MY Voice Volume 1: Issue 3

8/12/2019 MY Voice Volume 1: Issue 3

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Jusk Ask:QA by Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Fashion: Spice up Your Wardrobe with a Cultural Inusion. . . . . .6

Role Model: Te Legacy Tat Will Live On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Lowering Your Gaze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Creative Writing:A Perect Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Feature:Culture vs. Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12The Wedding Extravaganza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Comic:Blast fom the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Jokes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Current Events:My Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21MIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

T H E T E A M

Editor In ChiefNargis Naqvi

EditorMaariyah Baig

Design TeamAhmed Saleemayel ShahzadMaha Siddiqui

Illustration

Anshaal Hussein

Cover PhotoRameesha Ashfaq

EditorsKomal AdeelRabia AhmedSaleha BakhtSalwa FarooqiSarah KhanZara Khawaja

MentorHina Mirza

Tis is a project by:

(www.turn2learn.ca)

Contact us:

[email protected] w.my voi cec anad a.co m

facebook.com/myvoicecanada

Dear Reader,ssalamu Alaikum!

As Canadians, the idea of multiculturalism andcelebrating our ethnic backgrounds always seems to bea topic of discussion. alking to students in high schooland teenagers in general, one issue Ive found that comesup time and time again, and that many of us can relateto, is that of culture and tradition clashing with ourreligious beliefs. Sometimes its difficult to draw the linebetween culture and religion. Well observe traditional

practices in our life that arent religiously sound, but at

the same time well call certain practices into questionwondering if they contradict our rel igious bel ief s.Whats considered going too far when it comes tofollowing traditional practices for the sake of celebratingour ethnicity? Can we be true to our culture but still

practice Islam to the best of our ability? Te answer isntalways clear cut, but we hope youll find that this 3rdissue of MY Voice brings out diverse topics relating to thetheme of culture vs. religion.

As with our previous issues, our writers have written about anarray of topicswhat we hope are interesting, fun and evenhelpful takeaways for you. Tere are no words to express thethanks and gratitude I have for the MY Voice team in helping

produce this magazine. Tis publication would not be madepossible without the dedicated writers, editors, designers andmentors working hard behind the scenes to make our ideascome to life. Tank you too, dear reader, for taking the time toread what the youth of today have to say.

azakallakhair,

Maariyah Baig


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he Muslim world is made up of some of the mostcolorful cultures in the world spanning from theMiddle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and beyond. Living

in a North American society, us youth tend to lean towardsconforming to Western culture, especially when it comes to the waywe dress. But our greatest fashion advantage is that we can infuse ourcultures and bring some style and originality to our look!

For this piece I used one cultural item and I completed thelook using basics and accessories that reflect Western style.his first look was built around this shirt made out of sarimaterial. Te vibrant print makes a strong statement, so I pairedit with a basic long sleeve shirt underneath and a pair of jeans.Highlighting the blue in the details of the fabric, I chose to usean electric blue clutch with this ensemble to bring in the Western

touch. I also added thelovely blue statementnecklace, along with thestaple watch and leathercuff to finish off the look.

nsead of compeing our ehnic culureswih our anadian ideniy, I sugges ta weembrace he unique loo ha i can bringo ou syles.

I carry the blue into this youngman's outfit as well. Here heis wearing a longer kurta-liketunic over his jeans. Tis giveshim a casual look but sugg estsa cultural twist to his outfit aswell. Without going overboardin the fabric or the embroidery,men have a great selection in the

market now to choose somethingdifferent and fun as well.

Te next look that was puttogether used this traditionaldress, typically found in the

Middle East, as its focus. oadd a little more edge to thisdress, I combined it with thissimple black blazer and themetal belt. he belt definesthe waist (without being toosuggestive) and its gold finishbrings out the muted colorsof the print. o keep the edgy

feel I added thes t u d d e d , n u d e

colored clutch andI kept the accessories

simple.

What I want to makeknown through these

looks is that we shouldnthave to choose between our background and our Western

lifestylesinstead we should opt to make our own uniquestyle by combining aspects of both cultures that will keep us on theright path inshaAllah.

B Y N A R I M A N A L ISAR A MO SELHY

pho tog raph y b y

SPICE UP

CULTURAL INFUSION

your wardrobe

with a

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he passing o Nelson Mandela cameas a tremor and lef the world shaken.Te world-renowned leader, who

abolished apartheid, stood up against racialsegregation, and tenaciously ought orsocial justice, truly made an unorgettablemark on the world. Although NelsonMandela was a non-Muslim, his passionor serving his community and standingup against social injustice was an inspirationor the entire world. His hardworking,charitable and orgiving character is a truereflection o what a good Muslim should

portray in his/her character.One thing as Muslims that we can take

away rom Nelson Mandelas endeavorswas his commitment to giving back tothe community. Mandela was devoted tosupporting various charities while beingin the pursuit o eradicating poverty,hunger, and unding educational programs.Nelson Mandela was a perect exampleo an avid and passionate philanthropist.Zakah , one o the ive pillars o Islam

and an obligation to every Muslim, is thebenevolent practice o giving a share oones earnings to the less ortunate andpoor, i you are able to do so. In additionto zakah, sadaqah is also another practiceo charitable giving. Giving sadaqah isvoluntary as opposed to zakah, and is notlimited to the orm o monetary unds; itcould be in the orm o providing a mealor donating clothes to those who areless ortunate. Just as Mandela did, we asMuslims should strive to give not onlymonetarily, but also with our time and

energy. Man can have nothing butwhat he strives for; Tat (the fruit of) his

striving will soon come in sight: Ten will

he be rewarded with a reward complete.(An-Najm 53:3941). Te concept o hard workis emphasized in the uran numeroustimes. I we want something, whether itis a closer relationship to Allah, or a goodgrade, it is necessary that we put in effortand commitment while working towards

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that willlegacy

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our goals. Nelson Mandela was extremelyhard working and persistent in achievinghis goal o the abolishment o apartheid,which resulted in success. Mandela was aninspiring leader that truly worked hard toachieve his goals and ulfil his ambitions,bringing change to the world.

Nelson Mandela also demonstrated avery orgiving nature afer being wrongullyimprisoned by the South Arican regime or27 years, labelled as a terrorist. Mandela, aferbeing released rom prison, still had thecapacity to orgive those who had jailed

him wrongully and unjustly. He was ableto rid himsel o the poisonous emotion ospite, and anger, and instead brought aboutan inner peace by coming to terms withthe wrongs done to him. In Islam, humanorgiveness is important in our relationswith others. Prophe t Muhammad(SAW) said, Whoever suffers an injuryand orgives (the person responsible), Godwill raise his status to a higher degree andremove one o his sins. Holding a grudgeand trying to take revenge may ulfil ourdesire to rid ourselves o the emotion, but

orgiving does much more; orgiving thosewho have wronged us brings about a level oinner peace.

Nelson Mandela truly was aninspirational person and a role modelto many. Leaving his legacy behind,Mandelas generous character, hard-working personality and orgiving nature,are some characteristics that we as Muslimscan strive to embody.

BY MAHNOOR NAEEMOriginal photograph: Wikimedia Commons

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Chances are i youre reading this, youre probably a teenager;

and you live in Canada, and youre really happy that thegodorsaken winter is finally over! Chances are that with

the arrival o the spring breeze, were seeing a departure in thelayers worn by all the girls. So i youre a Muslim teenage guy withraging hormones, then its actually YOU who really needs toread this article. Tis article is geared towards boys, you knowwho you are. Forgive me sisters or not including you because Ihave no idea i you have the same curse o shify eyes that we guyshave. Even i you did, I still couldnt help you, because I dont knowwhat you see in us hairy, disgusting guys. However, I know all toowell what impels a guy to look at a girl instead o lowering hisgazeI mysel am working on it. But as the saying goes, its easiersaid than done. So Im going to share a ew tips with you guys on

how to lower your gaze based on my experiences, and hopeullyconvince a ew o you to stop staring at girls; these are going tobe reminders or mysel as well. I hope these will be useul whencoming across a girl flaunting her summer finery!

I have a habit o questioning everything. My questionsrange rom innocent to blasphemous, but so long as the answeris not obvious, I will question it. But I never question thecommandments that are inevitably good or me and others.Such as, when I was told lying was bad, I had no questions, noarguments, and no justifications whatsoever. Te same thinghappened when I was told not to look at girls because deep down,I knew that it was just wrong. Allah gave us all a consciencethat tugs at our heart with what is wrong or right. Why these

things are haram (unlawul) is obvious, and even non-Muslimswill meet us halway in saying that some things are just plainwrong. Right and wrong is like black and white in Islam. Tereare barely, i any, grey areas. What is bad or good is clearlyapparent, and staring at a girl is definitely a bad in Islam. It issomething coded in human decency. Even in Canadian culture,staring at somebody is considered extremely rude and may even beconsidered as harassment. Why staring at a woman is bad will not beexplained; rather, this article will ocus on practical steps to fightagainst ones desires to do so, and exceptions that can be made dueto necessary interactions with the opposite gender.

1.) Stay away from direct disobedience to Allah:Allahtells us in the uran (24:30):

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and

guard their modesty. That is purer for them, verily

Allah is All-Aware of what they do.

Tis is a direct command to us rom Allah. I we say we believe inHim then true tawheed(belie in Allah) comes rom knowing Heis all around you, and letting His presence stop you rom sinning.Allah can see all our thoughts and all our actions. I we continueto stare at a girl afer the first glance, He knows. He knows ourdeepest thoughts; We created man, We know the prompting of his soul,and We are closer to him than his jugular veinuran (50:16). I westill ail to lower our gaze, it is direct disobedience. A good way toremember that Allah is always with us is to include Him in our everythought, always thinking about what he likes and dislikes.

2.) Consider your eyes as a blessing and amanah: Allahgave us our entire body as an amanah(trust). However, He givesthe eyes a higher status, calling them the beloved things. Imagine

your best riend loaning you something to use. You realize thathe has loaned you something o great value and by losing orabusing it, you would jeopardize your riendship. Tink aboutthe reverence you give that object, and then compare it withyour eyes, and the One Who entrusted them to you. Do we treatour eyes, a great gif rom Allah, with the same amount o care asa riends material possession? Let us take care o our eyes, andnot just physically, but by lowering our gaze and not watchinganything that can instigate lust and affect our morality. Ali ibn Abialib once said, What the eye sees the heart preserves. So dontlet your eyes see what you dont want in your heart and what youdont want to be accountable or on the Day o Judgment.

3.) Be in a circle of good friends:I would like to dedicate

this section to my riends. Tey are the reason my parents let mego out and chill, in the midst o all thefitnah(conusion betweenright and wrong,) and nafs(desire, temptation). Beore I get towhy my riends are the reason I get to go out on my own, I willexplain how I acquired them. My parents have seen and heard omany young peoples lives getting ruined by bad riends. Tey

reaked out when I wantedto go out with my riendsor the first time. So I madea deal with them that theywill meet all o my riends,and could decide i they wereappropriate riend material.

I had to be very selectivewhen it came to choosing a riend, and or this I am thankulto my parents. My riends are mostly boys I see in the Masjid,Sunday Islamic classes, or my school MSA. I introduced them tomy parents, and they approved them because they know that weknow our boundaries. One o the things I appreciate in our groupis that we are not two aced. Be it at the mall or playing sports,we maintain the same sense o appropriateness we would in theMasjid. I have become a better person because o the right riends.It may seem uptight or a riendship, but you have to agree, itsalso the most beneficial relationship one could have. Tis is the

GAZEyour

What the eyesees the heart

preserves.Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)

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literal embodiment o riendship or the sake o Allah, and I wouldhave it no other way.

And the believers, men and women, are protecting

friends of one another, they enjoin the right and

forbid the wrong. Quran (9:71)

4.) Engage in positive diversions: he advice that theProphet (pbuh)* gave to unmarried men was to get married as soon aspossible i they could afford a amily, and i not, to ast. However,I know that I could not possibly ast or every single day o myunmarried lie. But i we read between the lines, the Prophet (pbuh)is saying that we should keep our minds busy with somethingother than girls. How did I deduce that? Well, i we are asting,we would be too busy thinking about ood. We would stare at it,wonder what it tastes like, and picture eating it. An English proverbmy Mom really likes is: An idle mind is the devils workshop.Whoever said this could not be more correct. So keep the mindbusy. Find things that you enjoy and engage yoursel. You canread uran, play sports, do exercise, seek beneficial knowledge, do

community service, hang out with riends (good ones, o course),engage in anything that will keep you productively busy, preerablythings that will be o benefit to you as well.

5.) Remember the benefits: Such a simple thing aslowering our gaze when a girl walks by has abundant benefitsin this world and plentiul rewards in the hereafer. Any personabstaining rom a sin just or the sake o pleasing Allah willbe rewarded prousely, as it constitutes fight against our nafs.However, I believe that the biggest reward is in the deed. Whenone deliberately stares at a girl once, a bit o purity and moralitydies. he one committing may not eel as guilty the next time.He might even graduate a level, (or rather degrade, in Islamiccontext) and start flirting. He might dig a deeper rut or himsel

and get caught up in relationshipsI could write an entire articleon why thats bad. Te worst effect o committing one sin is thatyou might be desensitized to other sins, and beore you know it,youll be in a ditch so deep that addictions and justifications o sinswill only drag you deeper. You will continue to dig or that oolsgold, which really isnt there, until your own ditch collapses on you.On the other hand, being able to obey Allah, to be able to pleaseHim, offers nothing but peace and tranquility. Allah wants a soundheart rom us; unlawul gazes can only darken it.

Having said all this, we have to keep in mind that we livein a secular society with blurring gender relations. Many timeswe have no option but to interact with the opposite sex. Anyphysical contact with the opposite sex has to be avoided unless a

dire need arises to save a lie. A question raised by many teens isWhat i you eel like that girl is your sister? o that I say thatthe Prophet (pbuh) definitely thought o all women as his sisters,but he still never made small talk with them. Te only reasonhe would let young women talk to him was or Islamic matters,and even then, he would keep his gaze lowered and keep a veryrespectul manner and distance.

However, I know that with all the intentions to please Allah,things still get out o the hands sometimes. o finish off, let meshare a true story. Once upon a time, there was this dashinglyhandsome grade 8 boy. I, I mean he, was playing soccer during

recess. He was always the underdog, who had great potential justwaiting to shine, but could never show it because everybody elseon his team thought they were FIFA players who could take onthe entire opposing team. However, that unnamed guy showedthem how it was done, and got his first goal, still in grade 8, whichwas also not his last. At first, he got all the girls screaming andcheering or him, which he was not used to as he recently movedto Canada, and his school back home was not co-ed. Tis got himblushing, but in the most manly way possible! Ten, he made hissecond goal, which made all the girls go crazy, and they started torun towards him, like a mob. And all he could do was run to savehis purity. I still remember that scene: A ruggedly handsome boyrunning and screaming help, help! to save himsel rom all thegirls running behind him. So brothers, afer all your effort, i thereis no other way to save yoursel, RUN bro RUN!

BY GHULAM JAMIL GR 10



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between religious concepts and those developed through culture.Muslim youth caught in this confusion all wonder what is actuallyIslamic. If this question remains unanswered, it can lead to greatloss: Youth can become disconnected from Islam for reasons thathave nothing to do with the religion itself. It is therefore essentialto ensure that only true information about Islam (and not culturaltraditions) are included in teachings about the faith.One method youth can use to clarify misconceptions about Islamicissues is speaking to trustedscholars. Tese scholars havestudied Islamic principlesthoroughly for several years.Tey are educated and canprovide some of the bestand most precise answersto questions one may have,especially those regardingdifferences between Islamand culture. Another wayto gain accurate information about Islam is by reading the Holyur'an. However, it is important that we interpret the ur'an witha scholars assistance in order to accurately understand its message.By using these sources, it is entirely possible to find a satisfyingresolution to a controversial argument.

Aside from strengthening Islamic faith in the individual, we shouldtry to enhance Islamic faith in the household. It is important forone to create an environment in their home where everyone isconfident of what Islam requires of them. Youth can accomplishthis by communicating clearly with their parents and learningalongside their family to find an answer to the question: hat is

actually Islamic?

Sixteen-year-old Hina Ahmed set out to correct the misconceptionin her house that women are not allowed to pursue a post-secondaryeducation. She spoke with a trusted scholar and communicatedher concerns with her parents. In the end, she was satisfied.

Although there are many blurred lines between culture andreligion, youth can take action to sort out cultural priorities andthe truth of their religion. Tis will help them cope with complexsituations. Te youth can determine these differences as long asthey stay positive and make an effort to seek true information.

eligio

Abu Hurairah (may

Allah be pleased with

him) reported: The

Messenger of Allah

(pbuh) said:

"Allah makes the wayto Jannah easy for him

who treads the path in

search of knowledge."

(Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 3)

It is important

that we interpret

the Qur'an with

a scholars

assistance in order

to accurately

understand its

message.

BY AISHA HYDER

GR 10



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MY Voice Volume 1: Issue 3

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Transcript of MY Voice Volume 1: Issue 3