Assalamu alaykum and Peace + Hello to all the non-Muslims or non-Arabic speakers.lol

My name is Sarah Osterhage ( née Rouse ) and this is my official space for whining,chatting, putting fun articles up for discussion,political and religious debates and every other thing that pops into my stream of consciousness.
Since you're here, you probably already know quite a bit about me but just in case you've missed the usual update or you're new, here is some basic information about me:

I'm 22 years, 7 months, and 13 days old as of today.

I'm an Army wife, a Marine brat and a Muslim.

What kind ,you ask? Why this kind, of course:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_alone
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Lets see if I can answer all the usual Islam related questions ahead of time :

*Do I wear a headscarf?- Well,yes,usually. I've done so for quite a while-ever since my conversion to Islam but recently, I decided that it was either take an extended break from it or start punching random strangers, who stare at me CONSTANTLY.
So,for the sake of humanity, I'm not wearing it for awhile.
No, I don't know when I'll wear it again and no, I don't think its obligatory. I can elaborate on the hijab and my views on it if somebody requests it but I certainly won't bore you with the details here.

*Do I have a restricted diet?- Somewhat. I'll eat anything as long as it doesn't have pork or pork based products in or on it. This means no ham,bacon,sausage,pepperoni or anything thats been cooked with it, like green beans cooked with bacon.
Alot of Muslims won't eat anything with gelatin,trace amounts of alcohol or any non-Islamicly (Is that even a word?) butchered meats.
I don't really worry about this to be honest. Zabiha meats are prohibitively expensive every place I've lived so I can't really do much about that.
I don't worry about the gelatin thing b/c its really excessively nitpicky and alcohol isn't a big deal. I don't usually drink as I've gotten out of the habit since I converted,but, I'm not opposed to it. Lets just say I don't exactly follow the conventional scholars rulings on that.

*Do I REALLY pray 5 times a day?
Yeah, to the best of my ability. Like every Muslim though, I have my ups and downs. Since I wasn't raised Muslim, I often forget its time for salat and so if I've got my computer off or the volume down,to the point that I can't hear the call to prayer from it, I do often miss prayer times. I'm also not a fan of praying in public. I just CAN NOT concentrate. Can't do it. Drives me crazy. I try to make them up when I get home.
A work in progress.^_^
I do make a dedicated effort however to make Isha prayer every night before I go to bed.
That way, atleast I get one in, if nothing else for whatever reason.
"If I die before I wake", ya know?

* Am I a terrorist? Do I know any terrorists?
If you actually contemplated asking me this, you might as well come over here now so I can knock some sense into you before you think about it again. Some people just DO NOT use the brains God gave them. *facepalm*

If you have any further questions, comments or concerns about Islam, Muslims and all that in relation to me, feel free to message me privately. Oh and I don't debate on the Quran Alone thing. I've done enough of that before and I'm not interested. I'll talk about it but you're not gonna change my mind and if you're the kind of person who thinks they can, you might as well hit the 'X' button now. If you post stupid comments about my choice of religion or philosophy, troll or otherwise, I will lay down the banhammer. You will be blocked. You will not come back.
I do not tolerate idiots.
You have been warned.
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* I'm obsessed with all things from the 1800s up into the 1930s. Particularly fashion styles, especially those of the 1800-1900 range. I should really probably write a book on it but its already been done, by those who are much better writers, I'm sure.

* I love historically 'inspired' and period Victorian clothing, all things 'punk' and most things 'goth'. Yes, I love Emilie Autumn.^_^ My favorite bit of punk is called Taqwacore. I'll elaborate on the scene upon request.

* My favorite book? 'The Taqwacores' by Michael Muhammed Knight especially but really, I will read anything, even if its only for a laugh. I've been an obsessive reader since the moment I learned how.

*Music? Emilie Autumn, classical,historical,jazz,blues, international, rock, the myriad of groups that fall under 'Taqwacore' but especially the Kominas. Up the taqx! ^_^

*Movies? Uh...wow, its been awhile since I saw a movie. I like the Harry Potter movies, as well as the books. I'm not big into horror or thriller stuff. Not a fan at all. Totally looking forward to the Taqwacores movie that has finally hit theatres, but unfortuanatly it is nowhere near El Paso. Someday,inshallah.

*What do I look like?
5'9, 'plus size', extremely pale.
I chew my fingernails habitually, am not an avid makeup wearer and I have purple hair currently, although I'm naturally a dark blonde.
I wear alot of black b/c 1. Its slimming and 2. I like it. Also, its the usual color for abayas(dresses),which i wear with hijabs(headscarves). Its also the usual color for gothy Victorian stuff.Aside from that, you'll see me in purple alot. Its my favorite color and it looks pretty good on me so its on obvious choice.

I have two tattoos. The one winding around my left forearm is a quote from The Taqwacores ("Allah is too big and open for my deen to be small and closed.") and the one on my right wrist is in Hebrew(I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine.) James also has the same tattoo in Hebrew going down his forearm.

Three sets of ear piercings and one cartilage piercing at the very top. I also have a nose piercing. ^_^

*Who is James?
Psh, silly me, why didn't I mention him sooner.^_^
James is my lovely husband. Hes an officer and does secret nerdy things for the Army all day. ^_^ Hes also a convert to Islam.
We don't have kids yet but we do have two Fox Terrier mixes, two brothers, named Blackie and Gambit.Very cute and very mischievous.^_^ We all live in El Paso,TX currently.


Well, thats all I can think of. I'm sure I've bored the pants off of ya'll already,haven't I?
Better to get that crap out of the way first though. Now if anyone asks, I can just point them in this direction.^_^

Keep an eye out for a few posts soon. Keep in mind, I DO take requests so if there is ANYTHING ya'll want me to ramble on about or any questions you have a burning desire to have answered, feel free to send me a message. I'm all ears. ^_^

Ma'asalama, peace and farewell. ^_^