مﻼﺳﻻا ﺎﻬﻨﻣ ﻲﻧﺎﻌﻳ ﻲﺘﻟا تﺎﻣزﻻا ﻦﻋ بﺎﺘآ راﺪﺻﺈﺑ ﺖﻣﺎﻗ ﻲﺘﻟ ا ﺔﻤﻠﺴﻤﻟا ةﺎﺘﻔﻟا ﺎﻧا ،ﻲﺠﻨﻣ دﺎﺷرإ ﻲﻋد ا ، ﻲﺑﺮﻌﻟا بﺎﺒﺸﻠﻟ ﻲﺘﻟﺎﺳر ﻩﺬهتﺎﻣزﻻا ﻚﻠﺗ برﺎﺤﻴﻟ ﺎﻬﺑ ﺢﻠﺴﺘﻳ نأ ﺎﻨﻠﻴﺟ نﺎﻜﻣﺎﺑ ﻲﺘﻟا لﻮﻠﺤﻟا ﻦﻋو ،اﺬه ﺎﻨﻣﻮﻳ ﻲﻓ . ﻢﺗ ﻲﺘﻟا ﻖﻃﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻲﻓ ةدﺎﺣ تﺎﺷﺎﻘﻧ ﻲﺑﺎﺘآ ثﺪﺣا ﺪﻘﻟ ،ﺎﻬﻴﻓ ﻩﺮﺸﻧ ﺔﻴﻟﺎﻤﺸﻟا ﺎﻜﻳﺮﻣأو ﺎﺑروا ﻲﻓ يا )ﻮﺘﻧرﻮﺗ ﻲﻓ ﻢﻴﻗا ﺎﻧا-اﺪﻨآ (
ﻦﻣ ﺔﻴﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺔﺨﺴﻨﻟا ﺖﻧﺎآ اذإ ﺎﻤﻋ ﻲﻧﻮﻟﺄﺴﻳ بﺮﻋ بﺎﺒﺷ ﻞﺒﻗ ﻦﻣ ﻲﻧوﺮﺘﻜﻟﻻ ا ﺪﻳﺮﺒﻟا ﻞﺋﺎﺳر ﻦﻣ ﺪﻳﺪﻌﻟا ﻲﻨﺘﻠﺻو ،بﺎﺘﻜﻟا روﺪﺻ ﺪﻌﺑوﺪﺑ اﻮﻔﻨﻓ ،ﻲﺑﺎﺘﻜﻟ ﻲﺑﺮﻋ ﺮﺷﺎﻧ ﻰﻠﻋ رﻮﺜﻌﻟا ﻲﻧﺎﻜﻣﺎﺑ نﺎآ اذا ﺎﻤﻋ ﻢﻬﺘﻟﺄﺴﻓ ،رﺪﺼﺘﺳ بﺎﺘﻜﻟا اﺬه نا ﻦﻴﻠﺋﺎﻗ ،ﻚﻟذ لﻮﺼﺣ ﺔﻴﻧﺎﻜﻣإ ﻢهر ﻲﻓ ﺔﻴﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺔﺨﺴﻨﻟا ضﺮﻋ ﻊﻴﻄﺘﺳﻷ ﻒﻠﺤﻣ ﻢﺟﺮﺘﻣ ﻦﻴﻴﻌﺘﺑ ًارﻮﻓ ةﺮﺷﺎﺒﻤﻟا ﻲﻨﻣ اﻮﺒﻠﻃ ﻢﻬﻧا ﻻإ ،ﻚﻟذ ﻰﻠﻋ أﺮﺠﺘﻳ ﻻ ﻲﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﺷﺎﻨﻟا ﻲﺑ ﺔﺻﺎﺨﻟا ﺖﻴﻧﺮﺘﻧﻻا ﺔﺤﻔﺻ)com.refusenik-muslim.www (
ﻟا ﻩﺬﻬﺑو بﺎﺘﻜﻟا ﻦﻣ ﻰﻟوﻻا لﻮﺼﻔﻟا تﺮﺸﻧو ﻩﺬه ﻢﻜﺘﺤﻴﺼﻨﺑ تﺬﺧا ،ﻦﻴﻣﺎﺗ ﺔﻳﺮﺣو ﺔﻴﺻﻮﺼﺨﺑ بﺎﺘﻜﻟا أﺮﻘﻳ نا دﺮﻔﻟا ﻊﻴﻄﺘﺴﻳ ﺔﻘﻳﺮﻄ ﻲﻨﻧا ةرﺎﺷﻻا ﻢﻬﻤﻟا ﻦﻣو ،ءﺎﻗﺪﺻﻻا ﻊﻣ ﻪﺘﺸﻗﺎﻨﻣو بﺎﺘﻜﻟا اﺬه ةءاﺮﻘﻟ ﻢآﻮﻋدا ،ًﺎﺒﻳﺮﻗ ﺔﻠﺒﻘﻤﻟا لﻮﺼﻔﻟا ضﺮﻋﺎﺳو ،ﺖﻴﻧﺮﺘﻧﻻا ﺔﻜﺒﺷ ﻰﻠﻋ ،ﻲﺋارأ ﻰﻠﻋ ﺔﻘﻓاﻮﻤﻟا ﻢﻜﻨﻣ ﺐﻠﻃا ﻻ ﺎﻨﺘﺻﺮﻓ ﻩﺬه ،ﻦﻴﺘﻣﺎﺗ ﺔﺣاﺮﺻو حﻮﺿﻮﺑ رﻮﻣﻻا ﻩﺬه ﺔﺸﻗﺎﻨﻤﻟ ﺶﻄﻌﺘﻧ ﺎﻨﻧا ﻢﻠﻋأ ﻲﻨﻧا ﻻأ ،ﺲﻜﻌﻟا ﻞﺑ ﺎهﻮﻠﻐﺘﺳأ ،.
ًﺎﻌﻴﻤﺟ ﻢﻜﻴﻠﻋ مﻼﺴﻟا
دﺎﺷرإ

In the spirit of Ramadan, I just wanted to pass along a message from a friend of mine. Those of you who have been following the "Spirituality and Religion" discussion boards will remember that last year some time, I posted about a book called "The Trouble With Islam" which explored new directions in Islam. After that, I had the chance to meet the author at one of her talks and we've stayed in touch. If you have ten minutes someday this Ramadan, I would encourage you to read some of the exercepts from her book, think about them, share them with your friends, and respond to Irshad on her site.

Best wishes,
Terri

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This is a message for Arab youth. My name is Irshad Manji and I am a young Muslim woman. I am also the author of a book about the problems within Islam today, and how our generation can begin to solve those problems. The book has created lots of debate in Europe and North America, where it has been already been published. (I live in Toronto, Canada.)

Since the book was published, I have received many emails from young Arabs. They have asked me when the Arabic translation of the book will come out. I asked them if any Arab publisher would do this. Everybody said there is no Arab publisher with the guts to do it. But many young Arabs told me not to wait for a publisher. They said I should hire a translator and post the Arabic translation on my website, free of charge. That way, you can read the book in privacy and safety.

I have taken this advice. The first few chapters of the Arabic book are now posted on my website: www.muslim-refusenik.com. The next few chapters will be posted soon, and the final chapters will appear before the end of this year. I invite you to read the book, share it with your friends and debate it. I am not asking you to agree with me. (In fact, I am sure many of you will disagree with what I say.) But I do know that there is a deep hunger to discuss these issues with honesty. Here is our chance. Salaam to you all.

Irshad

Bad news seems to come in threes... My grandfather (on my dad's side) is now in the hospital after a heart attack. My mom's uncle died falling down stairs. And my mom's aunt died in a nursing home.

Hopefully this has now exhausted the bad news/luck for our family for a GOOD LONG TIME@!

I fell in love with all of the donkeys in Ethiopia... so I fear that I will fall in love with the alpacas in Peru while I'm there next week.

What to do? What to do?

A friend of mine recently went to North Korea to talk with organizations about starting up some collaborative projects. While there, he took a lot of photos and sent back notes on his visit. One of his photos included the Ryugyong Hotel, which I'm now fascinated with. So I poked around online and found some interesting blogs on it.

I just think it's fascinating how so many countries go through a funky national pride phase in which "my building is bigger than yours" becomes a way of showing off. It just seems like such a bizarre waste of resources - not only in building the things, but in maintaining them. Let's face it, few of these monstrousities are likely to be LEED certified.

What buildings like this do you have in your country??