reacts to negative mental and emotional stress brought about by thought the same way it reacts to 'real' threats of physical harm."

In fact, hospital studies show that, of all the patients who consult outpatient clinical facilities in the United States, an astounding seventy percent are found to have no organic basis for their complaint. That figure is amazingly high. However, although medically these patients are not found to have an obvious organic source for their complaints, there actually is a physical basis for this phenomenon. Since Freud popularized the idea of psychoanalysis, people have often focused exclusively on the mental realm to solve certain problems, forgetting that we cannot separate the physical and mental realms. The mind is in the brain, and the brain is an organ. Like all other organs, it feeds from the same pool of nutrients that other body organs feed from and is susceptible to all of the same problems. Ultimately, the brain is just a part of our body like all of the other parts and is completely dependent on the body. It requires sugar to develop energy unlike other tissues that can develop it from potassium and fats. Consequently, it is the first organ to suffer from low blood sugar and it reacts most severely. Freud himself said that psychoanalysis was not suitable for treating diseases such as schizophrenia, and he postulated that their causes eventually would be found to be biochemical.

If we keep in mind that the brain is an organ and that it works in harmony with the other organs and feeds from the same bloodstream, we can understand how various mental events can affect us physically. For example, simply using our brains to think and study burns up nutrients in our system, particularly phosphorus. Heavily exercising the brain can cause us to suffer from a phosphorus deficiency. And we find that the reverse is also true in this relationship. People who have high intellectual capacity usually have high levels of phosphorus in their system.

There is much wisdom in the Prophet's (SAW) statement (narrated by Abu Huraira), "The strong [person] is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong [person] is the one who controls himself while in anger." In fact, staying patient and calm is key to physical strength.

Phosphorus is not the only nutrient that can be depleted by mental stress and a lack of spiritual calm. If the thyroid gland, the primary organ to handle our emotions, works overtime, we can suffer from a deficiency in iodine. Stress from a demanding job, a divorce or relocating can cause a loss of potassium and sodium in the body because it effects the adrenal glands creating more of a need for these minerals.

Even hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can be caused by excitement. The prophet (SAW) recommended our taking the more moderate path in life; however, we often engage in or expose ourselves to intense excitement by yelling, excessively watching television, and going to the mall, movies, parties, amusement parks, etc. When we see something exciting, our adrenal cortex is stimulated and there is an increase in our blood sugar. This, in turn, stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin into the blood to lower the sugar level, causing us to then feel tired or weak.

It produces calm and health to practice saying, "Alhamdulillah" for what we have and for what we are faced with. We should try to keep our home and work environments peaceful and as free from stress as possible. One way we can counteract the effects of stress are to simply be aware of the stress we are encountering, and to consume sufficient nutrients and supplements such as herbs.

For instance, if a person is up late praying or reading Qur'an during Ramadan, they can eat phosphorus rich foods and those that will help them maintain their phosphorus intake. If a person is moving, traveling or making Hajj or Umra, they may want to increase their intake of foods high in potassium and sodium as well as vitamin B complex.

If we completely ignore the relationship between mental and physical health, we are missing an important detail in the picture of personal health. And, as in most health problems, practicing prevention is superior to finding a cure. Therefore, the best manner to avoid having negative attitudes and emotions control our bodies is simply to practice the wisdoms that we have been given throughout the Qur'an and Hadith. We should say, "Alhamdullilah" for what we have; "Insha'Allah" for what we intend; and, "Subhana' Allah" when we see something exciting or amazing. We should remember to say, Astaghfir'Allah" when we lose our tempers or become weak, and most importantly, "Allahu Akbar" when we are faced with the challenges of life. These five phrases, said regularly, are like taking a multi-vitamin for holistic health.
By Karima Burns

An Outcry to Muslim Ummah

What happened when the Khilafah Uthmaniyyah collapsed? see for yourself...

Pork Tapeworms a Small, But Growing Trend

"We've got a lot more of cases of this in the United States now," said Raymond Kuhn, professor of biology and an expert on parasites at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. "Upwards of 20 percent of neurology offices in California have seen it."

The pork tapeworm has plagued people for thousands of years. The parasite, known as cysticercosis, lives in pork tissue, and is likely the reason why Jewish and Muslim dietary laws ban pork.
Kuhn said whether you get a tapeworm in the intestine, or a worm burrowing into your brain can depend on how you consumed the parasite.

More evidence?

The Benefit of Zuhr Prayer on body composition

Muslims are required to perform five obligatory solahs a day. Solah calls for many body movements and postures such as standing, bowing, prostration and sitting. Since the movements have to follow a repeated and sequential etiquette, the prayers can be likened to a form of light exercise. A number of research have been carried out to determine the benefits of exercise on body composition. In a study conducted by Slentz and friends in 2004, they maintained that body composition is an important indicator of one's level of fitness. Light exercise according to them burns body fat while heavy exercise burns carbohydrates. In addition, exercise moderately will burn fat and promote oxidization. Scientist agree that the benefits of exercise can be gained if the exercise is carried out regularly. The question rise now is whether praying constitute benefits?

To answer this question, a group of researcher from Malaya University (Malaysia) conducted a series of research to highlight the benefits of solah. With respect to this study, they examined the body composition of people performing the zuhr prayer in congregation. The zuhr prayer is performed in the afternoon and consists of four rakaahs. A total of 47 participants took part in the study. For this study, they set a set of etiquette (which contains five condition) must be fulfilled by the participants. The conditions are as follows:
1.An individual's adherence to the full five solahs
2.An individual's understanding of the solah verses: whether these verses are understood fully, moderately well or with minimal understanding
3.Congregational and non-congregational solah: whether the individual performs the solah individually or in a congregation
4.Back posture during bowing: whether the back is bent at 90-degree angle or otherwise
5.Position of the toes: whether toes are bent or otherwise during prostration and when sitting between prostrations and during the final salutation (sitting during tahiyah)

In their study, the body composition was measured based on whether worshippers carry out all five or less of these conditions. The results of the study showed that individuals who fulfill all the conditions of a properly executed solah have a better body composition than those who did not fulfill these five conditions or practices well. Participants who performed five or four of these conditions were found to have archieved a higher body composition. They also reported of having a higher phase angle (PA) which indicates a large quantities of intact cell membranes and body cell mass (BCM). A higher phase angle (PA) means that the internal organs are functioning efficiently and have a high immune system. A low phase angle (PA) indicates of cell breakdown in selective permeability of cell membrane which may lead to the failure of the internal organs in functioning effectively. Obviously, the benefits of zuhr prayer (performed with specific conditions as ordained) will result in a healthy and active body. Partipants who fulfilled all five or four of these conditions achieved an optimum level of health and are much healthier than participants who only fulfill three or less of the conditions.
Source: Salat: Benefit from science perspective (2008)

Native Deen - Not Afraid to stand Alone