Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf – Divorce in Islam
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SOMALI CULTURE AND HEALTH/DISABILITY PERCEPTIONS
When it Comes to Choosing a Mate - Opposites Really Do Attract
When it comes to choosing a mate, opposites really do attract, according to a Brazilian study that found people are subconsciously more likely to choose a partner whose genetic make-up is different to their own.
They found evidence that married couples are more likely to have genetic differences in a DNA region governing the immune system than were randomly matched pairs.
This was likely to be an evolutionary strategy to ensure healthy reproduction because genetic variability is an advantage for offspring, Maria da Graca Bicalho and her colleagues at the University of Parana in Brazil reported.
"Although it may be tempting to think that humans choose their partners because of their similarities, our research has shown clearly that it is differences that make for successful reproduction, and that the subconscious drive to have healthy children is important when choosing a mate," Bicalho said in a statement.
Scientists said it was not clear what signals attract the body to people who are genetically dissimilar to themselves, but suggested body odor or even face structure could play a role.
Many researchers have found evidence than animals are attracted to members of the opposite sex with differences in major histocompatibility complex or MHC, an immune system factor that also plays a role in having healthy offspring
Bicalho, who will present her findings at a conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Vienna on Monday, said the team compared genetic data from 90 married couples with data from 152 randomly generated control couples.
They found the real couples had significantly more dissimilarities in MHC.
"Parents with dissimilar (genetic regions) could provide their offspring with a better chance to ward infections off because their immune system genes are more diverse," they wrote in a summary prepared for the meeting.
"If MHC genes did not influence mate selection we would have expected to see similar results from both sets of couples. But we found that the real partners had significantly more MHC dissimilarities than we could have expected to find simply by chance," Bicalho said.
"Our research has shown clearly that it is differences that make for successful reproduction, and that the subconscious drive to have healthy children is important when choosing a mate," she added.
Previous studies have suggested animals may use body odor as a guide to identify possible mates as being genetically similar or dissimilar, she added, but other physical factors may also be involved.
"Other cues such as face symmetry might play a role as well, but they are still in the field of speculation," she said.
Source: foxnews
Tuna and other Pacific fish has 30% more toxic mercury than in 1990 and will grow 50% more contaminated by 2050.
Your Tuna Is Getting More Toxic Federal study:
Read: MoreToxic
Smoking triggers more stress: Survey
Canadians hoping to blow off economic anxiety with cigarettes could get burned, according to new research linking smoking with significantly higher-than-normal stress levels.
Drawing on data from 2,250 adults, Pew Research — a non-partisan American think-tank — found half (50 per cent) of all smokers claim to experience frequent stress in their lives, compared with just 35 per cent of ex-smokers and 31 per cent of non-smokers. Even controlling for basic demographic traits such as sex, age, education, income and parental status, the researchers say current smokers are still significantly more likely than non-smokers and quitters to have self-reported stress.
With a survey showing a quarter of smokers worried about the recession are smoking more, and another 13 per cent are delaying quitting for the same reason, experts say the new report reflects an urgent need to debunk the "mythic relaxation response" of cigarettes
Drawing on data from 2,250 adults, Pew Research — a non-partisan American think-tank — found half (50 per cent) of all smokers claim to experience frequent stress in their lives, compared with just 35 per cent of ex-smokers and 31 per cent of non-smokers. Even controlling for basic demographic traits such as sex, age, education, income and parental status, the researchers say current smokers are still significantly more likely than non-smokers and quitters to have self-reported stress.
With a survey showing a quarter of smokers worried about the recession are smoking more, and another 13 per cent are delaying quitting for the same reason, experts say the new report reflects an urgent need to debunk the "mythic relaxation response" of cigarettes.
"Many smokers perceive smoking as a way to calm stress, when, in fact, what they're doing is satisfying nicotine cravings and withdrawal," says Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society. "In many respects, smoking — or the delay in having a cigarette — is the cause of stress."
Cunningham believes Pew's report supports the need for more educational messages about the link between stress and tobacco use. At the same time, he's not convinced the deepening economic turmoil will necessarily increase smoking rates in Canada, which have remained flat (roughly one in five people) since 2005.
"Clearly, a recession is bad news for Canada," says Cunningham. "But less disposable income may be a motivator to quit, or not start."
But Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress, says she's concerned the recession will cause people to "revert to old bad habits of self-soothing," including the use of tobacco products.
"There's insufficient publicized information about the stress smoking causes, as opposed to the mythic relaxation response it induces," says Mandel, citing such pop-culture imagery as smoking after sex.
The Pew report draws on data from a nationally representative U.S. poll in mid-2008, when economic anxiety was still months from peaking. It leaves open the question whether stress is a byproduct of using cigarettes or if smokers are predisposed to anxiety.
"(Smokers) tend to be lower on the classic socio-economic scales, and some of that correlates with stress," says Paul Taylor, director of Pew Social & Demographic Trends. "But we did a regression analysis that tried to hold those factors constant, and we still found an independent relationship between smoking and reports of being stressed."
Vince Harden, a smoker for nearly 40 years, is skeptical of the findings and points to the fact that tobacco rations were given to soldiers during the Second World War as an aid to relaxation. If his stress is any higher than the non-smoking population, the Winnipeg man says, it's not because of cigarettes, but rather the "anti-tobacco people" crusading against their use.
"Smokers were doing just fine before everyone started bashing us," says Harden, 55.
According to the Pew report, about a quarter of smokers consider themselves "very happy," compared with more than a third of quitters and nearly four in 10 non-smokers. When asked about family life, smokers were also less likely to report being "very satisfied:" about six in 10, compared with seven in 10 non-smokers and quitters.
Health Canada declined to comment on the report. The data, collected by Princeton Survey Research International for Pew Research, is considered accurate within 2.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Source: canada.com
By Misty Harris, Canwest News Service
mharris@canwest.com
http://www.islamic-invitation.com
The Meaning of Islam by Shiekh Yusuf Estes
http://www.islamic-invitation.com
Liveleak BANOODA
This is important and you must know who is this....click the link below, when the doc opens click F5.
WHO IS THIS?
Think before you snip
First things first. I like circumcised men. They smell and taste better, and have longer erections. Circumcision is cleaner and protects from some nasty infections. I also like uncircumcised men. Each to his own.
There. Done. Nobody can accuse me of having an anti-circumcision agenda. Let's move on into this unfolding juggernaut, this mounting hype about snipping foreskins to prevent Aids -- in United Nations/NGO jargon-speak, the roll-out and scaling-up of mass male circumcision programmes across Africa.
Last year I attended a colloquium on male circumcision at the perinatal HIV research unit at Johannesburg's Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. More than a debate, it was a barrage of propaganda. The zeal was missionary and seemed to be led by desperation: if nothing else works, maybe this will.
Think before you snip
30+ Useful Websites You Probably Didn't Know About
HolocostbyIsrael.pps-Click F5 & click to advance slides
Noise and Hearing Loss
Noise is difficult to define!
People who study acoustics define noise as complex sound waves that are aperiodic, in other words, sound waves with irregular vibrations and no definite pitch.
In engineering, noise is defined as a signal that interferes with the detection of or quality of another signal.
The combined disciplines of psychology and acoustics (psychoacoustics) study the response of humans to sound. They define noise as unwanted sound.
Is music noise? Is the hum of tires on a highway noise? Is the surround-sound movie theater noise? Is the philharmonic concert noise? And what about the accompanying beat for aerobic exercises at the health club? Sounds that are soothing for some are irritating to others.
An expert on noise, K.D. Kryter (1996) in his text, Handbook of Hearing and the Effects of Noise, (New York Academic Press) defined noise as "acoustic signals which can negatively affect the physiological or psychological well-being of an individual."
Basically, noise is unwanted sound. It is a pollutant and a hazard to human health and hearing. In fact, it has been described as the most pervasive pollutant in America.
Noise in our environment affects physical heath. Noise also has psychological and social implications and affects our well being and quality of life.
Read article....
05/01/2009
The 10 hottest tech products of 2008
B
• Africa
Africa: - is the second-largest of the seven continents on Earth (Asia is the largest
continent). Africa is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Indian Ocean on the
east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north, and the Red Sea on the northeast.
Africa covers 11,700,000 square miles (30,300,000 square kilometers).
Countries: There are about 53 countries in Africa (some countries are disputed). The
biggest country in Africa is Sudan, which covers 967,500 square miles (2,505,816 square
kilometers). The countries with the largest populations in Africa are Nigeria (107,000,000
people), Egypt (64,800,000 people), and Ethiopia (58,700,000 people).
• Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa countries are Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia. The population of
these countries is about 78 million. The word horn is originated from the figure seven
look like of the map of Somalia, which is located on the East of Africa. The culture and
languages of those countries are different, and also socio-economic.
The difference between the Somali and Eritrea people.
When the civil war took place in Somalia at the end 1990, at the initial stage, the war was
between the government troops and armed rebels. When the president ousted, the war
changed into inter clan fighting.
The Somalis were fighting among themselves, a clan against clan, and each clan have
their own armed militia and control certain territory of the country. The government
structure collapsed and many people were either killed or maimed and others became
refuges in the neighbour countries, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, and Tanzania. In
the refugee camps there is no adequate social infrastructure. Most of the children were
either stayed at their refugee shelters or roamed and played in the dusty streets or open
areas of the camps.
The Eritrea people were fighting against Ethiopian regimes in more than 30 years for
impendence. During this period of war many families fled from the country and went to
Sudan and Egypt and other countries. Even though they were refugees in these countries,
their children got the opportunity to enrol schools and became familiar with education
system. The people from Eritrea before arriving in Australia, they lived in cities, where
there was at least social infrastructure and other amenities.
• Somalia
Somalia is located in eastern/ horn of Africa, with a population of about 8.8 million
bounded on the north by gulf of Aden, on the east and south by Indian ocean, on the
south west by Kenya, on the west by Ethiopia, and on the north west by Djibouti.
The total area 637,657 sq km. The capital city of Somalia is Mogadishu. Somalia was
colonized by Italian on the south and British on the north.
Somalia became independent 1960. From 1960-1969 Somalia was run by the civilian
government and from 1969-1990 under military rule.
Education in Somalia before civil war
Until civil war broke out in the early 1990s, education was free and compulsory for
children between the ages of 6 and 14. The literacy rate increased from about 5 per cent
in the early 1970’s to 60 percent in the mid- 1980’s following an intensive governmentsponsored
literacy campaign. In the mid-1980s elementary schools had about 274,600
pupils, general secondary schools had 65,200 students, and vocational and teachertraining
institution 10,200.
• Somalia and Somalis after the civil war
As result of the war, the Somali government and also the social infrastructure are totally
collapsed. The educational system has collapsed and most schools have been closed,
including the Somali National University (1954) in Mogadishu, which previously had an
enrolment of about 4,600.
Somalia has produced one of the greatest outflows of refugees between 1988 and 1995.
Since the 1980s, when opposition groups began to rebel against the Mohamed Siad Barre
regime more than one million Somalis were forced to free their homeland.
During the period (1991-1995) more than 1 million refuges fled from the war and took
refugee in the neigh boring countries, mainly Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the republic
of Yemen.
In Kenya alone, approximately 500,000 refugees swarmed in refugees’ camps, and
thousands were internally displaced within Somalia. Ten of thousands resettled in third
countries, mainly in United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Even though, a Somali government is formed in August 2004, still there is no visible sign
of national unity. Security conditions varied enormously in different regions of Somalia.
Violence and general insecurity prevails in some areas of the country. The absence of the
clear and strong central government in Somalia continues to impede efforts to find longterm
solutions for Somali refugees.
• Somalis in Australia/Victoria
After living for several years in refugee camps in Kenya, Ethiopia and other African
countries, some Somalis were admitted to Australia as refugees.
Somalis are among the largest African communities in Victoria.
Africa has provided the lowest number of immigrants to this country. For this reason
Africans are not clearly understood and has unfortunately led to poor understanding of
the African immigrant social dynamics. Among these misconstrued African immigrants
are Somalis.
Somalis in Victoria share many of the same problems as other immigrants, such as
learning new language, finding work, adjusting to new environment and culture, and
adapting to the Australian system. But they have also had to face many other cultural
barriers and have not been confronted by other refugees, particularly non-Muslims.
Somalis in Victoria (Australia) face many problems, and among the major pressing
problem include: - cultural shock, language barrier, housing, education, unemployment,
immigration, adjustment into a new life, discrimination, unfamiliarity with the services
available to them, and other unexpected social and cultural problems.
Education: - Education related difficulties are a topic brings up by Somali parents and
intellectuals. In general, it was felt that Somali students are at disadvantage in an
education system, which does not take their background into account when placement
decisions.
• Some children receiving little or no schooling before their arrival in Australia.
• Child’s date of birth is often approximated.
• Many parents are unable to offer the educational support to their children and
youth need as they baffled by the Australia education system.
• Many students do not get support from their schools.
• Lack of education facilities/materials at home.
• Lack of back ground information to the school staff.
• Lack of parent involvement in the school activities, etc.
Discrimination
Many Somalis believed that when they arrive in Australia that they are not any more
refugees, but now even though they became Australian citizens they still holding the
same name “refugees” when they were in the refugee camps in Kenya or Ethiopia, and
most the governmental and non-governmental agencies or institutions treat the Somalis as
refugees, not as citizens of this country. Only the conditions of living area have changed.
We believe that in Australia the living standard is very good and enjoy secure
environment, whereas the conditions of the refugee camps in Kenya or Ethiopia were
inhabitable and less secure environment and unstable.
• Somali culture
Religion
Somalis almost universally can be categorized by their strong adherence to Islam, the
Sunni sect in particular. Accordingly, the Islam religion shapes many aspects of Somali
culture. For example, there is strict separation of the sexes, and women, including
sometimes prepubescent girls, are expected to cover their bodies, including hair, when in
public; facial veiling is uncommon in Australia
Handshakes are appropriate only between men or between women. The right hand is
considered clean, and is used for eating, handshaking, and the like; children are taught
early to use only their left hand for hygiene during toilet training. Muslims prefer to wash
with poured water after a bowel movement. Ritual cleaning of the body or ablution,
especially before prayers, is dictated by Islam
Birthdays are not particularly celebrated by Somalis, and it is not uncommon for people
to not know the exact date of their birth. At the time of immigration, birthdays are
typically rounded off to the nearest year, e.g. 1-1-98, 12-31-62, etc. Alternatively, the
anniversary of family members' deaths are observed and celebrated.
Somali families are typically large; seven or eight children are considered ideal.
Contraception, and similarly, abortion, is anathema to most Somalis, given the strong
Muslim belief that pregnancy is a blessing from God and should not be interfered with.
Even sexing of the fetus is not encouraged, as it is God's will and cannot be changed.
Prenatal care is sought by refugee Somali women here, although there is a marked
preference for female examiners and interpreters. Most women fear Caesarean section
delivery, as it is thought that the surgery may impede subsequent pregnancies and render
to postpartum mother infirm.
Gender role: - The father is considered as the head of the family and bread winner of the
family, while the mother is the care taker of the children and responsible domestic affairs
of the house. Female children play vital role in helping their mother in home related
tasks.
Language
The Somali language has distinct regional variants. The two main variants are Af Maay
(pronounced af my) and Af Maxaa (roughly pronounced af mahaa). Both are Cushitic,
with virtually all Somalis speaking at least one of these languages. Af Maay, also know
as Maay Maay, serves as the lingua franca in southern Somalia as an agropastoral
language while Af Maxaa is spoken throughout the rest of Somalia and in neighboring
countries, including Kenya, where the refugee camps are located.
Both languages served as official languages until 1972 when the government determined
that Af Maxaa would be the official written language in Somalia.
The constitution of the recently formed federal government states that both languages
(Maay and Maxaa) are official Somalia languages.
• Disability
As a Somali, when we talk about disability, it clicks in our mind only mobility disability,
although there are many types of disability, such as Hearing disability, intellectual
disability, Learning disability, Vision disability, Psychiatric disability, and brain injury
disability.
In Somalia there is no health institution or agency that is involved or provides services
related to disability. In addition to this there is no modern or Western child care centres
or kinder gardens. We do have similar institutions, but we don’t nominate these names.
Children at early stages of their age (2-3 yrs old) are placed in informal education
institution, which is locally called DUGSI, means school, where children are taught how
to read and write the Holly Koran, in an Arabic script. Such institution is usually owned
and administered by private individuals. The moalim (teacher) of the dugsi or school is usually identifies if a child has speech difficulties or learning.
• Culture and health/disability perceptions
Causes and beliefs of disability:- heredity, food (liver), evil-eye, evil-word, visiting
evil’s shelters (rubbish disposal sites), etc.
Most of the Somalis do believe that disability is natural cause or heredity. Many Somalis
also believe that when a child at his/her early stage of age eaten liver and this could result
in speech difficulties or retardation of the speech of the child. An enormous number of
people also consider that disability can be resulted from man who possesses and evileye/
evil-word. When such person stares to a child, and there after this child could
develop certain type of disease that eventually might turn onto a disability. Certain people
deem that any person (child/adult) who passes the location where the rubbish is collected
could be affected by a devil, and this person might become sick and then could become
disabling.
Viewing disability:- Many people view disability as a blessing from Allah (God),
punishment from Allah (God), and protection of the people, etc.
Many people believe that natural disability is a will of Allah (God) and should consider
as a blessing and should be appreciated what ever Allah offered you.
On the other hand, some people believe that disability of a child is considered as a
punishment from Allah (God) to a parent who committed a crime, such as adultery or
faithlessness a husband to his wife. Other people believe that disability of a person is a
kind of a protection from Allah (God) to his community. It’s considered that Allah made
purposely disable (one eye or lame person) to such person, so that he/she won’t or
couldn’t harm severely to his people.
Treatment/cure of disability:- Prayer, Koranic, herbal remedies and honey, fire burning,
spiritual healing, etc.
Traditional Medical Practices: - There are traditional medical practitioners in Somalia,
especially herbalists, bone-setters and religious practitioners. Herbal medicines (Habatu
sowda) and honey are widely used in Somalia, especially for chest and abdominal
symptoms; the herbal pharmacopoeia is vast, and some recipes are closely guarded by
practitioners. Healers treat psychosomatic disorders, sexually transmitted diseases,
respiratory and digestive diseases, and snake and other reptile bites. Another common
practice is termed "fire-burning," where a special stick or a nail is burned and then
applied to the skin. For example, a child with an abnormal head is burned at the front side
of the head. Concepts involving spirits, such as "evil-eye," where excessive praise or
attention can attract evil spirits to an infant or child, can be viewed as causing illness.
Ritualized dancing is used mostly for psychosomatic disorders, and Koran cures as well.
There is understanding about the communicability of some diseases, such as tuberculosis
and leprosy, and isolation is sometimes performed.
Please be informed that most the traditional medical practices which are mentioned above
are not practically exercised or performed in Australia.
• Disability and the Somali community in Australia
In Australia, most of the Somalis have less idea or not familiar with disability and
services available to disable people or children, and therefore, we are not in a position to
look for the services that we are not very familia with it.
Some members of the community consider or believe as taboo for intellectual and speech
disability; therefore they are reluctant to speak this issue openly to other people,
especially to outsiders.
Conducting a community study for new arrivals in Australia
• Community education
• Support and building up family knowledge
• Reviewing the existing policies/office procedures
• Holding information sessions
• Providing reliable information to refugees / migrants before departure / after
arrival in Australia.
• Deep understanding about the backgrounds of new arrivals.
• Reviewing education age policy for new arrivals.
• Employment of bilingual workers/ aid teachers.
• Encouragement for the community in participation in the development of
public health plans.
• Introduction of family literacy programs to new emerging groups.
References:
Somalis culture health refugees immigrants
Lance A. Rasbridge, Ph.D
http://www.africaguide.com/
Historical Dictionary of Somalia
New edition
Mohamed Mukhtar
By Awes Sh. Muheidin Amin
awes@hotkey.net.au
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