Asalaam Alaikum and Greetings,

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! Best wishes for success and happiness in the upcoming year.

Forward/share as you see fit.

Thank you,
Atif www.atifslist.com | www.norcalcouncil.org groups.yahoo.com www.facebook.com (AtifsList on Facebook)


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REPEATING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS


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Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain: TV Listings www.islamicspain.tv

Over a thousand years ago, the sun-washed land of southern Spain was home to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, living together and flourishing. Their culture and beliefs intertwined, and the knowledge of the ancients was gathered and reborn. Here were the very seeds of the Renaissance. But this world too quickly vanished ? Greed, fear, and intolerance swept it away. Puritanical judgments and absolutism snuffed out the light of learning. Within a few centuries, the fragile union of these people dissipated like smoke. The time of tolerance was lost, forever.


Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain: Online Viewing Parties www.facebook.com | docs.google.com

Perfect Post Eid ul Adha alternative to New Years Parties! Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain Virtual VIEWING PARTIES. We can also google chat & share links about the show in a google presentation space realtime & After the show. Join in anytime.

(Thank you Rubina & Abdulkarriem!)


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Hayward Halaqahs
Fridays, 7:15 pm
185 Folsom Road, Hayward, CA 94544 www.facebook.com | www.haywardhalaqah.com

Hayward Halaqah hosts a different event/topic/speaker every week. Anywhere from 75-300 attend on a weekly basis. Free and open to all.


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Aliens in America - TV Program
Mondays, 8:30 P.M.
CW Television Station cwtv.com | [email protected] www.facebook.com www.mediaandislam.com | www.slate.com (Reviews)

Aliens in America is an American situation comedy about a Wisconsin homemaker who arranges to host a foreign exchange student, believing the visitor will help her shy son become more popular. When the student turns out to be a Muslim teenager from Pakistan, her plans go awry.

Justin Tolchuk is a sensitive, lanky 16-year-old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny, aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary, and his popular sister Claire, who is sweetly unaware of how good-looking she is. When Franny signs up for the school's international exchange student program, she pictures an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen who will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, when the Tolchuk's exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff, a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja quickly develop an unlikely friendship that just might allow them to navigate the minefield that is contemporary high school. It's going to be a very interesting year for Raja, Justin, his family and the entire population of Medora.

The full episodes can be seen on their website.


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CALL FOR STORIES from Muslim Women
January 15, 2007 Deadline
[email protected]

Warm greetings!

We are excited to announce an upcoming anthology on dating and courtship stories by American Muslim women. If you know of or are an American Muslim woman with a compelling story to tell, we want to hear it! Please see the attached pdf (or text below) for detailed information on submitting your pitch by January 15, 2008.

We are committed to highlighting a diversity of voices, including, but not limited to: orthodox, cultural and secular views, all racial and ethnic backgrounds, disabled, single, married, divorced and widowed women.

Please forward this widely within your personal networks, to literary listservs, and academic networks.

Thank you,
Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi
Co-Editors
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Announcing a call for non-fiction, personal stories by American Muslim women on courtship and/or dating to be published in an anthology. We are looking for talented writers to pitch well-written, surprising and compelling anecdotes for a book on loving and looking for love while Muslim.

~ WHY A BOOK ABOUT COURTSHIP/DATING?

There is a stereotype about Muslim women out there that does not show them as the thinking, feeling, lively people with loving hearts and independent minds that we know them to be. Partially, this is because there just aren& #700;t enough real-life stories about Muslim women being told by Muslim women themselves. The purpose of this collection is to take control of our narrative by telling our own stories, emphasizing the humanity we all share and celebrating the quirks that make us unique. We hope to do that through stories about courtship/dating, as these rituals exist in every societal context as the search for a partner is universal. We're excited at the prospect of amplifying the voices of American Muslim women. If you think such perspectives need to be heard too, we invite you to contribute your story!

~ DETAILS

Stories must be auto-biographical and written by American Muslim women, either born in and/or predominantly raised in the United States. We are looking for contributors who identify as American and as Muslim, whether by birth or conversion, and who reflect a broad range of religious perspectives, from orthodox to cultural to secular. Write about a transformative episode that defined your courtship/dating experience. Think about the epiphany, the crystallizing moment: At what point in your life did your religious identity play a role in your search for a partner? Did other factors, such as ethnicity, race, class, etc. merge or collide with your religious identity? We want real-life stories rich with details so they read like fiction. We want more story-telling and less essay-like commentary.

~ Diversity: Contributions are welcome from Muslim women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, born and convert Muslims, Sunnis/Shiites, disabled, single, engaged, married, divorced, or widowed.

In order for your story to be considered, please send us the following information by Tuesday, January 15th:

~ Your full name ~ Age ~ Your geographic location ~ E-mail address or phone number ~ Ethnic/racial background ~ Whether Muslim by birth or conversion ~ A 300-500 word pitch describing the highlights of your story.

All responses will be treated as confidential. Pitches will be selected based on their literary merit. You already know what makes good writing: humor, drama, irony, triumph, and focus. Bring your anecdote to life with vivid characterization, plot, and surprising real-life details. Draw us in and leave us craving more of your story! Contact us: Please send your pitch and all other inquiries to: [email protected] . Notification: We hope to make our selections by February 15, 2008. Final stories will be due May 1, 2008. Stories should range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All submissions may not be accepted, but every submission will be considered.

Editorial Team:
~Ayesha A. Mattu is an American Muslim of Pakistani heritage, a writer and human rights consultant living in San Francisco, CA.
~Nura Maznavi a Sri Lankan-American Muslim and civil rights lawyer based in San Francisco, CA.
~Safir Ahmed is a book editor and editorial consultant residing in San Francisco, CA. He is the former Editor of AlterNet and was a journalist for more than 20 years, both in the mainstream daily press and the alternative press. His most recently edited books on social and political issues, include: "Crashing The Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics" by Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga; "How Would a Patriot Act?" by Glenn Greenwald; and "Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision" by George Lakoff.

(Thank you Ayesha & Nura!)


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South Asian Health center Bike Ride for Awareness www.southasianheartcenter.org | (650) 940-7242
Mountain View, CA

From all of the staff at the South Asian Heart Center, we wish you a very safe and happy holiday season and the very best for 2008. We also hope that you that you work actively all throughout this trying and snacking season and continue to make HEARTier Choices everyday.

It is a sustained reason to celebrate at the Center, as our clinical staff and heart health coaches inform about the responsible progress participants are making at the Center ? losing weight, starting a regular exercise regime, following nutrition consultation guidelines, and most of all improving their risk profile. As a recent participant put it, ?You have changed my life?. These lifestyle modifications are indeed hard, impossible sometimes, so it is especially gratifying to know that we as a community are changing ? and the Center is making an impact in the Bay Area.

We are encouraged with these early successes as we continue to focus on our four strategic initiatives ? outreach, prevention, education, and research. After attending a recent physician symposium, Dr. Tony Singh was so impressed with the mission and goals of the Center that he decided to perform a holiday 5-day 500-mile Bay Area bike-a-thon to support the programs at the Center. He starts his endeavor on Thursday, December 20, beginning his grueling ride from the South Asian Heart Center in Mountain View at 3:30 pm visiting the cities and selected South Asian community locations in the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont, Milpitas, and Sunnyvale.

Read Dr. Singh?s story on our website, the reasons he chose to participate in this fund-raising event, and his plea to you and the community to support his bike-a-thon and contribute to the Center. We wish him great success in this journey, and extend our gratitude to him for his noble thoughts and action.

Finally, we launch the New Year with our free HEARTier Choices Education Seminars ? on a monthly basis, every 4th Wednesday of the month at El Camino Hospital. The 1st in the series will be presented by our medical director, Dr. Cesar R. Molina on TLC ? Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes: An evidence based discussion on the importance of lifestyle, on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 6:30 pm. Sign-up and register for this event early.

We would like to solicit your help to spread the awareness of the epidemic of heart disease to your friends and acquaintances ? Please forward them this email, or use our Tell-a-friend link, so you can inform others about our program, and encourage them to sign up as well. It will take only a few seconds of your time and may even save a life. We are now able to screen using laboratory services in many other areas in the United States, so you do not have to restrict yourself to those in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

Best regards,
Donna Malhotra, MPH
Administrative Coordinator
(650) 940-7242

(Thank you Omar!)


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EVENTS


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Single Muslims "Find Your Mate" National "Reunion"
Friday - Sunday, January 4-6, 2008
Kankakee Convention Center, 2205 E. Court St., Kankakee, Illinois
709-991-2635 | [email protected] | www.ansarcommittee.com

The Ansar "Find Your Mate" Committee presents: Single Muslims "Find Your Mate" National "Reunion" - "Oh Allah, Bless Me With A Mate in 2008." Begins with Jummu'ah on Friday, interactive sessions Saturday, Banquet Saturday evening, transportation to Imam W. Deen Mohammed's 1st Sunday address in Homewood Illinois on Sunday. Halal meals, live entertainment, music, movies, skating, games, socializing, and more. Includes round-trip transport to airport. Cost: $150.

SPEAKERS:
~ IMAM FAHEEM SHUAIBE, CA
~ IMAM IBRAHIM PASHA, GA
~ IMAM FURQAN MUHAMMAD, GA
~ IMAM ABDULLAH MADYUN, IL
~ SIS. QUR'AN SHAKIR, GA , "The Road to Nikkah" Muslim Journal Columnist

(Thank you Br. Rashid!)


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ISEB Monthly Homeless Shelter Meal
First Friday of every month
Friday, January 4, 2007, 5:30 PM Sharp (First Friday of every month)
Friday, February 1, 2007, 5:30 PM Sharp (First Friday of every month)
TriCity Homeless Coalition in Fremont, 588 Brown Rd, Fremont, CA 94539 (off Warm Springs Blvd, near Mission)
Br. Mohammad Imad: [email protected]

Join a team of dedicated brothers and sisters from ISEB to practice one of the greatest principles of Islam: "Feeding The Needy", once every month (First Friday of every month).



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Hijrah: A new year. A new life. A new beginning by Imam Alaeddin El Bakri
Friday, January 04, 2008 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
MCA Banquet Hall, Santa Clara, CA www.mcabayarea.org | [email protected]



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Mentorship Breakfast: Life of a Global CEO - Living in Dubai, Working in Silicon Valley
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008, 7:30 am - 9:00 am
Infinisim, 2130 Gold Street, Suite 250, Alviso , CA 95002 www.opensiliconvalley.com

REGISTRATION LIMITED TO 15. OPEN CM Mahmood Panjwani provides his experience and advice on how to organize and manage global operations for a startup. Please join him for an interactive breakfast discussion to have your questions answered.

Mentor Biography - Mahmood Panjwani is the Chairman & CEO of Infinisim, an under the radar EDA startup.

Mr. Panjwani was co-founder, President and CEO of iManage Inc. (NASD: IMAN) that merged with Interwoven Inc. (NASD: IWOV) in November 2003. During his tenure at iManage, he led the company from its inception in 1995 to its IPO in 1999, and finally its merger with Interwoven. After iManage's merger, Mr. Panjwani stayed on as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Interwoven, to ensure a successful transition. Before iManage, Mr. Panjwani was the founder and CEO of Q-Image Corporation, a privately held software consulting company for 7 years. His prior experiences include working in Software Engineering with companies such as Northern Telecom and AT& T Bell Labs.

Mr. Panjwani holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from University of Illinois. He is a charter member of TiE and OPEN. He currently serves as an investor and an advisor, and is on the boards of early stage technology ventures.

Registration: Free for OPEN members, $10 for non-members. Registration is limited to the 15 attendees. Please register today.


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ISLAM: TOWARD A NEW UNDERSTANDING by STEVEN WEST, Ph.D., Instructor, Cross-Cultural Communication, UC Berkeley Extension
THURSDAY JANUARY 10, 2008, 5:30 p.m., Reception | 6:00 p.m., Program
Club office, 595 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco www.commonwealthclub.org

West maintains that Islam's fundamental struggle is not with America but rather resides within Islam itself, among its many factions. He insists, moreover, that the three great Semitic religions must be inclusive and reach understanding if we are to create a safer world. West will be assisted by Tarik Bushnak, an instructor of English Literature at Cal State East Bay, and the program will be moderated by Yitzak Santis of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

$8 for Members, $15 for Non-Members | Directions to The Club. Program Organizer: Celia Menczel. Co-sponsored by the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley


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January AMILA Gathering - Reconciling Communities: African-American Muslims and Immigrant Muslims in America by Imam Faheem Shuaibe
Saturday, January 12, 2008 @ 6 PM
Home of Azhar Husain, Fremont, CA | [email protected] | (408) 398-9464 www.facebook.com | sf.amila.org | [email protected]

Imam Faheem Shuaibe will be joining AMILA this month to address the visible divide between African American Muslims and Immigrant Muslims. Many have argued that mainstream Muslim America has marginalized the concerns and leadership of the large number of African American Muslims to the detriment of the entire community. Why does a divide exist between these important segments of the American Muslim community? How can we bridge the divide and move towards cooperation and integration?

Imam Faheem Shuaibe is the resident Imam of Masjidul Waritheen and the director of the Clara Mohammed School in Oakland California. He is both an author and lecturer who has given lectures, seminars, and workshops to hundreds of audiences for over sixteen years on the topics of Islam, world politics, human relationships, and societal evolution. He is listed in the International Who's Who Among Intellectuals, and the National Who's Who Among Public Speaking Professionals.

Potluck: Please bring a dish to share. If you do not bring a dish, please bring $7 for pizza. AMILA Gatherings are open to all. Please RSVP by directly contacting Azhar for the address and directions. He is near the Mowry Ave & Cherry Lane intersection in Fremont close to the Fremont BART station.

AMILA is attempting to line up additional speakers & locations for future gatherings. If you are interested in hosting or know of a good speaker, please contact AMILA.


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CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT POVERTY by MUHAMMAD YUNUS
THURSDAY JANUARY 17, 11:30 a.m., Check-in | 12:00 p.m., Program | 1:00 p.m., Book signing
Fairmont, Gold Rm., 950 Mason St., San Francisco www.commonwealthclub.org

General: $15 for Members, $30 for Non-Members; Premium: $55 for Members, $75 for Non-Members. Creator, Grameen Bank; 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner; Author, Creating a World Without Poverty. CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT POVERTY - Finding value in some of the world's poorest communities, Yunus spearheaded the concept of microfinance to bring social responsibility to capitalism. The microfinancing methods he developed have allowed people with capital to enable others to become entrepreneurs and contributors to their communities. Bookseller: Stacey's Books. Part of A-Ha Series, sponsored by Orrick .


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7th Annual ALIM Winter Program
Friday, January 18th, 2008 through Monday January 21st, 2008
MCA Islamic Center, 3003 Scott Boulevard, Santa Clara, CA 95054 www.alimprogram.com
[email protected] | Majid Khan: 248 894-5426 | Sumaiyya Rahman (Registration): 630 781-7077


Theme: This year's ALIM Winter Program will critique the future of Islamic Learning and educational institutions. Some have argued that authentic Islamic thought is dying, becoming replaced by a commercialism and similar perspectives.

Instructors:
Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson ~ Dr. Muneer Fareed ~ Imam Zaid Shakir ~ more to come inshaAllah!

Register Online!! Tuition: $125 Student, $150 Professional, $250 Couple (includes all meals, not lodging). Refund policy: Cancellations requiring refunds will be according to the following policy. Full refunds will be awarded until 12/31/07, or if your application has not been accepted . After 12/31/07, 50% of the tuition paid will be refunded. After 1/5/08 no refunds will be awarded.

Babysitting: Sat/Sun $25/child/day, Fri/Mon $15/child/day. Must pre-register for babysitting by 1/10/08. Lodging: Many hotels are available in the area. We recommend you use Priceline.com along with biddingfortravel.com to find your best deal. If you are interested sharing a room, email [email protected]

Applications: Not complete until payment and essay are complete. First come, first admitted based upon acceptance of application.

(Thank you Faisal & Zahra!)


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9th Annual Eid Puppet Extravaganza: 'The Sock Market, or A Quest for Knowledge on the High Seas'
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian-Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita Av., Berkeley.
Sunday, January 20, 2007, 3:30pm
Chloe at [email protected]

Muslim Puppet Theater Productions presents. Awards for our first ever J.J. the Camel Art Contest will be presented at the show. Please be advised that street parking is limited. However, the hall is easy walking distance from the Downtown Berkeley and North Berkeley BART stations.

All proceeds will benefit ILM Tree, a nonprofit homeschooling co-operative. Please bring halal finger foods or non-messy snacks to share. Suggested donation: $20/family.


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Awakening to the Challenges of 21st Century Afghanistan
Saturday, January 26, 2008, 10:00 am PT - 5:00 pm PT
City of Fremont Senior Center, 40086 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538 www.efsr.org | [email protected] | (510) 797.4660

800th Anniversary of Rumi: East Meets West 2: Fremont World Social Forum. Join Foundation for Self-Reliance (FSR) as we continue the dialogues from East Meets West....global consciousness, immigration, education, race/ethnicity, gender and religious apartheid, and economic development...

Delicious Food ? World-Class Presenters ? Open Forum Dialogues Live Afghan Music ? Poetry Readings. Farsi and English translation headsets will be available. Complimentary admission for those who cannot pay. Limited Seating!

Afghan Keynotes and Special Guests:

~ DR. MO QAYOUMI : President, California State University East Bay and former Senior Advisor to the post-9/11 Minister of Finance in Afghanistan: The Need for a Global Perspective
~ MS. MAZARI SAFA : Deputy Minister, Technical and Policy, Ministry of Women?s Affairs, Afghanistan:Gender and Womens' Rights in Afghanistan

Additional Speakers:
~ Dr. Edna Mitchell, Professor Emerta, Mills College; Special Advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan: Roses of Kabul and Poppies of Kandahar
~ Dr. Ronald Takaki, Professor, University of California Berkeley: Multicultural America
~ Dr. Ram?n Grosfoguel, Professor, University of California Berkeley: Islamophobia and Racism in the Modern/Colonial/Capitalist/Patriarc hal World-System
~ Dr. Hatem Bazian , Professor, University of California Berkeley: America's new COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) directed against Arabs, Muslims and South/South East Asians
~ Dr. Saleema Waraich, Assistant Curator, South Asian Exhibit, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. This exhibit opens in October 2008 at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
~ Professor Ghafar Safa, Professor, Kabul and Balkh Universities: Roots of Violence in the Afghan Culture
~ Director Thomas E. Lorentzen, Regional Director, Region IX, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, San Francisco, California: Winds of Change: America as a Healthy Nation
~ Mr. Iqbal Tokhi and Ms. Hanifa Tokhi, Rumi Scholars: Readings from Rumi

(Thank you Rubina!)


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Understanding Islam and the West by Karen Armstrong
Thursday, February 21, 2008 7-9pm
Unitarian Universalist Church, 1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 www.ciis.edu | 415.575.6175

Karen Armstrong is one of the world's leading commentators on religious affairs. She is a best-selling author whose books have been translated into 40 languages. Her early work focused on the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but she has since begun to explore the Eastern religions. Her work is scholarly but written for the general reader, and has been appreciated not only by Western audiences but also by Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Her books include: Through the Narrow Gate, an autobiographical work; The Gospel According to Woman; Holy War, The Crusades and their Impact on Today's World; Muhammad, A Biography of the Prophet; A History of God; Jerusalem, One City, Three Faiths; and The Battle for God, A History of Fundamentalism. $20.

Sponsors: Graduate Theological Union: www.gtu.edu
United Religions Initiative: www.uri.org
Sherith Israel: www.sherithisrael.org
Islamic Networks Group: www.ing.org


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Building for the Future
February 23, 2008
Doubletree Hotel San Jose, 2050 Gateway Place, San Jose, CA. 95110 www.irw.org

Fundraising Banquet for Pakistan Development Efforts.



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PAST EVENTS SUMMARY


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BAY AREA HEADLINES


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BAY AREA RESOURCES & COMMUNITY CALENDARS www.atifslist.com/?page_id=45


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WHY I STARTED THIS & IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE www.atifslist.com/?page_id=4


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NOTES & DISCLAIMERS www.atifslist.com/?page_id=7


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The current FULL issue of AtifsList with all detailed event listings has now been posted on the website. If you wish to receive the FULL version of AtifsList with all events details, please subscribe directly at: groups.yahoo.com .

AtifsList is now on Facebook. If you ever wanted to go to an event but did not know who else was going, then AtifsList & Facebook might be able to help. One proposed use would be to try and gather & coordinate people to attend the various events from a central focal point. Give it a try and lets see what happens.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS E-MAIL,
Atif