14.11.05

A new day, a new Word - Nuron

Nuron (for normal people)
alt spelling,
Nooron (salafi spelling)



Huh?
Think noor(light-arabic)-photon(idealised light wave/particle)-neuron(brain signal carrier)

Definition
Unit of inspiriation, an element of enlightenment.
Experts are unable to pin down the exact nature of these entities, mighty shame that.
They don't however expect that they are physical, and everyone agrees that they originate from the Almighty's Infinite Mercy.
Unfortunately, this has not stopped some rather sad and misguided people from arguing that Nurons are just social constructs, or prevented the construction of intellectually wastefull particle accelerators and education systems.

Common questions that Muslims ask can be explained by Nuron theory. Nobody can yet tell if its any good.

Q - Why am i so thick?
A - You havent been in reception of any Nurons. Could be a problem with the local geography or your antenna.

Q - Why is Muslim civilisation not having a good time?
A - Generally, we live in ignocracies ( Hussein Alattas, 1974) and hate eachother too much, this inhibits Nuron transmission and exploitation. Personally, we can be quite arrogant and closed minded and too certain about things of which we have no experience.

Q - My Aunty Josie, she's gone bompletely bonkers, babbling on like a woman possessed about a crafty new knitting pattern that undermines the fundamental laws of Physics.
A - She got hit by a Nuron.


See Related
Uloomination
Cultural J
Imanate
Ummatosphere

10.10.05

another cataclysm.

another cataclysm.

all my love and prayers to the dead, living and the bereaved of the recent Earthquake in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Allah make it easy on you

May the decision makers who decide whats will happen now be rational, just and far sighted.
May those with resources come forward to provide for the further impoverished.
May lessons be learnt, implemented and passed down through generations.

the disaster mangement industry is in full swing; with foreign governments using foreign aid as political capital, 'Relief and development' unaccountable organisations reminding us of their jolly, uncoordinated existence and the press seedily reminding us of 'overpopulation', 'the remoteness and danger of live in the dangerous east' and 'the scale of the human cost'.

i asked someone that i felt a little uncertain about what to contribute, my friend cut through the crap and answered me 'well poetry won't help'

muslim hands are a great bunch, not swayed by the mainstream disaster/development getup regime, who actually started most of their educationally focussed work in Pakistan anyway. I beleive that is those with ancestral links to a place that know what it needs and money to these f0lks wont lie unspent, or be politically used.

19.8.05

300 bombs went of in Bangladesh

Yesterday morning hundreds of little bomblets went off in Desh outside governments offices and court houses. Subhanallah so few people lost life. Innalilallaa.... I feel equally if not more mourne ful for the number of people who die, are impoverished, are deprived everyday because of the incapacity of us bangladeshis and our institutions to translate the best teachings and understandings of the world and deen to create a nourishing, enabling, cooperative and contented Bangladesh.

Responsibility for the explosions, which dont appear to have been designed for wanton death and destruction has been apparently claimed by some banned 'islamic' organisation. I wanted to jot down some thoughts and throw them in the air, for they mean more than most of the politically exploitative analysis being vomited out from the usual outlets. We live in times when any and every muslim culture or traditional organisation is open game for uninformed and manufactured condemnation.

This is particularly the case in Desh, where the nonislamic (if not counterislamic) press have the editorial policy of framing extremist narratives to such an extent that we cannot trust their reporting.

The biggest coalition of violent criminals since the emergence of the country as Bangladesh does not have a spiritual-religious identity, if anything its from the left (which isnt fair in the left anyway). Everyone knows this, newspapers, businesses and indeed the government, everyone who has to negotiate that power complex by looking the other way or by paying a bribe. Many things, facts and truths are not expressed in the Bangladeshi media, which is free....free to follow its particular narrow political and business interest.

We have our collection of earnest Islamic minded activists too, who since 71 have borne the brunt of oppression from Areligious extremists. The Elder generation, seasoned in the freedom from the brits-and-their-quislings-struggle have mostly passed on now. This wouldnt be so sad if long and medium range history was better understood by people in positions of influence in Desh. In the vacuum of enlightenment (he said pretentiously), of a sociospiiritual ideology we have to cope with a very confused and self mutliating vibe traveling through society.

Some of the amusing hardcore bros i spoke with on my recent research visit, seemed a jealous of/ impatient with/antagonistic to Jamaat e Islami (the most organised sociopolitical Ummahtic organisation in the country). Apparently in the past 4 years, as a minor part of a coalistion goverment in a global context of creative capitalist tryanny and violence in the name of security, Jamaat are a failure because they havent been able to change Desh into a bona fide Islamic state.......whatever that might be.

It suprises me that such a feelings might have translated into an attack on government. Such an attack advances the Opposition's thesis of "Come on Invade me, Im becoming 'Talibanised'', it also mocks the RAB security services and harms the social memory of Islamic activism in the Country. I think Islamic leaders in Desh will not fall orthemselves apologising for what they didnt do (like the brit orgs in the UK), but should take stock and work harder and smarter for justice and properity.



feeling like writing somethings about the uprising of Indians of 1857 CE . a film about it has already bee released.

have been reading about Tipu Sultan and his father HAidar Alis resistance against foreign invastion.

have been dodging this report.

28.7.05

tittle tattle

i habhe a keyboard problem, a dodjy 'bhee' key...
few more days in desh then return to london, where all is not particularly jolly. real shame, what a bunch of arseholes! hard to beliebhe as well. many of the places attacked were host to muslim concentrated communities and placees i know and remeber well, aldgate, edgeware road.....


People here are really pleasantly concerned for the enironment facing muslims in britain. Really enlibhening to here and partake in alternatibhe theory building/analysis of whats going on. problem s, that i keep habhing to repeat, is that it doesnt really matter what really happened, we habhe to adapt to the official picture linking people and causes, as there isnt exactly an alternatibhe, credible crime inbhestigation network on the case, and the muslim communites are quite ulnerable in a number of ways at this time. maybe im too cynical?

the presses and national goebhrnments and bhested interest groups are all constructing a self serbhing narratibhs at the moment its hard to get any insght throught the print and electronic media.......which is why im now looking at blogs.....and decided to make this post.... i had a little misplaced faith in the police (doh!) until a trigger happy copper filled a brazilian electricians head full of bullets (7 in the head one in the shoulder, point blank?!?!). how many other instances of abuse habhe gone unreported? its impossible to tell from here.

Clearly institutions are in a learning phase and all young muslim looking men are suspects. its hard for me to sympathise too much with the police and intelligence and political establishments. such ridiculous pressure originates in the worldbhiew, policy and actibhities of gobhernment abroad. skirting obher this truth is beating about the bush, and they are beating around the bush. Muslim Community organisations habhe issue plenty of condemnations and are patiently dialogueing with dumbo journalists and the worried public. they werent built for ummahtic policing though,....and i guess we'll see a lot more 'state sponsored muslim leadership/control initiatibhes'. im just taking into the air, i habhe no specific answers...especially without my trusty 'bhee' key! spefific anxieties

-getting blown up by one of these things
-my neighbours and friends fearing muslims.
-these crimes being used as a pretext to further 'justify' unjust actions upon the weak by the strong.
-being physically set upon by angry indigenous folk
-getting battered by police
-information about me, or those that i lobhe circulating, distorting, transferring and being misused by state authorities.
-the longerterm impressions that Islam and Muslim will now habhe on the brit social memory
-the distraction and diffusion of muslim effort bythe fetishisation of the terrorism lark.
its the people i worry about pawns in the process, far more interesting, but most bhulnerable.

at the end of the day london is much safer than dhaka or most other cities.


Patience

"Surely with eery hardship there is ease; with ebhery hardship there is surely ease."
Ayah 5-6, Surah 94, Quran

work has more or less gone well. real warm cooperation, adbhice, wisdom reciebhed from research people here. the research trip to field went well, did a bunch of practice interbhiews, messed around with maps, and local memories of displacement.....felt right a right per documenting misery, but those who had the patience with me (ebheryone) were really forthcoming. inshAllah i hae completed eerything i set out to do, ebhen if i wish to habhe gone on some more trips around the country.


Family has been don like, will miss being surrounded and inundated with phonecalls (confounded mobiles!) desiring my location, purpose, company and state of filledness of stomach and internal food processing equipment.

oooo dindins. (i hope that a picture has been posted, sunset from a boat)

23.6.05

In Bangladesh all systems are go

ok, in Desh now for field visit been here nearly 3 weeks , got 5 in front of me ....lots of infrastructural improvements....pleasant suprises around every corner. ooh how its good to be out somewhere hopeful...

Now the real purpose here is research, have been to a couple of institutions and spoken with wise old pios dons. Am finding loads of previous work on the erosion matter, from a number of angles.....am drowing in it!!!<> I hope i can produce something worthwhile, fully baked and novel.....

worry is...that you can deposit solutions to problems and challenges till the cows come home (for qurbani 3id) but until the will (and the tanks and the helicopters and RAB for that matter) is behind the effort its just gas.

Apparently the Sirajganj/Tangail area is reknonwed for hand loomed clothes...sarees et al, of great quality.... for about half an hour i thought that would be a great industry for river eroded folks to get into. however its a bit lineage encultured and limited market wise...... maybe this 'fair trade' thing might be workable

Ummahtic conciousness is here in droves, expressed itself in lots of ways, though not always the most sophisticated mediums. Am really thankful to have got here at this time.

A minister was forced to resign a few days ago because of some dodgy Phat 4x4 car bribe accepted from soem dodgy Canadiam gas company called Niko. I hope they get a good spanking.....on the matter of corporate spankings......the Govt slapped a 1200 tax on mibile phone SIM cards. The 4 big companies, who have been robbing bagladeshis blind for years with the most expensive callcharges and quirks went nuts. I hope the Govt has the nuts to keep a firm line, no matter how much the companies blackmail them with 'ooh its enabling development look at us we are solving peverty' or 'we'll take our investment elsewhere' rubbish. chekc www.newagebd.com for more details as the plot thickens.


ooo newspaper make me crazy here, theres a deep willful of the deen, its social dimentions and the cutting edge of contemporary islamic thought in the prominent english papers here. its partly explained by the mentality of a large section of the intelligensia here. they have their reasons . perhaps the media isnt really as important as it makes out. the real medium is people and their relations and communication. folks here are really savvy.


I would post pictures, but have forgotten how, besides bandwidth is low here...they call this broadband!!!


Going to the Ganj tomorrow, thats why im posting this now, Salaams to all<2>

9.5.05

Welcome to Bethnal Green and Bow, where the spirit of resistance lives on...

thought i would deposit some contents of my head relating to the events of the past few days.

Tower Hamlets deshis and lefties pulled it together to pull off a startling win in the Bethnal Green and Bow elections. George Galloway unseated the loyal prowar newlabour candidate, he was respectful in victory and praised her work for the community.

This was happy news to me for a few reasons, it was a triumphant display of functional unity between social forces of bangla, islamic and lefty flavour....it inspired the local people who got actively involved who now walk with an extra spring in their step....it was a good development for those who imagine and want to work out a way out from global and local injustice.....its a maturing opportunity for the 'Stop the War/End the Occupation group'....it is an inspiriation for justice movements worldwide from bangladesh to baghdad....it is scaring the hell out of corrupt council leaders in the area

Well wishers of east london should be pleased that creative politics is not dead.

This situation reminds me of the Sylhet refurendum held in british occupied assam ( part of india) when the muslims of sylhet (reduced in stature through purposeful colonial and quisling land and educational policies) chose to link their futures to the muslim peoples of india upon partition. The two nation idea hadn't garnered mass support before this time...this was significant watershed....and the rest followed suit....well thats my take on it. I cant get this stupid grin off my face!

The Respect Coalition polled well in birmingham(3 000 short!), 2 seats in newham and canning town (20%+)...next years council elections should see more triumphs, so long as this hard fought constituency serves its people well and promotes and contextualises the adab-ful vibe. Many people i have spoken to have only heard of Respect just now (duh!) after they won something...so i guess it takes time for positive experiences to emerge in the local social memory.

The establishment's revulsion at this free expression of public will was noted.
1 ex-labour mp tony bank's statement that bangladeshis/muslims are latently rascist

2 BBC newsman Paxman's hilarously loony 'do you feel proud to have displaced one of the only black women MPs'
entertaining clash though

3 blairite sellout mp david lammy's 'he's an exploitative carpet bagger' and 'those poor helpless and hapless people of the east end' statement


Labour corruption and skull duggery through the postal vote issue have also been noted, as have armchair political commentators annoyance/ignorance/prejudice of this community on the ground.

May local society be further emboldened and inspired to achieve its highest state! I think one of the keys is a cultural adaptation (or 'J'). politicians arent really the solvers of all our problems, their job is to create an enabling environment.

We have a 'bhaiya - apa' (older brother -sister) set of relationships that we maintain in deshi extended family networks. I think they become uneven and get truncated on migration to a new country (the uk) we can see this as parents can often get a bit desperate and lame in efforts to marry of their children.

Mentoring is ...... good, but reestablishing the caring-slightly-elder relationship, though overlapping of ...'aador networks' is much more promising in my experience. Why should i have to go to an outside agency to promte to them that i am not a paedophile so that i can help my own kids? Lets not wait for anyone, dignity, justice and freedom are not handed out on silver platters, they need to be taken...

but brother, sister , comrade....can you spare the time......?

Anyhow, now the people of bethnal green and bow have an MP who will represent their views in parliament. I hope many more constituencies disengage from the politics of hegemonic parties.

Something a little more nourishing for the soul to round this up. I found the web pages of Said Nursi's teachings , a reknowned Islamic thinker who was born into the late period of the Osmanli Caliphate and who died in a time of present day Turkey. His Risale-i-Noor Collection is illuminating. Remember the authors situation and read his biography on the web pages to better realise the spiritual audience and political strife of his time.

I asked a wise old turk (not aligned to his followers) in istanbul about this(Nursi's) personality, he rated him as a write and a thinker, but in retrospect wished he had not entered politics (for which he and others suffered).

There is a similar theme of value running throughout Islamic history, whereas the brit/european history i was taught at school is always about kings and queens and battles, islamic historical thinking tends to be about the scholars.

In the Late Shayk Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi's 'Saviours of the Islamic Spirit' most of the individuals (apart from Salahuddin Ayubi..who freed al quds from the crusaders) were people of learning.

3.4.05

Pilot, Boats and superbikes

Off to desh for pilot study in a month, lets hope some work gets done this week, may even experiment with regular mornings!

Spring has ever-so-slightly begun, went boating on some pond today, 5 of us in a piddly rowing boat inefficiently charging on various innocents. today everyone was in good humour, incredible what an effect the sun has on the brits . Being wet all over on a late cooling afternoon doing asr is not my idea of fun though.

The Royal Geographic Society, wicked map rooms, reference point for posh adventurers map archivists of gandalfian levels of know how. Its been ages since ive felt like a clueless little kid. So i guess i should go there again.

aah the reason for the post, my new super bike with ridiculously OTT front suspension.
hmm what else....

the 'pull the troops out' themed demonstration was suprisingly well attended, its really insipring to see such communities blossoming organising and cooperating. Especially on the whole political injustice being dished out under the ruse of 'special laws against terror'. One of the british citizens who were unjustly, cruely and inhumanly locked up by militant Americans in occupied cuba was rapping(?!?) about the experience, Im not a fan of rap, my tastes lean more in the direction of whiteboyness but it was great.

Gareth Pierce has been working on this end of things, she is a modern day hero for all to see and be inspired by. theres an amazing interview of her on Democracy Now. interesting life, experiences and attitude to the world. Maybe my second favourite Lawyer type, after Ralph Nader of course!

So happy that the time hasnt turned him mad. recently there was an 'islamic hiphop' evening in honour of the life and works of Malcolm X. Cultural J of quite a high level.

Met a few deshi folks at the kings college bsoc do, quite proud that they pulled off an unnaff and often amusing show .... met with a body popping crew of young college kids from green street ways. they were upset that they didnt get the music they were anticipating. i hop both them and the student group keep it up.

Prof Ward Churchill is another one of our modern day heros

4.1.05

Tsunami catastrophe

Time to honour the loss of 150 000+ people of Asia, and the years long struggle that our societies will face to recover from the loss. aceh has suffered incredible carnage...its hardly imaginable...heres to wedding ummah support to their recovering li velihoods for the long term.

Very scary to see imperialist forces 'helping'.

The opportunity to donate is being provided by heaps of charities, may their work be accepted in His service. And political points are being scored by imperial western governments as ever. The British people shamed our government with their real good nature and open heartedness these past couple of days.

Desh sent some ships(4 gemini boats then later....the Turag and Sangu) planes (c130) and helicopters(2 Bell212) as well as medical and engineering teams and some water purification plants. We assume that a lot goes trhough informal channels as well.

i think they went to maldives and sri lanka.. hope they perform inshAllah.


what to do?

start back at uni tmrw with added motivation i guess.