By Faiz Khan and TMO Staff

Over 3600 people attended the Michigan Democratic Party’s convention at the Cobo Center in Detroit on Saturday February 23rd. 

As in the past, the Pakistani American Caucus participated at the event.  Many community members were in attendance. 

The Pakistani Caucus welcomed many elected officials and some candidates for various positions during the event.  Some of the many prominent guests who addressed the caucus included US Congressman Gary Peters, State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, State Rep. Sam Singh, Mrs. Juliana Smoot, and many more.

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Dry eye occurs when the eye does not produce tears properly, or when the tears are not of the correct consistency and evaporate too quickly.

In addition, inflammation of the surface of the eye may occur along with dry eye. If left untreated, this condition can lead to pain, ulcers, or scars on the cornea, and some loss of vision. However, permanent loss of vision from dry eye is uncommon.

Dry eye can make it more difficult to perform some activities, such as using a computer or reading for an extended period of time, and it can decrease tolerance for dry environments, such as the air inside an airplane.

Other names for dry eye include dry eye syndrome, keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), dysfunctional tear syndrome, lacrimal keratoconjunctivitis, evaporative tear deficiency, aqueous tear deficiency, and LASIK-induced neurotrophic epitheliopathy (LNE).

Aqueous tear-deficient dry eye is a disorder in which the lacrimal glands fail to produce enough of the watery component of tears to maintain a healthy eye surface. Evaporative dry eye may result from inflammation of the meibomian glands, also located in the eyelids. These glands make the lipid or oily part of tears that slows evaporation and keeps the tears stable.

Dry eye can be associated with:

•    inflammation of the surface of the eye, the lacrimal gland, or the conjunctiva;
•    any disease process that alters the components of the tears;
•    an increase in the surface of the eye, as in thyroid disease when the eye protrudes forward;
•    cosmetic surgery, if the eyelids are opened too widely.

The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped outer surface that covers the eye in front of the iris, the colored part of the eye. The cornea helps protect the rest of the eye from germs, dust, and other harmful matter. The cornea bends, or refracts, light entering the eye, and accounts for most of the eye’s total focusing power. It also serves as a filter to screen out most of the damaging ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths in sunlight.

The cornea is a highly organized, clear structure made up of a group of cells and proteins precisely arranged in layers, but it has no blood vessels to nourish or protect it against infection. Instead, it receives its nourishment from the tears and the watery fluid (aqueous humor) that fills the chamber behind it.

Tears, made by the lacrimal gland, are necessary for overall eye health and clear vision. Tears bathe the surface of the eye, keeping it moist, and wash away dust and debris. They also help protect the eye from bacterial and other types of infections.

Tears are composed of three major components: a) outer, oily, lipid layer produced by the meibomian glands; b) middle, watery, lacrimal layer produced by the lacrimal glands; and c) inner, mucous or mucin layer produced by goblet cells located within a thin transparent layer over the white part of the eye and covering the inner surface of the eyelids. Tears are made of proteins (including growth factors), electrolytes, and vitamins that are critical to maintain the health of the eye surface and to prevent infection.

Tears are constantly produced to bathe, nourish, and protect the eye surface. They are also produced in response to emergencies, such as a particle of dust in the eye, an infection or irritation of the eye, or an onset of strong emotions. When the lacrimal glands fail to produce sufficient tears, dry eye can result.

Any disease process that alters the components of tears can make them unhealthy and result in dry eye.

Elderly people frequently experience dryness of the eyes, but dry eye can occur at any age. Nearly five million Americans 50 years of age and older are estimated to have dry eye. Of these, more than three million are women and more than one and a half million are men. Tens of millions more have less severe symptoms. Dry eye is more common after menopause. Women who experience menopause prematurely are more likely to have eye surface damage from dry eye.

Depending on the causes of dry eye, your doctor may use various approaches to relieve the symptoms.

Dry eye can be managed as an ongoing condition. The first priority is to determine if a disease is the underlying cause of the dry eye (such as Sjögren’s syndrome or lacrimal and meibomian gland dysfunction). If it is, then the underlying disease needs to be treated.

Cyclosporine, an anti-inflammatory medication, is the only prescription drug available to treat dry eye. It decreases corneal damage, increases basic tear production, and reduces symptoms of dry eye. It may take three to six months of twice-a-day dosages for the medication to work. In some cases of severe dry eye, short term use of corticosteroid eye drops that decrease inflammation is required.

If dry eye results from taking a medication, your doctor may recommend switching to a medication that does not cause the dry eye side effect.

If contact lens wear is the problem, your eye care practitioner may recommend another type of lens or reducing the number of hours you wear your lenses. In the case of severe dry eye, your eye care professional may advise you not to wear contact lenses at all.

Another option is to plug the drainage holes, small circular openings at the inner corners of the eyelids where tears drain from the eye into the nose. Lacrimal plugs, also called punctal plugs, can be inserted painlessly by an eye care professional. The patient usually does not feel them. These plugs are made of silicone or collagen, are reversible, and are a temporary measure. In severe cases, permanent plugs may be considered.

In some cases, a simple surgery, called punctal cautery, is recommended to permanently close the drainage holes. The procedure helps keep the limited volume of tears on the eye for a longer period of time.

In some patients with dry eye, supplements or dietary sources (such as tuna fish) of omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA and EPA) may decrease symptoms of irritation. The use and dosage of nutritional supplements and vitamins should be discussed with your primary medical doctor.

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By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

University of Virginia left tackle Oday Aboushi looks to be the highest-rated Muslim football player available in this April’s NFL Draft. Aboushi started every game for Virginia each of the last three seasons. A 6-6, 310-pound junior from Staten Island, N.Y., Aboushi is the son of Palestinian immigrants. The family still speaks some Arabic at home.

He spoke with VirginiaSports.com last August about the challenges of balancing his duties as a Muslim with the rigors of Division I college football. “I try to get all the prayers in,” he told VirginiaSports.com. “I do Friday prayers when I can, when we’re not traveling.”

Aboushi also has fasted during Ramadan, both in high school, and in college.  “Some days are tougher than other ones,” Aboushi told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “It’s about knowing the feeling of hunger, and being grateful you know where your next meal is coming from.”

In 2011, Aboushi received the honor of being invited to a State Department reception for Muslim athletes, hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Among the other attendees was boxer Amir Khan, Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenneth Faried, and former offensive lineman Ephraim Salaam who observed Ramadan for all 13 seasons he played in the NFL. “There are plenty of people who’ve done it before me,” he told VirginiaSports.com afterward. “It was tough but doable.”

NFLDraftScout.com ranks Oday as the 102nd best prospect overall in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft, and writes:

“Naturally large man with good overall weight distribution. Experienced at both left and right tackle. Shows at least adequate initial quickness off the snap. Gets a strong initial punch onto the defender and possesses the heavy hands to latch on and control his opponent. Extremely physical and aggressive player. Looks to dominate his target and will pancake or drive him deep downfield whenever he can. Rolls his hips into contact and keeps his legs churning to knock defenders off the ball. Good effort blocking at the second level. Solid week of practice at the Senior Bowl. Voted a team captain in 2012. Mentally tough individual…”

The 2013 NFL Draft will take place April 25th through April 27th.

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Press Association

Supplier of meat pies and pasties to prisons suspended after FSA informed of contamination

The Ministry of Justice is suspending one of the suppliers of meat to prisons after it discovered that halal pies and pasties sourced from a properly halal certificated supplier may contain traces of non-halal meat.

The products concerned have been withdrawn immediately, a spokesman said.

He added: “All prisons have been informed about this very regrettable incident and we reported this issue to the Food Standards Agency immediately.

“We are taking immediate steps to suspend the contract with the relevant subcontractor.”

Justice minister Jeremy Wright said: “This is an absolutely unacceptable situation and one which we regret greatly. Clearly this must be distressing for those affected and they can be reassured we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. The prison service is investigating this as a matter of urgency.

The FSA said the incident involved traces of pork.

A spokeswoman said: “The FSA has been informed that a number of meat pies and pasties supplied to UK prisons which were labelled and served as halal contained traces of pork DNA. The local authority is investigating how this contamination came about and whether these products have been distributed further across the UK.”

This related to the local authority where the supplier is based, she said. She declined to say which one it was.

On a more general theme relating to recent stories about mis-description of food, she said: “People have a right to expect that the food they are eating is correctly described. We have called an urgent meeting of major retailers and suppliers on Monday to ensure that everyone is fully aware of their responsibilities.

“It is the responsibility of food businesses to ensure the food they sell contains what it says on the label. We are considering, with relevant local authorities, whether legal action is appropriate following the investigation.”

The Prison Reform Trust said it welcomed the immediate apology and investigation.

Its director Juliet Lyon said: “This is not a matter of dietary preference but of Islamic law.

“There are clear hospital and prison rules that halal meat must be on the menu.

“This lapse will have offended and distressed high numbers of Muslim prisoners and their families so apologising, suspending the supplier and investigating the incident are the right steps for the Ministry of Justice to take.”

Food and farming minister David Heath said: “People have a right to expect that the food they are eating is correctly described. I have made it clear that I want an urgent meeting with major retailers and suppliers first thing next week to get to the bottom of this completely unacceptable situation.”

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By Karin Friedemann, TMO

On February 23, Mohammed Al Namrooti from Gaza doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in the street Tibet-style to protest the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Daily demonstrations this week in Jerusalem and the West Bank have been answered by Israeli soldiers using tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets, and stun grenades.

Arafat Jaradat, a 33 year old father of two who worked at a West Bank gas station, was arrested for allegedly throwing stones. Days later, Israeli officials reported that Jaradat had died of a heart attack during interrogation at Megiddo Prison on Saturday, February 23.

Physicians for Human Rights issued a statement casting doubt on the Israeli medical examiner (translated Hebrew):

“Who is the doctor who operated on the body of Arafat Jaradat, a prisoner who died Saturday at Megiddo Prison? None other than Prof. Yehuda Hiss, who was dismissed from his post in October 2012 as the chief medical examiner of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the wake of many failures that occurred during the morgue management, including harvesting organs from the bodies, without the consent of the deceased or their families.”

An autopsy conducted in the presence of Palestinian officials revealed that Arafat Jaradat died of extreme torture in Israeli custody, not cardiac arrest, the PA Minister of Detainee Affairs said Sunday. Issa Qaraqe said Jaradat had six broken bones in his neck, spine, arms and legs.

Jaradat’s lawyer Kameel Sabbagh was the last person to see him:

“When I entered the courtroom I saw Jaradat sitting on a wooden chair in front of the judge. His back was hunched and he looked sick and fragile. When I sat next to him he told me that he had serious pains in his back and other parts of his body because he was being beaten up and hanged for many long hours while he was being investigated. When Jaradat heard that the judge postponed his hearing he seemed extremely afraid.”

Jadarat was given a hero’s funeral in Sa’ir, near Hebron. At least 8,000 people flowed into the streets to pay their respects. Dalal, the martyr’s wife, who is pregnant, announced that she would name her son Arafat, after his father.

Jaradat’s funeral coincided with the 19th anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in Hebron committed by a Jewish settler from Brooklyn, Baruch Goldstein on February 25, 1994 in the holy month of Ramadan during dawn prayer. Goldstein murdered 29 Palestinian worshippers and wounded 150 others, while they were in prostration.

UN envoy Robert Serry warned that “mounting tensions present a real risk of destabilization.”

This week also the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate organized a sit-in strike to protest Israel’s intensified assaults against Palestinian journalists, as several journalists were directly targeted during confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters, Ma’an reports.

Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba’neh was arrested by occupation forces as he was returning from a visit to Jordan on Feb 16, 2013. Since then, he has been unable to see a lawyer and his family is frantic with worry, as they have no news of him.

UK human rights group, War on Want called on the British security firm G4S, which provides services to the Israeli Prison Authority, to end all dealings with the Israeli Prison Authority (IPA). G4S made the news in October 2010 when security guards working for Heathrow Airport killed Angolan Jimmy Mubenga aboard a British Airways flight while detaining him for deportation. G4S signs are prominently displayed all around Meggido jail.

Demanding that G4S “withdraws from contracts to supply Israeli prisons” in the wake of reports of torture, War on Want campaigner Rafeef Ziadah said: “G4S provides equipment and services to Israeli prisons where Palestinian political prisoners, including child prisoners, are detained and tortured. This British company is profiting from human rights abuses against the Palestinian people. The terrible death of Arafat Jaradat highlights the urgent need for G4S to ends its complicity in Israel’s prison system.”

“79 detainees have died in prison since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada (in September 2000) due to torture, medical neglect, excessive use of force by the soldiers and interrogators, in addition to several detainees who were executed by the arresting officers,” Palestinian Researcher Abdul-Nasser Farawna stated.

Hundreds of Palestinian political prisoners held a one-day hunger strike in solidarity with Samer Issawi and fellow long-term strikers Ayman Sharawna, Tarek Qa’adan and Jaafar Azzidine, reports Electronic Intifada. Two of the striking prisoners were hospitalized Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for the Israeli Prisons Service, reports the Washington Post.
Israel’s Jerusalem magistrate court has ruled to release Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi on March 6, 2013. But Issawi’s case will now be transferred to a military court which may rule to extend his imprisonment to his complete sentence of 20 years. Activists have quoted Issawi’s sister as saying he is continuing his hunger strike in spite of the court ruling.
International Solidarity Movement reports that nine Palestinians from Hebron, mostly family members of hunger-striking prisoners, are on hunger strike to express support for, and raise awareness of, the plight of Palestinian political prisoners:

“They began their strike last Saturday, and gained much media attention thanks to their presence in a solidarity tent in Hebron in the midst of Monday’s demonstration in support of prisoners.”
Teacher Nahil Abu Aisha from Hebron explained, “The whole world needs to know what’s going on here.”

Meanwhile, the lawyer for Dirar Abu Sisi, the technical director at Gaza’s sole electricity plant, who was kidnapped in Ukraine in 2011 and is currently held in solitary confinement in Israel, is “losing his ability to recall language and has speech impairments, a lawyer who visited him in jail said Sunday,” Ma’an reported.

Abu Sisi was the only prisoner excluded from a May 2012 deal with Israeli authorities to end solitary confinement, according to prisoners rights group Addameer. The deal, which included several terms to improve prisoners conditions, was made to end an earlier mass hunger strike campaign launched by Palestinian prisoners.

The worsening condition of the prisoners has brought expressions of concern this week from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union. US president Barack Obama is due to visit Israel and the West Bank next month, largely as a result of European pressure.

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By Humera Afridi

On an overcast October afternoon on the 2nd day of Eid ul-Adha, the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, a lamb nuzzled its mother’s flank as she munched lazily on hay in an airy chamber of the 15,000 square foot facility of Al Madani, an organic halal slaughterhouse, in Ozone Park, Queens. The sheep exuded an air of serenity that was utterly at odds with the ominous metal hook flush in the ceiling only yards away. An elderly man, wiry with a grey beard, dressed in an Arab-style tunic and waistcoat held out his fingers to the lamb and cooed at it as if it were a pet dog.

“As-salam ‘alaykum!” he said, as I approached.

Assessing the ease of his manner in these grim surroundings, I surmised he was a regular customer.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

When I told him I was here to meet Imran Uddin, the slaughterhouse’s manager, he smiled.

“Well, I’m his father!” he said. “And this happy lamb is Mantu. The mother arrived here pregnant on the truck by mistake.” He brushed his hand over the animal’s head and smiled. “My contractor says to me, ‘If she gives birth on Good Friday, the lamb’s lucky. Don’t you dare touch it!’ That’s exactly what happened!”

Across the warehouse, two rooms with doors ajar, bustled with activity. A river of dark, red fluids frothed and pooled over drains. Men in green T-shirts scrubbed the floor with brooms as wave after wave of water washed away the sacrificial blood. A sign on the wall outside read “Please Be Patient.” A wooden rack for slaughter sat empty in the middle of a room. It was cleanup time. Slaughtering was done for the day.

Imran Uddin, a former advertising executive in his early 30s, walked over to the manger where we stood. His blood-splattered jeans and stained rubber boots served as a map of his day’s activities.

“Did my father tell you the story of this sheep?” he asked, as he shook my hand. “He calls her Patricia, Ashley, Rana–everyday the name changes! He is so fond of her, and the employees are too!”

Imran, who oversees the halal facility for his father, Riaz Uddin, said they’d received 350 goats and 125 lambs especially for the Eid sacrifice. There are three mosques in close proximity to Al Madani. Each year, on the first day of Eid-ul-Adha following the Morning Prayer service, a few hundred people join the queue at the slaughterhouse and wait for their ticket number to be called. Patrons wander into the yard when their turn arrives, choose their animal, and get back in line with the animal in tow.

“The important Islamic prescription is that the animal be blemish-free and without injuries. Our animals are in excellent condition,” said Imran. “Some people prefer certain colors, for others the long horns are just more attractive. When I choose an animal, I look for an immediate attachment. It’s a very intimate experience.”

There was something surreal about standing in the space between the sheep, Mantu and Ashley, who were being caressed by passerbyers and the proximity of the slaughter room, just steps away, where animals are transformed into cuts of meat. Yet, the paradox is instinctively familiar. In Pakistan, animals for the Eid sacrifice spend days in people’s gardens, becoming acclimated, fed and fattened in preparation for the inevitable.

In a tradition that goes back to the Prophet Abraham, divine intervention turns an act of seeming paternal betrayal into a lesson of faith, surrender and the gift of renewed life. Muslims are obligated to offer an annual qurbāni or sacrifice, if they can afford it. Every year during the final month—Dhul Hijjah—of the Islamic lunar calendar, Muslims perform the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in commemoration of Abraham’s submission to the divine command. On the tenth day of the month, the sacrifice of a sanctioned animal, a camel, cow, buffalo, sheep or goat, marks the end of the pilgrimage. One-third of the meat is distributed to the needy, one-third to friends and neighbors and the remainder is kept for one’s own family. Those who are unable to sacrifice an animal, fast or donate money to a charity.

Halal slaughtering techniques, similar to Jewish kosher slaughtering, have been passed down through the centuries. At Al Madani, the slaughter is performed by an experienced, practicing Muslim. The animal is laid down, a prayer recited—Bismillah Allah hu Akbar—then a knife drawn over the animal’s throat.

“It is swift, and done as humanely as possible,” Imran reiterated. “The most important tool is a long, sharp knife because it has to cut through the trachea, the esophagus and jugular veins with one swift slice of the blade.”

The animal dies immediately, and the blood drains out over the next 15 to 30 seconds. Blood is the life of the animal, but it is also the carrier of disease. For the meat to be halal (or kosher) for consumption, the blood has to first be completely drained from the animal.

The subject of an award-winning documentary, A Son’s Sacrifice, Al Madani’s history carries biblical undertones even as it stands out as a quintessentially New York immigrant tale. In the year 1991, Riaz had undergone open heart surgery; at the time, he’d been a steakhouse and nightclub owner for the past 29 years. His wife and elder daughter supported selling the club, but his younger daughter, completing her Masters in Islamic History at the time, protested.

Recounting the story with pride, Riaz plunged his hand into the deep pocket of his tunic and pulled out fraying letters of his daughter’s academic achievements, one of which included a document confirming a Fulbright Fellowship.

“My youngest daughter understood me,” says Riaz, “She said to her mother, ‘Abba spent his whole life in public and you’re telling him, ‘No more business!’ He’s going to go crazy. ‘I’m on your side, Abba,’ she said, ‘but I want you to provide a service to people. I want you to open a halal business.’

With no formal knowledge of butchery, Riaz prayed to Allah and asked for guidance. Equipped only with a Muslim layperson’s knowledge of halal food, he went out the next day to inquire about zoning laws. He located the Al Madani property and realized it belonged to John Gotti, the head of the Gambino crime family, who was serving time in prison. He also happened to be an old friend.

“I told his son, ‘You don’t know me but I know your father.’ I put a note in his hand. ‘When you visit your father, open the window. Tell him I want that building on 94th Avenue,’” Riaz said, chortling.

Gotti instructed his son to take his mother to meet Riaz and sign the building over to him at zero cost.

“Of course, there was a debt on the building, and I had to contend with the city to get the license. But everything came to me.”

Next, Riaz visited the Animal Research Center at Cornell University through which he began networking with farmers.

“You see, there is a straight path,” Riaz said. “Allah says, ‘If you walk towards me, I’ll run towards you.’” He shook his head as if marveling, in wonder, and his eyes filled with tears. “I only have a basic education from India and Bangladesh. But America gave me great opportunity. My daughter has a Ph.D., and she knows seven languages. So, if America needs my last drop of blood, I won’t hesitate for a second.”

Al Madani is no ordinary halal slaughterhouse. It is a business backed by a family’s heartfelt commitment and unswerving faith in divine ordinance. The astonishingly mild manner of both father and son trumps every stereotype one may harbor of butchers.

“The day you become immune to taking the life of an animal for your benefit is the day you lose all your humanity,” Imran said in a somber voice.

The workers at Al Madani are under strict orders to treat the animals with respect. There is absolutely no tolerance for manhandling. Imran confessed that once he got into a tussle with a new worker after he’d witnessed the worker grabbing a lamb roughly by its legs and shoving it across the room. The employee was instantly fired.

Workers at Al Madani sweep blood and water off the slaughterhouse floor.

Some believe that sacrifice by means of the slaughtering knife was unprecedented until the Prophet Abraham received the command to carry it out. Muslims believe there is a talismanic power to calling out the name of God before taking a life for food. Most slaughterhouses in America use hammers, stun guns, and electrical devices to kill the animals before carving them up. As I watched torrents of bloody water swirl and swish beneath the hand motion of brooms, I asked Imran to describe what he considered to be the salient, differentiating features of a halal butchery.

“Well, actually, that’s a really deep question!” he said, raising a brow. “If you ask a hundred different Muslims, you’re going to get a hundred different answers. The way I interpret halal is–were these animals given sufficient food and water? Were they treated well? Were they happy? Did they lead a good life? That’s just one part of halal. There’s also the matter of how I conduct my business. Am I honest to my customers? Do I treat my employees well? How do I have conversations with people? Am I being sincere?”

Certainly, there was nothing dissembling or affected about the Uddins or their facility. The butcher and his father resonated with tenderness for the animals despite their commitment to the work of slaughtering them. The back area of the butchery carried the air of a petting zoo. About fifty lambs and twenty goats— all a year or older in accordance with Islamic specifications–grazed peacefully in a courtyard spread with lush green grass.

A handful of customers roamed between the animals, stroking their flanks even as they peeked at the weight and price tags neatly pinned to their ears. The goats and sheep ranged in weight from 80 lbs. to 120 lbs., the average price for each is $450. Indoors, pens containing partridges, guinea fowl, quails and turkey mirrored the tranquility of the pastoral scene outdoors.

There was a time when New York City was populated with abattoirs, many of them mom-and-pop poultry markets, until a city ordinance prohibited them from operating within 1500 feet of residential dwellings.

“Before, if you had a few hundred dollars you could easily get a license for this type of business,” Imran explained. “But then issues of hygiene, sanitization and, the inhumane treatment of animals came up and the city said, ‘Enough!’ and clamped down.”

At Al Madani, they like to do things the old-fashioned way, aiming to keep alive the traditions of two generations past. Hence, their poultry and livestock are sourced either from Amish farms in Pennsylvania or ranches in Texas, where the animals are nourished by plenty of sunshine, green grass and open space.

“The Amish are very hands on,” Imran said, “They actually go out and feed the animals themselves. They have knowledge regarding the care of these animals. The animals we source are really calm and docile, because they’re accustomed to being around people. We don’t deal with auction animals. By going through auction, the animals endure so much stress that their immune systems go down. They just aren’t as healthy.”

Of the eighty-nine live poultry markets in New York City, most are not organic. Only about a quarter of them are licensed to sell livestock, goat and lamb. Most facilities look at cost before purchasing.
“We not so much,” said Imran. “We’re concerned with the health and quality of the animals and how they’re being raised.”

This might, indeed, be the reason that Al Madani is the supplier for some of the city’s popular restaurants including The Breslin, Left Bank, Fatty Cue and M. Well’s Dinette at MOMA PS 1. But restaurants make up a small proportion of Al-Madani’s business; the bulk of it relies on walk-in customers. Last year, for the Thanksgiving holiday, alone, they supplied a thousand turkeys. When it comes to cattle, however, Imran is reluctant. He sources larger animals only on special request, preferring not to bring them into the city.

“Cattle, as big as they are, are actually very fragile animals. They can easily die of a heart attack when they get over-excited and they get scared easily. I’d rather not put them through that stress,” he admitted.

As we stood in the yard beneath in an industrial-gray sky, petting the animals and admiring their Zen-like calm, I felt as though I’d received a scriptural lesson, witnessed in meaningful practice the Abrahamic story of sacrifice. Time had collapsed in this slaughterhouse. A dream dreamt thousands of years ago carried the bite of urgency here.

A brown sheep waddled over to me and I held out my hand for it to sniff. I asked Imran if he remembered his first slaughter.

“Oh you never forget your first time!” he exclaimed.

Years ago, Riaz picked him up from college and asked what he wanted for dinner. “Chicken curry,” Imran replied, without a second thought. Father and son went to the poultry market where Riaz nudged him to choose a chicken. At home, in the kitchen, he handed him a sharp knife. “Here son,” he said, “if you want to eat chicken tonight, you have to take its life.” “I was very young, just seventeen or eighteen,” Imran swallowed hard. “I still get really emotional talking about that. I didn’t eat the chicken that day but the memory’s always stuck in my head.”

Harboring such sensitivity has got to be a professional hazard for a butcher. Didn’t it make his job more challenging?

“Well, that’s the beauty of halal,” Imran said, tears streaming down his face. “You realize you’re taking the life of the animal so that you can continue to live. And every animal that you slaughter, you never forget.”

Humera Afridi is an Open City Creative Nonfiction Fellow whose work has appeared in Granta, the New York Times, and several anthologies, including Leaving Home (Oxford University Press, 2001), 110 Stories: New York Writes after September 11 (NYU Press, 2003), and Shattering the Stereotypes (Olive Branch, 2005). She covers Jackson Heights

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Aasim Padela, MD, was recently awarded the 2012 Ibn Sina Award from the Compassionate Care Network of Chicago for his outstanding work and contributions in the field of Islamic medical ethics.
The director of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine and a faculty member of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, Padela was honored for his scholarship in the Islamic ethico-legal tradition and the ways it influences the health behaviors of Muslim patients and the lives of Muslim physicians.

The award is named after Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, a Muslim physician philosopher whose work in the field of medicine influenced science through the Middle Ages. “Ibn Sina was a man who was deep into Islamic theology and deeply committed to improving medical care,” said Azher Quader, MD, executive director of the Compassionate Care Network (CCN). “I believe we have in Dr. Padela a man similarly skilled.”

Specifically, Padela’s empirical research examines the ways in which religious beliefs, values and identities affect the health care decisions of American Muslims, as well as the health care inequalities they face. The aim of this research is to improve the health and health care of American Muslim patients.

In this vein, Padela is working with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago to investigate the influence of religion-related factors on breast cancer-screening practices in the local Muslim community.

His applied Islamic bioethics scholarship focuses on how modern scientific data are incorporated within, and can be used in, traditional Islamic moral reasoning and scholastic theology. This work aims to provide intellectual and practical resources to help American Muslims draw upon the assets of modern medicine faithfully, both as practitioners and as patients.

To this end, Padela works with traditional Islamic jurisconsults at Darul Qasim, an Islamic institute, and the Tabah Foundation. He also co-directed a landmark conference titled, “Where Religion, Bioethics, and Policy Meet: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Islamic Bioethics and End-of-Life Care,” which brought together scholars, religious leaders, social scientists, health professionals and other stakeholders to discuss Islamic law, bioethics, medicine and health policy in the American context.

“Medicine may nowadays be seen as a secular art and science, but healing in its truest sense may require us as physicians to exhibit more ‘godliness,’ “ said Padela, an emergency medicine physician.
Padela is the 2012-14 Templeton Foundation Faculty Scholar, studying the theological and ethical roots of the physician-healer in Islam and how Muslim physicians express their personal and religious identities in America.

He was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Michigan from 2008 to 2011, and continues to be a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, D.C., working to understand the role religion plays in the health behaviors and health care challenges of the American Muslim community.

Padela has undergraduate degrees in biomedical engineering and classical Arabic and literature from the University of Rochester. Following a medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City in 2005, he did his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Rochester. He was also a visiting fellow in the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in 2010.

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By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Malik Shareef, Esq. is a senior sports writer with Politic365. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee School of Law (2006), he is a certified contract advisor for the NFL. He co-founded Dimensional Sports, a sports agency based out of New York City, along with equity trader Rodney Thomas. Shareef and Dimension made a splash in 2010 by signing Joe Haden, the number 1 cornerback in the draft out of the University of Florida, as their very first client.  Haden ended up being picked number 7 overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft, and he went on to sign a 5-year, $50 million contract.

Shareef has gone on to sign additional high-profile football clients. His current clients include: Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams (a second-round pick in 2011), Browns safety David Sims (an undrafted free agent for the Giants in 2011), Houston Texans cornerback Rashad Carmichael, New Orleans Saints linebacker Nate Bussey, St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and most notably, star New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. Of this year’s draft prospects, Shareef represents Florida State University quarterback EJ Manuel. You can follow Shareef on Twitter @malikshareef.

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By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

French Under-18 center Mouhammadou “Mam” Jaiteh is catching the attention of American basketball scouts. The French-born big man was born to a father from Senegal and a mother from Gambia. Despite picking up the game relatively late a the age of 13, his outstanding physical profile made him a fixture on the French Under-16 and Under-18 national teams the past three years and earned him a coveted spot at INSEP (the National Institute for Sport and Physical Education), a government sponsored academy for top athletes in 24 (mostly Olympic) sports. As a 16-year-old, Jaiteh even led the French Under-18 team in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots.

Upon finishing his time at INSEP, the 17-year old Jaiteh elected to establish himself as one of the most productive players in the lesser division Pro B, where he currently ranks 3rd in Player Efficiency Rating. He briefly flirted with the idea of enrolling in college (Gonzaga University in Washington State even brought him to the US for a visit) but decided against it eventually, preferring to spend his summer with the French junior national team, and even getting called to train with the senior team as a body for practice, where he reportedly held his own.

When asked what his plans are after his finishes his time with INSEP, Jaiteh told heinnews.com: “For this time I don’t know. But I think I can maybe go into the second division in France or first division or the United States. Maybe I want to go to college. I am open for everything.”

The 6-foot-9 big man said he is working on his leadership and outside shot. “I have to be an example for the new players (with the France national team). But I feel really good that I can be a leader,” said Jaiteh. “Close to the basket I am a good player and I can help the team. But I need work on my outside shot.” Currently NBADraft.com projects Jaiteh as a second round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft should he turn pro this summer. However, DraftExpress.com projects Jaiteh as a Top 10 pick should he wait to turn professional in 2014.

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