We think we have people all figured out. Some of us by the first encounters, but more commonly by a person’s writings online.

As bloggers, we tend to have an idea, a feeling, of how others perceive us based on our writing. And the more we write, the more people think they have us figured out. Sure there is the argument, “You judge by what is apparent.” But how much of what is apparent, is the reality of what that person is like? And how much of what’s “apparent” is misleading to how that person really is.

What if a person’s personality is a little different online than it is in person… does that make that person two-faced?

Not at all.

Just like every single human being tends to have a slight change in personality based on the person we are speaking to, the same goes for the “Internet Facade.”

You wouldn’t talk to a six-year-old the same you would talk to a 40-year-old.

I guess it’s kind of like Facebook, you see someone’s profile picture and you’re like, “Awww she’s so pretty!” then you check the pictures her friends tagged of her and you’re like, “Is this the same girl?”

See, she doesn’t have two faces.. it’s just the lighting makes her look different (often very different) sometimes .

I would say that a person who reads my blog and has never actually gotten to know me in person, most likely has a 70% skewed perception of who I really am. Of course these numbers are based on my own estimation, and no actually research was conducted for that.

But I think bloggers out there really can relate to the “Internet Facade Syndrome.”

Sometimes, it works in the bloggers favor. They think they are better than the person actually is in person, and sometimes it’s the opposite.

The reality is, that we over simplify things. We make out people to be so one-dimensional, when in reality we are so complex, and have so much history as we grow older that anyone who thinks they have a person’s personality figured out just by their writing, is well, a little naive themselves.

While I was written my columns for “The Daily Reveille” about Islam, I really had to adjust my style of writing based on my target audience, 18-25 year old, mostly white, Christian and republican.

I tried to convey myself as understanding, knowledgeable about the subject I was speaking about, staunch on issues that Islam is firm on, and soft and gentle in inviting them to see the truth. Some people saw me as just that. But there were always those people who saw the opposite, either that I was too tough, too soft, too whiny, etc.

The point I’m making is that we are so quick to judge and label others. Of course we cannot help the persona we get when we read people’s works, but we should not use that as any basis to make any judgments about that individual.

Some bloggers are experts in a particular field and chose to talk about that particular subject matter. But does that mean that that person is obsessed and knows nothing other than their line of work? Of course not.

The Internet is a scary place. It’s almost unreal in a sense. It’s a place where someone can be anything they want to be. We hope, as Muslims, we can try to be as real as possible — but we shouldn’t judge others based on mistakes they make in public or even worse, think that someone is so amazing just based on what they write.

You can be fooled, and sometimes put in dangerous situations either in this life or the hereafter. Take everything in with a grain of salt, give people the benefit of the doubt, but be careful.

And I think we’ve all seen many times, that without a second thought, people will accuse brother and sisters in Islam of having some of the worst qualities a Muslim can have, “The brother/sister is too proud, arrogant, has no hiyaa, etc. etc.”

Let’s think about ourselves first, because we definitely know what we ourselves are like, before we decide to “figure out” everything about someone you most likely have never met in real life.

WAllahu alem.

Iraqi shoe-throwing reporter becomes the talk of Iraq
By Waleed Ibrahim Waleed Ibrahim 2 hrs 11 mins ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush has become the talk of Iraq, hailed by marchers as a national hero but blasted by the government as a barbarian.

The little-known Shi’ite reporter, said to have harbored anger against Bush for the thousands of Iraqis who died after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, had previously made headlines only once, when he was briefly kidnapped by gunmen in 2007.

TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi remained in detention on Monday, accused by the Iraqi government of a “barbaric act.” He would be sent for trial on charges of insulting the Iraqi state, said the prime minister’s media adviser, Yasin Majeed.

His employer, independent al-Baghdadiya television, demanded his release and demonstrators rallied for him in Baghdad’s Sadr City, in the southern Shi’ite stronghold of Basra and in the holy city of Najaf, where some threw shoes at a U.S. convoy.

“Thanks be to God, Muntazer’s act fills Iraqi hearts with pride,” his brother, Udai al-Zaidi, told Reuters Television.

“I’m sure many Iraqis want to do what Muntazer did. Muntazer used to say all the orphans whose fathers were killed are because of Bush.”

Zaidi shouted “this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog,” at Bush in a news conference he held with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday.

The journalist then flung one shoe at Bush, forcing him to duck, followed by another, which sailed over Bush’s head and slammed into the wall behind him. Throwing shoes at someone is the worst possible insult in the Arab world.

Zaidi was dragged struggling and screaming from the room by security guards and could be heard shouting outside while the news conference continued after momentary mayhem.

‘BARBARIC’

The government said Zaidi had carried out “a barbaric and ignominious act” that was not fitting of the media’s role and demanded an apology from his television station.

Al-Baghdadiya television played endless patriotic music, with Zaidi’s face plastered across the screen.

A newscaster solemnly read out a statement calling for his release, “in accordance with the democratic era and the freedom of expression that Iraqis were promised by U.S. authorities.”

It said that any harsh measures taken against the reporter would be reminders of the “dictatorial era.”

The Iraqi Journalists’ Syndicate said Zaidi’s “far from professional” and irresponsible conduct had placed it in an “embarrassing and critical” situation. Nevertheless, it called on Maliki to release him for humanitarian reasons.

“It was the throw of the century. I believe Bush deserves what happened to him because he has not kept his promises to Iraqis,” said Baghdad resident Abu Hussein, 48.

Parliamentary reaction was mixed, with some saying Zaidi chose the wrong venue for his protest. Others cheered.

“Al-Zaidi’s shoe is the most famous shoe in the whole world,” said Fawzi Akram, a Turkman lawmaker loyal to anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

A Libyan charity group chaired by leader Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter, Aicha Gaddafi, gave Zaidi an award for bravery.

Zaidi, now in his late 20s, spent more than two days blindfolded, after armed men kidnapped him in November 2007. He said at the time that the kidnappers had beaten him until he lost consciousness, and used his necktie to blindfold him.

He never learned the identity of the kidnappers, who questioned him about his work but did not demand a ransom.

Colleagues say Zaidi resented Bush, blaming him for the bloodshed that ravaged Iraq. It did not appear that he had lost any close family members during the sectarian killings and insurgency, which in recent months have finally begun to wane.

(Additional reporting by Haidar Kadhim and Wissam Mohammed; Writing by Michael Christie; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Every here and there when I have some time, I like to add new recitations to my YouTube channel. I have a very special place in my heart for recitation of the Quran. So I ask Allah ‘az wa jal to accept this from me.

I love the khaliji style of reciting: Mishary Rashid, Fahd AlKanderi, Salah AlHashem, Majid Al’anzi. So naturally I instantly loved Sheikh Khalid Aljuhaim’s recitation the first time I heard it during Ramadan.

So I’ve uploaded some of his recitations, and have posted them here for anyone who wants to contemplate the words of Allah ‘az wa jal.

Surat Al Waqqiah Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/v/GGvo66-Y9NE&hl=en&fs=1

Part 2:
value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/SsV0e1sWRH4&hl=en&fs=1

Here’s an amazing recitation from Surat Yusuf, MashaAllah beautiful: