"You really need a name: for now I will just call you Kithab, it means book in Arabic, till I can decide a better name. "

If you don't know, I'm trying to write a novel/story. Here's an intro of it.

--

How do you tell the story of the mouse who ate the cat--you don't. Somethings are seriously never meant to be told, just experienced, traumatized and forgotten. The story I am about to tell you, you wouldn't believe it; I wouldn't either. This story--my story, is a one of those crazy cases you'd hear on CNN or read in The New York Times but not this time. I was like you, hearing about these instances one day and forgetting about it the next; continuing about my life, until it was me who was the victim.

My name is Amir, I'm 22 years old and I am an American Muslim. Being Muslim is my first form of identification, something life has made me regret at points, nevertheless, I am a Muslim. My story starts in spring 2009 with just a quarter of my senior year at Harvard remaining. I was content with myself, I lived a pretty ideal life. I had two of the most amazing friends ever, I was President of the Harvard Crimson, and had recently been accepted into Harvard Law School. Life was good; or at least as good as life can gets for practicing Muslims in America.

My two friends, Ahmad and Aminah, both also Muslim, they too were living ideal lives. We were on track to be future leaders of our the next generation of American Muslim community. Ahmad and I had both been accepted into Harvard Law School and Aminah planned to enrolled in John Hopkins to become a neurologist. We were practicing Muslims: we didn't just fulfill the bare pinnacles of Islam, we took our religion to heart and were Islamically-consistent in every aspect of our lives. We had refused to be like those who identified themselves Muslims yet their actions were contradictory.

That's how four years in Harvard had passed: studying, praying, going to the Masjid for lectures, and the occasional 'hanging out'. We had worked hard these four years and we planned to continue to work hard, we believed working hard was mandated in Islam. Time played its course and before we knew it, we were Harvard graduates.

Within the span of twenty plus years we had lived, our lives had stayed within certain boundaries; somethings were practical and others were not. The three of us were very strong willed yet we knew what was possible and what wasn't; we didn't believe in, "everything is possible". This was all about to change.

The summer began and thus began our misadventures. What began as a simple airplane flight ended as a fifty-five million dollar lawsuit against the United States government.Reading this journal is not something you should do, it is something you need to do. It's not just my story, it’s our story.

--

Here's a link to the first entry to the book: LINK

Please comment on what you think. Probably has grammatical mistakes and awkward sounding sentences. If you think it sounds not-like-a-novel, then that's the point, it supposed to sound like a dairy. Thanks!

-The Muslim Kid-

The instructor said: Go home and write a page tonight, let it comes out of you then it will be true.

The instructor said: Go home and write a page tonight, let it comes out of you then it will be true--what does that mean? Does it mean I should write whatever comes to mind and let my 'inside' contemplate on paper whatever it wishes to express? Maybe it does--but is that truly possible? I don't think we can ever be truly honest on paper or in any non-abstract form; only to ourselves. We have thoughts, those thoughts have comments attached, and those comments have thoughts attached. Can we truly ever have such a magnitude of deepness in a concrete form? I believe not. I can write here that I love my parents yet using the word love oversimplifies a whole world of ramblings in my head. Why do I love my mom? My dad? When I write 'I love ...', within my mind I have a deep understanding of this, yet no matter how much I explain myself: I can never truly explain it. The point being made is that you can't write something that is truly, true; that would require it being 'out of you' which you can never fully express. Never the less, I begin.

In my religion, one's mother is put before the father in terms of importance. In fact the order is: your mother, your mother, your mother, then your father. I've always felt guilty for holding my father ahead of my mother. In my eyes, both my parents are heroes for all that which they do for me, but I believe in the eyes of the world, my dad should be a hero. Being brought up in a region filled with extreme poverty, education was rare and chances for success slim in a world of despair. Yet these depressing factors were no threat, simple obstacles that he overcomes when he came to America at the age of fourteen. Living off the bare minimum, he went to school and worked, sending money home. I can safely say that my dad has raised, along with me and my siblings, his own seven siblings. Today, to the ignorant eye, my dad's hair is partially gray, yet I know that, his gray hair represents more than coming-of-age. It represents the struggles of sons, husbands, and most importantly the struggles of a father. I see and hear, I live in a society where my very own generation has no respect for the toils of their parents. I am appalled and yet amazed upon hearing, "I hate my parents", something I hear too very often. Teenagers--what a stupid concept! Society has given right to bad children to act the way they wish, or so popular mainstream media depicts, "Teenagers will be teenagers". It’s a part of life, I beg to differ. When my dad tells me no, it means no. I may think that he is being unfair to me, yet if I look beyond my personal selfish temporary desires, parents are right. They always are. When my dad yells at me to go to sleep in front of my cousins, because of my accepted 'teenager' attitude, I am expected to at least say something in response. When I walk to my room, I have no right to say anything, to further embarrass myself and my dad. I overlook the fact that I was told three times beforehand and I refused. When my dad ridicules me for not getting all A's, just a few B's, I think, "It's not fair." Yet for a moment, I put myself into his shoes, he works day and night to pay for my books and pencils, he drops me to school worried about me taking public transportation; I dare say it's not fair? When you complain to your parent that your friend has this and you want one too, they give you the, 'it’s too expensive' look. You complain and whine. It’s a shame that kids today are so blind to their parents' circumstances. If only they overlooked what their parents didn't get them and magnified what their parents did get them, if only. We look at teenagers in general, they are rude, impatient, obnoxious 'young adults'. Simply put, kids have lost their minds, they have no respect for their parents. What else can we expect? No respect in the house means any respect outside the house. The gist of these thoughts is simple. One, my dad is a hero, just like every dad and every hardworking respectable parent. Two, as long as you keep saying, "Teenagers will be teenagers", teenagers will be teenagers, in other words teenagers are screwed up and will continue to be. And finally, for every time your mother or father says something and you think, "It's not fair", remember my words of wisdom: "Yes it is your ungrateful brat."

I have tried to write from within, from 'out of you[myself]' but forgive me for the elapsed thoughts and passion that can never be express on paper. Instead I rely on the cliché universal concepts that we all share, like guilt for being bad children towards our parents, every once in a long time. At the same time, while I have written as powerfully and forcefully as I can, it may or may not alter the reader's views to coincide with mine, it might do the opposite. Relating back to the original assignment, no matter how hard I toil to deliver my full thoughts, I can never convince anymore than I can convince myself. I have tried to write from within. The goal is not that someone actually does fully understand my array of thoughts, but that someone understands parts and forms their own similar opinion. I leave you with this contemplation.

-The Muslim Kid-

Perfect Advice : "Just Don't Think About Marriage Yet!"

Its funny this is something that is on my mind a lot, yet I've barely ever talked about it on my blog. All my life, I've been watching Bollywood movies; this compromises a huge chunk of my perception of marriage and love. It's Sad and one day it'll be depressing when I find out this is the farthest thing from the truth.

Sometimes I wish life was like movies, or maybe just a bit like movies. Ya I wish I could go to college, get that Yale Law Degree, the perfect girl comes about and tralala: Love. Of course, by love I mean, marriage, and then happily ever after. All those hormone-backed desires go away. Seriously, my wife will resemble half Katrina Kaif, and half Aishwarya Rai; perfect fair skin, awesome sense of style and very fashionable. A doctor with a degree from the top medical school in the country, John Hopkins summa cum laude sucka! And she'll be working on finding the cure to cancer. Oh yea and her dad's a really rich award-winning professor, and her mom knows how to carry and intellectual conversation, her brothers really cool [One won the Nobel peace prize for establishing peace in the Middle East, another is the first non-Arab Imam of Masjidal-Haram], the whole family is religious! She wears full niqaab; she’s an alimah and most importantly a humble practicing Muslim. She's the perfect daughter-in-law too; her parents taught her great ethics.

We go to a fundraising dinner, she anonymously donates a large sum of money only to later tell me and ask for me not to tell anyone; how blessed I am to have such a humble wife? Were leaving the fundraiser, I forget my jacket. "I'll be right back, I forgot my jacket" shell smile and say, "Its right here". I'll be working on article for the New York Times; I'll have her check it out only to find tons of grammatical mistakes even though I claimed there were none. She'll be an amazing cook, come home after Jummah to the best biryani in the world.

Seriously, what else could you want, beautiful, genius, religious, humble, great cook and a good editor. She's...in one word...perfect! That is my future wife [in BollyLand at least].

[HA-HA](Strong)-[HA-HA](Stronger)-[HA-HA](Even Stronger).

Stop dreaming kid. Seriously, all those years of Bollywood movies have filled your brain with fantasies and now it’s been cemented; you actually believe this crud?

No matter how hopeful, ideal someone is, why should you hope or wish for the impossible? I mean, you’re not going to get a wife with three of those qualities, let alone all of them. It sucks to realize the truth; wait this is the truth?

To be completely honest, no I don't believe so. You are the controller of your actions. Allah(SWT) gives you the cards, you play them however you will. I believe that you can easily live an amazing life, all you need is a good intentions and a little bit of compromise. But I do believe a lot of the things every other married person tells. They laugh and tell you, "Haha, I thought marriage was going to be...but, it wasn't". I believe you. It must be tough living with a person having to compromise, having to do this and that. It is so important for people to realize that, the people older and wiser than us, they tell us stuff and we think, "oh that doesn't apply to me" or "my case is/will be different". No, it won't, that’s what they thought too. Just start listening to them now so you won't be like them regretting the mistakes they are warning you about!

If Muslims took the prophets behavior towards his wives seriously, if we implemented it in the Ummah today; subhanallah!!! It would be awesome. I'm a person that believes in compromising with your partner, contrary to what many desi people think. "Don't lets you wife be your slave master"--this is a loose translation of an Urdu saying; I totally disagree. Desi's are often oppressive to their wives, often very unjust in simple rights. Don't get me wrong, I am anti-Feminist too. I hate females, "I want unconditional rights! I want this and that but not that." Stop cherrying picking you loser.

If there was an Islamic state today [forget those corrupt Muslim countries. Right now, they don't exist] would younger people we getting married? Marriage is half of faith! I don't think it makes sense for people in this society to get married at young ages, there is no system to support this. What about in a Muslim society, Muslims are recommended to get married as soon as possible. In this society that is once you’re past thirty-five, financially established, and having committed zinnah with at least ten women. Okay, being practical, even Muslims have problems getting married young. Desi weddings, cost tens of thousands of dollars, and you need to find the perfect girl according to your parents. Does it always come back to being desi, is that the root of all my problems? Here's a quote from my dad highlighting the practicality of what I'm saying. "You can get married once your sisters get married and you pay for their weddings, fifty thousand dollars each" --Yes, he said that.

By the end of high school, every fifth person has committed zinnah, twice. Everyone, discarding the 1 in 100, has kissed. Every third person has done something between kissing and zinnah. THIS IS REALITY. You are considered a loser, you’re ridiculed for not having lost your virginity by the time your old enough to drive. You have girls walking in cloths that make you think, "Why are you even wearing cloths, what’s the point now?” If this doesn't spark your desire then nothing will. You need hope, something at the end of the train; the only halal solution: Marriage. Thus, marriage is at the end of the line, the light that makes you think, "One day, but not right now".

A major problem I have is the realization that against all these factors, you marry someone for one reason and only one reason, for the sake of Allah (SWT). That’s it! No other reason. Thus you should, strictly speaking, be able to marry anyone! I think a lot of marriages end up in divorces because people don't have the right intentions when getting married.

Sure you can marry someone just cause you can and you want to, you want to fulfill your desires, go on that honeymoon, have kids, start a family, buy a house; be 'normal'. That wedding will be a miserable disaster unless somewhere along the way you realize what you’re doing. You might be happy for the first six months before that 'honey-moon period' is over. Then it is all downhill my friends. Don't fall into that, "I want someone special, to spend time with, to love me, to...” it’s all simply put: bullshit.

Sigh, this post was a bad idea. Half hopeful of the one day future [and yet, who knows when my time will come? When I'm 20, next year, tomorrow, today, right now...?..Now?...okay Now?]. I think my friend's mom's advice to her son and me is great. "Just Don't Think About Marriage Yet!"

Your thoughts? Any married Bangladeshi wives in the audience?[You see why I love your blog, I love your insight on the practicality of marriage and your desi] Lol. What about others about my age, do you feel the same about this topic; completely opposite and I'm just going crazy here, maybe?

-The Muslim Kid-

Oh Sweet Guilt, Where art thou?

Imagine a heart as a nucleus. Its desires as particles running around reacting with the outside. Every time a desire tries to leave your system, a natural boundary, your brain and intelligence push it back or kick it out without it ever coming into existence. But then there comes a desire that your brain throws it back into your heart but it only becomes strong after an initial loss. Time and time, your intelligence is unable to cure, to annihilate this desire. Finally it has gained so much momentum and strength and velocity that it runs and tries to penetrate your intelligence; it wins. It explodes. Everytime your brain pushed it back, it became ten times stronger. The burning passion for that desire to animate became more powerful that by the time it did win: it was something extraordinary not your average desire.

------

What separates us from pigs? Pigs fulfill their every desire, they eat what they wish, they intermingle with whatever they wish, they live where they wish, they sleep where they wish; is that what you want to be? "Live your life", what a stupid song, that mentality is so stupid. Its like LA, Miami, and Denmark mentality: Beer, Girls, Drugs and Violence.

How do you constantly fight off these desires that seemingly everyone around you accepts and lives? Living in a perverse and materialistic society, how can you solely keep winning a battle against what is accepted yet your beliefs prohibit it--Salah. It is the weapon of the believers, so long as your prayer is good, you cannot go wrong. Establish your prayer and hold on steadfast to the rope of God. What if your not praying your Salah, you miss one, before you know it, you haven't prayed in days? Then your shield, your defenses are down, at any moment anything could happen. What if you DO make a mistake in that period before you come back to reality, come back to the true creed of your existence? Are you doomed for eternity--No of course not. Our lord is Ar-Raheem, The Merciful.

So then where does the path of no return enter the picture?

What about when you commit a sin, you let your desire explode, yet you feel no remorse. Nope, nothing. no guilty, nothing: just apathy. What do you do when you commit a deed, so bad, you know with full conviction it is wrong, yet you feel no remorse.

Every scholar mentions how if you want forgiveness, Allah, Ar Raheem, The Merciful, he will forgive you..but what if you heart doesn't desire forgiveness. It is a sin, a huge sin to think that your sins are too much for Allah's Raheem, for His mercy; but what if you dont desire that forgiveness. Be lucky and thankful for that sweet guilt that made you come back crying to your lord, but now what? If you desire forgiveness, you go to Allah, he will run towards you. He is more keen on forgiving you and than you are on being forgiven.

It's like the little amount of carbon in your body that tells you, breath fool. We think we dont need carbon, its the waste product of our breathing, we think that we just need oxygen and only oxygen. We need that carbon to continue with the process of life or else you might hyperventilate--you might keep breathing so fast that oxygen enters but you have no carbon-- just like that you need guilt in your life. Sins are a part of life, so long as we have the end product of that sin, guilt, we can refine it and continue the cycle of sin and repentance. But what about when there is no guilt to continue that, you end up in a state of spiritual hyperventilation; you know its wrong but dont feel regret.

Oh Sweet Guilt, Where art thou?

-The Muslim Kid-

87 Posts Later

Dear Blog,

First and foremost, thank you. You have helped me grow mentally, religiously and academically. It has been one year and one day now. I dont know where to begin, how much you have helped me in so many situations. Look at this first post. What foolish kid authored that post, he writes like an amateur!

Lets take a look how my life has changed because of you.

Recently, I got an editorial column on the school paper. Oh yea. 10 months, 10 columns of pure opinionated, bias writing. -tear- . The editors who awarded me this extremely awesome position as a columnist, they were geared towards giving it to me cause they know that I have a blog. Amazing... or Amazing? Thank you so much.

My grammar has dramatically improved! Ferreals, who wrote this super grammatically-incorrect post? I'm gonna need this good grammar for the SAT and ACT, so hopefully this will continue. Oh ya, props to journalism for making my grammar a lot better too.

My views on a lot of topics have changed! I feel like I understand the world more now, I understand people's mentality. It helps in practical situations so much, when you know how the other person is viewing the situation; put yourself in their shoes. So for all that, thank you.

But probably the most important thing I feel you have given to me is -drum roll- my readers. Seriously, the input I receive from my readers, its amazing. In fact, before I made you, I used to comment on other blogs. When I read this post, I was convinced I needed to make you; bloggers are genius's(or at least this one).

Seriously, I got to meet two sisters, both around my age, it was so cool. Ya ya, Brother Naeem is a genius, but Zainab and Saeeda, there like my age. Then I started reading so many of your friends (other blogs) that I decided I needed to store them in an organized manner, thus I began using Google Reader. Its been a revolution. Heck! You became such a big part of my life that I ended up getting a friend to make a you for herself! Even some other friends!

You have become a symbol of me. The other day at the Jamaah Club End of the year dinner (Article about it from my co-PR), some of the alumni knew me. Im standing accross from them getting food in line and there all talking with the seniors and the president introduces them to me. "He's the kid with the blog?!" I just smiled! Yup, thats me! It was pretty cool, I felt famous for a while.

Hmm, really, Ive grown so much with the time I've spent with you. Seriously, thank you. I look forward to a long healthy relationship.

Signed,
Your faithful Author.

[P.S. I'm thinking of naming my column, "Faique It!" Whachathink?]
Oh and I hope you guys noticed that the content is true but the personifcation of the blog, not so much. Lol

The Road Not Taken...[Part 1]

This should spur up some interesting debate.
Hope I dont recieve a lot of critisim for this though...

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Me: "Most of the older people I know are like smart intelligent people who also are pious,"
Friend[One of those people]: "Faique, that tells a lot about you, Mashallah your so blessed! May Allah(SWT) keep you in good company".
Me: "Yep, I guess I am pretty blessed in that respect".

I am. I am so blessed in the respect that I can name ten people I can refer to for any sort of conflict, people who are like at 20 years old and beyond, college students and grad students, all whom try their best to be the best Muslims they can be. The number one person who pops into mind is Hammad.

(Remember my mentor-ish friend dude?)

Hammad, he really inspires me in many respects. First of all his physical appearance is something I admire, 6ft tall (I wish I was that tall), Growing-Beard, wearing a thoub and a topi and glasses. You might think, what does appearance have to do with anything? It does. It’s important to keep yourself clean and presentable while following the Sunnah. I admire him just for that. Mashallah Hamad is trying to become a doctor. [So, So, So typical] and he's a good son too.

Those are all the good stuff that I think most of the people who strive to be good Muslims that I know--They all share those common characteristics.

Yet, I find them all lacking something; something I find essential. I'm sure I've written on this before, but seriously. They don't seem like people people. Its like fulfill their religious obligations and beyond yet fail to either meet basic duties to the people or match the commitment they put towards religion.

If you go to the sub-continent, you will find lots and lots of these people. There are people who go pray five times a day in the Masjid yet they walk out of the Masjid and they spit pan (tabaco) or
phlegm on the streets. They eat something and liter on the ground, they treat their wives bad, they treat their mothers bad, they treat thier children bad. Don't get me wrong! I know that going to the Masjid, that’s exactly what its suppose to cure, but this is a too often occurring scenario.

Another situation a bit more in perspective are the college students who go through a life changing experience, become better Muslims, and start praying. Yet if they disagree on something with their parents, they speak loud to their parents. They find themselves hanging only with the Muslim kids, almost a sense of separation from them and everyone else. They don’t feel the need to explain why they are doing what they are doing. Aka, they stop going to family parties because people ask why your wearing a Hijab/Niqab. This doesn’t make sense to me, its a huge disappoint for me, I believe strongly in those ideals, of being a good moral person aside from fulfilling religious duties.

So I asked Hamad the other day while we were going to the Masjid[See, he takes me to the Masjid, May Allah make him ever better]. I explained my scenario to him about how people often retreat so deep within themselves and focus on their relationship between them and Allah that they forget about those around them.

He said: "If someone truly tries to get closer to Allah(SWT), it will show. People will be able to tell, he is trying. It will show in the persons actions, he will go to the Masjid more and he will humble himself. People will be able to see it and that itself will attract people to you. We all live off the goodness in us. In trying to become close to Allah(SWT) you will get closer to the people automatically".

I agree, that’s the ideal case, yet it doesn’t happen very happen.

If it is Sunnah to eat on the floor yet your mother tells you not to, that is unsanitary. Should you? I for one, say no you shouldn't. In eating on the floor, your disobey your mother(under whose foot is heaven) to follow a simple Sunnah. If you had intended to eat on the floor yet listened to your mother, I’m sure that, that is more pleasing to Allah(SWT).

If you just had a child a year ago and your parents(the child's grandparents) tell you to hold a Birthday party and give out sweets to everyone you know, yet you think it is a little to extravagant Islamically and Birthday's are Bidaah; so you refuse. See, these people are all trying their best to be good Muslims yet they are failing at their other duties. I think that in this case, it would completely permissible. Yet, I've seen this scenario over and over.

Not just your parents or family but random people. Whenever I walk/talk, I try my best to be on good polite manners[Western ethics so long as they don’t conflict with Islamic values; nothing wrong with saying Thank you and Your Welcome and holding the door, right?]. I look pretty sub-continental, people assume I am of them the 'Mozlems', they think positively of me. This is Dawah to me, it works too! Imagine this, your a female wearing a niqab, your in an elevator with a man. He looks at you strangely thinking your oppressed and then asks you, "Does your husband or father force you to wear this?" . The lady is just annoyed and does respond or if she does she just answers, "no.". To me, that is calling for an explanation, to laugh and say, "That’s a really silly stereotype".

I think you guys are getting my point. But! Don't get me wrong, I have sincere love and respect for those people who try so hard to be good Muslims. Its not an easy task to grow a beard or wear a niqab, to look down when a female walks by, to take time away from class and pray. I have so much love for these people; they presence reminds us of our duties!

I don’t know since when but I've come to seriously look people very uncritically, who am I to look at anyone critically but at myself? It makes it easier to love anyone, any human being. Look at their good and not their bad.

This leads me to the second type of people I know. People like my Sunday school vice principals; there's 2. First, Kazim, he's an excellent person. He prays his prayer, he does what is required of him, yet you know he talks to people openly, he is very tolerant, he thinks music is permissible under certain context, that there is nothing wrong with eating Halal even when Zabiha is available; it’s just stupid but not wrong. I find myself concurring with him on so many topics.

Second, Omer, he's also a very good person. He is one of those people who try very hard to please people. He helps people, he spends his days doing favors, "Omer, can you do this and that?". I commend him for being an excellent moral person yet I find him completely lacking religiously, yet I still love him as a human; I refuse to look down upon him as others often may.

When people like Omer, they are such good moral people yet not as religious; what do you think of them? To me there good people who if they fulfill their religious obligations, think about it, they would surpass those who currently fulfill their obligations yet don’t do the other stuff that is also required (i.e. being a good person in terms of the Duniya). Hmm, I can say, for myself at least, that I DO these good things for the right intentions. I think most people do these good helpful deeds for the sake of Allah, for that 'feeling' you get when you do something good for someone.

In general, I want to know what you think, but this is what I think. There all permissible. We need all of these types of people in the world. We need people like Hamad, Omer, and Kazim! My belief is that as long as you keep trying and have good intentions, that you’re doing it for the sake of Allah (SWT), you are fine. So long as you DON'T not fulfill your religious obligations, and try to be a good person; you’re good to go.

....To be continued....

-The Muslim Kid-

R.I.P Joe Boshardy.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un
Verily we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return. (Quran 2:156)

Joe Boshardy was a good man. He was a father, a son, a husband, a friend and a leader. He was my Scoutmaster. He passed away Tuesday night May 19th, 2009. He was probably around age 55.

It was Wednesday, lunch period, just got my lunch going to take a seat. Seth comes up to me. I try to dodge him, thinking he's coming over to steal a fry. He comes up to me and looks me straight in the eye. "Joe Boshardy is dead". I'm laughing at first at something else until I hear his words. I look at him like wth, are you mad, do you know what you’re saying? I confirm what he just said and he nods and walks away to his class.

Joe died the night before, he had been sick for a week with pneumonia in the hospital. It made sense, last week when I called Debbie (Joe's Wife around age 50 probably), she told me Joe was sick and that they would not be at the scout meeting. Instead some other leaders were going to substitute for Joe.

Last summer, my maternal grandma died. I remember watching TV, just all the cousins at the house, all the adults gone. The phone rings, the older cousins rush us upstairs. The adults come in, including my mom and her sisters weeping like maniacs. I stood there emotionless. I had no idea what my mom was feeling, what people in the house who knew my grandma, who had any sort of relationship with her beyond a physical blood lineage.

So now, a lot of people might say, He was just some guy in your life who happen to hold a tad bit more meaning then one of your everyday western school teachers or someone who lives in your building you might see everyone once in a while. On the contrary, Joe was an amazing person.

There are people in the world who look out for themselves, those who look out for their families, and those who look out for anyone they might know even in the least; Joe was neither of those. He was the type of person who looks out for people he doesn't even know. He was a definite leader in the community, very humble and very nice.

I first joined Boy Scouts back in 2005, barely 11 years old. I wasn't stupid just less open and more inward. As I went to Boy Scouts meets, every Wednesday, things began to change. I remember walking in to the place where we hold meetings, and everytime Jo would be sitting there across the room at a table with his paper.

"Hi Faique" He would say.
"Oh Hey Joe" I would say. Everytime I went, that oh hey, got more and more strong. It was like I was growing and my confidence was reflected in those words.
"How are you doing today?"
"I’m good, I’m good. You?"
"I’m doing well"

Most of my Scout leaders are impressed by my manners. It’s as simple as talking with respect, something the other kids, being products of western families/society, don’t know much about. [Not saying their rude but I'm just more polite] So basically, at first I talked to these people like I was scared to them speaking quietly. But as time grew, as I walked into the room greeting Jo. I became more comfortable with not just Jo and my troop, but with People.

Boy Scouts, has enabled me to have fun and experience things that I might have never done in a million lifetimes but more importantly it has given me the opportunity to grow. I hold Joe majorly responsible for this. Through his continued support and constant bickering about "getting my work done" have I been able to grow and see myself nurture.

Our troop isn’t the Boy Scouts troop you see portrayed in media, whether is Boy Scouts being geeks, or Boy Scouts being very excellent athletic boys. Our troop is filled with a bunch of real people. We start fooling around and after a while Joe'll be like, "Cut it out" in a semi angry voice. I really don’t even remember Joe and Debbie yelling at us, ever; yet they had so many perfect chances. Like the time Seth threw a snowball and broke the window, like the time Justin and another new scout fell off their canoe because they were being stupid.

Another aspect of this sad event is Debbie. Debbie is the sweetest nicest woman ever. She really is. I can easily call her a role model for almost everyone I know. If only there were more Debbie's in the world... I wonder what Debbie will be going through. At least she has a son, Mikeey, who is like 20 and Mashallah he seems like a very smart, strong kid. His parents have raised him well.

Now, I have something to write about in all those emotional essays about someone who has changed my life. Joe has changed my life; he has made me who I am. For those who don't know me, if you meet me in reality, I’m very talkative, easy-going and social. I have my way with people; I contribute all that to Joe and my Boy Scout experience. If I make it anywhere in life, Joe will be one of the reasons. To honor Joe, to "offer my dues and respect" I promise myself to become an Eagle Scout. I’m sure Joe would want that of me.

One last thing about Joe and Debbie. You know you meet people who you tell something to and they think, "Oh I should do that", basically your relationship becomes a "you use me, I use you" that’s exactly what my relationship with Debbie and Joe is NOT. Joe and Debbie, why I love them so much and have so much respect for them, its because they are the type of people I can go up to and be like, "Debbie, so I got into this Law Camp program!"

"Oh that’s great Faique! Good job!" I don’t need to worry about Nazr or being too prideful. I come here and I leave feeling great, I really feel like they care for me. I hope all becomes better. Joe, I don’t think you can be forgotten, you have left a huge impact on so many of us.

As we left his your funeral today, me and another scout walked out saying, "Boy Scouts will never be the same."

Indeed, Boy Scouts will never be the same.
Take Care Joe, May Allah grant you Jannat-ul-Firdaws.