The message the outlawed Zionist state of Israel is sending to the world and international leaders through this barbaric and sadist attack on Gaza is clear: “Do not ever think of reconciling with the Muslim and Arab world. This will never happen on our account.”
With a lot of naïve optimism roaming in America and the international arena for change after the election of Obama, many seriously thought that president-elect is capable as an individual, apart from the system he serves, of bringing change to the world and remedying the damage caused by the previous administration to the US foreign policy. They are still dreaming, and Israel wanted to make sure this dream never comes true.
These vicious attacks can never be justified on any human level. The only justification for this to Israel, is to make sure the relations between the US and the Muslim world of 1.3 billion people, and the Arab world in particular, remains severed. US interests with one fifth of humanity seems to be irrelevant to Israel when it comes to its own interests with the US.
It was that simple and they succeeded. Attack the innocent people in Gaza on a pretext of Hamas control of the area (assuming international tacit approval of ousting Hamas from power). The Muslim and Arab world will be enraged on the public level, embarrassed on an official level, and will start looking up for the CHANGE the president-elect promised. The US feels (or does not feel) embarrassed, but still supports its so called only democratic ally in the region because it is the beacon of democracy and the free world, and to heck with the rest of the world. (Did I mention that the Palestinian people, even if you do not support their choice, also democratically elected Hamas earlier before the drama started?)
Muslims and Arabs do not see any CHANGE or any justice coming any time soon, even before Obama takes office (read his and his democratic party’s statements again), so they go back to the same camp of disgruntled people. This will ensure that hopes for reconciliation with the Muslim and Arab world do not happen during the term of any president any time soon.
It seems that Israel is seriously in doubt of its own legitimacy after all these years, and any reconciliation between the US and the Muslim and Arab world on this subject will hurt Israel on political and economical levels. It might bring real justice to the Palestinians. Israel is thriving politically on the American Jewish lobbying for its cause and survival, which no American politician dares to criticize without paying hefty political and career damage. In addition, economically, Israel lives off the annual billions of US taxpaying dollars in the form of US aid, long-term loans and evangelical good-well charities. All of this might come to an end if there is no need for an unconditional support to poor state of Israel.
The message is clear: “Do not even think of reconciling with them.” The ties and relations have to remain severed. Message came through, and we are back to square one.
“The Unbelievers spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend; but in the end they will have (only) regrets and sighs; at length they will be overcome: and the Unbelievers will be gathered together to Hell.” Al-Anfaal 8:36
muslimmatters.org
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
:: GAZA Islamic Uni was bombed ::
Last year, a large majority of British academics raised the issue of potentially boycotting Israeli universities. This ‘tactic’ did not just appear out of the blue, but rather had been discussed for a number of years before this throughout British academic circles. The boycott would serve as their symbolic act of protest against what they viewed as clear apartheid-like policies that discriminated against Israeli-Arabs and Palestinians, not just in the academic arena, but in all walks of life. Not surprisingly, American universities reacted quite harshly. Amidst accusations of ‘anti-Semitism’, over 450 presidents of various American Universities, and thousands upon thousands of professors, denounced their British counterparts and claimed that this was an assault on the very foundations of academic freedom.
Fast forward to the present. In this last week, Israel viciously bombed the largest University in Gaza, in six SEPARATE raids, and destroyed a number of facilities, including the Ladies Building, where female students attended classes. Although the university is named the ‘Islamic University,’ it teaches both religious and secular sciences, serving over twenty-thousand students, most of whom are female. It has over ten departments, including engineering, medicine, science, art, and nursing. It was established over thirty years ago, has graduated tens of thousands of students, and is recognized as the largest and most accessible institute of higher learning in Gaza.
All of this meant little to the state of Israel.
Israel justified the attacks by claiming that the Gaza University was merely a front for a “… research and development center of Hamas weapons.” But leaving aside the veracity of this claim for a moment, is there any modern research facility in the world that does not do research on aspects that could be used for military purposes? And how many of our own American universities directly receive aid from the government, and from private corporations, and use their intellectual resources for the political and military benefit of the country. Institutions of higher learning are supposed to serve the needs of their countries and are also supposed to be a place where diverse views are debated. The indiscriminate bombing of this university simply cannot be justified.
As if bombing the university was not enough, yesterday Israel succeeded in assassinating a professor of the University, Dr. Nizar Rayyan. Dr. Nizar was a professor of Hadith Studies at the Islamic Faculty, and had studied in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Sudan. He had been a volunteer Imam and khatib at a major Masjid in Gaza since 1985, and had been imprisoned and tortured numerous times (for a total of almost four years of his life). He was targeted because he was a ‘senior figure in Hamas’.
The Israelis were so terrified of this one man, who probably weighed around two hundred pounds, that they felt the need to drop a two thousand pound bomb on the apartment complex where he lived, killing him and eighteen other members of his family, including nine of his children. Men, women and children, murdered with unchecked savagery.
Dr. Nizar was clearly an advocate of military aggression against Israel, and also considered suicide bombings as a legitimate means of attack – a method that most other Muslim theologians and jurists (including myself) disapprove of. But regardless of what one thinks of the legitimacy of suicide attacks, such brutal violence against a professor and his entire family and innocent neighbors will undoubtedly generate more violence. International law does not allow extrajudicial assassinations, nor the permissibility of associated “collateral damage”. If the Israelis believed that Dr. Nizar was a terrorist, and that an assassination was justified, without trial, along with his innocent family and hapless neighbors, how then would they respond if someone asked them that is exactly the same logic with which Palestinian bombers view their own “innocent” targets?
The speed and enthusiasm with which certain American universities and academics jumped to attack the proposed British boycott of Israeli universities was a spectacle to witness. They claimed they were championing academic freedom.
I wonder where these same universities and academics are now, when an entire University is bombed, its facilities destroyed, and professors assassinated? The only reasonable answer seems to be that in the eyes of these academics, Palestinians don’t really deserve the same freedoms as Israelis do. In other words, some freedoms are just more sacred than others.
muslimmatters.org
Fast forward to the present. In this last week, Israel viciously bombed the largest University in Gaza, in six SEPARATE raids, and destroyed a number of facilities, including the Ladies Building, where female students attended classes. Although the university is named the ‘Islamic University,’ it teaches both religious and secular sciences, serving over twenty-thousand students, most of whom are female. It has over ten departments, including engineering, medicine, science, art, and nursing. It was established over thirty years ago, has graduated tens of thousands of students, and is recognized as the largest and most accessible institute of higher learning in Gaza.
All of this meant little to the state of Israel.
Israel justified the attacks by claiming that the Gaza University was merely a front for a “… research and development center of Hamas weapons.” But leaving aside the veracity of this claim for a moment, is there any modern research facility in the world that does not do research on aspects that could be used for military purposes? And how many of our own American universities directly receive aid from the government, and from private corporations, and use their intellectual resources for the political and military benefit of the country. Institutions of higher learning are supposed to serve the needs of their countries and are also supposed to be a place where diverse views are debated. The indiscriminate bombing of this university simply cannot be justified.
As if bombing the university was not enough, yesterday Israel succeeded in assassinating a professor of the University, Dr. Nizar Rayyan. Dr. Nizar was a professor of Hadith Studies at the Islamic Faculty, and had studied in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Sudan. He had been a volunteer Imam and khatib at a major Masjid in Gaza since 1985, and had been imprisoned and tortured numerous times (for a total of almost four years of his life). He was targeted because he was a ‘senior figure in Hamas’.
The Israelis were so terrified of this one man, who probably weighed around two hundred pounds, that they felt the need to drop a two thousand pound bomb on the apartment complex where he lived, killing him and eighteen other members of his family, including nine of his children. Men, women and children, murdered with unchecked savagery.
Dr. Nizar was clearly an advocate of military aggression against Israel, and also considered suicide bombings as a legitimate means of attack – a method that most other Muslim theologians and jurists (including myself) disapprove of. But regardless of what one thinks of the legitimacy of suicide attacks, such brutal violence against a professor and his entire family and innocent neighbors will undoubtedly generate more violence. International law does not allow extrajudicial assassinations, nor the permissibility of associated “collateral damage”. If the Israelis believed that Dr. Nizar was a terrorist, and that an assassination was justified, without trial, along with his innocent family and hapless neighbors, how then would they respond if someone asked them that is exactly the same logic with which Palestinian bombers view their own “innocent” targets?
The speed and enthusiasm with which certain American universities and academics jumped to attack the proposed British boycott of Israeli universities was a spectacle to witness. They claimed they were championing academic freedom.
I wonder where these same universities and academics are now, when an entire University is bombed, its facilities destroyed, and professors assassinated? The only reasonable answer seems to be that in the eyes of these academics, Palestinians don’t really deserve the same freedoms as Israelis do. In other words, some freedoms are just more sacred than others.
muslimmatters.org
Monday, January 5, 2009
:: Membalas Cinta ::
Aku tercari-cari sinar cahayaMU.. Namun dalam pencarian itu, aku disapa oleh dunia. Ia sering merapatiku, menyinggah dalam hatiku, sehingga aku benar-benar jadi jatuh cinta padanya. Meski padanya tersusun duri-duri kehinaan, namun aku tidak punya masa untuk memikirkannya. Apatah lagi untuk mencabutnya dari diriku.
Mereka kata, “Kau telah melupakan Tuhanmu…” Aku menjawab, “Tidak, setiap hari aku bersolat. Setiap hari akau berdoa sebelum tidur, selepas makan… setiap waktu. Sebagai tanda bahawa hari-hariku bukan hanya dipenuhi dunia.”
Sungguhkah begitu? Engkau melakukannya kerana manusia sekelilingmu melakukannya atau kerana engkau benar-benar merasakan bahawa engkau memerlukannya??? Engkau bersolat kerana ia sudah menjadi rutin harianmu atau kerana engkau tahu ia adalah tanggungjawabmu sebagai hambaNYA? Engkau berdoa kerana dirimu terasa bergantung harap sepenuhnya padaNYA, atau sekadar mempraktikkan apa yang telah nenek moyangmu lakukan?
Wahai diri… mengapa engkau terlalu mengejar dunia . Meski sejak mula lagi engkau meyakini bahawa pengakhiran jalan pilihanmu ini hanyalah sebuah penderitaan?? Bukankah engkau sedia tahu bahawa airmata yang selama ini engkau titiskan, penyebabnya adalah dunia? Namun dalam hatimu, mengapa apabila kesakitan yang engkau terima, engkau lantas mengatakan Tuhanmu telah menghinamu?
Firman ALLAH dalam surah alfajr: 16 yang bermaksud;
Adapun bila Tuhannya mengujinya lalu membatasi rezekinya Maka dia berkata: "Tuhanku menghinaku"
Sesungguhnya sedikit pun ALLAH tidak akan menzalimi hamba-hambaNYA. Engkau derita kerana perbuatanmu sendiri. Engkau menganiaya diri sendiri dengan menjauhi dari Tuhanmu. Sedangkan engkau tahu, hari-hari yang tidak diselubungi ingatan terhadapNYA, pasti perjalanannya sempit dan berliku. Lupakah engkau akan firmanNYA dalam surah Thaha: 124,
Dan barangsiapa berpaling dari peringatan-Ku, Maka Sesungguhnya baginya penghidupan yang sempit, dan kami akan menghimpunkannya pada hari kiamat dalam keadaan buta".
Sedarlah wahai diri, setiap hari tanda kecintaanNYA kepadamu terbentang, tetapi sengaja engkau membutakan matamu dan memekakkan telingamu dari semua itu. Maka jadilah engkau sentiasa terawang-awang di langit gelita. Membawa hati yang lara, seolah-olah dinaungi bangkai dunia. Dan semakin hari ia menyubur di dalam hatimu.
Ya.. aku silap. Silap kerana menyambut cinta dunia yang bila-bila masa sahaja bisa fana.
Lantas jiwaku berbisik, “Ampuni aku ya ALLAH, selama ini aku terlupa untuk membalas cintaMU…”
Mereka kata, “Kau telah melupakan Tuhanmu…” Aku menjawab, “Tidak, setiap hari aku bersolat. Setiap hari akau berdoa sebelum tidur, selepas makan… setiap waktu. Sebagai tanda bahawa hari-hariku bukan hanya dipenuhi dunia.”
Sungguhkah begitu? Engkau melakukannya kerana manusia sekelilingmu melakukannya atau kerana engkau benar-benar merasakan bahawa engkau memerlukannya??? Engkau bersolat kerana ia sudah menjadi rutin harianmu atau kerana engkau tahu ia adalah tanggungjawabmu sebagai hambaNYA? Engkau berdoa kerana dirimu terasa bergantung harap sepenuhnya padaNYA, atau sekadar mempraktikkan apa yang telah nenek moyangmu lakukan?
Wahai diri… mengapa engkau terlalu mengejar dunia . Meski sejak mula lagi engkau meyakini bahawa pengakhiran jalan pilihanmu ini hanyalah sebuah penderitaan?? Bukankah engkau sedia tahu bahawa airmata yang selama ini engkau titiskan, penyebabnya adalah dunia? Namun dalam hatimu, mengapa apabila kesakitan yang engkau terima, engkau lantas mengatakan Tuhanmu telah menghinamu?
Firman ALLAH dalam surah alfajr: 16 yang bermaksud;
Adapun bila Tuhannya mengujinya lalu membatasi rezekinya Maka dia berkata: "Tuhanku menghinaku"
Sesungguhnya sedikit pun ALLAH tidak akan menzalimi hamba-hambaNYA. Engkau derita kerana perbuatanmu sendiri. Engkau menganiaya diri sendiri dengan menjauhi dari Tuhanmu. Sedangkan engkau tahu, hari-hari yang tidak diselubungi ingatan terhadapNYA, pasti perjalanannya sempit dan berliku. Lupakah engkau akan firmanNYA dalam surah Thaha: 124,
Dan barangsiapa berpaling dari peringatan-Ku, Maka Sesungguhnya baginya penghidupan yang sempit, dan kami akan menghimpunkannya pada hari kiamat dalam keadaan buta".
Sedarlah wahai diri, setiap hari tanda kecintaanNYA kepadamu terbentang, tetapi sengaja engkau membutakan matamu dan memekakkan telingamu dari semua itu. Maka jadilah engkau sentiasa terawang-awang di langit gelita. Membawa hati yang lara, seolah-olah dinaungi bangkai dunia. Dan semakin hari ia menyubur di dalam hatimu.
Ya.. aku silap. Silap kerana menyambut cinta dunia yang bila-bila masa sahaja bisa fana.
Lantas jiwaku berbisik, “Ampuni aku ya ALLAH, selama ini aku terlupa untuk membalas cintaMU…”
Saturday, January 3, 2009
:: Personal vs Societal ::
Yesterday’s lecture was really an attention-grabbing one (I think). Especially because the venue of the class already changed to a normal class, making the gap between me and madam was only a few inches. I love it when the lecturers are spreading their words of wisdom and beautiful lectures exactly in front of me. For the past two weeks, my sociology class was stated in the slip as ‘will-be-having-the-lectures’ in Soca Lab. Urgh, it’s not a class. It’s a lab, a long yet narrow so-called class. It was hard for madam to just remain delivering the lessons by standing in front of the class since the ‘back-benches’ might having problem in earshot her words clearly. Due to this reason, for a moment or two, madam was forced to walk to the center of the class, ‘leaving’ me a bit far. I dislike that. I have to turn around my head almost the whole period of the lesson. It’s a tiresome 50 minutes for me.
However, all praises be to ALLAH. Yesterday’s was the beginning of the real excitement. We are now being placed in a proper and better venue to be spent there, thrice in a week. Being given the chance to learn about sociology is a blessing, really. It helps you to understand your ‘location’ in the society, how the society is giving a great impact to your life, plus you also will be exposed about other societies in this world, with their peculiarities, and of course, lots and lots more. More weeks left for me to grab this chance and enjoy learning all those excitements and knowledge.
For yesterday, we were taught about the theory of sociological imagination. A theory grounded by C. Wright Mills. It is a theory about an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the widen society. He stated that the society is highly potent and intoxicating in influencing your decision. Are we really aware of it? Let me give you and example. Our society (in Malaysia) tells that women are pretty in all colors-what to do- but there are certain colors which are strictly considered as women’s colors. For instant, a striking pink color. So, when a guy is choosing his t-shirt in a mall, he would undoubtedly think about others’ perspective towards him as well. He can’t choose a striking pink t-shirt, although he might be the one who are –fortunately- fated as a guy who likes pink. “It’s only for women”, the society said that. Then, it is proved that even in buying your own things; you are not making the decision on your own, the society has a share there. So it’s also a societal decision-making rather than solely personal.
The second example, committing suicide is regarded as a highly personal action. However, is it truly personal? Is there really a sane person who will suddenly kill him/herself right after he/she woke up from sleep, without any reasons? Absolutely the answer is no. The society is the entity which is forcing someone to commit suicide. Take one case, a student in a leading country in this world is committing suicide just because he failed to enter a prominent university, and surprisingly it is not something weird. Why? Because the society in that particular country said, it is better for you to die than to continue living in this world but being humiliated. It is obvious that the society really has a hand in shaping your life.
There are more examples given by madam yesterday but I think it’s enough for us to understand how society –in almost time- is making the decision for us. That’s why it is very vital for us, to choose a very good society in order to lead this life blissfully. However, interestingly said, isn’t it better for us, if in making any decision in our lives, we let Islam to ‘decide’ it for us as well? For example in the case of buying clothes, we are free to choose but it must be in accordance to the guard lines given by ALLAH. As women, when we are buying our stuffs, especially outfits, do we ‘allow’ the Islamic Law to share its views in producing our firm decision? Do we really consider which attire is allowed or not allowed, or which attire will contribute points of sins into our accounts and so on…? A thing to be ponders upon. :)
However, all praises be to ALLAH. Yesterday’s was the beginning of the real excitement. We are now being placed in a proper and better venue to be spent there, thrice in a week. Being given the chance to learn about sociology is a blessing, really. It helps you to understand your ‘location’ in the society, how the society is giving a great impact to your life, plus you also will be exposed about other societies in this world, with their peculiarities, and of course, lots and lots more. More weeks left for me to grab this chance and enjoy learning all those excitements and knowledge.
For yesterday, we were taught about the theory of sociological imagination. A theory grounded by C. Wright Mills. It is a theory about an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the widen society. He stated that the society is highly potent and intoxicating in influencing your decision. Are we really aware of it? Let me give you and example. Our society (in Malaysia) tells that women are pretty in all colors-what to do- but there are certain colors which are strictly considered as women’s colors. For instant, a striking pink color. So, when a guy is choosing his t-shirt in a mall, he would undoubtedly think about others’ perspective towards him as well. He can’t choose a striking pink t-shirt, although he might be the one who are –fortunately- fated as a guy who likes pink. “It’s only for women”, the society said that. Then, it is proved that even in buying your own things; you are not making the decision on your own, the society has a share there. So it’s also a societal decision-making rather than solely personal.
The second example, committing suicide is regarded as a highly personal action. However, is it truly personal? Is there really a sane person who will suddenly kill him/herself right after he/she woke up from sleep, without any reasons? Absolutely the answer is no. The society is the entity which is forcing someone to commit suicide. Take one case, a student in a leading country in this world is committing suicide just because he failed to enter a prominent university, and surprisingly it is not something weird. Why? Because the society in that particular country said, it is better for you to die than to continue living in this world but being humiliated. It is obvious that the society really has a hand in shaping your life.
There are more examples given by madam yesterday but I think it’s enough for us to understand how society –in almost time- is making the decision for us. That’s why it is very vital for us, to choose a very good society in order to lead this life blissfully. However, interestingly said, isn’t it better for us, if in making any decision in our lives, we let Islam to ‘decide’ it for us as well? For example in the case of buying clothes, we are free to choose but it must be in accordance to the guard lines given by ALLAH. As women, when we are buying our stuffs, especially outfits, do we ‘allow’ the Islamic Law to share its views in producing our firm decision? Do we really consider which attire is allowed or not allowed, or which attire will contribute points of sins into our accounts and so on…? A thing to be ponders upon. :)
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