One of Those Happy Hijab Moments

The other afternoon I (as usual) spent a couple of hours at Panera attempting to read ahead. Randomly some man approached me and asked if I'd do him a favor. My usual response to that question is "it depends." He explained he needed to run to his office for 15 minutes and asked if I would watch his stuff.

In a moment of niceness I agreed and asked where his belongings were. (He was standing before me empty handed. He pointed to a booth about six feet away. He walked back to it, packed up his laptop and whatever else he had and brought it all back to me placing it on the floor next to my bags.

He left and two thoughts came to mind: 1. Gosh I hope I don't get an airport type question from one of the Panera staffers. You know the "did you pack your own bags" deal? 2. This man doesn't know me, did he really pick me out of a crowd to watch his valuables for him?

About 15 minutes later, he returned from his office. When he walked over to retrieve his bag from the floor and thank me he voluntarily quipped "I trusted you because you have a sign of righteousness," waving his finger around his face to indicate my hijab was the sign.

subhan'Allah!

Saudis to Retrain 40,000 Clerics

I'm not sure if I'm excited or worried:

Saudi Arabia is to retrain its 40,000 prayer leaders - also known as imams - in an effort to counter militant Islam.

Details of the plan were revealed in the influential Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat.

The plan is part of a wider programme launched by the Saudi monarch a few years ago to encourage moderation and tolerance in Saudi society.

The ministry of religious affairs and new centre for national dialogue will carry out the training, the paper said.

The centre was created five years ago to disseminate a moderate interpretation of Islamic tradition.

There is growing awareness in Saudi society that security measures alone are not enough to counter the threat of Islamic militancy.

Scepticism

Saudi clerics have long been accused of encouraging Saudi youth to join global jihad and of inciting hatred of non-Muslims.

Nearly 1,000 imams have already been sacked over the past few years.

The Saudi royal family has come under increasing pressure - mainly from Washington - to change religious textbooks and to rein in militant clerics.

But critics are sceptical about whether such initiatives would work as long as the powerful, and ultraconservative, religious establishment in Saudi Arabia continues to exert enormous influence over society.

Only last week, a prominent cleric called for the beheading of two liberal writers who had questioned the orthodox view that Muslims can not change their religion.

Source: BBC News
Hijab Tip: Mansur Wadalawala

Mabroooook ...

...to my sister in uniqueness, Lena Khan! Remember what I said about loving creative activism?

"We are proud to announce the winners of our One Nation, Many Voices Online Film Contest: including Grand Prize winner Lena Khan for her music video, 'A Land Called Paradise'."