NB:Lounge Blog - Singapore muslim online community Ask Answer Questions

Singapore Muslims Blog competition

2009-03-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Submit your blogs under any category and stand a chance to win prizes for the best write up on NasiBriyaniLounge.com website. Your blog will be judged by our team in areas of idea, creativity, knowledge of our website, and your unique writing style. All accepted entries will be listed on our website and this blog.

You can also find more information about us on our website and
this blog.

This contest is open to all Muslims with blogs related to Singapore.

Prizes

1st - $100 SGD cash or $120 worth of advertising on nasibriyani lounge.com

2nd - $80 SGD worth of advertising on nasibriyani lounge.com

More Information

For submittion and more information about this competition please click here >
.
.
.

Do it the Halal way, Pay for ads!

2009-03-21T20:52:00.001-07:00

We've noticed an increased number of businesses posting ads in questions despite accepting the community guidelines and rules where it clearly says its not allowed. To do so without payment for advertising is just wrong. If businesses continue to do so, we would not be able to continue running this website for long. We are bearing all the running expenses of this website and as businesses continue to profit from the exposure through our website, we have to incur more cost. As the cost reaches proportions that we cannot sustain, we will no longer be able to run this website and the people who have been benefiting from it, won't benefit anymore. We all lose out in the end.

As a muslim business do not take what you are doing lightly. Rest assured, you will get more business from us, but what you are earning by doing the above is not Halal and your income has no blessing. Putting ads on our site withought payment, asking questions to promote your own business, answering your own questions about your business by signing up multiple accounts, posing as fake customers all to increase your business popularity is considered cheating, stealing and deceiving. Is this who we are as Muslim Businesses?

NB lounge has already created avenues for business to actively participate on this site in a Halal acceptable manner.

1) by signing up for a business account for FREE
2) paid advertising oppourtunities for those who would like to fully take advantage of our strong ranking on the Internet for various things concerning Singapore Muslims ie, wedding, catering, fashion, products and services, islamic classes..etc.

The benefits of being mentioned on our site are obvious. For example a wedding card business is getting thousands of people visiting their website alone per month because someone has truthfully listed their website in one of the questions in this site. Similarly these catering business also get huge amounts of traffic from us. You can see for yourself.

http://extremetracking.com/open;ref2?login=shamente
http://extremetracking.com/open;ref2?login=puteriwe

Scroll down to the last section 'All website referrers' and you'll see a page from our site listed in the top 3 referrers. eg. from sham-enterprise, we are no. 1. bringing them 16.5% of their total traffic from our catering question.

Now imagine, if this sort of exposure is possible from just a question, what could be possible from advertising on the site, where your ad would be visible on all pages.

You can help our Singapore Muslim community and this website including your business by doing the right thing, which is to pay for your ads. Your contribution will fund the running of this site and benifit thousands of people. Allah will reward you more with his approval and blessing (barakah) by increasing your business popularity Inshllah. So, brothers and sisters, do it Halal, pay for your ads.
.
.
.

NB lounge featured in CSS galleries

2009-03-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the galleries that have featured our website.

dzineblog.com
cssbased.com
patterntap.com
cssorgy.com
cssbahcesi.com
css-design-yorkshire.com
cssclip.com
cssperk.com
cssgallerylist.com
csstea.com
webdigity.com
quandtnet.de
onecss.com
logocamp.net

RSS New Question feed? What is this?

2009-03-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

Part of our mission on NB lounge is to educate our Singapore Muslim community on how to utilise the Internet in a different level such that it will play a significant role in our daily life. Living in Singapore means that we don't have much time to waste. That is why an RSS is one of the most useful tool you can use that will save you time.

How do they work?

With RSS, you don't have to keep vising each of your favorite website manually anymore. Let those website come to you. Be updated instantly when there are new content in ALL your favorite websites at once. It is time saving and extremely versatile. Clueless about RSS and how to use them?

Watch this video and don't miss the boat.

To get you started with RSS, subscribe to NB lounge's NEW QUESTION RSS! You'll always be instantly updated on your reader when there are new questions posted. .

Congratulations to our Top member prize winners!

2009-03-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

hand-made cards designed and created by Sultana

NB lounge has just turned 2 years of age and already we rank no. 1 for many search terms to do with Singapore Muslims. Many of our visitors / members have not grasped the idea of this Ask answer website fully. Most of the time someone asks a question but does not think of answering other people's questions which could have easily been answered. If more members answer new questions and not just ask their own questions, they will find their own questions getting more responses.

One of the ways which we have come up with is to credit our members by giving score points, ranking shields and prizes to the top members whose answers have been accepted.

Here are our prize winners for 2009 who have just received their prizes!

1st- Faris

An active member on NB lounge who runs his own website called Islamtouch.com. He's a Muslim living in Singapore passionate about Islam.

2nd - Mehboob

The founding member of Faithhub doing dakwah work to help Muslims in Singapore, especially the converts / reverts.

3rd- Sultana

She's a skilled designer in various platforms.

4th- Ahxuan

A Muslim Chinese revert since 2002 for that plain simple reason, marriage. She learnt more about Islam over the years and is still learning to be able to answer the questions posed by her kids and on this website.

gifts sponsored by Webmack

Our sponsors

Webmack :

One of the web developers who has been involved in creating this website. He specialises in CSS, Ajax, usability study, ASP, jQuery, front and back end development.

If you wish to continue to see this website thrive and help people, sponsor us by advertising on our website! It isn't as expensive as you might think.

Visit nasi briyani lounge: www.nasibriyanilounge.com

New re-designed NB lounge site launched

2009-03-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our re-designed website was launched on the 28th Feb 2009. It's now cleaner and easier to use than ever before with new features like RSS, cool log in, top member cloud, profile bar, browsing new questions and recently replied.

Response to the redesign have been promising as users are viewing more pages as compared to the old designed site. We can say that the new design have created positive changes. Popularity have grown only 1 week after the launch. We will continue to see drastic increase in popularity and usage as more features will be added in the upcoming months.

Nasi briyani lounge is a Singapore Muslim ask answer website. People can ask questions from the multi genre topics listed and get answers/ reply from the Singapore online Muslim community itself. Our website uses CSS, ASP, cross browser capability, Ajax, jQuery, SEO. We are probably one of the very rare websites in Singapore that is using latest innovative technology and efficient programming. We are proud as a Singapore Muslim website to have been featured in a couple of CCS galleries

Visit our site at www.nasibriyanilounge.com
Ask and Reply to interesting question there!!

.
.

Redesigning of NB lounge!

2009-02-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

Sneek peeks!
Comming soon in Feb 2009!

We just cannot wait to launch our new skined site. Be prepared, there will be some getting use to that is required. Button will be at a different location and reading will be alot easier on the eyes. Not everything will be launched immediately. There will be some feature that will take a little bit more time to implement.

Soon you will be able to log straight into your profile page and be in control from there. There will be a more social espect to the site. RSS feature which you can import into your blogs, website or emails. No, we are not creating another facebook, but there need to be more interaction between members. Stay tuned for more updates!

Voice out to us what you would like to have or improved. All your comments and votes can be directed through this fun forum that we have set up just for you.

Here's the link: Vote and suggestions

Freelance Graphic Illustrator, Job opportunity

2009-02-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Nasi Briyani lounge is seeking for a freelance graphic designer/ Illustrator to draw a few cartoon Caricature illustrations for us.

Requirements:

-Someone who have stayed in Singapore and knows well about the Singapore Muslim culture.
-You are well versed with using graphic software, like Adobe..etc

Please reply if you :-

1) are interested
2) if you can recommend someone who fits this citeria.

Please quote :

1) - your skills ,
- links to your portfolio
- your fees.

2) - person's name or company name
- website address (optional)
- contact details
- an email

To reply, click here: contact us

We will contact applicants via email.

Tips on how to utilize your business or organisation sign up.

2009-01-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

You can now interact with other members by sharing useful information which is quite hard to find online. Thanks to websites like NB lounge, many people are now able to access information which wasn't easily available before.

We would like to give you some tips on how you can fully utilize your business account's features to benefit everyone on this community website:

1) As a member yourself on this site you're a part of this community first and then a business/ organisation member. So please play by the the rules and conduct yourself as part of our Singapore muslim community who support and be of service to others.

3)Participate as much as you can.You profile and signatures below each post will only be seen to others if you post questions and replies.

4) Use your signature well. Set your phone, website and contact details to display on your posts and in your profile. This more than anything will benefit you in combination with your useful replies.

5) Increase your reputation by making your replies to members qustions useful. Replies like this -> "Hi, I do this service, so call me on my mobile number 999 999 999." is not useful. This is spamming and not allowed, unless the asker of that question only wanted a list of company name and contact number. Promoting your business in this manner does not make people want to hire you for your services.

6) Share your knowledge with members. If someone asks about something that you have knowledge about, share it with them. For example if you are in the wedding industry and a member is asking about where to get an affordable wedding dais, do not reply like this "I do beautiful dais, contact me..." Instead reply like this, "Salaam, my business is dealing with wedding dais. it comes in an aray or styles and price. $400 for a 5ft dais, $500 for 6 ft etc. We use satin fabrics for the backdrop and special lightings...etc etc..."
Bottom line is give useful and detailed information. Our members will love you for it and so will the search engines. Do not be afraid to give prices or recomending to other business or giving people tips on how they can save money. That is what people want to know most of the time.

7) Try to gain more points and get yourself the top member shields. It really shows that you are someone who know your stuff and your replies have value.

8) Our site ranks very high on search engines (i.e google, yahoo , msn..) People normally come to our site searhing for something specific. so make good use of this by providing excellent specific replies.(as mentioned above).

9) We wish to raise the efficiency, justice and honesty of how businesses conduct themselves. These are the main ethics as a muslim that Islam recommends when dealing with clients which in turn increase your revenue, inshAllah. Many have complain on how they have been 'cheated' by businesses. Use this as a platform to improve your business, getting to know your potential clients and to give excellent services to others.

For those who would like to Sign up for this FREE business or organisation account, please proceed to Sign up! Fill in your details and click on "i would like to promoto my business or organisation". We are giving away this account free for a limited time.

Free Trial to promote your business or organisation on NB lounge

2009-01-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

A few business and organisation have contacted us to be able to interact with our members on our site. We came up with this fantastic idea which would benifit everyone. If you own a business or an organisation and would like to promote it, just sign up for one of this account. As you use our site to ask a question and answer question, you will be promoting your business. How?...well, your details and your business banner will be seen on each post. Members can click on your profile page to learn more about you and your business. So as you interact and create your repo with others so will your business. You are also given a special badge when u create this account with us.

We require 50 sign up to trial this. It's FREE so jump on NasiBriyani lounge and sign up for one! It's in beta stage, so would appreciate if we can hear from all those who have this account for more feedback on how to improve it.

View our live example --> Promote your business or organisation on NB lounge !

Sign up Now!

Step 1:
go to the sign up page

Step 2:
fill in your details

Step 3:
click on "I would like to promote my business or organisation"

Step 4:
activate your account and you will be up and running.

Stay tuned for more tips on how you can utalise this feature!

NB lounge 1st Gathering and Night Cycling Event

2008-01-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Our Very 1st Gathering!

NB lounge is organizing our very 1st gathering event ever! This gathering main aim is to break the ice, get to know one another and most importantly is to enjoy and have fun! We have put up a question under announcement on the website seeking for your suggestion and input to create this event. This is your opportunity to tell us what you can possibly see happening and if you'll like to join this gathering.

Please click on the question title below to read details and to reply:-

Question Title: NB lounge 1ST EVER GATHERING, Suggestions?

Night Cycling Event for youth

Al-Mukminin Mosque is organizing a night cycling event from East Coast Park to Al-Mukminin Mosque 9th to 10th February from 9:30pm(Sat) to 8.00 am(Sun). Hurry! The registration ends this 4th of February. For more information check out this website:www.youthalmukminin.blogspot.com

In the light of supporting the cause of health and fitness in our community, NB lounge is one of the sponsors for this fun filled activity. We request your support by sponsoring this event or by participating in it.

Assisting on Nasibriyani Lounge website

We are always on a look out for individuals who would like to make a difference and assist to grow this website. If you are looking to improve or acquiring certain skills like communication, moderating a website, writing, organizing event, creativity, team/ community building, finance, etc This is the place for you to built your talents and really shine for the community. If this appeals to you and none or something of what you would like to do is here, reply to this email and tell us what you want with your contact number and we'll be happy to have a chat with you about it.

Invite your family and friends to use NB lounge

Click on the link here and fill in the details and click send. We do not collect your friends and family name / email address or generate spam.

If you do have any concerns, questions or difficulty about anything on our website, please contact us.

Regards,
NB lounge Team

Eid- ul - Adha greetings

2007-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing all our members on NB lounger, readers of our blog and multiply a Happy Eid. May Allah grant us Jannah in the hereafter and create a clearing within our Muslim communities worldwide for our vision of a community which supports each other through our differences. Inshallah.

W'salaam
NB

Site Down for maintenance on Sunday 9th December

2007-12-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Our site will be down on Sunday for maintenance. So don't be alarm if you can't log in on Sunday.
We'll be back online on Monday.

Top score member on the Hall of Fame charts

2007-12-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

This month we have an interesting addition on the Hall of fame charts. Please click here for more ranking.

Mehboob is now our top ranked member on NB lounge with a score of 2404 points. He is just 596 points away from his next ranking Shield!

While Fariz received his first ranking shield 'Fresh' as well as being rank #3 on our charts with 1293 score points.

Sultana is now ranked #2 with 1634 score points and Ebonytigress ranked #4 with 785 score points.

Well done guys!! Above is a table on our top 4 members. For more information on how our ranking and score points works please check out details by clicking here <<

The new face of NB lounge

2007-11-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

Nasi Briyani lounge is picking up like crazy!! Do you know that Last week, We have about 15 new members who sign up. Each week the number have been increasing. We also have new questions being asked and replied to each day!!

A request on behalf of all members. If you've replied to questions before, try asking one. If you've asked one, try replying to a few. Contribute your support to others. If you’ve done none, get out there and start participating and earn credits and ranking shields. If you've done both, AWESOME!! Try doing more and get into the hall of fame!

Most active member on NB lounge this month?

A special acknowledgment to an inspirational member on our website; Fariz. He has been answering as many questions as he could on NB lounge this month. He continues giving replies to other members and supporting them in whatever way possible. Please view his profile and drop him a line for his contribution.

Please visit Fariz Profile here >> Fariz Profile

Meet our new volunteers!!

NB lounge team would like to introduce to you our new volunteers who are assisting in improving our website further. They are dedicated members of NB lounge who saw the potential of what our website can offer to our community and for them to gain some knowledge and experience in the process.

Moegsin
(nick: zoomie )

Web Programmer

Moegsien says:
I've recently joined Nasi Briyani lounge team as a web programmer and will be helping to make the site even better, while learning more about programming for the web.

I'm a Cape Malay from South Africa, living in Australia at the moment and find the similarities and differences between Malays and Cape Malays very interesting.

Check out Zoomie Profile click here <<

Nazihah
(nick: constant_searching)

Public Relations & Media coordinator

Nazihah says:
"I'm just an ordinary person from Singapore. An ordinary person who talks to herself and who is a friend to herself. LOL. Is that any ordinary to you? And also, ever heard of the term Internet freak before? Well, guess what? You are meeting one here. =)

A freak or not, Internet is my best friend! I can go sleepless nights with the net. By the way for those who don't know me (which I guess almost everyone of you all), I go by the username 'constant_searching'. You'll pretty much have a rough idea why I'm using that nick. As for age, gender & country, I'm giving you all the chance to fill up the particulars.

Check out Nazihah Profile click here <<

Volunteering opportunity

We welcome you and anyone else to take on this volunteering opportunity to make a difference and have fun and learn something in the process. You don't need experience, you don't need to be in Singapore. No constraints. Just your enthusiasm, commitment and sense of humor oh and of course an Internet connection :)

Nasi Briyani Lounge Sponsorship Program

2007-11-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

We are please to inform everyone that we have started our Sponsorship Program.

Our website is increasing in popularity as the days goes by. We are also now expanding our website globally as well as developing new features and rewards for our members.

We would like companies, businesses and organization to take this opportunity to support NB lounge in our cause in providing this platform to our members.

Depending on the amount that your company is willing to sponsor us, we can offer you one of our smart advertising options. Sponsorship amount starts from a product cash value of SGD $50 – SGD $1000 per month. Instead of sponsoring product, sponsors can also opt for cash itself.

This sponsorship will be used to reward our members with prizes and to pay for running of NB lounge’s server on top of improving our website further with new development and technology.

To give an idea of what Sponsors will be sporting, here are a list of what our website aims to do.

Aim of this website:

Nasi Briyani Lounge hopes to create a thinking, supportive and helpful community, where useful and resourceful information is gathered and can be found easily by everyone to use and share

Finding quality information that is relevant to Singaporean/Asian context can now be a click of a button.

To educate the community on how to harness the power of the Internet effectively in Singapore

Making new quality friends who supports each other

Participated on a website that makes a difference to people’s lives, especially when someone shares a question or an answer.

Going global. Providing this platform in different countries all over the world.

For more information and a copy for your brochure pack, please e-mail us using our contact form on our website. Leave your contact number (doesn't matter which country you are at) and an existing email address so that we can provide you with the best assistance possible.

Click here to contact us <---

Regards and W'salaam
NB lounge team

Flood of new Questions!

2007-11-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

Nasi Briyani lounge have been busier and busier. As NB lounge's popularity is gaining, more people are begining to post new questions on our site ranging from various topics, like divorce, marrige, how to get married, weddings, social issues..etc. This is so encouraging!

We are inviting you guys reading this to participant in asking and answering to these questions our site. Our website has provided hundreds of people with the information they need thanks to the generous community in providing these information to them.

To view our new questions, please click on the link below:
NEW QUESTIONs

One of our member Thanking NB lounge for transforming his life!

2007-11-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

Salaam everyone,

I’ll like to share this with everyone. One of our members on NB lounge had taken up landmark education in Singapore. (scroll down below for what he said)

I'm just thankful to Allah, our programming team, and members of this website for making it possible to cause this to people around me and even member on this community website.

Alhamdullilah. We are very thrill on your new transformation and endless possibilities.
W'salaam
NB

-----------------------------------------------
Thank you email from member
-----------------------------------------------

Name: Mehboob
Subject: Thank You

Message: Today I am a new man writing this email because of a transformation that was made possible through your website. I posed a question on your website and one of the members on the network provided a possibility that I tried out. Alhamdulilah the results are beyond my wildest imagination. I have created for myself possibilities which never existed for me previously. All I can say is that Life is what you make out of it and during your dark moments, you need help regardless of how strong you thought you were and the fact is that , there is help out there if only you are willing to reach out and ask for it. I thank your website for what it has done to me and my life and am hoping that you will be able to touch, motivate and inspire many more people out there. Keep up the great work and may Allah bless your noble intentions and deeds , Ameen.

Link to the Question: http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/topics/Hobbies/Q275.html

Eid Festival in Melbourne. 2007

2007-10-17T02:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic week for Eid. Each year in Australia, Melbourne there's always an Eid festival and this one was the biggest we've seen so far. It was amazing with rides, Nasheeds, Movie presentation, and some performance. There's stalls for everyone in any age group and the finale the fireworks. There are Muslims in every walk of life who turned up for this festival. And although the night soon turn quite chilly, people were still hanging around with a nice cupa coffee and kids running around.

courtesy of Sultana.
http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com

Donate your bone marrow this Eid and help this child live!

2007-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Request for bone marrow transplant deposit- patient Abd El Rahman Omar Mandour, hrn no. XE3121450

Abd Rahman is a 17mth old boy egyptian child who is diagnosed with a gentic disorder, Mucopolysaccharidosis at the age of 10mths. His family needs S$250,000 for his treatment. His article was featured in Berita Harian, dated 22 and 25 sept.

Before he reaches 2yrs which is 6mths from now, his brain cells will start to deteriorate. He need treatment as soon as possible. Please help to disseminate this information.

If you need further info/clarification, pls call Dr Tyrone Goh, Director of Ops, NUH at tel; 67725030 or abd rahman
father- Mr Omar 90864144

Here`s wishing all Muslim bros and sis, a blessed Hari Raya...

rgds,
Jimmy
96338807

Eid mubarak, Selamat Hari Raya.

2007-10-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

On behalf of NB lounge team, we will like to wish all our Muslim members on NB lounge and our multiply readers a Happy Eid. May Allah grand us Jannah in the Hereafter.

Please remember the volunteers, members of NB lounge and our all the Muslims around the world in your prayers. While you are out and about visiting family and friends, share with them about our fantastic website and what we are doing for our Muslim community in Singapore as well as in other parts of the world.

Your continue support by asking and answering question on our website will only motivate us to develop this site beyond what we currently have. So, thank you for that.

W'salaam

NB lounge team

main site: http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com
multiply: http://nasibriyani.multiply.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your info, the real content of the website is actually on our main site and multiply and blogger are just compliments to the actual site itself. More like a summary on what is going on NasiBriyani lounge. Any ideas on improving our website...please let us know. If you will like to be a part of our team, also drop us a line. :D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explorer users, we are back!

2007-10-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

We figured out that the list of Upcoming events which we were using through yahoo upcoming was creating the problem. We have taken down the events on the right side of the site in order for our site to operate as per normal.

We are contacting yahoo to let them know that something is wrong with their codes which was interfering with our website.

Thank you guys for your support and help. :)

Have a great weekend.

Alert!! Nb lounge is not loading proper on 'explorer'

2007-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Salaam All,

Thanks to one of our member alerting us about this, Nasi Briyani lounge seemed to be only showing the events page on explorer web browser and not the rest of the site. Our web guy is trying to figure out what is causing this.

If you are using 'firefox' as your web browser you will be fine. We've always been wanting to advise our members to use firefox as your web browser as that web browser is more robust, powerful and it has a solid pop up blocker. It's also the web browser that is well loved by web developers. So please go to the link below to download it.

download firefox here:
http://en.www.mozilla.com/en/firefox/

We'll inform all of you when we have figured out what is causing this. If any of you guys have web programming background or knows what might be happening, please contact us.

Thank you for your patients.

W'salaam
NB

Volunteering opportunity as Event coordinator, PR and marketing, Graphic Designers, Flash developer, Illustrators, Journalist or article contributor

2007-10-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Intro:
We are an online Singapore Muslim community website based in Australia, Melbourne call NasiBriyani lounge.com. website url: http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com. We have created this website project to bridge Muslim organisation,businesses, groups, individual together by actively supporting each other by asking and answering questions. We would like to expand our site globally for the benefit of everyone.

Our website was recently featured, showcased and selected as the editors choice on CSSBased.com! Yayy!! We are proud to be a Muslim Community website to be recognized in the global web circles. Our team are volunteers who are dedicated to usability as well as design and of course our Muslim community.

We are opening different volunteering position as an opportunity for the community to gain experience, build up that portfolio as well as being a part of this community project.
Currently we already have a few projects lined up for the above position. We would like to set up a base team in Melbourne as well as teams in other parts of the world.

List of positions:
Events coordinator, PR and marketing, Graphic Designer, Flash Developer, Illustrators, Journalist, article contributor ( in any field )

Who is this position suitable for?
Position is open globally. Anyone who has a computer, a web cam ( if not in Melbourne ) and internet accessibility. Any individuals who is serious and passionate about any of the above positions and wanting to implement, learn and develop their skills in a dynamic team. Anyone who wants to make a difference in the world. Also great to built your portfolio.

Who is this position NOT suitable for?
We work based on datelines, weekly tasks and weekly 1hr or so meetings to catch up on what we have done. For those who may have an issue with keeping with datelines and weekly meeting then it might Not be suitable for you. If you are looking to earn cash, this might not be for you as well since our website do not earn any money. Meeting can be done online or we can sometimes go for a cupa coffee or dinner (if you are in Melbourne) or else we can do it virtually :P

It's hard to come by a good website let alone a good Muslim website. Hence we would like to be one of the best website in the world.

Please email me your resume or any queries you might have.
jobs@nasibriyanilounge.com

W'salaam

Opportunity to Volunteer on an online community website as a budding web programmer.

2007-09-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

Description:

We are an online Singapore Muslim community website based in Australia, Melbourne call NasiBriyani lounge.com. website url: http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com.

We have created this website project to bridge Muslim organisation, businesses, groups, individual together by actively supporting each other by asking and answering questions. We would like to expand our site globally for the benefit of everyone.

Our website was recently featured, showcased and selected as the editor’s choice on CSSBased.com! Yayy!! We are proud to be a Muslim Community website to be recognized in the global web circles. Our team are volunteers who is dedicated to usability as well as design and of course our Muslim community.

We are now opening our doors to more Volunteers who would be forming a team of Web Programmers to work with our current ace web developer and designer.

Who is this position suitable for?

Any individuals who are serious and passionate about the web and wanting to implement, learn and develop new technology in an active environment. Also great to built up your portfolio.

Who is this position NOT suitable for?

We work based on datelines, weekly tasks and weekly 1hr or so meetings to catch up on what we have done. For those who may have an issue with keeping with datelines and weekly meeting then it might Not be suitable for you. If you are looking to earn cash, this might not be for you as well since our website do not earn any money. Meeting can be done online or we can sometimes go for a cupa coffee or dinner (if you are in Melbourne) or else we can do it virtually :P

It's hard to come by a good website let alone a good Muslim website. Hence we would like to be one of the best website in the world.

Please email me your resume or any queries you might have.

jobs@nasibriyanilounge.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit us on multiply!! http://www.nasibriyani.multiply.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Polygamy, younger man , older woman and attending non-muslim wedding ceremony...

2007-09-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Are people getting the hang of this? Get in there people and start answering and asking too! :D

What do you think if a younger man in love with an older woman and wants to marry her. My close friend.... more >>

Could someone please share why Muslims are allowed to marry four times? Is it bcos ...more >>

Is it forbidden for a muslim to attend religious wedding ceremonies in say, a church or hindu temple?...more>>

Find out what our members have to say...and whoz stopping you form putting in your own answer or even questions?

Dying to voice out your opinions!! Just do it ;) Be involve in your community. Try voting your hot questions and answers will be good for starters.

Whats new and what's news??

2007-09-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

Your Avatar
Beside you sending messages to members on NB and adding them as buddies, you can now add your own character avatar in your profile page. These are some of our recent members updated avatar.

Think you can do better ;) ? To edit your avatar, log into your profile, and follow the instructions. We have integrated with WeeWorld and made it possible to bring your weemee to our website.

Vote for us on cssbased.com
As you guys know we were featured on Cssbased.com.
We were on page 1, scoring a full 5.0 votes initially on, (view pictures here) however the voting scoring varies as people vote for us. So please go to cssbased.com and vote for Nasi Briyani lounge website a full 5! (please vote for us by clicking here !! Get us back to page 1)
We are proud to be a Muslim Community website to be recognized in the global web circles.

Other News

Outstanding members
We are scouting for outstanding members on NB lounge in terms of participation and dedication. I will like to reward these members with a special opportunity and privileges on our site. For example like being involve in moderation, events management, article/ blogger contributors, IT, design etc.

Top rankers on NB lounge. Who are they?
I'm sure you must be wondering who are our top scorers. We want to encourage more of our members to actively participate. If you think getting those points is just too difficult, these members have done it. Our top 2 members have receive their first ranking shield for giving good answers. I'm sure the other 2 will follow suite and don't forget, you will get onto the 'Hall of fame' by people's votes. So tell your friends to vote for you ;)

Anyway, below is the list of the top 4 members. For other top member categories please view it on our 'Hall of Fame' page. Way to go guys!

1^st	Sultana	1349 score	55 votes
2^nd	Mehboob	1022 score	34 votes
3^rd	Ebonytigress	783 score	5 votes
4^th	PaulBaul	750 score	0 votes

Latest Question and Replies
Don't forget, there are always new questions awaiting for your replies and recently replied questions which you might wanna check out coz i know that you are eager to jump in and share your opinions or to cast your votes. You can also view recently replied questions by clicking on the browse page, then click on 'recently replied'. It will show you the number of questions in different topics that have been recently replied to.

Examples of recent new questions:

Is 30 days Ramadan a doctrine?
Religion and Theology

pick up line?
Love and relationship

Examples of recent new replies:

Perform prayer in workplace.
Work and Career

A Hindu boyfriend converting to Islam. Issues with last rites in hindu culture
Culture and Tradition

Well that all for now. On the thrills and spills on NB lounge updates and comment n questions please drop us a line. :) See you guys on our site.

W'salaam
NB

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit us on multiply!! http://www.nasibriyani.multiply.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nasi Briyani lounge website featured on CSSBased.com!!

2007-09-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

NasiBriayni lounge.com was featured on the CssBased website. Among all the thousand of entry, we were picked as the featured site as well as the Editorial Choice, scoring a full 5.0. We owe it to our team effort in creating such an amazing website, in particular our designer and our programmer/ developer. Our team is dedicated in usability as well as design. Thank you guys! We are proud to be a Muslim Community website to be featured on that website amongst all the rest.

Css Based is a project providing web designers a database of well designed CSS based websites from around the world. To view more click on http://www.cssbased.com/

We will like to extend this invitation to Volunteers to be apart of NasiBriyani lounge team! If you are dying to get your hands on latest technology, design, even PR, research, journalism, etc...just contact us. If you can contribute something other then what is mentioned here to support this Muslim Community website project just let us know and we will accommodate you guys.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NasiBriyani lounge.com: - Ask question to real people with real answers! http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are proud of our members!

2007-09-20T03:22:00.000-07:00

It blows me away when i see members on our website getting their question answered while each member forming the support network to each other one in their daily life. Even if the question can be about finding a nice place to dine or something more serious like a problem marriage members are readily there to answer in one way or another.

Our society lacks that interaction these days ironically as more hi-tech equipment are being invented for more communication between people. We forget the beauty in humanity as we are engulf with work, trying to find money and supporting the family, that we forget that humans are all one and we feel each other's struggle. There is something bigger then just us and our suffering. We assume that people don't care or can't help out, but if the community come together to work together as one, that would solve a lot of our current problem that we are facing in this modern times.

Our recently accepted answer on our website about :"A Hindu boyfriend converting to Islam. Issues with last rites in hindu culture" for example shows that our community Think Share and Help.

We will like to thank members for being there for supporting each other in giving opinion, suggestion to questions. That's what makes NasiBriyani lounge site worth every effort to keep expanding on.

Please feel free to contact us for feedbacks and suggestion. We will like to hear from you on how we can improve our site further.

W'salaam.
NB

Arts and Cultural Exhibition promoting Muslims and Muslim talents in Singapore

2007-09-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

Intro:

We are organising an arts and cultural exhibition in Singapore promoting Muslims and Muslim talents, like painters, photographers, sculptures, music, short movies or even a theatre production .Other organisation I’ve spoken to suggested lawyers, counsellors, doctors providing free consultation etc. This exhibition will allow Muslims in Singapore to express themselves using a different medium which other people (Muslim and non-Muslim) can relate to.
Ideas on different booth section:

We can have a section on the religious side of islam and probably an ‘imaam’ to answer any queries. Then, we have the Arts/ theatre and History section, Professional section (like lawyers, doctors, Islamic banking, free counselling etc…), Muslim Fashion and music from some Muslim contemporary singers/ Nasheed singers. (ie Taufik Batisah, Raihan,etc)

Venue intend: Singapore Expo
Name of event: (open to suggestion)
Proposed Date of event: December 2007

We would like to gather individuals and organisation/ businesses that shares our idea and would like to support or sponsor us in organising this fun and fresh project. I planned to have this exhibition to be broadcast in the main news (channel 5,etc) and newspapers (straits times, etc). . Please let me know your feedback (bad or good) And lets join together in making this idea a reality. Perhaps you may have additional ideas?

I feel that the Muslim society have been trying to hide their identity to avoid stereotyping or they are ashamed of who they are. Singapore society as a whole ( Muslims and non-Muslims) have little knowledge of what Muslim are and this exhibition will allow them to gain information within the safe space created while getting to know who Muslims are without the frustration of misrepresentation in the media. It will expose us Muslim to everyone else and not just among ourselves which we have been doing for many years.

We are inviting you guys for:-

- feedbacks
- sponsors
- more groups/ individual to join us in organising this event

Please post your comments here>>

Part II : What are Muslims attitude towards fasting month..?

2007-09-12T00:39:00.000-07:00

By: sultana

I just have to share this with everyone it's such a crack up!! HAHAHA

A must watch!!
Ummah Films - Ramadan Reruns <--- click here

The kinda issues muslims go through during Ramadan, form the arguments of when should Ramadan starts, to putting on weight in Ramadan!

Also a good resource on Ramdan from Ramadan Awareness Campaign http://ramadan.com.au/2007/

View more comments here >>

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NasiBriyani lounge is a virtual website for Muslims in Singapore to Think Share and Help across a wide range of topics:- http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are Muslims attitude towards fasting month..

2007-09-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Question: by Fariz

With one day to go before Ramadan, the muslim fasting month starts. Singapore muslims would be busy buying home decor, new clothes and festive cookies call 'kuih' at Geylang Serai, the Muslim hub for getting all the goodies in preparation for the Hari Raya (shawwal) celebrations. As compared with other cultures, Singapore muslims are the ones who puts more importance in celebrating Hari Raya (shawwal) rather then giving importance in celebrating Ramadan itself.

What are your opinions/ feedback on Muslim attitude towards this fasting month?

Are muslims focusing on Hari Raya preparation rather than making more deeds during fasting month?

Do you think that people breaking fast with too many dishes or by over-spending ?

Is taraweh prayer (night prayer during Ramadhan) a recommended practise by muslims?

This is your community, your voice!!
Send and View comments here >>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NasiBriyani lounge is a virtual website for Muslims in Singapore to Think Share and Help across a wide range of topics:- http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Muslim or Malay Wedding invitation cards (kad jemputan)

2007-09-07T03:04:00.000-07:00

If you are looking where to print your wedding cards in Singapore (kad jemputan) , our editorial team went on a hunt to share some of their findings. It was not easy to find these wedding providers. On of our findings were cards which are better designed are available in Malaysia and overseas. If you are a wedding provider or knows more providers which we have missed out. feel free to add them in our Question.

Full details here >>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is the Malay and others Singapore muslims wedding culture, tradition and customs??

2007-09-07T00:12:00.000-07:00

While we are facing a deterioration on our identity and culture, we wonder if anyone ever know the proper way of their own wedding culture, tradition and customs? Living in Singapore especially, it's becoming apparent that everything have been simplified and well lost. If you are an expert in this and wondering what are the procedures in a malay wedding find your answers here.

More details here >>

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Share your Events with us and Share it with the rest of the world

2007-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

We understand that our muslim community is extremely active with upcoming events almost each week. Organisations have emailed us time and time again informing us about their events so that we can publicise it to you. With that in mind, we have set up a events group so that all of you can have a look at all the up coming events that is happening in your neck of the woods. You can add and share your events with your friends, family members and practically the whole world.

So to Share your events with us and share it with the rest of the world. Just click here and join our group
These events will be reflected on our blog as well as on our main website.

Have fun sharing.

W'salaam
NB

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

JOB: Seeking for Web and Flash developer on NB lounge

2007-08-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

NB lounge is an online Singapore Muslim web community currently looking for a suitable candidate for the following 2 positions to develop our exciting website. If you are someone who has some experience but is keen on getting your hands on learning new cutting edge technology, something less conventional ( also known as BORING) , then join our team. :D

We are open to volunteering in exchange for some services.

======================
Budding Web Developer
======================

Looking for a budding web developer for a project (estimated duration: 2-3 months) with the following basic skills:

* Classic ASP
* CSS
* HTML / xHTML
* Javascript
* Access Database / SQL querying

You must be able to hand code all of the above. Not using WYSIWG editors like dreamweaver etc.

You will learn and be guided best practice and cutting edge technical implementation in the current web 2.0 space

================
Flash Developer
================

Looking for a flash developer to enhance an existing Question and Answer community website by building an avatar creating feature (estimated duration: 1 month). The artwork / designs will be provided. What is required is the flash integration to allow users to interactively choose different aspects such as hair, eyes, nose, etc. to make up the avatar.

Please submit your CV to jobs@nasibriyanilounge.com

Looking forward to hear form you. :D

W'salaam

NB
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NB lounge looking for volunteers !

2007-08-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

To speed up the progress in developing this site further, we are looking for members who are willing to volunteer some of their time into the growth of this site either for moderation, IT, or writing and design. So if you are interested in gaining some experience and contributing your skills, please drop us a line .

Islamic Awareness Program (IAP) on 20th - 22nd August

2007-08-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

NTUMS is organising Islamic Awareness Program (IAP) in NTU. The program is as such that an exhibition will be organised, in which one of the booths will be where students can write in their questions. We've invited speakers such as Prof. Fareed Al-Attas (NUS), Prof. Karim Sloan Crow (NTU), and Habib Hassan Al-Attas (Member of Inter-Religious Council) to give talks on 20th - 22nd of August.

NTUMS intended that the speakers attend to some of the questions written by the students. The objective for this approach is to engage the students -muslims or not- to feel free to ask and clarify their doubts about anything pertaining to Islam. At the same time, we hope that the talks will help students understand Islam better, and stimulate their interest to find out more, beyond the duration of IAP

This programme is open to all to attend. Please download this document for more details of the events with background of speakers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fund rising by Faith Hub. Support dakwah work

2007-08-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is first attempt at raising funds by Faithhub, a non profit organization that does dakwah work focussed on Converts in Singapore. We are a registered organization since 2004 and since then we have been doing activities amongst our own members. It has been brought to our attention that there are many more converts out there who need help, support be it monetary or just emotional support.

This fund raising attempt is to find a "home" for ourselves so that people can come forward to this location and confide in us. Our job is bring the message to all and this humble project of ours is a first attempt at sharing the beauty of our Quran with those who have yet to discover its beauty.

Insya, Allah willing, we will be embarking on our second book very soon. In faithhub, we believe, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. Come join us and re-explore the beauty of Islam.

The book is being sold at S$5 & we will be greatful to anyone who is willing to help us by delivering the book personally to them. Please order through info@faithhub.com

For more details, please vist us at www.faithhub.com

Ps: Faith hub have also donate 10 of this book to NB lounge members as prizes. So please support them and their cause.

What is a good reply on NB lounge?

2007-07-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

I'm very please to inform that Since our presentation we've receive more Sign-up and support from member of the community. We can see how our objectives are slowly being establish as more members are asking questions and answering therm.

I'll like to take this opportunity to hilight that one of our objectives is to create a community that gives and seek for information that has quality, depth that will be very helpful for other people to learn and understand from.

A few tips to look into what makes a good reply:

1) be very clear in your English. Do not use chat, sms phrase and short forms.

2) If you are giving opinions and other point of view please follow it by references like links to other websites or name of a book, so that people can actually look and research more into your references.

3) Think and research the question you are answering. Research makes alot of different between a quality information or just an opinion without any backing or facts/ figures.

4) imagine if you are the one asking the question what would you like to see in a reply that you will really be satisfied and pleased with.

5) cover all possible angle when you answer a question. not just your point of view.

Using a system like this will not only be useful for members on NB lounge, but it will allow members who are replying to questions to expand their knowledge while they are answering questions on the site. Researching beyond just your point of view, is the key that will expend the quality and depth of your answers and you can use this way of looking at things for anything that life throws at you. This is what every school and every company practices. The ability to be resourceful.

So we hope that our valued members will try it out. You can also attempt to answer questions which you think isn't relevant to you by researching. You will be amazed at what you can find.

With that, i wish everyone well, and a happy weekend using our website.

W'salaam
NB

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lecture in English @ Darul Ghufran Mosque

2007-07-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Every wednesday after isyak at Darul Ghufran Mosque.
Lecture in English using Riyadus Salihin...Ustaz Kamal Mokhtar..

NB lounge meeting in Singapore

2007-07-03T03:29:00.001-07:00

We are pleased to inform you that we had successful meeting on the 28th night, organised by Sis Taibah from Assyafaah Mosque ( Assyafaah Mosque have won the mosque excellence award. view here)

Attending the meeting were officials from Assyafaah, a representative from Faith Hub (www.faithhub.com), 11 magazine team, president of NUS muslim society, official from Jamae Chulia mosque and other members from other polytechnic and sec schools.

Along with NB lounge, 11 magazine and Assyafaah Mosque were there to present about their organisation and their visions in the projects that they are undertaking.

Below are NB: lounge's presentation based on the following points:

NB lounge is using the facilities on our website to contribute towards good quality information on the web that Muslims and non-Muslims will be able to benefit form.
We are providing the bridge between organisation, business and the mass users of people.
Using the Asking and replying to Questionon our website to utilise insights, knowledge, etc to make a difference and helping others.
Getting localise information that is simple and relevant.
Building a profile and reputation with the rest of the world under the banner of Muslims in Singapore.

What are we working on now?

NB: lounge is currently working on developing our businesses and organisation proposal. This proposal is to set up a special system for businesses and organisation to be able to use the site to ask and answer question that will benefit users of the site as well as give exposure to their business and visions.

We are also collaborating with Assyafaah Mosque under the Religion and Theology section of our site. We will be providing a way in which users can directally ask an imam for any religious Question if they wish to get an expert opinion.

'11 magazine' who also gave a brief presentation on their Islamic magazine for teens will be publishing some of our questions and replies on our site. Their first Issue will be out this coming Ramadan.

Also check out our new features on the site!!

Members are now able to write up a brief profile about themselves, insert their website address, add 'buddies' and send message to other users on the site. We have also created an interesting addition call the "popularity meter". So do browse around, have fun with our site and if you do not have any question or replies, you can always contribute by voting. Remember all actions on our site will earn you points.

learn more >>

Please support our work by inviting all of your family and friends of all ages to use this free website and do approach us if you feel anything on the site can be improve to further our ambition into creating a Think Share help Singapore Muslim society.

W'salaam
NB lounge team

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NB: Lounge - Meeting with Members and Organisations

2007-06-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

Asalamaulaikum to All,

There have been some interesting questions and replies that have really made us see that we are a thinking & helpful community.

In order to further this cause and improve the site we would be delighted to meet our members in Singapore, to discuss the future of the website and the internet as a tool for the Singapore Muslim Community. We are planning to arrange a meeting room so would like to get an idea of the number of people who can attend.

Suggested Dates: 27th June or 28th June
Suggested Time: Around 7:30pm, after Maghrib
Location: To be decided based on numbers

We would love to see you there. Please reply and let us know if you can make it or not.

Regards and W'salaam

NasiBriyani Moderator

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8 minutess muslim youth film competition (Singapore)

2007-06-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

There a 8 mins muslim film competition which I think is an awesome idea.
check out their website for more details.

http://www.8minutes.com.sg/

only 17days till it starts form this date.

prizes form
1st- $3000
2nd- $1500
3rd- $500

Send messages to NB:lounge members! new updates

2007-06-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

We have updated some feature on NB:lounge. Read more on how the system of NB lounge have been change. From the points system to how you can earn yourself point and reputation by voting , asking questions and replying to any questions.

Voting system:

Members can now vote positively or negatively for each question and replies to what they think deserve.

Popularity 'O' meter:

Votings will effect the popularity of the question and reply and also the popularity of the member (who provided the reply or question) itself. The popularity of a member will be shown in their profile page, under "Popularity 'O' Meter".

Member profile page:

You can also add in 'buddies' who are using on NB:lounge and send them messages or exchange emails.

Each member will be able to put up a short paragraph about themself and their email and website if they want to.

(adding buddies and updating your profile page will be up at end june)

Ranking shields: Earn your shields and Show them off!

A new member will start of as a Rookie. As a 'rookie' moves up the ranks, each rank will become more difficult to earn than the last. These Shields applaud the efforts of our members and give them something to strive for!Your Shield will be displayed graphically alongside your posts throughout the site and in your profile.

Starting shield is at 1000 points.

We hope you guys enjoy your time on NB lounge. If you are not happy with our service or our site, please feel free to voice it out and contact us directally.

best regards
NB- webmaster

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Muslim Organization celebrates Vesak Day!

2007-05-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

Someone email us this question which sparks some controversial debates.
What are your Replies on this? Question posted on NB: Lounge

Quote question:

"Muslim Organization (Jamiyah Singapore) support and join hand to celebrate a Kafir(non-muslim) festival in Singapore. Pleases see the news attached below. Is this what Muslim organization do in order to show that Islam tolerate other religion?"

the article:
Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 May 2007 2230 hrs
Little India prepares for Vesak Day celebrations

SINGAPORE : Several of Singapore 's religious organisations and temples in Little India will be involved in this year's Vesak Day celebrations.

They include the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, Hindu Endowment Board, Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association, Taoist Federation, Jamiyah Singapore, as well as 16 Buddhist organisations and various temples.

At an event on Sunday, it was announced that $630,000 had been raised for the S. Rajaratnam - School of International Studies Endowment Fund. It will be matched dollar for dollar by the government.

And for the first time this year, a golden statue of Buddha was also brought from the Singapore Buddhist Lodge premises at River Valley Road on a wooden chariot.

Celebrations will continue at the Serangoon Road site till Thursday when the event will culminate with the presentation of scholarships for needy students followed by a candle light procession. - CNA/de

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other comments:

Assalamu Alaikum. Mualaikumsalam.

Brother, I find nothing wrong in showing support for other religions in Singapore during their festival celebration. Yes, it is a good and great sign that Islam in Singapore is more open to accommodate other religion belief peacefully in order to achieve better understanding amongst mankind regardless of their ethnic or religion.

I fully support that change, concept and idea.

Wassalam.
Joe
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wa Alaikum Salam,
Islam is pure and it can't accept Kufr.

If we are Muslims we can tolerate the kuffar but not support them.

So tomorrow, if they build a temple, will Muslims support them to build one financially?

Where are our limits?

Yes, we are living multi- religious community, there are many ways to live peacefully with Non-Muslims, it is not be done by supporting them this way.

Wassalam
Unite-Muslims

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anti muslim are fully opinated and so are we

2007-05-29T05:05:00.000-07:00

I do not know why...but i'm amuse when i see anti-Muslim website. check this one out http://home.comcast.net/~Dude8888/Example.htm

Like how fully opinionated can humans be i was thinking to myself while people are not even certain of the crap they are talking about. ( heh..but here i am giving my opinions abt other people.) But that is the nature of humans isn't it. Full of concerns, thinking if someone is right or wrong, not wanting to look bad, or if something is the truth or the false, agreeing with an opinion or not, being self-righteous, pointing our fingers at how screwed up everyone around us is but us. There no difference between them and our own muslim people. Within the muslim community, there's these concerns as well. example....

"oh how can this women who is wearing her hijab be in a public place kissing a guy."
"oh i don't think that he/she is practising the religion properly"
"living in a western country will tarnish our believes and imaan"
"oh my! how can her husband treat her like that."
" the government is the cause of all of this crap in our life"

I'm saying these are valid concern..and its neither right or wrong. ( i know some still think its about being right and wrong) if humans are going around judging other people and their choices and somehow getting upset, annoyed, and angry.... then why not do something about it or else, don't be pissed off, don't be annoyed and definitely don't write an anti-Muslim website. The world don't need to hate nor attack any religion.

If humans are killing each other, taking away each other's dignity, food and shelter, livelihood, then that is something to work towards striving against the human's dark side of greed and no sense of integrity. What are you guys doing by attacking Muslims or like Dr Dawkin with his concern about the concept of religion. (again i'm being fully opinionated here). The problem is never with the concept of any religion but its humans. YES, we are the problem. Stop blaming the country, the government or culture or religion. Finding out the so call truth about the idea of creation is not going to stop people form killing each other and it will definitely not bring peace, justice, security and stability to the world. uggh..well i shouldn't be too concern myself about humans who are concern with humans who blames others but themselves. :S never the less.... I still find it amusing no doubt when i read any anti-anything websites. :D

peace

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Compendium of Muslim Texts

2007-05-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

This is a vey good Islamic website from UCS (university of Southern California)
I have seen alot of Islamic website which are confusing and never quite gets to the points of things, but this is clear cut, striaght to the point. logical topics which sums up the wholeness of Islam. i particularly like the "world of islam"

below is taken form the main page. I'd advise surfing through all the links within the text itself. Good compilation of information in there.

Compendium of Muslim Texts

In 610 CE, Allah ordained the final Prophet He would send to earth. Over five centuries had passed since the previous Prophet He sent, Jesus the son of Mary. This final Prophet was Muhammad ibn Abdillah (saas). Though Muhammad (saas) was born in the Arabian peninsula, he was sent to all of humanity. He was commissioned to deliver a message from Allah to Arabs and non-Arabs alike.

The message was the same one which Allah had sent down to the earliest humans. It contained a description of the way of life which Allah had established for people to follow while they lived here on earth. By agreeing to follow this way of life, people would essentially be submitting themselves to Allah. The name of this way of life was simply 'submission'. In Arabic, this is Islam (pronounced "Isslaam"). Today, Islam is found in all parts of the world, and its adherents are known as Muslims.

The message of Islam was conveyed in only two ways: in the form of a book, and in the living example of the Prophet. These two are the basis for a way of life which is acceptable to both mind and heart - it is neither illogical nor impersonal. It is in fact the only true way of life revealed from the Creator. The scope of this way of life is vast enough that it transcends the traditional notion of 'religion'. Islam includes submitting to Allah in the realm of politics, economics, law, etc.

Whoever wishes to understand Islam can only start at one place: the Oneness and Uniqueness of Allah. This is the essence of the creed of Islam, and no other creed on earth approaches its power and elegance. Scholars have written at length on the beliefs of Islam (e.g. Ibn Taimiyah and at-Tahawi), but the core belief is undisputed:

Sahih Bukhari - Volume 9, Book 93, Number 470: Narrated Mu'adh bin Jabal: The Prophet said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's Right upon His slaves is?" I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "To worship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah). Do you know what their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "Not to punish them (if they do so)."

Fundamentals
Allah
Muhammad
Qur'an
Sunnah
Pillars

Special Topics
Economics
History
Human Relations
Law
Misconceptions About Islam
Politics

Tools
Qur'an Search
Hadeeth Search
Glossary

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malay history (sejarah melayu)

2007-05-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

This are things you will not find in your history books. ;)
History of South East Asia/ History of Malays.

The malays are the race of people who inhabit the Malay Peninsula (what is today Peninsular Malaysia) and portions of adjacent island of South East Asia, including the east cost of Sumatra, the cost of Boneo, and smaller islands that lie between these areas.

Anthropoligists trace the home of the Malay race to the northwestern part of Yunnan, in China. These tribal proto-Malays, or Jakun, were a seafaring people. They were once probably a people of costal Boneo who espand into Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula as a result of their trading and seafearing way of life.

When did Freethought Cease in the Muslim World?

2007-05-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is an article i found while researching... article & comments here

When did Freethought Cease in the Muslim World?
Mohammad Gill
July 15, 2004

Freethinking is a natural instinct. Children are curious about every thing and they ask questions all the time, which at times become irksome for the elders to answer. As they grow up, they get brain washed as to which questions are appropriate to ask and what others are inappropriate. This instinct is suppressed in the Muslim world at a fairly early stage in life because questioning is discouraged by the parents and the elders. It is curiously considered a sign of disrespect. According to a common adage among the Muslims, questions should not be asked in matters of religion – particularly about Islam; religion should be practiced uncritically according to the usual rituals. For the troubleshooters, there is the law of ‘blasphemy’.

According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, “freethinker is one that forms opinion on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially: one who doubts or denies religious dogma.” Take for instance the Ptolemaic thesis: Earth is stationary and is the center of the universe. The Sun and other planets revolve around Earth. This was based on Ptolemy’s astronomy, which somehow became an article of Christian faith. One could have disagreed with Ptolemy’s formulation with impunity if it didn’t have the Christian underpinnings. When it became an article of religious faith, denying it became a blasphemy punishable by death. For example, Giordano Bruno was burnt alive on the stake for his expressed belief in heliocentricity.

A freethinker doesn’t refute a statement just for the heck of it; he should have a good sound reason to do so otherwise it becomes wholly subjective and a matter of “my word against yours.” So Ptolemy’s formulation held sway for centuries until it became obvious through observations that his astronomy had become unnecessarily too cumbersome and alternate formulation could explain matters much simply. The time was opportune for the heliocentric theory to replace the geocentric concept. But the faith in gocentricity had become ingrained and dogmatic. The freethinking scientists, Galileo and others, had to take a firm position against the Church and suffer for it before the geocentric concept was replaced by the heliocentric theory.

A lesser but equally vitriolic issue pertained to the Throne of God (Sura 7, verse 54, Holy Quran, for example) in medieval Islam. It was hotly debated whether God actually ‘sits on His Throne’ in the heavens or is it just an allegorical and figurative statement? For a modern freethinker, the throne issue is largely meaningless because there is a bigger issue (of which this is a minor extension), which needs serious consideration and resolution, if possible. The bigger and more fundamental issue for him is whether a Christian God or Islamic Allah (defined and described by the ninety nine attributes) can possibly exist or not. Some of these attributes conflict with each other.

A freethinker is not necessarily an unbeliever although a believing freethinker has to make compromises with his religious faith. Thus a freethinker can be a theist, an atheist, or any one ‘in-between.’ The one in-between is usually called agnostic. For example, Bertrand Russell was an agnostic, nearer to atheism.

When did Freethinking Begin in Islam?

Freethinking began in Islam with the Mutazilites. The founder of Mutazilism was Wasil bin Ata (d. 748). When Islam expanded into foreign lands outside Arabia, the Muslims came in contact with Egyptians, Syrians, and Greeks living in these lands. Greek philosophy and rational sciences existed in these lands and the early Muslims were naturally influenced by them. Their blind faith in the divine revelation was thus confronted by rational thought and many people started questioning the viability of the dogma in the divine scriptures. Such an experience was quite new to the Muslims who were intellectually challenged to reconcile some of the improbable scriptural text with reason. When suitable bridge could not be built and mutual reconciliation seemed impossible, recourse was made to reinterpretation of the scriptural text for resolving the (apparent) conflict. Such an effort was spearheaded by the first Arab philosopher al-Kindi, which was later formalized by ibn Rushd into a doctrine, which was called the doctrine of the double truth. He (2) argued, “Since this religion is true and summons to the study which leads to knowledge of the Truth, we the Muslim community know definitely that demonstrative study does not lead to (conclusions) conflicting with what Scripture has given us; for truth does not oppose truth but accords with it and bears witness to it.” This doctrine was also unsuccessfully used by Galileo in his reasoning with the Church. In the light of such arguments, it was suggested that where a conflict appears to exist between reason and the Scripture, Scriptural language should be considered allegorical which needs to be suitably interpreted to achieve harmony between the two.

The literalists however wouldn’t have any of this. According to them, Quran needed to be understood literally; any allegorical symbolism is innovation (bid’at), which does not have any place in the religion. So according to them (1), “God’s settling Himself firmly upon His throne is known, the how of it is unknown: belief in it is obligatory, and questioning about it is an innovation. Any speculation about sacred things was considered an innovation. Every dogma was to be believed in without raising questions how or why (bila kaifa).”

The period in which rationalism was tangled with orthodox thought lasted for about four to five hundred years. In spite of its stresses and strains, this was a very productive period of intellectualism in the Muslim world. Some of the top-notch philosophers who belonged to this period were al-Kindi, al-Farabi, al-Razi, ibn Sina, and ibn Rushd among many others. Likewise, some of the contemporary excellent theologians such as al-Ghazali, and eminent jurists like the four Imams, the founders of the four schools of jurisprudence, namely Abu Hanifa, Shafi’i, Malik, and Hanbal lived in this glorious period of Islamic ascendancy. Two of the excellent philosophical works, which are still extant and widely read and used as reference source material are al-Ghazali’s Incoherence of the Philosophers, and ibn Rushd’s Incoherence of the Incoherence of the Philosophers. Al-Ghazali’s kalam argument has recently been used by the Christian theists for the existence of God in their debates with the Humanist atheists. Al-Razi’s al-Hawi and ibn Sina’s al-Qanun-fi-al-Tibb (popularly known as Canon in the west) were encyclopedic works on medicine which were used as text books in the European universities almost into the seventeenth century.

Then the curtain fell and intellectual darkness started creeping into the Muslim world until in due time it was completely engulfed by it.

When did Rational Thought vanish from the Muslim World?

Ibn Rushd (1126-1198) is said to be the last philosopher of the Muslim world. He was abandoned by the Muslim world and was totally eclipsed by al-Ghazali. He however was instrumental in starting a new era of intellectual enlightenment in Europe. Greek philosophy was introduced into Europe through ibn Rushd’s commentaries and Arabic translations of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers. His works were translated into Latin and avidly read in Europe.

The Muslim world was overtaken by mysticism and metaphysics. All the philosophers subsequent to ibn Rushd, in the Muslim world, were metaphysicians. The Muslim world lost touch with the physical reality and drowned itself in the ‘otherworldliness.’ The Muslims lived their lives to lose materialism (no material comforts) and to make a smooth passage to the ‘other world’ through recitation (zikr), meditation, ritual prayer, and other associated practices. Eschatology became more important than rational and physical sciences. This brought us to the crossroads where we find ourselves standing now and wondering, “What happened?”

Did the World Begin with Islam?

The Old Testament narrates the story of the creation of the world by God in six days and is a short history book of the Jewish prophets. After reading it, a thought comes to mind as if the world began with the Jews; nobody else of any import appears to have existed in the world other than the Jews and the animals, which were rescued by Noah in his ark during the Great Flood.

Later, Jesus Christ (a Jew) was elevated to the level of the Ultimate Redeemer of mankind who atoned for their sins by dying at the Cross. So, according to Christians, Christianity supplanted Judaism as the righteous and divinely revealed religion. Every thing that is good and needed for the redemption of mankind is in the Bible, which is the ‘word of God’. The Jews by and large disagree with the Christian comprehension and postulation.

According to Islamic faith, both Christian and Jewish books are corrupted by alterations and interpolations and are thus not the genuine divine scriptures in their present form. The original texts are lost and are irretrievable. There was thus a need for reviving the true word of God and the Quran does that precisely. Many orthodox Muslims like to believe that all of the human knowledge (that exists, and then some more) is already there in the Quran.

The question whether the Quran is ‘created’ or ‘uncreated’ was the subject of hot debate in the heydays of Islamic glory. The freethinkers (Mutzalites) claimed it was created while the orthodoxy believed it was not; they believed that it was uncreated. The issue was not resolved and is still pending, either side being unable to comprehend the feasibility of the other’s viewpoint.

The Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) focus only on the people who follow these religions while the remaining humanity is glaringly diminished if not completely ignored. What about Buddha, Krishna, and Confucius? There is no mention of them and their teachings in any of the Abrahamic holy books. Similarly, what about the great ancient Babylonian, Hindu, Chinese, and Egyptian civilizations? Egyptian civilization is marginally mentioned in the anecdotes involving Moses and the Pharaoh but nothing is mentioned how great these civilizations were. If these (the Abrahamic) religions are truly divine and universal, why would God ignore His own people, the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Hindus, Chinese and others? The world was not created for the Abrahamic people only.

The world did not begin with Islam (or, did it?), per se, but according to the traditional belief, it is in accord with the holy book. So, a necessary corollary to this line of argument is that Quran is sufficient in itself and by itself. If there appears any internal contradiction in the text, it is not real; it is human misunderstanding.

What more would one need to seal the Muslim mind?

Opening the Muslim Mind Again

There is an ongoing intense struggle between the rationalists and the conservatives in the Muslim world. The conservatives look backward to the glories of Islam and insist on going back to the original roots of Islam while the rationalists are tugging to move forward into the modern world. There is a catalytic realization in several Muslim countries that they should have nuclear deterrent like several non-Muslim countries. They also realize that the non-Muslim world would not help them in this venture; they have to develop such a deterrent by their own efforts and resources. For this, they need to have their own scientists equipped with the latest know-how in nuclear science and technology. They will perforce have to relax (or release) the stranglehold on the rationalists. The scientists need to be freed from the bonds and shackles of the mullahs and orthodoxy. The mullahs need to be controlled and awakened to the existing realities. A process of re-education is needed not only for the scientists but for the orthodox mullahs also. The taboo subjects (philosophy and rational sciences) need to be taught and learnt.

Philosophy, call it the western philosophy, if you will, by itself doesn’t take you to the stage at which you can craft scientific theories and validate them empirically. It does however teach you how to think rationally, analytically, and creatively, which is prerequisite for doing science. The same kind of effort should go into the development of technology. A philosopher is not a scientist but is an integral part of the society in which science and technology germinate and prosper. If we need to seek any spiritual inspiration in scientific matters from our forefathers, we should go to ibn Rushd and not to al-Ghazali. Both of them are now outdated anyhow. We need to imbibe from the west because that is where the scientific knowledge is. And thank God we, who are living in the west, are doing that. We are part of the west. The west and the western knowledge are taboo words in the Muslim world. We need to give them respect, which they deserve. Remember, the west began its quest for the scientific and creative knowledge by learning from the Arabs. The Europeans learnt Arabic language to read the science and philosophy books written by the Arabs. It appears so remote now that it seems hard to believe that their edifice of scientific excellence was raised on the foundations laid down by our forefathers. In due time, they translated these books in their own languages. Now the process is reversed; we need to learn and recapture from the west what we have lost in the recent centuries. There should be no hesitation in doing so.

Renaissance of the Muslim World

Renaissance of the Muslim world will require an unremitting and concerted effort. A few positive things have happened recently which should be optimally exploited to move forward. Professor Abdus Salam’s contributions in the modern physics are a matter of great pride for the whole Muslim world. His example should be followed and consistent progress should be attempted in science. His individual contributions were not the result of any formal process of renaissance in the Muslim world but his example could be used to stimulate a renewal and rejuvenating process in the Muslim society.

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan’s contributions need also not be minimized due to his selfish pursuit of personal aggrandizement. He helped in putting Pakistan on the nuclear map of the world, which was not a mean feat of achievement in the given circumstances. The upside of his efforts should be appreciated and followed forgetting the downside aspects of his personal character (I do not have first hand knowledge of his personal character and any of my remarks pertaining to it are merely conjectural and taken from the news media). Again, his example should be used to spark interest in the development of technology.

The future of Islamic renaissance probably lies in the west where millions of Muslim immigrants have moved to live. Religious freedom and freedom of thought in these countries are bound to fire up the interest of the Muslim generations growing up and going to school in the west. They will be free to demarcate milestones in the work that they choose to do. Muslim theology scholars may (and will) emerge from them to reinterpret Quran in appropriate ways to disentangle and release the Muslim world from the clutches of 1400 years old culture. It is futile to foist an old and outdated culture on to the 21st century electronically wired and globalized world and expect productive results.

I shall like to end this article on an optimistic note:

Naheen haiy na-umeed Iqbal apni kisht-e-weeran sey
Zara nam ho tau yeh matti barrhi zarkhez haiy Saqi
(Iqbal)

References

1.M. Abdul Hye, “Ash’arism,” in “A History of Muslim Philosophy,” Vol. I, ed. M.M. Sharif, Low Price Publishing, Delhi-110052, p. 222, 1999.
2.Hourani, Albert, “A History of the Arab Peoples,” Warner Books, A Time Warner Company, pp. 174-75, 1992.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faith hub 2007 Retreat at Camp Christine (singapore)

2007-05-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

Faith Hub is organising a Camp retreat for Adults and Kids from 30th june to 1st july 2007.
View poster here. or to register click here.

Registration dateline till 25th May 2007 or till maximum capacity is reached (whichever come first)

Retreat @Camp Christine
Good News! FaithHub is organising another 2 Days / 1 Night Retreat at Camp Christine.

Date: 30 June (Saturday) to 1 July (Sunday) 2007
Location: Camp Christine, 71 Jln Bahtera
Fees: For Adult - $38 (Member), $48 (Non-Member)
Child (5 to 12 yrs old) - $28 (Member), $38 (Non-Member)
Child (below 5 yrs old & don't need a bed) - Free

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where are we?

2007-05-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

sorry to our die hard readers. we haven't been blogging for a couple of days as we had the most extra ordinary moment while undertaking a short 3 days course during the weekend. It was like none other 'education' that i have ever experience in my life. Or even books as a matter of fact. Putting that aside we will be continuing our blogging with new article that i found while doing my daily reading and researching about everything and anything else.

Stay tuned....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Singapore muslims doesn't mean its religiously related

2007-04-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

I find it hard to grasp how most people can assume that when the word muslim is mention, it has everything to do with religion. There are some muslims who are not religious or who are not practising (depends if they still do call themselves as muslim, which i'm sure some still do) I have friends in my time who are muslims but they are not "religious".

So its interesting to see how Singapore muslim are actually confused when on our site its stated clearly 'singapore muslims". hrmmm..maybe it need to be accompanied with a footnote?? :P
my suspicions comes down to how people define themselves in Singapore. it's probably through their race and culture rather than through their value system. It's common to hear people asking 'what race are you....or where are your from' if you are a Singaporen. There's somehow a stereotypical connotation as soon as you say that you belong to a certain race.

NasiBriyani lounge...where singapore muslim community Think...not necessarily "religious issues"

The next think we found is people think that its a forum site. Perhaps its a failure on our part to not clearly explain this site? something like this.....

"But well, its an Ask Answer site. People ask a question and you guys can answer each others question too....How it works is by having a point system.....read more on how it works."

Also we are currently going through an extensive rewiring. We call it.... "operation refurbishment" . Since 2 of our guys are coming down to Singapore to have a meeting with Singapore muslim community the ordinary joe there (that's where the interesting people are)......we are also hoping do the final fine tuning to our site to make it fully operational. A website is always a work in progress no doubt but there are about about 1/4 bit of add-on which is still in working stages. Hopefully inshallah in a couple of months (by the time that our guys are in Singapore) we'll be able to launch our complete site to the people.

We can't tell exactally what these changes are, but we are sure that it will add more sipce, sugar, chillie and coconut milk into our site. We will really appreciate if you guys have more ideas on how to make this more interesting to let us know.

There haven't been a one stop area for Singapore muslim community on a website. ( moderate muslim, progressive muslim, expats, local muslim, reverts, non practising muslim, x-muslim, pious muslims, creative muslim and many more diversity) So we're really excited to give this to them, but in return to ask them to participate and have fun.

This site is made by the ordinary joe of Singapore muslim for the every type of muslims in Singapore there are. If you will like to meet us in Singapore please drop us a line. details of when we will be there will be given if you are interested to meet us up for a cupa of coffee..and just chat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well our server went down!

2007-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update.....for those of you who noticed.......our server went down on Wednesday morning.
WEll we had some problem with the guy at the other end who by mistake shut down our site!!

Yes that happened.... don't ask me how...but our site went down for a few hours before it was up again. Siren went off and as we panicked. Sleep was lost as we tried to figure out what was going on as data was boing restored. It's the greatest fear of any webmaster and business owners, to have their site down like that. For a while i thought that we had an exciding increase of hits that the server just couldn't take it and went down. (well that was untrue as it turned out, awwwww) hehe....unfortunate some data was loss for the whole Tuesday :S and i just hope no one answered or ask any new questions on Tuesday.

Sadly our new blog which was almost ready for launching was totally screwed because of this. We've lost all of the work we did and had to set it up all over again!!! Personally I spent a significant amount of time on the blog and was really excited to launch our brand new blog page...sigh

So untill we get the new blog up again....We'll be continuing with blogger, as it might take a few days or even a week more before we can finally use the new blog page.

till then.......w'saalam

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will be moving this blog to our own server soon...

2007-04-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of moving this blog onto our own server.....so we might not be able to post new entries. Sorry about that. However there's are new questions constantly waiting for your replies. So have a look on our main website and just have fun (:

We will advise soon once we have moved successfully.

TC.W'saalam.

-NB-

What is Love? - hot Question

2007-04-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Currently in our hot Questions..."What is love"?
The all too popular universal question which crosses everyone's mind...some interesting replies were seen here that we think should be posted on this blog.

The question:-

Okay, perhaps, it's shallow, superficial, somewhat unneccssary,
or for many... downright avoidable.
but what is it?
how many forms of it are there?
how do you know it?
is it really a fine line between hate?
coz i wonder whether humans really need it, want it, crave it...
or is it a contemporary emotion where you're simply programmed to feel what wider society wants you to seek...... read more>>

The Replies:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by masalle:
we all do feel love but the way we express it is simply learned and consequently i guess those cues are what people define as love, i suppose. the meanings, forms, expressions and expectations of love have changed, as the concept of love mo..............read more >>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by EbOnYTiGReSS:
sorry... but i'd be inclined to disagree with mr. adler...that's probably because that if society does not get what this whole love thing is....(and i mean really, being on the rebound doesnt mean that you get it)then why is it that we like to tell ourselves that .............read more >>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by foonoosh:
I just have a simple answer for the first question.
To me, love is the purest form of emotion there is. It is unconditional and beautiful. Love is what one feels between a husband and a wife, a daughter/son to her.............read more >>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by sultana:
good question..something which i've been trying to figure out all my life. i've been wanting to post a reply to this question a while back as soon as i get some time to articulate my thoughts which i soon realise that i will never be able to :D....................................read more >>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why not join the FUN ? REPLY to this question :)

In relation to the above post, one of our member attached this interesting video to watch.
Hellen Fisher:-"The science of Love"

developer who?

2007-04-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

The first post on this blog mentions;

...I'm hoping for the developer of this site to also use this blog to post announcements on what the NB: lounge team have in store and plan to improve on...

Well, here I am :) yours truly (aka 'WM' or webmack), the little soul who has contributed with some pieces of a foreign language not spoken by mortals (programming code) to bring this idea to you all to see and use.

Its raw, a bit different and maybe a little weird, but its my best work yet from a fair few years of working with websites. Over the months of helping to realise the dream of individuals behind this, i've fallen in love, multiple times with the result and also with the individuals themselves :p

The process itself has been far from easy, as my dear friend NB would vouch ;) but it has been rewarding as well, through each interesting question you all have asked and replied to.

Well moving along, I'd like to give a bit of a technical insight into NB:Lounge and highlight a few recent features we have added and fine tuned for your enjoyment...

The site is built upon a clean and logical structure (which is reflected in the markup) of topics and questions. A nice sprinkling of AJAX, simple scripts and some solid CSS ties everything together to make it interactive. Special mention to the designer who was able to visualise what was required and work with me and my quirks (NB will again certify that this is no easy task)

New Questions component

A smooth question fader that showcases the newest questions in the site randomly. It also serves as the intro to what the site is about and leads on to the start now page.

Ask, Sign up Form help tips

Cheeky and helpful tip boxes to explain and ease the completion of all forms on the site.

Email question to a friend

AJAX based pop out component under each question that allows you to send the question to your friends by email.

Topic list fly-out

A quick way to jump to any topic. Fast loading, and some transparent CSS magic for eye candy :)

So folks, thats it for now. Until next time... have fun.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: If you have any comments, suggestions or improvements about the features on NB:Lounge, please share it with us in our Feedback and Suggestions Question.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discover Muslim Heritage and Inventions....

2007-04-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some interesting information on Muslim heritage, history and inventions. I know some Muslims are just stuck in Islam's glorious days, but the purpose of me putting up this website is for everyone to find out the significant impact Islam has brought upon into our current times. Is useful to know, learn understand and research...with the hope that our Muslim people will come to a realisation that in order to be progressive in Research and Development is to never stop Asking questions and think.....even if its out of the box. That's the only way creativity arises & towards discovery.

http://www.1001inventions.com - 1001 inventions
http://muslimheritage.com/ - Muslim heritage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Share your favroute links (without point) on NB: lounge

2007-04-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Do you know that members can post any useful or funny links on our website without using your points?

to share funny links:
go to : site support >> funny links
http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/ans...

to share helpful links:
go to: site support >> helpful links
http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/ans...

Have fun :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japanese card trick

2007-04-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

This was mailed to us. Check out this tricky Japanese card trick, watch it closely ;)

Cyril has a fishy card trick

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

2007-04-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

About this Talk

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize -- much less cultivate -- the talents of many brilliant people. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: "If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk, please stop whatever you're doing and watch it now."

About Sir Ken Robinson

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a... More »

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Member only promotion till 13th MAY

2007-04-15T22:51:00.000-07:00

Yes our newletter is out for this month. For those who didn't receive it, its probably because of one of the following:-

- you gave us a wrong email address or
- it went to you junk filter......
- you're not a member yet :P
- or simply... you can't be stuff to read our monthly ('hot goss') updated ;)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So the word is out that we're having a member only promotion . From now till 13th MAY, for each question asked and each reply a member gives to other members....you will receive 50 points. That's an easy deal to accumulate more points, especially if you are running out of points to use for yourself ! :D

We also hilighted our Top scorers in this month!! We got our first top scorer sultana to reach 1225 points followed by masalle and smilerumez at 625 pts and 400 pts respectively. (see right side of blog, scroll down a bit to check out our Hall of Fame board) There's some steep competition going on guys. ;)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you do view our site now....we have made some obvious changes on the page . We're still continuing to make improvements on our site gradually. From your valuable feedbacks and inputs...we're able to see what our members want and would like to have in cooperated onto Nasi Briyani: lounge.

Thanks guys. Nasi Briyani lounge team love that you care about this website.

Also in our later post, we'll be explaining more about a new idea we have called "Grow our website" you can be a part of it too! click on image to find out more. :)

till then..take care. w'saalam

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Investigating Halal Meat

2007-04-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice website "Islamic concern.org" that investigate the source of our Halal meat. Its give a good basis to start our own research into the food that we consume (even in Singapore) if it violates the key Islamic principles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:

The purpose of this section of the site is to show what many Muslims have long suspected: Eating meat, dairy products, and eggs under today’s mechanized factory-farming conditions responsible for vast environmental conflicts with Islamic teachings of kindness to animals. Not only that, animal industries are also pollution and destruction and also contribute to many deadly human diseases, also in violation of key Muslim values.

source: http://www.islamicconcern.com/halalliving.asp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some of the many sections to look into(click):

Investigating halal meat
Halal standard slaughtering doesn't need Animals Awake
The sacrifise of "eid al-Adha"
Pork in your milk?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Singapore food manufacturers enjoying sweet taste of success in UAE

2007-04-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

Singapore food manufacturers are enjoying the sweet taste of success in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — the largest Middle-Eastern market for the Republic's food exports.

Seventeen Singapore firms — including sauce supplier Kwong Cheong Thye — raked in as much as $19 million worth of sales during last month's Gulfood 2007 in Dubai.

This was unveiled by IE Singapore on Sunday, as it prepares to promote the overseas growth of Singapore food — from authentic hawker fare to modern ethnic food — at the Tasty Singapore Food Festival in Dubai this week.

"We see good potential for Singapore food manufacturers in the UAE," said IE Singapore deputy chief executive officer Ted Tan.

"Singapore food manufacturers already enjoy a good reputation in the Middle East for premium food quality, high food safety standards and innovation. The recognition of Muis' Halal Certification System and certificates is an important development that will further boost Singapore's food exports to the UAE," he added.

Last year, IE Singapore worked with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis, and Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain the agreement of the UAE's General Secretariat of Municipalities to recognise Muis' Halal Certification System and Halal certificates.

Food exports to the UAE hit $102 million last year, a 31 per cent rise from 2005, ranking the region as Singapore's 13th largest food and beverage export market.

Overall, Singapore food exports to the Middle East witnessed a 16 per cent rise over 2005, to reach $252 million, said IE Singapore. -

taken from: The Halal Journal

Thoughts : Singapore (Islamic Issues)

2007-04-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

http://stillhaventfound.org

It's refreshing to read a post from this blog which doesn't generalise Muslims as a Terrorist. There are non-muslim who do know the difference between Islam and terrorism and based their insights on facts rather than some random bluntly hateful racist comments.

click below to read more:
Thoughts : Singapore (Islamic Issues)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DBS Bank, Middle East partners to open1st Islamic bank in Singapore

2007-04-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Singapore- DBS Bank and its Middle East partners will soon open Singapore's first Islamic bank selling only shariah-compliant products, DBS said on Saturday. DBS, Southeast Asia's largest bank, will be the majority shareholder in the joint venture, which will also have "prominent investors from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries," its statement said.

These include six Arab states, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

DBS has engaged four leading Islamic finance scholars to advise it. Shariah law prohibits banks from charging interest on money and investing in companies associated with gambling, tobacco or alcohol.

Other financial players such as Malaysia's Mayback offer Islamic products alongside conventional ones.

Chief executive Jackson Tai said there are great opportunities for DBS to grow its Islamic corporate banking services in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere, The Straits Times said. He acknowledged the local market for retail banking products is limited.

DBS wants to play a "lead role in intermediating capital flows between Asian issuers and Gulf investors," he was quoted as saying.

Its first foray into Islamic finance came last year. DBS was granted a licence to operate at the Dubai International Financial Centre and has opened a branch there.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is prepared to grant a new bank licence to a DBS joint venture to set up the bank, DBS said.

It will initially offer services for corporate, capital market and private banking clients.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency
from: The raw story.com

----------------------------------------------------------------

similar news:

http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/corporate_info/media_release/.....
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/402433
http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/celebrity/story.jsp?idq=....

The South East Asia Youth: Quran Reading competition - 1428/2007

2007-04-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

Brunei Darussalam will host the Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran for ASIAN Youth 1428H/2007M from April 11 to 13 at the Plenary Hall, International Convention Centre in Berakas.

Participants will be representing coutries from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Representing Singapore will be Mirza Aslam b Md. Rowter. Lets give our warmest support to our participant.

BACKGROUND:

The first competition was organised in 2000, the second in 2003 and followed by in 2005. The competition is held bi-annually for both male and female readers

OBJECTIVES:
To inculculate friendship, brotherhood and cooperation amoung youth in Southeast Asian
To assist and upgrade the quality of Al-Quran reading among youth in Southeast Asian
To continue upgrading the quality of Al-Quran reading from youth level to adult level either national or international

DATE OF COMPETITION:
The 4th South East Asian Youth Al-Quraan Reading Competiton will be held from
April 11 - 13, 2007
The ceremony will commence by 7.45pm each night.

VENUE:
International Convention Centre, Berakas, Brunei Darussalam.

More info : South East Asia Youth Al-Quraan Reading competition 2007 Brunei Darussalam

1st Annual Australian Islamic Conference

2007-04-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

THE FIRST ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN ISLAMIC CONFERENCE to be held in Melbourne between April 6 – 8, 2007.
Entry is now FREE
Don't miss out, please arrive early to guarantee your place. Food and beverages can be purchased at the venue.

Start & Finish Times:
Friday April 6: 4 pm – 8pm (why not arrive early & visit the conference Bazaar)
Saturday April 7: 9.00am – 8pm
Sunday April 8: 9.00am – 8pm

Conference Program:
The 2007 AAIC Program is now available at www.mercymission.org.au

Venue:
The conference will now be held at Economics & Commerce Building, the University of Melbourne. Please visit www.mercymission.org.au for a map of the conference venue. On-street parking is available around the University on Royal Parade, Grattan Street and Swanston Street.

Family Friendly Environment:
All are welcome. Mothers will be able to care for their children in a women-only room. Food and beverages can be purchased at very reasonable prices in the conference Bazaar area, which will also contain a variety of stalls ranging from clothing to books to health & beauty products to community services. Children's entertainment will also be provided insha-Allah.

Simple missed informed or just a seriously Ignorant & bitter person with a vengence?? our first hate mail !

2007-04-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

Recently in our mail box, .........we've received a Hate email from the following group; Australian Islamist Monitor. According to the email, since we've linked their website to our blog their 'hits' have since sky rocketed which was very quickly followed by other hateful ideas about Islam.

Read the email below and also our reply.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Blue Heeler
Subject: Australian Islamist Monitor

Message:
As a founder of AIM, I am pleased to see you have noticed us. Many thanks for advancing our cause! Our "hits" are going through the roof! Your work has directed so many "habash" and "kufar" to our site, I think we should vote you an honorary membership! It is typical of Muslims that they see any criticism as "fear of Islam".

Only a philosophy with so much error, foolishness and outright lying would fear the honest scrutiny of its basic tenets. Islam cannot tolerate close inspection because, under the glare of vigorous intellectual examination, it fails every test. It is a cult - nothing more, nothing less - which relies on fear and coercion to survive. You, personally, probably suffer Stockholm Syndrome.

I can understand. It would be terrifying to have any questions about Islam and face death for asking the obvious. Christianity, on the other hand, despite its faults and human failings, has a 2000 year history of the most vigorous debate and self-criticism. Islam would do well to emulate that heritage of honesty and self-examination..... but it cannot, as the first person to suggest such a path would get a fatwah!!! We do not fear you or your primitive religion.

You will find that most of our members know more about Islam then the average dummy who goes to the mosque on Fridays and unthinkingly repeats every hate-filled rant from the local Imam. It is because we do understand Islam so well, that we are determined it shall have no place in our society. It is axiomatic - that a society based on Judeo-Christianity cannot exist with an Islamic society. You know that - so do we.

Your propaganda does not alter the facts. Islam promotes death. J/C based societies promote life. Chalk and cheese. It is also a reality that we, in Australia, have a very clearly defined separation of church and state - something Islam will never allow. It is the reason the Ummah is in such a deplorable and decrepit state. Once the petro-dollar influence wanes, (and "peak oil" has been reached), Islam will return to its insular and barbaric state, and we in the West will continue to ignore you as best we can.

If we are unable to convince you to get back in your box, we will defeat you militarily and force you to stop your insanity. It is also self-evident that all Islamic societies, internationally, lag so far behind Anglosphere ~ J/C based societies, that it would be criminal were we to allow Islam to take root. Our forebears did not struggle and persevere - that we should surrender without a fight. Your Internationalist "leaders" declared war. We accept. Islamisation will not happen in Australia. AIM exists to ensure Islam is thrown out of our country. You are more than welcome to wallow in your primitivism, but it will not happen here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our Reply:

hi,

Its nice to see you getting some traffic through our blog. We just put your link amongst other blogs that we found interesting. Would you like to put a link to us on your website so we can get some "hits" as well? Maybe you could even do a write up on us as an honorary member. serious. You could write about how we promote self examination..
(http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/about.asp)

you can continue to make assumptions as to whether we have 'fear' of so called honest criticism. I’m sorry you haven't been able to get answers, or come across any Muslim who can explain to you what Islam is. If you really know more than the average Muslim dummy, you would look beyond your local imam who gives hate speeches. If J/C based societies promote life, how come you talk of military violence and death?

Islamisation in Australia.. hmm..you should look up some stats from the census etc. At the rate at which the Muslim population is growing here, unless AIM and other groups do something pretty drastic, by the year 2050, Australia will be an *Islamic* nation.

cheers,
NB:lounge

Some other new findings

2007-04-03T02:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some anti-Islam website who are very uneasy and insecure about Islam. (duhh!) Guess a saying goes "If we fear the unknown then surely we fear ourselves. Bryant H. McGill". Anyway have a look at them.

http://islammonitor.org/

Please read their about page as well as objectives.

---------------------------------------------------------

This one below is quite amusing actually.
check out this thread: http://www.b3ta.com/board/5619948

So if you have any interesting sites or any input to contribute to this blog, drop us a line.

W'saalam.

Are Singapore Muslim backboneless?

2007-04-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

We've receive an interesting question and rather long question i may add, recently. We thought that we'll post it on our blog for Muslim in Singapore (or abroad) to read and probably reply and respond.

Here's the Question on "Singapore muslim are weekling & backboneless!!"

Why do people in Singapore celebrate ritual things ie, Eid and our Prophet (pbuh) Birthday while not doing anything to get their rights to practice Islam properly in Singapore? Are Singapore muslims cowards?

I know our Prophet (pbuh) and his companions never celebrated the Prophet (pbuh) birthday, and i also know that the scholars said that its a good thing to celebrate it. (well opinions differ among scholars as always)

However, my question has nothing to do about the act of celebration but more toward how a Singapore muslim society have allowed themselves to be treated like crap.

If Muslims in Singapore thinks that they are allowed to fully peacefully practice their religion... (or that they have freedom) i think they are in denial. Having mosques all over the country OR sprouting religious/Islamic classes, or just being allowed to exist in the country as being called a Muslim Society, are not a symbol of freedom to practice their religion. Having our way of life (Islam) being reduced and ridiculed to simply ritual and faith is very condescending. Even more disturbing to see that happening in Singapore. Muslim in Singapore have forgotten or probably didn't know that Islam isn't just an act of ritual. Muslim people in Singapore are not fully thriving because Islam is not being practice in its complete form.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to wage a war or change the country to a Islamic shariah. No i'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that Muslims should have their rights met. If Muslim in the west can thrive and practice their religion fully...than a country like Singapore should be even better. The mentality of Singapore Muslim people is just wired wrong by years of censorship and god knows what.

(just one of the many example) People are not able to go to school or work in some companies with their hijab on! What kinda crap is this!! Who have allowed this to happen? Even if some Muslim do not agree with the aspect and the need for wearing Hijab (or other things they don't agree) They should be supporting the each other in issues like this. It's nothing wrong with wanting this kinda thing. What is the harm with wanting to cover up more? It's obvious that there is a lack of respect and understanding for Islam by Muslims as well as non- muslims themselves) These are some of the signs of how week Muslims in Singapore have been in educating themselves as well as people around them on how to treat them right, justly and fairly. basically they are treated as shit. The everyday muslim people have not educated their future generation, lived in a cocooned environment and seriously lack any understanding of what Islam truly is even if they think that they are living their daily lives as Muslim.

Why do people in Singapore celebrate all these ritual stuff while not using their time to transcending what Islam really is. ( and i don't mean attending more religious classes, that's not gonna help the community in fully thriving as a citizen in a country) Although Muslim Singaporean may not like to what extend they are allowed to practice their religion, while living in a country which is turning more towards anti-Islam (Singapore)....why are they simply complaining , taking it all in, live passively, taking the back seat or even worst accepting their 'fate' and acting like a victim in all of these things that are upon them.

Singapore Muslim are at fault for letting this gone for as long as it have. Yes this includes ESPECIALLY people who go to the mosque and pray 5 times a day, and they who do all the ritual things that Islam require of us, they who teaches Islamic studies, they who preaches to other Muslim what is right and wrong. Don't think that you are doing anything good by just praying/preaching and any allowing such things to happen in your community. Everyone who call themselves Muslim are every bit at fault for the situation you a facing. You guys should step up to the plate and be honest to see what is really going on around you! Don't Muslim in Singapore have any dignity and self respect left in themselves? They are letting themselves being told, dominated and bullied by someone who thinks knows what is right or even acceptable as Singapore Muslim community?

Don't they feel ashamed, as a Muslim living in south east Asia, surrounded by Muslim countries around them, that they have allowed someone else to think for them, promoted themselves as the lesser race/ religion/ culture. Which resulted them not being able to have their rights/voice to practice their own faith. In contrast to that, their muslim brothers and sisters in the west have more freedom to be themselves and practice their religion freely, although the county is not an Islamic country? What an irony.

What do Singapore Muslims say about this? or don't they have a mind and a voice of their own to think and speak up any more?

please read this below link/article to get what i'm saying . :)

http://islamicsydney.com/story.php?id=1320
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/070401/5/singapore267830.html

REPLY AND READ MORE

Most Interesting questions: Editoria pick

2007-03-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

Call it whatever you want. Hot, bizare, interesting, educational ,shoking! Here are our pick on some of the Interesting question we find on NB:lounge.

We encourage questions like these as they are a reflection of our Singapore Muslim society. where it be Malay, Chinese or Indians....it doens't matter which race you are or where you come from. Muslims living in or abroad Singapore. These is what our people is all about. :D

Should a Muslim parent disown their son and daughter if they were to marry
a none- Muslim? ..... more
__________________________________________________
I'll like to know what do people think of raising their kids in the west as comparared to their home country. I'm Singaporean but my husband isn't. we're plan ...... more
__________________________________________________
The concept of 'Mahr':
Although I'm keen on listening from females on this topic, but all are welcome to contribute.. What are your thoughts on 'Mahr' (the money that's given to ..... more
__________________________________________________
How to write guitar tabs? and how do tell the rhythm of a song?......... more
__________________________________________________
Where can i find a good, decent eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in Singapore?..... more
__________________________________________________

What are your opinion on homosexuality ?...... more
__________________________________________________
What are your opinions on dating? Do you think it's a neccessary procedure in today's times? Lol.. that sounded like preparing for an operation or som ....... more
__________________________________________________
Why Muslim can't eat pork? Why halal? I was wonder why Muslim so afraid .... more __________________________________________________
Whats cricket like in Singapore? Is it competitive? I know the cricket stadium there has been used for international games. what the local and ....... more
__________________________________________________
What do they use the internet for? do singapore people like to discuss about what is happening around the world? or are they more of a consumer society?? ....... more

Show your support Against Violence Towards Women & Children

2007-03-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

NB:lounge support Violent againts Woman (and men) & children!!.....Show your support too Against Violence Towards Women & Children...

Please go to this forum page: http://www.adventurerali.com/forum/view-148.html

As a support againt Violence Towards Women & Children, "adventurerali" have set up a Forum page in his website www.adventurerali.com

Go & visit his webbie & Sign off your name to express your support for the Campaign against the Violence. Every signature counts. By signing off, I hereby pledge Never to commit, condone nor remain Silent about Violence against women & Children. Life is Beautiful...Take care & GOD Bless Btw, if you support his campaign against violence towards women & children, please spread the news & sign off.

New Questions..

2007-03-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Great success!!

We have made "New Question" available on the home page of NB"lounge.
You guys can now browse through all the recently asked question.

Just click on the button call "New Question"

The team was discussing if users would like an RSS feed for 'new question"
well..you guys should let us know.

Other updates:

We are seeing our first top scorer hitting above 1000 points. :)

The tab above on the home page which use to be call " New to NB:lounge"
is now call "How it works"

We discovered that people are not reading how the site actually work and not reading the rules of the site carefully. Please go to FAQs to read up on the rules. very important.

Users are also not accepting their Reply once they have receive a good answer to what they are looking for. We want people to take some initiative to accept an answer and not wait for our moderators to send them messages once they have received a considerable amount of replies and yet not accepting an answer. If they are not happy with the replies..it probably means that they would need to re-direct their question towards the direction they are looking for.

Although we now have New question on the home page, we are working on making that button available on each page and possibly having a sneak peak on each page you are in.

If any one of you are interested in helping us out, may it be moderating, design, programming, or promoting our website to your friends and family members.....please contact us. :D

Latest developments

2007-03-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

There are a few changes that we have made to our site and some upcoming ones which we were discussing while looking at the unfolding progress.

We have changed the signing up process to strengthen the security in the site.

From now on..all new sign ups will receive an
activation email.

Their first post/question will go through as per normal but if they want to continue posting on the site, users will have to activate their account from their email.

Things that we are working on:

Displaying new questions
Improving the graphics in the email when members invite new friends.
Email to users who replied to questions (when any new replies are posted)
Allowing members to put up a short profile page and be able to contact one another.
We are also looking out for a enthusiastic member who would like to volunteer their time in moderating some sections of the site. Please contact us if you are interested.

Take a Chill Pill.

2007-03-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

I've never been involve in a website anything like this one before. I think many people forget that there are human beings involve in the creation of a website, the time, planning and effort being put into produce it. It's disappointing when we see abuse on the website. It can gets quite stressful at times.....although this shouldn't be so. The web is really fascinating, especially form this project. It's evident that how the people use it that will shape the productivity and the 'feel' of a website. For those abusers out there...just take a chill pill mate! :D

For those who are planning to run a website of your own. It's really hard work. The right team player is important. (i'm talking about those interactive website) Here's a sneak peek in the life of a moderator.

A typical moderator's day:

moderator: Let's check today 's activity on the website
website: ( new sign up and replies)
moderator: OMG!! What kinda reply is this!!
website: (more abusive replies)
moderator: It is everywhere on the site!! sigh..deleting , deleting.
website: (another reply)
moderator: hrmm....is this reply against the rule of the site?? oh yes it is, use of swearing words
website: (reply edited & new question received)
moderator: Look! this question is interesting. wonder what the reply might be?...hrmmm let me search it myself. :)

This is just an enactment in a hard days work of a moderator

Documentary about a female Muslim undertaker in Singapore

2007-03-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

A documentary about a female Muslim undertaker in Singapore. Winner of the Bronze prize at the Crowbar Awards '03'

Watch it here

What's the point with points??

2007-03-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

So much for those heavy highly opinionated stuff about Singapore and Muslim. Back onto the website...the concept of the points.

What is the deal with our point system? When the team though of building this site, we looked through forum sites and other similar stuff there are out there who are doing this Question and Answer thingi.

There are heaps of muslim forms but we never liked the 'hostility' and confronting nature of these forum. It's almost like these places are the place you would argue about people idea on wht they think islam is, instead of simple exchanging different concept and exploring its truth.

They are mostly religiously incline, i.e..the black an white of the laws in Islam. If hardly ever tough on the reality of what Muslim people in Singapore especially are going through. For me, i hate going to forums. They are so messy and you don't get the answer you are looking for. Its not like a resource base where you can use to understand what the Muslim people are going through.

There a serious debate/discussion going on about "We Practice A Very Mild Version Of Islam In Singapore " on www.islamonline.net, and Nb:lounge was mention in one of the post. heh.

Ok back to the points. How it works is simple, when you sign up (its free and takes only 2 mins) you are given points. The points are like currency and acts as an incentive when you do give a good answer. The asker of the question will select just one reply amongst the many replies that users are providing.

_____________________
"The whole purpose is to encourage people to really think of the reply they are thinking, and not to put some random stuff like you find in forums. And every good effort deserve a good reward."
_____________________

Well, its nothing monetary no doubt, but we're here not to encourage materiality reward. but who knows..somewhere down the line we might get sponsorships and give out gifts for people who have been loyal,dedicated and giving really good and resourceful replies.

It's all up to the users to shape this website.

Question and Answer ?

2007-03-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

One of the concern that i have while talking to different people from different country/culture background is how society shapes our way of thinking. All right.... don't need a genius to figure that one out, but surprisingly although if someone says that 'their mind have not been brainwashed into having a specific set of thinking/rules/guidelines', the very fact that they are believing that shows that their minds have been influence by what they have lived, grew up, absorbed around them. Environment , the country the social system in which humans are living, the things that you read, what you watch, what you eat....they do groom how we perceive. It's false to think that we are not 'being brainwash' this very moment into thinking any specific manner. Weather it may be in politics, social gatherings, people, society or religion.

Now having said that, I notice that Singaporeans are kinda living in an enclose shell. Their environment is sheltered, spoiled, and information projected to them are greatly censored, mainstream media, imported goods, money & status drives the country and the youth is all about partying hard. Singaporean need to liberate their way of thinking and start thinking for themselves. It amazes me how little the non-Muslims know about Muslims there, I mean are we living in a multicultural society where Islam was the main religion of the land?? I'm just shock and sad. I know westerners in other country who would know a lot more about Islam than people do in Singapore!! :)

___________________________________________________________
"We all need to Ask ourself what are you doing right now? why are you doing it? What's the meaning behind it? Is what you are reading true? is what you are watching true?
Is any answer or opinion from anyone the absolute truth? what makes us follow a rule? what makes us believe (or not) in a religion? How can we find real information?"
___________________________________________________________

It may seem some rambling thoughts, ridicules or even taboo to many to be questioning our surrounding environment, society and religion but our objective is to revive the mind of humans and make them questions what they are doing. Through questioning is the only way that people may appreciate and understand.

Is it Islamic in nature?

2007-03-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

What I find interesting is when people say 'Muslim' on the website, it seems that people have the misconception that almost everything has to be religious in nature.

Well? No... not on this website.

Muslims are the people that embrace the teaching of the prophet Muhammed. Muslims are the people who follow Islam. (to what extent they follow it is a different thing)

But its important to distinguish that Muslims are the people.. not the religion :D

That's why in this website, we have a variety of other categories which aren't classified under religion.

_________________________________________________________
'Now here comes the confusing part although we do say its a Muslim website, we do encourage other people to come and reply to some questions. Honestly most of our daily life isn't as different to the human race who aren't Muslims and they too can contribute their opinion on many issues.'
_________________________________________________________

Important note for Muslims: This isn't a fatwa bank. If you are looking for a Muslim scholar to answer your questions.. this isn't the place for you. In here are just ordinary people... not imams or any Islamic scholars. If you are fatwa shopping...then there are other websites for that :)

Where are the people?

2007-03-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

While the team was discussing the production of the site I was wondering why in Singapore, our Muslim community is referred to as "Malay Muslims". Yes I know that the majority of Muslims in Singapore are Malays, but what about the other races, like Chinese, Indian, Caucasian and some others?? I find it quite racist to classify Muslims as Malay Muslims. Where do the rest of the Muslims go?? That would be a nice question to put on the site. Why couldn't they refer to Muslims as just 'Muslims' instead of adding 'Malay'??

The majority of Muslim study circle are conducted in Malay.. and again.. we have a problem here.. where do the rest who doesn't speak Malay turn to?? I do understand there are some places which conduct their classes in English and there are more advance courses these days that are conducted in English.. which is a good sign. But generally speaking Muslims in Singapore are a society driven by Malay culture. Reverts for example may find it difficult to adjust their new life in such an environment.

_________________________________________________________
'With this in mind.. one of our aim is to attract the many multi cultured people who are in Singapore to participate in this community portal. Especially in this era where Singapore is filled with expats working and living their life. I think we sometimes forget that expats are just not the caucasians.. they are your Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, Indian, & Bangladeshi workers and they have their place in shaping our society. Many of them are Muslims as well.'
_________________________________________________________

Introduction

2007-03-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome To NasiBriyani: lounge

Introducing me as NB; your host and the catalyst in this idea of creating a Question and Answer website for people living or have lived in Singapore.

Now I know many of you who might think .. geezz not another forum again... but this isn't a forum to start with. I'm hoping through this blog, to get NasiBriyani Lounge out there and help users to understand the intention behind this site, post updates and site comments, and to have a more personalised interaction with users.

People in Singapore are quite familiar with and crazy about blogging. Perhaps this would be a good medium to use in communicating with all of my fellow men and women :)

It has been a month since we launch this site in Feb 2007. I'm hoping for the developer of this site to also use this blog to post announcements on what the NB: lounge team have in store and plan to improve on. Yea.. we are just your ordinary joe (or your 'mat' and 'meenas') you met on the street. And we people normally gather around and decide to work on something that might revolutionize (hehe..) the society.