5 Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

I think everyone was caught off guard by Hurricane Sandy. I think we were all thinking it would be just like Hurricane Irene, but it was a different beast. Some people have homes flooded, others lost them completely. Even entire communities were leveled. Alhamdulillah, I didn't have it that bad, but I did lose electricity and heat for about two weeks. It was tougher than I expected, but lessons I learned from the experience greatly outweighed the hardship. Here are five of them:

1. We're not as self sufficient as we think we are
   On the second night of the storm, when the winds started to pick up and the lights started flickering, we had an idea of what was coming. Last year, during Hurricane Irene, we lost electricity for 6 days, so when we the lights went out, we weren't too surprised. No electricity and no internet was more of a nuisance than anything else. Not really a hardship. But the pain started when the heat started wearing off. Hurricane Irene hit earlier in fall, while Sandy came closer to winter. It was getting really cold. Sleeping would require multiple uncomfortable layers on every part of the body and getting out of bed would be impossible if we didn't have warm water for showers. I realized that in our normal day to day lives, we feel like everything is in our control, but it only takes a few downed wired to put us back in our place and realize all this stability is only thanks to Allah. The challenge though is to remain grateful to Allah after our luxury returns.
   
   
2. Life without internet isn't so bad
   Before Hurricane Sandy took out my electricity, it would be safe to say that I was spending a bit too much time on my computer. I always felt like I had so much to do and would sneak in a couple of Youtube videos to subconsciously avoid doing those tasks. The result would be a stress filled, unproductive day with not enough time spent with family and too many days without calling friends. After I lost internet, it felt pretty peaceful. I didn't feel the constant urge to check my Facebook, email and even this website. I could just sit back, study and spend some quality time with the family without worrying about lost productivity. Now that I have internet back, I have to make sure I manage my time well enough to avoid enslaving myself to my computer again.
   
   
   

The Presidential Debates: Like a Hip Hop Beef

I was watching the presidential debates and started thinking about how little I was thinking about what the candidates were saying and paying more attention to their rhetoric and body language. You cant really blame me though. We're not hearing anything new from these candidates and there's no way to fact check their claims while they speak. When Obama claims that Romney's tax breaks will fall on the middle class, how can we know at the moment whether or not it is true when Romney claims it's false? It's really all a game. Something that both candidates have to do or else it will seem like they cant stand up to their opposing candidates scrutiny. It reminded me of these hip hop beefs and rap battles. No one really is paying attention to the validity of each rappers' claims or wait for the chance of reconciliation, people just watch to see who can insult the other the best. Similarly in these presidential debates, it's not really about the issues, but about the back and forth that goes on between the candidates.

It makes me wish we could pick our leaders like the first few khalifa's of Islam were chosen. The leaders did not run for office, the most pious among them were chosen. Ideally, this system would bypass all of this unnecessary drama of candidates arguing for why they are the best and increase the likelihood of choosing the most qualified and sincere leader. The only problem is that I don't think it's possible today. There is too much ego and too little sincerity. Democracy isn't bad, I just feel like it's not being implemented in a way that achieves it's purpose.

Don't Be a Prayer Pest

This doesn't happen to me much anymore, but I still see it happen to others. It's pretty funny, because how oblivious the person is to the irony of what they are doing. We should be more careful, even when talking to someone near a praying person, because concentration in prayer is essential and it is elusive once lost. Allah says in the Quran, "Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness" (23:1-2). So why would we make it harder for someone to achieve this? That'd be pretty messed up if you ask me.  

A Riot's Equation for Change

Yep... makes sense. That happens at every riot, but I still don't understand why. Maybe everyone else knows something I don't. Maybe by making themselves look like imbeciles, the angry mob will earn the pity of congress, who will pass legislation in their favor? Who knows. 

Cartoon Muhammad Has Been Nominated for Funniest Blogger!

Finally some good news! Alhamdulillah, thanks to your support and efforts, Cartoon Muhammad has been nominated for Funniest Blogger for the Brass Crescent Awards. I completely forgot to ask you all for nominate this site, but you did it anyway. I love you guys for the sake of Allah =D.

I'm going up against some tough competition. We have my good friend, Dr. O's hilarious Muslim Medicine blog, Hamzah Moin's legendary Maniac Muslim and Mr. Moo's blog which doesn't seem to be exist anymore. I love all of these blogs, so choose whichever you benefit from and enjoy the most. This is nice, fun competition, but we do it for the sake of Allah at the end of the day.

I made a comic about this last year, with a nice message, so check it out by clicking --> here <--

#MuslimRage: How They Make Us Look and How We Really Are

I recently made a comic in response to the poor response of some Muslims to the "Innocence of Muslims" movie trailer. To be fair, only a minority of Muslims and Arabs in these countries are the ones thoughtlessly protesting and acting violently. Most Muslims were against these acts and although it was under reported.

It is also worth mentioning that many people from the regions where the protests are occurring think the United States government is responsible, because they don't understand the freedoms and limitations of speech we have here. We have to understand that many of these countries have a long history of state controlled media. Yes, they should have done their research before protesting, but I doubt most of us would take the time to research how Arab/Muslim societies run before expressing our outrage at something they did.

A Naruto Themed Response to the "Innocence of Muslims" Fiasco

Click the Picture to Proceed

Read here: https://picasaweb.google.com/Akhan07/CartoonControversy?authuser=0&feat=directlink

This whole "Innocence of Muslims" fiasco has really been annoying me. A little known video, that could have easily been made in someone's backyard, that should have been left in the abyss of Youtube videos rarely watched, is now being used to rile up Muslims in the Middle East and other regions. What really makes me upset is how people on both sides, the Muslim-hating bigots and religious/political leaders, are using this video to make the Muslim world do exactly what they want them to. The guy who made the film is getting an early Christmas gift from all the Muslims being portrayed as angry and intolerant barbarians, while certain religious leaders and political parties are gaining supporters by seemingly taking a harder stance on the film and America. Either way, the root of the problem is that, unlike our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we are too quick to anger. As "Princess Mononoke" beautifully portrayed with that boar race, when you become angry, you become stupid and are toyed with easily. Ok, done rambling... for now.