Your Life, Your Choices

this is a series of videos produced by a saudi aqim salatak (which means "establish your prayer") team.. in october 2008 they launched a media campaign which was aimed at reminding us of the importance of prayer.. the ads were broadcasted on all MBC group channels and were introduced to the viewers in this particular order, cuz when you watch them you'll notice they are a continuous sequence

each video features a young person who all die in the same car accident, and each of them says i just died.. this was my life.. these were my choices









the people at aqim salatak believe "if we can convince people to eat and drink through advertising, then it is even more important to convince them to pray"

you can check out more of their videos at www.aqimsalatak.com

The New Kiswa For Ka'ba

the new kiswa to cover the holy ka’ba is completed and will be handed over to officials of the grand mosque in makkah on the 1st of dhul-hijja (which is probably on nov.18, depending on the sighting of the new moon), as reported

15 kilos of solid gold thread is used for the embroidery of the Quranic verses on the kiswa.. the total area covered by the kiswa is 658 square meters and it is made of 670 kgs of pure silk.. the present cost of making the ka'ba cover amounts to SR 17 million

the kiswa is replaced every year and throughout history the base colour of the kiswa had differed between green, white and the current black

a specialist team will take down the old kiswa on the 8th of dhul-hijja.. after dawn on the next day, the new kiswa is placed over the holy ka’ba.. specialist technicians stationed at the grand mosque then fold it from the bottom, up to a height of three meters from the marble floor.. this is an annual custom aimed at preventing the kiswa from being torn by pilgrims in the crowded area around the ka’ba during hajj

the manufacturing of the kiswa goes through several stages.. this includes dyeing, computerized manufacturing of the fabric, printing of the Qur’anic verses at the printing department, embroidery of the Qur’anic verses using gold thread, and finally the collection of all the pieces into the complete kiswa

more about kiswa here

TV Presenters In Niqab

the presenters of a new saudi tv show that discusses issues concerning teenage girls and female university students are covered not only in black abayas but niqabs as well

the show named asrar al-banat (the secrets of girls) is broadcast on awtan tv, a saudi religious channel that was first aired in august 2008.. it discusses different issues relating to teenage girls, is aired every friday evening and receives live phone calls from members of the public

there are over 60 religious satellite channels that are broadcast across the middle east via arabsat and nilesat networks.. some of them have women presenters who do not cover their faces and dress in different colors, not necessarily black, while others have no women presenters at all.. awtan is the one channel that allowes women to appear but only when covered from head to toe

presenting asrar al-banat is sawsan salah al-deen, a 26-year-old saudi from riyadh and a BA graduate in media and guidance.. helping her are her sister (a specialist in blood diseases) and a psychologist.. sawsan also wears niqab in real life

the opinions of the viewers on how the presenters of the program look, differ - some encourage them, others criticize

asrar al-banat has so far broadcast four episodes

more on this in arab news

Fulla In Saudi

i'm sure many of you know fulla, an 11.5 inch doll marketed to children of islamic and middle-eastern countries as an alternative to barbie

the concept of fulla evolved around 1999, and she hit the stores in late 2003 after barbie was banned in saudi arabia because she did not conform the ideas of islam shared by the saudi society

fulla was created by a uae manufacturer from dubai and was developed to have long coal black hair and brown eyes, but later, dolls with lighter hair and eyes were introduced.. she was dressed in a black abaya and head scarf for the saudi market, and a white scarf and pastel coat for other countries.. her outdoor clothes have since become more colorful, but her shoulders are always covered and the skirt always falls below her knees, as muslim women (and men) are expected to dress modestly

fulla is named after a fragrant jasmine flower found only in the middle east.. she's 16 years old, she's arab and her personality was designed to be loving, caring, honest, and respecting her parents.. she's good to her friends.. she's honest and doesn't lie.. she likes reading and of course fashion

fulla has two friends, yasmeen and nada, as well as a little brother and sister.. an older protective brother is in development for her, as well as a teacher and doctor fulla, which are two careers that fulla's creators believe to be respectable.. fulla will not have a boyfriend, because muslims do not believe in romantic relationships out of wedlockin saudi arabia, animated commercials display fulla's life, such as showing the doll saying her prayers as the sun rises, baking a cake to surprise her friend, or reading a book at bedtime.. they also often promote modest outfits, as one of fulla's commercials had warned, "when you take fulla out of the house, don't forget her new spring abaya!"



more about fulla on the official website

No Reservations In Saudi Arabia

if you are an american you might have seen this show on tv.. i've found this episode of no reservations show on youtube and just looooved it.. it shows the nice side of saudi which pretty much nobody knows or hears about.. and ta-da! it was filmed in jeddah where i live :) i also loved this danya girl, she's so sweet and bubbly mashAllah.. in a word, do watch!

Children Banned From Mosques

quite some time ago it was reported in saudi gazette that most of the mosques in dammam banned children from participating in taraweeh prayers.. they employed women volunteers as guards who do not let any children inside the places of worship.. some of the mosques even posted notices on the entrances and walls saying "no children allowed"

ok, we all know how disturbing it can be with toddlers running, crying or shouting inside the mosque during the prayer.. but the funny thing is that not only toddlers but children of ages 7 and 8 were reported not to have been allowed inside.. the female guard made them stand outside in the hot weather while the mothers were praying in the mosque

most of the mosques placed praying mats outside to let children pray there, but the extreme hot climate makes them very tired and cranky.. what a perfect way to spend your first taraweeh ever! very memorable indeed

some mosques, however, let children pray in the back row without causing disturbance to others.. mothers with young girls of 5 and 6 want their children to be allowed to pray in the mosque along with grown ups so that they can learn and experience the importance of praying


it is very important to develop in children the love for prayer from an early age.. make them aware of the virtue of taraweeh and congregational prayers as well as teach them the culture of praying and the behavior inside the mosque.. but how can this be done if they are not allowed to enter the place of worship? this is indeed weird

Is Jail A Cure For Suicide Attempts?

seems like hamoud abu talib read my mind after i read the news story "indian gets jail, lashes for suicide attempt".. here's what he had to say, and i couldn't have said better

I am not sure if this incident took place during Ramadan or before, but I am more inclined to the first probability since a local daily last week published it. On this occasion, I recall an interview published early Ramadan with one of the judges under the title “The Temperament of Judges.”
Asked about the influence of fasting on the verdicts issued by the judges during Ramadan, the judge said they tend to be lenient, soft and merciful. “Whoever is judged in Ramadan should consider himself a lucky person,” he said.
We go back to the news story published in one of the local dailies last week. It said a summary court in Jeddah sentenced an Indian expatriate to two months in jail and 50 lashes for attempting to commit suicide numerous times.
Here I must ask the judge who claimed that the verdicts issued during Ramadan are lenient and soft: Is this the mercifulness you are talking about? Is this an example of it? Dear all: there is no rational person who would attempt to commit suicide no matter how much pressure and stress he is under.
No one, regardless of his race, color, religion, education or culture, would decide to commit suicide unless that person was so mentally unfit as to be incapable of thinking properly.
If a single suicide attempt is enough proof of mental problems what can we say about a man who makes many attempts? He is no doubt a sick person that needs mental and psychological treatment instead of imprisonment and whipping.
He needs doctors to treat him not judges to sentence him.
This brings to our minds the many cases of mentally unfit people who have been sent to jail.
And what would have been the sentence on this desperate Indian man if it had not been issued during Ramadan when the verdicts are soft and merciful?

source: arab news

Zamzam Water For Millions

...every day three million cups of zamzam water are drunk at the grand mosque in makkah during ramadan.. more than 1800 cubic meters of water at 90 drinking points consisting of 1100 taps are consumed inside the mosque and 270 cubic meters at 43 drinking areas of 100 taps in the courtyards outside

it is reported that new drinking areas have been constructed in the basement, on the first and second floors as well as on the masa'a (area for the ritual of sa'i between the hills safa and marwa) and in the northern courtyard

pilgrims and visitors are keen to drink plenty of zamzam water, which is a tradition of the prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).. zamzam water is also supplied to the prophet’s mosque in madinah at a daily average of 274 cubic meters

a special administrative office, zamzam united office, is striving to upgrade zamzam distribution so that pilgrims, particularly during hajj and ramadan, do not find any difficulty in getting desired quantities

pilgrims also take an amount of bottled up zamzam water home to be given as gifts.. they may take up to 10-20 liters in carry-on luggage and don't have to pay for the extra weight

source: arab news

Begging Business In Ramadan

the number of beggars in the kingdom swells during ramadan when saudis as well as expatriates give generously to the poor and the needy

now, let me note that islam, while strongly promoting charity of all kinds, prohibits begging without dire nessecity (thus, it's illegal here).. a muslim is encouraged to safeguard his dignity, develop self-reliance, and steer clear of depending on others.. it is not permissible for him to depend on charity while he is able to earn a sufficient subsistence for himself and his family through his own efforts (more on this topic here)

unfortunately, most of the people begging in the streets of saudi arabia are not really in need, 'cause support is easily available here for those in need in terms of charities offering monthly help with food or other assistance.. moreover, according to reports,there are some organized criminal groups which bring old men, women and children into the country for begging

the most recent annual report from the ministry of social affairs says that there are 5206 saudi beggars in the kingdom and 21136 non-saudis

yemenis accounted for 95% of those arrested, a local press report said, adding that about 3500 yemeni child beggars are held every month by specialized agencies in the kingdom

saudi women are also not without a sin, around 60% of saudi beggars are female.. some of them are divorced or widowed, others have husbands in jail.. the authorities are trying to help those women by finding suitable work for them.. if they have no qualifications they might find work as security guards or servers of coffee or supervisors at wedding occasions.. however, one of the biggest problems is that many of them turn down the opportunity to work, perhaps because the pay is low and they prefer the freedom of begging

fighting begging during ramadan is one of the main problems facing saudi security officers and social affairs ministry officials.. apart from traffic points, beggars wait for their catch at ATMs, mosques, supermarkets and restaurants.. however, it is the duty of all saudi residents to combat this phenomenon.. charity should be given to a muslim who happens to deserve it.. if it is known that he will use it in a bad way or he's not asking out of need, then he's not entitled to it.. it is preferable that one who pays sadaqah should give it to the pious, the knowledgeable, and those of a kind disposition

sources: saudi gazette, arab news, islamonline.net

Ready For Ramadan

the holy month of ramadan is almost here and saudi arabia is ready to welcome it

shopping centers, supermarkets, hypermarkets and small stores around the country are all geared up to welcome ramadan shoppers.. they are displaying huge stocks of items that are in high demand during ramadan.. these include various types of dates, sambosa wraps, spring roll wraps, dried apricots, oats, juices, and syrups which are used during the time of breaking the fast.. also on display are various types of nuts, dried grapes, china grass, dairy products and macaroni that people buy in bulk for the month

tents have been raised to host charity iftar meals during ramadan.. the tents cater to some hundreds of thousands of fasting people (mostly expatriate workers engaged in menial labour) that dine at these facilities.. ramadan tents are raised adjacent to the mosques or in the open ground in different parts of the city.. group of workers start to arrive at ramadan tents just before iftar time.. a meal packet contains kabsa (rice with chicken), bottles of juice and water, dates and fruits enough for one person.. the free meals offered at these tents could enable poor-paid workers to save money on their daily food expenses

a number of charity campagnes have been launched, including one that aims to collect toys from several shopping malls around the country to present them on the occasion of eid al-fitr to more than 31000 orphans, including 5000 children in saudi arabia itself and more than 26000 others living in various islamic countries, mashAllah

in addition to lots of other things going on, the streets have been decorated too

so, despite all the inconveniences caused by the swine flu and the signifacant decline in the number of pilgrims coming for umra in ramadan this year, saudi is ready and on the watch for the new moon marking the beginning of the holy month!

source: saudi gazette

Where Is The Love?

every muslim knows that salah (ritual prayer) in congregation of two or more persons is 27 times better than praying alone.. it is reported that women at the times of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led other women in obligatory prayers, that is they prayed in congregation

back in russia we, ladies, always used to pray together in congregation, whenever we had any kind of gathering, be it in the islamic center or at one of our homes

in egypt i was pleased to see strangers praying together in mosques or prayer rooms in malls.. sometimes you start praying just two of you and other ladies join in and in the end it's a whole row, mashAllah.. i remember once me and my friend were in a prayer room in a mall (no, i do other things except going to malls, believe me).. we started to pray and then a stranger woman joined in.. after we finished she said "i'm so glad i was able to catch you praying, i love praying in congregation!"

memories of these moments warm my heart.. and make me wonder why i don't see anything like this here, in what is supposed to be the heart of muslim world...

not so long ago me and my friend were sitting in a mall's prayer room, among dozens of other black-clad women, waiting for the prayer to begin.. on hearing the ikamah (call for the beginning of prayer) we stood up only to be joined by one (!) other woman.. but we were not able to pray with the imam anyway, we simply couldn't hear him, 'cuz other women were talking on the phones, chatting and whatever

it seems that here women prefer to pray on their own

but isn't it a wonderful feeling, praying with strangers? when all of you are engaged in one activity - worshiping your Lord.. isn't this what establishes love between us, as well as spreading of salams does, and makes us feel those bonds that unite us, strangers, as sisters in islam?

Swine Flu vs Hajj And Umra

around 3 million pilgrims from more than 160 countries take part in the hajj (pilgrimage) and more than 2 million perform umra (minor pilgrimage) in the month of ramadan in the holy city of mecca every year.. up to 2/3 come from abroad.. they mostly arrive by air in jeddah

saudi arabia has diagnosed more than 230 cases of H1N1 this year and on monday announced its first death from the virus

in the past few weeks a debate about the virus has been held in the middle east.. of particular concern is how to keep it from spreading among the millions of visitors expected in saudi arabia during this year's umra and hajj season

last week arab health ministers held an emergency summit in cairo (egypt) to discuss the issue.. guidelines were issued, banning various groups from participating in this year's hajj - children under 12, adults over 65, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women.. however, king abdallah of saudi arabia has not yet approved the decision..

jeddah's hajj airport terminal will have 20 thermal sensors to check pilgrims and 20 percent more specialist medical staff than last year.. the team of 550 people will include doctors, nurses, lab technicians and pharmacists.. saudi arabia has increased its stock of the antiviral drug by 20%, double the WHO recommendation for other countries, and urged pilgrims to take seasonal vaccines as well as the new H1N1 vaccine once available in the coming months

the health ministry will also set up health centres near the jeddah and madina airports with capacity to house up to 500 patients who will be sent there for treatment during their incubation period of the infection

so rejoice! despite the tricky health situation in the country, hajj and umra will not be cancelled and saudi is doing its best, taking various precautionary measures that might help reduce the possibility of spreading the virus

sources: CNN, dawn.com

Miss Moral Beauty

the winner of miss moral beauty contest (held in the eastern city of safwa, saudi arabia) has been announced late on thursday!

according to saudi gazette an 18-year old saudi aya ali al-mullah trounced 274 rivals to win a crown, SR5,000 prize, a pearl necklace, diamond watch, diamond necklace, and a free ticket to malaysia.. and all this without showing her face! there was none of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and heavy media coverage of beauty pageants elsewhere

instead, the winner and the two runner-up princesses had to undergo a three-month test of their dutifulness to their parents and family, and their service to society.. it was unclear exactly what mullah did to pip her rivals in the huge field, but saudi gazette reported that the high school graduate had good grades and hopes to go into medicine

the second place went to a 20-year-old who is one of a set of triplets who all completed secondary school two years ago with the highest grades but did not find a place at any university.. the girl had previously been a gold medal winner in the ministry of education’s “my country, i love you” competition.. and the other princess of beautiful morals is a high school student aged 15, who was cited for taking care of her home and family during the week because her mother works far from home and can only return on weekends

beauty contests with the focus on physical beauty are never held in the kingdom.. this is the second year of the competition.. according to the organizer, she tried to keep the focus on the inner beauty, as defined by islamic standards of saudi arabia

indeed in islam a woman is appreciated for her inner qualities, high morals, her mind and the contribution she makes to the society rather than for her physical beauty