Chocolate Barfi

Brent closes 6 libraries

2011-11-18T17:36:00.002Z

I'm so sad..the library where I spent many a Saturday afternoon reading away the hours, has been shut as part of a cost saving exercise by Brent council. Tokyngton library is a small little library on the edge of what used to be my local park..I was a regular visitor, the library being the one place where my mother thought I wouldn't get into trouble..she was actually right. I was far too busy being introduced to Enid Blyton's The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, or Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys..I'd finish a book in an hour or so and eagerly pick up another to devour. I'd then take the maximum six books allowed per library card, home with me; a world of possibilities waiting for me to explore in the hundred or so pages within each book.

I have many happy memories of summer holidays spent at Tokyngton library, it felt like a safe haven and a base for me to sit unbothered while reading myself into another world.

I now take my 7 month old son to our local library. He actually first went when he was around 10 weeks old. I want him to be as in love with books as I am and I'm hoping being part of the government's Bookstart scheme will help encourage him to read more than a few comic books by the time he's a teenager.

It amazes me when people say that many children in London have never owned a book of their own or even been read to...with the closures of the libraries in Brent I fear this will be a sad reality for even more children.

The Riots

2011-08-12T13:39:00.004+01:00

The last week in London and around major cities in England has seen some of the worst rioting and looting that I have ever seen. Not even the rioting in Tottenham and Brixton in the 80s during my childhood compare. Events were sparked off by the shooting dead by police officers of Mark Duggan in Tottenham. This is still part of a police enquiry but the days after his death saw local businesses trashed, homes burnt to the ground, shops vandalised and looted and the murder of 3 men in Birmingham, a man in Croydon, and a man in Ealing.

Even while I am writing these words I feel a sense of bewilderment, shock, sadness, anger...a mix of emotions that I cannot succinctly put my finger on. What is so different to these riots to the ones that have occurred in the past..the level of violence?..the sense of complete loss of control? The images of London these last few days will linger in my mind for a very long time to come. This is my city, the city I was born and bred in and the city I continue to live in. The words of Tariq Jahan the father of one of the boys mowed down by a car whilst trying to protect his street, brought tears to my eyes... Here was a man who had lost his son and yet was able to appeal for calm in his community. Would I be so dignified? I don't know and I don't ever want to find out.

I, like many people am trying to make sense of what has happened..a bit of soul searching..looking for reasons as to why this has happened..poverty? deprivation? greed? consumerism? societal breakdown? bad parenting? racism? Maybe it's a bit of everything..

As I end this post, I just want to mention the comments I have come across that have blamed multi culturalism and some comments that have blamed this on black people. It is easy to blame black people when it comes to riots because you will see their faces...we don't yet know what the numbers are in terms of race if that's what is being looked at...but in the same breath as blaming black people, should we start looking at the racial make up of the bankers who have systematically brought the world's economy to its knees...or the MPs who fiddled their expenses?..'fiddled' is such a nice word to use instead of stealing. If we have leaders who are morally corrupt, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Social Etiquette- a lost art?

2011-05-19T10:04:00.010+01:00

I've been meaning to touch upon the subject of social etiquette for a while but have always been side tracked or left wondering if it's at all worth giving my two pennies on a subject that sometimes leaves me slightly speechless..

Social etiquette is supposedly a set of behaviours based on societal norms, (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette). These behaviours would include things like communication, manners, social interaction and dress. In this day and age many of these norms have become almost global or at least for those with access to a global audience. These would typically manifest themselves in a work environment with a cross cultural and societal workforce. For example, one wouldn't think twice about shaking a woman's hand in England, but would the same apply to Saudi Arabia?

Part of social etiquette is at least the ability to recognise that there can be differences in societal norms depending on what part of the world you're from..social etiquette can also adapt to smaller groups such as the ability to know how to socially interact with peers as opposed to those who may have a more senior position in your circle of acquaintances...without even recognising the possibility of these differences and their impact on your behaviour, social etiquette, in my opinion, goes out of the window.

The reason for me writing about this..well I don't know if it's just me but I keep coming across what I see as lack of social etiquette and basic manners. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Ms prim and proper but what I do acknowledge is the difference in my behaviour, my speech, my tone, and sometimes my dress depending on where I am and who I'm talking to. Is it too much to ask therefore to expect the same from others? I'm not saying that people should be chameleons, changing their 'colours' at the drop of a hat..what I'm saying is that people should have enough sense to know what is appropriate behaviour and what isn't.

A personal example of this is a comment made recently by an 'auntyji', a long time acquaintance of my mother who felt the need to tell me that I'd put on a lot of weight since she last saw me 6 years ago. Bearing in mind this was 2 weeks after I had given birth to my son, I thought this was a slightly misplaced comment and regardless of when it was said, quite rude. What made this comment worse was that she said it within 5 minutes of coming into the room and in front of a bunch of people. You're probably thinking she was some uneducated woman with little care for such mundane matters as etiquette..hmmm..well you need to meet this woman's daughter in law who a few years back tried to impress me by telling me all about her French classes at the French institute and how hard it all was..that was until I told her I had studied French at university and had lived in Paris for a year...Wooomffffff...I practically saw her deflate in front of me...Nope this auntyji had no idea about what was appropriate in conversation and probably thought she was doing me a favour by telling me about my weight..duh lady I think I've noticed!

The reason I'm writing this post is to remind people that to make conversation and to behave appropriately is an art. It isn't taught in schools or universities so it doesn't mean a bachelors degree will somehow automatically teach you social etiquette. Nor does money buy you manners. It comes with a certain humility, a level of interaction with people and observation. So the next time you feel the need to comment on someone's weight, height, looks, dress etc etc don't feel like you have to hold back but at least try and figure out a way in which you don't sound like rude oaf!

Wow has it been that long??!

2011-05-18T16:40:00.005+01:00

Gosh, my last post was back in December. It's really been 5 months??!! Time has flown by and I'm now une maman...yup, motherhood beckoned and I welcomed it with open arms:)...our little bundle of joy arrived on April 1st..hahahaha...I tried to cross my legs but it didn't work since he was born by emergency c section ...we named our son 'Ayaan' which in Arabic means 'gift from God' and he truly is a wonderful gift..the last few weeks have been to be honest a bit of a blur. I came home 2 days after Ayaan was born and to the noted disapproval of our midwife. She wanted me in an extra day and I was adamant that I wanted to take my baby home.

Tired? who me?
The following hours, days and weeks after the birth have been a constant series of feeding, nappy changes, sleepless nights, crying (both Ayaan and myself), more feeding, more nappy changes, lots of visitors etc etc..you get the idea. I must admit that even though I have been brought up amongst lots of children and my mother was a nursery teacher, nothing prepared me for having a baby of my own.

Breast is best- but boy does it hurt!
I didn't have the easiest of pregnancies, lots of scares and visits to the hospital, regular appointments with our consultant and scans every month..I kept thinking throughout the 9 months that once the baby was in my arms I would be ok. Ha! I sometimes find myself checking up on Ayaan to see if he's still breathing, I worry that he isn't being fed enough, although that's pretty much down to people saying he's hungry whenever he even so much as whimpers...I just want to say that breastfed babies tend to feed more often than totally formula fed babies as the breast milk digests quicker thus the baby gets hungry. I've just had to bite my tongue sometimes when everyone profers their opinions even if it's been upsetting.

Breastfeeding is tough; especially if you're a total anti Gina Ford (like moi) and feed on demand. I'm lucky that I have words of encouragement from other mothers who have chosen to breast feed, but I found it hard sitting there for hours on end, especially at night staring at the four walls. I've now chosen to use formula for 2 of Ayaan's feeds which helps him settle down for a bit longer than he would. Have I felt guilty about this? Hell yes..I was adamant I wanted to exclusively breastfeed as this is what is best. The addition of formula was more for my sake than for Ayaan's. I've realised though, that instead of heaping expectations upon myself, I just need to find the right balance and approach. I'm trying to make this my mantra...

Anyway, Ayaan is nearly 7 weeks old and is a real character. He smiles lots, cries lots, feeds lots and poos lots..:)..I never know where the day goes and I really look forward to Atif coming home so I get a bit of adult conversation, even if that conversation is centred around all things baby:)

Baby changing rooms
We've taken Ayaan out quite a bit as I don't want him to get too used to being home alone with me. I even managed to take him on public transport to do a bit of shopping...yay, what an achievement! The real test will be this Friday when I take him into London to visit daddy's office..hmmmmmmmmm...this is probably the only time I wish I had an iphone as there's a cool little app that shows where all the decent baby changing facilities are. Trust me, when you have a screaming hungry baby and you're out and about, it's one of the most stressful things ever...it's been enough to reduce me to tears and wish I hadn't gone out.

I'm now on a mission to name and shame bad baby changing facilities and I'll start off with Hounslow Treaty shopping centre. What idiot thought is was a good idea to have music blasting into a baby room where mothers may want to feed and soothe their babies? I took Ayaan and the place stank of urine, had loud music and had these awful plastic chairs that wouldn't be amiss in a prison. We lasted about 10 minutes in there, enough for me to calm him down and then ended up in starbucks to calm me down!!! Anyway, if anyone out there comes across a very good, or very bad baby changing room, please feel free to let me know and I'll add it to my list.

Anyway, Ayaan is just about to get up and so I'd better wrap this up pdq...just a quick nod to Tamreez for kickstarting my blogging again.http://blog.asimandtamreez.co.uk

£$!£%"$%$%"$%

2010-12-16T14:46:00.005Z

Since my last post there have been student 'riots', an attack on Charles and Camilla, a hike in tuition fees, even more consultations released by government and of course the wikileaks saga continues.

Today we find out that the U.S is going to sue B.P over the oil disaster and yet the people of Bhopal still await justice. Pity the Indian government didn't pursue this as vigorously and aggressively as they should have. It's a bit late now to pretend that they care about ordinary and poor Indian citizens.

Is it me or are these strange times we're in? I keep feeling that I'm suddenly going to wake up to find it's all a horrid nightmare...

Well that would be wishful thinking and part of me just wants to emigrate, although I wouldn't know where to. Is anywhere better than here? I suppose running away from problems is never the answer but it seems that this government is hellbent on pushing through whatever money saving measures they have without thinking of the societal impact this will have. They keep coming out with words such as 'fairness' 'big society' 'austerity' etc etc. Yet how can you bring in models of change when you haven't even bothered doing your homework? How is 'fairness' an objective term for a government to use to inform policy? Surely the language of equality which is embedded in law is a better benchmark, but the Tories seem to be afraid of the word 'equality'.

What they called 'riots' is probably a precursor to the kind of demonstration of public discontent we are probably going to see in the next year or so when the cuts really start to bite. Unfortunately there has been little robust opposition from Labour which is probably because they don't know quite how to position themselves yet. They managed to self combust and are now in the process of regrouping, but they bloody well better hurry up...because people like me are looking for alternative solutions...

As a last point, as a person with a disability, I was shocked and disgusted by the police's treatment of a disabled student protestor (Jodie McIntyre). They dragged him out of his wheelchair, which they must have thought was a prop I'm assuming???..during the last student demo. Watching this on youtube made me feel sick to the stomach. We smugly tell the rest of the world about human rights and yet see human rights' abuses on our doorstep. Welcome to the brave new world.

A winter of discontent

2010-11-19T14:25:00.003Z

I've been on another hiatus and wish I could tell you that I've been gallavanting around the world doing some incredibly interesting and exciting stuff..alas! alack! no such luck..although one day this blog may come to you from some distant and far off land from the tales of Marco Polo ...well I can dream!!

Actually there is a lot I've wanted to write about; the spending cuts, welfare reform, and the rise of the right. It's 'funny' how in times of economic strife, it's the visible minorities that get targeted as scapegoats. As anyone who has studied history and the rise of fascism and nazism, you'll see the same patterns emerging, just a different set of protagonists and a different set of bogeymen.

The Guardian recently highlighted how the Roma gypsies are being abused and assaulted as well as being targeted by governments. The friendly French didn't think a niqab ban was evidence enough of liberte, egalite and fraternite, they thought that getting rid of the gypsies would also help towards pandering to the far right (Vichy anyone?). Sarkozy, I fear has a touch of the Napoleon in more ways than one...

In Britain, it's the Muslims, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers (let's just bunch them under the banner of immigrant benefit scrounging, job stealing, white slave trading, terrorists - this pretty much encapsulates what The Daily Mail/Express/Star and The Sun think anyway)... so there's not just the BNP (although they have currently imploded), we now have the English Defence League (EDL) who apparently are saving England from Sharia and those nasty Muslims who are heaven/hellbent on (depending on which side of the fence you're on) taking over England, Britain..nay the whole of the world and impose ..wait for it...HALAL CHICKEN..the dutty barstewards!! sorry I couldn't resist...and the really funny thing is that there are some brown and dark brown and black people who suddenly think they're job is to defend England as well by joining the EDL and standing outside KFC with placards reading 'GET RID OF HALAL CHICKEN IN KFC' or maybe outside Toby Carvery with 'THE EDL IS DEFENDING THE ENGLISH CHICKEN'S RIGHT TO BE STUNNED NOT HAVE ITS NECK CUT OFF WITH SOME ARABIC CHANTING' ...what a bunch of nutjobs...the thing is, didn't people say that about Hitler and his little army of aryans before they dragged the whole world into war and killed a few million Jews? Us humans sure have short memories! I reckon I'd like to stick the EDL, BNP and Muslims against the Crusades and any other crazy nutjob in a field full of horseshit where they'll feel right at home, and let them fight amongst themselves. Meanwhile the rest of us normal people can get on with dealing whether we'll vote Wagner or Matt on the Xfactor!

That last bit really was a joke, what I meant to say was dealt with the stupendous welfare benefit reform and spending cuts that were recently announced. Now I'm not housing or welfare expert but even I can see that there are some serious flaws. If it were only the poor that were being affected then we'd probably ignore it because they all want to be there so they can live off benefits. However it isn't just the 'lazy' poor that are being targeted but Middle England. The child benefit cut pretty much left a lot of people astounded. Thanks to the Daily Mail housing benefit seems to be fair target although I do think like many others that the reform is ever so slightly flawed. If you want to create ghettos and even more social exclusion then this is one way of doing it. The mixed rhetoric from government also doesn't help. Maybe Nick Clegg keeps forgetting which party he belongs to? Nick! You're a libdem! You know, the ones that said no to a hike in uiversity tuition fees!

I'm pretty sure this is a 'wait and see' game as the level of reform being proposed and the level of cuts being pursued are so extensive that I don't think anyone can accurately predict what the situation will be in 2 year's time. All I know is that there are a lot of local volunteer and community groups that have done a lot of good work that are suddenly facing a bleak future due to funding cuts. Not so much 'Big Society' ...more Con-dem BS in my opinion...

Pakistan Floods

2010-08-18T13:53:00.008+01:00

The Pakistan floods are the worst the country has ever seen. It is estimated that approxmitately 20 million people have been adversely affected by the floods and what has the response been? Well, let's just say it reminds me of the media/political/charitable aftermath of Katrina. In the days after Katrina I received a shocking email with a photo of an African American person on top of their flooded house with a sign saying 'SOS Crack needed' ...the photo had been conjured up of course by someone with enough time to use a disaster to make a racist, disgusting point; the Blacks in the South were all crack heads and needed their fix, not aid.

Fast forward to 2010 and the pitiful response to the Pakistan floods highlight how public perception is affected by a constant drip feed of anti/negative Pakistan 'reporting'. If Pakistan isn't supporting the Taliban, then it's supporting anti Indian terrorists, if not anti Indian terrorists then pro Al- Qaeda terrorist...and if not terrorists, then Pakistan is full to the brim with super corrupt politicians. Of course this is the whole of Pakistan. Let's not in any shape way or form show the human face; You know, the ordinary people who go about their daily lives trying to make ends meet, trying to look after their families, trying to have a bit of fun. Of course Pakistanis don't do that. They're all a miserable bunch who send their kids to extremist fuelled madrasahs in Peshawar where they teach them about infidels and kalashnikovs or whatever the gun du jour is.

It's very easy to point the finger and call Pakistan a 'failed state' or for David Cameron to crudely pander to the Indians by calling Pakistan two faced but I'm still not understanding how this has anything to do with humanitarian aid. In the face of natural disaster these people have at worst lost their lives and at best, their homes, their livelihoods and their security.

Is the limited response due to people thinking the DEC campaign is actually funding the extremist/islamist/fundamentalist/radical aid workers???

All I know is that people...wake up...this is about having compassion. If you don't have the money to help, then fundraise. If you can't fundraise then at least raise awareness so other people may help. Don't demonise a whole people and let them suffer more than they are already.

RAHA International

2010-06-04T13:23:00.014+01:00

I just wanted to raise awareness of a non-profit organisation based in Kenya called RAHA International. This organisation is as grassroots as you can get and I'm hoping that people who read this post, take some time to visit RAHA's website and look at the case studies.

Background
RAHA was set up by three sisters Daksha, Nimi and Joshna Hirani a few years ago, but was officially registered in 2008. Nimi says that she was tired of seeing money being wasted by some charities and others providing aid in return for adherence to a particular faith; 'God for aid' she calls it. Instead, the Hirani sisters wanted RAHA to be simple, provide the basics,give people dignity and let people work it out themselves.

RAHA's main aim is to provide and facilitate access to education for young people who otherwise would not have been able to. Nimi who has a background in social medicine, drug, alcohol and HIV work says she benefited from the opportunities and choices having an education has given her. RAHA is raising funds not only for current students but what those who may come to them in the future for assistance.

Jeremiah's success
Jermiah Kangele will be an aeronautical Engineer in July. He was breaking stone at building sites when RAHA came accross him. RAHA helped his mum find a job and got him started on his course. He is a clever man who just needed a little support. He will feed his entire family once he finds employment.

For such a 'young' charity, RAHA is doing pretty amazing work and Nimi is adamant that administration costs will be kept to a minimum so that funds can go directly to those who most need the help.

For more information or to make a donation please contact info@rahainternational.com

Human Rights

2010-06-04T12:22:00.007+01:00

Last week I went to a seminar on PR, Diversity and Public Engagement. Attending as speakers were people like Sue Caro, Senior Diversity Manager at the BBC and Afua Hirsch, The Guardian's legal affairs correspondent.

I didn't get to ask Sue my questions relating to the BBC's committment to diversity. It was pretty ironic that on her powerpoint she had the logo for BBC Asian Network, a radio station that is currently facing the axe. It's funny how anything 'ethnic' loses funding as soon as financial cuts are announced. I wanted to ask whether BBC Asian Network wasn't doing a good enough job and that was why it was going to go...

I also wanted to ask her why, on her diversity showreel, every single muslim person shown was talking about religion. Is that all muslim people do? Talk mosques, religion, ramadan and of course terrorism? (The Eastenders gay plot is just a blip in the system) My message to the beeb is "think out of the box because you're spending my money and not doing a good enough job of it"

I didn't get to ask my questions because there were loads of other people who had comments to make around media culture being white male dominated. Apparently it used to be a lot worse in the 80s...doh! really...that's not really an answer I want to hear as a yard stick for how things have improved. Is that what I should tell young black kids..."well you know back in the 50s black Americans had to sit at the back of a bus and used to get lynched in Alabama..look how lucky you have it now!"

Afua Hirsch spoke eloquently about the Human Rights Act and why it is there for us all. She highlighted how tabloids have misquoted and misrepresented the act and how it has sometimes been enforced incorrectly which have all led to it being perceived as protecting criminals and immigrants and all things 'other'. If you have a quick look on the link you'll find it hard pressed to disagree with what it covers.

Afua's presentation reaffirmed my committment to try and think past the headlines in both the tabloid and broadsheet press. Human rights are not just about moral relativism, or about protecting criminals; it is about having a base line for everyone regardless of who (this encompasses everything about a person's identity) they are.

Every now and then I come across people who challenge my beliefs, my thoughts and my opinions and the speakers at the seminar did plenty of that.

HUMANITY?

2010-05-31T12:46:00.010+01:00

Update
It looks like most of the peace activists held since Monday are now being released either back to Turkey or to their own countries.

However, some activists are still being held by the Israelis. It is still not sure if they are all Arab-Israelis.

Abid Mahi - A British film maker is also amongst the activists in the flotilla. He has not yet arrived back in Britain.

A full list of those who were killed has not yet been confirmed but it is thought that most were of Turkish nationality.

Reports today are saying that 10 PEACE activists were killed (read murdered), by Israeli commandos on the peace flotilla that was heading towards Gaza. This is a despicable act of state terror towards civilians. Israel is already operating an apartheid system in Palestine and has no qualms in murdering innocent men, women and children in the name of security.

Israel seems to get away with everything it does without any real condemnation or action from the International community including 'Muslim' countries in the Middle East.

For us ordinary people, apart from writing to our MPs and raising awareness of what is going on in Palestine, we can try to boycott any Israeli goods that we come across in protest.

Attack in Pakistan
Last week, two Ahmadiya mosques in Lahore were targetted by terrorists leaving 70 worshippers dead. It leaves me asking what did this achieve? It leaves me asking what makes us human?

Drawings of a prophet?

2010-05-21T13:48:00.010+01:00

Reuters

May 20th was 'Everybody Draw Muhammed Day', contrary to belief, this was not a campaign led by Molly Norris. Instead it was the 'brainchild' of a pathetic idiot who thought it would some how symbolise the war against censorship.

In reaction to the facebook page, the Pakistani authorities put a temporary ban on facebook and a number of other facebook pages were started calling for the boycott of facebook by muslims.

I totally understand the issues around censorship and freedom of speech. What Molly Norris did was in reaction to what she thought was censorship. However she was pretty naive or stupid to think that this would not somehow attract the anti-Islam brigade. On the other side of this issue is the reaction of Muslims. Creating a page to call for a boycott of facebook is a bit of an own goal since you'd join the page and then boycott facebook only to come back to it a day later? The point of that being? Or totally denying access to facebook to Pakistani users because of this 'conspiracy' against Islam. Why not give people the choice to be offended or not?

I for one don't believe that any painting or drawing of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a correct one. Therefore you could draw or paint anything and it would not be offensive because you haven't got it right. The same goes for any imagery of Jesus, Moses, Abraham etc etc.

This is neither the first nor the last time something like this is going to happen and I think the Muslim world and muslims alike need to learn how to engage in effective discourse. If someone wants to resort to being offensive, why do we react? They are doing it in order to inflame and we're stupid enough to fall for it.

We may cry that the media, the West, the U.S.A or whoever is anti Muslim, but instead of waving banners denouncing all of the above, why not rise above it and quit being so reactionary.

Catch up

2010-05-19T16:06:00.003+01:00

We have a new Con/Lib coalition in place and the country is thus far, still functioning as normal. David Cameron and Nick Clegg, or Davnick as I will now call them are positively in love with each other right now. Gone are the lovers' tiffs on television or during parliamentary question times; the election marriage and now subsequent honeymoon period have cemented (for now) the (doomed?) relationship. (Read into brackets what you will)...so what have Davnick got in store for us? Well apparently this is a new era in politics...I suppose it's the first time we've seen a co-alition like this so to an extent the statement rings true. However, I'm not sure how liberal policies can easily sit next to tory ones. Sure, they both agree on not having a third runway...hurrah...or I.D cards...again hurrah, but what about the real issues of transport and the real issues on civil liberties? Can this new era of politics deliver? Only time will tell...and what of the broken 'New Labour'...pff!!! Gordon has gone into hibernation (not difficult in the current climate) and now Ed and David are having their playground tiffs in front of the nation. Are we to expect a Blair/Brown type agreement? Will Ed Balls scupper their plans? Will John Mcdonnell rally his comrades and the unions to fight his corner? Exciting times ahead and difficult decisions to be made. I for one am back in 'lovish' with politics. It's a dirty game but as with that other game that is always in the news for being dirty (ask John Terry, Ashley Cole, Ribery etc), you don't have to play the whole 90 minutes, there are opportunities for spectacular own goals, extra time often yields surprises and it's all down to your skill and stamina...Let's see who lasts the distance.

Election 2010

2010-05-05T16:17:00.002+01:00

I've resisted writing about the Election till now...and trust me, my fingers were itching to get typing; but resist I did until today. The eve of a new dawn...ok that's a bit over dramatic but for me anyway, this is the first time since the 1997 election which swept New Labour in, that I have actually felt like it matters. Yes, this election matters because a lot has changed since 1997, and a lot has changed since 2001 and 2005.

Now I'm not advocating a particular party because to tell you the truth, I'm still sitting on the fence. For the first time however I'm taking part in a local election which has both a bnp and National Front candidate. How sick? How horrific? what has happened to multi cultural Britain? How has this happened? I ask myself.

So yes, this election matters, because I will not sit by and let fascism creep in through the back door of disaffection. Politics is a dirty game if you want to play dirty. The expenses scandal is testimony to this. Unpopular wars have made foreign policy a hugely contentious issue alongside the dreaded subject of Immigration. A

Apparently, people are voting BNP because they feel like they're being ignored and it's all about the recession and housing. No it's not. It's because they're stupid and don't realise who and what they're letting in. So if you want to remain stupid and vote in nasty, violent fascists who pretend to be otherwise, then use your democratic right. But please don't say it's a 'protest' vote..if you want to protest, vote Green.

And for all those Muslims out there who say it's haraam to vote, well, the next time your road has pot holes, and the planning permission for your mosque is rejected, or funding for your local group/organisation gets cut, then blame yourself for not voting for a person you thought would represent you.

Live Earth hypocrisy

2010-04-19T12:55:00.014+01:00

Update
This is an email I sent to DOW. I'm awaiting a response and will post it here when it comes along.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I recently came across the Live Earth, Run for water campaign. I applaud your involvement in this campaign but am wondering what you are doing to help ensure that the people of Bhopal, India are also being given the chance to access clean water and live free from the effects of the union carbide gas leak in 1984. I understand that DOW took over Union Carbide back in 1999 and yet the people of Bhopal are still suffering from the after effects of the pollution caused by the leak.
I would appreciate your response.
Thank you

I'm just back from Pakistan and Dubai and had lots to write about. Then I came across this story about Live Earth and it made me really mad. I know it's hard to always stand by your principles...I know I've boycotted Starbucks for ages but have now caved in a few times...but charities have an obligation to make sure they have robust policies in place when dealing with any partnerships.

If you go onto www.liveearth.org 'Run for water' campaign page, you will see a link to its event partners including DoW. The blurb for DoW is as follows:
"With sales of $58 billion in 2008 and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in approximately 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. On April 1, 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas Company, a global specialty materials company with sales of $10 billion in 2008 and 15,000 employees worldwide"

Pretty impressive, especially the bit about 'human progress'. Tell that to the thousands of people in Bhopal, India, affected by the Union Carbide chemical leak in 1984. Dow owns Union Carbide, albeit the acquisition was after the disaster. When you buy a company you take on the good and the bad. Take a look at www.bhopal.org if you want to see how 'bad' it is.

What makes this partnership even more disgusting is that Live Earth's campaign is about access to clean water for people.
This is the blurb from their website:
"The Dow Live Earth Run for Water – to take place April 18, 2010 – will consist of a series of 6 km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world, featuring concerts and water education activities aimed at igniting a tipping point to help solve the water crisis"

I wonder whether they're going to have an event in Bhopal???

Pretty things

2010-03-10T15:41:00.012Z

I've been in a rather sombre mood lately...a variety of reasons that I won't go into right now. So I thought it high time that I talked about things that make me happy.

I'm generally a happyish kind of person. Yes, politics and the London underground always seem to have the ability to annoy me and get my blood pressure up, but the list of people/things/events that make me smile is far far greater.

Anyone that knows me will be able to immediately pick on my love of traditional Islamic/South Asian/Arab art. I enjoy the ability to lose myself in the geometric symmetry that is so perfect in an imperfect world. I love the swirls of floral patterns from Mughal architecture that capture the beauty of nature in stone and marble as well as through paintings. I could very easily spend hours in the V and A taking random photos or copying designs for no reason in particular other than they give me joy whenever I go back to look over them.

Our home is a mish mash of different influences. I have religious art on the walls, mosaiced mirrors and candle holders, floral ceramics and glassware from Turkey, Morocco and India. If I had the money I'd completely 'redo' the house and garden, but since I don't, it's the pretty little things I have that make the house our home. I still have a bare wall awaiting its guest; A Kashmiri wall hanging of 'the tree of life'. I want to have one especially made, or find something that I think will fit into the general look I'm going for. I haven't yet succumbed to ordering something from the internet as you never quite know what you're going to end up with until you physically see it. So the wall remains bare as it has been for the last three years. When I do eventually find what I'm looking for, it will hopefully be well worth the wait:)

I recently came across a few really pretty things that I'd love to have, although I need to make a bit of room in the kitchen/cupboards before I purchase any other nick nacks

This pretty cake stand is from Watts London and I love the rest of the 'Kinnersley' collection. I've been looking for a cake stand for a while now and this one ticks all the boxes.

I was also watching a programme about the Mosque in Granada, Spain where Munira Mendonca, a local artisan was being interviewed

Again her work is all the more lovely for being hand made and not mass produced. I may just contact her to ask if she runs art classes..

If any of you managed to visit the Hiroshi Suzuki exhibition, you lucky things! The closest I got, was staring longingly at the posters lining the walls of the underground. If only I had a few thousand pounds to spare on his work :)

To help you create a more boudoir look to your room, you can't go wrong with this over the top chair from 'Belle Interiors'

More pretty things coming soon

Capitalism or bust

2010-03-05T13:47:00.008Z

I had a meeting yesterday, in Westfield shopping centre. For those of you who don't know Westfield, it's the largest shopping centre in Europe with a designer section called 'The Village' and the usual list of high street brands.

The meeting was only arranged there because it was local to the person I was meeting who is 8 months pregnant; and there are a whole load of coffee places to sit at and talk shop.

After the meeting, I had to grab a few things from Boots and pick up a birthday present for my nephew. The shopping centre was surprisingly busy for a weekday and come 4pm was buzzing with school kids from the local area. I hate shopping on my own, whether it's for groceries, clothes, anything. It's always nice to have company and someone elses opinions. So I limited my spending and bought only the things I needed and no money spent on a whim. Yesterday was not a 'shopping experience' rather a necessary whizz around with a quick bite to eat in the middle.

A lot of people I know don't like Westfield, for the same reason they don't like the Bull ring in Birmingham, The Trafford Centre in Manchester or Bluewater in Kent. Unlike the high street, which is open air, with an eclectic mix of chain stores, independent shops and cafes as well as the fast emerging poundlands (a sign of our times)..these huge buildings have no 'soul'. If you want one symbol to sum up capitalism at its best then shopping 'malls' fit the bill.

I remember the first day Westfield opened. I had a day off for a hospital appointment and popped in to see what all the fuss was about. There is nothing mind bogglingly different about Westfield. Same shops, same look, same facilities. I mean we all shop, eat and go to the loo right?

The only interesting thing about Westfield is its collection of designer brand boutiques. They are positioned away from the main shopping area in a section called 'The Village'. Haute Couture and high end fashion brands have never really struck me as being well suited to shopping centres. Surely the whole allure of high end fashion is exclusivity. What is so exclusive about Westfield? Yet here they sit almost side by side to Zara and H and M, albeit with a champagne bar in the middle.

The answer is of course common sense commercial capitalism. Ms. Chocolate barfi blogs may not find herself ordinarily frequenting Gucci or Louis Vuitton on a regular basis when in the West End. Yet in Westfield you almost do it by accident. In one shop and out the other on automatic. Realisation only hitting when you look at the price tag and think 'have they added a nought?' The very fact you have to look at the price tag immediately informs the attentive sales person that you are not where you belong (if the shop was in Knightsbridge) but here in Westfield, you are the buyer who can be persuaded to buy into a little bit of luxury because well, doesn't it feel good to walk around with a Miu Miu bag in amongst all the Radleys and Nicas. Who cares about not eating for a week.

I'm happy to say although salivating at a Miu Miu bag, I was not persuaded to part with £600 for a bag. My mother for one would never forgive me for spending that much money on something that will only end up carrying my snotty tissues and leaking pens. Instead, I ate a piece of cake costing £3.99 (even hummingbird cupcakes are cheaper) and a coffee. Yes, I was happy that I had emerged into the sunlight with only two bags of goods and my self defined semi-socialist head held high.

On the way home on the tube, I happened to stand next to someone with a 'Capitalism is crap' badge on his jacket. A kindred spirit I said to myself. Although I think we were both mistaken; he was reading a digital book which probably cost him a few hundred quid.

In the end, high end boutiques and high street chains are happy neighbours in Westfield. Although I'm sure 'The Village' is a message saying 'we don't like people from outside our village, we just tolerate them for the tourist season. Makes economic sense'

A cynical political move by Serbia

2010-03-03T10:30:00.009Z

Watch this interview with Emina Ganic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiKICoJlH40

UPDATE Ejup Ganic has just had his bail refused. Do they think he's going to do a runner?? Also no access granted to his lawyers...why?? I thought that was a fundamental right!

So, Britain is in the middle of another political and diplomatic row. I'm not actually going to feel sorry for our government, since it's now pandering to the whims and cynical political aims of the ultra nationalist Serbian government.

Former Vice President of Bosnia, Ejup Ganic was arrested at Heathrow on March 1st a the 'request' of Serbian authorities based on an allegation of war crimes. If it wasn't so serious, I'd actually laugh. Serbia playing victim here?? Boy have they got a short memory...Srebrenica anyone? Kosovo?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/serbia/7354307/Britain-in-diplomatic-row-over-Bosnian-leaders-arrest.html

Serbia is accusing Ejup Ganic alongside another 18/19 other Bosnians of ambushing a Yugoslav army convoy that was leaving Bosnian territory under UN supervision. 40 soldiers were killed.

The point is, the UN tribunals refused to Ejup Ganic based on insufficient evidence. This does not mean he managed to hide his crime, or that they could not find a direct link. If a person in this country is tried in a court of law for murder then the evidence and testimony must be absolute! No ifs, no buts...

It is very easy to sit in London in 2010 and forget what was happening to Bosnian Muslims during the Balkans conflict 18 odd years ago. They were being systematically ethnically cleansed...the thing we thought we'd never see again in Europe. Only now are Bosnians getting some redress in the form of the trials against Serbian war criminals. Radovan Karadzic is currently being tried, and trying very hard to turn this into a farce.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/02/radovan-karadzic-siege-sarajevo-myth

If Ejup Ganic is to be tried, it must be in the Hague and NOT SERBIA!!!...

I'm back!

2010-03-02T11:00:00.004Z

Well it's been a long time....I can't believe it's already March; maybe that's why I actually feel like writing ...the sun is out, it's not too cold and I didn't have to wrap a chunky scarf round my neck to keep warm. I even have the window to my office open..yay!

So what have I been up to in the last few months...hmmm...well, for one, my contract at my last work place ended and no they didn't try to extend it. I was a bit miffed but then actually realised that I wouldn't have wanted to stay. I'm surprised I stayed for 3 years, I'm usually bored by the end of the first year of any job if it's not eclectic enough. So...it was a bit scary not having another job to go to. Instead I thought I'd have a couple of months off to rest...and then start looking for something else.

I suppose God had other plans for me, because no sooner had I got my head around the concept of choosing to be unemployed, I was offered a job by another charity. Yes..I was actually head hunted:)...I would have been a fool to turn this opportunity down, so very happily took on the new job. So it's been just over a month and I'm loving it. The people are lovely and the job is great. It's in an area I'm interested in...health inequalities especially around black and minority ethnic communities. I'll probably be posting articles and reports I come across.

So, a new year, a new job and hopefully a new(ish) me...it's funny how you go through life and seem to 'forget' who you are...well I did..as Cheryl Cole nee Tweedy said in the L'oreal advert...'I got me mojo back'...so not only do I have this new job, I also decided it was high time to take a bit of me time and do something solely for myself. I can't remember the last time I did that. I've always loved henna painting so enrolled on an Ash Kumar course. http://www.ashkumar.co.uk/.
I've completed the foundation course and will be doing the intermediate and advanced levels in March and April...I'll post photos of my work which will hopefully improve as I practice and then who knows ..the sky's the limit as they say.

I'm also rethinking this blog and maybe making a bit more of an effort with it. I don't have any definite ideas yet, but lots of plans which I'm intending on following through.

xx
H

Questiontime

2009-10-22T10:45:00.003+01:00

UPDATE

So the BNP scaremongering continues well into election season...I came across this article by Loanna Morrison who is prospective candidate for Bermondsey and Old Southark in London...I was disgusted by her obvious pandering to racist discourse, especially as she's black herself.

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2010/02/loanna-morrison-it-is-labours-failure-to-control-immigration-and-its-obsession-with-promoting-multic.htmlSo,

Nick 'slimey' Griffin is on Question Time this evening. It's beyond ridiculous that the word 'debate' is used in the same sentence as the bnp. Part of me thinks the BBC is using this to get ratings. I know loads of people that never watch question time who are now going to be switching on.. let's hope the public give ol' Nick a bit more of a grilling than some of the lazy ass BBC radio 'journalists' did...

The 'Wright' Stuff

2009-10-01T16:18:00.003+01:00

After watching a segment on The Wright Stuff, I think I was the most hopping mad I've been in a long while..the subject was 'should teachers who are bnp members be sacked and should there be a law for this?' The analogies used were ludicrous..bnp teacher apparently equates green party teacher...since when has green politics led to psychological trauma?

This is the letter I sent to The Wright Stuff...

Dear Matthew, I am writing in response to today's programme segment discussing teachers who are bnp members.I was absolutely disgusted with the way the panel was flippantly discussing an issue that for so many people from a non white background is hugely important. I grew up in Brent in the 1980s and went to a really good school. As a female, Asian muslim girl, I had no real experience of 'racism' until I was in sixth form and a teacher led a discussion on 'terrorism'. The paper the teacher handed out had only examples of terrorist acts by Arabs/Muslims...and when I was the only one who challenged him in class regarding his one sided presentation, he completely ignored me. I felt angry that this person, who was supposed to be a teacher could use his position to promote a completely one sided view of a serious topic. The following year he had the same piece of paper and the same discussion with the lower sixth group, only one of the boys was a bit more vocal than I had been and complained to the head teacher. Once I found out about this, I approached the head teacher to say this had happened in my class the previous year. After a meeting with concerned parents, the teacher was made to apologise for not presenting a more balanced view and not taking into account how biased his class had been. The reason I am telling you this, is that as a young person it isn't always easy to stand up for yourself, especially if you are the only person in class that is doing so. I was once kicked out of class for telling the teacher how to say a new girl's name properly...so I was mindful of this when challenging another teacher years later.

I was extremely angry that Ann Diamond and the rest of the panel thought this is only an issue of the teacher doesn't propogate his/her agenda. You don't have to live with racism in its many forms, so you'll never experience what it feels like to have someone tell you that because you have more melanin in your skin, you have no right to be in Britain. This is not the same as having a green party member teacher who talks about recycling. This is about a teacher that believes that brown people should be deported, and a teacher that is part of a party that has proven links to fascist organisations in Europe and America. Racism has a huge psychological impact on children, and comes in a variety of forms..not all overt, so hearing you all talk about the bnp's 'democratic' right to hold their views, well that's fine...but where they are in a position of influence and 'power' then they should not be allowed to be near people whose lives they can harm through the many levels of racist behaviour there is."

Rumi -

2009-09-25T16:49:00.003+01:00

Oh, if a tree could wander
and move with foot and wings!
It would not suffer the axe blows
and not the pain of saws!
For would the sun not wander
away in every night ?
How could at every morning
the world be lighted up?
And if the ocean?s water
would not rise to the sky,
How would the plants be quickened
by streams and gentle rain?
The drop that left its homeland,
the sea, and then returned ?
It found an oyster waiting
and grew into a pearl.
Did Yusaf not leave his father,
in grief and tears and despair?
Did he not, by such a journey,
gain kingdom and fortune wide?
Did not the Prophet travel
to far Medina, friend?
And there he found a new kingdom
and ruled a hundred lands.
You lack a foot to travel?
Then journey into yourself!
And like a mine of rubies
receive the sunbeams? print!
Out of yourself ?
Such a journey will lead you to your self,
It leads to transformation
of dust into pure gold!

Dilemma

2009-09-25T16:27:00.002+01:00

So...I have this little 'dilemma'..well it's not really a dilemma..more a 'what should I do?' moment...
My work contract comes to an end in December; i've been working for a charity for nearly 3 years now and it's been one of the most challenging and enjoyable jobs I've had. So as the ol' saying goes, 'all good things come to an end' or something like that...I now find myself in the position of starting 2010 sans boulot...I've come across lots of really great jobs, and to tell you the truth I really want to apply for them but then I think of the following:
1. I have sooooooooo much work to finish off before December and if I don't, no one else will
2. I want a break once my contract does finish
3. I want to try doing something completely different

However, not having a job will mean:
1. Being bored ( I know what I'm like)
2. One less income ...OUCH! No more impulsive buys
3. Me turning into a couch potato...hmmmmmmmmmmm...

I'm trying to just go with the flow and see where Allah takes me..kismet, fate, destiny, whatever you call it..I hope it leads some place inspiring...

Eid

2009-09-23T10:54:00.003+01:00

So Ramadhan has come and gone and so has Eid *sigh*...It's funny how we look forward to things so much and then they pass us by in the blink of an eye..I still get this childish excitement when Eid comes..the whole, getting new clothes, bangles, mehndi on chand raat...for me it's an important part of the whole Eid celebration as I think it's worth spending a bit of effort in making Eid special, especially for kids.

I didn't get to finish the whole Quran this Ramadhan but hopefully will finish it in the coming month...

I haven't written anything for nearly a whole month, as I had knee surgery a few weeks ago...a torn meniscus which I have no recollection of tearing...typical! So I'm on the very slow road to recovery...and I'm pretty frustrated at quite how slow it's going...I can't really go into work much and so am working from home which has it's own challenges...I feel like the last month has been a bit of a blur but maybe that's just the drugs...lol...painkillers, the initial morphine in the first week...really can't remember much of my first two weeks at home after the op...maybe that's not such a bad thing...poor hubby was looking after me and I'm probably a rubbish patient...

Our picnic

2009-08-11T15:31:00.003+01:00

Last weekend was the 'mother and daughters' picnic in Virginia waters. The day was beautiful and sunny, and everyone, surprise surprise turned up on time.
Arriving at the park, we sorted ourselves out and had a bit of a wander before settling down to eat.
We appeared to be attracting a lot of attention; maybe people in Surrey don't get to see a bunch of Asian women of all shapes, sizes and hues of brown enjoying the outdoors?? who knows, but one lady came up to me and said she heard a man saying 'there's a lot of them'...I'm not sure what the 'them' was referring to...being brown, or being women...hmmmmmmmmmm....

Anyway, after eating, some of the ladies decided on a game of antakshari ...I'm useless at singing in hindi/urdu/punjabi so decided to catch it on camera video...hehe...I just have to figure out how to upload it and email it to the group...

Girly fashion

2009-08-04T17:00:00.010+01:00

I'm not sure how much of a 'girly' girl I am, but I love some of the dresses here by Fadi Nahle, a Lebanese designer. I love the veil on this wedding dress and the use of embroidery on each of the panels.

I'm also loving this one aqua number from Zuhair Murad. As you can see I like the whole layering effect. Quite Spanish inspired. The maxi style dress worn by Jenna Fischer at the Golden Globes is amazing too..Can't even imagine how much these cost...

Also absolutely loving the silhouettes and colours by Naeem Khan with some amazing oriental inspiration....

Sudanese woman in court for wearing trousers

2009-08-04T11:36:00.004+01:00

This story has made me so angry...

Lubna Hussein is a journalist who worked at the UN and was rounded up in a cafe along with 12 other women for wearing trousers. Some of these women were flogged but Lubna chose to go to trial to challenge these charges.

I wonder what kind of Islam these people are trying to follow? What about other Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan etc where women wear loose trousers with long tops..is this also unIslamic? It seems as though regimes such as in Sudan and the Taliban in Afghanistan hold the utmost contempt for women.

Muslim women in the UK don't have to worry about being flogged for wearing trousers or whatever else we choose to wear. I believe that Islam teaches women to be modest, but it also teaches men to be modest..which is something men tend to forget. It also teaches us to be humane and just.

Where is the justice here?

Istanbul

2009-07-29T12:50:00.004+01:00

Fizzy milk

2009-07-27T20:53:00.002+01:00

so fizzy milk??? am gonna have to try this when it's available...not too sure I like the sound of it..if it's anything like a coke soda then yuk...

Where's the summer gone?

2009-07-27T20:37:00.003+01:00

So this is a typical July in England...a bit of sun, a lot of rain, mixed with some cloud...apparently August is going to be a lot better...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
The weekend went by really quickly, spent Saturday eating, watching a very short cricket match (43 runs to beat huh??), and eating some more...
Sunday was the last day of mother and daughter's club, so everyone brought in a dish..I made trifle and was worried no one would eat it..but hey ho, it went pretty quickly...

This week is lots of write ups, although I'm so not in the mood right now. Roll on December 31st...

Some of the things I'm interested in

2009-07-23T13:57:00.000+01:00

The triple whammy

2009-07-23T13:50:00.001+01:00

So, I came across this report on Muslim women in the U.K and why levels of unemployment are so high...I usually hate these kinds of reports but this one really struck a cord because a lot of what was being said, was stuff I've seen and heard a million times before...I mean, I grew up amongst women like these...and it used to drive me mad..the whole Asian Muslim mentality ...
http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/images/stories/pdfs/quilliam_immigrantmuslimfemale_triple_paralysis_july_2009.pdf

The grand plan

2009-07-23T13:34:00.000+01:00

So, what's this blog going to be about...hmmmmmmmm....things I'm interested in...arts, poetry, interior design..food of course...I might post some recipes...hope to get some feedback on it and some ideas...I'll probably rant and rave about things that annoy me...like noisy neighbours that do my head in, or pot holes, my endless hospital appts...blah blah blah

Something new

2009-07-23T13:29:00.000+01:00

Well...not sure why I started this...boredom? Self expression? I dunno...
It's raining outside and I'm 'working'
This is my first post so just testing it all out!