Kick Me Contributions

Probably any boy who went to school in North America had his schoolmates tape a, "Kick Me" sign on his back as a practical joke. It seems that the trend continues in Amman's second hand market (baleh), where one finds clothing that is cheap and better quality than is generally available elsewhere, but not without the occasional easter egg. Yesterday after the dawn prayer, a respectable, uncle-figure was standing outside the mosque wearing a Coors Light sweater. Since he's my neighbour and knows me well, I explained to him that his sweatshirt was advertising a brand of beer. As expected, he was surprised. Earlier, a young chap that works at the corner store by my work was wearing a shirt that was making fun of Creationism. He too was shocked when I explained to him what it said. Then there's the case of the guy who was praying in the row ahead of me with a shirt that was glorifying moonshine. Since I didn't know him, I didn't talk to him about the shirt. Perhaps the worst case was a young man sitting with his friends outside the mosque with a shirt that had, "HIJO DE PUTA" printed on the back; he actually did know what it meant.

The fine contributions from the West should be viewed with suspicion. They're not limited to clothing with un-Islamic messages, either. Back in 70's, the US poured subsidized grain into Egypt's economy as a form of aid. Egypt went from self-sufficiency in the early 70's to being the greatest importer of grain in 2008. Taking handouts from one's spiritual and economic enemies is like shaking hands with a leper: even if it's a friendly gesture, you're going to get hurt. According to a hadith, the Black Stone of the Kaaba was originally white but turned black as a result of the touch of the polytheists. Allah has promised to eradicate interest and has sent His religion to dominate over all others. How is it that we can expect any sort of long-term value in handouts from an interest-based system or one that advertises un-Islamic messages without a care in the world?