Obama Supports The Cordoba House Masjid - To The Saudi and Other Muslim Countries - Learn!

Yesterday evening President Obama supported the Park 51, Cordoba House Masjid (Mosque). In a Whitehouse Dinner hosting Muslim leaders to celebrate the beginning of Ramadhan, President Obama Said:

Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -– particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground

But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. (Applause.) And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.

We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack -– from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us also remember who we’re fighting against, and what we’re fighting for. Our enemies respect no religious freedom. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam -– it’s a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders -– they’re terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion -– and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.

I applaud President Obama to uphold the core values of our Nation and respect his courage to do so against an overwhelming anti-islamic sentiment that has swelled around this issue.

However, I also feel President Obama lost an opportunity to further accentuate the religious freedom opportunity by pointing out to the very leaders that sat around this dinner listening to him; Ambassadors and Dignitaries representing some of the most totalitarian states like Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia continues to practice some of the most egregious form of totalitarian dictatorships in the world. Not only are they intolerant of other religions but rather they are intolerant to other Muslim brothers who do not agree with their Wahabi interpretation of Islam. Case and point is the continued persecution and desecration of a Shi'ite revered site in Medina where the Prophet Muhammed SA daughter, Fatema AS and grandchildren are buried - Janat-Ul-Baqi. Here the Saudi government not only has systematically destroyed key religious sites important to Muslims, especially Shi'ite Muslims, but they have prohibited any further development of the area. Instead it is kept in a delapitated state with the Secret Police monitoring the site and surrounded by a fort like structure which looks grand from the outside but disrespects the actual cemetery and the religious significance of the location.

When President Obama made the above statements yesterday, these very same leaders who represent their governments stood up in support clapping and giving a standing ovation to President Obama. I call upon those leaders attending this ceremony to take heed and learn from the ideals talked about by President Obama and adopt those principals in their own country.

I have said repeatedly that this controversy surrounding the Community House at Park 51 represents the best of our United States. The energetic discussion and the fact that the leaders of New York, despite whatever personal preferences and biases, have stood in support for the project and allowed it to move forward says volumes about the true freedoms we enjoy.

On the surface the Cordoba House and the Masjid that it will house may seem "insensitive" and "wrong". I whole heartedly disagree and in fact I think it honors and celebrates the 3000 victims (many of them who were Muslims as well) of 9/11. What better than to honor the memories of the victims of 9/11 then to have a call for prayers sound 5 times a day just a few blocks from Ground Zero where US Citizens will come there to pray and remember. Those families around the local area will come to the community center will play, learn and socially interact with each other and practice the fundamentals of the American Life each and every day. What better way to celebrate the American Dream then to have the true nature of Islam be practiced in defiance to those terrorists who attempted to destroy our way of life on 9/11. This center in fact will demonstrate to those intolerant, ignorant militants that America is not Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or other but rather a way of life that allows all religions including the true values of Islam to be practiced harmoniously and side by side with others who may disagree.

I call upon the Saudis, The Pakistanis, The Indonesians, The Egyptians, The Kuwaiti and another intolerant regimes to see and learn! I call upon the Saudi's who may be contributing to this Cordoba House project to stop and take head and learn from this awesome system we have in our great nation, and for once just take the first step - allow the reconstruction and rebuilding of revered institutions in their own countries for their minority populations. Maybe they can start by allowing the rebuilding of Janat-Ul-Baqi - a revered site of Fatema AS the daughter of Prophet Mohammed AS.

The Revered Guest Ramadhan Returns

Once again the 9th Holy Month of Ramadhan is amongst us Muslims. Yesterday for the Dawoodi Bohra Muslims marked the first day as we started our month as per the lunar calendar.

As I sat in our Masjid right after Maghrib (sunset) prayers waiting for my dates, cup of tea and a cookie served by young volunteers to break my fast, the Masjid was resonating with a buzz and prayers. It is during this time for the next 30 days we will ask Allah to guide us back to the graces of heaven and show us the path to avoid the sins that could lead us to hellfire.

A tradition of 1400+ years Muslims during Ramadhan come together and ask the same question to Allah. We gather to seek solace, repent and renew our wows to do better for the coming year. And most of all we come together in Ramadhan to remember the many bounties we have and give thanks for what we have received.

For the past 4 years, the journey for me has been a long, arduous one. Looking back it may seem difficult to see how we can be thankful. For the past 4 years, our country has experienced one of the most difficult times in our history. We seem polarized and truly distraught in where we want to go and what we want to be.

Pundits and Gurus continue to show comparisons to Rome and other empires of the past say that we are going down the same path. And yes there are some striking similarities but there are many contrasts too. I will not bore you with these details but rather write about why I believe this Ramadhan we have many things to celebrate and be optimistic.

As a small business owner I have experienced the "Great Recession". Business is down significantly and the old business models are out the window. "Things just do not work the way they used to..." I look back and think why is it not working, what can I do to make this better or different? History teaches us that during times of great change, turmoil, and distress we come up with the greatest and biggest answers. I know this is true, and this Ramadhan I am thankful that I am living through such a great time of change. For this experience will be the initial sparks to the next sea of changes that will bring decades of prosperity. For these difficult times will give me an opportunity to make a difference in where my humble small boat will float for my family, my friends, my community and my country.

If we raise our view to the national level, we see the recent political, economical and social turmoil and I see numerous opportunities of hope. The Oil Spill in the Gulf was devastating to the local economy and a disaster that will take decades to recover. But it is this very spill that has helped us focus on our endless dependency on depleting and polluting energy source and see what we can do to try to right this endless appetite for oil. I am thankful that as devastating as this Oil Spill has been for our nation, that we will get an opportunity to right the many wrongs that have persisted in this industry. Lives will be changed forever and opportunities for new businesses and ventures will be born. Like any wildfire, yes the brushfire will destroy the old growth but it will also make way for the new. I know we will build and the new will be stronger and better than the old.

Our nation continues to fight two major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even though I politically disagree with both the wars, but now as we try to exit both theaters, there is great uncertainty of what will happen to these nations and what dangers will be born for our nation. Time will of course tell us, but the reality is that there will always be great opponents of our country and so no war or effort can ever eliminate this threat. We can't win this war in a traditional sense. What has to change is the very social, economical fabric of the Iraqi and Afghani society. This can only be done through time with education and exposure to new thinking.

As nasty and as destructive as the two wars have been, there is a spark for hope. The turmoil once again has brought about a sea of change. The status quo is gone and opportunity to accelerate the growth of new ideas has taken root. Time will tell if those ideas, systems and processes will be positive or not. I am optimistic that the human ingenuity in this great age of information sharing will yield a very different result than what has happened in the past. It will take time and it will be different.

One of the bigger issues of the day has been the Community Center - Cordoba House in Manhattan that is being built by Muslims. It has a Masjid as part of the whole complex. The proximity of this project to the 9/11 site has created massive political repercussions for those that support the project and those that oppose it. I have read and listened to all parties and through this chaos and this Ramadhan I have realized that such a discussion is awesome. This issue has helped do two things. One, it has provided an awesome opportunity for the large American Muslim community to showcase the true aspects of a peaceful Muslim community that are large great contributers of the socio, economic and political landscape of modern America. Two it is showcasing the very beauty of our constitutional system that allows such a discussion to even take place. The very fact that this discussion is occurring is a testament that our system is not broken but rather working and working well. In this information over load age it looks like our disagreements are increasing...but I believe on the contrary. These disagreements have always been there, but through the new age of instant news and communications - things like this very blog - allows these discussions to take place quicker and faster which gives us all an opportunity to practice the fundamentals of the American way better.

So as I sat in the row with my brothers ready to break my first fast of this Ramadhan, a thought crossed my mind that things just cannot get any worse! How can this all be fixed, it just gets worse every day? But then I closed my eyes and as I sipped the hot tea that blended with the juicy date in my mouth after a long 101 degree day, I knew that it can only be good. Just like the Hot Day of August with 101 degree heat and dry fasting mouth can be relieved by the grace of tea and dates, May Allah Ta'ala grant us the bounty of the sweet reward of the great struggles of the men and women of this great nation. I pray that the long fast of this past few years be broken soon with the bountiful flavors of the fruits to come. May he grant us all the Sabr (Patience) to see through these difficult times to realize that the journey will take us to a better place.

Ramadhan Karim, Mubarak to all!

Misr - The return back as we were

A journey started in the fields of Kerbala

Homage to Kufa, Najaf and Kerbala

The respect and fervor of Dai in Hind

The endless energy of Medina

The countless bounty of Baqi

The everlasting gift of Ka'aba

All the gifts in hand...

The Viceroy returns

To the Land it began

Azhar, Anwar, Juyushi, Lulua

Aqmar, Ahmed-Ibn Tulun

All await to partake and share the gifts

For waterfall of gifts will be shared

In the twilight of Maghrib

The moon will rise as..

The Viceroy will recall

The era of Moiz, Haakim, Mustansir

For its not history but rather...

A message for The Return As We Were

A journey for the living...back home

A reflection of the Grand Journey of our souls

Peer into this message in Misr.

You shall see your return home.

An excellent post...MUST READ

An American Muslim Imam’s Response to Imam Anwar Awlaki’s call for Jihad Against America

My 99 Years For You.

It began in the early decades of 1900's

A world without airplanes

Travel by land or sea - days it took

My yearn to reach the world no less

A father every step of the way

Showing the path to greatness

A sparkle of dedication

For my family and friends a spiritual family

Decades of dedications past

Eventually I am in my father's seat

For my Master I give him all

My greatness in His servitude

White clothes, simple attire

A message of peace and love

A message of identity and pride

Greatness is self preservation

Greatness in the modernity of tradition

East to West North to South

Constant remembrance of Kerbala

The bloodshed at Euphrates - a focus of pride

A lesson of peace and jubilation

For my Master won a victory there

I cherish this eternal gift of victory

With my tears and faith.

A Masjid in 1401H at the heart of Misr

Echoes of Hakim now ringing true

Usher the second Golden Age of Fatemi Heritage

A chalice of Gold unearthed after 600 plus years

From this Masjid born hundreds...A true emergence

Fatemi empire worldwide

From the two domes in Kerbala

To the Grand Masjid in Kufa

The sun shines at the peak of eloquence

My victory is for my family

My traditions are for my family

My Islam is for my family

My 99 years is for you

I give you my hand once more

I have given you for 45 years

Will you come with me now?

Do you believe me when I say....

A life of greatness awaits you?

Do not worry my son....I will take you

99 years or more...I am there...just call my name

I ask you remember me today...do not forget

For I never forgot you in all of my 99 years..

Makkah and Medina - A Garden Flourishes

After a long drought

The Viceroy has returned

Carrying a message - "Forgive your followers..."

Seven rounds - around the home of The Master

The cornerstone begs for his touch

For many years He awaited.

A Journey of Forty Five years

carrying on His Shoulder

Letters of forgiveness

Tears of remorse from the plains of Kerbala

The Victory of Kufa

The Jubilation of Ashara

A final destination with these messages

Makkah was rejoicing

Medina celebrates

My viceroy has come with such news

All around we celebrate...

For our journey has culminated

We are indeed victorious

We are indeed chosen for our destination

We are indeed the lucky ones

Excellent Rollingstone Articles

On AIG and Paulson takeover


On Goldman Sachs and the great bubble generator



On health care

ENJOY!!!

The Nexus One....

So the battle lines are clearly drawn in the PDA/Phone market. On one side is the Apple Iphone and on the other side is the new quickly emerging Android/Google/Nexus brand.

Who will win this battle? This to me is very similar to what happened in the PC market almost 20+ years ago. If you recall, the IBM based x86 processor was emerging and at he same time Apple introduced the Macintosh Apple computers.

If my memory serves me right, the buzz around Apple was equally energetic as the Iphone today. I remember the Macintosh being THE computer to have. In school all we did was Apples and everyone wanted the Macintosh. Albeit at the time the prices were MUCH MUCH higher, but the exclusivity built by Apple along with its proprietary closed end concept was very similar.

Iphone came out with much fanfare about 2 years ago. AT&T was the exclusive dealer and you had to play in Apple's domain for applications and music. Closed end, extremely protective. Since the Iphone was a leapfrog in PDA/Phone technology, the frenzy of consumer attention was understandable. Apple made sick amount of money. There seemed to be no competition for the Iphone. Millions of consumers switched as you saw droves of the public mesmerized by the finger swabbing motions on the PDA screen of a white minimalist unit.

But this is where Apple has repeated its biggest mistake I believe. By closing the system and hoarding its consumers to its platform, Apple has traded the short term gains and fame for long term legacy building / game changing platform.

Just like the Macintosh, the Iphone is closed system proprietary based product while the Google Android is open system shared platform. In fact Google has studied the history well and improved on building a fantastic coalition of hardware and software developers who are rapidly building a game changing massive system around the Android product.

Is Android going to be the Windows of the PDA Market? Well everything tells me YES! Trace back the history of the PC, DOS and Windows market and you will see that Google has borrowed the play-book and then improved on it.

Dozens of platforms and hardware are destined to be introduced in 2010. Nexxus One is just one with fanfare. HTC (who also makes the Nexxus), Motorolla, LG, Samsung, General Mobile all are poised to introduce numerous phones with Android 2.0 and 2.1, and onwards....

Applications....well the Iphone may have thousands, but they are still restricted to the Apple market-space and controlled in a closed ended system. Android is rapidly catching up and probably has exceeded the Apple's space. I believe Android based applications will become the dominant providers of mobile applications by end of 2010.

So what will happen to Iphone? I assume similar to what happened with the Apple PC market. It will become a niche player losing market share rapidly to the dominant Android. By the end of 2010, I predict that the Android software market will be at least 2 to 3 times bigger than the Iphone. Apple is going to have to either innovate and leapfrog again OR go against their grain and open up the Iphone and becomes a true competitor. Otherwise in the not to do distant future, Iphone will only be left with a cult following like the Apple Macintosh.

What will Apple do? For now bye bye iphone.....

The Garden of Date

The sun rose 14 centuries ago
He prepared a garden of dates
The flowers abound a garden of eden
The date palm was watered
Protecting all in the garden

The day of reckoning at past noon
The tenth of moharram
The date palm he rests his shoulder
See the injustice on me
For those in the garden saw the rivers of blood
The date looked on in despair
His caretaker burdened the injustice
A dusk of one age as the dawn of a long night

A lonely palm with a harvest of dates
The garden was protected with the blood of the tenth day
For what time will pass under the shimmer of the moon

The garden of date flourishes
Every harvest remembering the
Sacrifice of the tenth day.
He awaits the sun to rise again
He shall reap the rewards of
Fourteen hundred years,
I ask that I be in this garden indeed.
Come on come on...come under the shadow of garden of date.

A Journey of Benefit

For my Master arrives today
A sad mourne of the first ten
Days of remeberance for The King
Travels He returned with Treasures
Abound from the plains of Kerbala

Pearls of wisdom he will gift
Many will have their hands ready
Grab the jewels as they fall
For with the wealth is a pardon
For many sins I have committed

Tears roll on the servants cheek
As The Master says O'Brother you
Are washed of all No worries on the
Sea of troubles just hold My Hand
For our Journey is together grab it firm

Travel brings us closer to home
The shores He has seen and I have forgotten
For the captain calls me His Brother
When I am fulfilled as his servant

The ten days will be to capture
The jewels of wisdom
A wealth to pay for our journey home.
Gather the pearls as they are said
A Journey of Benefit He says..

A New Year Today

For 1431 has arrived!

We travel forward everyday

Today is no less or more than yesterday

But yesterday was 1430 and today 1431

The beginning we mourn, a child born

In ten days a sacrifice for eternity

For the Commander will call upon all

Remember the blood shed on the desert

Sunrise to sunset on the tenth we shall recall

The images of the fields of Kerbala

A distant past tale brought to life

The final time of Asr He will prostrate

To demonstrate and vividly remind the story is today

Thousands in Marol shall see it LIVE

For the King will be there in Spirit

Million plus will join minute by minute

1431 the day of the tenth - Ashura indeed

We await the day where we shall be at his knees

Begging for the blessings that all shall receive

Forget not that he blesses all

But being there it would be indeed best for my feeble mind

A solace on the image on the screen

He will remember me I know

And in that I ask for forgiveness

The tenth on a New year today

I shall await with great fervor.

1431H - Welcome the Nine

The last few days and hours.

The ten days of mourn - a celebration indeed

This year adds to nine - one short of ten

A hail from Marol to relays of the world

A son in the West replies again

A journey for those lucky

Emirates in the air Eastbound

Celebrate the nine, we await the tenth

This year is nines! 99 years in the year of nine

We await his call for Our Eid on the tenth

One Four Three and One - nine again

Next year Tens! 1432H One Four Three Two - 10

100 years it shall be - we celebrate again.

A glorious two years it will start - Twelve months of the next

Wait for the new moon wait for the celebration.

Indeed we await the glorious nine and anticipate the ten

Thanksgiving And Eid-Ul-Adha

This years thanksgiving marks an interesting intersection of the Muslim holiday of Eid-Ul-Adha and Thanksgiving for Muslim Americans.

Eid-Ul-Adha is a celebration of the Day of Sacrifice. It marks the climax of the Haj pilgrimage. For over 2 million people who have made the journey to Makkah, this day is when you return from Mount Arafat and have spiritually cleaned yourself. A sense of renewal and re-birth for those fortunate 2 million.

For the rest of us, it is a celebration marked by the second Eid. Festivities, family gatherings are common along with visits to the Masjid (Mosque). Muslims around the world share and rejoice the Eid day along with their fellow 2 million Hajjis.

For Muslim Americans, this Thursday is Thanksgiving. In many ways Thanksgiving is bigger than any US holiday because it is unquely burried in traditions that are the fundamentals of being an American. It is a celebration of our unqiue heritage of immigrants that have built the world greatest country. A heritage that bonds us all together this one day irrespective of race color religion or credo.

What will be going through my mind as I plan to share a meal with family this weekend? First and foremost this will be a non-traditional thanksgiving. Instead of a meal at home, I will be at the Masjid celebrating Eid and giving thanks with family, friends and other members. There will be a celebration from all around.

I will be thinking about what this intersection of two holidays means to me? Such an event comes rarely in a lifetime and I want to make it special by listening to voices that speak about our journey in the past year and what is to come.

This year many events have occured. For many 2009 will be a year to forget due to the tough circumstances that our country has gone through. Many personal events have occured that made the year tough and challenging. My business has struggled as we cope the economic downturn. Family turmoil, health issues and sadly a couple of family and friends have passed away.

But then there have been many good things as well. My imediate family is doing well and everybody has so far gone through the year without too big of any events. We enjoyed a good summer vacation and my parents got to go to Kerbala and Najaf along with my brother and his wife. My two children are doing well. Jamila got her Misaaq done and now she is a young lady peering into her future; marveling at the numerous possibilities. Its so awesome to view life through my kids as they wonder about their futures. It reminds me of my childhood days as I was curious about what I will be doing. Its also fun to collaborate with them and provide options and possibilities from my viewpoint and see how they digest those suggestions.

So to all my friends, colleagues and fellow brothers and sisters in the USA, i bid you a great Thanksgiving Holiday and a very auspicious Eid Mubarak! With many challenges and tribulations of this year, I offer a simple thought of thank you for being able to write this column today and being able to say thanks for one more time for one more great holiday. It is a privilege indeed.

Korea - "We will not buy American Cars"

It was interesting today to hear a report on NPR about the people of South Korea and their reaction to buying American cars.

President Obama like past Presidents, has tried to bolster the domestic car market overseas - especially in his Asian visit. NPR did an unscientific poll by asking the locals in Korea what they thought about buying US cars. Korea today only buys a meager 6000 vehicles a year! That's it! I see more Hyundai's in one day I think then what Korea buys the entire year.

So what does this mean for us? A common reaction by a patriotic American is to say screw Korea - I will never buy their cars again. Or write to your congressman to put tough tariffs on Korean cars.

I believe a better way to proceed is to bolster our local car manufacturers. Subsidize some of their activities and encourage them to significantly improve their quality and technology. The US has the chance to truly leapfrog the foreign car makers by harnessing the green initiative and truly focusing on building the next generation vehicles.

With the new re-organized companies and the fact that we have helped the locals shed their legacy burdens, I believe the domestic car makers are poised to become a leading force once again. I am glad that President Obama through the department of energy awarded billions of dollars in grants for the Big 3 and others like Tesla Motors to invest in the future Eco friendly vehicles

Its time for us to step up and beat the Koreans, Japanese and the Germans to introduce the next generation power trains in our cars which will serve the future market needs. Once we do this then watch how Koreans and Japanese flock to buy our cars.

Ford, is in my opinion best poised to take advantage of this change. I believe in the next 5 years Ford will become a premier mass car maker with exports far exceeding domestic consumption. From the ashes of this financial meltdown, we will see the giants wake up again.

If you see the quality of products that are coming out of Detroit today - it is excellent products. Quality has improved, design has dramatically changed and progressive thought now dominates this industry. Let's hope the momentum remains. Then NPR can go to Korea after 5 years and let's see what they have to say then.

Very piognant message from Steve Jobs

I found this speech by Steve Jobs very interesting.

This was given at Stanford Commencement Speech

The Personal Opinion of Value on Value Added Tax

The debt clock has reached a staggering $11.9 trillion.

This is a staggering number! Keep in mind that our current GDP is approximately $13.3 trillion. That puts our debt at around 90% of our GDP. Even during the worst times in recent history of Reagonomics the debt was no more than around 65% of GDP. The current debt ratio is the highest it has even been outside of WWI and WWII time when the country was in a middle of a major war. Arguably the "war on terrorism" i guess could qualify as a major combat (Iraq and Afghanistan). But realistically Iraq and Afghanistan do not truly compare to our efforts during WWII.

So what does this debt mean and how do we get out of it. MY proposed answer is the national sales tax or value added tax - depending on how you implement it. Here are 3 basic reasons for implementing a value added tax:

1. It has the potential to progressively raise far more revenue than the income tax. A Washington Post article discusses some valid reasons along this line and how it may be progressive and raise revenues while keeping Obama's $200K tax promise.
2. It encourages a pro-environmental consumer by clamping down on rampant consumerism, reduce consumer debt by encouraging less spending on unnecessary goods, and generally trends the society to a more need based consumer than a want based one.
3. It has the potential to grab a significant amount of additional tax money from the illegal community. Currently most illegal immigrants work and pay no taxes. Combine that with cash earners and other "below the radar" cash based economics which do not pay any income taxes, the VAT captures those when the earners spend any money to buy goods. Conservatively if we say that there are 15 million illegals and that results in 5 million households, with each household spending around $10K in taxable goods. Then at a 10% VAT rate we can easily capture another $5 billion a year!

Now a national Sales Tax is not good all around, but for a detailed look at the pros and cons go to this website to read the benfits and drawbacks. I feel the benefits outweighs the drawbacks.

Write to your congressman about this idea. At the end of the day I believe whether we like it or not we HAVE to raise taxes and raise some additional revenue. I think the consequences of not doing anything for this national debt is worse than taxes.

A Farewell Message

It was Saturday night and my phone buzzed. An SMS from our Masjid SMS system said, "A Sad Demise...". This was a typical message when a congregation member of our community had unfortunately passed away. The message said that the funeral ceremonies would be held Sunday morning at 9AM.

The member was a family friend and a person whom I had known since my arrival to Houston in 1983. He had lived a full life so it was a mixed feeling. A person who has lived a full life finally departing; leaving behind a legacy, memories and friends who will remember the great times.

Funerals always make you think....is the rat race we run everyday truly getting us to the goal of leaving a legacy? This question I have asked more often recently than ever before. The last three years have truly been challenging for me. With the company of great friends and colleagues I started a business in 2006. The journey has been a long challenging one. At many times, even today we continue to ask, "are we doing the right thing?"

But at this funeral as you stand in front of the body in state and pray the final prayers, you are reminded the full circle and journey of us. For the journey must be about the pursuit of happiness and building a legacy. What crystallizes for me is the last conversations that friends, families, colleagues and congregation members will have as you lay in state? What will that legacy be?

A human being hidden deep in the subconscious always pursues immortality. Even though we all know immortality is not possible, yet the human life force instinctively desires it. It longs to live forever. Everyone thinks about it everyday. But then at a funeral you are reminded that immortality is a fable and that it is not possible. My question: is it is truly impossible? What is immortality?

My thoughts are that immortality is the legacy we leave behind. Today as people spoke gently about the passed away, it was interesting to understand that the legacy of this person who just passed was now frozen in time. He had in essence now become immortal. His memory was frozen in time; immortal. He will forever now be remembered as the last person he was before he took the last breath, or last seen, or the last deed he had done.

As my journey since 2006 has allowed me to unplug from the corporate money grabbing rat race, I have come to realize that ultimately my journey must take me to this immortal state. For anything else would be a futile waste of energy, time and resources. What is it that we all long for? Is it the big car, the expensive house, the luxurious vacations? Well of course we all want that, but what will be the whispers when I lay in state? What will the conversation be when people gather to stand in line for the last prayers for me? What will be the thought in the person's mind as he carries the casket with my body in state in it? Will the weight he carries on his shoulders be a burden or a some form of longing to be part of my immortality and legacy?

For today I resolve - my journey must be part of the greater good. As cliche and as soapy that may sound, it is a journey often aspired by all but achieved by a few - close your eyes, think for a minute about who comes to your mind first as you try to remember a loved one. Think about why you are thinking of him so fondly. You have just answered the question - what does immortality and legacy truly mean..now go and try to achieve that. That my friend will give you the ultimate prize in life.

Is Nostradamus Right?

Have been watching the gimmicks of the Nostradamus series on A&E, Discovery and SyFy. Kind of interesting to see the fervor around the end of the world series as 2012 nears.

My theory is that the Mayans picked a number that was way far in the future and just stuck the number as something they will never have to deal with. And 'lo and behold' here we are thousands of years later speculating on the end of the world when someone decided to stick that number on a calendar as the last number he coud think of based on astrology mumbo jumbo!

How many times has the world ended! Remember Y2K! How about WWI and WWII when I am sure our parents and grand parents speculated on how this war will "end all wars".

As the story of the end the world continues and evolves. Here is my take on what is happening to the world since around 2000.

I feel the balance of power and the socio economic balance is shifting. Finally after 500 years of power shifting to the "Western World", we are seeing the early stages of the shift back to the East. Just like all cycles, the peak of the West is passed and the Ascent of the East has re-emerged.

Its only human and natural order that this shift happens. The revelation and awareness of this cyclical shift is accentuated by the age of the internet. Information today flows quickly and the human collective consciousness is more aware of each other's influence - more so than ever before. This awareness has accelerated the transfer of power.

I believe for whatever we do, the inertia of the West way of life will inevitably cause us to give up our status to the East. The transfer of power has already begun. It is time that we accept and adapt rather than resist. By adapting we will be able to co-exist and blossom. By resisting we stand to loose it all to complete self destruction.

The choice is ours....do we adapt or resist.....

So in a way Nostradamus was right---I guess---we will see the rise of the third anti-christ - except the anti-christ is the 3rd shift of power, once more to the East. I wonder if this will fly in Quatrain 10001, Century 9?????

---aahh one more show comes on in a few minutes, something about Newton and his predictions???....

For it begins when it ends

A celebration for the end

Forty days and nights have passed

A wave of blessing on Kerbala and Najaf

He came shouldering thousands

All in the glimmer of His eyes

The Prophet's grandson asking questions

For He asked for our forgiveness

Clinching his hands on the grill of silver and gold

Specs of tears flowed on cheeks for all

A joy for the hundreds on His side

On the ground beside him

Many more thousands peering on the TV

Begging for forgiveness as blessings flowed

His last deed to prostrate for His Commander

Ask not whether we are forgiven - for that is a must

Ask what gifts he comes bearing

The gateway to heaven for all guaranteed

For those returning with cups full

Shower the less fortunate as we share the victory

For the Commander had said - we have won indeed!

Foretold almost 1400 years prior

The courtyard filled with marble and gold

More so filled with invaluable forever grace

The two domes await for another time

Soon it shall happen again and again indeed.

The Garden of Kerbala Blooms Again

After a long wait
The King has returned to his Nation
The homage of a lifetime
The courtyard of forgiveness
And the waters of euphrates flows again
The Garden has bloomed again
For when he lays the forehead on the silver
Look close for the bearer is annointing his King once more
The commander shed tears as jewels of heaven
Capture them and for those turn into grace of a lifetime.
May these days go on forever
The owner of the river has forgiven all...its up to me to capture and remember.