Fed up yet

Had enough yet?

Insulting our allies. Locking children in cages. Mocking people. Threatening war. Pulling out of established treaties. Allowing corporations to pollute the environment. Emboldening our enemies. Turning away refugees. Aligning himself with avowed racists. Increasing the national debt. Lying. Inciting violence. Ignoring a pandemic. Showing no leadership. Shall I go on? If you…

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Do you have green hair?

Do you have green hair?

After a light workout at LA Fitness yesterday, I changed my clothes. I straightened my green print hijab, ready to leave. An older woman looked at me and said I thought you had green hair. I burst out laughing.

“That’s one I haven’t heard yet,” I said, wondering why strangers comment on my head covering. Would they say that to a Catholic nun?

I converted to Islam in 2015 after a long…

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It's not just a dog

It’s not just a dog

It’s not just a dog

By Debra J. White

It’s not just a dog, but a friend, a companion, a reason to get out of bed. If you’ve never had a dog, and many people have not, a dog is not just a dog. They bring joy and happiness to millions of people in the USA and around the world. We drag ourselves out of bed to walk them, even in the rain, frigid cold or blistering heat. Homeowners can avoid the…

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Farewell Franny

Farewell Franny my beloved old dog crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on Monday, July 15th. The Rainbow Bridge is a poem by an anonymous author about pets that die, leaving us for a better place where they’re no longer sick or in pain from abuse or neglect. Adopted from Happy Tails Dachshund Rescue, Franny came into my life in May 2014. I was in a deep funk at the time, having to give up…

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Christmas Memories

Almost four years ago, I said the Shahada (declaration of faith) and converted to Islam, so I don’t celebrate Christmas any longer. I do, however, have fond memories of the Christmas holiday as a volunteer with Gabriel’s Angels, where I was a pet therapist. I was also a volunteer for many years at various PetSmart stores for pet photos. Here are some of those memories.

At Christmas time, PetSmart…

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The mall and me

The mall and me

The mall is still alive, at least some are. So is retail shopping. Once a week I volunteer at the Arizona Animal Welfare League’s pet adoption center at the Chandler mall. To reach my car, I leave through Dillard’s, a major retailer. As I pass by racks of clothes, shoes, dresses, blouses, and the make-up counters, I’m reminded of my high school days when I worked in department stores. Back then,…

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America is already great

America is already great

Donald Trump told a crowd last evening that Martha McSally would make America great again. We were already great Mr. Trump; you never looked. OK, there’s a few exceptions such as slavery, legalized segregation, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and needless meddling in other nation’s affairs. We’re not perfect but name a nation that is. For decades we welcomed immigrants…

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Homeless in Arizona

I help to serve a hot meal to homeless men and women, and sometimes their pets, at a Christian church in Chandler, AZ, once a month for the sake of Allah. My Muslim sister cooks the food. Our Christian friends set up the tables. I prepare the iced tea and lemonade as well as put out the dinnerware. As a team, we serve our guests and clean up afterwards. Each month new faces arrive with stories of…

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Healing and helping refugees in Phoenix

Healing and helping refugees in Phoenix

My friend said come, I’ll buy you a ticket. How could I say no? The home-cooked Middle Eastern food was simply delicious. The company was delightful. The weather that evening was perfect for outdoor activity. On Saturday, March 31st, I was happy to attend a dinner, prepared by a Syrian immigrant, at a Muslim family’s home in Gilbert, AZ. Around 50 guests of various backgrounds gathered for a…

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Love trumps hate

“Let no man pull you low enough to hate him,” said the late Martin Luther King Jr. Hatred, rage and retaliation could have been easy responses to the ugly video made by two women, Tahnee Gonzales and Liz Dauenhauer on March 4th as they broke into the Islamic Community Center (ICC) of Tempe. Once onto the property, the women and three children trespassed, stole material, Qurans, and mocked an…

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The media and Islam

The media and Islam

Fox TV and other right-wing media spew out a distorted version of Islam. I’m a convert so let me give you the inside scoop. Ready? OK, here we go. About 70% of the US media is owned by the conservatives (Fox and Sinclair media) garner a wide audience, so it’s not surprising that according to the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank, reports say that nearly half of Americans disapprove…

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In praise of our nation's teachers

In praise of our nation’s teachers

Politicians gloat when bashing teachers for failing public schools. Surely, the lack of public funding couldn’t possibly have any impact, could it? How dare I even make that suggestion? The GOP would rather starve public education that even consider, for a mere second, a tax increase to insure proper education for our youth. No, that’s not possible whatsoever to increase, even slightly, taxes to…

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Twenty four years ago

I didn’t write this on January 6, 1994 because I was sick with pneumonia but it was a memorable day. Twenty four ago started as an ordinary day but it ended with me in a ditch, bleeding and unconscious. Nothing has been the same ever since. A car struck me while walking my two dogs after work. My two dogs waited for me to get up and continue their walk. One of them licked the blood oozing from a…

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A Muslim's Christmas memories

A Muslim’s Christmas memories

Almost three years ago, I said the Shahada (declaration of faith) and converted to Islam, so I don’t celebrate Christmas any longer. I do, however, have fond memories of the Christmas holiday as a volunteer with Gabriel’s Angels, where I was a pet therapist. I was also an animal shelter volunteer who helped many years for pet photos with Santa at various PetSmart stores. Here are some of those…

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The GOP Tax Plan

It’s a tax plan for the middle class, the GOP says. But is it really? Dig a little further and that’s not what you will find. To pay for this boondoggle of a plan, the allegedly fiscally conservative Republicans are stripping away middle-class tax deductions for student loans, state and local taxes, capping mortgage deductions, as well as cutting Medicaid, Medicare and more. They end the estate…

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I haven't said much about 45 lately

I haven’t said much about 45 lately

I haven’t said much about 45 lately although every day I am embarrassed by his words, deeds, and actions. My opinion of his supporters is about what I feel about for roach powder. I don’t like it and I don’t like them. I am still aghast that someone of lowest intelligence and with the morals of a flea is the president of the USA. I once thought of our country as the greatest in the world. Our…

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It's not a disrespect to the flag

It’s not a disrespect to the flag

Former San Francisco 49-Niner Colin Kaepernick started the trend last year when he refused to stand for the traditional pledge of allegiance at the start of a football game. Why? He said it was in protest to police brutality and discrimination against African Americans. If Donald Trump won’t dismiss violence by neo Nazi’s then why can’t football players and other athletes take a stand against…

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