Souljette's Journey

Broken Voice

souljette — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:23:42 +0000

Assalamualikum, I know it’s been a longgg while it’s just the fact that I’ve been moving around a lot and it caused me to stop bloggin. I’m back and i will post inshallah. I live in Bangladesh now an I go to uni ..doin MBBS lolz..so weird i know..It’s reallyy hard .i have to study all day and I’m still not done..anyways I wrote this poem when I had a broken voice and I dont know if it’s good even ..I haven’t been writing for a while so it is a bit rough..here it goes ..

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Wake up wit no voice

Rebel for it if i had a choice

Croaking because i need to express myself

Whispering in order to defend myself

Then i realize that i should be thankful

I loose my voice and i’m afraid of school

The others don’t have one and smile

There are others who don’t get an answer for a while

Our beloved Gaza is whispering

Losing it’s voice but still there hanging

Waiting for someone to answer

We are real close to u sister

Just so hard to reach out to u

I see your tears and I cry with u

I see ur baby and wanna hold the little being

Mercy will come sister, don’t despair but start believing

There are many who cry with you but can’t feel the pain

The amount you feel for your babies, tryin to be sane

May Allah (S.W.T) reward you for your struggle

Viral Dua

souljette — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:42:53 +0000

A Child Making Dua

Assalamualikum,

I got this article from sis Awakenedbytruth’s blog who got it from another person’s blog..I just wanted to spread it around.

In the name of God
Bismillah

May the peace, blessings and mercy of God be upon you
Asalamualykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Many of you have read the news. Many of you have seen the pictures. Many of you are protesting or writing letters. Many of you have blogged about it. Many of you have made dua.

What if we all did something together in unison on one night, Thursday January 1, 2009? What if we all stood in prayer in our homes, offices, schools, dorms or wherever we may be on Thursday night? What if we could get at least one thousand Muslims around the world making the same dua? Think of the probability of one dua being accepted out of a thousand.

Viral marketing spreads like wildfire. So I’m calling this viral dua! Spread this viral dua to everyone!

We will stand on this night to ask Allah (God) to…

…end all the suffering of all the innocent people around the world.
…bring justice to all the oppressive rulers and regimes around the world.
…seek forgiveness for all our sins.
…to grant us when we die and all those believers who have died, heaven.

Let’s try to get at least 1 person in all the cities where Muslims live to sacrifice one night to ask Allah (swt) to end the suffering in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and all around the world where there is suffering.

Inshallah we take the initiative to do atleast this as we can’t do anything else for our brothers and sisters suffering in Gaza or anywhere else in the world.

Scores die in Israeli air strikes

souljette — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:26:33 +0000

Israeli warplanes have launched a wave of air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza

Strip, killing and injuring scores of Palestinians.

Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, says 120 were killed and 400 people injured in the attacks on security compounds.

Israel said the strikes were in response to continued rocket fire by Palestinian militants against Israeli towns. (An obvious excuse by these bloody tyrants! May Allah humiliate them.).

The strikes, the most intense Israeli attacks on Gaza in recent times, come after the expiry of a truce with Hamas earlier this month.

Television pictures showed the wounded being rushed to hospital, while reports said the city’s mortuaries were full.

A BBC reporter in Gaza says people are desperately seeking refuge, but he says there are no safe places.

Video of the murders:

Scenes of destruction in Gaza

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid…st/7801012.stm

Assalamualikum,

I know I haven’t posted for a longg time and I have an excuse . I have alot to share but I’m just really busy. I came back from Bangladesh to visit Dubai but I’ll be leaving Jan 6th and Inshallah I’ll be able to post more often. I couldn’t help but post this article though. I was very upset reading about what happened in Gaza. May Allah make it easier for the families that have lost their loved ones and May Allah punish those who have done this.. Ameen. Sadness is all I feel and I’m just praying and asking Allah to make it easier for these brothers and sisters suffering not only in Palestine but everywhere else in the world.

Walaikumasalam

A post for Aafia Siddiqui ..

souljette — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:29:35 +0000

“I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this simple woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her – a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able.”

“She is a high security risk.”

- Christopher LaVigne, assistant US attorney, on August 11th when trying to convince a judge to prevent Aafia from seeing a doctor for her gunshot wound

During the time of the Prophet (SAW), those who entered Islam were of two types: those who remained in their lands with the general populace practicing the basic tenets of the religion, and those who took it upon themselves to migrate and join the Prophet in his expeditions. There are ahadith that show that the Prophet treated these two groups differently from each other due to their difference in status. For example, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi report that when appointing a leader to a battalion, he would instruct him on how to deal with those of the enemy who became Muslims, saying: “…invite them to migrate from their lands to the land of the Muhajirin, and inform them that if they do so, they will have all the privileges and obligations of the Muhajirin. If they refuse to migrate, tell them that they will have the status of the Bedouins, and will be subjected to the commands of Allah like the rest of the believers…” This distinction was simply of one group deciding to take upon its shoulders certain responsibilities in contrast to the other whose inactivity limited them to a very individualistic, localized, benign practice of Islam. One can in essence say that the Prophet divided the practice of the Muslims at the time into two types: the religion of the Migrants (Din al-Muhajirin, whose adherents took upon their shoulders the responsibilities of aiding and giving victory to Islam), and the religion of the Bedouins (Din al-A’rab, whose adherents did not go beyond the basics).

Although the depiction is of a situation that existed over a thousand years ago, it is an eternal pattern that Muslims will be distributed amongst these levels in every era and in every place. So, one can notice this distinction even amongst the practicing Muslims of the East and West. The Din al-A’rab of the past can be compared to the Islam that is limited to the five pillars, eating zabihah, and keeping the local mosque clean. Considering how difficult it is in the West to come across even these Muslims, imagine what joy comes to the eye and heart to see those who go a step further and reach the level of adhering to Din al-Muhajirin – those whose concern spans the entire Ummah, driving them to get up and become active workers for Islam, to dedicate their every minute to the service of Allah however they can no matter what other responsibilities clutter their busy lives, to have their hearts beat with the rest of the Muslims – all this with their heads raised high and paying no regard to those around them who eat and live like cattle, as it was said:

Such are the free in a world of the enslaved…

Recently, the entire world has been speaking about one such person – a short, thin college student, wife, and mother of three small children. Her name is Aafia Siddiqui.

I want you to be drawn to the story of this woman and also understand why I was drawn to it. I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this simple woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her – a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able.

I’m not fully back just pasted this for Bro Istiqamah

Four Years in Captivity ( A Must READ)

souljette — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:31:45 +0000

Assalamualikum,

08/08/2008

Babar Ahmad is a 34 year old British Muslim and the longest detained-without-charge British detainee held as part of the global ‘war on terror’. In December 2003 Babar was arrested at his London home under anti-terror legislation. By the time he reached the police station Babar had sustained at least 73 forensically recorded injuries, including bleeding in his ears and urine. Six days later he was released without charge.

Babar then filed a formal complaint that he had been subjected to horrific physical, sexual and religious abuse by the arresting police officers. An IPCC supervised investigation later dismissed his complaint and even “commended” one of these officers for his “great bravery” in arresting him. Babar is currently suing the Metropolitan Police for assault.

In August 2004 Babar was re-arrested in London and taken to prison pursuant to an extradition request from the US under the controversial, no-evidence-required, Extradition Act 2003. The US has alleged that in the 1990s Babar was a supporter of “terrorism”. Babar denies any involvement in terrorism. He has now been in prison for four years even though he has not been charged in the UK.

Babar’s family, friends and campaigners have mounted a high profile campaign for his release. He recently appeared in the news when it was revealed that the police had bugged his prison visits with his MP, Sadiq Khan (Labour-Tooting). His final appeal against extradition is at The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which is due to decide on it shortly. If extradited he faces the rest of his natural life in solitary confinement in a maximum security US ‘Supermax’ prison. Further details on his case are at www.freebabarahmad.com. He reflects on his four years in captivity.

I have now spent nearly an eighth of my life in prison. Life in prison is a journey into the unknown. Unlike other journeys it is one of those things that you can never plan ahead for. You don’t plan to have a car accident. You don’t plan to get cancer. You don’t plan to die. And you don’t plan to go to prison. Prison is just one of the many tests that you must pass in order to succeed in life.

The Prophet (saw) said, “There is some magic in words.” Tyrants use the magic in words to control people’s thoughts and deeds by making evil appear acceptable to them. So kidnap is known as “arrest”, brutality becomes “reasonable force” and torture is nothing more than “enhanced interrogation.” When an innocent man is kidnapped from his home by bearded Arab gunmen and locked indefinitely in a room he is a “hostage.” But when an innocent man is kidnapped from his home by uniformed white gunmen and locked indefinitely in a room he is a “terrorist.” The world causes uproar over the former but is silent over the latter. “In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” observed Martin Luther King.

Fear is a disease that consumes the soul of the one who embraces it. Man’s total capacity to fear is fixed: the more he fears one thing the less he fears another. People fear standing up to a tyrant because they are afraid of some harm that he ‘may’ cause them, even though that harm is limited to the life of this world. Such people have little or no fear for any harm that Allah will cause them in the Hereafter. However, if these same people were to fear the Day when they shall return to stand before the Lord of the Worlds, they would not fear any tyrant on the face of the Earth. “Do they fear them? Allah is more worthy for you to fear if you are indeed believers.” (Quran 9:13)

We survive in life by wearing a variety of faces that disguise our true inner selves. We have one face for our families, a face for our friends, a face for our colleagues, and a face for strangers. Since we are always switching between faces others hardly get to see who we really are. Sometimes we ourselves forget who we are. The harsh reality of prison life relentlessly files away at your external faces and personae to reveal the true you. There are no secrets in prison. Sincerity, hypocrisy, bravery, cowardice, good, evil – all are laid bare. Prison brings out the best, and worst, in people.

Prisoners undergo such a concentrated experience that they develop intensely deep personalities. We interact with each other heart-to-heart, not face-to-face. Our conversations frequently revolve around hope. No man, let alone a prisoner, can live without hope: hope that there is indeed a dawn at the end of this long, dark night. What else do you say to a man facing life in prison?

People are like “metals”, according to one narration of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Some people are like a cheap bracelet plated in gold: the smallest crisis files away the fake gold to reveal the cheap metal underneath. Others are like a gold bracelet covered in rust: hardship rubs away the rust to bring out the gold below to the surface. And a third type are solid gold, inside and out: calamity just polishes the gold so it sparkles from near and far.

During the last four years I have personally witnessed the worst of men turn into the best of men. I have seen gangsters, drug barons, armed robbers and murderers, of all faiths and races, convert to Islam in prison. I have always been inspired by converts since every conversion is a miracle, but seeing a hardened criminal accept Islam is something else. Only the true religion is able to cause genuine, lasting change in an individual in a short space of time.

The first word revealed in the Quran was “Read!” There is no life without reading. Reading beneficial writing is one of those pleasures that makes you forget you are in prison. During the last four years in prison I have travelled back in time and all over the world. I have visited Jerusalem during the Crusades. I have lived in Muslim Spain. I have accompanied African slaves as they were kidnapped by European slavemasters. I have shared in the suffering of the Native Indians in North America. And I have lived with leaders, hostages, death row inmates and journalists as their writings narrated to me their stories.

Yet all of these writings amount to nothing compared to the one book that has helped me through my ordeal the most: the Glorious Quran. It is my breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I do not read my daily portion at dawn, my heart feels heavy by mid-morning. The Quran is not just a book that mentions stories which are centuries old: it is a book that mentions the present. “We have certainly sent down to you a Book in which is your mention. Will you then not reason?” (Quran 21:10) Whosoever reads the Quran and reflects on it will find himself and his situation mentioned therein. This is only one of its many miracles.

Prison teaches you not to be judgemental of others, but to treat everyone at face value. When you deal with fellow prisoners you must deal with their present, not their past. That is the only way you will get through prison. Prison hardens you in some aspects, and softens you in others. It humbles you: laying bare your shortcomings. Since much of prison time is spent reflecting on your own past, all of your life’s wrongs come to the surface. Man cannot progress in life until he acknowledges his weaknesses and mistakes. Acknowledging that a problem exists is half of its solution.

Prison has taught me that there is a part of you that no-one can ever take from you, and that is your heart. For the heart is where true happiness resides. When you reach the stage where you are content with your destiny you have defeated your captors and become the most powerful prisoner in the world. This is what belief in Divine Destiny is all about. It is to be happy with whatever Allah has decreed for you: to be happy with your life, to be happy whether you are rich, poor, tall, short, dark or fair. When you are satisfied with your lot in life, you have won.

Every hardship is like being in prison. People feel imprisoned by ill-health, marital discord, financial insecurity, family disputes and other problems. To anyone who feels imprisoned by life’s problems I would say: be content with what you already have and never lose hope of things getting better. Be happy with your share because this is a quality of someone who truly loves Allah. When the Companion Muadh ibn Jabal (ra) was undergoing the pangs and agonies of death, he cried out, “O Allah! Bear witness that I love You, so do with me whatsoever You wish!”

I would never have wanted to come to prison, but, looking back at these four years, I am glad that I did. I have ventured close to breaking point but due to Allah’s Grace and the support of some wonderful people I have not yet crossed it. My ordeal has been harsh, difficult and exhausting, but it has also been an adventure. Some of the happiest days of my life have been in prison. I have had experiences in prison and met people that I will never forget.

The writer Mustapha Sadiq Ar-Rafei wrote, “When I looked into history I found a small number of individuals whose lives mirrored the lifecycle of a grain of wheat. They were torn from their roots, then crushed, then ground in mills, then kneaded with fists, then rolled out and baked in ovens at high temperatures… just so they could provide food for others.”

Patiently persevere in the face of hardship hoping for a good outcome because you never know how many dead hearts you will bring to life in the process. No hardship lasts forever. There is always an end.

(A version of this article appeared in the July 2008 edition of the Emel magazine.)

Assalamualikum,

I feel this is an amazing read. It not only talks about the amazing aspects of an individual’s life and the different emotions they have to deal with but also about ONE person’s journey. May Allah (S.W.T) reward bro Babar Ahmed Immensely and free him one day inshallah Ameen.

‘My Sister is Innocent’

souljette — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:31:23 +0000

Assalamualikum,

just an article I read that I thought I’d share

08/08/2008

By AZAM KHAN

ISLAMABAD – Dr Fozia, sister of Dr Afia, has said that Dr Afia is innocent but for a long time, she had been facing inhuman treatment from the US authorities at bloody Bagram torture cell.

She was addressing a press conference here on Thursday. She said, “My sister is so weak, that her weight is only 30 kg. It shows the inhuman brutality of a so-called ‘Civilised’ nation”.

Dr Fozia said, “Central Investigative Agency (CIA) of US could find a single clue against my sister but she is deprived of basic human rights, as she is not allowed to get the medicines”. She added, “US prides itself for its judicial system, I pray she may get a fair trial.

“My appeal is to Pakistani people, my brothers and sisters that your sister has been abducted, tortured and humiliated for continuous five years” adding that her three children, including a six months baby were snatched from her, she deplored. She said that unfortunately her sister was facing trial chargers, which were totally false. She especially pointed out the Wednesday’s picture published in different newspapers. She said, “It is a picture of a severely dehydrated sick person almost as if on the deathbed.

Any one with any feelings, their hearts would go out for the agony this woman has endured”, she added.Senator Iqbal Haider, President of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Amna Masood Janjua, a renowned human rights activist, who is fighting for the missing persons, were also present on the occasion.

She said that our Attorney in the USA Ms Ealine Whitfield recently told her that Afia was in a fragile condition, in severe pain.

“I have no guns, nothing, just tears and cries but I am confident that 16 crore people of Pakistan are hearing me and they would never leave their sister and children alone.

SOURCE: The Nation.com.pk

The Many Faces of A Detainee

souljette — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:30:45 +0000

Assalamualikum,

I really feel sad when I watch this video and I have had it on my pc for about a year so now I’ve decided to upload it on this so that when I leave it will be here and I can share this with you all as well.

Here is the ad:

Here is the longer video:

It’s sad and shows the different detainees in the various prisons

Walaikumasalam

Saudi riyal

souljette — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:29:01 +0000

Assalamualikum

I really liked what was on this note…

It’s masjid Nabawi..there was another 500 riyal note and it has the Haramain picture..I mean how cool is that but I’m just hoping no one drops them. I’m guessing they don’t because it’s 100 riyal ..who would drop a 100 riyal note. ANyways I liked it so posted it.

Leaving for Bangladesh

souljette — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:12:48 +0000

Assalamualikum,

Inshallah I will be leaving for Bangladesh tomorrow midnight. I was supposed to leave at 2:30 am tomorrow but instead as Biman Airlines is unpredictable it got delayed to midnight the next day. I hope this time they don’t delay it again. Anyways I will be living there from now on and so it will take time for me to settle down. I might not be able to blog much but inshallah I’ll try my best to update everyone. I really will need everyone who is reading this to make du’a for me because I really will need it. I have never lived there and just went there to visit for couple weeks. This time I will be spending Ramadan there as well as attend university which will be hard for me. Allah will make it easier for me Inshallah. I will go and live with my cousins and it’s only me and my mom moving there right now. My brothers and my dad will be living in Dubai and I’ll come to visit every six months inshallah. I will miss them alot but I have no choice. I’m taking this as a challenge. I want to see if I can live there without my brothers having my back all the time and inshallah keep my imaan high and keep my studies on track as well. I hope that I will be able to blog from there but I have no guarantees as the electricity goes out, people will come to see me all the time or i’ll be out doing classes to prepare myself for the entrance exam. Inshallah we’ll see how everything goes.

Walaikumasalam

Aafia Siddiqui ..Prisoner#650

souljette — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:04:15 +0000

Assalamualikum,

I have read about this women alot but I didn’t know that it was Dr.Aafia Siddiqui until just sometime ago when I was reading another sister’s blog and saw her picture..Please make du’a for her..She has been tortured, raped and has many despicable things done to her. This is a poem I got from the sister’s blog that I would like to share:

A Glorious Dawn…A Better Day

To Dr.Afia Siddiqui – prisoner # 650 in American custody

Another dawn …another day,
Disgrace; insult is thrown our way;
Yet shamelessly on their golden perch
The spineless look Oh how they sway!

As if there is no Lord above,
They with the devil-hand in glove;
Selling our dearest values and souls,
For gold and power – push and shove!

This crime you saw they so denied,
To filthy scum they sold the bride;
Yet the mighty Creator seeing it all
Unveils the gruesome act they hide!

Amongst ravenous wolves the fair one lies,
As from brutish hands she helplessly flies;
A suffering sister sane no more,
Her anguished screams – they rent the skies.

And this is all the pride they boast?
Our tormentors they daily host;
Brothers with whom I shared the cup,
sadly how far apart today we coast!

When comes a ‘Qasim’ to stem this rot?
Of Allah and His Messenger forgot!
Of cheaply selling our heritage which,
With submission and sacrifice was dearly bought.

And yet the brave will go the way,
Afia! Our elders pray, the younger fight-
For a glorious dawn… a better day!

[Fawaz Siddiqui]

Mrs Siddiqui is charged with assaulting US officers and employees and attempting to kill US officers and employees.

If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each charge, Garcia said.

Mrs Siddiqui’s lawyer, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, called the charges “a tall story” and disputed claims by the US that her client had gone underground for several years before her capture.

Her family believes that Mrs Siddiqui was secretly held by US agents since her disappearance in Pakistan in 2003, before authorities finally brought charges to justify her detention.

“I believe she’s become a terrible embarrassment to them, but she’s not a terrorist,” Ms Sharp was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

“When the truth comes out, people will see she did nothing wrong.”

This is taken from an article. I didn’t take all of it because most of it is bullshit.. so here it is and nothing about bagram is even mentioned. She went through alot and no one says anything about that. Where are her three kids? No idea..Please make du’a for her ..May Allah (S.W.T) protect her and help her through these tests Ameen.

Walaikumasalam