Weekly Update: March 27 - April 2

Assalamu alaykum!

I'm guessing there are some of you who are wondering where I disappered to. Well, for those of you who do not already know, I am currently in the United Kingdom...London to be exact!

And it is an amazing place here, especially for someone who has spent her whole life living in a predominantly white Christian society since birth! There are so many different people walking the streets, so many languages the ears hear. Best of all, there are an awful lot of Muslims.

It’s not uncommon to be walking down the street or through the park and see many, many Muslims along the way. Hijabs and niqabs, thawbs, beards…none are out of the ordinary here. In certain parts of the city and surrounding boroughs, many stores and restaurants lining the streets boast a halal food sign. Almost 3% of the population is Muslim, compared to less than 1% in the US and 2% in Canada.

One of the locations I received the chance to see was the London Central Mosque, the largest mosque in London as well as the rest of the UK. Alhamdulillah it’s a beautiful place, with Muslims coming and going in a steady stream. Unfortunately, I was unable to enter the mosque, but I did manage to get a few snaps of the exterior:

The London Central Mosque is not the only sightseeing I've done during my stay here. I've also had the chance to see some other well-known places of interest, such as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament...

...the London Zoo...

...the London Bridge...

...Tower Bridge...

...and the London Eye (okay, so it's not actually a photo of the London Eye...it's a shot of the southern part of London as seen from the Eye...the Waterloo Underground Station is in the foreground).

But, if you know me, I don't like to stick with just the 'normal' tourist attractions. I enjoy getting out there and seeing what others might not, like the site of the 2012 Olympics...

...the Lord's Cricket Ground...

...Primrose Hill...

...and Angel Underground Station, home to the London Underground's longest escalator.

And, for you fellow Harry Potter fans, the reptile house at the London Zoo, where the Burmese python scene in the first movie was shot...

...Platform 9 3/4 (unfortunately the King's Cross Station is undergoing some updates, so the platform isn't as real looking as it should be...and in case you're wondering, yes, most workers at the station know where Platform 9 3/4 is)...

...and Millennium Bridge, the bridge the Death Eaters destroyed in the beginning of the sixth book and movie (please excuse my camera's inability to take good photos after dark).

The sights haven't been the only amazing things during my stay here in the UK. The food is awesome too! I have never eaten such delicious and spicy cuisine -- all of it halal. Most of my meals, with the exception of breakfast, have been taken in some of the many small eateries around the area. One of these eateries had the best -- and I mean the best! -- wings I have eaten! If you're ever in the London area and you're looking for great food, check out Al Nasar Kebabish in Leyton, Greater London. You won't regret it insha'Allah!

While most of my meals have been outside, a few were homemade. First, their was some delicious chicken curry (my favorite!). I was supposed to cook it, but I ended up doing more watching than cooking as I have never made chicken curry beyond the simplest dish with what little spice we can get in Northern Minnesota. But, I did have the chance to cook one night, and settled on spaghetti. I ended up doing some experimenting due to lack of Italian spices and everyone's distaste of beef. So, I substituted chicken for beef and garam masala and red chili powder for Italian spices. Alhamdulillah it turned out great, so much better than I had expected!

Okay, enough photos. It's time to answer the question I hope you're asking: when will I start posting again? Well, it's hard to say. Insha'Allah I might get the chance to post a few pieces this week, probably nothing in-depth or fancy. However, it's still up in the air what I will be doing for the next couple of weeks, so I can't say for certain if I'll have the ability to post anything. However, I myself am itching to write something, so insha'Allah I'll find some time!

'Daily Qur'an and Hadith' will be returning this upcoming week insha'Allah!

Before I close this update, I would first like to thank all my readers who have been periodically checking the site. Even though I haven't been writing and posting, I have been keeping an eye on the stats. Every time I log in I'm delighted to see I'm still getting visits. I expected the visits to stop a couple days or so after I stopped posting without any explanation, but some of you are still dropping by! Alhamdulillah! That's great, and I can't tell you how happy that's made me! Insha'Allah I hope to keep getting those visits!

Ma'asalama

Iman

Feeding the birds!