Is the 'Happy Muslim' video halal or haram?

Sheikh Murad distances himself from the video. He is the man holding a sign, that reads "I'm Happy".This video examines what the debate means about Muslims and society today.

Maybe some of the Muslims in the video were behaving as they always do, others might have acted out of character to some degree. I don't normally skip down the street mouthing the words to a song or sing out loud in public, and probably most Muslims don't do it all the time.

The video doesn't show Muslims as they are day to day, just as the rest of the 24 hrs of video by Pharrell don't probably accurately depict most people as they are normally either. It is an event. It isn't daily life in video.

Are Muslims generally happy? God knows.

They probably are.

But many Muslims are suffering, and they probably have days when it is not possible to smile, even weeks or months when things are unbearably difficult. The reality is that many Muslims, and others too, are not happy. Many peoples' daily lives are filled with anxiety about the future, or about their children, etc. It isn't easy to sing and dance even in Britain if you are standing in the unemployment line, in America, if you just lost your home, or in Pakistan if your family was just killed in a drone attack.

So, the video isn't "real", it is mostly "a show" done for an event. The video shows some people, not all people or even a statistically accurate  group. It isn't about stats or accuracy. It is about people dancing and singing in public. Most Muslims, even those who dress less modestly, don't sing in the street and dance down the sidewalk. Am I right?

I find [someone] is very angry while also defending an extreme view, that it is okay for men and women (speaking about Muslims) dancing and singing in public; then, where do we draw the line about public displays by Muslims? If dancing with your husband in public is okay, then holding hands should be okay too, presumably. Then do we say that a simple kiss is also "permissible"? [Revised, April 28th]

Sheikh Murad also has to give some kind of proof that what he says is correct, doesn't he?

[The person criticizing those Muslims or scholars who believe dancing in public or music are forbidden, is not Abdal-Hakim Murad, but a Muslim, Adam Deen (not a scholar, I'm assuming) who also appeared in the video. I apologize for the mistake - revised]

[Sheikh Murad] is known to have a bias against Saudi Arabians, from what I have read [of] some of his statements before. Adam Deen, then acknowledges in this video, that it might be considered "inappropriate" which is a backsliding statement. Not being a sheikh, he can't give a fatawa about this, but who can? 

Then [someone] asks "is it so [extremely] harram?" This is "judging" the Sheikh [Hassan], because he doesn't agree with his point of view; to be fair to him, Imam Hassan says it is wrong to verbally attack others in the video. That doesn't sound extreme, but is a correct attitude. E.g. we don't hate the person, but the action.

We can answer if it is "clearcut harram", if there is a verse in the Quran. But if such a verse doesn't exist, doesn't prohibit Islamic scholars from making their own "fatawas" about the issue. If Sheikh Murad is a qualified sheikh, he can also make his own fatawa.



+Abdal-HakimMurad

+AdamDeen



Debate: Atheist vs Muslim

I would hardly agree that secular societies are happier; there are more suicides in the most secular nations, so that is not true +itsjustameme.


I haven't drafted any additional writing to go with this video, nor have I been able to watch the entire video. So, that is what I'm doing today (I should) towards this task.


(stay tuned for an updated post here).

A "Rare Breed" of Atheist

Don't pinch me, I'm awake.

I know what atheists think, that deists and theists are morons.

But what makes some of them now pride themselves even more (than other atheists)?

The "Vegan Atheist" has spawned a whole new breed of folks who believe they are better equipped to deal with the menace that is modern religion. They outright reject any belief in god, or gods, or the rules which religious people follow as moral. But that's not all...

They pride themselves for their superior intelligence, which might I add, doesn't (really) require one to "wear shades". Though you would think, from the way they pat each other on the back, that mere mortals wouldn't be capable of such brilliance or even witnessing it.

Should I say Dr. Vegan Atheist?

Well, not yet.

This same nonsense which is called "logic" that I've seen somewhere before, proves disappointingly funny however, along the lines of something someone else said when debating some points of religion (Islam) with me, "One person's reality is another person's illusion".

I begged to differ with that.

Oh, by the way, I did leave a comment or two for the Vegan Atheist on his YouTube channel, or on his blog, but I think he has yet to respond. I think I might have embarrassed him.

What I said,

"I'm not sure if you are the same Vegan Atheist who commented on comments in your You Tube videos?
In the "Stupid Muslim Comments" video #6, the "Vegan Atheist" says he thinks "people came from apes.["] What do you think..

I will say this for Richard Dawkins, he scoffs at people who believe that, yes. He is a biologist and therefore we assume somewhat intelligent and educated. He believes the theory of evolution and that "humans and apes share a common ancestor" but not that humans evolved from apes.

I hope vegans and atheists everywhere will think before they speak or write on the internet.
It isn't only others who make stupid comments.

"If you want to dish it, then you can take it", but like I said, I don't know if you are that person.
If you RSVP I wouldn't mind. I have my own blog as well."

(February 14, 2014 at 12:11 PM)

This was one of the posts I wanted to get up for V-day.

********

I did however have the opportunity to share one of the people I love in dawa, who is "Idris Tawfiq" a very loved and intelligent Muslim man, a revert from Britain. ( I had thought he was Irish)

I shared some of his links, etc. yesterday, the 15th of February.

February 14th, I drafted another post which I will share today on the blog.

 

So many more things I've been sharing from all over the place, on Twitter and Facebook, I can't remember them all now, but still I haven't gotten down to the nitty gritty of going through my old folders (boxes, too) of ideas, writings, drafts, paper and flash memory, or the hard work of finishing important final drafts.

I'm feeling restless, so I guess, it is time for something new and exciting.

Wonder what that might be?



Like Baba Ali?

http://ummahfilms.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-friend-new-baba-ali-video.html

When watching Baba Ali, make sure to adjust the volume, also, he gets "in your face"
sometimes, which is one of his "trademark" things to do, but be sure, he is often very funny, sometimes controversial, and yes, he's a Muslim convert. Baba Ali is probably the original funny Muslim on You Tube who has inspired others to do similar videos, but not quite like Baba Ali! He also created a board game and started his own marriage service for Muslims, a kind of speed dating, if you will,  called "Half A Date".

Getting in Your Face in his videos





Cute Girls Shouldn't Wear the "Sexy Hiijab"

Comments on Comments

There are things which make a video go viral, is stupidity one of them?

I was harsh in my comments on some YouTube™ channels this afternoon.

One girl, although cute was very loud, and her first sentence was glaringly wrong, grammatically. Then she talks about Islam like it is a hobby which you can opt in or out of anytime. One day, maybe you’re praying, the next day, you’re not, you get the picture. That’s, ” freedom of religion” according to some people. But do we have to have 1000,000 YouTube™ videos defending the general Muslims’ laxity in performing their sacred duties posted all over the net? Is the world now a much better place?

For one thing, I don’t believe that most normal Muslims believe it is okay not to pray. Prayer is one of the first pillars of Islam. Secondly, if they claim the right of freedom of speech, then so do the rest of us. If they can comment then so can I, or am I wrong? It seems there are children who think their videos are the efflorescence of the entire internet experience. Worse, there are Muslim youth who believe that their very personal interpretations are the epitome of Islamic thought today. They think that because they are young and energetic, that is an excuse for poor scholarship and that youth alone gives them the right to say and do anything, regardless of what is right and wrong. Many non-Muslims have made similar judgment calls. Of course, it isn’t just youth who say and do irresponsible or stupid things.

And sometimes, “out of the mouth of babes…”

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

One guy, Fousey (somebody-or-other) says, If you like then give it a thumbs up ( I would say thumb up, since the icon is of one thumb up, and you do it once per video) but aside from my tendency to exaggerate small insignificant issues occasionally, which I can do with a fine tooth comb, if I’m in the mood for that kind of bitchiness, I strongly object to the fact that he is greatly promoting his freedom over mine; if I don’t give it a thumb up I can’t comment on his channel (can he do that??) Hey, freedom of speech is my right as well as yours, whether I like the video or not. Of course (I’ll make this perfectly clear for internet) I’m being facétieuse (Is there anything wrong with my French?) and he has every right to block me from his channel forever, which is why I posted several comments after each other and immediately shared them on Twitter™ and Google+™. Thanks for the thumbs up ;) +Karmi Neveg Fousey had 530,000 views on one video!! At some point I started thinking, ”When can we hope for that Islamic revival?”

[just a side note, I tried to find facetious in the dictionary and couldn’t but I did find a word (or expression) I’ve never heard before, which I will share now Parents might want to cover their children’s eyes or ears, lol– Fag hag -. It means a woman who likes hanging around with gay men. But why do both the Oxford dictionary and my computer not have a spelling/spelling suggestion for a fairly common word?? ]

I do comments on comments, too, which is the point of one of Fousey’s vids He suggested we could do comments on comments, like what’s- her -face, some personality, female I think it was, I forget the name. [Revised – it was Ellen.]You can watch the video, to find out who he was referring to. OR maybe you have a good idea already.

Apart from not getting why most Muslims on the planet (and beyond, reminds me of the video description/warning: “Earth is being invaded by Muslims”) know who some actor is, who died recently, which I feel bad about, truly, but also, I don’t get that they are all on YouTube™ promoting Islam (their less than kosher version) by apologizing for the few who want to promote prayer and fasting in the community, and also good manners and character, meaning, not backbiting or snitching or slandering other Muslims. My question is: why do they get to be the spokespersons for Islam?? The majority of “practicing” Muslims didn’t unanimously give them that honor. Besides, there are already many people promoting these virtues; forgiveness, kindness, enjoining good and forbidding evil, Muslim brotherhood (unity, not the political or military wing of an Islamic group) and in an enlightened and proper way, without props like “the sexy hijab” which express nothing more than “somebody doesn’t want to be taken too seriously”. There are hijab styles that are not “sexy” or at least, change the name of the style, so it is, “the coiled snake hijab” or something less provocative than “the sexy hijab”. Read my post, “Everything Is Not Sexy”, if you like.

Okay, not to be overly negative, there are other less important things I don’t like about the videos too, such as the poor English. Okay, if you’re making a video, can it be in a language that doesn’t reflect the fact that your parents probably don’t know with whom and where you hang out most nights? Or did you actually grow up on the streets?

And if you can’t make up your mind, just flip a coin, “Happy early, late, on time Eid…” was ridiculously unpragmatic. I mean, it’s okay to pick a time and a place or to express something within a realistic time/space continuum. I realize she is a nice person at heart and just wanted to include everybody, but whether we celebrate Eide with Saudi Arabia or Malaysia, or post Ghaddafi, with Morocco, lol, it is all basically doing it together, and if she celebrated it already, which we all had, then she should’ve just said, “Happy belated Eide” if her video was done post Eide. What is wrong with being decisive?

That’s a small complaint, but it helps in life to be decisive more than not, don’t you agree?

Comment to My Comment?

Back to the point about English, and word usage; okay, I understand that many of the youth (or overgrown children still living with their parents, as the majority of Muslim youth appear to do, still) are filling a need or what they see is a need for more low quality productions, with stupid jokes and likely many equally stupid followers (by the looks of the number of views, that’s most of the Muslim youth today or their non-Muslim friends too). But I would prefer, (yeah, I just said that) that they make nicer more serious videos about things that matter, or discuss the same subjects but with more seriousness. I can say that, because I’m the adult in this “conversation”.

If you want, just share some of the good Islamic videos on your channel and save your buffoonery for your friends. That way you avoid hateful comments to your videos, and the general public doesn’t get a taste of the poor quality of stuff you churn out like, all the time. Probably, this is getting annoying, and sorry for being so “judgmental”. But I am in the mood to be “judgmental”. Actually, this is my advice, which anyone can take or leave. I don’t know any of these people personally and never judge people on YouTube ™just because I know that I don’t know them personally. Some people come off as arrogant or bigoted, but they are probably genuinely nice people, or at least have a lot of similar minded friends and/or colleagues, who appreciate their unique perspective. Fousey had around 530,000 hits on one video!! 

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

I’ve had emails from people who sound like nice people, but their comments often leave me cold. It isn’t that I feel the need to judge them, I don’t. But I feel a responsibility to educate people when they seem to ask a lot of questions about Islam or make a lot of comments which are sometimes inappropriate or reflect their general ignorance of Islam. I am not saying that I know more than them, but I do think I know my religion very well, in the most basic and necessary things a Muslim is required to know, especially about basic beliefs and the most general ideas or teachings such as Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah).

Anyway, if they believe that the people leaving negative comments are all judging them, then they are judging those people. Just because someone doesn’t like your video doesn’t mean they are judging you, especially when they say, Allah guide you and things to that effect, which is non-judgemental and a good thing to say. Muslims often say this to each other, not just to people they disagree with. Maybe the people leaving those comments you dislike are just trying to ask you to think about what you are doing and whether or not it is how you could best spend your time. Life is precious, and time waits for no one, right?

You know Fred, Everybody does!

I know that it is probably the case that many negative comments on most channels are from trolls or ppl who like to harass; comments are sometimes nasty or vindictive and people post such, for the pleasure of it; I am guilty of poking fun at ppl sometimes, but I don’t believe in child abuse or cruelty. Many of the owners of the worst offenders might even be children. It is good to keep in mind that most people on the net commenting are probably children too. But if you act like a child in your videos, then beware; you are making yourself a magnet for abusive language or comments.

You know how that guy Fred, made so many videos and they went viral? Some of it is an acquired taste, or rather made for small-minded people or kids. It’s proof that children are a force to be reckoned with. By the way, Fred made an app, it is a doll that looks like him, and he has sold a lot of them. YouTube can be a lucrative venture, too. People can promote whatever they like on YouTube, whether their own product or app or a magazine. And ideas are always being promoted. What kind of ideas, does matter. If someone is promoting “freedom of speech” then he should also practice some by giving free reign to others’ negative comments, occasionally. You can share videos you don’t like but which someone else might like to discuss with you. If that doesn’t work out well, then you can always “agree to disagree”.

"Don’t you see that the lion is silent and yet feared, while the dog barks constantly and is despised?" A Quote by Imam ash-Shafi`i

On YouTube™ spelling doesn’t matter much, but language is still important to communicating the right idea. I will promote one of my least favorite video channels. IrishInfidel has a channel that promotes hatred of Islam. The guy’s real name is Kevin, who sounds very different in one email than his public comments to me. Mostly he doesn’t believe in dialogue, but promoting his videos. That’s makes me wary of his motivations, and I don’t believe anymore that he is an atheist, but might be a closet Christian. In all honesty, it doesn’t matter to me; he can be whatever he likes... He is IrishInfidel on YouTube™ Readers can also read my response to his video in this blog; his name is one of the labels which makes searching for a discussion about him easy. I debunked his video “The Camel is a symbol of Allah” several months ago. I think I promoted that post on Twitter™ and Google+™ earlier today. I take offence at the word “symbol” as opposed to “sign”, and show why there is a difference. Also, the story of Prophet Saleh and the she-camel is an added bonus, which many people probably have never heard of.

I can see why that might help

If you’re speaking English, why not try a British accent, sometimes it just sounds more intelligent. But if the quality of the material isn’t equally impressive, then your accent won’t make a difference to the overall impression; if you are not truthful, that is one of the biggest mistakes, IMHO, you can make on the internet, and that mistake could go viral, too. This is something to think about before posting that next video. The IrishInfidel promoted another anti-Islam video with a British narrator. Did it work? Or will the video go viral despite itself? Readers be the judge, it is about science in the Quran, or the Miracle of the Honey Bees. I wrote my own take on the video in a blog post, probably you can find it easily enough without me having to put the link. (In case not, I will revise this later, I’m offline at the moment.)

I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to blog about something offbeat tomorrow. It is still within the Islamic topics, but a slightly off the cuff post. We will see, until then, farewell.



Flickr Is Worth Browsing More Often

It's been a very long time since I have been to my Flikr account. Well, this morning I finally took the opportunity to see some amazing photos on Flikr. In particular, the first photostream I happened across was by Kijal. My favorites are some taken at the Masjid Al Haram, as well as many pretty photos of flowers. I'm not done browsing yet, but thought to do a quick write up on why I think browsing is a worthwhile activity. Browsing on Flikr is enjoyable and one is bound to come across many photos of interest and artistic value.

Browsing is something we can only do online. To make it a good experience and not something stressful, which it shouldn't be or you are not doing it right, you should have accounts in the best places for browsing which are of course, Flickr, for photos, Pinterest, I suppose (which I don't have) and places for videos, which might mean YouTube, but also might mean other online sharing, such as your email account/s and the useful and popular apps like SkyDrive or the Cloud apps. People complain that browsing videos takes a lot of time, which is true. Watching videos can take a lot more time than one anticipates as well (particularly if the internet connection is very slow). Every cloud has a silver lining, or in this case every action on the internet has it's good and bad. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kijal/

Many people prefer not to share their photos on Facebook, Twitter or the other usual places. They allow you to grab a link though (copy/pasted as above) and while you can't display the photo on your own site, you can still share it with others, which is an easy way of "sharing the love". You might be inspired to take more of your own photos, and publicly display those, which will showcase your own particular interests and any special talent you might have in photography. I haven't found many photos of my own which deserve special mention, the few I have shared from several different accounts (emails, Google+, Flickr) are noteworthy; on Flickr, perhaps the most memorable (possibly the ONLY photo I've ever posted there (a milenia ago) is of a pigeon. It was taken out our apartment's balcony and shows a pigeon, probably migratory, roosting on the corragated tin (or aluminum) roof above our parking space (at the time, we lived in East Riffa, in a third floor "flat" (Bahrainis say flat, not apartment). It fills me with nostalgia still, because around the same time it was taken, I started my first blog (My IslamFeed) which ended (and was removed).

For me putting myself out there (especially writing) is kind of like pulling off a bandaid. It has to be done, because I continue to want to write publicly, but also it isn't something I would describe as pleasant. I often feel ill at ease or trepiditious when posting something new; I suppose it comes from the desire to please others, and not disappoint, plus the fear of a public flogging (or readers scorn).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kijal/

[Revising: I couldn't find the pigeon, maybe I had two accounts and one is now obsolete, rather I forgot about it and created a second account, which is still there. (But that means no more pigeon photo, I will have to dig into my old digital photos to find it, which could take some doing!)]

American Soldier's Response To Anti-Muslim Comments

LIVEMUSLIMANIME Is Back [BOTTOM LEFT Of The Screen]



My Devolver Video "The Water Is Fine"

 For many of my new friends on internet, this is the first time they will experience the sights and sounds of this short film (in two parts) by me.

It's been a long time since I removed the video, because I had gotten tired of it, and frankly, you might also want to turn the volume on your computer or phone down, when visiting my blog for the next while, because the video's sound which starts automatically and continues throughout the length of my short film, is rather annoying. But once it has played, it will stop, and you can move onto something less noisy.

I have not shared anything on LIVEMUSLIMANIME apart from this one attempt at film making, but hope visitors will enjoy it; I origninally had the idea after an obnoxious person rudely insulted some of the rituals in Islam, the prayer, and then went on to explain that he and his wife and pig enjoy time together and they also like to go biking and strolling on the beach. I said I didn't get married to go biking or stroll on the beach, if you get my meaning.
After I posted The Water Is Fine, I asked that person to visit the blog and see the video I had made in honor of our conversation. I don't know if he ever did. "What video?" I remember him asking. I never got back to him on that, I know he could avail him of google to find it if he really wanted to. As you see, it is a combination of humor, nicely animated graphics, and sound (albeit, not the best i could have gone with as a soundtrack). There is a moral lesson as well..

Maybe I will think of another topic to make a video about, but for now, this is it.

Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars All Without a Flamewar

This  video has over 6,000 likes and is recommended on my channel, too.

Islam and the European Concept of Religion 7/8 (+playlist)

Broken Heart Syndrome: Tears of Gaza

Broken Heart Syndrome: Tears of Gaza

Before I add any more links to "Links (us)" which I will  get around to revising some time in the near future, in an effort to complete some redesign of my blog, you can google this  MUST SEE Video and encourage people to go to the Broken Heart Syndrome website and give it a "google plus one" in support of human rights in Gaza.  By following the link you won't be able to watch the video, because of "third party" copyright issues, but you can see the video at more useful links visible nearer the bottom of the post (by one of the contributors) blogging about the video, and see the smiling faces of the two creators of the video, which is called "Tears of Gaza".

Burn Qurans? OK? Why?

Burn Qurans? OK? Why?

Sheikh Yusuf and I maybe don't see eye to eye on the problem of who should 'Islamspeak' on the internet. Sure some sites are bigger, better, even funded by donations, Gawd? (I'm only kidding) Allah bless me, too. I ask Allah to help Muslims propagate a proper view and the correct beliefs in Islam. We are "only human".


Burn Qurans? OK? Why? See for yourself.

Discover Islam website (arabic/english)

watchvideos!