"Honor" Killings.

In order to honor Taxy Driver's request for wanting to know more about "honor killing", whereby, today, is fast turning into a worrying culture amongst, mostly Muslims all around the world, (inapplicable to some UMNO members since one can't defend something that doesn't exist... I don't think anyone would complain if they take Timbaland's song "Kill Yourself" seriously) , although history tells us that there are other non Islamic cultures like the Japanese and Tahitians who would kill themselves to save dignity. In society of Samurai and the way of the warrior, better known as Bushido for example, death by "seppuku" , or vulgarly termed as "harakiri" (belly cutting), was regarded as an honorable death. Thank god the Sumos do not practice belly cutting.

"Honor killing" in current context is more applicable to Muslim women,mainly, who kill themselves, or are expected/forced by culture to take their own lives and declare the deed as an "honorable death", to escape the shame of being raped, or sometimes even when a man had broken the engagement and lay the blame on the women. It's rather unfortunate though these dishonorable men, (throw some stones and out of ten, three will hit them), refuse to kill themselves.

In some cases, there are rape victims who volunteered to become the infamous suicide bombers in order to cover up for the shame of being raped. I think the act of blasting oneself to pieces, killing innocent lives, not to mention children, in the name of God, is a thousand times more shameful than being raped, which in the first place is not even the women's fault, but that is another avenue altogether....


I am not going to depress myself or others on a beautiful Friday morning, the morning before Valentine's Day, citing all the miserable examples of "honor killings" (or any Quran verses on fornication) because frankly, I would like to enjoy my weekend without the images of these women hanging beside the image of my secret rendezvous with George Clooney (Brad Pitt use to in my dreams until he had to go get hooked with Angelina...it should have been me really...). So, one word for you, "Google" my friends...

What do I think about "honor killing"? Basically, there's nothing "honorable" about taking one's life, be it your own. Let me get the definition straight first before I resume;

For "honor" please press 1,
For "killing" please press 2
To exit, please press #

Unless you don't speak, read or write in English, by deciphering both definition, you will come to a conclusion, that killing a human being is not honorable. In Surah Al-An'am verse161, God said;

Say: "Come, I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from": join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents; kill not your children on a plea of want - We provide sustenance for you and for them - come not nigh to shameful deeds, whether open or secret; take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.

In fact, God doesn't take too kindly to those who kills others as evidenced in Surah An-Nisaa Verse 93;

"Whoever kill one who acknowledge intentionally, then his reward shall be hell, eternally abiding therein; God will be angry with him, curse him and for him, is prepared a great retribution."

Basically, killing is considered a reservation via speed dialing to Hotel Hell. Incidentally, oneself is also counted as a person, unless you consider yourself the Monalisa (mysterious but dead nevertheless). So for whatever reason to kill, others or yourself, the word "honor" cannot be associated with the word kill, because EVERY HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED ( in fact, to me, every life form on earth is sacred, including that of a fly, if you are a fly that is).
Before someone sends a Samurai to behead me with his sword, I have to add, you are allowed to take life "by way of justice and law" but nothing said about it being honorable, unless in the path of God. Okay, don't get freaked out too fast, and run to make a booking for circumcision, hold on, there's more. In the eyes of Islam, killing is permissible only if it is in self defense, against oppression.
For example:
"Nor take life - which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, We have given his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life; for he is helped (by the law)." (17:33)

and in Al Anfal verse 60;
[8:60] Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the Cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. [8:61] But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is the One that Heareth and Knoweth (all things).

Again in Al Baqarah:93

"And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression. "

However,having said all that, forgiveness is encouraged, for example in Surah Al Baqarah 178-179

[178] O ye who believe! The law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude. This is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this, whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty. [179] In the Law of Equality there is (saving of) Life to you, O ye men of understanding; that ye may restrain yourselves.

and in Al Maidah verse 27-28

[27] Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam. Behold! they each presented a sacrifice (to Allah): it was accepted from one, but not from the other. Said the latter: "Be sure I will slay thee." "Surely," said the former, "Allah doth accept of the sacrifice of those who are righteous. [28] "If thou dost stretch thy hand against me, to slay me, it is not for me to stretch my hand against thee to slay thee: for I do fear Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds.

and again in Al Maidah 45

"We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) wrong-doers."

By the way, I bumped into this site which I find amusing and irritating simultaneously, but to different parties, "CNN avoids mentioning Islam in segment in 'honor killing' ". (Oh, don't worry, there is no death sentence for those who digress, I've checked) Snort. So much for freedom of press. Can you blame them? Say something against Islam, even if you state the obvious, next thing you know, your neighbor will be Salman Rushdie. Some Muslims/Clerics can be so, what is that word I'm looking for....pedantic and parochial..(wow, think one get another free)

Al-Anfal verse 22
"Those worst creatures with God are the deaf and dumb who do not reason"

There are some who declares the suicide bombers as "Law of Equality" killing. Some were even bold enough to call the act "Jihad". In the west however the same word means this, which is basically a misconception, sometimes even by the Muslims who perpetrated the act of jihad by this misconception. Actually it means this. Let me emphasis on certain content of the text in the latter "this";

"In the classical manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, the rules associated with armed warfare are covered at great length.^[8] Such rules include not killing women, children and non-combatants, as well as not damaging cultivated or residential areas.^[9] More recently, modern Muslims have tried to re-interpret the Islamic sources, stressing that Jihad is essentially defensive warfare aimed at protecting Muslims and Islam.^[8] Although some Islamic scholars have differed on the implementation of Jihad, there is consensus amongst them that the concept of jihad will always include armed struggle against persecution and oppression.^[10]"

Consistent with what God said in Al Hajj verse 39-40; whereby He gave permission to retaliate when oppressed;

[39] To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily, Allah is Most Powerful for their aid; [40] (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, (for no cause) except that they say, "Our Lord is Allah." Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause); for verily Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will).

And in Al Baqarah verse 178;
"O ye who believe! The law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude. This is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this, whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty. [179] In the Law of Equality there is (saving of) Life to you, O ye men of understanding; that ye may restrain yourselves ".

Now, tell me How exactly how does a suicide bomber, fit into the description of jihad, when most of the bombings involves innocent lives, not to mention those of children?
Back on track, there was a report on Lebanon's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning honor killings, calling the custom of murdering a female relative for sexual misconduct “a repulsive act.” The fatwa by Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was a rare condemnation by a prominent cleric of the practice. Fadlallah's office said he issued the statement in alarm over reports on an increase in honor killings. Well, Muslim men should be alarmed when women blast themselves to pieces, otherwise, there will be shortage of women to keep up with the quota of 4 wives.

Life is sacred. Everything should be done to avoid loosing it. Honor, dignity, shame, etc are all but sentiments that can be adjusted if people get their priorities right. Let me reiterate the fact that there is no honor in taking away something that is sacred, even if that something belongs to you, when in actual fact, it doesn't because everything belongs to God, including your life. It is His to take, as evidenced in Al Baqarah verse255

"Allah! There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). "

This exploitation of life in the name of God should be stopped. The question to ask is, when will these people realize that they need to take the honor out of the killings? Indeed, life is sacred.
...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

What Valentine's Day means to Singletons

It's the time of the year again, when Cupids are made to work overtime. For lovers all over the world, this is the time to show their love, sometimes to the point of ridicule, but hey, "Thinking kills romance".....

But for those Singletons out there, it's another day to remind them that they don't have that chance to flaunt their idiosyncrasy, or if you are rich, the term appropriately used is eccentricity(a synonym for different hierarchy)in a form of expressing love for that special someone. But fear not my fellow singletons....there's always the good side of despair. Incidentally, I have a list of it...


Top Ten reasons,( in random disorder) reasons, why it's cool to NOT celebrate Valentine's Day (the sour-grape list)

1. The hair factor: For women, they don't have to shave for just that one day, then suffer the incredible itch days after, when the hair starts growing back. For men, they don't have to plant hair on the bald patches just for that one day to impress. Hmm...I wonder if Samy Veloo is celebrating or celibating this year.

2. They save money. No need to spend money on roses that cost three times on normal non Valentine's Day,especially during this tsunami recession period, could use the extra cash. For those who are unlucky (in financial sense of it) enough to be obliged to spend Valentine's Day,click HERE for damage control

3. The fatwa flers are off breathing down their neck. The negative point for this however, is that you can never get your job done with the Islamic Department since all personnel are out on field work. ( Since porn is prohibited, why not watch them LIVE, and dig this...for free!!!).

4. They are not pressured to have sex on that very particular day just coz it's Valentine's Day, and risk suffering from performance pressure, especially when you are above 60. I wonder how much a viagra would cost on Valentine's Day?

5. They don't feel exploited, well at least less exploited for one day.

6. They have a chance to become tempera-mental, say, kick their boss's ass and blame it on Valentine Day's blues. Women, however gets this chance every one day of the month.

7. They don't have to exhaust their brains planning, not to mention exhaust your patience on the booking of venues etc. Besides, if you're involve in extra marital affairs, extra brain exhaustion is needed to cook up excuses to celebrate twice, on the same day, one with the legal spouse, unless you have a competent,loyal and trustworthy secretary to do all the dirty job for you, and provided the extra marital affair is not with her. The singletons just don't experience exhaustion in this sense.

8. Since Singletons don't have to waste time celebrating Valentine's Day, they have extra time to blog and catch up with Facebook-ing.

9. They run less risk of ending up in the Emergency Room, with, for women, embarrassing gynaelogical problems. I once had a 65 year old lady came in with a condom stuck in her ummentionable.(basically, this comes under technical error). I cannot till today decide which surprised me the most; the condom distressed, or the having sex in her menopausal age. For men, less risk of barrel repair.

10. They get to bitch about those who celebrate Valentine's Day.

Nevertheless, to all singletons and couples out there; HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! ...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

To Cover or Not to Cover, was it ever a question?

When I was in the Uni, never mind how long ago.....there use to be a group of Muslim women who were fond of knocking from door to door giving sermons. Whatever topics discussed or lectured, without fail, a simple talk on, say, "Heaven for women, by way of staying subdued" would impendingly end up with the mention of “perempuan wajib pakai tudung or else......” . They came to my room once, and never did came back because I gave them my version of Islam, clad in my shorts and tee shirt, and I reckon they must have thought that it was too time consuming attempting to convert Satan herself.

There on, to my observations, in many if not most places, women who do not cover their heads are more often met with scrutinizing eyes, like those who possess telekinetic powers to move things or bend metals. It's like the rest of the sisters who covers their heads are silently trying trying to do these bare headed women a favor by moving a piece of cloth from out of nowhere to fly and drape the heads that are uncovered, via telekinetics. Yes, a gaze can sometimes give you that impression. In fact my nurses at the hospital rarely do not cover their heads and to my surprise, I hardly recognize them when we bumped into each other outside because, quite a number do not wear tudung outside the hospital premises. I reckon that they wore the tudung out of pere pressure from "the system", in a desperate attempt for social acceptance.

Muslims have put emphasis on Hijab to an extent that it is Haram for a woman to show her hair in public, some, to even non Muslim women, and there are some, even to Muslim women who do not cover their heads up. Hijab is more important than say, respecting time and being punctual, because, as long as my memory serves me well, there were sermons given depicting the visit of Muhammad to heaven and hell whereby, there he saw many women who in their lifetime did not cover their hair, being tortured in hell. Basically, even if a woman has good ethics, generous with charity etc, she would still end up in hell because all the good things that could change the world, do not count as she is forfeited for not covering her head. Yes, it is THAT important. So here are the verses in the Quran that says it is HARAM (prohibited) for a woman to not cover her hair, and verses that says it is WAJIB (synonym=fard/obligatory) to cover their head.

There you go....NONE. Nadaaaaaa.....nil....nahey...illek......mowwa...tiada.....No, you did not miss anything. You did not see wrongly, nor suffer from any sudden onset cataract or partial blindness, nor is there anything wrong with your notebook that you did not see the ayat I posted. That is because, I did not post any since there IS no ayat in the Quran that says it is HARAM for women to not cover their heads. Funny thing is, there is no ayat ordering women to cover their heads up either. In fact, there is no mention about head covering whatsoever. Hmm.....

Incidentally, my uncle was former Mufti Besar and during the 80s, when "tudung" was begining to make it's debut, I asked him regarding the matter and he told me that there are no such verses in the Quran that enforces women to cover their heads (in fact his wife and daughters were going around with long skirts and without tudung, until everyone started insisting it is necessary and they felt they needed to oblige society by wearing it. ), but if society requires us to do so, than it is best that we respect the code of dressing. I never did, although very tempted to ask him "what if the code of dressing is undressing, like some tribes in Africa?" because my uncle believed in the OTS system (one tight slap system; term introduced by Harith Iskandar) that can cure all obstinacy and even dark humor.

There are , however, verses regarding or mentioning the head covering. I will post all and let you be the judge of it.

There are 7 verses regarding “Hijab” (a term use to mean 'covering one's head') in the Quran and they are (My reference for this bit is from Syed Ali Akbar's book, “Things in Common” , which by the way, I highly recommend you to purchase, and not kept to collect dust on the shelf, but read because it is worth reading.):

1. “Between the dwellers of hell and heaven there is a HIJAAB ( barrier)” 7:46

2. “Between believers and disbelievers, there is a HIJAAB (barrier) 17:45

3. “Mary ( mother of Jesus) took a HIJAAB (barrier) and stayed apart form her folk” 19:17

4. “Men must speak to the Prophet's wives from behind a HIJAAB (barrier)" 33:53

5. “Solomon was preoccupied with the good things until they became hidden behind a HIJAAB (barrier)" 38:32

6. “The disbelievers say to Prophet 'between us and you is a HIJAAB (barrier)" 41:5

7. “God does not speak to any human except from behind a HIJAAB ( barrier)." 42:51
   

There are other verses implying hijab as partition/veil and these are:

1. “O you who acknowledge, do not enter the prophet's homes except if you are invited to a
meal, without you forcing such an invitation. But if you are invited, you may enter. When
you finish eating, you shall leave, without staying to wait for a hadith. This used to annoy
the prophet, and he was shy to tell you. But God does not shy away from the truth. If you
ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a barrier. This is purer for your hearts
and their hearts. It is not for you to harm God's messenger, nor you should marry his
wives after him. This is a gross offense with God.” 33:53

2. “When thou dost recite the Quran, We put between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil (hijab)" 17:45
   

3. "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty, that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brother's sons, or their sisters' sons,or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss" An Nur verse 31.

Refering to verse 31 of Surah An Nur, unless someone had mistaken their heads for their bosoms (chests), this verse tells women to cover their chests. And if men thinks even if women covers their chests, that it is okay to stare at them boobs, think again because God knows what is in that filthy brains of yours. Prior to verse 31 of an Nur, verse 30 says;

"Say to the believing men, that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do."

It's because God is well acquainted with all that we do and think,that He made sure He left us with no loopholes. So guys, stop staring at our boobs and get on with life...Oh, by the way, allow me to digress by saying, the word "boob" actually means, "stupid awkward person", or it could also mean "mistake or blunder", take a look HERE . So I guess the word "boobs" is derived from the word "boob" because, well, most of the time, men becomes stupid that could lead to danger, when they stare too long at women's breasts. Needless to say the plural version of 'boob' could only mean double stupor ergo jeopardy...It's no wonder God told women to hide their breasts from men's gaze and men to stop searching for lucky sightings.....there, I said it. Now we can all go back to the Quranic stuff?

In the Quran Index, by Afzalur Rahman, listed under "veil" is the Al Ahzab 32-33, as below:

[32] O Consorts of the Prophet! ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear (Allah), be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is) just. [33] And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance: and establish Regular Prayer, and give Regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.

I suppose this verse is listed under "veil" in reference to the bit that says "and stay quiet in your houses" , 'veil' in this context means 'to segregate/separate'. Interestingly though, a translation from the same verse by Edip Yuksel is as below, (and the footnotes that explains the translation)

So, resuming with #5 is the surah Al Ahzab verse 32: (translation by Edip Yuksel)

"O wives of the prophet, you are not like any other women. If you are righteous, then do not speak too softly, lest those with disease in their hearts will move with desire; you shall speak in an honorable manner.*

[Footnote: Prophet Muhammad was one of the most successful political and military leaders in history. His revolutionary leadership in theology, philosophy, culture, economy and politics, put him on top of the list of a prominent Western historian, Michael Hart, in the "History's 100 Most Influential People." Muhammad received a great opposition from the oligarchy of the Meccan theocracy. He had also some opposition in his own city-state. Besides violent campaigns to eliminate him and his supporters, he would occasionally become the target of defamation
campaigns. Many conspired to embarrass and defame him through his wives. Indeed, this verse
distinguishes Muhammad's wives from other Muslim women. Muhammad's wives were asked to be more careful not to provide ammunition for the negative propaganda of regressive forces who wished to stop the progressive movement that started with the light of the Quran.]

Then, it continues with (33:33)

"You shall settle down in your homes, and do not be about like the olden days of ignorance. You shall hold the contact prayer, and contribute towards betterment, and obey God and His messenger. God wishes to remove any affliction from you, O people of the sanctuary, and to purify you completely."*


Footnote : One of the verbs in this verse can be understood in two ways, depending on the inclusion or exclusion of the letter W. Traditional commentators read it "wa QaRna" (and they should settle), derived from the root QRR, meaning to settle, sit down, etc. They translate the phrase as "sit in your homes." This translation followed by generalization of the instruction has been used as one of the reasons for why Muslim women should be confined in her homes. We prefer reading it as WaQaRna, which comes from the root WQR, which means acting in an
honorable, kind, and dignified manner. (See 48:9; 71:13). Our reading would not be accurate if the verb was spelled, QaRaRna, from the root QRR. (See7:143; 14:26,29; 22:5; 23:13; 27:61; 38:60; 40:39,64). It is evident that Muhammad's wives had their separate income and wealth.

6. In Surah Al Ahzab verse59;
"O Prophet! tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. "

or in an easier way to comprehend;

"O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of those who acknowledge that they should lengthen upon themselves their outer garments. That is better so that they would be recognized and not harmed. God is Forgiver, Compassionate."
(translation Edip Yuksel)

And that ladies and gentlemen, is just about all the verses pertaining to hijab/veil that one may find in the Quran.

In my perspective, should covering a woman's head is THAT important, as it is made to become what it is today, would it not make more sense that god would have mentioned and reiterated it in a few verses , like other redundant verses that God felt important to repeat in order to emphasize/reiterate His statements? So how did this escalated to the point that in some parts of the world, women are even killed for not covering their heads. It is not even mentioned once that women need to cover their heads in the Quran, and Quran is a complete reference as mentioned in the the surah 5:3,

"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject Faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. "

and in Surah An Nahl:89;
"One day We shall raise from all Peoples a witness against them, from amongst themselves: and We shall bring thee as a witness against these (thy people): and We have sent down to thee a Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims"

and in Al An'am:37;
"There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end."


And God had emphasized that His guidance is the only guidance, as stated in Al-Baqarah verse 120,
"Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say: "The Guidance of Allah, that is the (only) Guidance," wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor Helper against Allah. "

Again, He was consistent in telling us who we should follow, in Al-A'raf: verse 2-3 :

[2] A Book revealed unto thee - so let thy heart be oppressed no more by any difficulty on that account - that with it thou mightest warn (the erring) and teach the Believers. [3] Follow (O men!) the revelation given unto you from your Lord, and follow not, as friends, or protectors, other than Him. Little it is ye remember of admonition.

If one were to take a stroll on the streets of, say, Batu Feringgi, you cannot help but notice women clad in what we call as "purdah" walking around, never alone, most of the time with their presumably husbands who are busy looking at other women instead of the interesting goods sold in the little tents along both lanes. By their attitude and language (not to mention that signature perfume, basically bleaching my nostril hair), one can safely assume that they are from the middle east. As for the middle east women, I cannot decide whether to admire their tolerance/endurance towards the male manipulation, or to take pity on them. In Saudi Arabia, it is prohibited for women to drive, albeit, there are times when I'd loose my temper as I drive on the roads of KL, at that transient moment, I tend to agree with the Arabs, forgetting that I myself is a woman (trust me, I don't drive like a pussy, so to speak). Malaysian women tend to follow the Arabs, not understanding that the root reason to Arabs wearing purdah, is to cover themselves from dust storms. Their fashion sense never did evolved after that.

There was a time when Malaysians were into Purdah, especially during the Al Arqam era. I remember back in Uni, there was one night whereby I entered an elevator which had it's light blacked out. I remembered how my hair stood up when I heard soft whisperings the instance the door closed. That was the longest trip from ground floor to first floor that I've had in all my life because I thought I had turned into Joan of Ark, at the least, a price one has to pay for having good imagination. Of course it turned out to be my friends who were headed to the same lecture hall for our lecture, clad in full purdahs. They giggled as I told them they spooked me with the whisperings as I thought I've had a close encounter with the third kind....Needless to say, there were question marks on other students' faces as I arrived into the lecture hall, clad in my jeans and t-shirt, chatting with three "ninjas", as they were referred to, cruelly.

So where did this idea of purdah came from then? That is why you should read Syed Ali Akhbar's book "Things in Common" because that is where I learn the history of purdah. Apparently, the word "purdah" (means partition or seclusion) originated from an Indian word, at a time of Hindu Rajputs, which means a portion of a premise, a women's section where dancing girls, concubines and mistresses, are conveniently tucked away .(and we all thought all the ultimate fun happened in Moulin Rouge, just coz they made it into a blockbuster film!!). Here, these women can run around naked if they want to because it's a prohibited area with the exception of the Maharajas. So, when these, needless to say beautiful women go into town, they were clad in our famous "ninja suits" so as not to be recognized. Honestly, if you are a harlot, ( in a non political sense of it) would you want to be recognized?

What's the take home message then? We are all going to die at some point. Would we want to carve the fate of our after life with trusting words that we hear/listen from others, mouth to mouth without checking first? Everyone can say anything they like in the name of God, even killing innocent lives if need be, in order to attain self interests. But at the end of the day, we (individually) and only we alone will be doing the bit about answering to God, and no one else. Are we going be that gullible lot who fall into that category of "those who knows not and knows not he knows not - let's just follow what others' say ? I don't think that that is a wise idea. I suggest we all check the sources ourselves and where better place to check it than to refer back to the Quran, the words of God Himself? Perhaps, in the process, we may rediscover Islam, not as a deen (way of life) by chance, but as a deen by choice........... ...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

Long live Comedy!!!

Whilst the rest of the world is trying to stay afloat in the sea of recession, Malaysians are swimming in another kind of pool, which the political roller coaster that had derailed off track had ended up in, a pool of dung, adjacent to it.

Honestly, what is there needed to be said, that not have been said already. Everyone is "jeluak" or "meluat" with the current situation. NO, I'm not talking about Mawi, although, it is my view that he should give up his day job and try his luck in politics, he may end up like Schwarzenegger, the current governor of Carlifornia (land famous for carlifornication), since he can't sing, dance nor look all that good to be THAT popular. I'm talking about something less bewildering..... the Perak delinquency.

Apparently, party hopping is legal in our constitution, true. But it doesn't make it right. It's like, well, getting rich by way of illegallities. Of course I'm naive and idealistic, (albeit sometimes naive children are the ones who can see things at it's basic form...) but if being smart and realistic brings one to point of immorality, what good does that serve mankind? Is that what we want? To become what we detest and oppose? Why did we fight the incumbent government? Because they are corrupted with immoralities. If we do whatever it takes to win, regardless of compromising our morals, then what does that make us? Exactly. No better than what we fight against. Isn't that pointless? Winning does not mean victory. If we want to do something, do it with integrity, so that even our foe would respect us, whether quietly or not.

I'm sure even by now, Mak Semah from Kampung Jin Bertendang would have seen this video I've posted below, playing over and over in the media, to the delight of the incumbent government. I'm talking about the video on Karpal Singh's outpour regarding the comedy sitcom going on in Perak. For those of you who have not seen it, go ahead and have a listen.

Truth is, I tend to agree with Karpal in view of the moral aspect of the matter. To me, hopping parties is ridiculous and immoral. It's simple. A Menteri represents the sentiments of voters who got him to that position. What makes the Menteri thinks that it is okay for him to defect to another party, when that clearly becomes a misrepresentation of the voters. Have they forgotten this simple basic common sense?

As for the The Sultan of Perak, I'm surprised a former Federal Judge himself had put aside the sentiments of rakyat instead, substituted whoever he wishes to fill in the Menteri Besar, who was outsted because he refuse to dissolve the State Assembly later hold a bielection, which, clearly is the right thing to do. Further more, it turned out to be someone from BN, if this doesn't smell like rotten fish, I don't know what else to call it. Truly, the Sultan had let down the rakyat by his actions. He is, after all, supposedly to be the role model. Alas!!! This is the real world and reality bites, even though it shouldn't.

Where does this leave us with? A joke. That is what it is. Like that series "Senario", where there's a lot of slapsticks involved, cheap comedy. Honest to god, I wonder these people look at themselves in the mirror.

As for Anwar, only time will prove his rhetorics......As for the Malays who protested against Karpal to the call for the bringing the Sultan to the court of "justice", well, what do you expect them to say from people who believe in "Sawa Matang supremacy" a.k.a. ketuanan Melayu? Hang Tuah killed his loyal best friend for the Sultan who basically fucked his ass, and that made him a hero, what more can anyone say?

As for the rest of us, we should all hail the Sultan, "Daulat Tuanku, liwat duburku" .....because that is what we Malays do, we are polite people and we even say thank you to those who grease our anal cavity with sand paper....even more so if it is our king, who by the way, gets paid from a portion of the tax payers' money....remember those taxpayers who sit a long time in the traffic jam on the way to work and back home, working their ass off and hardly get to see the light of day? I swear by god, when these politicians quit, comedy will be deceased. But I suspect I will be laughing till my deathbed, while simultaneously clutching my chest from myocardial infarction if I were to watch the local news....

Thought I'd leave you with this song to hum along to help us through this drama. Can't find the proper video, as Timbaland have not made one yet.....





Oh well, here's the lyric, them nigger sound angry most of the time, they almost sound uncomprehensible when they sing....perhaps choking with all that anger...

Get Out, You Can't Be In Here, You Have To Get Out.
I Implore You, Please?.. Please?..
You All Going To Die Down Here...

It's Life Or Death, Either One,
The King Is Back, Take Heat And Run,
I Piss And Take A Shit On Ur Beef For Fun,
I Killed

The game, I Aint Even Used A Gun,
Who Better Than Me? Don't Make Me Laugh,
I Run This Shit,They Just Chase My Ass,
I Aint Talkin Shit Nigga, Just Tellin The Facts,
I Think All The Tracks Im Hearin
From Niggas Is Whack,
I Be Hearin These Niggas,
What They Say In They Rhymes,
I Took My Spot Nobody Gave Me Mine,
I Make The Beats That Boom Boom
Boom! In They Trunks,
U Disagree Homie Then Go On And Jump,
U Can Bump Ur Gum,
U Can Say What U Want,
Thats All U Gon Do Cuz Yall Niggas Is Punks,
Im Number One, U Aint Nuthin' But Shit,
When They Need A Hit Im Who They Gon' And Get,
Talk To Me...

If You Got Love For Me I Got Love For You,
If You Wont Fuck Wit Me I Wont Fuck Wichu,
We Can Do It Howeva U Wanna Do,
Nigga If U Dont Fuck Wit Me I Wont Fuck Wit U,
Gon' Head
Kill Yourself Kill Yourself Kill Yourself
Go Kill Yourself,
Kill Your Self Kill Yourself,
If I Was You I Would kill Myself,
Go Kill Your Self Kill Your Self
Kill Your Self Go Kill Yourself,
Kill Your Self Kill Your Self
If I Was You I Would kill Myself,

Im Tired Of Niggas, Niggas Is Tired,
U Aint A G, I See Bitch In Ur Eyes,
If U Close To Me, U Suposed To Be,
But Most Of U Rap Niggas Is Hoes To Me,
Wherever U From, The Question I Ask,
Is Do U Think I Give A Fuck, Riddle Me That,
Cuz In My Hood And you jump into hell And Back,
This industry Shit, To Hell Wit That,
I Seen Em Come, I Seen Em Go,
I Doubt If U Can Show Me Sum'in I Aint Seen Before,
Who Suposed To Be In Charge? I Need To Know,
When I Shake Ur Hand Ima Step On Ur Toe,
Go Getcha Gun, Go Getcha Click,
Imma Be Rite Here Chillin Wit Yo Bitch,
U Mad At Me? Cuz Im Gettin Rich,
Well Put The Pistol To Ur Head And
Empty The Clip, Pop Nigga!

See My Heart, Feel My Pain
Some Of Dese Stars, Some Is Lames,
How They Follow Little Trends To Get They Fame,
I Aint Snappin My Damn Fingers To Get In The Game,
U Claim U Rich, Show Me Son,
If U Got So Many Dollas Then Loan Me One,
Fools Think They Killas They Own A Gun,
When U No U Bout As Sweet As A Honey Bun,
Trash Ur Broads, Behind A Bar,
Like U Dat Dude Frontin Hard,
Vip Bands Dont Make U A Star,
Like We Really Still Dont No Who The Fuck U Are,
Dont Talk Behind My Back Just Call Me Nigga,
Move My Heart To The Side
Make Room To Forgive Ya
If U Still Wanna Hang, We'll Come To Get Ya,
Put The Rope Around Ur Neck And Jump My Nigga!

Your All Going To Die Down Here...
Get Out Get Out You Cant Be In Here...
You're All Going To Die Down Here..

Long live comedy!!! ...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....

Finale : SCIENTIFIC QURAN; How could we have missed it !!

I have talked about the Quranic verses implicating the genesis of the universe, and if you are one of those Star Trek nut, I'm sure you'd enjoy some of the discoveries regarding our universe, stated in the Quran, of which I'm going to take you through in this posting. I hope your brains have recovered from reading the previous posting.Mine is still sore.

The Black Hole:
Men have always been intrigued by Black Holes, some, any holes. But this Black Hole I'm talking about, is an abyss of a hole, the mother of all holes, click HERE then you can agree with me.

Above: Simulated view of a black hole in front of the Milky Way. The hole has 10 solar masses and is viewed from a distance of 600 km.

By the way, don't bother showing this picture to a Gynaecologist, they'd probably tell you that this hole have got way too many pathological problems on it.

Above: In Al-Waqi'a, Ayah 75 - 76:

" I do swear by the positions of the stars. This is an oath, if you only knew, that is
great."

Mawaaqi'in nujuum, comprises of two words; "mawaaqi" (which according to Hans Wehr's "A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic"), originated from the word waqa'a that means "to fall down, drop , to tumble" and "nujuum" translates to "stars".

Could God had meant Black Hole when He said that? After all, a black hole was made from huge stars that exploded when it is time for them to do so, (why you think only the Gardenia bread have expiry dates?), the process is named Supernova and its remnants will fall into a mid line due to intense gravitational field of the star hence it will close in on itself , giving rise to an area with a gravitational force stronger than the attraction force of any Hollywood/Bollywood stars - Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Ashwarya Rai, Shah Rukh...ooops..I meant Datuk Shah Rukh Khan put together....basically, a Black Hole is the stars' graveyard.


When God described the Doom's day, or Qiamah, He said in At Takwir, Ayah 2 -6 ;

"When the stars fall, losing their lustre; When the mountains vanish (like a mirage); When the she-camels, ten months with young, are left untended; When the wild beasts are herded together (in human habitations); When the oceans boil over with a swell" , we can understand that when the stars fall, the temperature is not favorable to the making of a Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream. On the contrary, the word "...the oceans boil over with a swell" gives you the idea of how high the temperature is going to be. ..and then...BOOM!! Dooms Day....after all, the earth is a star. Actually, current scientists' belief indicates that black holes not only are places where the stars go to die, but also, it gives out new stars. Wow...a hole-in-one and beyond....

Planetary Nebula

As we've discussed earlier, regarding the stars and what happens when they die. No, they do not become Legends like Elvis Presley, instead, become black holes. But for stars that have less than two fold weight of the sun, they ended up as planetary nebula. They come in many forms, one in a form of rose.

Is it a coincidence or is it serendipity that we bump into this verse from the Quran ;

"Then, when the universe is torn, and turns like a rose-colored paint."
55:37 (Translation by Edip Yuksel).

In fact, there are many translations for this particular verse. Check them out HERE.
Imagine if God describe the whole big bang thingy in the Quran, I think Muhammad would have been burnt alive, even before he had a chance to scream the word "help!!".

UFOs.

For those who have not seen "Roswell" then "Unidentified Flying Object" may sound alien to them. But in Surah Ash-Shura Ayah29, God said,

"Parmi Ses preuves est la création des cieux et de la terre et des êtres vivants qu'Il y a disséminés. Il a en outre le pouvoir de les réunir quand Il voudra."

Of course He did not say it in French. Just checking to see if you're still with me. I repeat the above translation in English,

"And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures that He has scattered through them: and He has Power to gather them together when He wills."

The word "daabbah" according to Hamka means "creatures that crawl, or walk using the feet". But frankly, what makes us human think that there could be no other lifeforms in the galaxy, just because we have not actually seen one...or so it seems. Just because there is something that cannot be perceived by our 5 senses, (which btw we humans come up with that #5), it doesn't mean that that something does not exist. How arrogant are we to think that we are the only "intelligent" lifeform God had created. Killing each other using God's religion is not exactly intelligent is it?

Of course many of us have watched through the years stories about UFO sightings. Funny though, stories of this kind do not emerge from Malaysia. I thought about it and came up with the reasons why Malaysians do not have any report on UFO sightings; (oh please allow me to digress a little)

1. Because Malaysians hardly spend time outside in their gardens relaxing and gazing the stars. No time because by the time we get through the traffic jam caused mainly by the toll and the confusing signboards that ultimately lead us back to another toll, all we want to do is go home and chill in the house.

2. Even if we do encounter UFOs, we will insist they are ghosts, and we will run to the bomoh for help because the local police is hopeless and will come 2 light years later

3. Air Asia is dominating our air with it's irresistable cheap flights...too many traffic and not condusive for the aliens to float in the busy air traffic.

4. The intelligent lifeforms are intelligent enough to stay away from us Malaysians....

5. All of the above (which is what I personally suspect to be true)

So there you go. Not only I've listed some of the numerous verses in the Quran that hints scientific values, I've also thrown in a list of why Malaysians do not have any UFO sightings, as a sidetrack bonus. In conclusion, there are many verses in the Quran that has a science odour. Alas! Humans are less interested in emphasizing constructive aspect of any book of God, instead, spend all the energy in using them as a tool for self interest and gain. For instance, surah like,

"And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith." (Al Baqarah: 191)

is sometimes misinterpreted and used to justify war in the name of God, yet the fact that this verse is sandwiched by two verses 190 and 192

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors." (2:190)

and;

"But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (2:192)

Clearly God meant fight in self defense. Nothing said about spreading Islam by means of terror, far less mentioned regarding the death of innocent civilians, especially children. If only the Muslims had spent time in self development and digging mysterious verses in the Quran that may have led to brea through scientific and mathematical discoveries, history of Islam may have painted a less sad picture than what it is today.

I will stop here with my scientific Quran. I may as well write a book should I resume writing. On a personal note, Science and Mathematics have always intrigued me because, deciphering the nature, brings me closer to it's Creator. When I study how the universe runs on such a well kept, well balanced system, in precision, it never fails to leave me awed, followed by an impending ultimate admiration for such brilliance.

"Soon will We show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things? "

...Click here to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.....