Feathers in the Wind
Apparently, a young man made a habit of slandering the town’s wise man. One day, realizing the harm and hurtfulness of his actions, he went to the wise man’s home and asked for forgiveness. The wise man, realizing that young man had not really internalized the gravity of his transgressions, told him that he would forgive him on one condition: that he go home, take a feather pillow from his house, cut it up, go the edge of a cliff, and scatter the feathers to the wind. After he had done so, he should then return to the wise man’s house.
Though puzzled by this strange request, the young talebearer was happy to be let off with so easy a penance. He quickly cut up the pillow, scattered the feathers, and returned to the house.
“Am I now forgiven?” he asked.
“Just one more thing,” the wise man said. “Go now and gather up all the feathers.”
“But that’s impossible. The wind has already scattered them. There’s no way to retrieve them.”
“Precisely,” he answered. “And though you may truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by your words as it is to recover the feathers. Your words are out there in the marketplace, spreading hate, even as we speak.”
—
Wow. Think about this.
“Calling people names is bad, but calling people names based on your own invented calumny is the textbook definition of slander. The First Amendment does not protect you from that, nor should it. Even on an issue of public debate, and even if the victim is a public figure, as Ms. Fluke was here, 'fair comment' is not a defense if you made up the central fact, and the central fact is wrong and is damaging and if your intent was to injure. I’m no lawyer, but as I see it: Check, check, check, check. ”
—Gene Weingarten, on why Sandra Fluke should probably sue Rush Limbaugh.
7 Bad Habits of Ghiba (To Backbite)
*This post is first and foremost is being published as a reminder to myself. Please forgive me if I have done anything to hurt you in such a way. I would like to share this with everyone else with Ramadan coming around and with the recent hostility shown among each other. Backbiting is something that isn’t so literal in terms of just talking behind someone’s back. It’s more than that. Now, we think that just because a person can see and respond to slanderous posts, that it’s not considered backbiting. If you see anything wrong with this post, please feel free to correct it.
1) Venting one’s Anger: For example in an argument between two people, and later one backbites the other to justify or gratify their anger.
2) Desire to fit in and be accepted by one’s companions: When you hear your friends speak ill of others behind their back and you don’t stop them or warn them, you join them! REMEMBER ALLAH SAYS:
الْأَخِلَّاءُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقِينَ
“..Friends on that day will be foes one to another, except the righteous people.” (Surah Al Zakhruf 43:67)
3) To raise oneself by degrading another: In the same way one becomes jealous when another is praised, and then seeks to disparage them. Or when one’s knowledge, honour, and good qualities are praised in front of him and he says, yes but he also has such and such bad qualities. This is Shaytaan, luring you to believe this is sincere advice, but if it was, you would give it privately not expose him publicly.
4) Sheer Envy: Envy is an evil. Shaytaan deceives us by envying the benefits of others and waiting for Allah to remove them. Hence the only way to disparage them is to speak ill of them behind their back. Be aware! Allah only gives His benefits, to those whom He likes, and no one can change this decree.
5) Joke and Amusement: Backbiting in order to make others laugh. This is a grave sin Abu Hurairah (RA) says that, Rasulullah (SAW) said: “It is a serious evil for a Muslim to look down upon his Brother Muslim.” (Sahih Muslim)
6) Pretending to Show Mercy: Someone may say: “that poor person, I feel sorry for him, he takes the Fajr prayer so lightly, or he has shaved his beard or been tested by such and such offence.” If the backbiter was sincere, he would be genuinely distressed, and not spread the misdemeanors but invoke Allah to help him overcome their problems, advising them in secret.
7) Forcing oneself to be angry for the sake of Allah: One may says: “Look and so and so and how he transgresses against Allah’s boundaries or violates His Commands.” This person is not sincere, because if he is honest he would have met the person and advised him to do good and forbid him instead of speaking about it.
You think racism against the Roma doesn't happen in the US?
From the “Oklahoma City Friday”:
NHills Chief Warns of Gypsy Invasion
Spring is quickly approaching — and with it, the likelihood of the onslaught of traveling groups of criminals commonly referred to as gypsies.
Nichols Hills Police Chief Richard Mask said that in his 30 years of service to the city, very few springs have passed that gypsies haven’t invaded his affluent community. He said there are two groups that come to town: the “Roma” gypsies who are of the gypsy culture and criminals who use the same modus operandi as the cultural gypsies.
Thus, Mask said, they may look like the gypsies you see on reality television and they may not.
What usually happens is a carload of four or five people is dropped off in a neighborhood, he said.
“They will often knock on your door and ring the doorbell,” Mask said. “If no one answers in a reasonable amount of time, they try the door to determine if it is locked.”
“If it is unlocked, they enter and go straight to the master bedroom looking for jewelry or cash. They will often take the pillowcase from the bed to carry the stolen loot.”
In the event, a resident returns while the thief is in still in the home, the gypsy will make up a story about looking for their dog or being in the wrong house to meet a realtor.
“By the time the resident has time to react, the thief is gone,” Mask said.
Mask said the gypsies normally hit in broad daylight.
“True gypsies, I’ve never known to hit at night,” he said.
They usually are not violent.
“They are just after property and money,” Mask said.
He urged residents to “set alarms, keep doors locked and don’t let strangers in the front door.” Also, report any suspicious people to the police department at 843-5672.
You see this bullshit? You see this discriminatory, racist, bullshit?
How about we start writing articles like this in the newspaper about other minorities? You think that’d get by without comment?
“traveling groups of criminals commonly referred to as Gypsies”
WHAT??!!!
That police chief is so full of shit I can smell him from here.
Firstly, 99% of these criminals are NOT ethnically Roma.
Secondly, they are not even part of any ethnic group under the pejorative term Gypsy.
They are, by all clarifications, travelling thieves. Period. Misuse of the term “Gypsy” has allowed this cultural confusion. And, with people like this chief (seen as a legitimate source of such information) spouting such racist bullshit it only gets worse.
You think that this isn’t a misrepresentation of my people?
It’s not even like the people on those shows are real Roma or Irish Traveller anyway. They’re people who are paid to be that way, paid to act that way, paid to misrepresent and malign my people. At best they’re idiots. At worst they ARE criminals.
But they aren’t Romani or Traveller.
[from here: OKCFriday]
