Yusuf and Family? in the Maldives

[nefertiti]

I wonder if Muhammad Ali, also a highly visible Western Muslim figure, have trouble keeping the paparazzi away from his family. I have definitely seen pictures of his wife or all his ex-wives all over periodicals. They are Muslim women, correct?

[Gizmo]

Muhammed Ali seems to be less strict in regards to his faith. For he allows his wife and children to walk around without scarves, he even allows one of his daughters to do boxing. He himself tries to practice his faith but the rest of his family are not devoted muslims. On the other hand, Yusuf Islam is a fully devoted muslim and his family are also practising muslims. There seems to be a big difference between the 2 families.

Peace, Gizmo

[Whisper]

Hmmn. Sure wish Christine was here, because she does have such good manners. You see she doesn't like to scold her members publically nor publically humiliate ANYONE. She does those things privately. Had anyone written anything offensive here she would have notified them privately & not had the harsh manners to publically disgrace someone. That is IF she thought they had written or done something offensive as this is her website.
I'm not able to look into the heart of any Muslim & tell anyone whether or not their actions and intentions are pure or not. Surely I would have no way of knowing whether or not Muhammad Ali or Yusuf Islam were devoted to God or not devoted to God. I believe that that kind of Judgement has been reserved for God alone. I mean it's really kind of eerie to think you know Yusuf's heart ( or anyone else's) after a few short discussions with the person.
Yes I do wear the scarf & so on, but just maybe the daughter of Muhammad Ali is better loved by God than I due to reasons He alone would know. Sometimes the outward actions do not express what is in the heart at all. A woman could be wearing full hijab and seldom leave her house and yet not be a good Muslim in the sight of God. How could anyone here know who falls on their face to ask forgiveness or ask for help in the middle of the night?
Once the village drunk was brought before the Prophet ( saw) and a group of Muslims said " We have beaten him many times for this and yet we continue to find him drunk in the street. Should we kill him?" The Prophet ( saw) answered them and said " No for by Allah I happen to know he loves Allah and myself more than you do."
The problem with pointing out the faults/shortcomings of other Muslims is that judgement is sure to follow. I have enough of my own shortcomings to keep me busy without worrying over what Yusuf Islam does or does not like done about his family or what Muhammad Ali does about his family. I have plenty of things to correct about myself.
Furthermore, taking one's husband as a source of religious enlighenment is called " HISLAM". My husband could not influence my personal decisons about religion one way or another. If a woman puts a scarf on just because her husband asked her to, then she gets no rewards in wearing it anyway. The first thing my husband said to me after I became Muslim was " If I wanted to teach you about Islam would you trust me?" I said " Yes. I would." He said " Never do that! What if your husband is an idiot? I very well could be an idiot and there you would be following any idiotic thing I taught you. Never place your relationship with God...your future in someone elses hands. Read, study , get involved with many many study groups & then read some more. But never never follow someone just because you love or like them because they could very well be a likeable loveable idiot ." My husband couldn't have , wouldn't have forced any aspect of religion on me. So, it does distress me somewhat when it seems as if Muslim women are not allowed to come to their own conclusions & need someone else to think for them. Forcing someone into a religious act seems to me a lot like forcing hypocrisy upon them.

[Gizmo]

who is humiliating who? I merely replied to Nefertiti's comments in a polite way. I would not like to offend any fellow fan of br. Yusuf. I apologise sincerely if you felt offended. Anyway, I respect Muhammed Ali and his family, but he is not a devoted muslim because he does not follow some obligatory rulings in Islam. For example, it is obligatory to keep a beard (as Yusuf Islam does) and it is haraam to shave it (prohibited, not allowed, unlawful and illegal). All the leading muslim scholars agree with this (as you probably know). Thus it is quite obvious that he is not totally devoted to Islam. There is nothing judgemental about it, it is fact. With regards to Hijab of his family, I'll just leave you with the following beautiful section from the holy Quran:
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”<br>[al-Ahzaab 33:59]

By no means am I saying he is a bad person in any way, he is just doesn't follow some obligatory islamic rulings. I hope and pray that he and all other muslims can follow the path of righteousness until the last day. Thanks for the beautiful quotes from the holy prophet (saw).

Peace and no hard feelings, Gizmo

[Whisper]

Nah no hard feelings Gizmo I wasn't even referring to you or LadyD as far as humiliating people goes
I have a different perspective than you do on a couple of things it seems , but that's okay. I think I sounded harsh too
Maybe I should just hush

[Gizmo]

No problem Whisper. You have some very good points and I hope you can still express them regularly and openly. No need to hush . Keep it up!

Peace, Gizmo

[Lucy13]

Nefertiti said:

Also, its been my observation that daughters 80% of the time favor their fathers.

That's for dang sure...... same goes for mothers and sons.

My theory is: One only has so many chromosomes to pass down. And since the sex chromosomes have to differ between parent and opposite sex child, that means there are all the more chromosomes left to match between them, thus making them seem more alike.

[boneheadedwoman]

Sasafras:

You gave me the best laugh of the day! Thanks! ;D

[faithfullight]

Whisper,
I thought that your (reply #38) was very thought out and had much wisdom. Judging others to be pious can only be determined by God for only He sees all things and knows our hearts. One person may look the part, (because they outwardly observe rules or rituals), but their heart may be far from piety. Another may not perform all of the outward rituals, but their heart and works are full of love and devotion to God. Which is more important, the one who looks pious or the one who is pious?

I had also brought up the point that one should not follow any person's influence just because you look up to them (even if they be a spouse) per chance they may be wrongly guided. We have to think about our own actions. Our relationship with God is personal and only we ourselves are accountable for our own deeds. And only God is all-knowing and all-seeing.

Personally, I am happy to see Yusuf's family attending his lecture in the Maldives. It shows their support and togetherness as a family unit.

Whisper, your husband seems to be a very consciencious wise man. I am happy for you.

Peace,
Faithfullight

[DiddleMingyAdams]

hummingbird said:

With all due respect Colleen and Kareema, aren't you being a tad melodramatic about all this. Do you sincerely believe he didn't know the event was being photographed? The photographer had to be standing only a few feet from him.

Do we need to be reminded that Yusuf likes his privacy (even in a flattering sort of way)? I don't think so. We're grownups, not teenagers and not paparazzi.

BTW, it seems to me most of the responses on this thread were generated due to Kareema's insistance that it's not a picture of his family. If not for that, most of us would 've quietly taken a peak and moved on....

Okay (not so) quietly moving on....

sorry, i think you may have misunderstood my post. i really don't think its that big a deal.
i'm just saying if there is concern for his privacy, the let the thread drop. and there they go, into anonimity again.
i really don't think he's flipping out about it anywhere, and probably gets a bit of a goodnatured laugh at the time spent WONDERING about it!! that's just my opinion..i don't really know. but really, i am not being at ALL melodramatic about it. if its them, thats nice, and no big deal. if its not... three muslimahs are getting their fifteen minutes of unwanted fame! LOL

[Vivian]

DiddleMingyAdams said:

sorry, i think you may have misunderstood my post. i really don't think its that big a deal.
i'm just saying if there is concern for his privacy, the let the thread drop. and there they go, into anonimity again.
i really don't think he's flipping out about it anywhere, and probably gets a bit of a goodnatured laugh at the time spent WONDERING about it!! that's just my opinion..i don't really know. but really, i am not being at ALL melodramatic about it. if its them, thats nice, and no big deal. if its not... three muslimahs are getting their fifteen minutes of unwanted fame! LOL

I agree with Colleen! We should let this drop!

Peace,Vivian

[boneheadedwoman]

Yes, let's drop it.

You first.

[hummingbird]

Okay, no problem Colleen

It must have been all the "thank Gods" just hit me a certain way I suppose. Oh, and the way you used the word "tenacious" didn't exactly sound like a compliment

Again, the only thing that even drew me into the thread was Kareema's assertions that it couldn't possibly be them. I just couldn't see the logic in that although I respect her right to uphold her opinions and beliefs.

Apart from that I spent almost NO time wondering about it at all.

Hey, I already dropped it (so quit quoting me will ya )

signed, (somene who also doesn't want her picture posted on the internet)

[MissKitty]

I have held off replying to this thread for several days as I gave myself time to gather my thoughts. I do not ususally post to threads that are controversial in nature because I am not an argumentative person and I do not like to get embroiled in verbal sparring. That being said I have grown weary of selected people deciding when a thread should just "go away" and be dropped. (Only after they of course, have had their say) I feel that this kind of decision rests solely with Christine and her selected representatives. The photos in question were posted on the Official Presidential website of the Maldives. To believe that Yusuf had no knowledge of this I think is wrong. Furthermore to "decide" that a little specualtion by a few people on a website posses any danger for Yusuf and his family is insulting to everyone involved. I do not know Yusuf and have never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I applaud his efforts to keep his family away from cameras and publicity when they were children. Now they are grown and he is taking them with him while he makes public appearances, they will certainly be photographed from time to time. If he did not want this to happen I feel he would take steps to prevent it the way he did in the past. I guess my point is that people should not tell others that they should not reply to a thread that they themselves have posted to more than once. Everyone has the right to their thoughts and opinions and should feel comfortable to express them as long as they are respectful to all concerned.

As for the photos concerned, the girl in the middle looks exactly like Cat, and the girl on the far end looks to me like the older woman. And for what it is worth the younger girl looks very much like the young pictures of Cat. That is just my opinion and is not definitive of anything, but if they are his family I will say he is a very lucky man to have such a beautiful family and I am very happy for him. He seems to have gotten what he so desired all those years ago when he walked away from his "empty life".

Just my two cents worth.

~~cheers
MK


**edited for typos only*

[faithfullight]

MissKitty,
I agree. Thanks for your two cents' worth. I think that it is ridiculous that when anyone comments on anything about Yusuf that there are always some who want to cover up something as if our comments are to be controlled and our free thoughts are not welcomed. If anyone is trying to control the mind of others, then something needs to be said about this. No one has the right to tell others what they may or may not say in general conversation, especially when nothing was said to be offensive in the first place. People shouldn't dictate to others or use tactics of bullying or disrespect. We all have a right to think and share our own thoughts.

[boneheadedwoman]

OK, I know I said I'd drop it, but I was just working out to Can't Keep It In (among other gems) which is such a happy song, and I realized I hadn't put my two cents in yet!

I won't speculate, however if Yusuf himself told me that was his family, I would be most pleased. Those young women look relaxed and happy, which is what I would wish for all young people.

[nefertiti]

Bravo! Beautifully said, MissKitty. You have spoken for a small minority. I couldn't have word it as well as you. I feel sometimes as if I'm walking on egg shells around here, in fear if I truly express my opinion I will be attacked in some form. Its either "your're with us or you're against us". My thoughts only. My apologies if I offend anyone.

Again, thank you MissKitty,


Pat

[Girlhowdy233]

hummingbird said:

With all due respect Colleen and Kareema, aren't you being a tad melodramatic about all this. Do you sincerely believe he didn't know the event was being photographed? The photographer had to be standing only a few feet from him.

Do we need to be reminded that Yusuf likes his privacy (even in a flattering sort of way)? I don't think so. We're grownups, not teenagers and not paparazzi.

BTW, it seems to me most of the responses on this thread were generated due to Kareema's insistance that it's not a picture of his family. If not for that, most of us would 've quietly taken a peek and moved on....

Okay (not so) quietly moving on....

I find myself in complete agreement with this.
For whatever it's worth, I also agree that in all
likelihood this IS a picture of his wife and
their three oldest daughters.

WHY do I believe such? Three reasons:
1. About three years ago, I spoke regularly
with a man who was(and likely STILL is)in close
daily contact with Yusuf. One day I finally
worked up the nerve to ask him to give me
a brief description of what Fawzia looked like-
his description fits the woman seen in those pictures.

2. About two years ago I spoke with Majid(Yusuf's
son-in-law)on a few occasions. During one such
conversation we had, I casually commented to
him that I assumed his wife looked ALOT like
her father, judging from a childhood picture I'd seen
of her at about the same age as her father was
depicted in a childhood pic of HIM I'd seen previous.
NO, he DID NOT get in a hissy fit over my asking.
Instead, with a soft chuckle he heartily agreed! ;D

3. The body language. In my line of work you get VERY
GOOD at reading body language(you HAVE to).
As many times as I've looked at this picture now,
I CANNOT deny that there is every indication that
this IS his family. YES, the young woman in the
middle could well be Hasana, she looks ALOT like
Yusuf did at THAT age. It is her HUSBAND Majid
who, under Yusuf's guidance and training, has
now taken over Yusuf's business affairs in
London, bless him. Therefore, it is quite
possible that, so she should desire, she could
well be free to travel overseas with her family-
her and Majid have no children YET.

As for notifying Yusuf's people of the appearance
of these pix on the internet, with all the weighty
concerns bearing down upon them I would have
to ask myself WHY? As Kareema and I had
discussed last year, I HAD intended on stopping
by to visit with Majid while I was in London.
I DID NOT, largely in part because she assured me that she was "in contact with his people" who were
(according to her)showing grave concern over
the arrangement as such-worry over where/when
to arrange such a get-together. This was in
contrast to what I'd been told the last time I'd spoken to
Majid over the phone, when I'd told him I'd likely
come over for an extended visit the following year
and would LOVE the opportunity to stop by MOL
offices to FINALLY meet him and the other lovely
folks (I'd chatted with SO many times over the phone)
FACE TO FACE at last. He heartily agreed. Since
I was unable to reach him either at home or at work
to confirm such, I took her at her word.

Perhaps I've no idea what
I'm talking about, but I've a gut feeling that the appearance of these pix on the net(in a rather obscure
manner no less)is NOT causing Yusuf or ANY of his
lovely family and wonderful staff ANY sleepless nights.
I was out of work for almost a YEAR, only
last week having FINALLY returned to work(YAY!).
Being FLAT BROKE, I've been trying to
avoid even DOMESTIC long-distance calls,
much LESS overseas ones! Even so, if I REALLY
thought that the appearance of these pix on the
net was gonna present a threat to the safety of
Yusuf's family, you can darn well believe I'd be
on the phone PRONTO to call and let them know.

Yes, when I spoke to Yusuf in May 2000, we discussed
his family in depth. YES, he IS concerned over
maintaining privacy. However, even he admitted
he knows he CANNOT have a 100% guarantee of
that in ALL circumstances. Example:it was certainly
NOT his intent to be photographed that day(in the late '80's) at the airport, with his wife and all their kids in tow. However, it DID happen, and life goes on.

Now..moving right along..
Was his red(yes, he LOVES red, right Viv )
Hawaiian shirt and white(yes he LOVES those
WHITE)shoes the COOLEST or what?!

Yusuf, you may no longer deck out in knee high
fringed suede boots, studded suede arm bands,
black velvet jackets, green leather suits or
dramatic black, wide brimmed hats.
Nonetheless, you STILL have it!

Always in awe,

Shirley

[Girlhowdy233]

Okay..MY turn to shut up and drop it now!

Love on ya!

Shirley

[MissKitty]

Thanks for your input Shirley. It is always insightful. Sorry you missed your visit.

~~cheers

I have absolutely no luck with any of these function deally things. I wanted to use italics... sigh

[Vivian]

That last line says it all, Shirley! Yusuf will ALWAYS have it!

Peace,Vivian

[Girlhowdy233]

Vivian said:

That last line says it all, Shirley! Yusuf will ALWAYS have it!

Peace,Vivian

Viv, when I saw the picture I was at first STARTLED !
I'd never thought of Yusuf as a Hawaiian shirt kinda guy!
The more I looked at him though, the better I liked the look! So comfortable and casual, yet snazzy nonetheless! ;D

Hugs,
Shirley

[Lucy13]

He's always been a snazzy dresser.


From Merriam-Webster Online:

One entry found for snazzy.

Main Entry: snaz·zy
Pronunciation: 'sna-zE
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): snaz·zi·er; -est
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: circa 1932
: conspicuously or flashily attractive : FANCY

(I guess this thread is refusing to sink to the bottom. Ooops...)

[MissKitty]

I don't understand why this particular thread should "go to the bottom" in the first place.

MK

[nefertiti]

His attire shows that he is more relaxed these days. It does make sense though to dress comfortably in hot humid climate.

[Jancat]

Speaking for myself, if that photo IS, in fact, Fawzia and the girls, then I'm happy to see it. I see nothing wrong with speculating about it because all that speculation is "within the ranks", nor was any of it hurtfully intended.

If anything, I thought it was lovely to finally get a glimpse of them - in much the same way that I would enjoy seeing family photos of someone I work with, or a friend. The visual kind of helps "round out" the name and personality of the person you've been hearing about!

And I'd even go so far as to say that I'd love to see what Mohammed looks like now! Like Dad?? Not like Dad?? What do you think?? ;D

[Aisha]

God, what has been happening here since I have been away. It will take me some time to sift through all of this stuff. Hey, I don't know if those women are Yusuf's family or not, but they look like they are a family. You know, we can't really get into Yusuf's head and know whether he would care 100% about the photos being aired online. Maybe Yusuf is realizing that his kids are nearly grown and need to be open to the world more. Who knows? I sure don't know since I am not in the man's head.

I guess most of you know about points in my life and that I have living in an undisclosed location with Larry from this website. Part of our relationship has been spent explaining some aspects of Arab culture to Larry because he just doesn't get it. I look at it from a different perspective now and can understand why Larry and others don't get it. Some of it is so far from what people in the West are accustomed to that it is almost impossible to grasp the concepts of some Islamic and Middle Eastern customs. This doesn't make someone who doesn't understand the customs a bad person. But sitting and talking with Larry has allowed me to look into what others question. He could not grasp my former marriage and its tenants of total submission. He questions some of my actions because I am so accustomed to being a submissive woman. Hey, it is logical for people to ask questions about the hijab and customs of Muslims and Muslim countries. I even ask questions about my former life and things I did. Some of them don't seen logical to me either and I lived it for twelve years. It isn't really something to argue about. Larry and I never argue about it. He just looks at me and says, "Katie, I don't get it." and I respect him for that because most people raised in the West don't get it. Most people cannot conceive it in their minds and what it means. But I don't think that fighting about it or insulting different customs is right. I lived in the Middle East and they were "Duh" about our customs too. It would take a scholar to make heads or tails out of other cultures. I think that some of it comes from being raised in a culture. I went through 11 years of marriage to a man from a different culture and part of the failure of the whole thing was because we just could not get each other's cultures. I would suggest reading up on the subject rather than debating it. You debate until you are blue in the face and will never get it without educating yourself on the hows and whys of a culture.

DAMN SOAP BOX...I GOT A SPLINTER IN MY BUTT WHEN I FELL OFF OF IT...HAHA

Oh yeah, Larry doesn't get my Southern customs either...He is a Yankee and I am a Southern Belle...hahahaha...It makes for a lot of humor. LOLOL

Love,
Katie

[boneheadedwoman]

Hi Katie!

You could write a book, you've had so many diverse experiences. And I hope others take note of how tolerant it has allowed you to be.

Yep, it's been interesting around here, esp. this thread! It's been fascinating to read all the posts. I guess it just shows that each person on here "loves" or has an interest in Yusuf in their own way. Does that make sense? I don't think any one meant any ill will toward any one else. But some are very protective of YI's privacy.

[Girlhowdy233]

Katie said:

God, what has been happening here since I have been away. It will take me some time to sift through all of this stuff. Hey, I don't know if those women are Yusuf's family or not, but they look like they are a family. You know, we can't really get into Yusuf's head and know whether he would care 100% about the photos being aired online. Maybe Yusuf is realizing that his kids are nearly grown and need to be open to the world more. Who knows? I sure don't know since I am not in the man's head.

I guess most of you know about points in my life and that I have living in an undisclosed location with Larry from this website. Part of our relationship has been spent explaining some aspects of Arab culture to Larry because he just doesn't get it. I look at it from a different perspective now and can understand why Larry and others don't get it. Some of it is so far from what people in the West are accustomed to that it is almost impossible to grasp the concepts of some Islamic and Middle Eastern customs. This doesn't make someone who doesn't understand the customs a bad person. But sitting and talking with Larry has allowed me to look into what others question. He could not grasp my former marriage and its tenants of total submission. He questions some of my actions because I am so accustomed to being a submissive woman. Hey, it is logical for people to ask questions about the hijab and customs of Muslims and Muslim countries. I even ask questions about my former life and things I did. Some of them don't seen logical to me either and I lived it for twelve years. It isn't really something to argue about. Larry and I never argue about it. He just looks at me and says, "Katie, I don't get it." and I respect him for that because most people raised in the West don't get it. Most people cannot conceive it in their minds and what it means. But I don't think that fighting about it or insulting different customs is right. I lived in the Middle East and they were "Duh" about our customs too. It would take a scholar to make heads or tails out of other cultures. I think that some of it comes from being raised in a culture. I went through 11 years of marriage to a man from a different culture and part of the failure of the whole thing was because we just could not get each other's cultures. I would suggest reading up on the subject rather than debating it. You debate until you are blue in the face and will never get it without educating yourself on the hows and whys of a culture.

DAMN SOAP BOX...I GOT A SPLINTER IN MY BUTT WHEN I FELL OFF OF IT...HAHA

Oh yeah, Larry doesn't get my Southern customs either...He is a Yankee and I am a Southern Belle...hahahaha...It makes for a lot of humor. LOLOL

Love,
Katie

Thanks, Katie!
intelligent and thoughtful post! ;D

Hugs,
Shirley

[Girlhowdy233]

Lucy13 said:

He's always been a snazzy dresser.


From Merriam-Webster Online:

One entry found for snazzy.

Main Entry: snaz·zy
Pronunciation: 'sna-zE
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): snaz·zi·er; -est
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: circa 1932
: conspicuously or flashily attractive : FANCY

Thanks, Lucy!
Yup, SNAZZY!

Hugs(and THANKS for the books),
Shirley