Inner Revolutions | Pray But Keep Rowing the Boat - English
Aisha El-Mekki’s mother didn’t believe in ‘sparing the rod’. She also had a deep respect for teachers, nuns and other authority figures; a...
Aisha El-Mekki’s mother didn’t believe in ‘sparing the rod’. She also had a deep respect for teachers, nuns and other authority figures; a respect that never trickled down to her youngest daughter. Discipline was real in the El-Mekki household, so from an early age she and her older sister formed an alliance. They promised not to tell on each other. Sometimes El-Mekki even took a beating for her sister. When she was in first grade, the two were sent away to a private, all-white boarding school. In third grade, El-Mekki was expelled.
“As a child, if I got backed into a wall, I would refuse to do whatever you wanted me to do because you were trying to force me.”
Upon returning to her home in Philadelphia, El-Mekki’s mother – who worked until five everyday – enrolled her daughter in the neighborhood school. It was around this time that El-Mekki met her best friend, Shakora. The two began spending afternoons together, deepening their friendship and getting into trouble.
“One time I was on a bus. It was a Friday afternoon. The bus driver said my pass had expired; that I had to get a transfer…so he gave me a transfer while waiting for the next bus and the next bus was late. We waited for a while. There was a crowd of people by the time the bus came. [The next bus driver] said that my pass had expired and that I needed to get off the bus. Well I didn’t have any more money, so I said, ‘I paid my fare and I will ride.’ This man decided that he was going to send a message. So he stopped a police car and told them that I refused to pay. The police emptied the bus and told the driver to drive to the police station with just me on it….so he drives this empty bus to the police station and they arrested me. And this just infuriated me. My mother had to be called and of course she was just livid….she had to end up getting a lawyer, and had to go court, miss time from work…and eventually it was resolved but I mean they charged me. I had a record. It was ridiculous. That was my first incident with what I consider police brutality…and how they can escalate a situation unnecessarily.”
Three years later, El Mekki graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school. It was at this point that she began to question the Trinity. She didn’t want to leave the church; she believed she would go to hell if she did. Still, the questions remained. So she kept her eyes open. After college, El-Mekki decided she wanted to become a social worker. She learned about a group called the Black Panther Party that was organizing programs for the needy.
“When I heard about these people feeding children – and I worked on the midnight shift – I said, ‘you know what? I’m gonna go up there’. And there were tables and tables of children being fed cereal and toast, and I was really amazed. People were doing this out of the bottom of their hearts. They weren’t getting paid for it. But they wanted to make sure the children were getting a decent breakfast.”
El-Mekki joined the group. At the same time, her religious search continued.
“I had an aunt that was Muslim. I used to visit her. She was not aggressive, she was not pushy, she was not trying to convert me. Anytime I had a question, she would answer. Her husband was very nice. And I liked the way her family was so calm. It was so peaceful. And so I would go visit her often. During that time I was in the Black Panther Party, and she didn’t disapprove. Everybody else in my family said, ‘Here she goes again, doing something off the beaten path.’ But not aunt Mariam. One time when we knew that there was going to be a police raid, and we were trying to get the children out because I didn’t want the children to be there. And she just told me to bring them to her house. You know? And I just admired her. I just said wow, if her religion supports revolutionary acts like that, then I want to hear more about it. So she would always be listening to Shaheed Malcolm’s albums. She owned every word he ever said. And she’d often have his records on when I’d go over there. And she gave me his book to read because I was always asking questions about him. And that was like the answer to my prayer. You know? The part where he said that our religion doesn’t teach us to be aggressive, but if you lay a hand on me, then I can send you to the cemetery. And I said, ‘I can do that. That is the religion that I need.’ You know, that allows me to defend myself. That doesn’t encourage me to just constantly turn the other cheek. Nobody else is turning the other cheek. They’re turning the other side of their hand. And so i decided you know what, that’s when I decided Islam was for me because it allowed me to be religious and at the same time, be revolutionary.”
innerrevolutions.net
8m:2s
15967
Marzieh Hashemi Kidnapped by FBI | PRESS TV and Western Censorship |...
Marzieh Hashemi Kidnapped by FBI | PRESS TV and Western Censorship | BACKFIRE
The USA is facing a new wave of BACKLASH against the latest...
Marzieh Hashemi Kidnapped by FBI | PRESS TV and Western Censorship | BACKFIRE
The USA is facing a new wave of BACKLASH against the latest violation of human rights committed by the FBI. #PressTV has been blocked, boycotted and banned and now those who seek to cover up the truth have kidnapped a PressTV journalist. We demand the immediate release of #MarziehHashemi, who was arrested by the FBI in the USA. The FBI must APOLOGIZE and COMPENSATE for this blatant act of OPPRESSION.
#FreeMarziehHashemi #MarziehHashemi #FreedomOfPress #PressTV
12m:30s
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[26/10/19] Video obtained by Press TV shows a gunman shooting at crowd...
Iraq: Video obtained by Press TV shows a gunman #shooting at crowd during protests near Tahrir Square. The footage shows the gunman filming the...
Iraq: Video obtained by Press TV shows a gunman #shooting at crowd during protests near Tahrir Square. The footage shows the gunman filming the incident before being arrested.
#IraqProtests #Baghdad
Watch Live: http://www.presstv.com/live.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PressTV
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PRESSTV
Instagram: http://instagram.com/presstvchannel
#PressTV #Iran #News
0m:50s
2058
Imam Ja\'far ibne Muhammad al-Sadiq (A) | CubeSync | English
Our condolences to the believers all across the world upon the martyrdom anniversary of the Commander of the Faithful, the sixth divinely appointed...
Our condolences to the believers all across the world upon the martyrdom anniversary of the Commander of the Faithful, the sixth divinely appointed Imam, Imam Ja\\\'far ibne Muhammad al-Sadiq (A).
In this episode we reflect upon two beautiful and profound traditions from Imam Sadiq (A); one a famous tradition and another less well-known one.
Yet, what is the first tradition that is quite well-known?
And what is the second tradition that is less well-known?
Was Imam al-Sadiq (A) ever arrested by the governmental establishment?
What dynasties and people were involved in the arrest of Imam al-Sadiq (A), and were would they take his eminence (A)?
What does Imam al-Sadiq (A) say about the recitation of the Salah?
And what does Imam al-Sadiq (A) say about tyrant and oppressor rulers and governments, and our relationship with them?
Sayyid Shahryar answers via the words of the sixth divinely appointed Imam, Imam Ja\\\'far ibne Muhammad as-Sadiq (A).
Peace and salutations be upon you, O’ truthful Imam!
Peace and salutations be upon you, O\\\' key to goodness!
Peace and salutations be upon you, O\\\' lantern in the darkness!
Peace and salutations be upon you, O’ Ja\\\'far ibne Muhammad as-Sadiq (A)!
#CubeSync #IslamicPulse #Allah #Ethics #Quran #Martydom #Muslims #Islam #Martyr #Shaheed #Wilayat #AhlulBayt #IslamicRevolution #6th_Imam #Sadiq #Ja\\\'far #Jafari #Hadith #Honor #Wealth #Justice #Truth #Sacrifice #Shia
6m:43s
5836
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Muslim Ibn Aqeel | Unsung Heroes | English
Who was Muslim ibn Aqeel?
In this episode of Unsung Heroes, Sayyid Haydar Jamaludeen speaks about one of the most devout companions of Imam...
Who was Muslim ibn Aqeel?
In this episode of Unsung Heroes, Sayyid Haydar Jamaludeen speaks about one of the most devout companions of Imam Husayn (A), \\\\\\\"Muslim ibn Aqeel\\\\\\\".
Yet, who was Muslim ibn Aqeel, how did he live his life, and what was his biographical background?
What was Muslim ibn Aqeel\\\\\\\'s relationship to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (A)?
What was the extent of Muslim ibn Aqeel\\\\\\\'s jurisprudential expertise in Islam?
What did the Messenger of Allah (S) say about Muslim ibn Aqeel even before the birth of this famous emissary of Imam Husayn (A)?
Whose daughter did Muslim ibn Aqeel marry and what was her name?
What stance did Muslim ibn Aqeel take with regards to his support for Imam Hasan (A)?
Why did Yazid, the son of Muawiyah, want to take allegiance from Imam Husayn (A)?
What is a basic sequence of historical events that led to the tragic event of Ashura in the year 61 Hijrah?
Why did Imam Husayn (A) send Muslim ibn Aqeel to the city of Kufa?
In whose house did Muslim ibn Aqeel stay while he was in the city of Kufa?
What did the Umayyad governmental establishment do when they found out about Muslim ibn Aqeel\\\\\\\'s entry into Kufa?
What are some of the measures that Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad took in order to quell the movement of Imam Husayn (A)?
How was the place of stay of Muslim ibn Aqeel revealed to the enemy?
What did Muslim ibn Aqeel do when he found out that Hani ibn Urwah had been beaten up and arrested by the Umayyad governmental establishment?
What are the historical events that led to the arrest of Muslim ibn Aqeel?
Who was the accursed person who killed and martyred Muslim ibn Aqeel?
And finally, how did Muslim ibn Aqeel, the loyal emissary of Imam Husayn (A), attain the lofty status of martyrdom?
Find out this and more in this episode about one of the most loyal, devout, and faithful emissary of Sayyid al-Shuhada Imam al-Husayn (A), \\\\\\\"Muslim ibn Aqeel\\\\\\\", as Sayyid Haydar Jamaludeen goes through some of the beautiful, honorable, and yet largely overlooked \\\\\\\"Unsung Heroes\\\\\\\" of Islam.
#IslamicPulse #UnsungHeroes #Islam #Allah #Quran #AhulBayt #Muslim #Martyrdom #Shahadat #History #Martyr #Shaheed #Honor #Valor #Sacrifice #Chivalry #Courage #MuslimIbnAqeel #Prophet #ImamAli #Karbala #Medina #Kufa #Ashura #Muharram #Safar #Husayn #ImamHusayn #WhoIsHusayn #Hussain
18m:6s
4094
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