On February 8th, Muslims from over a dozen ethnicities marched to commemorate the 40th day after the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him).  Although the protest took place in Dearborn Michigan, many of the marchers were from Canada, Ohio, New York and other regions and traveled to join their brothers and sisters in commemorating the legacy and upholding the banner of Imam Hussain and humanity.

The key point that the TMA ensured was to propagate the message of Imam Hussain as a universal one. They referred to him as the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny); they spoke of Yazid as a tyrant by all standards; they spoke of the Imam's refusal to pledge allegiance as a way of standing up against injustice; most importantly, they spoke of the utter peaceful nature of Imam Hussain's stance.

Seventeen-year-old Abbas got the opportunity to represent a wide range of communities when he marched down the street that day, with a tall torch in hand. Not only did he shine as a representative of his religious community, his cultural community, his school, and his family – but he was also a representative for individuals who live with Down syndrome (DS).

Two doctors (the only two allowed into the region during the entire operation) from NORWAC (Norwegian Aid Committee) were able to enter the Gaza Strip: Dr. Mads Gilbert and Dr. Erik Fosse, who have recently co-authored a book Eyes in Gaza, soon to be published in English.

One of the areas that always need mending, improvement, and nourishment is how we relate to our sisters in the community. Somewhere in the body of sisterhood there is coughing and sniffing; sometimes fevers run high and sometimes there are chills. And so, in the darker months of the year, let us turn our attention to the ailments that we can remedy. There are many points of interest among women: one of these is how differently we behave in a friendship than men.

Br. Zaheer is an urban planner who currently lives in the Middle East. While living in Toronto, he ran youth classes at one of the Islamic schools, started a Canadian youth umbrella organization called Muslim Youth Association, and served on the Tabligh Committee of the mosque. Now in Dubai, he is still involved in youth and interfaith activities and works with the non-profit Najaf Campaign,  which in conjunction with Ayatollah Basheer Najafi's office in Najaf provides an extensive range of philanthropic services in Iraq.

We still prayed our evening prayers, we still did our supplication, we went home, and came back the next day for Friday prayers – nobody can stop us from praying or doing our usual programs. If not in this building, it would be unfortunate, but we would just have to set up shop elsewhere.

Chewing the betel leaf and seeds can have hypertensive effects, because they contain chemicals which cause the arteries to constrict. They may also contain tobacco, which adds to the effects of nicotine damage and greater addiction.

French Parliament member Valerie Boyer has proposed that artificially altered physical appearances of people should be stamped with a disclaimer such as: "This photograph has been retouched to change the physical appearance of the person." Boyer has argued that violators be slammed with a 37,500-euro fine (or 50% of the cost of the advertisement) and possibly even jail time.

We see many people active in these awareness programs. Churches hold fundraisers, or just simple health forums in order to inform their communities about such health issues. Marathons are organized in order to donate for causes such as research. But it seems due to the "cultural taboo", or call it what you will, we do not see many of our Muslim folk getting involved or starting our own awareness programs in our communities. How about getting a small crowd to join a marathon that is already taking place?