Halal food -- locally!

I was happy to find out recently that my local Whole Foods now carries Saffron Road frozen halal certified food. I have never had halal before this summer and when I found certified beef ribs at my Costco only to find out that it was being fazed out, I bought a bunch and hoped for the best. Mashallah more companies will market to Muslims and carry items we can enjoy- inshallah halal will be as prevalent as kosher!

I found a good article about the business aspect of Whole Foods' campaign- it makes sense for them to have a Ramadan campaign because breaking fast meals can lead to big bucks. Its only online and social media most likely due to the crazy backlash from Best Buy's Eid-al-Adha flyer situation from 2009 (I remember seeing on the local news a guy who was going to boycott Best Buy just for acknowledging a Muslim holiday!)  I actually bought some Saffron meals (Lamb Saag and Chicken Marsala) at $4.00 a pop for a somewhat small amount of food but I'm more than willing to spend it if its halal- very hard to find in my town. So things are improving for American Muslims, alhamdulillah!

sidenote- just found an article with misguided Christians slamming Whole Foods for selling food that is 'in the name of an idol" because the 'Muslim God is an idol" and its 'backdoor Shariah- God forbid and forgive their ignorance.

Great short audio- "The Real Hijab" "Hijab- a shared responsibility"

http://en.wathakker.net/lib_audio/view.php?id=166

Great short lecture from Sheikh Yusuf Estes about hijab.

Highlights
 -notes that modesty is the reason everyone wears clothes so hijab is a religious extension of that and the logical reason behind it
-notes that Catholic nuns wear their habits all the time, regardless of who they are around and thus the Islamic hijab is not a burden by comparison.
Reflection
I appreciate the straightforward approach at hijab and how it is not a practice that is nonsensical or backward, but a blessed show of faith. I pray that I will keep this perspective in mind when observing hijab is more difficult on some days and when I feel the lack of support particularly strong, inshAllah

http://en.wathakker.net/lib_audio/view.php?id=561
Hijab- A Shared Responsibility

Highlights
-the men in a woman's life are responsible for guidance as a believer and will be punished for discouraging hijab
-modesty is required of men and women
-hijab is defined in great detail in the Quran to denote its significance

Reflection
I struggle with the 'shared responsibility' of hijab in my own life given my non-Islamic upbringing and my husband who is less observant than me. I pray for strength to uphold my modesty in the face of occasional outside opposition and at times frequent inner struggle- inshAllah
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