Various Articles of Interest
- Researcher: Men slightly more intelligent then women - Calls for resignation over report
- Human Species ‘May Split in two’ - I think that this report goes too far basically stating that there will be one group of super humans via eugenics and another group of Yoda-like people via dysgenics. However, given a poor environment and other factors, two classes of people have begun to form in some countries around the world. One tall, robust and educated (the rich upper class), the other shorter, generally unhealthy and illiterate (the lower class masses).
Here in America, sometimes I wonder if upper class, higher educated and lighter skinned blacks will eventually over generations ‘break away’ from the poorer, darker skinned masses and melt into the non-black population via intermarriage. If that happens, that would only leave the poor and uneducated as ‘the blacks’ and the definition of what is ‘black’ in America will essentially have degraded by that time.
The human race would peak in the year 3000, he said—before a decline due to dependence on technology.
People would become choosier about their sexual partners, causing humanity to divide into sub-species, he added.
The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the “underclass” humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures
However, before that, in the nearer future, he thinks humanity will melt into a uni-race
But in the nearer future, humans will evolve in 1,000 years into giants between 6ft and 7ft tall, he predicts, while life-spans will have extended to 120 years, Dr Curry claims.
Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people.
People living in the West, because there are many more people mixing there, tend to believe that mankind will melt into one ‘uni-race’, but forget that there are billions of Africans, Indians and Asians in other parts of the world that are not mixing at all.
- Happy, confident students do WORSE in math - I found this to be strange, because I’ve found that those who feel most confident are those who do the best
The nations with the best scores have the least happy, least confident math students, says a study by the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy.
I think the answer is here:
Other countries do better than the United States because they seem to expect more from students, he said. That could also explain why high performers in other nations express less confidence and enjoyment in math. They consider their peer group to be star achievers
However, within the nations the kids had higher confidence than other kids in their countries:
Within a given nation, the high-confidence kids did better than their peers. But that changed when students were compared with a different peer group. Even the least confident students in Singapore outscored the most confident Americans.
In other words, Americans are overconfident
- Facial Expressions May be Inherited - A blind young man shares his mother’s habit of compressing his lips together when puzzled, despite never having seen her face.
Filed under: Changing World, Children's Issues
I hope that guy doesn’t resign and stands up to the pc crowd. I’ve read alot of “intelligence” literature lately and there seems to be sound science and data behind it. I think people assume they mean all men (or whatever group) is more intelligent, what they usually mean is at the extreme ends of the distribution men are more represented. Why doesn’t anyone get upset when we know men are much more likely to be criminals than women.
If you don’t have an Islamic point of view of life than I guess it is upsetting to rank people based on intelligence, wealth etc. But since we know as Muslims that Allah only cares about taqwa (piety) than we know it doesn’t matter.
As far as the mixed upper class blacks, I was actually thinking that recently, that things may become like in Latin America. But I don’t think it will be as dramatic because a significant amount of educated Blacks in America have strong pride in their ethnic identiy and seek other blacks to marry. I think what is more significant will be an upper class of married Black families versus a large class of blacks that do not believe in marriage.
I agree with Um Abdullah on this one. As far as facial expressions man that is true for sure and I have seen that with several fathers and sons I am thinking of.
Um Abdillah
I agree with you that it will not be as drastic, but I think it is already happening to a certain extent. For example, Tiger Woods married a Swedish model…if they have children, what will they be? And that child’s children?
I was just thinking that it may increase over time. I think that black pride is dying out with the younger generation and fade more quickly as generations pass.
The marriage vs no marriage is more general across the board, but will be more pronounced with the black underclass. Already 7 out of 10 black children are born out of wedlock.
Oh, well there are lots of whites who have black ancestors. I think they will just blend in with the white population. I think I heard that 1/3 of white Lousianians have black ancestors. Personally I think its stupid to force a person with very little black blood to identify with black if they dont want to. I mean I can understand if you want to maintain your culture but many of them really don’t identify at all with black culture so what is the point.
I was thinking of a book I read recently by Shelby Steele and he kept mentioning his kids experienced racism because they are black which I found unbelievable since he barely looks black and his wife is white. Its like you have to play it up for some reason.
Um Abdillah:
Once again I agree with you that people with little African blood should not be forced to identify as black. I hope that I am not misunderstood on that.
The point I was trying to make is that as the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc of today’s light skinned upper class get lighter and less black, they will no longer identify with blacks at all as the generations pass.
The likelihood is that Shelby Steele’s children will marry people that are not black as well. While on the other hand, lower SES dark skinned children will likely not be married and have children out of wedlock with other darker skinned blacks
Blacks often express hatred for members of their race who are not “black enough” like Shelby Steele and Ward Connerly. So the more talented individuals are forced out of the race too
Ed, some folk just aint black but americans, whether they admit it or not, still follow the one drop rule. Shellby Steele is a mixed race man. Yes socially americans will see him as black because thats what his pigment is closer too (and because they never would wish to refer him as white, even though he is half white because they’re racist). His children are predomitaly more white then black, but yet society people would still say they were black because of 1 black granparent. Its stupid. I can see why some black americans get irked by practically everyone saying that they’re black when it suits them when they aint and dont socially or culturally identify themselves as black (sometimes even despise being called black) but then white america pushes them out in front as the ‘model’ black americans.
I remeber seeing some time ago Maria Carey on the front of Essence magazine and the title said: The most misunderstood black woman in america. I thought what the hell, maria carey has 1 black granparent through her father who was mixed race, but by no means is she ‘black’. And on many occasions when asked, she said she isnt black and claims some latin orgin or something. However when she wants to sell some cd’s or promote a new film, suddenly she starts claiming her ‘blackness’ again.
Its that type of thing that pisses off the black american masses. JLo thought it was okay to use the word nigger in her song because she was ‘down’ with black americans, slept with some black men and identiyed her self as a woman of colour (sometimes all ethnic minorites get lumped into the ‘black’ caterogy simply cos they’re not white). Boy was she wrong though!
I have read neither all the blog nor all the above comments, but I see a forgotton factor here. Rape produces kids and this is a cross-class thing. I see no reason to expect rapists will suddenly get all condom-conscious.
This story, which I caught on satellite TV and was irritated by, is one of those “we will soon have a leisure problem as robots do the work” safaris into the land of nonsense. Those who can achieve academically, do. Those who canNOT, tart up nonsense and sell it to media morons who lap it up.
cyquick.wordpress.com
Overall the, Human species ‘may split in two’, article was a bit farfetched. I found it interesting that some of his claims about the future of mankind, could be found indirectly in our sunnah, but are referring to our lives in the akhirah (specifically Jannah).
“But in the nearer future, humans will evolve in 1,000 years into giants between 6ft and 7ft tall,”
Sahih Al-Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 55, Number 543:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. When He created him, He said to him, “Go and greet that group of angels, and listen to their reply, for it will be your greeting (salutation) and the greeting (salutations of your offspring.” So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, “As-salamu Alaika wa Rahmatu-l-lahi” (i.e. Peace and Allah’s Mercy be upon you). Thus the angels added to Adam’s salutation the expression, ‘Wa Rahmatu-l-lahi,’ Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation.
According to a version narrated by Muslim:”Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam who was sixty cubits tall. People kept growing smaller until now.”
“Women, on the other hand, will develop lighter, smooth, hairless skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, and even features, he adds. ”
Hmmm sounds like the Houris…
“Verily, for al-Muttaqûn, there will be a success; gardens and grapeyards and young full-breasted [mature] maidens of equal age.” [78:31-33]
“And [there will be] Houris with wide lovely eyes [as wives for the pious], Like unto preserved pearls.” [56:22-23]
Tariq, thank you fr bringing up the most interesting topics. You said: Here in America, sometimes I wonder if upper class, higher educated and lighter skinned blacks will eventually over generations ‘break away’ from the poorer, darker skinned masses and melt into the non-black population via intermarriage. If that happens, that would only leave the poor and uneducated as ‘the blacks’ and the definition of what is ‘black’ in America will essentially have degraded by that time.
You have given me a new perspective on some thoughts I have had. My husband’s 1st Muslim wife is a white American, revert/apostate/revert/Allahu Alim. She once told me how she had a AA Great Great Great Great Grandmother. She said that she was ‘whited out’ of the family. Apparently she was a slave. Her children came out ‘passing’. They in turn married white and the rest is history.
After she told me this, it made me think about the future of my offspring. They are biracial children, living in a culture and a country different than that of both parents. Who will they marry? Truthfully, they have more options. They are not expected to marry white, like their father’s family, not black like mine (and my family doesn’t have such expectations anyway), nor tribal like the locals. So only time will tell insha’Allah what is to become of my offspring. I actually have a little experiment I want my dh to do if Allah ever blesses him with an abundance of wealth. I would like for him to marry three more wives, all of different nationalities and race. I would liketo see how big and wide spread his tribe becomes and if each son’s sub-tribe from the different wives would be united as one or divided? Would they look totally different? Would one have more prestige than the other (my tribe treated inferior to the all white tribe…Arab wife’s tribe treated like locals or different?). Nothing that I am seriously pursuing or even give much thought to, but it does cross my mind from time to time and make me go hm mm…
Back to your comment and my new perspective in light of it. My mother has three children. My sister is the oldest, has a PH.D in NeuroPsychology, lives in the suburbs in a 3 million dollar house, married into a Hindi family, mother in law is a Surgeon who recently became a millionaire after starting a web-base surgical supply company, ex-husband is a Chemist, two sons who IQ’s are that of genius. My brother is the youngest. As in most AA families with a single parent, he was spoiled as the only ‘man of the house’. He always went to good schools, however, he took a different turn in life. He chose to take the ‘easy’ way out (gambling, drug dealing, partying, letting women take care of him, etc). My dh and I have had custody of his son for over 7 years. He has two children, by two different women. His first child, my niece is a ‘pretty’ girl. Her mom is ‘light skinneded’ with ‘purty hair’, but ghetto. His daughter is the same. My nephew’s mom is a straight ‘hoodrat’. They met each other while she was sitting on a park bench drinking a 40oz and smoking a Philly blunt. Even the ‘boys in the hood’ criticized him for having a baby by a ‘rat’…they were shocked that he stooped so low. My nephew is a mess, he is brain damaged as a result of her drinking while pregnant. He looks normal, appears smart, speaks well, but inside his brain is like a computer with a virus…Amazingly enough, the middle east, is a lot easier for him then the States…he fits right in in a society of underachievers with low expectations…nobody suspects a thing! Masha’Allah. Me…well I’m the middle child and have always been the ‘balance’ in the family. I did good in school, but not great like my sister, and not just functioning like my brother. I went to college not like my brother who just finished high-school but disappointed my mother when I decided to get a job after my BA and not go on to graduate school like my sister. I married a white lower middle class practicing Muslim, who left it all behind to make ‘hijrah’.
Would you care to make an educated guess, based on your comment above, what the possibilities for the offspring of my mother and father to be? It appears as though my sisters children have the same marriage options as my children. However, her children are being raised with emphasise on ‘education’ and my are being raised with a concentration on ‘deen’. So in all likeliness her children may marry non-black minorities (or some Hindi cousins which I doubt cuz my sister is so opposed to it that when I offered to feed her son so that our children would not be marriageable she declined and said that she would never allow that anyway), but their wives will come from high class families and be well educated. My brother, if his 16 year old daughter has not already had a baby out of wedlock, will probably never get married and will more than likely never leave the hood and have children by various babies daddies who are uneducated…OR..since she is so ‘purty’ she may be able to pull in an athlete or an entertainer and have a baby by them. My nephew, has a lot of ‘wasta’ so it is really no telling with him. If he plays his cards right he could get him some important title job in the gulf and since he is really incompetent to do it, somebody else will do the work for him while he collects the check and his marriage possibilities are many…so Allahu Alim.
My children well I haven’t figured them out yet…lol!We are not in America so the scenario is a bit different.
Umm Adam:
Your Neurophycologist sister’s offspring are more likely to NOT identify with blacks especially since their father is NOT black. This study from Rice University backs that up.
The same goes for your children, especially your daughter. In KSA, because of your husband, she will be considered white.
Umm Adam your family background is really fascinating and also supports my fears. My family and many friends think I am overly paranoid about my sons growing up here but I have see too many cases like your brothers. I saw it in college when very bright Black men, middle class would drop out of college to live that stupid hip hop/thug life. I’ve seen it in the Muslim community where the girls are successful and the boys are just lazy and straying from the deen. I don’t know whats going on but I refuse to put my kids at risk, which is why I am homeschooling and keeping them on lock down, they will not be hanging out with just anyone. I just pray that Allah protects them from that madness.
I really want my sons to marry Black women but it may be they probably won’t. As long as they marry nice Muslim women I will be happy but I do know how hard it is for Black women to find nice brothers to marry.
I also fear for my daughter. This sounds so bad but she seems to be very bright, masha Allah, and I wasn’t happy at first to realize that. Because then she may be ambitious like your sister and there are so many bright ambitious AA Muslim women who end up marrying non Muslims because they cant find anyone on their level. Of course inshaAllah she will put deen first but if she is very smart it maybe that she will have a really hard time marrying. Allahu Alim. Obviously its whatever Allah wills and I pray he has the best in store for my children, but navigating the marriage scene for AA Muslim women can be so complicated, I just pray when the time comes Allah makes it easy for her.
Um Abdillah:
Problem with keeping kids on ‘lockdown’ is that they may grow up naive
I’m curious as to what your advice would be. I take that position because many of our beliefs come from our peers so I want to try all that I can to control their peer group. They still will be active, sports, day camps, its just I will be careful about who they spend a large amount of time with.
Umm Abdullah, I understand your concerns. I have seen many successful sisters marrying ‘down’, many of those marriages end in divource. My own sister met her ex husband in the MSA. He comes from a shia family and has recently apostated
Umm Abdullah, I understand your concerns.May Allah give your family what is best for them in this world and the next…Aameen!
I have seen many successful sisters marrying ‘down’, many of those marriages end in divource. My own sister met her ex husband in the MSA. He comes from a shia family and has recently apostated (if he was considered muslim in the first place) though he can be seen at the masjid this ramadan (culture thing). My mother has sold her condo and moved in to help my sister out, since her divource, because even though she makes well over $100,000 as a Professor and a partner in a private practice, she still lives waaay above her means, masha’Allah. She and my mother are looking for husbands and I am always on the lookout, but honestly have no idea who I could hook them up with. I can’t see either of them marrying AA men. For one, the AA men with good deen would not be interested in them neither would they in them. The AA men who are more like them dunya wise, more than likely do not want an AA wife. This supports Tariq’s theory of evolution…lol! If intelligent and well off AA don’t want each other, they will marry out of the box and then leave the others to procreate. This of course is a SWEEPING generalization.
About the homeschooling of our Muslim youth…this is something that I am undecided about. I understand the wisdom behind it and I pray I am never put in a situation where this is my best option. I know American Muslims that homeschol their children, here in Saudi as well and I understand there reasons, but I just keep making dua and seeking rufuge in Allah from all of the evil influences in school and otherwise.To be honest, I do not know of the condition of the now adult homeschooled Muslim children. Many of the mothers I know who homeschool are pretty ignorant and uneducated themselves. I also know many who are bright and well educated. Does anyone have any success stories about homeschooled Muslim brothers? The sisters may not be that big of a deal, because usually the plan is to marry them off to good muslims anyway, but for the men…what kind of higher education or jobs have they got? Sadly, many of the adult Muslim children I know are not deening too strong and don’t have good jobs either. I even know of a few cases where they have had to join the military for lack of oportunities. I mean hustling oils and rugs and living off of multiple wives public aid gets old real fast. I really would love to hear some positive examples of the homescholing children. So far the good reports I hear are from the ones that are still young.
Umm Adam @ 5:05pm - that’s EXACTLY what I thought when I read about that!
As for homeschooling… well, I’m homeschooled. I’m in grade 11 right now, and have been homeschooling for the last 4 years.
I live in Canada, and my parents had the same concerns about who my peer group would be, so they decided to pull me out of public school and register me with the local Distance Education school.
Distance Ed. is pretty cool ‘cuz I do the same curriculum as kids in public school, AND I have teachers whom I can contact through email, AND we get all the materials and stuff from them.
This means that I have almost regular school hours, only I’m studying at home; plus I can help my mum around the house. When it comes to socializing, my dad used to run an Islamic centre so we always used to go there and hang out with people there. We’ve just moved to a new city so right now we don’t go out much, but I do go to the Masjid and I’ve met some people there; also insha’Allah my dad is planning to start an Islamic school for the Muslim kids here, so that way I’ll be able to meet more people, insha’Allah.
There are ups and downs to homeschooling, but overall I think that it’s been pretty good for me, al-Hamdulillaah. I’ve had, and continue to have, a unique learning experience… I get a secular education through the government, but I’m also firmly grounded in my Deen and don’t have to go through the fitnah that so many Muslim kids go through in the public schools.
Umm Adam, why would one homeschool in Saudi Arabia when the entire country is Muslim?
AnonyMouse, may Allah give you tawfeeq in all your endeavors.
Ashamed, there is still much fitan in the lands of the Muslims, which people wish to protect their children from. However, there are several reasons. Some people are here illegally. Some AA have complained about racist treatment. Some people do like like the teaching methods or level/standard of education in the school system. Different strokes for different folks.
Saudi is always sold to us as some kind of land of milk and honey. How have you found that adult American children who grew up over there have turned out? Do they survive on their own?
Now you know it’s not polite to hijack a blog. I’ll try to be brief so that we do not digress…too much.
Saudi may not be the land of Milk and honey, because it’s not Jannah! There is fitan everywhere.
I have seen it all when it comes to the American kids here. I honestly do not know that many all American families, most of the ones I know are half Saudi. The few cases of All American that I know, the children were educated in either the government or international schools and many of them grew up to get jobs and stay (don’t know personally any homeschooled ones that are now adults). I know a few where the families would go on vacation to the States every summer and the kids grew to hate Saudi and love America and as soon as they turned 18yrs they were outta here! Most of the children that stay here once they become adults are from families who rarely if ever visited the States.
Um Abdillah
When you said ‘lockdown’ I thought you meant keeping them in the house at virtually all times, only letting their siblings be their friends and maybe from time to time allow them to play with selected children of Muslims. I don’t think what you say is unreasonable, although, personally, I lean against homeschooling. I think children need social interaction - even from children that are not necessarily their friends - as much as book knowledge. Many lessons of life can be learned on the playground when Mom and/or Dad is not around.
When it comes down to it, we are all experimenting. When I was young, many of the adults in my town and grew up around had bad habits (smokers, alcoholics and sometimes drug addicts). However, my parents (who had none of these habits) leveled with me and pointed to these people as examples of what NOT to be like. They pointed to them when bad things happened to those people and explained to me that this is what happens when you do these things.
In high school, when my peers started trying ‘gateway drugs’ such as marijuana, I wanted no part of it because I knew where that path led.
It is my plan, when my children get older, insha Allah, that I will level with them the same way. There is evil out there, and this is what happens as a result of doing these things.
This, in my opinion, beats pretending that it doesn’t exist and trying to construct a bubble for our children to live in. I’m not saying to throw them around evil to make a point, but at the same time, when it comes up - as it inevitably will - I plan to take the opportunity to explain that YES, this exists, and give the ramifications for such behavior.
On homeschooling, I know an adult Muslim (now about 21-22) who was homeschooled until about the 10th grade. He felt that he was sheltered, got angry and rebelled. Girls seem to do a little better in homeschooling.
Those that have no education and try to ‘homeschool’ in many cases are using it as a cop out.
I’ve known the ‘hijrah’ children to grow up confused too though.
Overall though, it still remains to be seen how all these children turn out.