Demi Palestin, Usah Cepat Melatah

1. Peperangan dimenangkan dengan rancangan rapi dan pelaksanaannya yang tersusun. Ia tidak dimenangkan dengan emosi dan sentimen semata-mata.

Benar, emosi dan sentimen penting dalam memperjuangkan kebenaran:

Dengan emosi, kita terus didorong untuk berjuang. Dengan sentimen, hati-hati yang berbolak-balik mampu dibawa bersama menyertai perjuangan kita.

Namun sebaliknya, emosi dan sentimen yang tidak terkawal boleh menjadi fitnah kepada perjuangan.

2. Bukan satu rahsia lagi: orang bukan Melayu di Malaysia kebanyakannya tidak endah mengenai isu Palestin. Tidak kurang juga yang berpegang kepada pandangan bahawa orang Palestin turut bersalah dalam konflik ini.

Malah ada yang menyebelahi Zionis, mungkin kerana termakan dengan media arus perdana (mainstream media) seperti BBC, CNN, dll yang berat sebelah dalam meliputi konflik ini.

Buka saja ruangan komen mana-mana channel Youtube outlet berita yang banyak dilayari orang bukan Melayu - The Star, New Straits Times, dll - sudah tentu akan dijumpai komen-komen yang meminta Malaysia untuk neutral, “kedua-dua pihak bersalah”, dan sebagainya.

Malangnya, tidak kurang juga balasan daripada orang Melayu yang terbuai dengan emosi - membalas bukan dengan niat untuk memperjelas dan berhujah, tetapi mengugut dan mencaci. “Pindahlah ke Singapore kalau nak sangat sokong Zionis” antara sentimen yang pernah dijumpai di ruangan-ruangan ini.

Jujurnya, sebagai seorang penyokong Palestin, saya berempati dengan perasaan yang mendorong balasan beremosi seperti ini.

Siapa tidak sakit hati apabila rakyat Gaza yang tidak bersalah dibedil dan dibunuh beramai-ramai - tapi terus dipersalahkan sebagai pengganas?

Siapa tidak kecewa dengan golongan yang seolah-olah sengaja menutup mata dan telinga kepada kebenaran - dan terus memeluk tubuh walaupun beribu-ribu kanak-kanak dan wanita disembelih di depan mata mereka?

Tapi sedarlah juga bahawa jika kita cepat melatah, ia menjadi kelemahan dalam perjuangan demi Palestin - satu perjuangan yang memerlukan strategi dan visi jangka panjang.

3. Amerika kalah dalam Perang Vietnam pada tahun 1960-an bukan kerana kelemahan ketenteraan. Seperti Zionis yang bermaharajalela di Tanah Suci hari ini, Amerika dilengkapi dengan senjata tercanggih pada waktu itu serta kekuatan kewangan sebuah kuasa hegemoni dunia.

Namun Amerika tumpas akhirnya kerana sentimen rakyat sendiri yang menentang peperangan apabila melihat bilangan nyawa tentera sendiri yang terkorban dengan begitu ramainya, serta jenayah-jenayah perang yang dilakukan pihak sendiri ke atas rakyat Vietnam.

Medan perang fizikal adalah Vietnam, tetapi psikologi masyarakat Amerika adalah medan pertempuran utama. Begitulah juga keadaannya hari ini - Zionis Israel akan tumpas hanya jika Amerika menarik balik sokongan ketenteraan, kewangan dan politik daripadanya, selagimana Amerika masih berstatuskan kuasa hegemoni tunggal dunia hari ini.

Alhamdulillah, pada hari ini, semakin jelas bahawa sentimen pro-Palestin semakin kuat dalam kalangan masyarakat Amerika secara umumnya. Hanya golongan konservatif dan golongan elit terus berdegil kerana berada dalam saku lobi-lobi Zionis.

4. Perbuatan menzahirkan sokongan bagi Palestin bukan wayang semata-mata - apabila rakyat beramai-ramai menunjukkan sokongan terhadap sesuatu isu, ahli politik terpaksa akur dan mengambil kira sentimen tersebut demi kepentingan politik sendiri. Bukanlah satu kebetulan bahawa negara-negara yang pemimpin-pemimpinnya paling lantang bersuara menyokong Palestin di persada dunia merupakan negara-negara yang rakyatnya menzahirkan sokongan paling padu bagi Palestin - Ireland, Indonesia, Turki, Iran, dan ya, Malaysia sendiri.

Dengan ini, langkah bijak bagi kita warga Malaysia dalam perang saraf ini adalah dengan meneruskan momentum dan memperkembangkan sokongan bagi Palestin dalam kalangan masyarakat negara kita sendiri. Ingat, mana-mana parti atau koalasi parti yang memegang tampuk kerajaan akan lebih berani bertindak di peringkat antarabangsa jika ada sokongan rakyat.

Orang Melayu usah memperdaya diri dengan idea bahawa sokongan Melayu sahaja sudah mencukupi bagi mendorong kudrat politik (political will) pemimpin Malaysia supaya terus lantang bersuara demi Palestin. Orang Melayu perlu ingat bahawa 40% daripada populasi negara ini bukan Melayu - dan jika mereka bermati-matian tidak mahu menyokong Palestin, hal ini akan mempengaruhi kiraan politik pemimpin-pemimpin negara.

Alhamdulillah Malaysia telah dikurniakan setakat ini dengan pemimpin-pemimpin seperti DS Anwar Ibrahim dan Tun Mahathir yang konsisten memperjuangkan isu Palestin dengan aktif dan sistematik di pentas dunia. Namun kita tidak boleh leka dan menganggap bahawa situasi ini akan berterusan jika 40% daripada populasi Malaysia terus enggan memihak dengan Palestin.

Janji Allah itu benar - Dia akan menangkan Palestin, sama ada dengan pertolongan kita atau tidak; tetapi jika kita mahu negara kita terus berada di saf hadapan perjuangan ini, perlulah ada usaha untuk memperkembangan perjuangan Palestin untuk merangkumi semua lapisan masyarakat - Melayu mahupun bukan, Islam mahupun tidak.

Bukankah demonstrasi jalanan dan boikot ekonomi di negara ini akan lebih efektif jika Ah Kao dan Muthu berganding bahu dengan Ali dalam memperjuangkan Palestin?

5. Maka timbullah soalan seterusnya: apabila kita melihat demonstrasi pro-Palestin yang disertai beratus ribu orang bukan Islam di New York, Washington, London dll, terlintaskah di fikiran kenapa orang bukan Islam di Malaysia liat hendak sokong Palestin?

Dalam erti kata lain, pernahkah kita cuba mendalami psikologi orang bukan Melayu-Islam di negara ini? Atau adakah kita mengambil jalan mudah dan memukul sama rata dengan alasan bahawa “orang kafir memang tidak akan redha dengan kita”?

Soalan yang lebih direct: pernah tak terfikir bahawa mungkin liatnya orang bukan Melayu hendak sokong Palestin adalah akibat daripada politik kita sendiri yang selalu memburuk-burukkan mereka sebagai pendatang, komunis dan kafir harbi?

Pelikkah kalau, sebagai reaksi, mereka memegang kepada prejudis bahawa dalam apa-apa konflik yang melibatkan orang Islam, orang Islam secara automatik adalah pengganas? Pelikkah kita jikalau, dari perspektif orang bukan Melayu, perjuangan Palestin hanya dilihat sebagai perjuangan si Melayu menentang ‘si pendatang’ semata-mata?

Bukan saya nak maafkan orang bukan Melayu daripada kesalahan - kerana mereka juga malas. Malas membuat kajian, senang tertipu dengan media arus perdana, atau lagi teruknya hanyut dengan mengejar duit dan status sehingga tidak mampu melihat penderitaan manusia lain.

Dan pastinya, orang bukan Melayu juga ada prejudis terhadap Melayu dan Islam, sepertimana Melayu punyai prejudis terhadap bukan Melayu-Islam.

Inilah penyakit yang telah lama berhinggap di jiwa masyarakat Malaysia - dan isu Palestin telah mendedahkan isu ini dengan sejelas-jelasnya.

6. Maka apa langkah seterusnya? Sebagai orang Islam, jawapannya mudah: betul-betul praktikkanlah sirah Nabi mulia kita.

Apabila baginda berhadapan dengan mereka yang degil walaupun dihadapkan dengan kebenaran yang jelas dan nyata, apakah yang baginda lakukan?

Adakah baginda berputus asa dan memukul sama rata - melabel semua yang menentang sebagai kafir harbi yang tidak mungkin akan bersama perjuangan yang benar?

Jikalau begitu, mungkinkah Saidina Umar berubah daripada seorang yang lantang menentang Islam kepada salah seorang Khalifah Ar-Rasyidin? Mungkin hari ini, ada dalam kalangan rakan-rakan bukan Melayu kita seorang ‘Saidina Umar’ yang sedia berjuang bermati-matian demi Palestin, cuma belum diberi kesedaran oleh rakan-rakan Islamnya.

Saudara-saudara kita di Palestin memerlukan kita. Semangat dan usaha Malaysia selama ini patut dibanggakan - kita telah konsisten dengan doa, demonstrasi, perjuangan di sosmed dan boikot.

Namun rakan senegara bukan Islam juga satu amanat yang telah Allah berikan kepada kita. Siapa lagi yang akan memujuk mereka ke pihak yang benar jika bukan kita - jiran-jiran, rakan sekerja dan rakan senegara sendiri?

Memujuk dan berbincang dengan mereka yang bukan Islam bukanlah apologetik. Ia Sunnah Nabi.

Jadi marilah kita bermuhasabah dan berhujah dengan ikhlas. Dalam jihad propaganda ini, korbankanlah ego dan prejudis. Cuba fahami mengapa orang bukan Melayu mempunyai prejudis terhadap Islam dan Palestin. Buatlah kajian sendiri mengenai konflik Zionis-Palestin, sejarahnya dan statistiknya, supaya hujah kita diperkuatkan semasa berbincang dengan mereka yang belum yakin.

Jadikanlah ini sebagai sebahagian sumbangan kita kepada saudara Palestin yang menjadi barisan hadapan perjuangan kita di sana.

Dan bersabarlah. Bukankah Allah bersama mereka yang bersabar? 

Malaysian Prejudices and Palestine

1. Malays love Palestine.

This is apparent in the many Gazan masjids and schools built with the aid of donated ringgit, in the “Free Palestine” car stickers common on Malaysian roads, in the intimidating digital attack on Israel by Malay netizens whenever Zionist violence flares up every few years.

And yes: I say Malay, not Malaysian. 

Because it is no secret that while the vast majority of Malays are invested in the Palestinian cause, the same cannot be said about non-Malays.

We need to talk about that.

2. On one hand, there is an obviously religious aspect to this divide.

It is no secret that as a Muslim, Palestine is a matter of faith - not a merely humanitarian one.

After all, Palestine is the land specifically mentioned in the Quraan as blessed; 

the land walked upon by the Messengers Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them all); 

the land in which is located Masjid Al-Aqsa - the first direction of prayer before the Kaaba was legislated as the qibla.

Add all this upon the more general Islamic injunctions of fighting against injustice, love for one’s brother or sister in humanity, and the sanctity of human life and dignity, and it is clear why Palestine is inseparable from the Islamic creed - so much so that a Muslim who does not care about Palestine shows a serious gap of knowledge and/or faith in him/herself.

In light of this, it becomes obvious why Islam so heavily features in the Palestinian discourse not just in Malaysia, but also in other Muslim-majority countries or communities across the world.

That being said, one cannot deny that there is a certain tinge of ethnocentricity in the Malay passion for the Palestinian cause. After all, the Palestinians are a people who have been overwhelmed by waves of immigrants who progressively displaced them from their homes. This resonates with the Malays who are inclined towards a deep distrust towards pendatang.

3. Islam in itself does not explain why Malays support Palestine disproportionately more than non-Malays.

The reason for this phenomenon requires a bit of reflection on the nature of Malaysian society: 

The Malay-Islam identity has long been wielded as a tool of intimidation in Malaysia. As a sort of defense mechanism, Malaysian non-Muslims have generally developed an apathetic attitude towards anything to do with Islam - at least on the outside. 

Thus when the issue of Palestine is enthusiastically fought for by Malays as an Islamic issue (as it rightfully should, for the reasons established above), this defensive apathy kicks in among non-Muslims. 

In other words: Palestine is clearly a Malay-Muslim thing - why should I as a “non” care about it?

Compound this problem with the bias of mainstream media outlets for Israel, and it is no wonder that many non-Muslim Malaysians in fact quietly sympathise with Israel.  

After all, the media portrayal of Israel as a liberal, progressive society besieged by barbarous backwards Arab Muslims surely resonates with those non-Muslims who entertain pretensions of being the progressive part of Malaysian society surrounded on all sides by backwards conservative Muslims.

4. In the light of the complex situation laid out above, my call to fellow Malaysians is two-fold:

a) To Muslims, be pure in our intention to fight for Palestine as an act of Islam. Is our passion for Palestine truly being done as an act of worship to Allah, or merely to scratch an ethnocentric itch?

Hence, be sincere and consistent when fighting against injustice. 

That means fighting for non-Malays, even non-Malaysians, in situations where they are subject to injustice in our own country. If the Malay-Muslim voice is not heard when Malaysian Indians die in questionable circumstances in Malaysian police custody, or anti-Rohingya refugee sentiment is most strongly heard among Malay-Muslims, how can people take us seriously when we talk of “human rights”? 

b) To non-Muslims, do not let the religious element of the Palestinian cause turn you away from their legitimate struggle. The world has been waking up to the Palestinian ordeal for decades, the multitude of activists fighting for Palestine growing day to day across the globe, constituting a more and more diverse swath of humanity as time goes on.

The onus may perhaps be on your Muslim countrymen to look in the mirror and question why they have not made the Palestinian cause welcoming to you, but at the end of the day it is you who stand to lose out if you choose to remain apathetic - or worse, to actively oppose - the cause itself. 

The train will leave with or without you, and I sincerely wish, as a fellow Malaysian, that you are not left behind on the wrong side of history on this issue.

Hujung Ramadhan:

Terawih di Palestin diiringi ledakan bom dan peluru,

terawih di Malaysia diiringi ledakan bunga api dan mercun.

Orang Palestin diancam secara fizikal: zionis yang tak sabar nak lihat pemergian muslimin dari bumi barokah,

orang Malaysia hadapi ancaman rohani: hati yang tak sabar nak lihat pemergian bulan barokah.

As a Muslim, I too would love to see the ummah united. 

But does such a unity mean giving blind support for a political coalition self-proclaiming to represent ‘Malay-Muslim interests’? I think not.

Because having a bunch of Muslims in your party doesn’t automatically make your party Islamic - just as using a bunch of ayaat from the Quran in your speech doesn’t automatically make your speech Islamic. 

Practice honesty, integrity and proper syura (consultation) with all the people of this country if sincerely you want to unite the ummah.

Until then, don’t try to guilt me or any other Muslim to support you in the name of religion. You have neither the right nor the legitimacy. 

#notmyabah

Have We Perverted the Meaning of “Rahmatan lil ‘alameen”?

“I was made victorious by the winds of as-Saba’ and ‘Aad were destroyed by the winds of ad-Daboor” [Sahih Muslim]

This was what the prophet Muhammad s.a.w. (peace be upon him) said after the miraculous victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Al-Ahzab (The Confederates), a battle in which they were vastly outnumbered by a combination of forces inside and outside the city of Madinah.

With no hope of a military victory, a sandstorm the likes of which many had not seen in their lifetime suddenly swept in and forced the retreat of the army surrounding the Muslim city. The battle was over with less than 10 casualties on the side of the Muslims.

But none of the disbelievers died in that retreat.
Why were the disbelievers not destroyed completely by Allah? After all they were clearly enemies of Islam - opponents on the battlefield, ready to kill the Muslims!
Why did Allah not send the wind of ad-Daboor, with which He had destroyed previous stubbornly unbelieving nations?
Why, instead, did He send the more merciful wind of as-Saba’?

Ulama’ comment that this is because of the rahmah (mercy) that the prophet s.a.w. felt towards his enemies, that they would one day enter into Islam.
And sure enough, in a few years the majority of that army which surrounded Madinah, ready to kill the Muslims off, had themselves become Muslims. And today, a millennium  and a half later, their descendants are also Muslims.

This is one of the many examples of the rahmah of the prophet s.a.w. (another famous example being the mercy he showed towards the people of Ta’if, who stoned him for his da’wah. Today the descendants of those people of Ta’if are Muslims).

In other words, the prophet Muhammad s.a.w. truly deserves the title Allah bestowed upon him in the Qur’an - “rahmatan lil ‘alameen” [Surah Al-Anbiya’: 107]
(Translated very roughly to English as “a mercy to all the worlds”.)

Yet today there are quarters who claim that when we promote an inclusive image of Islam in which Muslims are willing to engage with those of other worldviews and to discuss and debate in a healthy manner as a way to show the beauty of this deen, we have somehow perverted the meaning of “rahmatan lil ‘alameen”.

How narrow-minded those accusations are!
After all, did the prophet s.a.w. himself not show a willingness to engage with those around him throughout his life, Muslim or not? Indeed, never did he force the conversion of others to his Message, preferring to let them see the Truth with their own hearts and minds.
Such was rahmatan lil ‘alameen.

Yes, I am aware that there are those out there who abuse the meaning of rahmatan lil ‘alameen, and use the phrase to promote a blind pluralism in which all religions are equally correct with Islam.
That is indeed a perversion, because Allah says very clearly:

“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah, then indeed, Allah is swift in [taking] account.” [Surah Ali Imran: 19]

And thus, it is upon Muslims to believe so.

But at the same time, let us not go to the opposite extreme and deny the right of other religions to exist. Believe it or not, the existence of religions other than Islam is an ayat (sign) of Allah:

“And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed - all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers? And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah, and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason.” [Surah Yunus: 99-100]

Put simply:
Islam does not recognise the TRUTH of other religions,
but it recognises the EXISTENCE of other religions
(and the RIGHT for human beings to choose what to believe).

To me, one of the signs of the truth of the prophet s.a.w. was his vision. Although he was born and raised in the middle of the Arabian desert, he had a mission which traverses the space and time he was in.
His Message was not limited to his tribe or race, in a society which was bitterly tribalistic; nor was it limited by time, traversing generations and millennia.

He wanted everyone to receive, and to accept, the Truth - to have as many people and peoples as possible to enter heaven, not limit heaven only for his tribe or race.

That’s the sort of fighters for Islam that Malaysia (and the world) needs today. Those who can see past racial sentiments and lead the way to a better future for all. To offer the God-given solutions within Islam to everyone.
To thus follow in the footsteps of our prophet s.a.w.

Contrast that to the noisy voices in Malaysia today who claim to fight for Islam but limit their fight to the rights of one race only.
In the process they become arrogant, and mock those of a different race to themselves with the excuse of upholding Islam.
How contradictory that is to the ayat:

“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.“ [Surah Al-Hujurat: 11]

Who, then, is perverting the message of rahmatan lil ‘alameen?

I understand that its a complex issue, and that there are differences in opinion.

I understand that we must have a real discussion about letting Rohingya refugees into our country.

I understand the reluctance to accept people coming in en masse to our country when we are already struggling with our own economic problems.

But what I DON'T understand is the need for unnecessarily insulting comments against the Rohingya themselves during that discussion - "idiots", "parasites", who "create a heavy traffic jam"  (and these are not even the worst of the comments).

As a Malaysian, I am ashamed.

What happened to our reputation as a friendly, caring people? 

Is this what we have become - shallow-minded, xenophobic, forgetful, SELFISH brats - exhibiting the very same traits we complain about in our politicians.

What has made us feel so entitled to hurl abuse at refugees already prosecuted so badly? 

Because they deserve the torture? 

Because we Malaysians are more human than the Rohingya? 

Hah! I find that more and more difficult to believe seeing how inhumanely we behave.

I am ashamed. I am ashamed. I am ashamed - 

and not just of our leaders. 

I'm ashamed of you and me.

Happy Merdeka Day

Muhammads Everywhere

Today at the masjid I overhead a very Muslim conversation:

Man 1: Assalamualaikum..I've forgot your name..

Man 2: it's Muhammad 

Man 1: ah..Muhammad

Man 2: and you..Hussain?

Man 1: no..it's Muhammad 

I chucked under my breath (the irony, I know..a Muhammad snickering at a conversation between two other Muhammads).

But then the scene brought me to contemplate the legacy of that man named Muhammad (peace be upon him) born over 1400 years ago in the middle of the Arabian desert. 

His legacy: that today in this masjid in a former factory in Manchester there are people from African, Arab, south Asian, south-east Asian, and European origins carrying out the teachings which were revealed to him over a millennium ago.

Legacy.

None of us will live forever in this world. 

Should it not be that that very mortality pushes us to leave something behind after we're gone?

For, after all, a legacy is a sort of immortality.  Innit?

Muhammad (peace be upon him) has long left this world - but Muhammads live on to this very day (and I am quite sure, will do so until the End of days).

***

In the 3rd verse of Surah Al-Asr, 

Allah describes the characteristics of those people saved from khusr (loss).

One of those characteristics is "...tawassau bilhaq..." - translated often as "...exhort each other to follow truth..."

But (as always), some things are lost in translation: 

The word "tawassau" doesn't merely mean to exhort. 

The Arabic word shares the root letters with the word "wassiyyah" - meaning a will (in Malay: wasiat), that document we leave when we die.

So it is not merely to "exhort" to the truth. It is to do so with the same sincerity and determination that one has when leaving a will knowing s/he is on the verge of death.

(As, actually, we all constantly are - on the verge of death.)

All that being said; you know what..I think tawassau bilhaq is an awesome way to leave a legacy 🤔

(I'm aware that this post is weeks after maulidur rasul. But hey, takkan nak sayang nabi time maulid je eh 😬)

[Picture: the muazzin of Masjid Al-Furqan sunbathing by the window of the mosque on a sunny winter afternoon]

Madaya

Eyes large and haunting..

betraying at the same time both 

innocence,

and her lack of nutrition.

She is to me Madaya:

that Syrian city

with an Internet connection, 

but no food.

She is to me Madaya:

the child 

who should be getting milk everyday

but instead lives on water mixed with salt.

She is to me Madaya:

for I don't even know her name.

#ummahweek2016

http://youtu.be/xzSRDtJMP6M

http://youtu.be/HL9-PZqKLAY

http://youtu.be/-1pYfUdol3I

http://youtu.be/S587ncQR8ps

The Victim

I am no longer happy to play the victim.
At best, helpless victims of discrimination; at worst, adherents of a twisted ideology bent on death and destruction -
this is how we Muslims are viewed today
especially in societies where we are in the minority.


But
I am no longer happy to play the victim.
For we have for too long been on the defensive,
happy at most to condemn acts of terror
in reaction to those who carry them out in the name of our religion.
And yes, condemn we must, but is that enough?


No!
I am no longer happy to play the victim,
to be the person who says
“Terrorists do not represent me”
but go no further,
happy to wait while society dishes out either
abuse or sympathy.


I am no longer happy to play the victim,
I am no longer satisfied with mere sympathy;
because sympathy runs out eventually,
and my religion has never taught me to be dependent
on others' pity.


I am no longer happy to play the victim,
and so
we must go on the offensive, armed with Islam
and to do so with a proper understanding
of what being “armed with Islam” means in today’s context:
To engage society NOT with
guns blazing,
bombs exploding, or
cries for the heads of "the infidels";
But with acts of reforming society with deeds of civic responsibility – Islamic fundamentals like
feeding the poor,
caring for the elderly,
and inviting to spiritual enlightenment;

In short, our presence in any society should be a blessing –
to whatever society that is.


I am no longer happy to play the victim,
and I commend my British Muslim brothers and sisters
who share this thought
and have actually done something about it:

Shall We Let Them Win?

Manifestation of khalifah?

Shall we let them win?

They;

who are enemies to

non-Muslims and 

Muslims alike.

Enemies to non-Muslims

as they in the name of Islam

behead, bomb, and gun down

innocent souls.

Enemies to Muslims

as they behead, bomb, and gun down

innocent souls

in the name of Islam.

Shall we let them win?

The trick they play is the

exploitation of ignorance,

to sow fear and hatred,

for the purpose of causing division;

in a misguided jihad for the khilafah.

And 

we are letting them win

as governments  "declare war" on them

when that is the very thing they want:

a reinforcement of their narrative

that "the West" is at war with Islam,

and so Muslims must kill the Westerners.

President Hollande announces the French declaration of war on ISIS

We are letting them win

as we discriminate against Muslims even more,

making them even more alienated in European society.

We are letting them win

as we keep Syrian refugees out,

leaving them vulnerable to the allure of violence.

In so doing,

we are serving them new recruits on a silver platter;

we are letting them win.

Shall we let them win?

We shall not;

but only if ALL of us

Muslim or non-Muslim,

reject the idea they are selling:

the idea that

Islam is a religion of violence,

eternally at war with the West.

To the non-Muslims of Europe,

I advice you to have sabr

and hold on to your principles of

justice, freedom and tolerance.

To the Muslims of Europe,

I advice you to hold on to the Islamic principles of

justice, freedom and tolerance

and have sabr.

Do not let them win.

This, actually, is the manifestation of khalifah

A Note on Racism

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary's definition for the word 'Racism' is:
"Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race
based on the belief that one’s own race is superior."

The correlation of this 'modern' definition with the saying of a man in a desert 1400 years ago is amazing:
that man, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that there are 4 characteristics of jahiliyyah (ignorance) which will stay with the Muslims.

The first two he listed are:
1. Boasting of ancestral nobility
2. Finding fault in other's ancestors


After reading this hadith it is less of a surprise to me
how supposed adherents of a religion which is fundamentally anti-racist,
can themselves act so racist
(to both non-Muslims and fellow Muslims)
when Islam came to abolish racism 1400 years ago!

The Prophet's prediction (as always) has come true;
racism is well and alive in today's ummah.
But
I am quite sure that the Prophet didn't just mention the above as a mere 'fun fact',
because a central part of the beautiful Deen he taught
is that of continuous struggle against jahiliyyah.
He, peace upon him, was warning us of the evil of racism.
And to STRUGGLE against it.

[Credit]

The Death Throes of Israel

Under the stare of a merciless master,
under the glare of a merciless midday sun,
the man lies pinned down on the searing hot ground
by a heavy rock on his chest.
It's nothing new;
just another slave being punished

F-16s and gunboats
against
homemade rockets and stones;
a military superpower
massacres the citizens
of the world's largest open-air prison.

It's nothing new;
just another slave being punished
Or is it?
Because look closely and see
that while the "slave" refuses to be broken
uttering, stubbornly: "Ahad, Ahad"..

the "master" has broken
into panicked sweat..

A military superpower
massacres the citizens
of the world's largest open air prison.
Maybe the Gazans
would simply give up,
starve to death,
submit meekly.
Maybe, the Zionists thought,
it would be that easy.

The "master" has broken
into panicked sweat..
as he feels the pressure of the crowd gathered around him.
Some have even started laughing, mockingly
...at him!
For if the slave lives, uttering "Ahad, Ahad";
then the "master" has lost to the "slave".
But if the slave dies, uttering "Ahad, Ahad"
then, also, the "master" has lost to the "slave".

Maybe, the Zionists thought,
it would be that easy.
But living in constant struggle with injustice,
spitting in the face of oppression
has become the Palestinian
way of life.
A life that may end
with a shot to the head,
or a deadly air raid;
but nonetheless,
a life lived free.

For if the slave lives, uttering "Ahad, Ahad";
then the "master" has lost to the "slave".
But if the slave dies, uttering "Ahad, Ahad"
then, also, the "master" has lost to the "slave".
For the master fights for his ego,
while the slave fights for his right
to live free.
And arrogance will not defeat sincerity

A life that may end
with a shot to the head,
or a deadly air raid;
but nonetheless,
a life lived free.
My Gazan brothers and sisters,
they may put you under siege
and destroy your dwellings
but never can they enslave your souls.

And arrogance will not defeat sincerity
As Abu Bakar steps up
to buy Bilal off Umayyah:
‘By Allah,
if you had refused to sell him except for a hundred ounces,
I would have paid it.’
Bilal was emancipated that day,
but his soul had always lived free.

My Gazan brothers and sisters,
they may put you under siege
and destroy your dwellings
but never can they enslave your souls.
Because actually, it is Israel
who is enslaved
by the very cycles of violence
she creates.

As the world wakes up.
From New York to Paris,
London to Hong Kong
...and even Tel Aviv,
people are standing up for you.
For your voice to be heard.

This cycle of violence..
it's different.
Because Gaza, though today we see
the might of a modern army
against a captive refugee population.
We are actually witness
to the death throes of Israel

The might of a modern army
is no match
for the free human soul.
Arrogance will not defeat sincerity.



Eid Mubarak, my Palestinian brothers and sisters
Who knows?
Next Eid, insyaAllah, a free Gaza. Ameen.



#OperasiBadar

Under Anesthesia

It as been exactly a week now since this slightly surreal scene in the living room of my house:

a partially disemboweled rabbit, still alive but in shock, 

surrounded by a bunch of people with little idea of what to do next.

The barely two-month-old bunny had just been attacked by a stray cat, leaving his intestines spilling out a gash on the side of his abdomen.

An injury which proved to be fatal.

The above scene, though, is not the most surreal one to have happened in the last few weeks. 

And as gory as it was, neither was it the most horrible.

At a field hospital near Al-Adawiyaa Mosque, just off Rabaa Square, the names of the dead are called out.

Listening are families of those lost.

"It was as quiet as a morgue", goes the saying.

But the morgue here is far from idle; it is the busiest place in the city.

What can be heard inside are people sobbing in between gasps for fresh air;

the atmosphere a stench of dead bodies left out for too long.

Mingling with the groans of the injured and the prayers that still go on.

The floor is a flood of fresh blood, ice blocks brought in to preserve bullet-ridden corpses left out for too long.

The army chief smiles on camera at a broadcasted national police academy graduation. 

Honored with a standing ovation, and praised by the Interior Minister as

"Egypt's devoted son".

All less than 24 hours after he ordered the bloody killings at Rabaa Square.

Pretty surreal scene...don't you think?

*                    *                    *

A consultant I've met at a hospital placement years ago told me that during surgery, an anesthetist holds a lot of power.

If the anesthetist senses that something is wrong, he/she can call off the surgery right there and then.

*                    *                    *

Exactly a week ago I was kneeling down beside the rabbit's prone body. 

I had carefully flipped him over to reveal his wound.; 

the hole was big enough to let his intestines out, not quite big enough to let them back in.

In retrospect I wonder if things would have ended up differently if I had anesthetics of some sort. 

Maybe I would have been able to calm him down. 

Push his insides back in, even.

Anything to let him live to the morning, when he would be able to get more professional care.

But all that is wishful thinking, I guess.

The death in my house, though, was a good reminder.

A reminder of how easy life is for me here.

Don't get me wrong: I am grateful for this calm, and I do not wish the bloody scenes of Egypt to happen in Malaysia.

Not in a place I call home.

But in my heart is a certain sense of unease...

I look around to see so many people still oblivious. Uncaring of brothers and sisters in Egypt.

Like the bunch of people standing cluelessly around a disemboweled rabbit, 

we stand cluelessly around a nation disemboweling itself.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) once said:

"The Muslim Ummah is like one body. 

If the eye is in pain then the whole body is in pain  

and if the head is in pain then the whole body is in pain”

But as our brothers and sisters are 

massacred in Egypt, 

gassed in Syria, 

under siege in Palestine,

exiled from their own homes in Myanmar. 

The rest of us...barely bat an eyelid.

This ummah has become like a person who doesn't even realise that he is being stabbed all over his body.

That he is bleeding.

That he is dying.

He doesn't realise.

He is under anesthesia.

To those who read this I ask you to get the word out.

If you can speak, speak.

If you can write, write. 

If you can donate, donate. 

And pray. 

Pray for our ummah to wake up

We have to wake up.