Barongbar - the BSA Show

I will continue my posts on Dubai vs. Toronto after this. Last night, I attended the Bangladesh Student Associations' (BSA) 12^th annual show - this time called Barongbar - which means repetition. I have often said the University of Toronto's BSA's annual show is a highlight on the Bengali social calendar here, and is often the first sign of spring.

It's about the life of a 'colony' of middle class citizens in Dhaka - whose lives are the same day in day out - hence "Barongbar".

The singing of the national anthems. With a twinge of regret/amusement, I realized I am now more comfortable singing the Canadian one than the Bangladeshi one!

The traditional dances were pretty good and the music quite peppy.

What's a "jatra" without the presence of our esteemed Prime Minister! As an aside - our two women leaders have set the cause of women's liberation decades behind with their inept management!

The travelling "Baul" singers give us their philosophy of life and death. Again, as an aside, I have always found the 'sufi' spirit of Bangladesh has done a lot for communal harmony in the country.

The Kobita (poetic) medley - on how a guy should woo a girl. Good to see the new generation of BSA-ers continuing the good work of the old!

More Kobita medley. I really enjoyed this part - especially the 'formula'. It's a departure from previous Kobita medleys.

A duet song - pretty well sung. I was amazed by the high caliber of artists and performers in the BSA nowadays.

The group dance - a signature part of BSA shows now. Really well done again, just like every other component of the show.

Take a bow BSA - you have outdone yourself this year.

Many universities in Canada now boast of significant Bangladeshi populations and Bengali shows, proms and formal nights have become an essential part of student and young Canadian-Bengali lives here. However, the BSA at University of Toronto retains its position as the premier show, and this year I can truly say they have put together one of the best three hours of theatrical enjoyment I can remember in recent times.

Dubai vs. Toronto: Part 2 - The Harsh Truth Facing Immigrants to Canada

Part 1: The Myths of Dubai
Part 2: The Harsh Truth Facing Immigrants to Canada
Part 3: Living in Toronto
Part 4: The Islamic and Cultural Aspect
Part 5: Dubai or Toronto?

People immigrate to Canada for many reasons. However, in my circles, the primary reason for most people (living in the UAE) suddenly deciding to come to Canada has been their children's education and the future. Let's face it, they have no future in UAE. Even after 20 years of serving there, they are not citizens. The moment they lose their jobs, they have to be on their way home. There are hardly any good quality universities in there. And university tuition in Canada for an international student is expensive. So, for their children's sake, they immigrate.

In an ironic twist, immigrants to Canada from UAE often have less savings than ones from Saudi Arabia or Iran. In those two places, there are so many restrictions that you often don't have avenues to spend money for leisure or luxury. Dubai's a very liberal place, so people buy furniture, spend on life's enjoyments, luxury and often go for holidays abroad, so savings are less when they come to Canada. The primary immigrants also tend to be older, 40-45ish.

Contrast this with immigrants arriving here from Bangladesh or India. They are mostly younger, 25-30ish, lucky to have had a good English education and somehow gotten the immigration to Canada. Anything in Canada for them is an improvement over their previous life.

That's not the case for our Dubai immigrants. As soon as we land here, yes, we have been warned that jobs are hard and standards of life will not be the same and cost of living is significant, but yes, dammit, we are from Dubai, we have some standard!

So the first thing to do is to get a nice place. Yes, the rent may be a bit high than the apartment complex down the street, but this is in a good area! And then, we have to buy some decent furniture. C'mon, why should we buy cheap? What if people visit us? What will they say? An engineer in Dubai, and now living like this?! No way!

And so these people will spend money they don't earn to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't really like. All to maintain a standard that they no longer have. But they are not worried yet, their savings will last them for five to six months! They are sure they will find a job in the meanwhile. So the husband looks at a few job requirements in the paper and says to himself, "I can do this! I used to do this!" And every day he fires in a few applications.

As the days go by, the lack of responses start to get to them. Slowly, the harsh reality and the harsh truth facing immigrants in Canada dawns on them. They do not have "Canadian" experience. Their credentials are not recognized. From top of the pile, used to commanding hundreds, they have now moved to near the bottom.

Then, after a year or two, they start to explore courses offered in colleges; a way to upgrade their skills, and a way to catch up. But by now, the years are against them, and the new technologies are against them. So, when people formerly from UAE meet at parties, no one asks each other "what do you do". It is taboo. The matrimonial bio-datas sent out still spell the father's profession as Engineer or Doctor, which is what they used to do years ago, not Security Guard or Sales Agent, which is what they may be doing now. And so, they comfort themselves in that their children will have a much better future here, they will enjoy a better life and all its comforts due to the parents' sacrifice.

Meanwhile, our immigrants from Bangladesh or India have had no ego to artificially boost or no standard to maintain. They have come here with specific plans - they will take the courses early on, do odd jobs and severely scrimp and save wherever they can, and soon, they will start climbing up the ladder. Youth and effort are on their side.

And thus, Canada loses a highly talented bunch of experienced professionals to jobs such as taxi driver or pizza delivery positions.

More than weather, culture, food or sports, it's jobs that's the big concern for immigrants.

Only 24 per cent of qualified immigrants work in a job that matches their education [Source: Global TV]. When I talked to Stephane Dion sometime ago (when he was running to be leader of the Liberal Party) he recognized this as an important issue and outlined some plans to deal with it. Then he started to run for the position of Prime Minister, forgot all this and got caught up in the 'green' movement. We all know what happened to him.

Things are changing. There are more and more immigrants in the country who are becoming rich and powerful. The Indian community in Canada is very well established, so are their business leaders and Members of Parliament. The Canadian government has continued to significantly push for more foreign credential recognition and progress is being made, however very slowly. With the recession, such concerns have been pushed aside for now, but they will come up again.

For now though, it's jobs, jobs and jobs. There is an annual difference of $20,000 in what an average immigrant family earns and what a regular Canadian family earns, even 10 years after being in Canada. People are people - they can deal with the weather, culture and other other issues in Canada. However, when they immigrate to Canada, they must make plans for the harsh reality that they will not be working in their chosen fields at their desired income levels.

There is a happy ending to this. Ten to fifteen years later, you will find most immigrant families happily settled in Canada. They may not be all doing really well, but they are living well enough, and hard work has paid to success. They love Canada, and are happy with their lives here.

Ten years, though, is a very long time.

Dubai vs. Toronto: Part 1 - The Myths of Dubai

Part 1: The Myths of Dubai
Part 2: The Harsh Truth Facing Immigrants to Canada
Part 3: Living in Toronto
Part 4: The Islamic and Cultural Aspect
Part 5: Dubai or Toronto?

Last year when I was vacationing in Dubai, I was invited to this party. There, someone asked me, "Why do you still live in Toronto, Canada? What can you get there that you cannot get here in Dubai? This is the best place in the world to live."

I did not respond at that moment, because a) I was at a party to relax and b) it's not polite to have a logical debate with someone who is not prepared to listen and c) food was just served. However, in the subsequent weeks and months, I always meant to pen down my thoughts on this issue. Having lived at both places, with job opportunities in both cities, and with lots of immigrants to Canada formerly from Dubai as my friends, this is a topic that comes up occasionally for discussion. I hope to explore, keeping an open mind, the two cities of Dubai and Toronto with the pros and cons of each in this 5-part blog post series.

I am going to start by attempting to break down some of the most common myths of Dubai that this gentleman at the party tried to throw down at me.

Myth 1: Dubai is the place to make money. In Toronto half of your income is sucked in by taxes.

I live in Toronto, which is the most expensive city to live in Canada. However, according to Mercer's 2009 Cost of Living Index, Dubai is the 20^th most expensive city to live in the world (Abu Dhabi is 26^th), while Toronto is at 85^th (Complete list on wiki).

In Toronto, the yearly income of $48,000 (of an average university graduate fresh out of university) is enough to cover rent, utilities, food, entertainment and other living expenses. Depending on your work and spending habits, you can even cover mortgage. This on a single person's income alone; luxury such as travel can eat into your savings. However, if your spouse also works, the income of the second spouse is complete savings. Most young couples in Toronto, within a couple of years savings, can put the down payment on a house (and this includes expenses such as vacations, designer goods etc.) - and all this after an average of 30% tax deduction.

In Dubai, if you are lucky to get a job that pays the same amount as here in Toronto, you may think with no taxes, you will be making more. However, there are a lot of user fees. Rental amounts in Dubai are amongst the highest in the world. Speaking from experience, even if you have a hefty rental allowance from the government, you may still find spending up to one third of your income on rent (if not more). Education is not cheap - a good quality British education (O and A Level) costs around AED 12,000 per year. And this is when I was there, 10-15 years ago. Health costs, utilities, traffic and transportation (Dubai road tolls such as Salik and yearly renewal fees for cars, licenses, Nol transport for Metro) are all higher than Toronto.

As given by the cost of living index, prices for goods of equal quality and brand are much higher in Dubai than Toronto. Other goods are relatively equal (for example a movie ticket here is $10 on average or AED40 over there). Even discounting the racism (local Arabs earn more than white people who earn more than non-white people for the same job), the expected material savings do not materialize.

Myth 2: Dubai is the melting pot of cultures from all over the world.

Having lived there for more than a decade I know how hollow this claim is. While 85% of the population is composed of expatriates, Dubai is dominated by Indians (51%), Pakistanis (15%) and Bangladeshis (10%). People from Philippines, Europe (mostly British) and Iranians make up the rest [source]. Dubai has often been called the best run Indian city.

Even with so less Arabs there, the local population considers itself a class above the rest. The class divide and racism will be more completely covered in Part 4. What happens in Dubai is that most of the "cultures" keep to themselves; and there is hardly any "melting". Bollywood dominates the entertainment scene - as can be expected. Hindi and Urdu are more often spoken everywhere (in 10 years of living I never felt the need to learn Arabic - so desi was Dubai). To me it won't matter because I am brown, but to some non-brown person used to the multicultural diversity of Toronto, London, New York etc. can hardly be expected to feel at home in Dubai.

Myth 3: In Dubai we can live our lives as Muslims in a more Islamic manner.

To be covered in more detail in Part 4.

Myth 4: Dubai is good for business.

Asia is good for business, and Dubai is an important hub in Asia. However, in Dubai, to open any business, you have to take a local (called Watani) as your partner, and he will have a share of 51%. Even though YOU will be putting in 100% of the money, 100% of the effort and 100% of the blood, sweat and tears, the local Emirati person will remain the one in charge. Why? Does that sound fair? Or even, Islamic?

However, that is the law. Clearly, many people are OK with it as they open prosperous businesses in Dubai, but that is not for me. And if I had to advise some brown person on opening a business in Asia, I would recommend Bangladesh or India as much better options than Dubai. Democratic, lots of young people with untapped potential and a growing middle class in an economy with sound economic policies, those are the places in Asia to do business in. Not Dubai.

These Were Our Games

So after 17 days the Winter Olympics drew to a close. Someone told me the other day my blog and twitter feed was now all about sports. Well, what do you expect? :-) The games are in Canada and we have done exceedingly well. And to cap it off with an Olympic hockey gold in overtime was the icing on the cake.

To me of course, while the hockey gold will be the most valued, one that we would sacrifice any other gold to get, the Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir gold would remain the most beautiful.

The moments of the Games are many - Alexandre Bilodeau winning Canada's first Olympic gold medal at home, the demolition of Russia in hockey, Joannie Rochette's brave ice skating after losing her mom, Virtue and Moir's ice dancing gold, the speed skating triumph near the end, the curling (yes, curling). Oh, how sad was I when Cheryl Bernard chocked to silver, but what a performance by Kevin Martin and his rink. Over all, as Canada tops the Olympic medals in gold (14 overall, a record!) and beats its previous performance in total medals (Turin) by 2, it was a wonderful time of the year.

I would come home everyday and switch on the TV (much to my wife's chagrin who secretly also loved to watch the Games with me) and it would not be off until midnight. I watched everything! From luge to skeleton to hockey to curling to ice dancing to figure skating to skiing to snowboarding. And also followed it online!

The sending of status messages on Facebook peaked Sunday at 2:29 pm PST and 2:54 pm PST during two significant goals in the Olympic hockey finals: when the U.S. tied and Canada won. More than 3.5 million status updates were sent during the time frame of those key plays, twice the pace of the rest of the day.

And what a display of Canadian patriotic pride we have seen over the last two weeks. It was fascinating, the whole country united and welcoming. Even the British, who tried to say these were the cursed games, ended up by musing that these were the best games ever!

I actually feel sorry for those whose countries do not play sports or which are not good in anything so they don't have anything to cheer for!

So now, we return to our normal lives.

Until South Africa 2010!

Wonderful Wednesday

Best day of the Winter Olympics so far!


It's nice, you know, in sports, when your country is actually good at something!

View: Canada-Russia highlights (Canada only).

Virtue and Moir prove Golden for Canada

If Canadians coast-to-coast are going to work this morning with a smile on their faces, you may want to thank the couple of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.


After a day when our Olympic Committee admitted we would not win the most medals in these Games, when the US men's hockey team beat our men's hockey team in what is OUR game, on OUR ice, when our other medal contenders like speed skaters started to drop like flies to 5th or 6th places, these two not only faced the pressure bravely, they thrived on it.


I will admit to you, I didn't even know there a sport called "Ice Dancing" - let alone that it's an Olympic sport. Like anything on ice, I figured this was a Russian thing. I never watched one ice dancing competition ever.

These Games though, I have been watching everything. So two nights ago, there was the epic Great Britain-Canada curling match, and then there was ice dancing.

I watched a couple of the dances, tuned off, and then got back to it when the Canadians were on. After the first stage, called the "Compulsory Dance", they were ranked 2nd. The Russians had the lead.

And then something happened.


The second round was the Original Dance, they were smoking hot. The Russians were third, the Americans did a Bollywood thing and were second, but Virtue and Moir melted the ice with their flaming flamenco routine. And they jumped to first and suddenly, all of Canada, in need of a lift after a weekend of bad news, started to look to them for hope.

And did they deliver!

It was late night on the East Coast, just after midnight, but every television in Canada was tuned to Vancouver. The Americans, who train with us, ranked second, sizzled. Their routine was pretty good, and suddenly we realized gold would not come so easily. The Americans went to the top of the rankings.

Virtue and Moir were yet to skate, however.

And when they touched the ice the spectators gave them a rousing welcome. And, unlike other competitors, these two drank in the crowd and it gave them strength. And then they began. Their gold medal performance could only be described as a dream, so sublime, romantic, so uplifting, so serene, so perfect were they.


And when they finished, they knew, we knew... and the judges agreed - their score left others trailing in their wake. And what Canadian did not have a goose bump when the national anthem was rendered for them!

For the fifth time these Games, Canada was on top of the world. If these Games needed an Olympic moment, theirs was it.

Pictures: Toronto Sun

How to stretch a Hindi TV serial

So yesterday I was studying downstairs while my mom was watching some Indian serial.

How to stretch a Hindi TV serial into 600 Episodes:

Introduce some new long lost relative who suddenly becomes the most important person in the family.

A misunderstanding occurs between the mother-in-law and the elder wife, causing the wife's husband to tell her to leave the house.

The husband is some business magnate. Apparently there is no shortage of business magnates in India.

A new character in the shape of another business magnate is introduced. This one is a she. And she wants to make a deal (business or otherwise) with the husband over "lunch".

The separated wife now gets a job at ... the new lady business magnate's office.

This long lost relative suddenly becomes the good guy and wants to reunite the husband and wife. Or... does he?

And the saga continues ...

What a GOLDen moment to be Canadian!

What a proud moment to be Canadian. Even though we have had numerous gold medals before, this is the first gold on home soil.
[BBC | Toronto Star | TSN]

These are probably the first winter Olympics that I am following this closely. Not only is it at home, but the Canadian team is a strong one, and there is a lot of hope and anguish riding on their young shoulders.

Now I am inspired and off to ski!

My Name Is Khan - 4.5/5

I penned this after having just returned from watching My Name Is Khan. There are some movies that are epics. And then, there are some movies that are events. My Name Is Khan manages to be both.

It's a heart warming story of a Muslim man with autism coping with racial tensions post-9/11 in the USA. It's the story of the Muslim community in USA that suddenly found itself in unwanted focus. It's a story that has a bit of the stories of every one of us.

We watched a matinee show, at 3 pm. Even on reaching the theatre half an hour ahead, it was packed. Families come out to see a Shah Rukh Khan movie, and the marketing and promotion for this movie has been top class. For all the woes of filmmakers about piracy, it's clear that if you make a good movie, people will throng to the big screen.

My Name Is Khan is probably one of the few (possibly the first) Bollywood movie I can recommend to non-Bollywood people. Without getting away from Bollywood trappings (songs, exotic locale) it manages to tell a story sans distractions. Yes, it loses the half point because the second half is a bit long, but you don't care because at that point, you have started to root for the protagonist of the movie. It's one of those films that manages to get you involved in the lives of its characters. You start to care for Rizwan and Mandira.

As for the Islamic aspect of the story, it serves a backdrop to the movie; the underlying context - and it has been portrayed very well. Often, directors, in an effort to avoid cliches, resort to cliches. Here, there is no such filmy-ness. There is one scene set in a mosque that stands out as the best scene in the movie.

After a long time, Shah Rukh Khan has given a performance that should fetch him numerous awards. He has proven he is one of the best actors in the industry and ditto for all others in the movie - though Shah Rukh Khan stands head and shoulders above everyone else.

After all, his name is Khan.

Man proposes, but ...

Mezba (to wife): "Honey, Bahamas is a bit expensive in February, let's do it end of April. Plus, you are not getting that much in holidays either. So let's pick something closeby, we can go for the long weekend, and somewhere cheaper."

Mezba (after doing research): "Hmm, Washington DC is not bad now. Their expensive time is in March, so February is when I can get the off season rates. Nice! And look, the temperature there is usually around 5 degrees C. Which is far better than the -20 C we will have in Toronto. Great! So, I have these other friends we can drive down with, share the car rental costs, and use our hotel points to get free nights. And this is even great, historically Washington DC hardly gets any significant snow this time of the year!"

Reality: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I just cancelled my hotel bookings and other reservations. So now I have nowhere to go. Oh, if only it would get warm enough to do this:
How Do You Judge A Camel Beauty Contest

Montreal!

Montreal is one of those cities that have character. When you visit the city, you just know. With its hilly streets and many bridges, it reminded me a bit of San Francisco. It's the second largest city in Canada and over 57% of the people speak French. Like many great cities, Montreal is surrounded by rivers.

Montreal in the distance by the river side

One of Montreal's great attractions is their Olympic Stadium, which is situated right next to the Biodome. The Biodome houses plants and animals from around the world.

Couple of parrots inside the Biodome

The Biodome as seen from the top of Olympic Stadium

The first time I saw the Olympic Stadium, it reminded me of Star Trek Enterprise! Also, some people say it reminds them of a scorpion. Very active imaginations!

Olympic Stadium

If you see these pictures you might get the feeling that it was very hot in Montreal. It's true - these are pictures from last summer when I also visited Montreal, coincidentally when they were having a heat wave.

Another attraction quite close the Biodome is the Insectarium.

The twig-like insect is easy to spot!

These leaf-like insects are a bit harder!

While Montreal's signature attraction is the stadium and the immediate neighbourhood, there are plenty of other areas, particularly Old Port and Rue St. Catherine, and an active nightlife, that gets top marks from tourists.

The nightlife in Montreal is quite lively.


You can take the time out to visit Montreal Oratoire St Joseph, which is a church built on top of a mountain.

One favourite place of Montrealers is to climb Mont Royal (a mountain from which the city gets her name) and watch the sunset over the city, which is what we did.

If you are wondering why I am doing a travel post, it's getting quite close to another bit of travelling. Unfortunately I am keeping one eye out on the storm in the USA that is now burying Washington. Hopefully, it clears up enough for our own adventure!

"Where in the World" Photo Contest - Round 3

So, I am one of 'Liya's "Where In The World" Photo Contest Bloggers. Here's the Round 3 picture, and you have to guess which city it's from. This is the final round.


It's really easy!

The answer to my Round 2 is now published.

You can check the answers to other pictures at Liya's blog (original pics here).

New Biman

At first, it was only Biman Bangladesh Airlines that used to fly from the Middle East to Bangladesh. Sure, other airlines did so as well, but Biman was far cheaper. And with sentiments about it being our national airline, we always used to fly Biman to Bangladesh. Of course, later, common sense prevailed and we started to choose other airlines.

And then later, MORE common sense, as we realized whatever airlines we flew to Bangladesh, service would be terrible on that route. For some reason, most of the passengers boarding on the final leg to Dhaka would be from the labour class who would forget all norms of decency once on board the flight. You could go on Emirates or Etihad from Toronto to Dhaka via Dubai and London. All the way to London and to Dubai the flight would be A-class with service and punctuality. As soon as you board the final Dubai to Dhaka route it would be a reality show with how long you can last.

As for Biman, which means airplane in Bangla, we used to call it Beiman, which meant something derogatory. Biman was plagued with problems of inefficiency, cleanliness, punctuality, corruption, profitability etc. You could not get a seat on flights (apparently they were all sold) but planes used to fly empty (somehow) and the airplane operated at a loss (go figure!).

Now it looks like Biman is getting a new look and some new planes [link].





I am aware that sometimes re-branding with a new logo and aesthetics can cause a change of attitude and fortunes but the new logo has to come with a new direction from management and greater accountability and service oriented focus from the corporation. Here's hoping Biman is getting more than just a face lift.

From just a design perspective, I like the new look. It's very modern and the stork is more graceful than the old logo, which looks like a 1980 dot matrix printout. I like the green, which is representative of the flag and also symbolizes cleanliness and being environmental friendly (truth is subjective). Some say it's a bit close to PIA but this one flows better. I would have preferred a bit more red to retain some link with the past but perhaps that was the intention of the designer, to break away from the past. Sometimes, that's a good thing.

Lunch Conversation Snippet

Was eating lunch downtown today at a small halal takeaway place when two gentlemen sat down at the table next to us. They were obviously university students, and from their beard and looks I could guess they were Muslims.

I overheard the following snipped of conversation.

"So," said the first guy, "Basically, my summer job is going to be minimum wage plus commission."

"Oh," the second guy replied, "with your qualifications, why don't you look for work as a teller at a bank or something? Oh wait, interest, right?"

"Yep." The first guy answered. "Can't work at a place that earns from interest. It's not right for us."

I wonder if everyone thought like him who would study to be an accountant, or a CFO, or an economist? Who would work in the banks? Who would lead the economic development of their nation?

On second thought, sometimes thinking too much is bad.

Halala Marriage on TV

Yesterday I was forced to watching television. There was some Pakistani drama on ARY. A woman who wanted a divorce from her husband finally got it. And then, after some time, she wanted to reconcile with her husband and her husband also wanted to marry again.

I knew where this was going.

According to "Islamic" laws, they could not just marry. Some OTHER man had to marry the girl, fuck her (the polite way of saying this is 'consummate the marriage') and then divorce her the next morning, so he (the original husband) can marry her again. They call this 'halala' marriage.

Even as I was seeing this on TV I could not believe I was actually watching this. THIS IS SO WRONG. Not only does this law NOT exist in Islam but I was shocked that this misconception was being promoted by ARY.

Let's get this straight.

A man loves a woman, who is his ex-wife. He wants to marry her.

She also loves him, and wants to remarry.

So they get a third person to fuck the woman and then divorce her, so they can remarry.

Does this even SOUND right?

Again, this is not Islamic law. And it is SO HARD when you talk to people from the subcontinent (read: desis). People from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are some of the most ignorant people in religion. They have all these bullshit knowledge that they think is Islamic just because that's the way it was done.

And this halala knowledge falls into that category.

Today, I read Nadia's post and found she wrote (?) about a real life incident in the gulf like this.

Again, let's recap this.

WANTED: A man to fuck a woman for one night and divorce her immediately. Paid position. Immediately hiring.

Again, does it even sound right?

Then why is ARY promoting this bullshit? And why do many of our elders actually believe this poppycock?

Now let me get to WHY this misconception exists.

So if a husband divorces his wife (for a third time), he cannot, after that remarry her until after she has married another husband and he has divorced her. In that case, there is no blame on either of them if they re-unite, provided they can keep the limits ordained by Allah. Such are the limits ordained by Allah which He makes plain to those who know". (2:230)

First, please do NOT miss the 'third time'.

And second, the Prophet and others stressed that the woman has to be married to someone else in a NORMAL marriage. Not a marriage for the sake of divorce. It has to happen by circumstance.

And third, as Ali and many others have said, the man has to divorce the woman THRICE, in three different settings.

So, just to recap, for a woman divorced twice by the same guy, let's state this:

THERE IS NO BAR ON A MAN MARRYING HIS EX-WIFE BY DIVORCE.

For more info, just google 'halala and Islam'. Any cursory search will tell you it's wrong.

WRONG.

WRONG.

WRONG.

Despite all of this, why does it persist?

I leave you with the verdict of the Prophet of Islam.

"Allah has cursed the muhallil and the muhallal lahu." [narrator: Abu Dawood, classified sahi by Sunan Abi Dawood]

(muhallil is the one who marries a woman and divorces her so that she can go back to her first husband, muhallal lahu is the first husband)

The proper answer to a husband who has divorced his wife thrice should be that he can NEVER think of getting back together with her.

"Where in the World" Photo Contest - Round 2

So, I am one of 'Liya's "Where In The World" Photo Contest Bloggers. Here's the Round 2 picture, and you have to guess which city it's from.



It's really easy!

UPDATED! For those who could not guess it and emailed me for a clue, the clue is TIME.

The answer to my Round 1 is now published.

You can check the answers to other pictures at Liya's blog (original pics here).

"Where in the World" Photo Contest

So, I am one of 'Liya's "Where In The World" Photo Contest Bloggers. Here's my picture, and you have to guess which city it's from.


It's easy!

Bonus points if you can guess the location in the city.

You win: Er.. bragging points? (contact 'Liya for prizes)

Souvenirs From ...

You know someone has returned from the best place in the Middle East when you have this souvenir:

I love Lego so I really enjoyed putting together this 3d puzzle.

Our shelf of souvenirs from around the world is now quite full - we have to get a new one!


Here's the latest entry:

Too bad the name - Burj Dubai - is the wrong one. Maybe in a few years it will become a collectible!

Suggestions for the Break Please

If you had to go somewhere for a week in mid-February (and you are in Canada), where would you go?

Choices are:
[ ] Florida
[ ] Cuba
[ ] Mexico
[ ] somewhere in the Caribbean (Please specify country ____________ )
[ ] Cruise (please specify details ____________ )
[ ] Other (Please specify country ____________ )

Budget is approximately $1000 per person.

1 week. Somewhere not cold. If you (dear readers) have any recommendations, please share! (and oh, if you want to sponsor my trip ...)

Bonus question: Should I get an all inclusive trip?
[ ] Yes / [ ] No

Dubai - It's a simple case of Jealousy

Image credit: Taha

So I was watching the spectacular opening ceremony of the building formerly known as Burj Dubai but now renamed to Burj Khalifah. It was something epic. Most people agree - Burj Khalifah is a magnificent building, well designed, pleasing to the eye, while being a marvel of technology as there were significant engineering and physical challenges to overcome while building a structure this big.

Check out this video - someone at the Burj Khalifah is at eye level with a plane!

Yet, while reading the news reports about this building, one can sense a condescending attitude from the Western media. Why is that?

During the initial boom stages, everyone rushed to fawn over Dubai.

"Today it's Mumbai, Shanghai or Dubai, else it's bye bye."

I remember that quote. Every time Dubai proposed some preposterous, the media wrote shining articles in golden letters. And this was the free media of the West! Only a few brave souls raised the issue of the abuse of workers in Dubai.

And then came the financial crunch, and Dubai's real estate crash. Dreams came crashing down, and suddenly, the tone of reporting of Dubai in the west took on a more sinister note.

It was suddenly with glee that Dubai's property bubble being burst was reported. It was with barely concealed laughter that we learned how cranes are now empty in Dubai, or how the Atlantis's washrooms flooded, or how sewage was piling up in Jumeirah beach. With dubious standards of reporting we read how cars are being abandoned at Dubai airport, with the number quoted sometimes more than Dubai airport's parking space would allow.

(Trust me, parking in Dubai is a hassle. You can NOT abandon 3000 cars in the airport, there's simply not enough place to put them all!)

Today should have been Dubai's crowning moment. They are literally at the top of the world. However, if you read through the reports (do a Google news search) you can see the tone of the articles.

Dubai, broke ...

Dubai, taking a $10b loan from Abu Dhabi, are ...

Probably the last party in Dubai for a while ...

Now if you read through the comment section of many newspapers, which are not subject to any editorial standards, the malice is hardly hidden at all. Let's take a look at some samples from the Star.

What a waste of resources, talent, labour and money. This is not a refection of mankind's achievements since going higher is so "been there, done that". Little wonder this tiny, insignificant principality is bankrupt and requires support from the oil-rich emirates to survive.

Yep, The Burj Khalifa Is The World's Tallest Skyscraper ....
.... not to mention the world's ugliest.

Good For Them
I hope it's earth quake proof.

What an incredible waste of money for a country in the midst of a financial crisis!

Ghost tower - 160 stories of empty space in a debt ridden city. Nice!!

Ironic - Tallest building goes up across the world from where the tallest buildings were brought down.

A country with false sense of pride..Bigger is not always better.

Wow. Talk about rich people with penis envy.

Now these are only a sample, and there are many comments praising Dubai. But this is the Toronto Star of Canada. Care to know what the readers of the Daily Mirror in UK are thinking?

Why the hate of Dubai? It cannot be their concern of human rights because a) most of the workers are from Pakistan which these people hate even more and b) they deal with China, India, Russia all the time which also commit numerous human rights abuses. So, why?

I think it's because they are jealous. Dubai has reached for the stars, and has fallen. But nevertheless, their efforts are not going to be lost. They will learn from their mistakes and their achievements will remain.

Most of the top 10 of the world's tallest, biggest etc. are now slowly moving to Asia, and these people are jealous. They see the East rising and they cannot stomach it. Even more as their own countries are not doing something as imaginative or dream worthy.

Also a good read by the wonderful Achelois:
Why one should consider living in the GCC countries

2009 - My Year In Review

2009 holds some fond memories for me, with the most being my honeymoon in Europe. In my (sort-of) annual blog tradition(!) I will post a recap of the year.

In January I had just returned from touring the fabulous West Coast of USA. While personally 2009 had started with a refreshing holiday, it was sad for the people of Gaza for whom the punishment never seems to stop.

February is traditionally remembered in Bangladesh for being Mother Language Day and some cultural celebrations in Toronto drove home this point brilliantly. Obamania took over Canada and led to the brilliant words of Thomas Walkom, "in the end, he's their guy not ours". And oh, Star Trek is for geeks. More cultural shows (Brittanto of U of T) followed in March, and I finally completed the West Coast diaries.

In May, Archie chose Veronica. Perhaps.

July was my signature month of the year. I finally went on an European honeymoon, something I had long wanted to do. We did London, Paris, Basel and Lucerne, Zurich, Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome.

Of course August marked the mysterious case of Furqan. Ramadan started and then I saw someone die. Come Eid, and this time someone close to us passed away. Thanksgiving was the highlight of October, while, er, November's highlight would be me giving in to the Twitter phenomenon (I still don't know what the point of it is, though!).

December's big event would be the release of Avatar, which I didn't review on my blog but watched it on the opening weekend and it's a movie that takes movies to a whole new level.

And now, as December 2009 passes away, I wish all the readers of this blog and to everyone everywhere a very Happy New Year, and may this year usher in a lot of good to a world desperately needing it.

Reviving The Islamic Spirit - 8th Convention - A Recap

I asked a friend who went to the RIS this year for a recap. Following is her reply.

A guest blog post by Anika Imam.

I didn't take notes this year and haven't seen any detailed recaps yet but I can give you a few lines from memory:

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf on Fort Hood shootings: He condemned it of course. He also mentioned that Obama said, 'It is despicable that Americans have to be afraid for their lives in their own land', but its also despicable that Afghanis have to be afraid for their lives IN THEIR OWN LAND, and Iraqis are afraid in their own land....that's ALSO DESPICABLE!!

Dr Tariq Ramadan (who my mom now loves): He talked about how often times Muslims act unethical even though we should be more ethical, and often non-Muslims in Western society are much more ethical and honest and we should learn from the good Western society, they often emulate what we should be doing as Muslims in the first place....

Habib Ali Jafri: We should not call people "non-Muslims", we should call them "not-yet-Muslims".....creates a less of an us-against-them mentality, and more opportunity for dawah.

Dr. Hakim Abdul Jackson: Very fired up and passionate, did not hold back any punches and was not worried about offending anyone. He said how we should play ball in this existing sociopolitical world order, if we want to get anywhere in the next 50 years as Future Muslims. (-wasn't there for this one, heard about it, sad I missed it.)

Dr Tariq Ramadan (right after Dr. Jackson) on Sunday morning: We should stop playing the victim mentality and self pity routine, as Muslims. (also missed it, heard about it.)

Imam Zaid Shakir on Domestic Violence: Forgiveness and Mercy are the key elements....and it is a mental sickness due to several reasons, usually poor self image, need for control, unbalanced power. Men can be tyrannical in the home, but women can also be very tyrannical and sharp-tongued (of which many men cheered). That a sharp tongue can also lead you into the Hellfire. Also, if you want abusive grandchildren, then just abuse your children, because that's what will happen.

Dr. Tariq Ramadan in the French Session (from my own translation, so insha'Allah it is accurate): Spirituality is like l'art, and art also has a technique, spirituality also has a technique, which brings us closer (rapprochement) to Allah. Both require discipline. He talked about sense and action, why do we do what we do? Heart looking for proof. Someone asked about best form of jihad. He replied that resisting reformation is a type of jihad, understanding and responding in a discussion is a jihad.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, SWOT Anaylsis lecture:

Strengths: Things we already know, how Muslims enjoy more education and wealth than average, Alhamdulillah.

Weaknesses: How divorce is on the rise amongst young Muslims in North America and they are taking notes from Western mentality, of quick way out. Marriage is not meant to make us happy, it is meant to make us HOLY, its supposed to bring us closer to Allah.

Threats/Opportunity: Also we should be grateful to live in Canada, where we can even have such a conference...and that most of us shouldnt complain that we are oppressed just because we get hassled in the airport...thats not oppression...oppression is getting your tongues cut out because you are teaching people the Quran....which happened to the Sahaba!

Broadminded themes, not for West-haters.... :-P

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf on Resource Management: He read that 85% of the world's fishes are now gone. He wanted to confirm this, so he asked an oceanographer from Princeton who confirmed it. Shaykh Yusuf was saying how we waste our tuna fish on feeding our cats, which cats will eat anything. They can feed themselves and don't need tuna only.

A convert's mother was on stage, saying how she is Catholic, but she is so glad her son converted to Islam, because it changed him completely. he used to be into drugs, and would not respect her, but now he is very kind and respectful towards his mother. Three people also converted on stage.

Also on fish: In Mauritania, fisherman can barely get any fish into their nets. There is no more fish. They thought maybe they have not been grateful to Allah or they may have done some wrongdoing to have this happen. They prayed to Allah swt and suddenly their nets were full of fish. One could attribute this to coincidence or to a Higher Being.

A couple of other points that came to mind if anyone wants to learn:

Dr. Zainab Alwadi: She referenced several ayahs from the Quran pertaining to abuse, if anyone wants to read. Surah Hujarat, Ayah 49, Surah Noor, Surah Nisa and Surah Baqarah (can't rememeber the ayah but I know it is somewhere between 169-269).

Imam Zaid Shakir: Terrorists usually do not come from nurturing families. People from nurturing families in general do not do these types of things.

3 Idiots - Just Good, Not At All A Great Movie (and why Amir Khan is also not the Chosen One)

How was the movie?

Well, before I begin, three things.

First, if you are not into Bollywood skip this post.

Second, if you are going to watch 3 Idiots, watch it and then come back to this post. This is not a review, but a discussion, so I cannot guarantee no spoilers.

Third, if you are are a die hard Amir Khan fan, one who believes He can do no wrong and is the Chosen One and 3 Idiots is the Movie of the Year Decade then perhaps you should skip this post also, as this post makes sense and says some stuff that could be construed as blasphemy in your world.

Er, OK, so how was the movie?

Here's my quick take of the movie. It's a good movie. It entertains 80% of the time. Second half drags on. The twist in the story is unbelievable illogical incomprehensible. Still, overall, it's worth the $10 admission in a theatre and as I said, it's a good movie.

So, what's the problem?

Where I draw the line is when I listen to all this Amir Khan fans who have elevated this (and any thing he does) to unbelievable levels. Yesterday I went to a party and one guy was again saying the same thing and I couldn't take it any more - thus this post was born.

OK, so what exactly does this Amir Khan fan club say?

Well, first, they always say how meticulous and professional Amir Khan is and how realistic are his movies. Well, the first scene of this movie defies any logic.

A guy fakes a heart attack on a plane, makes the plane turn around, runs out THROUGH the airport, THROUGH security, rushes out of the airport and then goes on his business. Even given that this is India, in today's world, is that realistic?

I am not even going into another guy driving from wherever they are to Shimla half naked (yes, no pants). And exactly HOW LONG is a day in India? They flight is aborted in the morning, they drive around the town picking up another guy, they go to their old school, they go to another town 255 km away, then make a u turn and go somewhere else, and then again another city, and still it's just noon or so at the end of the movie!

Well it's just a Bollywood movie!

Exactly! I could accept all this from any movie. But Amir Khan's fanclub makes it as if their movies are the ONLY ones in Bollywood that are completely logical. And so I am nitpicking. I want to show that at the end, Amir Khan is only making a Bollywood movie. I mean, a still born baby comes alive when "Aal Iz Well" is said to his ear!

What other thing does Amir Khan's fan club say?

Well, they go on and on about his acting and how Shah Rukh Khan cannot touch him and why NO ONE ELSE can do this role except the Chosen and Blessed By God Amir Khan...

First, the role Amir Khan played is not a hard role. He will hardly get an Oscar nomination for this. He is playing someone eternally optimistic, always thinking beyond the immediate, fighting convention, the "modern Indian", wise, funny ... same roles.

It's a role he played in Taare Zameen Par, in Lagaan, in Dil Chahta Hain, in Rang De Basanti, in .... you get the point.

Second, R Madhavan has the toughest scene in the movie (when he tells his dad he doesn't like Engineering). Not Amir Khan. What's so hard about getting a hair cut, smiling with your teeth over your lips and saying "Aal Iz Well"?

Third, why do Amir Khan fans always have to put down Shah Rukh Khan to try and prove their Hero Deity is the greatest? They must suffer from some strange form of Inferiority Complex.

Well, at least Amir Khan is original, right?

LOL (that's me really laughing out loud).

The director must be a green person because he has recycled some horrible internet jokes that have gone out as forwards ever since email first started. He truly takes me back to my college days as one of the first forwards I got was "big butt seat" which when reluctantly (or eagerly, can't remember now) clicked upon (before the days of viruses and trojans) would lead to this.


The following still, from 3 Idiots, is however considered "original".



Second, as soon as Boman Irani (that's a whole post by itself) took out the astronaut pen, I groaned. Surely, Amir Khan is not going to tell this joke? But he did.

Oh, and remember the joke about exam papers and "Do you know who am I"? Groan. He put that in as well.

And now, let's come to some other shades of copying. Hero traveling out of the house, getting dressed in a hurry, forgetting his pants. Man! Shah Rukh Khan has done it to death in Dil To Pagal Hain and Kuch Kuch Hota Hain. Even he doesn't do it any more!

And finally, young college student trying to reform old grouchy headmaster whose own child has committed suicide due to the headmaster's fussiness about rules and practicality? Shades of Mohabbatein anyone?

Well, didn't the movie have a social message?

Which is what exactly? I am still trying to understand that. Does Amir Khan say don't study, grades are not important? Why is his grade in the movie first then? What exactly is the whole point of the movie?

Ho Ho Ho

I was at Walmart (yes, seeing if they have deals on Lego specials), and then I overheard this conversation.

One middle aged Caucasian man, with a deep baritone voice and handle bar mustache, talking on his cellphone.

"Hi Johnny, this is Daddy. Listen, I just ran into Santa Clause ..."

"Yes, Santa Clause. Remember the chair you wanted? He has two chairs, blue and white, and he is asking me which one to bring for you."

"Yes, it's Santa Clause. I met him at the mall. Yes, he is standing in front of me now."

"No, you can NOT talk with him. He is very busy."

"Yes, I know it's not Christmas. He wants to get you the chair FOR Christmas."

"LOOK! Do you want the blue or white chair? OK, good.. I will tell him you want the blue chair."

The question I had after overhearing the man was this: in today's multicultural society, how do you keep the truth about Santa hidden from your kids? I mean, as soon as I have a kid and he or she goes to school, I am going to tell my kid to find all the Christian kids in kindergarten and tell them Santa is a myth (yes, I might have a mean streak! :-P )

A car, decorated for the season, at a parking garage

So, if you are reading this and Christian, first, Merry Christmas, and second, how old were your kids when they found out about Santa?

And to everyone else who's in Canada, get ready for Boxing Day!

From a party at work!

Top 10 Things A Muslim Loves About Christmas

1. It, really, IS a wonderful time of the year.

Even though it's not my celebration, it's nice to see everyone around engaged in spreading the holiday cheer, in a festive mood, smiling and focused on charitable acts.

2. The decking of the halls with boughs of holly.

Let's face it. For 11 months of the year we work in bland offices which bland colors on the walls, with our streets wearing a faded look. Suddenly, it all comes to live with the colors of green and red.

3. Cavalcade of Lights.



Not only does it look great, and City Hall does put out fantastic light shows and fireworks every weekend, but it's not a bad time of the year to put on some skates and go around the rink to the sound of some lovely music. It's not too cold, it's not too windy, and it's nothing a cup of hot chocolate can't put right!

4. The malls. Shopping. For self.

While the idea of shopping frenzy in December ("only x shopping days left till Christmas" ads notwithstanding), non-Christians have it really good. There's all this discounts galore, and you are really buying the perfect gift for the perfect person. I mean, I know EXACTLY what I want.

Photo Credit: Top Left Pixel

5. The decorations.

I grew up in a place where a 'good' decoration meant LOTS OF LIGHTS. Lights in the shape of the glorious leader's portrait. Lights in the shape of the leaders flags. Lights for no reasons at all.

So it's nice to see some of the creative lighting they put up at this time of the year.

6. The carols and the music.

What's Christmas without the music? If there was any doubt about the power of music to set the tone and soothe the soul, this is the time. Honestly, Jingle Bells doesn't get tiring. It's nice to see people smile. It just reminds you of number 7.

7. The 'Holiday' Parties.

There's the company party. Then the department party. Then the subdivision party. Then there's the office party. Finally there's the IT group's party. Of course, I am leaving out the alumnus party, the neighborhood association party, the union party ...

8. The "Leave the project till New Years" thing.

Um, no comment on this one.

9. The Holidays!

Let's not forget - not only do people NOT work during work time, but they also get time off work! That's always a plus in my book. I mean, I am always up for any holiday by any religious group - as long as it gets everyone a day off work. On that count, Christmas rules.

10. Boxing Day and New Years Eve.

Technically, this is after Christmas, but hey, it's something else to look forward to. And I love that song Auld Lang Syne.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my readers.

PS. Honorable mentions for this list.

1. The annual Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas rematch.
2. The "are you visiting Bangladesh this year" questions every December.
3. Reindeer noses.
4. The spate of children's movies on TV.
5. Hot chocolate.

Fun with Lego

I found an old bag in an old box the other day in storage, and was mighty surprised to see it contained various Lego pieces from my childhood!!!

That was the whole weekend spent trying to build things from memory and with missing pieces and no instructions. I even went out and got a couple of new sets. Here's one from more recent times.

So Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood are taking a walk in the markets of Cairo, Egypt.

Everything is great. The weather is sunny, there is even a wagon full of hay, and a barrel full of apples, some of which are in display at the stall. What could go wrong?

Oh no! Marion is suddenly attacked by a masked avenger!

While another fellow pops up to charge at Indiana Jones.

Marion manages to stun her attacker with a blow to the head with her frying pan ...

... while Indiana Jones uses his trusty whip to foil his attacker...

But there's more of them!

Sometimes, it's better to beat a hasty retreat.

An MBA Analysis of the Swiss Minaret Ban

A good solution is rarely a single course of action. A good solution always looks at the big picture, considers various relationships between all factors, and then coordinates multiple activities to realize the big dream.

A good solution is both complex and simple at the same time. Let me analyze the Swiss minaret ban using an MBA perspective.

Here I will talk about the problem, my executive summary, then an analysis of the factors (Porter's 5 force and SWOT), before breaking down my solution.

The Problem

The Swiss have banned the construction of minarets in mosques.

Many seem to think this is the problem. To me, this is a symptom.

Here is how I frame the problem.

There is a growing intolerance in Switzerland towards practicing Islam the way Muslims want in Switzerland.

This to me is the bigger picture, as well as more specific. We can already see that there's two issues (underlined) that can be tackled.

The Executive Summary

We need to implement "Forward, Switzerland" which is the name I give to an Integration Plan for Switzerland and her Muslims.

Its target is to ensure Swiss Muslims fit seamlessly into the Swiss culture while Switzerland becomes more accommodating of special needs of its own citizens. All this will be achieved with a focus on traditional Swiss values of secularism, tolerance and goodwill. In the end, Switzerland will emerge a stronger nation, an example to others, a bastion of liberty - hence the name "Forward, Switzerland".

The Analysis

Undertaking a Porter's 5 force analysis on Swiss Islam, we can make the following conclusions.
Suppliers: People who will become Muslim - they have high power because they love the values of freedom, secularism, liberty and traditional Swiss values.
Buyers: People who are already Muslim - have definite demands, fitting in with the Swiss tradition and environment.
Substitutes: Other existing religions - have low power because traditionally the conversion rate of Muslims into other religions have been low.
New Entrants: Other new religions - also have low power as Islam is an established religion.
Rivalry within: many Islamic sects who tend to nullify each other (same day Eid anyone?).

Therefore we can draw the conclusion from this that the Islamic community in Switzerland must address traditional Swiss values of liberty and tolerance, while trying to unify the Islamic community itself. This will also lead it to build a better brand image.

Let's come to the more interesting SWOT analysis.
Strengths: Islam is an established religion, and in Europe it has a history. Support can be garnered for objectives (including money) from the wider Muslim community.
Weakness: Swiss population of Muslim is small, plus Islam has a terrible PR problem. Brand image in Switzerland is one of violence that has to be changed.
Opportunity: The sudden prominence of the Islamic community as the victimized, particularly in secular Europe, and a position of sympathy from European leaders.
Threats: The hot headed extremists within the community can hamper any dreams.

Therefore we can draw the conclusion that the Islamic community in Switzerland must act quickly to realize the sympathy, must control its extremists and try and garner support from the wider Muslim community for its plan as soon as possible. Remaking the brand image will take a long time, but it has to be started.

A third part of the analysis, that I will not go into here for sake of brevity, involves breaking down the salient factors (immigration, rituals, cultural baggage, xenophobia, history) and understanding the relations between them, and how they play into the solution.

The Solution - Forward, Switzerland

1. Build Mosques

There is nothing in the law that says a mosque cannot be built in Switzerland. A key objection to obtaining local permits for building mosques in Switzerland has been the construction of minarets. Often, racist elements of the local community would object to a mosque being built because it had a minaret in it. The objection was to the minaret (You can read this lengthy article).

Well, in Islam, a mosque can be a room, or even a clean ground. Minarets were historically never part of the mosque and only started appearing 80 years after the death of the Prophet. Many Muslims don't know it, but even domes and arches that we now associate with mosques were only popularized during the Ottomans.

Switzerland and her Muslims needs more mosques, and now with no objection to minarets (no minarets permitted by law) the construction process of mosques should be faster.

2. Raise Money

Money will be needed for construction of mosques, for charitable initiatives, for public relations and for upkeep of Islamic institutions in Switzerland. Money exists in Switzerland (the country is super rich - and therefore her citizens - Muslims included). The wider Islamic community has funds also.

3. Mosques support charity

Every new mosque in Switzerland should come with a soup kitchen attached. When a neighborhood gets a mosque, they are also getting food and support for the needy and homeless in the area. This is the tradition of the Prophet, the tradition of the early Islamic community in Medina and the way mosques have traditionally worked.

4. Read our history

Do you know how the Prophet got around to establishing an Islamic empire from zero in Medina? He arrived as a refugee, a leader of fellow refugees, and what did he do?

Ya aiuhan nas
O people.

Ibsus Salam
Exchange the greetings of peace with one another.

Wa atimut tawaam
Feed those who are hungry.

Wa sallu bil laili wannaasu niyam
Pray in the night when the rest of the people are asleep.

Idkhulul jannata bissalaam
Surely you will enter Paradise in peace.

I deal with that in detail here.

Note: Feed those who are hungry.

Of similar interest should be the Treaty of Hudaibiyah, and how the Prophet turned a position of disadvantage to his advantage. The Treaty was hampering to Muslims in a legal, strategical, and military fashion.

Or so they thought.

5. Have Convert Outreach and Progress Programs

Following Islamic commandments, Muslims in Switzerland must reach out to non-Muslim citizens. Outreach programs that boost conversion rates (hence more mosques and $$$s are needed) should be started.

Not only must they try and convert people into their faith, they must also try and ensure converts are looked after, AFTER conversion. Often, new converts fall prey to extremists, or become disillusioned and leave, or fall into hard times.

A good proper new convert strategy will ensure not only that Muslims in Switzerland address their problem of small numbers, but will also change the Islamic community in Switzerland itself to become more in tune with Swiss values. This also reduces the xenophobia and increases cultural acceptance of Islam in Switzerland by her own people.

6. Deal with extremists

Any extremist risks harming the brand image of Islam in Switzerland and must be dealt with immediately. Muslims in Switzerland needs to focus on their own issues (Palestine, Afghanistan can come later). Extremism is not tolerated in Islam nor in Switzerland. Islam stands for justice, freedom and equality, and so does Switzerland. If people don't think so, it is the job of the brand manager (i.e. Muslims in Switzerland) to ensure people think so.

Muslims also have a bad habit of hiding their extremists or making excuses for them. This has to stop.

Conclusion

This multi-pronged approach will ensure that not only do Muslims change themselves in Switzerland for the better, to become more in tune with Islamic beliefs AND Swiss beliefs, but that Swiss resistance to Islamic principles is also reduced.

In the end, the following of this plan "Forward, Switzerland" will ensure proper integration of Islam in Switzerland to the benefit of both communities, which are really one community after all.