Xiah-ception - Hey There.

Just let Uncle Iroh be president

day 6 - teachers and curse users au

i've said this before but it bears repeating: a concerning amount of information circulating on this website about islam directed towards non-muslims comes from conservative sources and paints a very specific and narrow image of an extremely diverse religion. outsiders have this fictitious understanding of a monolithic islam, and somehow it is always the most dogmatic and overzealous and inflexible version of religion they can think of.

the reality of things is that like with all organized religion, there are muslims who are very strict in their practices and interpretations, and there are people who were born in muslim families and are influenced by islamic culture but are not religious, and there is a whole spectrum of beliefs in between these two extremes. this isn't even touching on the matter of different sects and ethno-cultural divergences.

i don't like making direct comparisons, but this is the language most anglophone westerners understand: if all the information about christianity you received was from evangelicals, you would have an incredibly biased conception of the daily life and beliefs of the average christian. you would also have an extremely problematic understanding of christian dogma - and i do mean problematic here as in something that causes problems, something that has harmful consequences. i understand and appreciate that people are usually walking on eggshells when handling issues of marginalized and stigmatized religions, but let's be bluntly open for a second: all organized religions have extremist ideological currents whose tenets directly contradict core progressive and liberatory ideas. accepting those tenets as valid and respectable in the name of battling bigotry is counterproductive and reverberates badly first and foremost on minorities.

the uncritical propagation of conservative (and sometimes straight up fundamentalist) conceptions of islam among non-muslims, especially in fandom/creative spaces that are concerned with political correctness and a genuine will for accurate and respectful representation, feeds a vicious cycle of insidious islamophobia: supposedly progressive depictions of muslims confirm the previously internalized bias that all muslims are indeed Like This, and said bias is what makes people swallow literal wahhabi propaganda without blinking in the first place, rinse and repeat.

this point of this post is not to embolden white people to start commenting on intra-community issues; rather it is a plea for people to be a little bit more critical, a little bit more analytically active in their consumption of information. may i suggest, accessorily, interacting with muslims in other contexts than just uhhh "learning". none of my white friends pull this shit, mostly because they have hung out with us enough to internalize the notion that we are... human beings, with a vast array of political and spiritual beliefs.

Let’s help those in need in Aleppo right now.

PraOn December 12th, over 100,000 people in East Aleppo were trapped in a 5 square kilometer range as they were being bombarded by airstrikes from Russia and the Syrian government to attempt to overtake the rebel-held area. “The Russia-backed ground offensive, which began on November 26, followed an intensive aerial bombing campaign that knocked out most of the medical facilities, targeted civil defence and municipal vehicles and blocked roads with rubble.” The world is sitting and watching a genocide happen before their eyes as civilians are being massacred. Families posted on various social media platforms to say their final goodbyes.

#saveAleppo #PrayForAleppo

Donate to:

Syria Relief: They work to provide many life-saving essentials including food, medicine and medical care, winter provisions including warm blankets and bedding, as well as an orphan support programme. 88.8% of your donation goes into relief, the remaining go into raising money, and a small portion into admin.

https://www.syriarelief.org.uk/donate/?aleppo-appeal

Save The Children: Provides food and water, helps repair water systems, supports hospitals, helps schools, and provides emotional help for children. They have helped over 500 000 children in besieged areas so far. 88% of your donation goes into relief, the remaining goes into fundraising efforts. 

https://secure.savethechildren.org.uk/donate/emergency?sourcecode=SA4006001&_ga=1.158660734.551543489.1481608383

Islamic Relief Worldwide: They distribute food packs, clothes and medical supplies to communities under siege within Syria and displaced people along the Turkish border. They are also running or supporting camps and providing livelihood programmes, education and psychosocial support for refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. 90% of your donation goes into relief and development, the remaining goes into delivery of relief, campaigning, and generating future income.

https://donations.islamic-relief.com/?   (Click Current Appeals and donate to Syria Crisis Appeal)

Karam Foundation: An NPO that develop Innovative Education programs for Syrian refugee youth, distribute Smart Aid to Syrian families, and fund Sustainable Development projects initiated by Syrians for Syrians. They distribute clothes, food, water, flour, blankets, infant formula and other basic necessities. 100% of profit goes into building programs, providing relief, and sustaining development.

https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/m084arkxtho

I also sell items on www.arabstreet.co and will be donating $10(CDN) of each sale until the end of 2016.

massacre

the Syrian dictator Assad, along with Putin, are about to completely massacre an entire city - Aleppo. the Syrian army has taken over 98% of the city. families are sitting together, praying, knowing any minute will be their last minute on earth. civilians are tweeting their last goodbyes, sending out last minute pleas for someone, anyone, to help.

imagine that. sitting with the people you love, holding each other, hearing nothing but their harsh breathing and the clash of bombs completely destroying your home, killing your neighbors, your friends, you. just imagine that. i cant, i really cannot.

the U.N. has already called Syria the worst humanitarian crisis in this century. experts are saying this massacre rivals that of WW2 (not to take away from the holocaust) in terms of how heinous and completely disgusting it is.

i’m not the best with words, with conveying me emotions. but please take a moment out of your time to acknowledge this, at least. this is the worst humanitarian crisis happening on Earth right now, according to the U.N. this is a breach of human rights, of all our rights. you should be concerned, in the least.

Im in the uk and i can barely afford my rent and im not able to apply for funding yet and im struggling a lot, i cant really afford food or any kind of neccessities.If anyone is able to help me out /just talk to me bc im in a quite back situation rn and i am dropping out of college soon if i dont get everything sorted, if you could be of any help i would really appreciate it. My paypal is natb1020@gmail.com , same as my email. Im struggling quite a lot and i dont feel like i have any real friends, someone please talk to me

It’s 2015. If doctors don’t know how to operate on fat bodies. Then they shouldn’t be doctors. We have enough resources an equipment to deal with “obese” patients. There is no need for the medical community to continue fat shaming. 

Art by Higga for Mo Dao Zu Shi ↳ Do not repost without credit or remove the watermark Bonus: MianMian (Luo Qingyang) 

My meow meow Beau