Al-Tattoo

In the past few days I have noticed at least two individuals (one girl, one man) with tattoos. That in itself, is nothing new. What is worth mentioning about these tattoos is that they were Arabic writing.

Now, let me get this straight first off - I do NOT have a problem with it. Arabic is a 'modern' language like any other, and writing your name or your girlfriends name across your bicep in Arabic, Hebrew or Chinese makes no difference to me. What I wanted to highlight was the use of the language in this form and the importance of the language in Islam.

Apart from the fact that the Quran (the word of God) is in Arabic, Muslims believe Arabic is the language by which we will communicate in the grave, as well as the Day of Judgement - so one could argue that it is the language of God. Of course, all languages are His but Arabic is clearly sacred - sacred to Muslims. However unfortunate as it may seem to us though, it is not our right to protect its use.

I can only guess why those people chose to have Arabic writing, but I suspect it was because it was something different, something which they thought looked nice and while, as I said earlier, I have no problem with them using it (as long as it's not derogatory), I don't think these people have thought about that they're doing. Arabic has no significance to them, it has no relevance in their lives and yet it's there permanently embedded on their skin.

Personally, I don't like the idea of having something permanently stuck to my skin. The only time I ever deface myself is when I have nothing to write on and need to remind myself of something and write on the palm or back of my hand. But what happens with old age? I've also read that the ink can run and then you're left with something which resembles a wet newspaper, that's not a good look. Then you have to spend a of money getting it removed, which isn't a perfect science.

For anyone thinking of getting a tattoo I would say one thing: "Look at an old man or woman with a tattoo and THEN decide if you really want one".

Supermarket Etiquette

I woke up ridiculously early this morning, think it had something to do with the fact that I went to sleep ridiculously early. Is that how it works? If my body needs seven hours sleep will it always wake up after it has had it's fair share? Something to investigate for the future.

Moving on, as I had woken up so early my morning was turning out to be a rather long one. By the time I had gotten ready, had breakfast and dropped my son off at nursery, I had been awake for over three hours - nearly the period between meals. So, on the way to work I allowed myself the luxury of popping into Tesco Express for a cheeky croissant.

Now, at the 'fresh baked' goods aisle, they have these lovely pastries all laid out and it is up to the individual to pick them up. They also have those tongs to pick said pastries up and place in your plastic bag. The croissant I had decided on did not have an individual tong. In fact, Tesco had saved themselves countless pennies by providing just one tong, across the whole aisle. Rather than try to stretch the implement to my preferred croissant, I simply picked the croissant up and put it in my bag. While I was doing this, I caught the eye of a lady nearby who looked at me in utter shock and disgust. I felt like holding my hands up and saying "They're perfectly clean!" but decided against it and carried on nonchalantly to the cashier. 

Was I wrong in using my hands? I hadn't touched any other croissant than the one I was taking so what has the problem? In our house, we use hands to eat the majority of our meals, after washing them of course. It's nothing new to me but I had never considered the extent of it till now. The supermarket have provided the tongs as a means to stop people putting their grubby hands on their products but consider this. You are at a posh event in which drinks and hors d'oeuvre are being served by waiters while people mingle. Is there a tong attached to the tray by which you can pick up your bite sized smoked salmon rolled with a pepper seasoned creme fraiche? No, and surely posh people know what they're doing by letting people (potentially) touch their hors d'oeuvres. Isn't that a euphemism...?