Why Me & Events Just Don't Go Together...

So why exactly am I not the biggest of fans when it comes to Muslim events? Well, I wasn't sure at first until a dear friend and I brought ourselves to talk about it. We use to tip toe around the topic before, but once we realised we both felt the same, hey presto the conversation didn't end for hours!

See, after I started questioning just about everything in life & stopped following the 'crowd' like an obedient sheep, hence why I call myself 'WideAwake', I began to scrutinise every Muslim event/talk/Nasheed/Sing Song, etc I had ever been to or that I had heard of (along with questioning everything else in life!).

Why did I go? Was it a 'feel good factor’? What was the purpose of these talks? Did they achieve anything? Were they active, informative, educational in helping those less fortunate than us? Did they encourage Muslims to get active in defending the Ummah and combating the rising Islamophobia, pro-Israel propaganda, the slaughter of the innocent?
Sadly, the answers are simply.

NO.

Not one ever did, a few may have got my blood boiling about events ongoing in the world such as the war in Iraq, the recent Lebanon war, etc but none provided real, practical solutions to do anything effective. That's why when my friend dragged me to the Global Unity Event last week, I wasn't a happy bunny. No disrespect to organisers of the event but I felt that there wasn't anything there to grab my attention, my passion. In short, no real substance. So until these events buck up their priorities, content and objectives, I'll stick to staying in the backseat for a while.

On a brighter note, I did however grab a few bargains at the exhibition stalls. I purchased a beautiful piece of Islamic calligraphy with radiant colours and patterns. The young girl (or artist I should say) had breathtaking talent and I was pleased she was utilising her skills for such amazing artwork!

I also spoke to a few groups / activists at the event such as Interpal, Muslim Aid, MPACUK and met the lads from Maktabah books who do a fantastic job of selling a really interesting and worthwhile selection of books. All seemed nice and genuine people who are sincere in striving for a good cause. But I must say 'Muslim Green Pages' went a tad bit OTT with the stickers! Lol, They were inundating people with sticker after sticker - whether we wanted them or not!

Well, that's all for now folks, think I've bored ya'll enough for now. Keep tuned in for more entertaining rants from Abu Funza and Count Ed.