I’ve touched this topic before, but I will touch it again. This is to all the brothers out there whose excuse to miss prayers and fasts is, “bro I am going to swear, I can’t help it, I will end up breaking my fast, so, I might as well not keep it”.

My previous argument against such a thought was based on Allah’s love for his creation and don’t you forget you are his creation and every creator loves his creation.
http://www.keepingithalal.com/50/post/2010/12/religion-he-is-more-forgiving.html

But, this time around I’ll take it a step further. If you’re fasting or praying and you’re trying your best not to swear or whatever other vice you’ve habituated to, but you commit it, carry on. Carry on your
prayer, as would someone who can’t help but pass wind or stay in a state of purity. This is not to say that you should not do your best to curtail your habit, attempt to as would a person facing constant
states of impurity would seek medical help, you too should seek help where available and I know old habits die hard.

But, that’s the beauty of it though. The harder it is for you, the more abundantly God rewards you. So, who knows, besides the almighty, your prayers and act of good will might be more rewarding than that pious brother in the corner with his big beard and thobe on.

I’ve never been overly concerned about prayer spaces on campus being a student at the University of St. George.  In first year my classes were directly under the prayer space. And being at UofT we have about 8 locations to pray. The only time I notice an issue with prayer spaces is when I am on the north eastern edge of the campus As VP of MSA in second year the biggest concern we faced with prayer spaces was one had a window back wall and some sisters felt uncomfortable being having their backs exposed to other men. It’s a justifiable concern and has been resolved two years later. I also learned of the disconnect between Muslim individuals on campus. Being at the largest campus in Canada this was bound to happen. But, there was at one point a single prayer space and this became a markaz for Muslims, a single location where all the Muslims had to congregate daily. This feeling is missed by the alumni visiting, but strange to the current student base. On my recent trip to York University I once again realized the importance of a prayer space to Muslims on campus. YorkU has only one prayer space, surprising giving the size and population of the campus. This space is a shared space with other faiths which is what most public institutions provide when they do opt to provide a prayer space at all. However, this leads to space issues when two or more faith groups need to use the space at the same time. For both prayers we had to pray in the hallway in front of the prayer space which I must admit was only a minor inconvenience as the hallway was large and secluded enough. The greatest inconvenience I experienced on my visit was that there was a single wudhu area, and by that I mean single source of water, this caused long lines up. However, I later learned that this was partly due to my male privilege and that the sisters had more crammed spaces and where even forced to pray in a less spacious hallway. So, I asked our Twitter followers and those on our Facebook page what they thought were the best conditions for a prayer space and here is what they came up with:

@lovezainab said, “Well prayer spaces on campus are very important to me and it's important to have multiple so no matter where I am I can feel connected and not have to go hunting for a spot to pray in. :D”

Mohamed Iqbal stated, “As much as there should be separate rooms for both brothers and sisters.. In many university settings, such things aren't undertaken. There should be enough to give privacy to both.”

Rabia Khokhar, a writer for this very site, who attends YorkU voiced her concern with “A prayer space is essential in my opinion. I think firstly there should be a designated room/space where Muslim students can always pray not depending on circumstances. I know that in some university settings there is a shared space which people of all faiths share and at times the Muslim students don’t always have a space to pray. I agree with Iqbal and think that there should be separate places for brothers and sisters but I think what’s more important is to always have a space and if it means that brothers and sister have to share a space then that’s alright because certain measures can be taken to ensure privacy etc. At least this way everyone has the assurance that they will have a place to pray always and not just sometimes.”  This statement came in response to Mohamed’s statement.

It’s clear there is no universal answer to the perfect prayer space and I agree that such a goal would be ridiculous to dream of. In life there can never be full consensus amongst a large diverse group of people. However, it’s clear there are many alternatives and that these alternatives should be considered. What is decided as the route to go should have majority of the support and accommodate as many individuals as possible. Currently, I feel this has not been achieved at YorkU. The students must rally together if they want change, but before they do so they must have a vision of what they want to attain. This must be done in consultation with both brothers and sisters and other groups of faith. 

To me the kindness of strangers trumps all acts of good deeds. Why? Simple, because without knowing anything about the person and having no potential gain expected in return (minus feeling good) one goes out of their way to help another out. This post is inspired by an older scarfed Muslim female offering her parking stub before leaving to a white female about to pay for parking. Now, they could have been friends for all I know, but to me they were strangers bound by no relationships or ties besides the common thread of humanity. And maybe in a different setting they’d be on opposite ends of an issue fighting against each other adamantly hoping to disgrace one another. But, here in that moment, none of that mattered. Here was a kind deed with no strings attached.

Enter stage right.

Person 1: Smile, *do good deed*, exit stage.

Person 2: “Thanks.”

Person 2 is too late, person 1 is gone without ever looking back.

Popeye’s chicken, the greasy, crispy, KFC replacement, has made the shift to machine slaughtered meat. Popeye’s chicken still claim to be Halal as an audio recording is played while the chicken is mechanically slaughtered. And this form of slaughtering does have the backing of some scholars and Imams, but the majority of the Muslim population does not find it in line with the Sunnah. This has led to many in the Muslim community to start comment wars online on the permissibility. Popeye’s chicken has been a popular fast food chain for many Muslim students on campus as it is quick, tasty and adequately priced for a student budget.  I, myself, see this as sort of a blessing in disguise. Though, I occasionally did enjoy their food, I know many that would indulge day in and day out on these high calorie, high fat meals without regard. So, for those who no longer find it permissible to eat, you may be saddened now by the news, but your arteries will thank you later. That is if you don’t find something worse to replace it with.

I contacted Popeye the Sailor Man for comment but he declined to be interviewed.

Push, push, push that envelope.

I am an introvert pushed to be an extrovert.

You see, I’m told that if I want to be a leader that I must perform,

must be LOUD,

give public speeches, flap my wings and take flight as a social butterfly.

that all the greater opportunities are given to those who don’t shy

and for this I’ve tried,

tried to be someone I am not.

I have lived this sweet lie,

And cause of this I have been encouraged, criticized, encouraged, criticized,

but every time a word has left my mouth never had it been so bitter, so forced,

who wants to be a leader, when the truth you speak,

comes from lying to yourself.

So, maybe, just maybe, I rather stay who I am.

I rather, keep it inside of me or put it on paper.

I rather be quiet and all alone in own my home.

Let others be leaders while I mark an X.

Cause if one man can make all the difference,

do I really need a crowd?

Then maybe, just maybe, I should stay quiet, be quiet.

Shhhh.

The new Iphone 5 was recently snagged by our Fuego the goat from Apple’s R&D. He gained access to the facility when he was hired by Apple for his manure. Apple wanted to use the manure to produce green energy. But, that’s a story for a different article.

The new Iphone has revolutionized things once again by adding features that are already found on other phones such as a slot for microSD, a 5 megapixel camera, and a slide out keyboard. But, the most incredible feature is the ability to use a newly coveted Taser App (not available to Android or Blackberry users).

With this new App you can finally fend off all those people on public transit that are trying to rob you of your Iphone. The App when activated works by placing a call while you grip the left side of the phone where the antenna resides this causes incredible strain on the battery creating a charge so strong that it renders both you and the thief immobile. Hackers believe this feature can be used on the Iphone 4 and are working to expose it. However, if the phone still somehow is stolen off of you then don’t worry just give Steve Jobs a person call and he’ll locate where the phone is. That location data you just found out they’ve been collecting might as well be used for something.

Overall we give the Iphone 5, 5 out of 4 stars. I know I will be putting my house on its fifth mortgage, so I can be the first in line to get one!

Groups, some people love them and some people hate them. But, in this day and age more and more work is centered around groups -especially campus group work. Groups have their benefits such as more diversity of opinion, providing expert leader support, and decisions being more widely accepted.

But when it comes to numbers, a group too large can be detrimental. Groups larger than ten are usually counterproductive. When it comes to groups for action-centered tasks, the smaller groups perform better.  And with problem solving tasks groups that are larger - but no larger than ten- perform better.

There are also two phenomena to be wary of when working with groups, group shift and group think. Group shift is when the decisions of the group are more conservative or more risk taking than if the decisions were made individually by the group members. Group think is when a certain idea is thought to have reached consensus without actually discussing other ideas critically in order to minimize conflict.

Realize that groups are not perfect and that they may not always be the preferred method to do work. Utilize them with discretion, but don’t avoid them completely. 

Information is based on Organizational Behaviour concepts. 
Book: Robins & Judge. Essentials of Organization Behaviour, 2010.

All these revolutions in the Middle East are for the right to have democracy. And what is the one fundamental thing democracy gives it people? The right to choose, the right to VOTE.

We have this great honour here in Canada and yet our last election had the lowest voter turn-out and we ended up with a government that many would say didn’t represent the vast majority of Canadians. So, while people are dying to vote, we are sitting at home caring less on Election Day.

As students we carry about 3 million votes and that’s a lot of votes. We complain about tuition fees being too high and our unbearable loans. We’re quick to put on ‘Drop Fees’ buttons on our backpacks and occasionally go to a rally and hold a giant sign screaming at the top of our lungs. But, all this gets us very little.

BUT, if we voted things would be different. We would have all the party leaders promising us better education at lower costs. Why? Because they need our votes to have a job.

We are Canadian STUDENTS and we are sick of not being represented! On May 2nd we will vote!

Every store has an E-store. There are reasons for both shopping online and shopping in-store. And, the online sales industry is booming making more money every year. Currently, it rakes in about $172 billion dollars annually in the US alone.

There are many benefits of shopping online such as customer reviews, being able to compare other store prices, convenience in accessibility, and shipping to your doorstep. Some online retailers will price match if you find a better price at another store if you call in. And most online retailers provide free shipping once you're past a minimum purchase amount.

One online retailer stands out above the rest from personal experience and that is Amazon. They have competitive rates, free shipping over $25 and extremely friendly customer service. The Canadian version of the site is lacking in terms of inventory compared to the US site, but hopefully that will change soon.

If you’ve been sceptical to shop online I would recommend it, if you’re not in an immediate rush for the item and you know what you want. And even if you prefer shopping in-store I would recommend checking out prices online for all your non-impulse buys.  There are some reasons that shopping in a store is still the better option. These include the ease of returns, trying the product beforehand and no wait time to attain the product.

Spike Lee’s 1992 film of Malcolm X (aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabaaz) is a must see biopic. The film is on the long side at 202 minutes, but there isn’t a part of the film where one is not drawn to the screen. The acting of Denzel Washington is perfect for the part of Malcolm X and he seems very much into the role.

Malcolm X has become forgotten figure overshadowed by Black rights activists such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King in the USA, schools and in the media. Though sceptics portray him as a violent and hate mongering racist leader the film aims to deconstruct that notion displaying why he said the things he did through showcasing his background story and how he reformed before his unfortunate death.  

It’s important to know the history of such an important figure and if you can be entertained while you’re at it, why not?