Why Islamic Mortgages Are More Expensive

As many of my friends may know, I have done a lot of digging (and writing) on Islamic mortgage options available to potential homebuyers who want to avoid interest. At one time, it could be said that most are scams, but that is no longer true. There are some options available nowadays, but of course there are big problems with all of them. Not all are 100% Islamic (sadly), but some are better than others.

I am writing this post to explain why when you go to an "Islamic" mortgage, you actually end up paying more. There are two main reasons for this.

Reason one: the Islamic "bank" is actually borrowing the money themselves from a credit union or a bank. This is far more common than you think, and of course the "Islamic bank" has to really pay interest on that loan. They in turn collect that from you the home buyer, but call it profit margin. And since it's usually 0.5% more than the interest rate they themselves pay, it's really profit for the Islamic bank also.

Essentially they are the middleman and you are paying them. So you have to ask yourself, how Islamic is all this really? You are not paying interest, the "Islamic bank" is neither collecting nor paying interest (allegedly), but somehow that underlying credit union or bank is still getting interest. Who is fooling who?

Reason two: The Islamic bank has rich investors (usually from abroad like Malaysia, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia), and has to offer them better investment rates than the bank bonds. 

So for example you can right now buy a Gov of Canada GIC bond and get rate of 5%. It's risk free and in 5 years you get your principal back as well. So why would these investors not buy a bond, but loan to a poor Muslim such as you or me to buy a home? So they get a better return than the bond, of course. 

And since you cannot make money off a loan, this whole house transaction is structured as a business partnership (shares in the house and all that). Ultimately you end up paying a profit margin of around 7-8% because these investors want to beat the bond market. 

It would be simple if the Islamic bank just bought and sold the house to you, right?  Take this example: say this investor buys a house at $500 K and sells to a Muslim family at 650K the day later. Guaranteed profit, but of course the average family will take years to pay back. Say 10 years for our example. 

The rate of return is actually 30%. But over the 10 years it's less than 3% rate of return. The investor will say, I will just buy the bond.

Hence the Islamic bank will have to entice them with a better rate. No one will buy a $500K house for $1 million, so they have to do all that shares business nonsense to structure it in a "halal" way.

In the end, none of these loans are truly 100% halal - some are just more Islamic than others. Remember, all of them renegotiate the loan very 5 years ... this is a big problem from an Islamic fiqh point of view. The problem is that they are trying to square a round hole - make money off a loan.

As a Muslim, can I even justify voting for the Trudeau Liberals?

Let me wind the clock back twenty three years ago. We all know the horrific events that happened on that fateful day in September, and how four planes with criminals on board destroyed the lives of many people. GW Bush was the President of USA, and Chretien was PM of Canada. Chretien was a Liberal, and Bush a Republican.

Those of you who are too young to remember the times are lucky. We lived through a time where our faith was maligned every day, where charlatans like Tarek Fatah took advantage to ridicule the Islamic faith for money, and where sellouts were prevalent, helping foster a climate of Islamophobia, racism and extreme hatred. Laws would come out every other day targeting Muslims, and the very existence of Islam in North America was a question.

We survived. It wasn't easy. I remember the times USA started to discriminate against Canadians entering USA who were Muslim. It was Chretien who stood up to the Americans and gave them a stern warning. I remember the NDP leader in parliament saying Osama, Omar were all Canadian names as well. The Conservatives were conspicuous by their absence. In fact, Stephen Harper relished the environment. 

As the drumbeats for the war in Iraq started to intensify, it took all the diplomatic skills and integrity of Chretien to say 'No'. Britain couldn't do it, and Tony Blair became Bush's poodle. France said No, and were roundly punished by USA diplomatically. Canada said No, but somehow maneuvered around the diplomatic fallout by committing more troops in Afghanistan. We escaped Iraq, but I cannot forget Stephen Harper. He was the Leader of the Opposition, and was so angry we were not in Iraq that he took out an ad in Wall Street Journal, writing against Canada's decision. 

Times changed, and soon Stephen Harper became the PM. He did not change, however. In a famous interview with CBC, he said the greatest danger to Canada was "Islamicism". He scapegoated Muslims, and I have written about his Islamophobia here in an article - The Racism of Stephen Harper Conservatives. 

Harper led the country economically very well, particularly through the 2007-2009 crisis. However, when he finally got his majority, his true self came out. Who can forget the Niqab ban, the Second Class Citizenship rule, the Barbaric Practices phone line. Canadians had enough.

The election of Justin Trudeau in 2015 wasn't only a remedy to Harper, it was badly needed. Canada was slipping truly into a horrible place, and Trudeau and his sunny ways managed to course correct - a lot.

There was a very uneasy alliance between the political left in Canada (and USA), and the Muslim community. For the majority of Muslims are actually conservative (small c) in their values, but do not vote for the right because of Islamophobia and racism. It is still true in the USA, even though a third of Muslims there voted for Trump in 2020. This is an uneasy alliance because the main values that the left supports - LGBTQ, reduced role of marriage, gay marriage, trans sexuality, legalization of drugs, assisted suicide, extreme feminism, political correctness, cancel culture, ridiculous government benefits and large government programs, high taxes - these all run counter to Muslims and their values. Yet Muslims keep voting for the left in large numbers due to the main reason - Racism and Islamophobia by the right. It's an existential crisis versus a crisis of values.

Trudeau understood it well. On the election night of 2015, as he gave his winning speech, he spoke of the Muslim girl whose mother had asked him about Hijab (now we know the child was actually a boy). On becoming the Prime Minister, he did all the right things. He set the right tone, especially after the horrific Quebec massacre. He promoted diversity and spoke against racism and hatred. "Sunny ways", as he said, was dominating Canada. 

Yet, somewhere, those other uneasy alliances also started to creep up. For so long, Liberals had carefully walked the centre (which is why they are the West's most successful political party). Under Trudeau, the Liberals took a hard turn to the left.

Weed has been legalized all over Canada. It is now hard to walk in any major park in a city and not come across the foul smell of marijuana. It is everywhere, along with an opioid and drug crisis that seems to wreck urban centres, such as Vancouver.

Crime is out of control, especially post pandemic. Car thefts, random stabbings, house break ins, armed robbery all seem to be on the rise, along with gang violence. Many blame the Liberal's soft on crime approach, and especially their reformed bail laws, which let many violent criminals out of jail soon - only to re-offend. The right traditionally favours a tough on crime attitude (indeed many say Harper became PM because of the Boxing Day shooting in Toronto in 2005). 

LGBTQ propaganda is not just everywhere , it is in our schools and shoved down the throats of our impressionable children. It is no longer just OK to be tolerant and accept different values; we now have to renounce our own opinions and feelings about the issue. Trudeau passed the horrible Bill C16 which has led to teachers in Oakville who were born male wear giant prosthetic breasts, dress as a female and teach children, with the school board unable to intervene. Teachers are teaching rainbow coalitions to children as young as Grade 4, and in Ontario the Premier Wynne was booted after she tried to teach masturbation to kids as young as 6 years old. In British Columbia, a father has been prevented by the court from interfering with his twelve year old child's decision to undertake surgery to change gender. Puberty blocking drags and castration (called gender change surgery) are now prevalent. Trudeau even made a guest appearance on a drag queen show on TV.

Hard core extreme feminism is pushed everywhere, not least in the cabinet. You cannot write against it for fear of employment, as even licensing bodies are threatening your freedom of speech. And if you get past that, it is the government's bill C11 which is going to censure you. We should have gotten a glimpse when Trudeau forbid anyone from his own party from having any beliefs of abortion that ran counter to the main feminist view. That was an early sign which we all ignored.

It is no longer possible to have a single income family in Canada. Previously, a husband could work and earn and provide for his family while the mother took care of raising the children. This was the traditional model in Canada for a long time. Under Trudeau, his policies along with rising inflation has killed that ideal. Right now, you HAVE to work, and your spouse HAS to work, because simply there is no other option.

Trudeau is bringing millions of new immigrants to Canada without any plan. There is already lots of pressure on housing, on health care, on schools and on jobs. How can we accommodate the millions of new people while the ones here are already suffering?

As a Muslim, you may have been saved from racism by the Liberals, but they are attacking every aspect of your way of life. Your morals, the value of marriage, the reliability of good old traditional social values that made society work, the value of hard work, the value of your dollar - everything is under threat by Trudeau and his minions. 

So, the question is, can we still vote for the Liberals?

I will be voting for a man who has turned a blind eye to his own ministers giving their friends lucrative government contracts - in effect stealing from the public purse. He himself blew $30,000 on a luxury hotel in London for 5 nights. I will be voting for a man who comes after my children, my values, my religion, my speech, my worship and my wallet - every chance he gets. How can I justify voting for him?

It will all depend on the Opposition. If the Conservatives can get their act together, and show us that they have learned from 2015, and they do not intend to resurrect the racism and xenophobia, they may have a chance. After all, most of their values closely align with not only Muslims, but many immigrants.

The ball is in your court, Pierre Poilievre. 

5 Ways How Early Islamic Empires Dealt With Inflation

TLDR version: Promote business, trade, production of goods and competition

Long version:

In a way, today's inflation is one of the signs of the Hour. 

" ... the increase of wealth to such an extent that even if one is given one hundred Dinars, he will not be satisfied ..." Said our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and it certainly applies today.

It is well known that Islam bans interest, and early Islamic empires (in fact, generally up to the Ottomans in the 14th century) faithfully followed this doctrine. There were no small kingdoms - the Ummayyad Empire was the largest empire in history at the time of its existence, stretching from Spain to the borders of India. With such complex trade routes, variety of products and constant warfare, inflation was always a possibility. How did these governments deal with inflation, when there is no interest rate to raise?

What causes inflation? Inflation is caused either by having surplus means of payments (including higher quantity of money in a society) or shortage of general supply. In other words, it deals with supply and demand, but in a general matter that touches all goods and services in economy.

This is how Islamic governments dealt with inflation:

1. No price fixing.

Inflation happened during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). During the second year of Hijrah, prices rose and people wanted him to fix the prices. He refused [1].

2. Emphasize trade, and zero interest

“Whereas Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba (interet) ”(excerpt from; Surah Baqarah, 2-275).

Trading is real economic activity. In light of the above verse, Allah is emphasizing on trading or productivity, while Riba or interest has been made forbidden. Islamic governments encouraged trade, facilitated trade, and reduced barriers to entry for trade. As per Islamic philosophy, the use of ‘interest’, only helps rich or capitalists to multiply and control the wealth, which has specifically been referred in; Al-Quran 3-130.

No interest also meant far less credit available for investors for risky ventures that could result in big losses.

3. Preventing monopolies and hoarding

Monopolies, by their nature, lead to lack of competition through inhibiting innovation and quality, generally causing harm by driving prices upwards through restricting supply and leading to injustice. The Prophet Muhammad pbuh clearly criticised this [2]. He prohibited hoarding (one person buying up all the supplies to drive up demand).

4. Zakat and Awqaf

All Muslims (and their incorporated businesses in today's world) will have to pay zakat. Roughly this is 2.5% of all the savings (separate calculations are there for farm stock and cattle and gold/silver). Thus there was a natural incentive not to store money, but invest in business. 

Zakat being applied on the sale price acts to disincentivize artificially pushing prices up as a natural consequence, since increased prices of stock held would mean an increase in the amount of money required to pay the zakat.

Awqāf (Arabic for endowments, singular waqf) are a special kind of philanthropic deed in perpetuity, involving the donation of a sustainable asset that can produce a financial return or benefit, which then serves specific beneficiaries. The beauty of awqāf is its unrestricted nature vis-a-vis zakāh. Since awqāf utilise capital investment and then distribute the income/produce generated for social benefit, they can be set up to provide for the basic needs of people.

5. Government action on protectionism, and on supply and demand

While the Islamic government could not fix prices (and does not have any interest rate to manipulate), they would act both to protect the domestic economy as well as take action when there is a shortage of certain goods in the market. For example, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) created a separate market place for the nascent Muslim community in his very first year, enabling them to trade with each other without relying on other communities. He also prohibited a local city dweller from acting as an agent for a visitor, so cutting down the middleman.

Similarly, in the famine year, which was called Ramadha (ashes) year, when famine occurred only in Hijaz due to food shortage in that year and thus food prices increased, Caliph ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab did not fix the prices of the foodstuffs. Rather he ordered supplies of foodstuffs from Egypt and ash-Sham to be sent to the Hijaz; thus prices dropped without the need for pricing.

It should also be noted that early Islamic empires (especially the Rashidun Caliphate) had a type of minimum wage (established under Caliph Umar where if the salary given to a slave was less than what he needed to live, the master would be punished for any crime committed by the slave to satisfy his hunger ), a type of guaranteed income (Caliph Abu Bakr would give essentials such as grain, blankets etc. to citizens), as well as a stipend for some notable members of the community.

In conclusion:

Under an Islamic economy, goods and services would be subject to natural market conditions, being driven by supply and demand in their purest sense, without interest-based credit distorting every level of the supply chain. Whilst Islam promotes a laissez-faire approach to market regulation, placing no prohibition on growth or price controls, it balances this with intervention by protecting the fundamentals required to live (such as staple foods and by extension utilities) under extreme circumstances to protect the consumer from being taken advantage of.

References:

1. 

Imam Ahmad narrated from Anas who said: “Prices increased at the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), so they said, O Messenger of Allah, we wish would you price (fix the prices). He (pbuh) said: “Indeed Allah is the Creator, the holder (Qabidh), the Open-handed (Basit), the Provider (Raziq), the Pricer (who fixes prices); and I wish I will meet Allah and nobody demands (complains) of me for unjust act I did against him, neither in blood or property.”

https://systemofislam.com/index.php/14-the-prohibited-methods-of-increasing-ownership/14-6-price-fixing.html

Also Abu Dawud narrated from Abu Huraira, He said, “A man came and said, O Messenger of Allah, fix prices. He (pbuh) said: “Rather Allah reduces and increases.” 

2. 

“Whoever withholds food [in order to raise its price] has certainly erred!"

“Whoever strives to increase the cost [of products] for Muslims, Allah, the Exalted, will seat him in the centre of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection."

“What an evil person is the one who withholds! If Allah causes the prices to drop, he would be saddened, and if He causes them to climb, he would be excited."

https://iceurope.org/10-ways-to-manage-the-current-inflation-crisis-an-islamic-perspective/

Gays, Homosexuality and Islam

Let's talk about gays, homosexuality and Islam. 

One of the big, BIG, mistakes Muslims make is assuming our position is the SAME as that of fundamentalist (or Evangelical) Christians, or orthodox Jews. Similar to the debate on abortion, evolution - Islam has its own take. Some similarities, but also a LOT of differences.

First and foremost, Islam does not deny the existence of gays (unlike a former President of Iran).  Even during the time of Prophet Muhammad pbuh, there used to be people called Mukhannathun (effeminate men). Ladies did not even observe hijab from these men and many senior female Companions employed them as servants. These are mentioned in several hadith.

Second, scholars also note an important distinction on the curse applied to Mukhannathun (and those who cannot be employed by women). This only refers to those mukhanathun who are pretending and not actually lacking desire for women. As for those who are not pretending, they are allowed to enter upon women. Similarly, Islamic scholars like Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani stated that all mukhannathun must make an effort to cease their feminine behavior, but if this proved impossible, they were not worthy of punishment. Those who made no effort to become less "effeminate", or seemed to "take pleasure in (his effeminacy)", were worthy of blame.

So you can already see that there is an acknowledgement of gays (and by extension lesbians) in early Islamic history, as well as rulings on acceptable behaviour. Punishments of gay behaviour used to be for public displays of lewdness, but not private sins (unless publicly admitted), and used to differ from Caliph to Caliph. There was also an attempt made to distinguish between nature (what you naturally are) and nurture (what you attempt to become). The later Umayyads persecuted these people (but to be honest, the later Umayyads persecuted everyone). There is rich history of them mentioned in Arabic literature, particularly during the Abbasid era.

Now to the most important ruling - what is Islam's stance on homosexuality? 

It is evidently clear and precise. The homosexual act is to be condemned; it's a sin and an abomination, as evident from the Quran. There is no ambiguity in it. The story of the Prophet Lut (Lot) is mentioned in the Quran, and although it differs from the Bible in crucial details, it has the same moral message. 

Here is another difference. The ACT itself is haram. It is a sin. 

So if you are gay, and you are inclined to the act, that itself is not a sin, but if you act on your desires, you are committing a sin. If the sin is committed privately and you repent, it is forgiven. As long as you repent genuinely and try to avoid the sin, you are forgiven, EVEN if you fall into the sin from time to time.

The big sin is in public display. So if you are a believing Muslim who has gay inclinations, you are not to announce your sin publicly (to be honest you should not announce ANY sin publicly). You cannot promote the lifestyle, nor can you say it is normal and OK (as that would be disbelief in the Quran and take you out of Islam). It is considered a big test and everyone is tested differently.

Note this does not cover trans people or intergender people, whose cases are different. Again, that's a separate topic, but it IS covered in Islam. One madhab, for example, allows a trans person to choose his or her gender differently to what they normally express as during times of inheritance. 

If you are a modern, secular person, obviously you will have a lot of disagreement with the various parts of this writing, as you do not believe homosexuality to be a sin. That is fine. To you is your religion.

If I have made any mistakes in this writing, it is mine. Please do your own research.

Sources:

1. Effeminates of Early Medina
2. Islamweb fatwa on who the curse applied to
3. an-Nawawi. "Al-Minhaj bi Sharh Sahih Muslim". Shamela. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018

Why Didn't Allah Come To Save Him?

I was shopping in Walmart for groceries. I had just put some bananas on the cart. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me.

"Excuse me! How do you know which banana is good?"

I turned around. It was a middle aged lady, and she had Asian (Chinese) features, and she spoke impeccable English.

"Um ... I don't really have a method." I replied, trying to maintain the social distance. "I just don't pick ones that are too ripe."

"You are Muslim, right?"

The sudden change in conversation startled me. She had also pronounced it Mozlem.

Shields up!

"Yes, I am." I replied, suddenly wary. What was she up to?

"Look. Let me show you this." She suddenly whipped out her phone, opened WhatsApp and started to play a video. "You should see this, since you are Muslim."

"Well ..." I replied, slowly backing away just a little bit. "Why don't you just tell me what the video is about?"

I didn't know why I was continuing the conversation, but my interest was piqued. Just a bit. Let's see where this goes.

"Well this video ..." The lady paused to forward the video. "It's about a man. He was also Muslim. He had a terrible disease. For five years he prayed to Allah. But Allah did not save him. One day he saw our lord Jesus Christ in his dream. And then he was cured."

The lady then turned to fix a steely gaze at me.

"Why didn't Allah come to save him?" She asked emphatically.

"Well ..." I replied, thinking fast. "So he prayed to Allah all this time ... for four years."

"Yes, five years." She corrected me impatiently. "And nothing happened."

"And then the man saw Jesus in his dream." I said. "And he was cured?"

"Jesus saved him." The lady declared. "And Jesus can save you too. Allah didn't come for this man, but Jesus did. Why didn't Allah come to save him?"

"Maybe ..." I started to speak slowly for emphasis. "Maybe Allah sent Jesus to save this man."

The lady blinked. Time literally froze for her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well ... he kept praying to Allah, so Allah sent Jesus to save this man. How do you know Allah did NOT send Jesus to him?"

"No! That's not how it works." She shook her head.

"Think." I urged her. "You believe God sent Jesus to this world to save humanity. So it's not a big deal if this God - whom we call Allah - just sent Jesus (in a dream, mind you) to save this ONE man. So what's the big deal?"

"No ... no ... no." The lady shook her head. "You are not getting it. I will pray for you."

And she walked away.

Is this world a simulation?

As a believing and practicing Muslim who also loves science fiction, I find the recent musings of some key figures (such as Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson) that "this world is a simulation" very fascinating. These quasi-philosophers (and I like to play one on the internet) say that we are all avatars, or characters, in some big simulation and nothing is "real".

We know from our religion that our souls (programs?) are created separate from our bodies (avatars) that exist only in this world. We know that the sun and the moon are precisely programmed (Quran, 55:5). In this world, everything we do is recorded by the angels in a scroll (our activity log).

We know that God created the universe in 6 days. In Islam, we have long accepted that these "days" are not like our 24 hour days, unlike Christianity. And part of the reason is that we know this universe took millions of years to take shape. And God says His day is not like our days. But consider that on His day 1 He ran Day1.exe. On His day 2, He ran day2.exe. I am just speaking in terms a computer layman can understand, but you get the point. The time inside a simulation does not mean the same time outside the simulation. We know this from our own simulations, such as SimCity or The Sims. And you don't even need time dilation to explain this.

Since Allah is the creator of everything (39:62, 13:16 etc), He is also the Creator of Time and Space.. He is not bound by constraints of Time and Space. That exists for us inside our reality (our simulation?).

Just to throw a spanner in the works: If it were proven that we live in a simulation, that would prove a creator, but not a perfect creator. Since our Creator is perfect, one would expect that the simulation would be perfect. If a simulation is only detected by its flaws, we would probably never know.

Then, Allah says in the Quran: "And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion." (Quran, 3:185).

The final answer: We probably wouldn't know. And after death (game over), we probably wouldn't care, except our final score!

Reflections of Bakri Eid (or Eid ul Adha)

It used to be growing up that Eid ul Adha was often the bigger Eid. Going to the cow market, choosing your cow or goat, then bringing it home and caring for it. And then, on Eid day, watch - a little sad but also a little awed - as four men wrestle with the ropes and bring the cow down, before the throat is slit and the cow is sacrificed. And if it's a goat, one or two is enough to kill the goat. Skinning of the animal was done next, followed by cutting up of the meat.

Soon you are busy helping the adults sort the meat into three piles. One for yourself. One for the friends and relatives. One for the poor. Although it is not mandatory to donate or give the meat - you can keep everything for yourself, most people do donate.

Growing up, this Eid taught me many lessons. First, it taught me that where food comes from. The burger or hot dog is not magically there, it is there because a life was taken to feed me. So don't waste food, especially meat. Second, it taught me that while human life is preferred over animal life (the animal is killed to feed us), it also means we have to be responsible and to take care of our environment. Kill the animal in a humane manner. And finally, it is about sacrifice. We are taking care of the animal for a week before we kill it. You do grow attached to it. And then you have to sacrifice of what is dear to you. This is a recurring theme of life.

Once I was in Canada, suddenly Eid ul Fitr became the "bigger" Eid. It was suddenly hard to fast in Canada when everyone else is eating. While Ramadan here is fun in its own way, especially the night prayers, Eid ul Fitr becomes the day you rejoin the "normal" Canadians in eating and drinking. Whereas for Eid ul Adha, you just order a Qurbani from the butcher, and then go on Day 1 or 2 of the Eid to simply pick up your meat. It's Eid, delivered.

I was fine with it, but what about the kids? What would they know about our rich history of Eid ul Adha? For this reason, last year I took my older son to the farm on day 2 of Eid. Day 2 is always far, far less busy than Eid day itself (you can sacrifice on any of the three days). We picked a fat goat. After petting it and taking pictures with it, the goat was taken by the butcher to the slaughter place. I told my son about the history of Eid, of Ibrahim (pbuh) and why we do what we do. I thought the concept might be difficult, but kids have remarkable tendency to process religion. We do what we can.

This year we are giving Qurbani again, but not here. I also plan to ask my sons to take a little of the Eidi they get, and donate a part to the poor. Let them feel the pinch of sacrifice. This is how I try, little as I can, to build the traditions.

How do you build your Eid traditions? What are your Eid memories? Do share.

Why "My Body, My Choice" and Abortion is Infanticide

This is going to be a post about abortion, given the recent wave of laws being passed in the US. Even though my own position is that I would like the government to stay out of it, in the future if a Conservative government were to bring the legislation that abortion is to be banned except in case of rape / incest, health of the mother, or genetic defects of the fetus, I would be fine with it.

I am going to present some statistics that sometimes women (feminists) do not consider. Do you know, for example, that over 3000 children (viable, breathing, living children) are killed in the name of abortion every year? Please read on - this is the logical conclusion of "my body, my choice".

All Canadian data is from Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Where needed, US data is from CDC.

1. Canada has around 98,000 abortions / year (2016). This is down from 100,000+ abortions in 2014.
2. Approximately 1 in 5 (20%) of Canadian pregnancies end in an abortion.
3. The most common age for women having an abortion is 18-34 (76%). Breaking it down further, 27% of abortions are done for women aged 25-29.
4. 83% of abortions occur before the fetus is 12 weeks. 3.3% occur after 21 weeks.
5. Only 1.5% of abortions are for rape or incest reasons, and another 2% are for health reasons (mother and child).

These numbers do not include private hospitals who are not required to report data. Now take a look at the above data. What does this tell you?

The overwhelming number of abortions occur due to young women deciding they do not want a baby at this time. This is not rape, this is not incest, this is not health reasons - those are the extreme emotional cases the left wing feminists try to force into the discussion; but their numbers are negligible. The OVERWHELMING number of abortions in Canada are young women deciding nah, I don't want a child at THIS time of my life.

ISN'T that selfish? Isn't that putting your own ego and desires above the moral code of life? YOU chose to have sex; no one forced you - and then your night of pleasure ended in a pregnancy, and now you are decided to kill the baby because convenience. How is that morally ANY different from a farmer in India who decides his wife should get an abortion because the fetus is a girl? HOW?

Take a look at the extreme end of the abortions - the 3.3% occurring after 21 weeks. Science agrees a fetus is viable after 24 weeks. We all know it's a living being way before that. Most religions agree life begins way before that. Yet in Canada, even accounting for rape, health, genetic defects, about 3000 such lives are taken every year. At that far in pregnancy, surgical or chemical abortion is not viable - the lady is induced into labour, and then then child (no longer a fetus) is KILLED.

There is actually a legal debate happening now in the States - a bill that would FORCE doctors to provide care to these children (babies, really) as if they were real, living babies - WHICH THEY ARE! Think about it, if a woman normally went into labour at 24 weeks, the doctors would do everything in their power to save the premature child. Here, the woman is induced to labour, and the resulting baby is then killed. The US law is called "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" , and the Democrats (and their feminist patrons) blocked it. This is why Trump will win again. On these moral issues, he is actually on the right side of it (pun intended).

This is the logical end of "my body, my choice" - actual INFANTICIDE that we are condoning when we say we are "pro-choice". As a society, we have already turned away from God. We now condone adultery (consensual sex, one night stands), we condone children out of wedlock (common law), we condone infanticide (abortion) and we are told religion should be personal. So is it any surprise that when the religious right wins elections, they are trying to bring back morality into the law? Yes, the religious right has lots of issues in North America, but on this particular issue, they appear to be on the right (pun, again intended). 

On Dina Tokio Taking Her Hijab Off

It's her own effing business!

Homosexuality, Minority and Human Rights, and Islam

India's Supreme Court today has recognized gay sex, and has deemed that it is no longer a "criminal offense". Despite opposition from India's Hindutva movement and religious conservatives, especially in the vast rural heartland, this decision is from the nation's highest court and is the final say on the matter.

As someone who has lived in Canada for the last two decades, and where gay marriage was legalized more than ten years ago, it's interesting to see the evolving nature of how various countries (and communities) deal with homosexuality, from desire to practice. Just this week, in Malaysia two lesbians were caned for engaging in sex in a car in a public space. Meanwhile, there is a huge concentrated push in North American Muslim circles to accept not only feminism, but LGBTQ as legitimate causes to get behind.

While politically this is in large part due to the pro-left stance of many Muslim organizations (especially in the USA), with the right actively demonizing Muslims, but it is also due to general trend in greater acceptance of LGBTQ behaviour and causes. In light of all of this, let's see how it plays out in various angles.

Religion

From a religious point of view it is very clear what is Islam's (and any major religion's) stance on homosexuality. You can "re-interpret" it any way you like, the story of Prophet Lut (known in the Bible as Lot, peace be upon him) is pretty clear. His people were engaged in the sin of homosexuality, and Allah punished the whole community who were engaged in this "evil and unnatural act", sparing only Prophet Lut and his followers. The parable, and the conclusion, is pretty clear.

Or, is it?

Remember, that Islam has a core stance of basic dignity and rights of all peoples, and differentiates it from promoting homosexuality and the actions associated with it. Allah has given humanity a choice, as mentioned many times in the Quran, and man exercises the choice in either following the laws of the Quran or going against them.

So being gay is not a sin in itself. It is a desire of the body, and a temptation of the nafs. What is a sin is when you act on that desire. This is clear from numerous source in religion, and in particular the story of the wife of the soldier during Caliph Umar's time who wanted to commit adultery but didn't. Many other stories and incidents make it clear that desire itself is not a sin. For someone who is gay, we Muslims do not need to debate on nature vs nurture. It is enough to know that you may have these tendencies - it doesn't matter how it developed. What matters is whether you act on it.

And what if you act on it? Again, from numerous source in how Islamic law is applied, especially during the early Caliphate, we know that only public manifestations of the act were punished. What you do in your private space is left between you and Allah, and many times Allah has said He will forgive those sins that the sinner does not publicize. This is the crux of what happened in Malaysia.

So from an Islamic point of view, it is clear: homosexuality (just like incest) is an unnatural desire and should never be acted upon. If someone has those tendencies, they need counselling, love, understanding and guidance. And if they fall into sin, repentance and forgiveness.

Minority and Human Rights in Political Sense

That is theory. Now let's go to the practice. 

We are living in Canada. An officially secular state where no religion (in theory) has supremacy (even though Christianity has a privilege) and where same sex marriage is legal and same sex relations are normal. We are expected to support LGBTQ rights around the world and advocate for same sex marriage everywhere. In that scenario, what should our stance be?

To me, people complicate the situation far more than it needs to be.

Weed is becoming legal in Canada soon. It doesn't change the fact I personally will not do it, or that it is haram in Islam, or that I won't encourage my kids to try it, or that I will accept an imam in my community saying it is OK. We have a personal practice of our religion, aided by our community, and then we have a code of conduct in Canada as a whole. it is the same with same sex relations and homosexuality. 

We will never advocate violence against those with different beliefs. If tomorrow someone wants to argue that incest should be legalized (it's still a crime), we wouldn't advocate violence against that individual. If that person is our colleague or student, it doesn't change the working nature of that relationship. We still have rights on each other as community members. Just because we do not accept one aspect of that person's sexuality, it doesn't mean we do not love or accept that person for who he or she is.

The Question

Lakum deenukum waliya deen. To you your religion, and to me mine. Live and let live.

I am officially neutral on same sex marriage. I have no strong feelings either way on this. In Canada it's a done deal, a finished debate. But it's not a finished agenda, is it?

Now it has become that if you do not condone, or promote this way of life, you are a bigot. You are someone who promotes hatred. If you do not attend Pride Week you are a hatemonger. Why? Why can't you accept my beliefs on this topic, just as you ask me to accept your way of life?

That is now the next question.

My Problem with the #metoo Movement

Let me just say straight off the bat that I am not an ardent feminist. Too often feminism today is used as a cudgel to spread hatred against men, organized religion and the clergy, as well as promote rampant deviant sexual behaviour and norms. I am a feminist when it comes to equal pay for equal work, equal legal rights under a secular legal system, and a workplace free from unwanted sexual harassment. However, too often nowadays feminism is much broader than that, and encompasses such radical ideas (such as #SlutWalk or female imams for mixed congregations) that it is impossible to say "I am a feminist". Especially when they provide blanket support to the #meToo movement.

Now the #meToo movment has had a lot of positive impact. It's hard to deny that sexual harassment occurs, and has occurred, especially in  highly competitive industries such as entertainment, media and politics. While harassment by definition targets both genders (such as the famous Kevin Spacey case), the overwhelming number of times it is the male perpetrator against a female victim. The #meToo movement has brought out these cases in the public and made it easy for women to report such advances, as well as brought on awareness. That is a good thing.

However, there are serious problems.

1. All women who allege harassment are speaking the truth and their allegations are to be believed.

There is a concentrated effort to say that ANY women who alleges certain harassment allegations is speaking the truth (because why would women lie) and therefore MUST be believed. Why would a woman come out with these "troubling incidents" if it wasn't true? Pardon my French, but what sort of legalized weed are you smoking?

The best example of this nonsense was during the celebrated Jian Ghomeshi trial. Even though Ghomeshi was legally charged and then legally acquitted of ALL five charges, rabid feminists still insisted that we MUST believe the women who came out with claims of non-consensual sex against him. EVEN though the court of the land found him not guilty. Even though the defense lawyer was able to prove inconsistencies in the witness's statements. Even though there were records of the alleged "victim" saying she loved what was done to her, after the incident. In an ironic twist, these same radical feminists turned on his lawyer Marie Henein - a female - for daring to take on the case and defend her client. You know, doing her job. Apparently the right to choose only goes so far.

Women lie. Women can lie. Take the case of Patrick Brown. The poor guy was all set to become the Premier of Ontario when two unproven allegations derailed his career overnight. His own political party, besotted with lust for power, turfed him. Then it turned out one of those cases had a glaring dishonesty, and now the whole thing is in front of the courts.

No one should be immediately believed when they bring forth a case of sexual allegation. Rather, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is, and should always remain, on the accuser.

2. A woman should be able to remain anonymous when she makes the accusation.

Take the case of Aziz Ansari (and more on that in the third point). I am no fan of Aziz Ansari. I don't find him funny, I don't find him relevant and I hardly watch any of his shows. I also hate the fact that he is presented as a "true good liberal Muslim" and anyone who is not like him is a fundamental extremist. Anyone who drinks alcohol, has premarital sex, and presents those things as proper and not Islamic cannot be a good Muslim.

Yet, his career threatened to unravel when someone (called "Grace") wrote an article, anonymously, accusing him of sexual harassment. Almost overnight he was embroiled in the scandal and lucky for him it unraveled quickly enough. But again, you say that the accuser should be known so the accused can publicly defend himself (or herself), and then you will be accused of "victim shaming". Whatever that means.

I understand there is sometimes reasons for concealing the name of the accused, especially if the person being accused is in a position of power. However, this is only in case of an investigation (either from work's HR or from the legal prosecution). After the investigation is over and a charge is made, the name of the accuser and the accused should be a matter for public record. There should be no trial by media. Which brings me to my final point.

3. A bad choice by a woman is not a sexual harassment.

If you consented to it, without there being pressure of losing your job or life or something similar, it cannot be sexual harassment. Take the same Aziz Ansari case. It was a first class example of a date gone wrong (if it's true), but it's not sexual harassment. If he asked for something, and you gave in, you can't say he forced you. If you had said no, would he have harmed you? If not, then it's on you, not on him. Yet the #meToo movement ignores this vital aspect.

Another thing it ignores is that women are conscious, thinking individuals who are adults making their own sexual choices. Take the celebrated Nouman Ali Khan case, for example. Let us say it's true, and for argument's sake let us assume the scholar did marry (and then divorce) many women.

Did he force those women into marriage? Did he threaten those women's livelihood or life if they did not marry him? Did they not willingly start an affair with him, or exchange sexually graphic messages and texts? Are they not equally guilty?

All of this is of course if you believe the story, for argument's sake. Yet the feminists will say no, only the scholar is guilty. Why? Something called "spiritual abuse". Whatever the fudge that means.

Completely ignored is the fact that just as people can be attracted to beauty, they can also be attracted to power. Whether that power is political, economical, or the flowering oratory of a preacher who commands the attention of millions, is irrelevant. If people feel an attraction towards a preacher because of his position, that is not "spiritual abuse". That is giving in to your momentary desires and lust, and then later regretting it and trying to blame the guy, calling it "spiritual abuse".

IF it's true. Till now we have no idea WHAT the specific allegations against Nouman Ali Khan is or WHO even are the accusers. But feminists will tell you it doesn't matter, just believe these unknown, unnamed women who are "hinting" at something. So a man's career and life's work must be ruined, because, feminism. #meToo.

When Feminism Is Superior to The Prophet, Reevaluate

When your feminism causes you to downplay the Prophet, you gotta rethink your values.

Take a look at this article: "Give Muhammad A Chance"

In this article, the writer (cheered on by other women of similar ilk) says Khadijah was the prize, not Muhammad (pbuh) , and she married down and gave him a chance (and then compares herself to Khadijah and her husband to Muhammad (pbuh) and then congratulates herself).

Now I wish this writer all the best in her life. But Khadijah liked Muhammad and proposed to him. In a society where women weren't respected much, this shows the elevated stature and maturity of a woman like Khadija (who was around 3 years older than Muhammad (pbuh)). Why did Khadija like Muhammad (pbuh)?

Because he was different from other men. He was honest. He was trust worthy. He cared for the oppressed. He cared for the orphans. He never wished ill on others. This is what Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) herself testified on the night of the first revelation.  

 

The writer says, "At the time of marriage, Khadijah (ra) was the prize, not Muhammad (saw)."

 

I am not going to say either of them was the "prize", or that one of them married down or up. Theirs was a holy marriage made in heaven where each partner supported the other. Trying to twist that marriage to fit one's feminist narrative is falsehood at its worst.

Again there are many things wrong in our society. But we don't need to twist Islamic history to fit our narrative agenda to "solve" these problems.

The Nouman Ali Khan "Scandal"

The last two weeks or so had seen the Nouman Ali Khan scandal ( with various hashtags such as #NAK #NAKScandal #MakeDuaMyHotFantasy ) trending on the Muslim social media, particularly in North America. When it came out, it immediately captured everyone's attention as Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan enjoys such a high and stellar reputation. His work on making the Holy Quran accessible in the English language is unparalleled in the modern times.

Of course, he denied all allegations, while claiming to be never a perfect man. And to be fair to him, there were really no allegations - simply slander, innuendo and hearsay. Spread mostly by feminist blogs, all the accusers were mute on what he exactly did or stands accused of, except that they called him an 'abuser' or a 'predatory daee'.

Now at that time, after remaining silent for some time, I released a video.

My thoughts on Nouman Ali Khan "Allegations", the curse of feminists

At the time the scandal broke, we only had one duty. We had to presume our brother was innocent, and we MUST demand a proper evidence from the accusers, and an exact accusation. This was the summary of my video.

One of the bloggers, someone whom I have a lot of respect for the work she does otherwise, later stated: "The public revelation regarding NAK was not handled in an ideal manner."

Exactly.

When making an accusation against someone with a stature like Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan, there should be no ambiguity, and the accusation should be crystal clear. If the accusers had come out straight away and said exactly what they accused the preacher of, and the witnesses, and time of alleged incidents, there would no fitnah, and they would be following the proper way to do things. Instead, we had a huge mess, and the community was "either you support a molester and you are anti-women" or "you hate Islam and are trying to take down one of the men of God".

On October 3, 2017, a statement was released by a few prominent Muslims on this scandal.

This statement should certainly make anyone pause. While you defend your brother, you must also keep an open mind when an evidence is presented. Here, very strong, credible people are saying your brother has done something wrong, so their statement must be given proper weight.

However, while this statement is a step in the right direction, there is still a lot of innuendo. What exactly is "spiritual abuse"? Also, the scholars should have listed the exact behaviour they found "conduct unbecoming of any believer". For example, if you strictly believe in zabiha slaughter, if I eat a Big Mac at McDonalds is that "conduct unbecoming of any believer"? 

Thus, if the original victims are NOT ready to come out and say exactly what they are accusing the preacher of, then this discussion is still moot. those who "broke" the original story: you should not have said anything unless the 'victims' are ready to come out and say it. Until they are ready to be public, this is a private matter and best left private.

I do not subscribe to this mentality of hiding the victims' name. Nor do I even know for sure if they are victims, or spurned women now out for revenge. This is not a "bro club" thing. It is following proper process. The women who are involved with the Ustadh, allegedly, were not forced or coerced into a relationship. They went in with full eyes open, supposedly. They are adults. This notion of hiding the names of women accusers, believing them blindly, and blaming the man all the time is a very extreme feminism trait. If we are to support the victims, we have to know who the victims are and how they have been victimized.

You have to ask yourself, at the end of all of this mess, what exactly has been achieved? How has justice been supported? What is the end game?

The only thing that is remaining is a big, holy mess.

Ten Eid Ul Adha Etiquettes

(these are not necessarily from hadith or sunnah or religion, but also from my common sense)

 1. If you are collecting the meat from a butcher, there will be people on the day of Eid at the butcher asking you for meat as charity. Do not question their integrity (I am not aware of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ever investigating the financial well being of a person asking him for charity). Just donate a little meat to them. Because of the refugee crisis in the USA and the world, there are a lot of needy people in and around Toronto.

2. When visiting a house, do not ask "have you given a sacrifice" as you don't know their personal economical situation. They may be paying off a debt or some other expense which takes priority over the ritual sacrifice.

3. In the case that you visit a house where you KNOW the people to be financially well off and somewhat non-observant, it is OK to tell them about udhiya and sacrifice and charity, as we are asked to preach the goodness of our religion.

4. If you owe someone money for the sacrifice (say the organizer of your group) please pay it off immediately. It is not a sacrifice until YOU have paid out of your own pocket.

5. While it is not required to donate some meat for charity, it is a commonly accepted good practice.

6. Eid is one of the few visible celebrations in the Muslim community. If you do NOT celebrate it, and do not take time off work, nor imbibe the celebrations in your kids, do NOT complain when they later come to you as to why Christmas is so much better than Eid. Give gifts and money to your kids. It's sunnah.

7. If you have sacrificed a lamb, remember that the Prophet's favourite piece of meat was the shank of a lamb (as far as I am aware of). So enjoy that piece - it's sunnah! :-)

8. Please call ahead before visiting a house. Yes, it's Eid, so guests are expected, but it is also the custom of the land to announce your visit beforehand, so the hosts can be prepared to receive you.

9. Have some common sense when posting pictures of Eid. Is it really required to post pictures from the slaughter house? We all know (or should know) where our food comes from. But our Facebook (and other social media) have friends who have fled warzones, or who are triggered by pictures of blood or otherwise. Pictures of your animal being garlanded or fed before the slaughter, for example, make much better sense.

10. Have fun and enjoy. It's Eid.

Ramadan Can Be Hard

This is the time of the year the our Facebook feed is full of articles about the 'wonders of Ramadan', or of how this is a 'magical time of the year' and how to 'increase our piety and good deeds' or even the occasional 'how to get fit in Ramadan' guide.

Without taking ANY thing away from those posts - really Ramadan IS a wonderful time of the year, it IS a time to get fit, both spiritually and mentally, and it IS something we wait for all year round, we also have to acknowledge one important thing.

Ramadan can be hard.

Yes, it's not a blasphemous statement to make that fasting at this time of the year can be hard for various groups of people. Rather than shunning those views, let's examine them and learn why it can be hard, and how we can plan for it.

If it wasn't hard, it wouldn't be a test. The Quran is clean in 2:183, that fasting is a way for us to attain piety. Piety is also tied to discipline, which means doing what is prescribed for us and abstaining from what is forbidden. That is not easy, but Ramadan gives us a training in discipline. So why can it be hard?

1. Physically these are the longest times of the year. In Toronto, Canada Fajr is around 4 am and Maghreb around 9 pm. That's almost 17 hours without food, and more importantly, water.
2. For those that work in a non-Muslim country, everyone around you is eating and drinking, and carrying on as normal. Meanwhile you are hungry, thirsty, and yet expected to be as productive and energetic as usual. Unlike Muslim countries, where Ramadan almost has a magical holiday atmosphere around it, this is missing in the West.
3. For those that live in the northern areas, it's hard to find the time to pray full taraweeh, sleep, eat proper iftar and suhoor, and also put in a proper day's work in the office.
4. For those that don't have too many other Muslim friends, it's hard to get into the spirit of Ramadan when you are the only one observing it.

I am sure there are other reasons (both legitimate and made up) on why Ramadan can be hard, but these are some of the main ones. Here's some of my suggestions on how to deal with it.

1. First of all, know that Ramadan is a gift from Allah for you, so be thankful for it. It is important to approach Ramadan with a positive frame of mind. If someone you love gives you a gift, you don't criticize it. When the gift is from the Most High, you shouldn't find complaints such as 'oh it's June and it's hot' etc. Approach Ramadan thinking it's something you want to make full use of this year, and you will. That is Faith.
2. If you have some health issues, address them beforehand. A Muslim doctor will know and acknowledge your beliefs, but a non-Muslim doctor who is familiar with your religion and respects it can provide useful information on how to deal with certain issues. Know that you don't HAVE to fast if it's medically harmful. If you are pregnant, for example, or sick, or travelling, you are given exemptions by Allah. Especially if you are pregnant you shouldn't be putting your unborn child at risk. If you need to take certain injections, for example if you are diabetic, there are ways you can do that and fast. Bottom line - clear it with your doctor before Ramadan.
3. Find (and make) more Muslim friends. This goes without saying. Not only will they help you by providing a support system in Ramadan, but will also be helpful outside of Ramadan. A person is known by the company they keep.
4. Attend the mosque for prayers. Maghreb is a good time to attend, as many mosques have iftars, but also attend simply to earn more hasanah and be imbibed with that Ramadan feeling. Even if you cannot stay for the full 20 taraweeh, at least stay for the 8. Or even just the fard part of Isha. 
5. Do NOT make this month about food. Do not obsess over sumptuous iftars or speed eat through suhoor. Make a conscious effort to eat healthy, detox and take Ramadan as an opportunity to lose weight.
6. Read (and try to understand) the Quran. Ramadan is the month of the Quran. This is a wonderful book. The more you read, the more you delve into the tafseer, the more you start to love the Book and the more you marvel at its beauty.
7. If you have children, even if they are not fasting, involve them in religious activities (even if at least one a day). There's lots of facebook groups on Ramadan arts and crafts, for example.

Do you have any suggestions on how you make Ramadan easier to observe? 

What 'Love, InshAllah' and other so-called progressive Muslim feminists don't get

Look at the rubbish that Shahla Khan Salter wrote on Huffington Post.

Titled "To Our Muslim Sisters: Don't Let Faith Stop You From Getting Married", the article makes the point that Muslim ladies should feel free to marry non-Muslim guys.

I first saw this article when Love InshAllah linked to it from their Facebook feed. Even before I read it, Ihad an inkling of what the article would say, and why the authors of Love InshAllah would promote it.

To all Muslim feminists: You want to solve issues in Muslim societies? Solve them. Don't create new ones. Especially when the solution is already given and you don't like it because it doesn't fit your Western "feminist" views.
 
This article, like many on the progressive left, relegates religion to "do what feels right". In essence, they elevate an individual and their own feelings/desires over what is revealed by God and understood as such for generations.

Islam, like almost any religion, has laws. If someone doesn't want to follow those laws, that's fine, but calling oneself Muslim and then saying those laws are not really laws is like saying I am vegetarian but it's OK to eat chicken. These laws are not a buffet that you choose what you want. Like any religion, Islam severely restricts marriages to outside the faith. Only in some exceptional circumstances is it tolerated.

This article is saying you are Muslim but don't need to follow the law, it's OK. Marry outside the faith, it's fine. Islam says it's OK (actually it clearly doesn't). 

The article, and the author, tries to fit Islamic law to some Western sensibilities. The author is saying a husband doesn't need to be Muslim, but only has to "love" his Muslim wife and her "Muslimness" (whatever that means). The article adds that a woman has the ultimate freedom to choose her husband, any one she wants (not really: if she's Muslim she has accepted to live under some moral laws defined by God). The author goes on to say that since we face other challenges we should be able to marry whoever we want (not true, those other 'challenges' can be dealt with other ways).

The final advice itself is dangerous: "Follow your heart".

The whole concept goes against Muslim ethos which is "do not give in to your base desires if it goes against God's desire".

The so-called "progressive" Muslim feminists who form the bulk of Love InshAllah's fan club do not understand one clear thing: no matter how many times they post rubbish like this under the guise of "furthering dialogue" or "promoting an interesting point of view", real Muslims will stick to their religion, no matter how tough. 

Islam hasn't come to create problems, but to provide solutions. Muslim Feminists don't like this solution, so their create problems of their own.

Other articles on Muslim Feminism:

Why Muslim Feminists Don't Win

Why (Many) Muslims Have a Problem With (Most) Feminists

Why American Muslims Should Leave USA Right Now

My American Muslim friends and family.

Before I start, I want to tell you a little reality. It's something you can ask any Canadian, especially those who were immigrants to the Great White North, and they will verify this.

We often go the United States for little trips. Disneyland, shopping, tourism, work, visiting friends and family, and so on. The Americans are (usually) very nice and we have no complaints.

But ...

On the way back, as soon as our car crosses the 49th parallel back to Canada, we heave a sigh of relief. Just a few meters over the border in Canada, everything is the same as it was in US. The highway is equally good, the scenery hasn't changed much, the weather is the same. But something is different. We are in Canada.

We are home. We belong.

Now I ask you. Do you feel a sense of belonging in America? Is it your home? Is the government of America your government? Does it serve you? Are the people yours? Do they accept you as one of them?

These are not some bland questions. I want you to think about it deeply. What does it say when your country has elected a man who has openly villified your religion, talked about putting you in special registration programs, advocated a shutdown of people of your faith coming in to the country, and refused to apologize for his numerous racist, bigoted, sexist, ultra right wing comments?

In your country the police openly shoot unarmed black civilians without any fear. And this was under a black President.

This is the same country that elected Bush twice. An illegal war killing millions (and some of them Americans) did not stop a majority of the people from voting for him. And this is a country where the Muslim FRIENDLY candidate would talk about Muslims being on the front lines of the war against terrorism, would continue the drone bombings of civilians, would continue the PATRIOT act, amongst others. Not even the other guy. The other guy is far worse. And he is now your President, elected by half of your countrymen.

I don't need to go on. I know you KNOW the situation is bad. I am writing to tell you why you should LEAVE the United States NOW. Before it gets worse, and before your options dwindle, LEAVE NOW. While you still can.

I know this is your homeland, your place of birth. This is where you grew up. Went to school. Got married. Made a life. It's not easy to even think about moving.

There is some merit to the idea to stay, and fight, and make things better. Strive for your country. Try and make the society better. Help your country.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stayed in Makkah for 55 years - the vast majority of his life - trying to improve the society, help the people, strive for his place of birth. But at some point, you have to realize that things are not going to get better, ever. In fact, they will get worse.

The Clock Boy - Ahmed - was a genius and he was put in jail. And he was a KID! Sure, he then met the President, and the Faceook CEO, but what good did it do? Other future Clock Boys would still be put in jail. And there are no consequences. And this was under a black Democrat President. Things are not going to get better.

They are going to get worse.

We thought Bush was bad. 9/11 happened, and surveillance and overreach of power and so on. When you guys elected Obama, there was Hope that things would Change.

But has things changed? They only became worse. Obama never undid the Patriot Act. He made sure the US government could assisinate its own citizens. He never shut down Guantanamo Bay. Drone killings became a fact of life.

And now, what? The KKK approved guy is your President, with the House, the Senate and pretty soon the Supreme Court in tow. What more signals do you need to know things in America are not going to get better. Trump will not be able to make America Great Again, the way his supporters want him to. It's not 1950s any more. And then what?

I would urge you to consider Canada. It's right next door, and the culture is very similar. As part of NAFTA (until your new President dismantles it) you can get a job here easily before applying for Permanent Residence.

We are not perfect. We have healthcare, but it has issues (we are working on it to fix it, not dismantle it). We don't have racism the way you do, but we do have the French part of the country, Quebec, that ocassionally tries to ban the niqab or hijab. In fairness, our current Prime Minister also hails from Quebec, so there's a lot of good people there as well.

We have Muslims in the Cabinet, while you will now have a person in Cabinet (Ben Carson) who rose in the polls by saying US Muslims should never serve in Cabinet.

Sometimes our police do kill an unarmed civilian. But then we have an inquiry and an investigation. It's nowhere on the same scale as in USA, which is why Black Lives Matter gets far less traction here.

We had First Nations women being killed and missing for a long time. Our last Prime Minister refused to have an investigation, and prefered "old stock Canadians" (whatever that was). We got rid of him, and now we have an official inquiry into those missing women led by a lady who is a First Nations person herself.

Yes, things are not perfect (I mean there's our weather) but Canada is a far better place to be a Muslim than America, alhamdulillah. Our Walmart sells Halal stuff without any cries of boycott.

And we need you. We need you because the election of your crazy President will embolden the crazies here. You might remember our last Prime Minister. He's not there any more but there's people trying to become the leader of his party. Some of them are crazy right wing, and they will have noted the success of your President. We need you guys here so they don't succeed. We really like it here and don't want to move (ironic, eh?).

After 55 years in Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) realized things are not getting any better, but were getting worse. So he immigrated. He left his beloved place of birth and moved on. Your parents (or their parents) made the decision to move to this country for economic reasons. So you can't say you cannot move because it's your birth place - they did it and you can too.

Yes, some Muslims remained in Makkah because they couldn't move due to various circumstances. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) always prayed for them, and helped them when he could.

So whatever your decision is, you will always be in my prayers. And may God be with you.

And may God bless your country with true justice.

Ten Thoughts on the Historic US Election

So America has done it. Elected Donald Trump as President.

(Picture courtesy: Rolling Stone)

Some thoughts (a postmortem, if you will).

1. The racists have won. 

There is no way to sugar coat it. The man ran on a racist platform, and was endorsed by the KKK, and won.

2. White people have nothing to fear.

Notice all the talks of losing Democrats about coming together, healing, congratulating the President and wishing him well. They are all white. People of color remember what Trump said about them.

3. Muslims in USA should seriously think about emigration.

Trump cannot target Hispanics or other immigrants as easily as Muslims. Immigration from Muslim countries will be curtailed. So it's really time to think about the long term future.

Also, kind of ironic to see famous sheikhs (you know who they are) who thought Clinton had it in the bag and couldn't resist a dig at her, saying how bad she was and why third parties deserve a look and how America was facing two bad choices. Now they are calling out to Allah for help and guidance. Should have done that before the election.

4. Trump did everything wrong, and still won.

No ground game, no significant ad buys, no support from the main party, no coalition of diversity, and still won. He proved in the US you can run on white supremacy and win a national election.

As Electoral-vote said, 

"Similarly, everything we thought we knew about campaigning was apparently in error. Conventions? Don't matter. Debates? Don't matter. Endorsements? Don't matter. High-profile defections? Don't matter. Missteps? Don't matter? Commercials? Don't matter. Ground game? Doesn't matter. An All-Star team of campaign surrogates, including one former president, one sitting president, and a wildly popular first lady? Doesn't matter. The "blue wall"? Not a thing."

5. All the polls were wrong. 

Like, ALL of them. This will have significant impact future elections. Why should anyone pay any attention to what the polls say?

6. Trump controls the House and the Senate. 

In the next 4 (or maybe 8) years he could appoint as many as 5 Supreme Court justices. America has really changed into a darker society yesterday.

7. Sexism, racist, and generally bigotry was always there, it just needed a champion and it found one.

Americans can't really say it's only a fringe minority who are racist. As a nation, yesterday they proved themselves to have no qualms about electing a racist bigot. 

8. Hillary cheated Bernie out of a nomination win in the Democratic primary.

Hillary lost in 2008 to an unknown called Barack Obama and did not want history to repeat itself. So this time around she made sure she was going to get the nomination by any means necessary. The Democratic primaries should have been a signal. Despite all the advantages of the party machinery, she had trouble beating an unknown old man from Vermont. 

When facing a choice between a fake and a real deal, voters usually choose the real deal. For all his faults, Trump was Trump, warts and all. No one knew what Hillary really stood for. 

9. For all our smugness in Canada, be prepared. 

Our Conservatives must have seen that being crazy, racist and a bigot can lead you to victory. Be prepared for more craziness from our right. And we thought Harper was bad.

10. Final thought:

If you as a white person feel frightened of a Trump presidency, then think of an immigrant, a Muslim, a Mexican, a person of colour, a gay, trans or marginalized person.

Little Kids Wearing Headscarves

There was an article in the Guardian recently which was entitled This trend of young Muslim girls wearing the hijab is disturbing. 

Now I will be the first to admit that I myself find it disturbing when I see six year old girls wearing a full hijab. Six year old girls are not required to wear hijab in Islam. They are not even required to pray. All of these rulings come much later, when they become adults (i.e. puberty). Why objectify young girls by asking them to wear a clothing that is supposed to be modest (and thus hide their sexuality - which they don't have SINCE THEY ARE SIX YEARS OLD)? 

Now I will also admit my discomfort is because most of the people I know (fathers especially) who make their little girls wear hijab usually tend to be those close minded hateful so-called "orthodox" Muslims with limited knowledge and a very harsh understanding of Islam. These are the 'fire-and-brimstone' type people and usually it's their kids I see dressed like this, hence my discomfort. 

But, is it any other person's business? And then if you continue to read the Guardian's article, you will see it slowly veers into nonsense. It makes statements about the hijab which isn't true. And then you come to realize that it's not the hijab that this writer finds scary, but the very fact that Muslims are practicing their religion. To this writer, the only good Muslim is a non-Muslim.

Now, if I were to write in the same veneer as the article, I would also say that this trend of young girls treating themselves as sex objects is highly disturbing. I am of course talking of the beauty pageants that occur in the US, with teenagers and sometimes kids as young as six. It's actually a documented fact that kids are now becoming hyper sexual and sexually aware in the West at a very early age.

The other day a video of a 13 year old girl setting up her boyfriend to see if he would cheat on her was widely shared on facebook. 13 years old?!!! At that age normal kids are thinking about exams and cartoons and movies. Yet in America and the West, it's normal to be engaged in a physical relationship when you are legally not even old enough to have that relationship.

So you tell me, which is more scary?

Perhaps it's those thirteen-year-old kids that should start wearing the hijab.

Frustrating Reponses When Talking of "Islamic" Mortgage

I will be blunt - whenever I see an ad for an "Islamic" mortgage, or a commercial on how to finance your house "the halal way", my scam alert meter activates. They go through all these fancy brochures explaining their methodology (why? how long does it take to explain how you are lending me money and making a profit?) and at the end of the day, it's interest - just called differently ("profit rate" - whose profit? How do I - the buyer, the borrower - have a "profit rate"?).

The fact that it's all a scam isn't even an outrageous idea; BBC had an article on 'how Islamic is Islamic banking'. The very fact that an Islamic bank can give you a bond (which by its definition is tied to an interest rate), give it an Arabic name (sukook) and thus make it halal tells you all you need to know that most Islamic 'halal' financing is a big scam.

But this post is not about that. This post is about how, when you tell some Muslims this, and why you will be forced to go to a conventional banking for a mortgage, they come up with all sort of statements that frankly says they haven't even spent a minute thinking about the issue.

Why do you need to buy? You can rent all your life?

OK, so unless you have done a comprehensive rent vs mortgage calculation, such as this one in the Financial Post or Toronto Star, you shouldn't be saying this. What it usually means is that you as a Muslim have decided not to borrow from the bank and pay interest due to your religious beliefs (fair point), but because of this you have also decided renting is far better than property ownership (debatable). Most articles that say renting could be better always say could be, or may be, or possibly. They also make a big assumption that you will invest the savings you get when you pay a lower amount of money in rent into the stock market, and that you will invest successfully, and you will have no landlord issues, and so on. Plus, rent is also going up every year.

You don't need to borrow the money, you can save and buy it outright.

Ya, right. Every year the prices continue to rise, and the rate far exceeds an average person's saving grace.

Muslims should reconsider living in the first world where prices are high and buy properties in Muslim countries where its cheaper.

When a scholar actually says this, you don't know whether to laugh or cry. First of all, the price of a house depends on where you live, but so does your earning! I can buy a huge plot of land with a house on it in Rangpur, Bangladesh, for less than my monthly salary in Canada, but what good does that do me? I live here, I need a house here. If I lived in Rangpur, I wouldn't be making the money I make here, so the scale of that house to my earning would be the same scale of a house here to my earning here. It's the same problem.

And anyone who thinks house prices are cheaper in Muslim areas clearly hasn't even done their research (Dubai? Islamabad? Dhaka? - just to give a few) It's this type of lazy speaking that bugs me. Do your research and bring some interesting points to the debate.

Quran says interest is haram. Period. Surah X, verse Y.

Usually accompanied by a Dr. Zakir Naik picture.

Look, no one is arguing that. Or debating that. But the Quran also says eating pork is haram, and we are well aware that Quranic verses do not apply when there's a necessity. If you are in a desert with nothing to eat for days and then you see a pig, you are allowed to kill it and eat.

But we are not in a desert. We can live without purchasing a house. It's not a necessity.

Well, some scholars say it is. Let's debate that, shall we. I am not saying they are right or wrong, but let's hear what they ...

Nowadays scholars will say anything for money. They will say anything is halal. It's contradictory to the Quran!

Exactly! So is "Islamic" financing, yet Muslims seemingly ignore those issues because it has an Islamic label to it. Again, I am not saying let's all go to CIBC and borrow some cash, I am saying let's talk about this intelligently.

There's nothing to discuss. Interest is haram. Period. You don't need to buy a house, you can rent it.

Aaaaaand we are back to square one.

Look, just pray 12 rakat daily and you will get a house in Jannah. Ha ha.

What. The. Fiqh.

That's like a person who cut his finger going to the doctor and the doctor is saying don't worry, in jannah you will be a young beautiful man with a houri. Solve the problem here and now.