Dec 15
MADRID — Malian Muslim footballer Frederic Kanoute, the striker of Spain’s Seville FC, has saved the only mosque in the southern Spanish city of Seville from closure.

Kanoute has paid 510,860 euros (some $700,000) so that fellow Muslims in Seville would not find themselves without a mosque, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) Thursday, December 13.

The privately owned mosque was due to be sold after a contract to use the premises by the local Muslim population had expired.

But Kanoute stepped in to purchase the building.

The 30-year-old striker has not made any comment on the matter.

But city authorities have confirmed that the property has been registered in Kanoute’s name, according to the BBC Sport.

It is estimated that Kanoute has spent almost a year’s salary to buy the mosque.

Kanoute, , one of the finalists for the 2007 BBC African Footballer of the Year award, moved in 2005 from French champion Lyon to Seville FC, the 2006-07 Spanish league’s third and the holder of last season’s cup championship.

Grateful

Spanish Muslims said they really appreciate Kanoute’s moving gesture.

“If it had not been for Kanoute then we would not have had a mosque on Fridays, which is the most holy day of the week for Muslims,” a spokesman for the Islamic Community of Spain was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

Kanoute, who has also created a foundation in his motherland Mali to help orphans, reverted to Islam 10 years ago.

Last Ramadan, he impressed Spanish football fans by his unique performance though he was fasting.

Kanoute was crowned last year the league’s top scorer with 20 goals, outperforming football legends such as Brazilian Ronaldinho.

Kanoute, a practicing Muslim who regularly performs his prayers even in the locker room, refused last season to wear a jersey advertising for an internet gambling site, because gambling is forbidden in Islam.

His team had to give him a brand-free jersey until he accepted wearing the sponsored jersey in return for money to an Islamic charity.

IslamOnline.net & News Agencies

Dec 14

TimesOnline newspaper titled it: ‘Burqa for boys’ becomes new hoodie fashion.
Metro called it: New ‘gas mask’ hoodies ‘intimidating’.

Anyone who feels intimidated by youths wearing hoodies or can’t communicate to somone without looking at their face like mr. jack straw (who by the way must be finding it really difficult to speak on the phone or responding to emails) should probably look away now - it’s the goggle jacket.

It looks like a gas mask, cost around £70, unless it’s designed by Armani and Stone Island, which is around £600. They are selling like crazy and most places sold out.

Police says the jackets are totally legal. ‘A hat, scarf and glasses combination could obscure someone’s identity so there are no powers to stop people wearing these jackets,’ they said.

Wonder why they make it as though wearing niqab is illegal?

Dec 13
Now before you read the article, if you are Muslim then prepare to be shocked. Media has said something positive about a Muslim! Yes I know you are finding it hard to believe but it’s true! Anyways one thing that came into my mind is… imagine if a Muslim attacked a Jew, wonder what the newspaper headline would read. They would of stereotyped every single Muslim living in the face of this Earth.

But lets be serious, we Muslims do have special bond with both the Christians and the Jews, they also used to believe in One God and follow same Prophets and Messengers as us. God has referred to them in the Qu’ran as ‘People of the Book’.
December 12, 2007A Brooklyn man whose “Happy Hanukkah” greeting landed him in the hospital said he was saved from a gang of Jew-bashing goons aboard a packed Q train by a total stranger - a modest Muslim from Bangladesh.

Walter Adler was touched that Hassan Askari jumped to his aid while a group of thugs allegedly pummeled and taunted him and his three friends. So Adler has invited his new friend over to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

The two new pals - Adler, 23, with a broken nose and a fat lip, and Askari, 20, with two black eyes - broke bread together and laughed off the bruises the night after the fisticuffs.

“A random Muslim guy jumped in and helped a Jewish guy on Hanukkah - that’s a miracle,” said Adler, an honors student at Hunter College.

“He’s basically a hero. Hassan jumped in to help us.”

But Askari, who is studying to be an accountant, shrugged off the praise.

“I just did what I had to do,” he recalled. “My parents raised me that way.”

Ten people were arrested in the underground attack on Friday night - including two men who have been arrested for race crimes before.

None of the suspects had been charged with a hate crime in the Q train attack as of last night, but the Brooklyn DA’s Civil Rights Bureau is handling the case.

It all began when Adler, his girlfriend, Maria Parsheva, and two other pals boarded the subway at Canal Street bound for Brooklyn and someone in another group wished them “Merry Christmas.”

Adler and his pal Angelica Krischanovich responded: “Happy Hanukkah.”

Apparently, those were fighting words.

“They just came at us so fast. The first thing that came into my mind was, ‘Yeah, this is going to be violent,’ ” said Parsheva, 20.

One of the group immediately hiked up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of Christ.

“He said, ‘Happy Hanukkah, that’s when the Jews killed Jesus,’ ” said Adler.

The group of about 14 men and women then allegedly began taunting Adler and his pals as “dirty Jews” and “Jew bitches.”

Amid a huge scrum, Askari jumped in.

“I’m bleeding all over the place, there’s lots of people, they’re fighting with Hassan still, and I’m like, why isn’t anyone else doing anything?” Adler said.

He pulled the emergency brake right before entering the DeKalb Avenue station.

Police came aboard and arrested 10 people, charging six with assault and four with unlawful assembly.

One of those collared straphangers yesterday denied making anti-Semitic taunts and said his mother is Jewish.

Joseph Jirovec, 19 - the son of a city firefighter who is currently serving in Iraq - has pleaded guilty to a 2005 bias crime against blacks.

“We are not racist against Jewish people. That whole hate-crime thing is ridiculous,” the Brooklyn man said.

He claims Adler’s group was drunk and taunted his group, and one yelled, “We killed Jesus.”

Jirovec will soon begin serving six months for his role in the attack against four men in Gerritsen Beach.

“I’m trying to stay out of trouble,” he said. “When I get out, I want to go into the military.”

Dec 10

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

4muslims.blogspot.com
Dec 07

Being a graphic enthusiast, I love looking at posters to see how they are made, bit sad but o well. Anyways MSN launched this best film poster of 2007 list today.

So thought i’d share the top 11 with you:

#1 - 300 - The film remained faithful to Frank Miller’s stunning comic book. And so did this eye-catching poster campaign. The vertigo-inducing image captures the cartoon heroics of the Spartans brilliantly and the font, blood-spatters and all, sets it all off perfectly. A clear winner for us.

No 6 poster not shown because it contains indecent content.