Answers Come From the Strangest Places

Dear Morgan Spurlock,

Thanks for your wonderful show "Muslims and America" (More info on show at: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/main.html, CLICK ON EPISODE GUIDE and then click on MUSLIMS AND AMERICA) I went ahead and e-mailed the fx channel thanking them for airing a program that, though wasn't totally perfect made an honest attempt to explain to Americans that we should not stereotype Billions of Muslims because of the acts of a few. I know that you will get a lot of hate mail and so will FX for displaying such a show that tried to show Muslims in a positive light. That's why I am thanking you. When things are done that are wrong we should speak of it, and when things are done that are right, we should speak of them too.

Someone said that all immigrants have to pay their dues. When each new race, religion came they faced prejiduce and difficulties, and THEY have to say "This isn't right!" Just a split second ago in the span of humanity, the Japanese were the ones under scrutiny. They were forced to sell their homes, leave their jobs and be stuck in internment camps losing all liberty. Even Bugs Bunny saw no harm in some "funny" racist Japanese jokes! Can we imagine that now? Someone proudly stating in the newspaper how much they hated those "JAPS" and how they were people to scrutinize and hate? Yet it's same channel, different show. The stereotypesB and the prejiduce still here, but now its time for the Muslims to pay their dues.

A wonderful blessing of this country is the fact that this country believes in Liberty for all. In the USA you are innocent until proven guilty. In the US all are created equal. This country abhors discrimination and requires companies to be Equal Opportunity. As an American, I believe deeply in these values. Most MUSLIM nations do not have these rights afforded to their citizens (Brunei, most Arab countries you can't even own land if you're not an Arab or be considered a citizen! Women can't vote or drive!)

As an American I want to uphold and protect these Core American Values.

And yeah, So I think now I know why I'm becoming a lawyer.

To contact Morgan Spurlock: 30days@fxnetworks.com
To contact FX channel: user@fxnetworks.com


spurlock 

Perhaps This Will Be Too Honest

I'm looking at my schedule this fall in law school: Torts, Civil Procedure, Security Interets/Liens, Corporations, Basic Federal Taxation, Constitutional Law.

And it's making me think.

Last year law school took my life as I knew it away from me. I woke up 6:00am and returned around 10:00pm. The weekend was time to study... The first semester I did good. But the second semester I began feeling the weight of my schedule upon my shoulders. Going to work for an insane boss and even more insane henchmen and then going to class every week for an entire year was beginning to have its effects. Plus no longer could I host dessert parties and stay up till 2:00am talking with friends, no longer could I enjoy a quiet dinner with my husband with a new recipe I just found on foodtv.com, no longer could I just simply relax after a full time job with children. I thank God for my lovely students who kept me from throwing in the towel. But, because of this, my grades second semester were not as great as 1st semester. I passed, and even managed some good grades, but overall it is not even CLOSE to how I envisioned my grades to be. For me this is a defeat.

People keep asking me "so what will you do when you're done with law school" or some other variation of that.

I always respond honestly: I don't know.

And this hasn't really bothered me, this not knowing. I'd figure it out.

But now it is bothering me.

It's bothering me because I'm giving up teaching. A profession that in its essence I love. I HATE the beaurocracy and the power that make a school a totalitarian regime. But I loved the kids. I loved coming up with new lessons and activities. I loved reading Roald Dahl and lighting up with them as James Giant Peach became airborne by 1,000 seagulls.

My other passion is writing. Not legal briefs but fiction, and memoirs, and articles. When I picture an ideal life five years down the road its me sitting at a typewriter eeking out the next great American novel, already a published author.

So again, I wonder, why am I in law school?

To be honest, I LOVE learning about the law. The cases we learned about and the rules we learned to apply never ceased to capture my interest (except, well, property). But I just dont see what I can do to earn a living from it. I don't want to work 80 hour weeks, I don't want to work for a corporation and help them figure out how to make them even richer.

I do want to help people. And while law can help me do that, teaching did that too. So why shell out $$$ for an unsurity. And more important than the $$$, why dedicate my valuable TIME that I can never get back by putting it into something I'm unsure of? Why not quit while i'm not totally behind? It's funny b/c I went into law because of the time factor (Go now while you are young and have TIME)....

Just incredibly confused. Maybe I should satisfy myself that the knowledge I am gaining can never be considered a waste of time obtaining.

Scenes From Boston

If you click on the link (you'll have to cut and paste it) below it will give you a slideshow of some of our Boston travel experiences.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36083894@N00/show/

www.flickr.com td>

Random Updates

1. We're going to Boston tomorrow to visit Nadia and Mansoor. Yay:) The forecast looks like rain:(. This summer so far, anytime anyone has come to visit it RAINS. We've had prety good luck in the past on trips we've taken. Vancouver, "the rainy city" and Puerto Rico, surrounded by water all around, did not rain. So here is my plea to the climate: Rain Rain Please Go Away, Come again Another day, prefereably next Wednesday. sincerely, Aisha.

2. Is it abnormal to buy the same outfit in different colors? I went to express last week with Humera (miss you Humera!) and bought two shirts, I was going to buy a third but Humera said that I already was buying one shirt the same as that shirt and why buy the same shirt in two different colors. I said OK. Then on Monday I went to express again with Kashif and found another shirt I liked and it came in blue and white I wanted both but he said just get one. So, Kashif and Humera say its not normal to buy the same shirt in different colors. But I say if you like it why not get it in as many colors because its a good shirt? Is this odd?

3. Ami got a job offer from the principal at her old school. They said to her "We don't want to lose the opportunity for you to work with us again" I'm happy they appreciate what an excellent, passionate, dedicated teacher she is.

My New Personal Assistant

Baby Z 

Baby Zara is adorable, and a poster child for babies. The entire day Saturday from 9am - 9pm we were out at different stores, taking her in/out of the car, putting her in strollers, shopping carts, and not *ONCE* did she cry. She literally cooed,smiled and took naps...... mash'allah:) And oh yes- she LOVES computers, so I think I'll pass the blogging on to her:).

Yes this is definitely NOT a weed.... But.....

If anyone could please advise. I kept pulling our roses last year thinking them to be weeds..... and now....


how lovely are thou 

now, I'm scared to pull this thing (look sideways at it) because I'm afraid it may blossom into a flower..... but is this a weed?


are you a weed? 

Good Point Brad Pitt

So was watching Dateline last night and Brad Pitt was discussing with Diane Sawyer his trip to Africa. She dutifully listens as he describes the abject poverty of the children he met, how if an American gave just $16 it would pay for a years tuition including books and anything else related to a child's schooling. She dutifully listened as he described little orphans with Aids staying up late at night to study because what they craved deeper than food was an education.

Yes, she listened very dutifully and nodded at all the right times and then said. "So tell us, I have to ask.... what is the deal with you and Angelina Jolie" he gave her a look and then she continued that "All of America wants to know what happened, why did you and Jennifer Aniston split up?"

And Bradd Pitt said something which I really took to heart, he said something along the lines of "Isn't that sad? That there are newspapers and magazines filled with me and my relationships, full TV shows devoted to my relationships.... it's really sad where people's priorities and interests are."

She smiled and nodded and then continued "yes, but do you keep in touch with Jenn..."

Yes Brad it really is very sad people will search google for hours looking for your picture or buy a magazine because it says that it has the inside scoop of your relationship woes.... but no one cares, why, no one barely knows of things happening in our world that are so deeply causing the world to bleed.

Just b/c the news isn't covering Indonesia doesnt mean the people are still in deep pain, just because the media isn't talking about Abu Ghraib doesn't mean that it never happened. The attention span and the attention priorities are truly staggering. And ofcourse I know this, but when he said it, and I know he may have just been saying it to deflect attention from himself, but his words were true.

To whom much is given, much is expected of.

That is all of us. That is me. That is you.


right on buddy 

Karma *will* come to bite you in the butt

So Huda and I went to see "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants".... and we hiked ten miles to the theatre (okay maybe 1) and there are no seats next to each other. So we see that there is room if one lady simply moved over one that we too could watch the movie that we trecked through the hotlanta sun for. So Huda very nicely, very courteously explained our plight and could they please move over one so we could please enjoy the movie along with your popcorn and soda loving group?

"We're already settled" and turned the other way.

Sometimes I think about life. You know- your normal run of the mill angst...What is life. Is there really heaven? hell? And now please understand I am not praying she spend an eternity in "you know where" just because of "you know what" BUT i realized that *she* isn't going to feel the ramifications that we had to walk back to our car, find another theatre and go there, putting us one hour behind. No she is going to eat her ten pound bucket of butter popcorn, and her hershey bars as she downs it with a mammoth soda and giggles at the movie... So there must be a day that all these things are brought to light...... I think. When Someone will surely ask... Now really, would it have killed you to move over one seat?

But oh yes, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is an EXCELLENT movie. There are some scenes I dare you to try not to cry, because they are so heartbreakingly real, so if you're in the mood for a thoughtful, cute and sweet movie, check it out.

And oh, Robots, not so much....

US News and other things

We're back in Atlanta which is doing a superb impersonation of Lansing, MI by being cloudy and rainy all day today. Fun Fact: We left our house in Orlando for our flight around 6:30pm and arrived at our home at 1:00am. If we left at 6:30pm and drove we would have reached home around 1:00am. hmmm!

As we waited for our flight to Atl, we browsed the magazine store and saw this US News Collectors edition:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/store/products/prod_islam.htm

If you look at the picture you can see why I became teed. Black cover with the eyes of a woman looking through her niqab with an expressionless face and bright red letters splashed on the top SECRETS OF ISLAM.

I can honestly say that the photographer really had a gripe with the religion because these pictures were a bit creepy... some of them anyways, but the text was actually NOT BAD. There was an article or two I disagreed with, BUT they really made a very good effort. For example they stated the only time in Islam (quoating the Quran) that one can use violence is if you are operating under self defense. I dont think I've ever heard that in any medium thse days... I almost think its a mixed blessing the creepy cover because many people will see it, feel fear, and read it to find out the NASTY little secrets about this "awful" religion. Maybe the type of person who would buy this magazine because of its cover and for that reason is the exact sort of person who SHOULD be reading this particular magazine. There are articles about the history of Islam, contributions that Muslims made to the world during the Islamic Empire, and it even acknowledged the imbalance in American textbooks utterly neglect this time period and simply gloss over it as "the dark ages." I liked the intro very much, and I liked the message I took from the magazine which is that Islam's essential message is peace, tolerance, brotherhood.



US News Cover 

Conversation Between Felicity and Noel

Felicity: Why do you have a webpage?
Noel: Why does anyone have a webpage...Too much freetime? Not enough friends? An absurd attachment to one's computer?

Summer Plans

Zig Zigler, a motivational speaker, said that you have a higher liklihood of acheiving your goals if you write them down. Last summer I had high ambitions but somehow each day Judge Judy is oh so interesting and the day just goes on and before you know it days have become months and summer break is over... so here goes!

1. Intern at Sadia's immigration law firm.

*Today was my 1st day and even though I just organized papers, it was SO fascinating. I honestly thought I'd be depressed going there, considering I'm leaving a career I love, but it's not so bad... you are helping society and giving back here too.... so day one, so far so good.*

2. Teach about Islam at Musjid Omar's summer camp.

3. Subscribe to http://www.writersmarket.com AND

a) Come up with my list of articles and start submitting queries.
b) Write and send out my book proposal

4. Work out 30-45 minutes 5 days a week and eat right

5. Spring clean and organize the house.

Anything I need to add/subtract?
Ready, set, and here I go :)