Shabbaz Muhammad is only 16 years old, and he will only be a junior in high school this fall. But he has already met and spoken with some of the premier college basketball coaches in the country. That is because he is rated as the 4th best high school boys basketball prospect in all of the class of 2012 by Rivals.com. They also have him rated as the top shooting guard coming out that year. So, as you can imagine, that makes Shabazz a very popular young man. He has basketball scholarship offers already from no less than 14 schools, including such national powers as North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, Texas, and UCLA.
Scout.com describes Muhammad as a “…very talented lefty with a versatile game. Can score in a variety of ways and a very good athlete. Potential elite prospect in the class of 2012.†So how will he decide from so many good offers for his services? “I think it’s definitely the coach and the style of play,†Shabazz told Scout.com. “The relationship I have with the coaches. Talking with the coaches on the phone has been a great experience and I’m looking to have a really good relationship with the coach.â€
But for now Shabazz is just a high school student. And his coach at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas knows that he has someone special in Muhammad. “We could tell pretty early on that he was going to be a special talent,†Gorman coach Grant Rice told the Las Vegas Sun. “There’s guys that have ‘it’ — that ‘it’ factor. He’s got it. He definitely does.â€
Athletic prowess seems to come second nature throughout Shabazz’s family. His father, Ron Holmes, scored over 1200 points in a four-year career at the University of Southern California from 1981-85. Shabazz’s older sister, Asia, is a budding professional tennis player. And his younger brother Rashad, a rising sophomore at Gorman High, already is 6 feet 4 inches and already has basketball scholarship offers of his own.
While Muhammad may have stars in his eyes dreaming about college basketball and beyond, he’s working hard in the here and now, plugging away during the summer, honing his skills both on his own and at various all-star camps. All that while the average high school kid is trolling the mall during the heart of the summer. Muhammad truly seems wise beyond his years as he tackles this whole process. “I’ve just got to take it in stride and take it slow,†he told the Las Vegas Sun. “I’ve pretty much prepared for it.â€
Hamed Haddadi is an Iranian professional basketball player with the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association, and he is the first Iranian to play in the NBA. At 7 feet 2 inches and 280 lbs, he certainly attracts attention. And he first made a big splash by leading the Iranian junior team to the silver medal at the 2002 Asian U18 Championship. They subsequently took home the gold medal at the 2004 Asian U20 Championships. He also went on to win gold medals at the 2004 and 2005 West Asian Championships with the main Iranian national basketball team. Haddadi really took off from there, taking his country to bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games and then the gold medal at both the 2007 FIBA Asian Championships and the 2009 FIBA Asian Championships. He was named the Most Valuable Player of both of those Asian Championships. The icing on the cake of his amateur career came in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he dominated, leading the tournament in blocked shots per game and rebounds per game.
Haddadi’s professional career began with Paykan and Saba Battery in the Iranian Basketball Super League, and in 2008 he led his team to the Asian Club Championship. He finally moved to the big stage, the NBA, on August 28, 2008, when signed with the NBA’s Grizzlies as a free-agent. While the Grizzlies have assigned him to the Dakota Wizards for periods of time for seasoning, Haddadi has shown glimpses of his potential with the big club.
Haddadi has maintained a sense of community. In September of 2009 he hosted a weekend basketball camp for kids in Los Angeles that also included Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest. The camp attracted over 120 kids and was the first sports camp ever held in this country by an Iranian athlete. . He also started the Hamed Haddadi Javanan Foundation, a charity organization formed with the intention of awarding college scholarships to student athletes across the nation. And in a game against the Sacramento Kings this past season he symbolically shook hands with Omri Casspi, the first Israeli basketball player in the NBA.
Haddadi and the Iranian national team recently competed in the 2010 Stankovic Continental Champions’ Cup in China. The tournament took place in Liuzhou, China from July 28 to August 1 with teams from China, Iran, Australia and Slovenia. It was a disappointing finish for the Iranians however, as they finished 0-3 and in last place. The tournament was a preparatory tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championships which will be hosted by Turkey from August 28 to September 12.
TMO Editor’s note: the following is an interview of Faizan Mumtaz by Siddiq Ather of The Muslim Observer’s new youtube site.
Siddiq: Asalam alaikum, this is Siddiq, from The Muslim Observer. I’m here with Brother Faizan Mumtaz, the secretary general of Young Muslims National (YM). Now, my first question is what exactly is “YM�
Faizan: Well, Siddiq, Young Muslims is basically a national, not for profit, youth organization, that is dedicated to inspiring, educating, empowering, and developing the youth in becoming the future.
Siddiq: As far as I know, from my community at least, Young Muslims conducts a few neighbornets, I believe that’s what you call them, neighbornets? They seem to be youth halaqas, which are regular, can you expand on what a neighbornet is exactly.
Faizan: Definitely, so young muslims has a national network of neighbornets throughout the country: in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and even one recently in Alaska, alhamdulila. Basically, a neighbornet is a fancy word for youth group. It’s just a network of neighbors, kids from the ages of fourteen to twenty-five, who get together on a weekly basis in order to have discussions based on Quran and Sunnah, to further understand their religion, as well as, have some fun, and form bonds of brotherhood, that will last, inshala, their entire lives.
Siddiq: Now, we already have masjids around in different communities. Why do you think it is necessary to have a neighbornet or a youth halaqa of some sort. Isn’t a masjid enough?
Faizan: Well, if you look across the country right now, there are masjids, Alhamdulilah, all across the U.S., big and small, in every state, every corner you can think of, yet, the youth are still suffering. If you look around the youth are struggling with issues in dating, drugs, music, just being able to live their lives as muslims, identity crisis, these are all issues that plague muslim youth. And, it stands to show that just having a masjid is not sufficient. You need to have a consistent weekly forum for the youth to get together, on a weekly basis, in order for them to empower themselves, and revive the love of islam, and the proper understanding of Islam in their hearts.
Siddiq: So, maybe, if there is someone watching who wants to start a neighbornet, or wants to start a more regular type youth halaqa in their community, what are some easy steps they can follow to start a neighbornet?
Faizan: Well, like I said Young Muslims (YM) is really unique in its efforts, and in its vast reach throughout the U.S., so we get calls every month, every week almost, asking our national expansion team to come down to their masjid; to either, A, start a new youth group from scratch, or B, help an existing youth group that has been going through various issues, and so in order for a masjid or islamic center to get involved with Young Muslims, or start a youth group in their area.
It’s as simple as going to our website, ymsite.com, and contacting us, sending us an e-mail, info@ymsite.com. And asking us, telling us about their situation, and whatever resources we have we will be more than happy to give up, inshala.
Siddiq: You mentioned resources. What do you mean by that? Do you mean people? Do you mean pamphlets?
Faizan: Well, everything, when Young Muslims commits their selves to a masjid or Islamic center to help a youth group, we commit everything. Young Muslims is the only national youth organization that has a full time employee that actually goes around the country, week by week, starting and establishing youth groups and maintaining them throughout the country. So we have a full time employee available, that’s a big resource: funding is a big resource, scholars are a big resource, and books. We have something called the “PDPâ€, which is a personal development plan, developed with a scholar from Madinah Unversity as well as Azhar University. And what it is, is a step by step way to implement this PDP into your youth group, so you can have yearly goals and improve the standard of the youth in that area, or that community.
Siddiq: Jazakallhu Khairun, brother Faizan,
Faizan: Wayyakum
Siddiq: Can you repeat really quickly, how, if someone wanted to contact Young Muslims.
Faizan: Definitely, all they have to do is go to www.ymsite.com, or e-mail us at info@ymsite.com
Siddiq: All right Jazakallhu khairun (audience), this is brother Faizan Mumtaz, and Siddiq Ather from the Muslim Observer.
NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: Despite the military and police on patrol in Srinagar, the Jammu & Kashmir Government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has failed to control unrest and chaos in the Valley. Within less than four days, from July 30 to August 2, at least 20 civilians were killed in police firing agitating the ordinary people further. Defying the curfew, they took to streets protesting against loss of Kashmiri lives to state-controlled bullets. Alarmed at the unrest in Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh convened a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to take stock of the situation (August 1). This was the second meeting of CCS in less than a month on tension in Kashmir. The CCS had earlier met on July 7.
During the July 7 meeting, the CCS had favored “maximum crackdown†on miscreants who had contributed to deterioration of the current situation in the Valley. The CCS in its August 1 meeting discussed the proposal received from Chief Minister Abdullah for a dialogue with people representing different shades of opinion. The CCS members also took note of intelligence agencies’ report that majority of Kashmiri protestors were former militants and at present unemployed. Among those who attended the CCS meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Singh were Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defense Minister A.K. Antony and senior bureaucrats from various ministries.
Meanwhile, the Congress party sounded warning signals for the J&K government. The Congress at present supports National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah’s government. The party is upset at his government’s “handling of the situation†and has criticized him for having “failed†to check the continuing violence. The state administration has also “failed in containing influence of separatists whose writ runs large†across the Valley, according to a senior Congress leader. Describing this as a “matter of serious concern,†he said, “The separatists are calling the shots. They are virtually running a parallel administration.â€
It would, however, be erroneous to assume that all Kashmiris have taken to streets in response to call of separatists. They have a definite reason to be agitated if unarmed people of their region are shot at for no fault of theirs. For them living in curfew-clamped areas, despite their being innocent and not linked with militants, is equivalent to their own houses serving as prisons for them. Considering that such tension has prevailed for several weeks, Kashmiris cannot be expected to accept such a situation beyond a certain degree and phase of time. Since June, more than 35 Kashmiris, either in their teens or early 20s, have died in police firing while protesting.
Ironically, while J&K Chief Minister has tried giving the impression that he understands “anger†in Kashmiri youth, he also has indirectly accepted that his government has not been able to perform as expected. While appealing for peace, he said: “I know the youth of the Valley is angry…it sees no hope…no light in this darkness. I want to lead them…show them light but only if my government gets a chance to work.†(August 1)
Omar asked the people to cooperate with him in restoring calm in J&K. “There are people in the Valley who want the cycle of deaths and killings to continue…I don’t want them to win. I want your cooperation to defeat these elements who are using the blood of the youth for their political interests,†he said. Omar expressed his willingness to take “10 steps†forward if only the people took “one step†and helped in ending tension. He assured the youth that the state government would soon start a massive recruitment drive.
Earlier, Omar announced formation of three ministerial teams for Baramulla, Anantnag and Pulwama districts, which will work with citizen groups for speedy restoration of peace.
The gravity of the situation was further highlighted with J&K Chief Minister rushing to Delhi, where he discussed the issue with Prime Minister Singh, Home Minister and other members of CCS, following which he addressed a press conference (August 2). A political solution by taking measures was “possible if both center and state are able to restore normalcy,†Omar said. While evading from naming any particular group as responsible for the chaos, he said: “There are a number of elements fishing in trouble waters. It is largely leaderless. As Chief Minister, it is not possible for me to suggest as to who is directing these protests.†He said that he had requested the center for deploying additional forces to check the increasing cycle of protests, violence and firing. At the same time, he accepted that forces were stretched in the state. Omar emphasized: “People should stop taking law into their hands and attacking police stations and government buildings. Consequences of such action are often serious and tragic. I have been appealing to people to stop this lawlessness.â€
Tension in the Valley has certainly given separatist leaders sufficient reason to issue their statements. Syed Ali Geelani, senior detained Hurriyat leader has condemned the killing of peaceful protestors in “indiscriminate firing†of Indian police. He described it as the “worst kind of Indian state terrorism.†He appealed to Organization of Islamic Conference to hold an urgent meeting on the worsening situation and take steps to “stop genocide of Kashmiris by Indian forces.â€
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper. Species that change colour and behaviour at high population densities are calledlocusts.
Grasshoppers haveantennae that are almost always shorter than the body (sometimes filamentous), and shortovipositors. They also have pinchers ormandibles that cut and tear off food.[1] Those species that make easily heard noises usually do so by rubbing the hind femurs against the forewings or abdomen (stridulation), or by snapping the wings in flight. Tympana, if present, are on the sides of the first abdominal segment. The hind femora are typically long and strong, fitted for leaping. Generally they are winged, but hind wings are membranous while front wings (tegmina) are coriaceous and not fit for flight. Females are normally larger than males, with short ovipositors. Males have a single unpaired plate at the end of the abdomen. Females have two pairs of valves ( triangles) at the end of the abdomen used to dig in sand when egg laying.
They are easily confused with the other sub-order of Orthoptera, Ensifera, but are different in many aspects, such as the number of segments in their antennae and structure of the ovipositor, as well as the location of the tympana and modes of sound production. Ensiferans have antennae with at least 20-24 segments, and caeliferans have fewer. In evolutionary terms, the split between the Caelifera and the Ensifera is no more recent than the Permo-Triassic boundary (Zeuner 1939).
The digestive system of insects includes a foregut (stomodaeum, the mouth region), a midgut (mesenteron), and a hindgut (proctodaeum, the anal region). The mouth leads to the muscular pharynx, and through the esophagus to the crop. This leads to the malpighian tubules. These are the chief excretion organs. The hindgut includes intestine parts (including the ileum and rectum), and exits through the anus. Most food is handled in the midgut, but some food residue as well as waste products from the malpighian tubules are managed in the hindgut. These waste products consist mainly of uric acid, urea and amino acids, and are normally converted into dry pellets before being disposed of.
The salivary glands and midgut secrete digestive enzymes. The midgut secretes protease, lipase, amylase, andinvertase, among other enzymes. The particular ones secreted vary with the different diets of grasshoppers.
TORONTO–Romana Mirza, president and founder of brand consultancy Studio Pinpointâ„¢, is one of seven Finalists and the only Canadian chosen for the 2010 International Femtor® Award presented by eWomenNetworkâ„¢, an international businesswomen’s organization.
This international award recognizes and honours businesswomen who consistently mentor, network and generally help other entrepreneurs to succeed. Mirza, founder and president of brand consultancy Studio Pinpointâ„¢ , is one of seven Finalists for the 2010 Business Matchmaker Award as chosen from over 200 applicants. She is the only Canadian and Muslim on the list.
An engaging entrepreneur, Mirza is known for her integrity-based, results-driven approach and draws from more than 20 years of marketing expertise to cleverly demystify brands and build business strategies helping businesses accelerate growth and increase profits. In addition her personal passion is networking.
“Being a Finalist is a huge validation for my work as a brand strategist,†says Mirza. “I’ve found that it’s only possible to really help someone when you really know what they’re about, only then can you make a real and honest connection. People regularly tell me that when I make introductions I really ‘get’ what they’re looking for. That I understand the type of person or company that would be a right ‘fit’. I’m a huge believer in knowing who you are. My consultancy, Studio Pinpoint, helps companies understand their true unique selves. Once you present yourself in a genuine way you build trust with your customers and that breeds success for your company. I guess I’ve been breeding success in the connections that I’ve made over the years because it’s what I look for – that authentic connection.â€
“Romana has heart, personality and tenacity for helping others,†adds Karen Hung, Chief Marketing Officer, Direct Supply, a privately-held Long Term Care company. “In fact, her entire mindset and business model is about impacting others. On a Toronto community level, she created significant networking events to help others connect, find professional connections and career opportunities. Her relentless drive towards this calling has been felt by so many who have attended. I remember her inaugural networking event. She sponsored the entire event out-of-pocket when she was just a start-up entrepreneur. Further, she was very creative about how to share business cards, creating a business card table so dynamically; it was more productive and less threatening to exchange cards. She has sponsored and organized subsequent events that have grown tremendously. Her events, for the sole purpose of helping others connect, have had very strong turnouts, grown in attendance, been very vibrant and had very high interactive and dynamic energy.â€
A born Canadian, Mirza has her roots in Hyderabad and comes from an illustrious family. She is the great-grand daughter of the legendary Prime Minister Maharaja Kishen Pershad.
Protestors target Islamic Center of Temecula
LOS ANGELES, CA–Protestors demonstrated outside an Islamic cultural center in Temecula last week. The protestors are trying to block the planned construction of new Islamic mosque and cultural center near a local Baptist church.
The demonstration purposely coincided with afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley. Organizers are a fringe conservative group called Concerned Community Citizens. It encouraged protestors to show up with “guns, bibles and dogs.†No one brought the dogs or guns but many carried anti-Islamic signs.
The 12-year-old Islamic Center plans to build a new 24,000 square foot mosque and cultural center on vacant land about seven miles from its current home. Opponents also cite worries over the mosque’s size, and potential environmental impact.
But Islamic Center chairman Hadi Nael says those issues were already addressed. He said center is paying an additional $10,000 for a traffic impact study.
“We have the support of, and are working closely with, the city,†says Nael.
The mosque will also sit near Calvary Baptist Church. Its pastor Bill Rench publicly opposes the mosque.
“Wherever Islam is dominant, we see very different conditions, and we find widespread persecution against Christians,†says Rench in an open letter to parishioners. “We certainly find ample cause to oppose the spread of Islam. There are certainly plenty of people who oppose any spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In America, we still have (that) freedom. Islamic law does not provide that blessed freedom.â€
Islamic Center chairman Hadi Nael says people’s fears are completely unfounded. He says Islamic Center officials have tried to reach out to Rench to help smooth out any misunderstandings, but those efforts have so far been unsuccessful.
“They have the right to express their opinion. Apparently they are not well informed about Islam and we have the right to practice our own religion,†said Nael, standing outside the Islamic Center.
Despite the frequently confrontational protest outside, the Islamic center’s afternoon prayers went on as planned. In a show of support, the Center’s worshippers were joined by several dozen Christian members of the Interfaith Council of the Temecula Valley.
The Islamic Center hopes to have its new mosque built by the end of next year.
Utah Islamic Center raises $100,00 for new mosque
SOUTH JORDAN, UT–The Utah Islamic Center moved one step closer last month to raising money needed to build a new mosque and school in south Salt Lake Valley, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
A fundraising dinner and auction held recently netted about $100,000, bringing the total raised to more than $300,000, said Nadeem Ahmed, chairman of the board of Utah Islamic Center in Salt Lake City. While the group estimates it will need $600,000 to $900,000 just for the land to build a new facility, Ahmed said organizers are pleased they are a third to halfway toward that goal.
An estimated 25,000 Muslims live in Utah, mainly along the Wasatch Front, according to the Utah Islamic Center.
The center rents 6,000 square feet of space to worship, in a strip mall at 9000 South and 225 West in Sandy, which opened in 2007 to serve the growing Muslim population in the south valley. The group wants to buy land and build somewhere in the Sandy area.
“We want to build something that hasn’t been done before in Utah,†Ahmed said. In addition to a mosque, organizers envision a full-time elementary school, not just the Sunday school that’s offered now. He said organizers also want to build an interfaith meeting hall next to the mosque that could serve multiple groups and religions.
“It’s important to us to have a facility that would be open to all religions,†said Imam Shuaib-Ud Din, of the Utah Islamic Center.
American Halal & Halalfire Sign Marketing Agreement
AUSTIN, TX–American Halal, Inc., a Stamford, CT-based Halal food producer, and Halalfire, a media and consulting firm based in Austin, TX, and London, England, have signed an agreement for Halalfire to provide marketing data, research, and promotion for American Halal’s new line of ready-to-eat meals, expected to launch in major American retail chains throughout North America by late 2010. American Halal’s products are certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).
Halalfire plans to leverage a decade of interactivity with the members and aggregated data on zabihah.com. In addition, Halalfire’s iPhone apps, downloaded over 30,000 times to date, will provide unique insight on the location and frequency of demand for Halal food. Halalfire will also distribute mobile coupons for American Halal products and create promotions tailored to Muslim American consumers.
“This is the type of thing that many people have dreamed about but have never actually done,†says Halalfire’s Shahed Amanullah. “We’re excited to use our exclusive relationships with millions of American Muslim consumers to spread the news about American Halal’s new Saffron Road Halal products, as well as employ a decade of unique consumer data to position Saffron Road as effectively as possible.â€
“The decision to have Halalfire help with this crucial product launch was a no-brainer,†adds Adnan Durrani, an organic food pioneer and Chief Halal Officer of American Halal. “The hard market data and access to American Muslim consumers that Halalfire provides to us can’t be found anywhere else, at any price.â€
