Canada has now caught on to this virus of wiping away the ’freedom of religion’ card in the name of “we want to liberate you”.  We don’t know you, we don’t want to know you, in fact, we wish you were wiped off of the face of the earth, but we want to ‘liberate’ you. 

“The Muslim Canadian Congress called on the federal government to prohibit the two garments in order to prevent women from covering their faces in public – a practice the group said has no place in a society that supports gender equality.”  (Excerpt, The Canadian Press, Toronto)

Who is The Muslim Canadian Congress?  The Canadian Muslim community certainly hasn’t heard of them.  And when I checked out their website, it was no surprise to me that they were “progressive Muslims” a.k.a. Muslims who have no scholarly knowledge about Islam who want to erradicate the rulings of Allah in order to “liberalize” Muslims. 

What makes me upset about this whole ‘burqa’ issue is that’s it’s just all media propoganda.  I wish we would all just cut through the junk and say what’s really going on.  If a government is going to make a law that prohibits something, don’t they need substatial evidence? Hmm, let’s see.

• How many authentic Islamic scholars did they interview to find out if the niqab is actually a religious tenant or cultural practice?
• How many authentic niqabis did they interview to find out if they were forced to wear the niqab or do it because they believe it’s a religious practice?
• How many cases of ‘oppression due to forced niqab’ do they have recorded in the courts?

Hmm, let’s see….. none, none and …… (surprise) none.

And that’s not all.  The media is doing an excellent job of taking false statements and spreading them.   Do you really want to know what the majority of the global Muslim community thinks about this issue?  Here it goes:

First of all, who the heck wears a burqa?!  No one, except for some women in Afghanistan.  That garment is part of their culture, not ours.  Religiously, the term is niqab, meaning face veil.  It is part of the religion of Islam.  Yes, I will say it again.  It is part of the religion of Islam.  It is not a cultural practice.  How do I know this?  The wives of Prophet Muhammad all wore it.  All authentic Islamic scholars will give you substantial evidence that it is a religious practice.  Is it compulsory for every women to wear it?  The majority of the scholars will say (based on proof that is outside of the scope of this article) that it is permissible to wear it but not compulsory.

What will average Muslims tell you about the niqab?  They will say that the hijab is compulsory but the niqab is not and they do not prefer the niqab for themselves.  However, they wholeheartedly understand the proofs that it is permissible in Islam to wear and those who choose to wear it have the “freedom of religion” to do so. 

It is very, very rare to find niqabis who are forced to wear it.  All the niqabis I’ve met wear it because they want to and because they believe it’s a religious practice and they do it out of their own free will.  All of them feel liberated by doing it.   These people are your average citizens who are peaceful and caring neighbours, who care about the betterment of their children, their society and their country.   They just happen to wear an extra piece of  1′x1′ of fabric around their face.

So, again, Canadian government, French government, why in the world are you oppressing our sisters?

*This post was written by sister Iman. You can access her writings here.

Allah states in the Qur’an, “Mothers shall give such to their children for two whole years, for those who wish the suckling to be completed…if after consultation, they choose by mutual agreement to wean the child, it is no offence for them…” (Al-Baqarah: 233).

Scholars have deduced a number of points from the above verse: the full term of breastfeeding is two years—if the parents so decide; however, should they prefer to wean earlier, it can be done without incurring any offence or sin so long as such a decision has been made after giving due consideration to the welfare of their son/daughter as well as the interests of both parents.

As for the question whether a mother can breastfeed past the two years, the answer is: there is nothing in the sources to indicate that it is wrong to do so. So you are free to do so if you deem it conducive to the wellbeing of your child.

Breastfeeding a toddler does come with its trials… they will not always sit still and quiet when it is time to breastfeed. They may pinch or scratch lightly every once and again. There are more positive moments than negative though, some of which I will not forget from when I breastfed my now 23 month old son (and currently, still am though at night only). The time they spend with you, the emotional attachment to their mother, and their closeness and presence are things not to be taken for granted. With time it will get easier, and until then, you can contact your local le leche league or womens/mothering support group for help.

www.llli.org la leche league international

Sometimes it takes us a while to get our daughters/sons into a night time routine where they fall asleep on their own, especially since so many of us breastfeed for two whole years and they come to depend on breastfeeding and rocking in mammas arms to fall asleep. Here is some help in that issue. 

1. Start the wind-down process early in the evening. Toddlers who’ve been racing around can’t simply decompress at bedtime. If dad comes home during the bedtime routine, make sure he reads a quiet story with the kids, rather than tossing them in the air as a welcome.

2. Follow the same evening routine every night, if possible. Dinner, bath, stories, then kissing and tucking in, then dua’a followed by lights out is common and effective. Your goal is a sense of calm, safe, predictability.

3. Help your toddler set his “biological clock.” Toddlers need a set time to go to bed every night. Most toddlers do better with an early bedtime (around 7pm), because it seems to fit their biological rhythm. When they stay up later, they actually have a harder time falling asleep. Dim lights in the hour before bedtime, as well as slow, calm routines, help them know that it’s time to sleep. And watch for those yawns that signal he’s tired.

4. Set up a cozy bed. Your goal is to ensure that discomfort doesn’t exacerbate the normal cycles of slight waking into real waking. Quiet matters. Darkness matters — make sure the curtains keep the streetlights out. Room-darkening shades are invaluable, especially in the summer months when your toddler will be going to sleep while it’s still light out. Warmth matters — if she kicks her covers off, make sure she sleeps in warm pjs with feet. And of course, once she’s out of diapers, be sure she uses the bathroom last thing.

5. Many toddlers need a bedtime snack to hold them through the night, especially during growth spurts. Warm milk, a piece of toast with peanut butter (not hydrogenated oil, though), something calming and predictable, not too interesting, and without sugar, usually works best.

6. Don’t give up naps too early. Although every child has individual sleep needs, most kids aren’t ready to give up naps till age 3. For many kids, going napless can make them cranky and upset, which makes relaxing at bedtime harder.

7. Make sure they get enough fresh air and exercise during the day. Just not in the hour before bedtime, which wakes them even more.

8. Most toddlers fall asleep easily if you lie down with them, and many parents do this. Other parents resist the temptation, because they too often fall asleep themselves, and lose their evenings. This is an individual call, and there is no shame in waiting till your child is a little older before expecting her to put herself to sleep — it does get easier for kids as they get older. Many working moms, particularly, treasure this time with their kids, and love being able to go to sleep early, then get up rested at the crack of dawn. One downside of this habit is that if the child is not in your bed, you’ll need to move, which wakes you up. The other downside is that when he awakens slightly in the middle of the night, during normal sleep cycles, he may well protest your absence.

9. All humans wake slightly at night during normal sleep cycles. Statistically, toddlers who sleep by themselves often wake fully looking for mom, since sleeping alone isn’t a natural biological state for them. If you don’t want your toddler appearing by your bed at night, you’ll need to teach new sleep habits so he can put himself back to sleep during the night.

If you’ve been nursing or rocking your child to sleep, he’s likely to wake during the night looking for you, and will need to be nursed or rocked again to fall back asleep. Your goal now is to help him fall asleep in his own crib or bed, comfortably. That means putting him in bed when he’s awake, so he gets used to falling asleep there himself. Breaking habits can be challenging – he can’t understand why you won’t nurse or rock him now. You can expect him to need your close physical proximity to settle down. In the beginning, it can also help to reward him with sticker charts and prizes.

10. Start slow. Begin (after your bedtime routine) by holding your child until he falls asleep — not lying down, which puts you in danger of falling asleep. Use the time to meditate, if you can, or think of something delightful that you can look forward to. The next phase is to touch, but not hold, your child. Then, begin to sit next to your child while he falls asleep, without touching him. Finally, sit further and further away (with a good book and a flashlight if he can handle the light), until you’re outside the bedroom door. Another variation on this process is to move quietly around the room, straightening up or folding laundry, while your toddler falls asleep. This provides a sense of security, without him depending on your physical proximity. Eventually, you’ll find that your toddler is asleep almost as soon as his head settles on the pillow – and you’ll be amazed to find you actually have an evening!

Windsor, Ontario – I am happy to write that at the IRFAN Philestinian benefit last night, we raised over 150,000 dollars in donations for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Here are some photos from the benefit. Women also donated their jewelery… Jazak Allah khair to all for the donations and any help you have given.

You can view a slideshow here

To send a donation to IRFAN and help the people in Gaza, please go to http://www.irfan.ca/forms/irfan_emergency_gaza_20080122.pdf