An Insight Into MY World :-)

To My Baby Brother

smileygirly — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:48:41 +0000

The Veil Debate!

smileygirly — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:19:18 +0000

So I’m not jumping on the bandwagon but I wanted to give my opinions on this matter! Please don’t lynch me!

I guess all you can hear or see nowadays in the British media is some vilification towards Islam. The most recent being the debate about the comments that the House of Commons leader Jack Straw saying that he asks Muslim women visiting his constituency surgery to remove their face veils because he finds them a barrier to communication.

Imagine the mass outcry that this has caused, especially at a time when it seems that being a British Muslim is any excuse to be subjected to a barrage of abuse. At a time when the relations between Muslims and Non Muslims is tense and “Islamaphobia” is the topic of nearly every day, I ask myself, if this was the wisest career move that Straw has made.

I can understand where’s he coming from. It is difficult to communicate with ANY person whose face is obscured but blind people seem to cope do they not?

I’ve read numerous debates about where Muslims are outraged at being subjected to what apparently constitutes as “racism” and ”hostility” towards Muslims and where people wouldn’t dream of asking Jewish people to remove their skull cap nor would they ask a nun to remove her habit.

What Straw said was that he asked those who came into his office to remove their scarf. These women have every right to object and say no.. Isn’t that due to the freedom of speech and civil right that is enforced in this country? The same way, is Straw not allowed to enforce his opinion?

From what I’ve read, and I’m generalising here because a few of my bestest friends are Muslim, it seems as though you can’t say a bad word against Islam for fear of being accused of Islamaphobia.

What happened to freedom of speech for those who aren’t Muslim?

Welcome Back

smileygirly — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:45:48 +0000

It’s been a fair while since I blogged and there’s been a number of resons I guess. The first one being that my thesis was due in and thus, I just did not have any time! Now it’s over and I officially possess an MSc! Yay!!

The second reason is the fact that I now work 17 hours a day and there is no time to blog! ( I hear the mass outcry amongst those of you that read my blog!)

The third reason is because I haven’t really had nothing interesting to write about but hopefully that’ll change.

So I hope you enjoy my future posts and thank you for coming back!

The Noble Sage

smileygirly — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:06:38 +0000

Over the weekend, I went to an art gallery. The Noble Sage is the work of British born Sri Lankan Jana Manuelpillai and it is an attempt to highlight the works of South Asian artists. I must say that despite my lack of art knowledge and stuff, I really enjoyed it. It was highly interesting. Check out his site: www.thenoblesage.com.

Lovely Fluffy Clouds

smileygirly — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 20:37:33 +0000

I saw the most beautiful cloud today. That kind of comment probably warrants a “What a nut job” response so please feel free to carry on along that train of thought. However, let me describe this cloud. I did take a picture but I can’t post photos into my blog and thus any help would be greatly appreciated. It was a beautiful cumulus nimbus cloud that had the colour of a rain cloud. It had a purplish/greyish tinge to it. And then behind it, you could see a perfect white cumulus nimbus cloud and it looked like the purplish one had this amazing white back drop. The horizon was an orange crimson colour and it truly was beautiful. I do tend to get excited over clouds. This is because I love looking at them and trying to identify shapes and stuff.

I think clouds are one of nature’s most beautiful creations.

I Am Officially Old!

smileygirly — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:23:06 +0000

If you’ve read my “About” page, you’ll know that I’m a mere 24 years young. It’s not that old in chronological terms or so I used to think but last night that all changed. After celebrating my friend’s 24th birthday, I was invited to the 18th birthday party of a family friend’s (who also happens to be a close friend of my brother). So I decided to go, if only to provide some sort of supervision. This was the first threat of old age-ness creeping in.

Once I got there, it was obvious by far that I was one of the oldest individuals there (good job that I look young for my age!). Amazing how youths are so cliquey now. As we walked through (my younger brother, sister and cousin), all eyes on us as though being surveyed by a pack of lions – seriously!

As my night progressed, it got steadily worse. I was presented with scenes of a mass gathering of identical Asian girls grinding, whining and generally being far too provocative then they should have been with identical Asian boys. When I say identical, I mean cloned: typical straight black hair, all wearing the same dark denim skinny jeans and standard white pumps. Seriously, everywhere I turned I was confronted by one. The boys: the spiky hair look is obviously in, followed by wearing jumpers with only one arm pulled through, the dark denim oversized jeans followed with the traditional white trainers. CLONED I tell you!

On top of that, I had some nut job coming up to me every so often trying to high-five me. I was like “DUDE! We don’t even know each other – get over it!”

I was appalled at the behaviour I saw last night. Scenes of carnage I tell you. Is it so wrong that I’m feeling like this?

What DO Muslims Want?

smileygirly — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 10:53:53 +0000

I watched this documentary on Channel 4 presented by Jon Snow entitled “What Muslims Want”. It consisted of him travelling up and down the lengths of Britain interviewing various Muslims. A survey had been conducted amongst a thousand Muslims and it was the result of these that this documentary was based on.

Now firstly, you can get a summary of this documentary in his article for The Times, I think it was.

Firstly, is it viable to make such a documentary on such a topic when the sample size is so small? I mean the population of Muslims in
Britain is apparently something like 1.5 million! So, for those Statisticians, that’s like 0.06% (Correct me if I’m wrong please!). How does that give an opinion of a whole sect?!

Secondly, I’ve got some ‘nit picking points’, I guess you could call them, to make.

–> At one point I asked him and his two friends: “You’d like me to become a Muslim, wouldn’t you?” They said I’d be much better for it, and talked about the positive aspects of converting.

So yes, there may have been a rise in the incidence of preaching of converting to Islam but this is the same as all those Christians and Jehovah’s witnesses that have been doing so for years by knocking on MY FRONT DOOR! That is a blatant invasion of my publicness (I don’t think that’s a word but go with it!). Yet, there is no public outcry or backlash is there?

–> The standards such teachings embody are non-liberal, though these are not without attraction to people on the conservative end of British life, who, like these young Koranic students, view homosexuality and drunkenness in public places as wholly unacceptable.

Doesn’t the Bible also condemn homosexuality? Well, maybe not so much as condemn but more disapprove as such. And who likes displays of drunkenness in public?! I mean, I certainly don’t. It’s sad to see sometimes that people can become so paralytic that they don’t grasp what they are doing on a night out. Again, this is not “Muslim” opinion but a general lifestyle opinion.

I admire him for trying to get across a topic that is subject to so much political correctness but I personally don’t think he’s done such a good job.

I say this because, I have Muslims friends and in the whole time that I have known them, they have never exhibited “extreme” views nor tried to convert me to Islam. They’ve embraced my own religion and my own views. Not only that, they have managed to adapt their culture and religion into the Western way.

Why Jon Snow didn’t interview them is beyond me!

Impending War?

smileygirly — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 09:27:39 +0000

It seems as though there is an impending war looming in Sri Lanka. Again, I can only comment on what I know and these are my only views. Last night, my friend and I were discussing the situation in Sri Lanka. He asked what my views were on it.

As I’ve already stated, should the LTTE get what they want, how much of the Tamil Diaspora go back to their “homeland” is questionable and how much the separate state will benefit the Tamil people is debateable. However, it’s undeniable that Tamil people are considered second-class citizens.

What really angered me however though is this whole Israel – Lebanon thing. I condone the actions of both parties in this. My knowledge of politics in the Middle East is weak – to say the least. However, there has been an ongoing Civil War in Sri Lanka for the best part of three decades yet the amount of outrage and media coverage is unaccountable for (in my humble opinion). It seems as though the Western Influences can only speak out against actions where their assets are compromised. It’s obvious that Sri Lanka does not have massive oil wells! We are a humble land that has been ravaged by war but genocide is genocide whether there are goods to offer or not!

The Middle East situation has been ongoing for what? 2 – 3 weeks? Compared with the situation in Sri Lanka and even Rwanda or Somalia where Civil Wars have been ongoing for an immense number of years yet public awareness is weak.

The fault of this is questionable. Is it down to individuals themselves for not being aware? Is it the fault of the Media for not publicising it? Or is the fault of influential Powers for not giving a shit? My personal opinion is that it is the last of these three. In my view, it seems as though this is all about Oil. This is what is everyone’s concern is about the situation in the Middle East.

A human life seems irrelevant when money comes into the equation.

Miserable People

smileygirly — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 09:39:19 +0000

I am entirely fed up with the amount of miserable people I see every morning on the train! SMILE! Or show some kind of human emotion rather than sitting there with no life to you!

Happy B’Day Sanch!!!

smileygirly — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 21:39:23 +0000

Happy b’day Sanch!! I hope you enjoyed bringing in your 23rd year! Last night, I went out for Sanch’s b’day in Ilford.. For those Londoners among you Ilford is “East Side” and I’m from the “West Side” as such! Damn, was I glad to be from the West last night..
East London is WACK! Lemme just say that I love Daz n Sanch, they are both sooo lovely! And I’m quite thankful I met them. :-S