tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38835805604007750342024-02-20T13:09:41.911+00:00From Aisha's Lipsmy little worldAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-58081870182925145872013-02-23T17:33:00.000+00:002013-02-23T17:33:50.385+00:00early signs of autism<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salam Alaikum<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Early signs of autism are quite difficult to spot. Some won't start showing
signs until they reach 1 years old, some even older. The most common signs are
speech and development delays. I won't go into full details of all the signs,
as i think this website is really good
MashaAllah http://www.autism.org.uk/ I will however tell my story and bear
in mind every case is different :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During my son's first 3 years of life, I had my concerns
that everything wasn't how it should be. Unlike my girls, when he was fed, he
never fell asleep and he wouldn't sleep if I held him closely. I would either
have to sit back and lay him across my legs or in his cot. I found this quite bizarre
and brought it up with my health visitor. Her response was, "he's a boy,
they're different from girls, besides every child has different likes and
dislikes". I accepted her answer, although i did feel a bit uneasy, but
who was i to challenge her? She's the one with the know how, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another issue I had with him and wish also made me quite
concerned was that by the age of 6 months, he couldn't turn from back to
stomach! He didn't manage to do it until he was 7 months old. Again I approach
the health visitor, who again brushed me off by saying "he's a boy, they
tend to be lazy, don't worry he will catch up later on".. He didn't sit
until he was about 10 months, hardly crawled, but walked by the age of 13
months..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was a very quiet boy, he hardly cried. The first year of
his life was so easy in that sense MashaAllah. He loved his cars and trains,
actually anything with wheels on that he could spin. He would push his
push-along-car on the side and just sit and spin the wheels. He would do line
ups of cars, trains and bricks, usually he would climb up on the sofa and line
them up on the radiator behind it (it was never switched on). When I tried to
play with him and his trains, he would just give me his back and keep playing
on his own.. Now I didn't see this as a sign of anything at the time. I just
saw it as a boy thing and his personality.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He had delayed speech.. He didn't really say much, he never
said mama or dada, like most babies do.. The first time he said any proper
word, was when I dropped off my girls at nursery. We walked pass the trolley
with lunch bags and he pointed and said "Mickey Mouse!" he was about
1 1/2 years then, if i remember correctly.. Then a few weeks later, whilst i
was preparing lunch, he sat on the floor in the livingroom and counted from
1-10 and 10-1! I was absolutely amazed by this! Ran over to him and asked him
several times to do it a again, nope! I was totally ignored.. But
Alhamdulillah shortly after he started talking like other toddlers do, but was
a bit delayed. The health visitor assured me that this delay was due to him
hearing 3 languages at home, Khair InshaAllah<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just before he was 2 years old, I gave birth to my youngest
girl. When we came home from the hospital, he didn't show any interest in the
baby at all! The girls were so excited and couldn't wait to sit with her in
their lap. After they both had sat with her for a while, I put the baby down on
a blanket on the floor. I told my son to come over and say hi.. He came over looked
at her for a bit, then he grabbed her arm, she startled and cried and he
slapped her on her chest! I was shocked and as a reaction i shouted
"No!" at him and grabbed the baby to comfort her.. After that he
couldn't stand the sight of her. I couldn't put her down on the floor at all
and had to supervise him constantly, as he would hurt her otherwise. I used to
have the baby in the car seat whenever i had to do chores or cook, so i could
have her next to me at all times. That was quite hard at times to be honest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was also around this time when he started to have
uncontrollable tantrums. He would scream for long periods at times and would
lash out at anyone nearby, sometimes I had to put him in lock-down just to calm
him down, it was horrible at times, it was as if he was out of his own body,
you couldn't get contact with him at all SubhanAllah. A friend of mine, who was
on a visit one day, when he had one of his uncontrollable tantrums, asked me if
I had any thoughts of him having autism. I swear I got really offended! What I
knew of autism at that time, was that they were mentally retarded,
AstaghfirAllah. I told her exactly what the health visitor told me, that there
was no concerns there at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not long after that episode, we went to her house. She lives
up on the Moors, so it's quite open and always a breeze.. That day when we left
her house and got outside, he started screaming like mad! He put his hands over
his ears and bounced around, I had never seen anything like it! I grabbed him
and carried him to the car, got him to calm down and tried to ask what was the
matter, but no response at all. My friend suggested that i took him to my GP
and got him checked out, she then told me a story of her friend, who's daugther
had reacted like that once and she had autism. I rolled my eyes and took off..
I took him to the GP the next day, but he found nothing wrong with his ears.
From this day, if it was windy or cold he would do the same! he wouldn't
leave the house without a hat, regardless the temperature and when the winter
arrived he used to lock his body and wouldn't even move. So I would have to
carry him to and from the car, whenever we had to go somewhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he started nursery, in April 2010, he had his elder
sister with him (my second daughter was attending the nursery at that time). He
did really well and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I think it was because he had
been coming to that nursery since he was born and therefore knew all members of
staff. Whenever he got upset, his sister would comfort him and the drama was
soon over. But as we got closer to end of term, the head of the nursery, pulled
me aside and we discussed some of the issues with him. She told me that he
seemed too excited about the smallest things, at story telling he would him up and
down and really get into the story. Aswell as he would remember the story
almost word by word, just by hearing it once or twice and would interrupt the
session. Lol this really made me laugh, because to me that just indicates he
has great memory skills, although I know it must have been rather annoying for
the teacher telling the story.. Also he had some issues with sharing toys and
he would get completely thrown off, if he didn’t get to play with the trains
every morning. It was as if he had created his own routine. He would get in to
the nursery, straight to the trains, then when the door opened, he’d go outside
to play, then back inside for a snack , play with the trains and outside again,
until it was tidy up time and they finished off the day with a song and a
story.. After telling me all this, she then went on and say she though he might
be slightly autistic. Not that he was, but if he was, then it was a mild
version of it. Again I got annoyed and offended and explained to her, just as I
did to my friend , that there was nothing wrong. And we left it at that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as we finished that school term, the kids’ father
became very ill. He was in hospital for several weeks and there was a period of
time, where the doctors gave him 50/50 chance of survival. This had a huge
impact on the kids. I could not get myself to tell them the reality of the
situation, they were told he was very ill, but would be back soon, InshaAllah.
It was probably the most difficult time for all of us and it was then I noticed
how my son would withdraw himself completely and he became very clingy aswell.
He has always had difficulties in attaching himself to people and this got
worse during this time. In the end I had to inform the nursery of what was
going on, as he was becoming more and more frustrated at home. He would attack
his sisters without reasons and it was a constant battle everytime he came
home. The nursery were absolutely amazing! They offered me transport for the
kids and offered them fulltime sessions, without extra costs. They even offered
to take them out and babysit! They were such a great support for both me and my
kids, that I’ll never be able to thank them enough! As the summer holiday
approached, their father started to recover, Alhamdulillah and was finally
discharged. I knew that this would be a long holiday and right I was. My son
totally rejected his father, he refused to even be in the same room as him and
it took us weeks for him to get used to seeing his dad in this fragile state.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In September 2010, my 2nd daugther joined her eldest sister
in primary school, which meant he would be in nursery on his own. This was in
particular hard for him to accept and he would absolutely kick off every
morning, after Dina and Maria had been dropped off. And as we approached the
nursery, he would refuse to get out of the car and sometimes he would try to
hurt his baby sister aswell. But when we finally got out of the car he’d be
fine. Then when I picked him up from nursery, he’d start all over again,
screaming, throwing himself down on the road and God knows what! This would
start as soon as we came out of the nursery until we came home. Then he would
start attacking his baby sister and would do anything to make her upset. This
in particular was very hard to deal with. She was defenceless and I would be
locked into sitting with her in my lap constantly, so he wouldn’t touch her and
this would carry on for at least an hour or so. Then it started all over again
when we picked up the girls from school. He would attack them, but especially
my 2nd daugther, who had just left nursery. It got to a point where I actually
starting thinking there must be something wrong with him. I spoke to the head
of the nursery again and she said they’d keep an eye out for the different
aspects which would indicate there was something wrong and by them collecting
information, they’d be able to refer us to the childrens mental health unit
(who will be able to get the right people in and a diagnosis).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As time went by, he started to settle in a bit more, as he
got used to his routine, but he’d still be lashing out after his baby sister
whenever possible. During that academic year I spoke to the nursery several
times and every time they would give me a different answer. He’d have autistic
tendancies, then he’d be fine and then again autistic tendancies and this
circle kept going until I actually asked them to help me to get hold of the
people who deal with autism, so at least we’d get a professional in to look at
him and get a diagnosis once and for all. All this run around made me more
confused than anything, aswell as frustrated. They contacted camhs, who told
them to send me on a parenting course! Ehm hello?? What was that all about??
The head of the nursery also got offended by their suggestion, as she knew there
was absolutely NOTHING wrong with my parenting skills and she actually hung up
on them lol! She then told me to go to my GP, who would be able to get a
referral through for me. So I did, but the outcome was nothing like I had
expected. I told him about all my worries and what the nursery had told me, in
hope he’d say I wasn’t going insane and there was something! But nope, he
turned around saying if my son was autistic, then all his kids were autistic!
SubhanAllah what an unprofessional and arrogant statement to make. He then went
on to say I had to contact my health visitor with my concerns as he’d only deal
with 5 year + children with mental health issues.. I was NOT impressed! But I
did contact my health visitor who gave me a similar answer as previously, “he’s
a boy, he develops slower then girls” bla bla bla.. Then she wanted the nursery
to write a report on his behaviour, so she could take that into consideration
and take it from there. I honestly felt they were kicking me whilst I was down.
Wouldn’t a good GP or health visitor take a mother seriously if she has
concerns?? I went back to the nursery, feeling totally defeated and explained
what had happen.. They then turned around and said “oh well we’ve tried, there
might not be anything wrong afterall” and no paperwork would be done.. Talking
about feeling let down, I was devastated..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Alhamdulillah for my good friends both in real life and
online. Without them, I doubt I would have been able to fight back at them. As
one dear friend said to me “you won’t get anything done in this country unless
you hassle the system, keep going and you’ll get results!” and so I did. I went
back to the nursery and demanded that they’d do something to help me out,
especially since he’d start in primary school after the summer holiday, which I
was dreading as he doesn’t handle changes very well. And Lo and Behold! They
FINALLY got the ball rolling! They sent a referral through to a speech and
language therapist and the journey towards a diangosis started!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will be making another post on the process of getting the
diagnosis InshaAllah<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-58069603060173120972013-02-20T17:23:00.001+00:002013-02-20T17:23:14.771+00:00AutismSalam Alaikum <br />
<br />
I've been in two minds if I should bring this topic up on the blog. My son is at the final stages of the process of getting diagnosed.. I had another blog prior to this one, where I tried to blog whilst we were going through the process, but it was just too negative. I was going through a really hard time, both with my son and the system, so I decided to remove it and start this one. However, autism is a huge part of my life, it's there every single day Alhamdulillah, there is no running away from that.<br />
I'm thinking of making a few posts on autism in a positive light InshaAllah. And I will try to throw in a bit of advice here and there, I'm no expert, just a mum, has embraced autism with open arms :) But if you're going through the same or know someone who does, then perhaps you might find some of the post useful InshaAllah <br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-19533895254344923162013-02-20T12:43:00.001+00:002013-02-20T12:43:04.839+00:00Stay fat and die youngWell that's reality.. If you're obese and you're not doing anything about it, you're killing yourself! By being obese your more likely to get diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure, arthritis etc just to mention a few!<br />
You can come up with every excuse in the world, but nothing can justify obesity! You are the one who's eating piles of junk food, you're the one who's not exercising.. You can blame the food industry for your eating habits, you have the choice to cook a healthy meal yourself, so why binge on junk? Beside junk doesn't fill you, it might satisfy your tummy and taste buds for an hour or so, but then you'll get hungry and take another binge..<br />
Seriously aren't you worth more than that? You want to be your own death trap? You don't want to see your kids or grandkids grow up, get married etc? You don't have any dreams of your own? Aren't you tired of buying overpriced plus size clothes?<br />
Yeah you might think I'm rude and obnoxious, but I've been there myself! Done all that binge eating, or as I used to call it "emotional" eating, as it didn't sound as bad.. I've been obese, I ended up developing fibromyalgia, which almost crippled me.. I had severe pain and swelling in feet and hands, my back was killing me, running around with the kids was so hard and I was out of breath in no time.. I let myself go, I set up my own death trap, I was told there was nothing I could do about my pains and aches as there is no cure for fibromyalgia..<br />
I went home and to be honest I was devistated! A woman in her early 30's being in this state?? Dreams and hopes for the future were demolished!<br />
As the shock had sunk in and I had come to terms with my "illness" I found the fighter within me.. I was like "heck, no!" I'm going to prove these doctors wrong, I am going to get my body back to normal.. After much research, I started to change my lifestyle. No crash diet, no yo-yo diet, no fast solution.. One step at the time, that way it wasn't overwhelming and I wouldn't fall back into old habits! When I had manage to get my diet on track, a set sleep pattern, I started exercising.. <br />
Lol now that was a challenge which is still a challenge now.. It's all about finding something YOU enjoy doing, that way you are more likely to stick with it and succeed! <br />
I've managed to shed 25 kgs over the last year, i feel and look much healthier, im able to run around with the kids again, heck i can even run without getting out of breath within a few secs! I'm able to do moderate cardio, fibromyalgia sneaks in if I do intensive training, but I'm ok with that, I will get to that stage one day :)<br />
So you see? if I can do it, so can you! Do it for yourself, first and foremost, but also for your family!<br />
Where to start? Well I'm no coach of any sort.. But set yourself a goal weight and a date when you want to achieve it by..<br />
<br />
• Drink water! Plenty of it, drink a glass of water before each meal, it will help you not to overeat :)<br />
<br />
• get enough sleep! Also very important! <br />
<br />
• get your meals right, make sure you get a healthy balanced diet. Eat breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day.. We often tend to skip breakfast, especially if you have busy mornings, don't! At least do a smoothie and add müsli to it, a great meal on the go :) also we often tend to have our biggest meal at dinner time, change that meal to lunch time, that eat you'll have better chances of burning it off :)<br />
<br />
•start exercising! Walk instead of using transport whenever you can.. Find a walking buddy, gym buddy, DVD workouts, there are so many options out there! And DON'T STOP, as soon as you start to feel it, dig deeper! The deeper you dig, the better results!<br />
<br />
• get organised and prioritise! Plan ahead, get your calendar out, write down your appointments etc, then add your meal planner, create a workout schedule<br />
<br />
• get motivated! My motivation has been the biggest loser (Australian Version has been the best in my opinion, love it!) aswell as educate yourself about the food and health risks.. Also read/watch success stories.. <br />
<br />
• take a picture of yourself in your underwear! Lol weird I know! BUT keep it as a reminder of what and why you're trying to change! Get a clothing item, in a size you want to slim into, hang it in a visible place. I had a dress, which I had Infront of me whenever I exercised, lol it helped me dig deeper in every move, despite the pain!<br />
<br />
• change one thing at the time. What I did was to focus one one thing at the time.. Ie with water, made sure I had plenty of water each day, kept a record of it.. The. When I felt I was ready to move to the next I took sleep, made sure I got enough sleep every night, when that had become a routine, I focused on food and so on<br />
<br />
Good luck and stay strong, you can do it, you're the one in control xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-82111822555397183232013-02-01T02:43:00.001+00:002013-02-01T02:43:17.979+00:00Make Me A MuslimSalam Alaikum <br />
<br />
This was the title of a BBC3 programme which was aired on Wednesday evening on 30th January.<br />
The reaction spread via friends and friends of friends on Facebook was rather negative, so I decided to watch it tonight. <br />
Alot of people turn around and judged these sisters, like the fact that the sister who wore nail vanish whilst praying.. Did it ever occur to them, that this sister might not be aware of that because the water doesn't go through the nail vanish, wudhu and salah not being valid? Nope! It's easier to jump on the judging wagon, point the fingers, even being nasty in the way they choose their words..<br />
One of the comment which really hit home was the lack of support reverts have after reverting to Islam. This is actually something most of us feel. At first it's all iiihh, ooohh and aaahh but like a marriage that's only the honeymoon period.. When we get back to reality and go about our daily lives, we often get forgotten by the Muslim community.<br />
It's not an easy decision to make, when you take your shahada.. You're boun to put a strain on the ties you've had with your family and friends.. Some even lose their family and friends when taking this step. As if that wasn't enough, we also get met with hostility on the street, by the British society, who sees us as traitors and think its their rights to abuse us, whenever and wherever, both physically and verbally.. Then we have the born Muslims, who think we either reverted to Islam for a man, attention or whatever else. Seriously? Would we really put ourselves through all this hassle, if we didn't believe in Allah? <br />
But then we also have the cultural issues.. In many cases the reverts will only be let into certain communities/circles if you are either married to one of their men (from their culture) or you're single and you are a potential marriage material for one if their single relatives..<br />
Gosh I could write a book on all these issues that pop in my mind.. <br />
Of course it's not everyone who's like this Alhamdulillah, I've met some amazing sisters (aswell as non-Muslims), but sadly hardly any of them are locals.. I've never had a circle of sisters around until recently.. My first 6-7 years have been online communication only :/ although I've tried to get involved in the community a few times, I soon realised that these people aren't what I look for in friends and therefore keep contact to the bare minimal, it's better that way, as it would lead to too much fitnah..<br />
Anyway so what were my thoughts on the documentary? Well to be honest, I don't think it was that bad, not as bad as many other documentaries floating around.. This was made by non-Muslims, so I wouldn't expect Islam to be shown, as it would if it was made by Muslims.. <br />
I won't be sitting and pin pointing the sisters errors, who am I to do that? First and foremost I will have to improve myself before I can even judge them. But even then I can't even judge them, as I'm a human being, full of faults.. <br />
There was one sister who noone really talked about, the only born Muslim on the show, the host (if you can call it like that) she was actually the one I felt most for.. Her reactions towards the end, her admitting she was lost and her even stating she would slowly change her ways back to Islam. MashaAllah that was huge! I felt really proud on her behalf and I pray she will become closer to the Deen InshaAllah may Allah give her hidayah Ameen!<br />
That also goes to show that if we could all give each other a helping hand, born Muslim or a revert, we could all be helping one another, guiding and supporting one another, we would be a much stronger Ummah, SubhanAllah!<br />
<br />
May Allah guide us all Ameen!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-23864508795003597162013-01-26T09:04:00.001+00:002013-01-26T09:05:59.542+00:00LMP week 2Salam Alaikum<br />
<br />
I've now reached the end of week 2 of my LMP schedule. It's great to be back to strength training MashaAllah just love it! There hasn't been a day where I haven't been sore all over lol, although its a good soreness :) last night I decided to use more weight and SubhanAllah was shaking for hours after my workout!<br />
As with every workout there are some parts you love and some you hate. My absolute favourite is the combination of clean and press with dead lift :) it takes your heart rate up and you feel strong<br />
Another part which I also enjoy is chest and arms, it's definitely a weak point for me. But as the days go by, not only do I feel I'm getting stronger, but my arms are definitely toning up! Which is much needed after I've shed all that weight, too much loose skin everywhere :/<br />
The the hardcore abs workout is definitely challenging and the first few times I did struggle quite alot, but again I'm getting stronger and InshaAllah I will soon be able to get the full satisfaction from this <br />
Now there are a couple of things I dislike about this workout, it's lunges!! Can't stick them! My leg muscles are and have always been rock hard, especially on the back of my leg, which gives me muscle cramps when going lunges :( that also means I can't get the full workout as I will have to stop quite a few times during the track. <br />
And then there is the flow workout, or actually stretch programme. It's a yoga style stretch programme and I really dislike this one, so I've replaced that with Pilates. I've got 2 Pilates DVDs with Lara Hudson, they've got really good stretch programmes MashaAllah <br />
Today is the last day of week 2 and a rest day. Lol doubt I would be able to do any workout today due to soreness! I'm planning to get some cardio in at some point, but for now I really want to finish these 13 weeks and I can always add on the further into the programme I get<br />
<br />
Kia Kaha - stay strong :)<br />
<br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoFjaIhHrYUOzGc0nQDrX9h51tLH3bIM4nsXGHydu8zWNHcCTn5maO4uVtL4uXvpV9KbV303-R51j1nzHTFxOqtz25xWqYdcpboqeo9fwlUSkkhldaXB7xJXYpxZbfhAi5PngHcTyWng/s640/blogger-image-549720476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoFjaIhHrYUOzGc0nQDrX9h51tLH3bIM4nsXGHydu8zWNHcCTn5maO4uVtL4uXvpV9KbV303-R51j1nzHTFxOqtz25xWqYdcpboqeo9fwlUSkkhldaXB7xJXYpxZbfhAi5PngHcTyWng/s640/blogger-image-549720476.jpg" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-44862652837360128762013-01-22T11:53:00.000+00:002013-01-22T12:48:10.358+00:00homemade sugar scrub!Salam Alaikum<br />
<br />
Has anyone tried sugar scrubs to exfoliate your skin? they're lush! they make your skin supersoft MashaAllah.<br />
Well I've not been into town for a while, so hadn't been able to get any in stock.. So looked online and saw LOADS of sites who had LOADS of recipes.. Most of them had 1 cup sugar, 1/2 oil and a few drops of essential oil.. I used what I had at home, used 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 coconut oil and lavender oil.<br />
Mix it all together and store in a pot with lid. When you want to use it, scrub it all over your body, leave for a a few mins and rinse with warm water. Your skin will feel so smooth! I always use a good moisturizer after showers and it leaves the skin so so soft, love it!<br />
will definitely continue to use this and will experience with other combinations aswell. Might look into more products me thinks :) will post here as i try and test some other stuff InshaAllah, but for now, this sugar scrub is a winner and will be done on a regular basis :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-70690370734347621602013-01-20T01:05:00.001+00:002013-01-20T01:05:08.339+00:00headlice/nits!Salam Alaikum<br />
<br />
If there is anything I hate about school terms it's nits! argh they make my skin crawl! And if you've got kids in school age, you're most likely getting those much hated letters every now and then. I've got 3 girls with long hair and OMG it's a never ending story here. It doesn't matter how i tie their hair, they still get them! I've even cut my eldest 2 hair short, big mistake! it was even worse!<br />
<br />
using chemicals every time, it's really not good for their scalp. The schools recommend to use plenty of conditioner with tea tree oil. These can be found in most supermarkets at a very reasonable price. However if you miss 1 of those buggers, the child will soon be covered all over again :/<br />
<br />
something I've found very effective is vinegar and olive oil. I use a spray bottle and soak their hair with vinegar. This is suppose to suffocate the nits. then i apply olive oil, which is suppose to losen the eggs from the hair. Then wrap their hair with cling film and then cover it with a shower hat. I leave it to work for 30-45 mins and then comb their hair with a nitty gritty comb. I love these combs as they've got long teeth and make it easier to get through my eldest thick hair MashaAllah<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmBnu-iUvsMYLiseMW3tyTDn9s64cZq_0Gjq6JUIFYTtWSsMW-eAtck9MVNvAbbtMMFs8rmamg9cKTI_p6VVK-jp7H2BRGrr5CcAu02qZMzsLDHnjrysNlqP0NWfZZmOelA04buNHfMc/s1600/nitFreeComb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmBnu-iUvsMYLiseMW3tyTDn9s64cZq_0Gjq6JUIFYTtWSsMW-eAtck9MVNvAbbtMMFs8rmamg9cKTI_p6VVK-jp7H2BRGrr5CcAu02qZMzsLDHnjrysNlqP0NWfZZmOelA04buNHfMc/s320/nitFreeComb.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
Then i wash their hair with regular shampoo, you need to wash and rinse a couple of times to get all the oil out..<br />
<br />
I've also tried tea tree oil. Although effective, it's not as effective as the above method. My opinion anyway.. If you want to use tea tree oil, then make sure to mix it with a base, either olive oil or conditioner. If you add pure tea tree oil directly to the scalp it can irritate the skin and cause allergic reaction.<br />
<br />
after getting rid of the nits, it's important to keep checking for a week or two, to make sure they're all gone.<br />
Also you can mix water with approx 10 drops of tea tree oil and spray your child's hair every morning before going to school. this is suppose to keep the nits away, i've not tried that yet, but will be as soon as i get hold of some tea tree oil.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-4067314193610224752013-01-19T21:44:00.001+00:002013-01-19T22:00:10.180+00:00Sugar wax - hair removalSalam Alaikum<br />
<br />
Hair removal is something we all have to deal with and there are soooo many ways of doing it.. I've personally tried quite a few products that are available, but i always fell back on the razors, as the chemicals were just too strong for my sensitive skin.<br />
<br />
After having my 4th child, I started getting facial hair, argh! something that I had prayed wouldn't happen.. well I had to find a solution and started looking around for alternatives to chemical products. Sitting with a tweezer would take forever! First I found a product called <a href="http://helixhairthreading.com/">threadease</a>. It was alright, but time consuming, especially if you're not used to do threading.. then i came across <a href="http://www.epicareuk.com/?gclid=CL-rpvmt9bQCFePHtAodlEIAgg">epicare</a>, which works similar to threading. Great to have on the go, but I didn't think it worked as well as normal threading. It often broke of the hair, instead of pulling it from the root and i also found it more painful than threading..<br />
<br />
<br />
Then one evening, i came across an article about sugar waxing, this lady swore by it being the best method out there... So it made me curious and I looked it up. I came across this page <a href="http://howtobeawesomeforfree.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/sugaring-best-way-to-remove-unwanted.html">http://howtobeawesomeforfree.blogspot.co.uk/</a><br />
and that was the end of my search!<br />
I've been using this method for almost a year now and i love it! although it's time consuming to do a whole body sugaring, the results are epic! the hairs grow out much thinner and in some places, they've not grown out as of yet :) Yes it's painful the first couple of times, but you do get used to it<br />
<br />
If you try it, let me know how you got on with it <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66KIDrFshbNYV1X0w-hVR1RXnTbqHJe1qMqLqoVZhQf2aiqYQsQ-h5el1T2_rv5Ee3pce7X-j2Qkg6MwnRdJIgPidJnDA2o5_NlRZ6bBq1HyOJsgcx69Iqkn8WHG3HDxyybHwlblBVaI/s1600/Sugar-Sugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66KIDrFshbNYV1X0w-hVR1RXnTbqHJe1qMqLqoVZhQf2aiqYQsQ-h5el1T2_rv5Ee3pce7X-j2Qkg6MwnRdJIgPidJnDA2o5_NlRZ6bBq1HyOJsgcx69Iqkn8WHG3HDxyybHwlblBVaI/s320/Sugar-Sugar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-75831633974929149742013-01-09T11:17:00.000+00:002013-01-19T21:59:45.301+00:00Les Mills pump once againSalam Alaikum<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Over the last year I've managed to lose roughly 25 kgs MashaAllah, which has been the greatest achievement i've had for a very long time. Around this time last year I started changing my lifestyle, step by step. And around April/May I was introduced to Les Mills Pump, by a friend of mine :) MashaAllah of all the exercises I've done, this one is tailored to me! I absolutely love it! I was a rower in my teens and I've never found a workout that was as satisfying as that, until LMP :)</div>
<div>
Unfortunately I was never able to complete the whole 13 weeks programme, I had a few breaks, started over and over again.. Now I'm determind to complete the whole programme and get rid of these last few kgs InshaAllah.</div>
<div>
I will try to update on my progress on a regular basis InshaAllah</div>
<div>
Today it's Pump Challenge, which is a 20 mins workout with a barbell. I will be doing it when kids are in bed InshaAllah</div>
<div>
What i love about this programme is that it starts off slowly and gradually builds up and the trainers are absolutely amazing! love their enthusiasm, encouragement and engery :) see you all tonight LMP trainers :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-67570616333506025652012-12-02T23:32:00.002+00:002013-01-19T22:00:34.693+00:00Thank YouSalam Alaikum/hello everyone<br />
<br />
Everything comes to an end and so does the Gaza Awareness Week. I would like to thank everyone who has participated, from the bottom of my heart. It's really heartwarming to see people from all walks of life, pulling together for such a great cause. Don't let this be the end of it, keep spreading awareness around you, keep reminding people of the situation in Palestine. Just because there is a "ceasefire", it doesn't mean the occupation has ended or the Palestinians aren't suffering anymore..<br />
<br />
I want to send a special thanks to <a href="http://www.muslimmummies.com/">Fozia</a> who has inspired me and helped me out here. Without her, I doubt this would have become a reality.. I know you've not got alot of time on your hands, so I really appreciate your time and effort<br />
<br />
Also a special thanks to Belal Almassri, who designed our Gaza Awareness Badge. I would highly recommend his business, he's so pleasant to work with and has done an amazing job for us<br />
http://www.webdependence.co.uk/<br />
<br />
And finally special thanks to Hayley Kemp, who is such an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your stories and for the great support you've given us<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-41997287603399603612012-12-02T00:00:00.001+00:002013-01-19T22:00:56.322+00:00Omar's Storywritten by Hayley Kemp, humanitarian worker<br />
<br />
<br />
THE STORY OF OMAR MOHAMMED AMARA<br />
<br />
I wanted to tell you the story of a man I visited in Tulkarem Refugee Camp called<br />
Omar Mohammed Amara whose family had been driven out from their village during<br />
the Nakba (Catastrophe) in 1948. Omar’s story demonstrates just how long the<br />
Palestinians have been and are still suffering. Omar was mayor of Tulkarem Camp<br />
in 1964 and has participated in many political decisions. He has 6 sons, all have<br />
been in prison for resistance to the occupation.<br />
<br />
Omar was born on February 22nd in 1933 and says he is still very strong, and he<br />
looks it. He seems very fit and articulate. He says that the Palestinians are not<br />
against anyone in the world. He says that the Israelis call the Palestinians anti<br />
Semitic when they resist the occupation, but he says they cannot and must not be<br />
anti Semitic because they are also the sons of Abraham and so they are his brothers.<br />
‘But when I feel that the Israeli government want to uproot me I am committed to fight<br />
for Palestine.’<br />
<br />
He says that he was one of the best students in school but when the occupation<br />
came they took everything, his future. He was very sad that he could not continue to<br />
study and had to leave to find work and food for his family. He says that everyone<br />
sends aid but that they don't need aid, they would be able to sustain themselves. It<br />
is just the occupation, the control on the movement of people and trade that causes<br />
the problems.<br />
<br />
When his family left their village, Miskha, it was because they were scared because<br />
they had heard about the massacres in the other villages. Miskha was obliterated in<br />
1948 with the Jewish settlement of Ramat Ha Kosvesh built on it’s 2,019 acres.<br />
More than 500 villages were depopulated and destroyed during the Nakba and<br />
thousand were forced to flee their homes. For a list of destroyed villages<br />
http://www.jerusalemites.org/crimes/destroyed_villages/list.htm<br />
<br />
‘We wanted to stay and fight but Palestinians were not allowed to buy guns and so<br />
we had nothing to fight with,’ he tells me. ‘I was 14 at this time in 1947. The Israeli<br />
government sent an Arab man to the village to tell us that if we want to stay in the<br />
village then we must fly the white flag and the Israeli flag and we will be under<br />
Israel's control. People refused and told the man that nobody would accept this.’<br />
After 2 months the man came back and gave them 2 choices, to live under Israel or<br />
to leave. They were told that if they refused this time then they would have a war<br />
with the Israelis. The villagers were told that the Arab soldiers couldn't help them<br />
and so they had to think if they could fight against the Haganah and Irgun (Israeli<br />
Zionist terrorism organisations in Palestine during the British Mandate). ‘Of course<br />
we could not and so we had to leave.’<br />
<br />
We went to the nearby village of Al-Tira, ‘It was only 1 kilometre away and we<br />
packed and took some things with us as we thought we would be back home after<br />
about 1 month.’ Then the Israelis attacked Al-Tira. ‘They attacked us three times<br />
and we fought them off this time. I was 15 to 16 years old at this time. We took all<br />
the women and children up into the mountains and the men stayed in the village and<br />
fought. I took my mother and sister up into the hills and then returned to the village<br />
to fight alongside my father. We put observers out and Al-Tira is famous for it's vines<br />
and one day the observer saw some vines moving, the Israelis were using the grapes<br />
for camouflage. The men shouted and took their positions and were fighting the<br />
Israelis all day and defeated them.’<br />
<br />
Omar says that many were killed on both sides. After 2 months the Israelis returned<br />
on the other side of the village and they defeated them again. ‘Nearby villagers<br />
came to help but the problem was that now we had no bullets, they were too<br />
expensive and too difficult to buy. One man though had one bullet left and saw a<br />
soldier creeping up with a machine gun ready to shoot many people, he shot him and<br />
saved many lives. The Palestinians took all his bullets and so now we had many<br />
bullets ready for when the Israelis came back a third time a month later. The<br />
Palestinians defeated them again and the Israelis lost their mind that it was just<br />
villagers defeating them.’<br />
<br />
Finally in the Armistice signed between Israel and the Arab countries in 1949, Jordan<br />
gave the village to Israel, it is now called the Mishmeret Settlement. ‘We were placed<br />
under curfew, we had no home and nowhere to return to as we were under constant<br />
curfew. We could not work or get a home and so my father decided we should leave.<br />
We went to the military to try and get a permit to leave the village but they would not<br />
give us one but we spoke to the soldiers who said that they would let us through to<br />
Tulkarem.’<br />
<br />
When they first came to Tulkarem Omar says they had to sleep on the streets. ‘In<br />
1950 the UN provided some tents for the refugees here because winter was on it's<br />
way. There were 6 in our family and our tent number was number 36. We were<br />
amongst the first people who came to the camp.’ From that day until now he says he<br />
is still waiting for a decision on the refugees right to return to their homes.<br />
<br />
When we asked what kept him strong, he told us that it was his bicycle and that he<br />
trains before he sleeps. He has a library and listens to the radio 18 hours daily. His<br />
father lived to be 95 and his mother lived to be 105 and so he also says he has good<br />
genes. 'I have the ability to have these problems and to keep strong'. In 1985 3 of<br />
his sons were in jail and after their arrest the Israeli military closed his office. The<br />
military offered the release of his sons and to reopen his office if he 'cooperated' with<br />
them. He refused. He showed us his bicycle that he has had since 1964. It is a<br />
British Phillips bicycle and was happy to ride it around and show us.<br />
<br />
Omar’s story illustrates just how long the people here have been occupied and<br />
oppressed. It also illustrates how they cannot change their situation. You can work<br />
as hard as you can, do the best that you can, all those things that the ‘democratic’<br />
Western governments say we should do to succeed. But even if you do all this, here<br />
nothing changes. Nothing improves. There are no choices. You are still oppressed.<br />
‘This is the life. This is Palestine’, as they say here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg652gua5_qysSRcmt3-nrF_1vHZqZw1viy8VkBE_rhnHA5mH1xMIShDCgWFWBChLnTLfIcefLqt131R2bZ-2JF3sZuTn1Pt_564mZchaI43KZV6N41XhIqUzPSrurp2LM9-ohRrv935bo/s1600/photo+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg652gua5_qysSRcmt3-nrF_1vHZqZw1viy8VkBE_rhnHA5mH1xMIShDCgWFWBChLnTLfIcefLqt131R2bZ-2JF3sZuTn1Pt_564mZchaI43KZV6N41XhIqUzPSrurp2LM9-ohRrv935bo/s320/photo+(3).jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-30920431229404576652012-12-01T23:40:00.003+00:002013-01-19T22:01:16.961+00:00GILO CHECKPOINT BETHLEHEM – PLYMOUTH EVENING HERALDWritten by Hayley Kemp, humanitarian worker<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I visited the Bethlehem Ecumenical
Accompanier team and we monitored Gilo checkpoint, it was so depressing. We
have to get there at 4.30am as it's due to open at 5am. When we get there, there
are over a 1,000 people queuing already. Some of them have been there since
1.30am. The queue starts outside the checkpoint inside the fence running
alongside the separation barrier, which is a wall here. Only 20% of the barrier
runs on the Green Line, the internationally recognised border between Israel
and the occupied Palestinian territories, the remaining 80% runs on Palestinian
land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As you approach it looks like a city of
homeless people, sat or sleeping on cardboard boxes, but these people are not
homeless, they are on their way to work.
From 5am until about 7am more than 2,000 people will pass through the
checkpoint to go to work. That's why they start queuing early. All of this to
go to work. Then the most astonishing
sight at about 4.40am. The call to
prayer starts from the mosques and the men stand up and use the cardboard they
have been sitting on as prayer mats and start their prayers. Even in the dire situation that they are in
they do not forget to give thanks to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When it finally opens, most days late, the
people have to go through a terminal at the top, going through what they
jokingly call a ‘chicken ring’ (a full length turnstile) and showing their IDs
and permits. Then they have to go down
into a covered terminal where they go through another turnstile and then have
to remove their shoes and belts etc. and pass through a metal detector, again
showing their ID. After this they then
move through another booth where they have to show their ID again and also put
their hand on a pad for fingerprint testing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Each stage is crowded with people desperate
to get to their bus to get to work on time. After all this they have their
journey to work. It usually takes the
last person in the queue at least 2 hours to get through the checkpoint and
sometimes takes more than 3 hours.
Remember this is not a checkpoint on the Green Line (internationally
recognised border of Israel) to pass between the occupied Palestinian
territories (OPT) and Israel, this is a checkpoint for people to pass from one
area of OPT to another area OPT. For example if this were in Plymouth it would
be for people to pass from Mutley Plain to the City Centre. The people are passing from one area of
Bethlehem to the other. I have never
even seen this much checking at airports in the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As the crowd of Palestinians on their way to
work moves, so do the Ecumenical Accompaniers to different parts of the
checkpoint, so that they can see where the bottle necks are and to keep a
presence at as many points as possible. I have to go through the metal detector partly
so that I can pass through to the final ID and fingerprint check and partly to
see how many people are waiting to pass. I take off my jacket with my mobile
phone in, I take off my earrings and watch and put all of these through the
x-ray scanner. I then try and pass
through the metal detector but it keeps bleeping. I tell the soldier, who is now shouting at me
to go back through, that I do not have anything else on me. He now screams at me that I do and to take it
off. The men are crowding behind me
desperate to get to work but also trying to help me. They tell me to take off my shoes, the
soldier shouts at me ‘it is not your shoes’.
I take them off and put them through anyway. The metal detector is still going off when I
try to pass. He shouts at me to get
back. The men behind can see I now just
have my trousers and top on and nothing else, except my underwear. I don’t know what to do as the soldier is
shouting at me to get back but my things have gone through to the other
side. I panic and worry that it must be
metal wiring in my bra setting the metal detector off. I try and tell the
soldier but he shouts at me to get back.
I try indicating my bra to him by pointing to it but do not want to take
it off in front of all the men. The
soldier ignores me so I just walk through to try and talk to him and amazingly
the metal detector does not bleep and he lets me pass. During this process I felt totally humiliated
and scared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Many men came up to us as they passed through
and thanked us for being there and sharing this with them. I had set off with the intention of taking
some photos of the checkpoint but just couldn't actually bring myself to
photograph these people in the state they had been reduced to by the Israeli
occupation. It truly is the worst thing
I have ever seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What struck me most about Bethlehem is just how
much the barrier has carved up Bethlehem and how difficult this has made it for
tourists to visit. In one place alone
the barrier is in triple where it keeps doubling back on itself, to totally
enclose Rachel’s Tomb. There is a real
lack of tourists here and people told us that the Israeli buses drop off
tourists to Nativity Square and then pick them up an hour later and tell them
not to wander off, ‘as it is too dangerous’!
The irony is that I have never been in any country where I have felt
safer amongst the local population. I
caught the bus by myself from Tulkarem in the north of the West Bank to
Bethlehem in the south and the only thing you have to worry about is the amount
of people who want to give you their seat, give you water, shade you from the
sun and even pay your fare! When you get
to your destination the only danger is that you will ‘suffer’ from an overdose
of hospitality where people want to take you home and feed you! It is amazing that people who are treated in
such an inhumane way have so much humanity within themselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">here are a couple of videos, so you can see how it looks like</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PI24DZCQwGo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WjNWy-NbIvw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-2602836960697900932012-12-01T22:26:00.001+00:002013-01-19T22:01:40.229+00:00TULKAREM CAMP – MENEL’S STORYwritten by Hayley Kemp, humanitarian worker<br />
<br />
<br />
The Tulkarem refugee camp, on the edge of the West Bank town of Tulkarem dates<br />
from 1949 in the wake of Nakba (the Catastrophe) when thousands of Palestinians<br />
were forced to flee from their homes in what is now territory occupied by Israel.<br />
<br />
Initial numbers of refugees in the camp are unclear, but by the 1967 war the UN<br />
estimated that the camp was home to some 5,020 refugees. By 1989, the population<br />
had grown to 10,500 and by 2006 there were 17,800 people living in the camp.<br />
<br />
Many of the kids are Afro-Palestinians, refugees from villages inhabited by the<br />
descendents of slaves brought by Bedouins from the Sudan many years ago or<br />
descendents of a regiment from the Sudan who fought with the Ottoman Empire.<br />
Many of the people we speak to have grandparents that came here from Haifa during<br />
the Nakba. There are 18,000 people living in 1 square kilometre of land.<br />
<br />
I visited the camp to hear some stories from some of the people I had come to know<br />
living there. One of the women I spoke to was Menel Renim, aged 32. Menel lives<br />
at the camp with her husband, 3 boys and 1 girl. One of her boys is aged 4 years<br />
and his story is remarkable because he was born in prison and 'released' from prison<br />
when he was aged two and a half years. His name is Noor, meaning light, because<br />
his mother said that he provided light and hope for the women in the prison. Menel<br />
was detained in prison and released in April 2007. The Israeli government claimed<br />
she helped fighters and wanted to help suicide bombers enter Israel. She does not<br />
know why they thought this, she had not been doing anything wrong and had never<br />
had problems with the military before.<br />
<br />
Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, over<br />
650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel. This forms approximately 20% of<br />
the total Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). As the<br />
majority of those detained are male, the number of Palestinians detained forms<br />
approximately 40% of the total male Palestinian population in the OPT. Of the 9,273<br />
prisoners currently held by Israel, only an estimated 1,800 have actually been put on<br />
trial [and then unfair by international standards] and convicted of any offense at all.<br />
… Israel currently holds an estimated 800 Palestinians detained in prison camps who<br />
have not been charged with any crime under what is called “administrative<br />
detention.” (The Institute for Middle East Understanding)<br />
http://imeu.net/news/article002597.shtml<br />
<br />
When we enter her house it is like many houses on the camp. They are not really<br />
proper houses. There are no windows, just holes in the bricks and no proper roofs or<br />
structure. She has one brother who was a soldier in the Palestinian Authority,<br />
another brother who was in jail for 13 years and another brother who was a martyr.<br />
Her brother who was a martyr was standing outside the Tulkarem Youth Centre,<br />
where we give English lessons, when he was shot in 1991 during the First Intifada<br />
(uprising). He was aged 17 years. I think that everyone I have spoken to has either<br />
a family member in/has been to prison, has been in prison themselves (usually for<br />
throwing stones), has a family member that has been shot/killed or has been shot<br />
themselves.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2JVUunuvrPo_iLCalfptYuODzHxX-omV5mehhx1rNSGSKUB2csTBYUhq1f_lxy6XQzpW7qameYgjbP5gpwrmEaFxBr8GmgS6JxdpyRVAGL8JyMsXiDJb4hVT6HxRFhGsb-dC9iHJJw4/s1600/menel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2JVUunuvrPo_iLCalfptYuODzHxX-omV5mehhx1rNSGSKUB2csTBYUhq1f_lxy6XQzpW7qameYgjbP5gpwrmEaFxBr8GmgS6JxdpyRVAGL8JyMsXiDJb4hVT6HxRFhGsb-dC9iHJJw4/s320/menel.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
She tells me that when she was arrested more than 100 soldiers came and</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
surrounded her house. It was winter but they made the children go outside whilst</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
they smashed the house up. Menel was sent to Hasharoon Prison when she was 3</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
months pregnant. She says the soldiers beat her and when she told them she was</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
pregnant they just said they wanted to get rid of her baby. When she was giving birth</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
they kept her arms and legs tied up. She was not allowed any visitors and she says</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
she was not allowed to call her family to tell them she had a baby son. Menel says</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
that when she first saw Noor she forgot about all the hard times. She says that all</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
the women loved him and that he had 600 mothers in the prison. ‘It was not easy to</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
get a doctor or medicine in prison and so all the women made sure he didn't get sick</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
and helped to look after him. They protected him from germs and diseases.’</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When Noor was two and a half Menel was taken back to court and told by a female</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
judge that the baby was to be released as he was at an age when he no longer</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
needed his mother. Menel begged the judge to let her keep Noor with her as she</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
said he did need his mother but the judge refused. She said that she couldn't believe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
that they thought two and a half was an age when a baby did not need his mother</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
and she couldn't believe that it was a female judge that had said this. Her husband</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
came to collect the baby, Noor, when he was 'released from prison'. When Menel</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
herself was released she says that many people came to meet her, her husband, her</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
children, her family and many people from the camp. She said she has had no more</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
problems since from the IDF and to this day does not know why they imprisoned her,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
as there was no evidence, as she had not done anything.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuvktNXX7tgPsnpuETyQMSLn979mZGsGcZOqnLtg0TOVpfMIHHH4sYMA60v8-Qt4uwnOPPG-iGxMZxd8smp4tASdgUt-mgaoooKCzbEvuzyh_DvIqx4X7yjM_W-aMqXOkmQSqZT_4Buw/s1600/photo+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuvktNXX7tgPsnpuETyQMSLn979mZGsGcZOqnLtg0TOVpfMIHHH4sYMA60v8-Qt4uwnOPPG-iGxMZxd8smp4tASdgUt-mgaoooKCzbEvuzyh_DvIqx4X7yjM_W-aMqXOkmQSqZT_4Buw/s320/photo+(1).jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I asked her if she noticed if her son was any different in his behaviour from her other</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
sons because of what he had already been through. She said that he is different</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
from his brothers, that he knows he was born in jail and so he feels different. She</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
says he was a light in the prison. ‘How will he forget this, how will he forgive,’ she</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
asks. It made me wonder what the future held for Noor.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the visit to the camp I felt very drained of energy. It had been a harrowing and</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
difficult day to just listen to the stories, let alone experience them. When you look at</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
children like Noor you wonder what the future holds for them. How will they turn out</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
when they have already been so affected so much by the occupation at such an early</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
age.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-9556032107768479962012-12-01T21:35:00.002+00:002013-01-19T22:02:16.928+00:00ProtestsSalam Alaikum/hello everyone<br />
<br />
Alot of people think protests are useless. An unnecessary disturbance.. I used to think so aswell.. What's the point? Why should you stay on the street with banners and shanting slogans? The government won't listen anyway..
Well after recent events in Gaza, I decided to participate in a smaller protest outside Theatre Royal, when the Israeli company <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.766666412353516px;">Batsheva</span>, were having their final performances of a UK tour.<br />
As it was my first protest, I was quite nervous. Didn't know what to suspect and the fact that it was going on during the evening, didn't make it better. But as soon as I arrived, I was greeted by the other protesters, they were all such a lovely bunch, from all walks of life MashaAllah. As people started to arrive we were handing out leaflets and MashaAllah most people took them, some had a little chat about our protest, but they were all very friendly and understanding.. It was a very successful evening and we all went home with a buzz!<br />
<br />
The following day, I couldn't think of anything else, it was such an amazing experience. I then convinced my other half to let me go for the final evening too. He looked out at the window and laughed, it was torrential rain and up to 60 mph rain! he was sure I wasn't going to last long lol!<br />
But this evening, was even more special than the first. It's hard to describe, but the atmosphere was perfect and I would not hesitate to do it all over again and with the exact same people, lol still buzzing just thinking of it<br />
<br />
This whole experience has given me so much hope! Just to see how little people in this society actually knew about Israel/Palestine, was shocking!<br />
<br />
Here is an article written by the organiser about the event, MashaAllah was a great success<br />
<a href="http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/news/16167-not-dancing-with-israeli-apartheid-plymouth-style">http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/news/16167-not-dancing-with-israeli-apartheid-plymouth-style</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-87500077595787004812012-12-01T10:46:00.000+00:002013-01-19T22:02:36.751+00:00Israeli PropagandaSalam Alaikum/hello everyone<br />
<br />
Here is a documentary which really hits the nail on the head when it comes to Israeli propaganda. It's actually terrifying to see how manipulative they are and how they've managed to convince people to support their sick and inhuman acts.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kSufLkx5Aug?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-42248277726050022692012-11-27T21:28:00.000+00:002013-01-19T22:02:58.942+00:00ZionismSalam Alaikum/ hello everyone<br />
<br />
In order to understand the Israel/Palestine conflict, you need to know what Zionism is. To learn that I've found these two videos really enlightening and would be grateful if you all could share this on your blogs, facebook etc. They will make your stomach churn, there are a few graphic images, but honestly they are unavoidable in these documentaries.. The world needs to wake up! we need to make them aware of what is going on! we need to take action!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Occupation 101</u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/K_jvXnPG9Xc/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K_jvXnPG9Xc&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K_jvXnPG9Xc&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>The Zionist Story</u></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6kG173p7KWY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3883580560400775034.post-30867280983717328152012-11-26T01:32:00.000+00:002013-01-19T22:03:31.909+00:00Gaza Awareness WeekSalam Alaikum/ hello everyone<br />
<br />
This is quite nerve wrecking to be honest, it's the first time I've taken on such a project and being fairly new to blogs, this will be quite a challenge I reckon lol<br />
The best way to start this off, would probably be giving some background information on why I've actually started a Gaza Awareness Week.<br />
<br />
Well I grew up in a very small society, where we were only fed western media. So ofcourse only got pro-Israel news fed through radio, tv and local newspapers.<br />
I vaguely remembered the name Arafat, but I had never heard of Palestine.It was first when I moved to Denmark, where I got some Palestinian friends, I heard of this country. At first (like many) i pretended i knew where it was, lol, until one day I got fed up of hearing about it and not knowing, so went to the library to find a map! I searched high and low and for the life of me I couldn't find it!! So next time we met and they started talking about Palestine, I was like "but it doesn't exist?" God, I should never have said that! haha I got my head bitten off and sent off with a book on Arafat, his biography. After reading this book, I was upset and angry. Not at the book, but the whole Israeli existence, aswell as not been learning about this in school or the fact the media back home had kept it well hidden!<br />
But it wasn't until I moved to the UK, where I started using the internet on a regular basis and following the news. where I became more aware and gained knowledge of this Issue. Over the years, I've shed countless of tears for the Palestinian people. No words can even describe how i feel, SubhanAllah. And as the years have gone by, my urge to do something has grown. I've tried to show my family and friends back home, what is going on, but it either gets ignored or they remove me from their life. Sad but true.<br />
A few weeks ago, I met an amazing woman, who works for Palestine Solidarity Campaign. She is such an inspiration MashaAllah. The local branch had arranged a protest against an Batsheva an Israeli dance group (will be posting more on that over the next few days InshaAllah) and I decided that I would join my first ever protest! As we got closer to the date, a dear friend of mine (who started a group for muslim female bloggers on facebook) asked if we should do something for Gaza. We came with suggestions and I decided to consult this lady I had met a few weeks ago. We met during the protest and she told me that the best thing to do right now, is to bring awareness! and SubhanAllah during my first day there, I saw with my own eyes, just how little knowlegde the general public have on this situation.<br />
So that's how I decided to start the Gaza Awareness Week. My aim with this Awareness week, is to bring the truth about Palestine, about the suffering of the population, about the unjust treatment they get from Israel, about the illegal settlement and much. much more. I might not be the most knowledgable person on this issue, but my heart is bleeding for Palestinians, is yours? Do you want to make a differnce? Then please, do participate, make a post or two or more on this topic, raise the awareness and share the links to the charities, who we know bring the money to those who need it InshaAllah<br />
<br />
here are some links:<br />
<br />
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/<br />
http://www.map-uk.org/<br />
http://www.interpal.org/<br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="padding: 5px;">
<img alt="From Aisha's Lips" src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" title="From Aisha's Lips" /></div>
<textarea style="background: #f0f0f0; border: solid 1px #cccccc; color: #777777; display: block; font-size: 100%; height: 50px; margin: auto; padding: 2px 0 2px 5px; text-align: left; width: 90%;"><div align="center">
<a href="http://fromaishaslips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gaza-awareness-week.html" title="From Aisha's Lips"><img src="http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k90/fozpot/gaza.jpg" alt="From Aisha's Lips" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
</textarea>
<br />
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=173493" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05028266108525932000noreply@blogger.com3