Happy New Year 1432 Hijriyyah

Wishing all Mukmins and Muslims a Happy New Year.
May Allah grant all our wishes and guide us to the righteous path. InsyaAllah.

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Malay supremacy unIslamic, suggests chosen race, says Asri

By Clara Chooi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — A renowned Islamic scholar silenced arguments today over the controversial "Malay supremacy" concept, charging that it was un-Islamic and akin to the Jewish's " chosen race" claim.



Dr Asri: Should this be the case, it can be likened to the Jewish claim that they are the 'chosen race'.

Former Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin wrote today that the act of placing the Malay race as more supreme than the others was against the teachings of Islam, which preaches tolerance and the equality of all races.

"If someone considers himself more noble simply because of race or ethnicity factors, or considers others lower than himself because they are not of the same race, such belief is wrong and goes against the teachings of Islam.

"Should this be the case, it can be likened to the Jewish claim that they are the 'chosen race'," he said.

The outspoken scholar added that such "pride" was rejected by Islam.

Dr Mohd Asri's view on the contentious concept is a direct blow to Malay rights group Perkasa, whose leaders have been blaring the "Malay supremacy" rhetoric to push for Malay rights.

In recent days, Perkasa clashed head-on with PKR leaders on the issue, with the latter group arguing that "Malay supremacy" or "ketuanan Melayu" was undemocratic, irrelevant and should be replaced by a more inclusive concept of "ketuanan rakyat" (people's supremacy).

PKR leaders, like its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, his wife party president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and deputy president Azmin Ali have openly rejected "Malay supremacy", interpreting it to mean the supremacy of the Malay race above the others.

But Perkasa leaders shot back with a biting insult on Dr Wan Azizah and called her a "political prostitute" for rejecting the concept, claiming that it was tantamount to showing disrespect to the Malay Rulers and the Federal Constitution.

The right-wing leaders have argued that the concept of "Malay supremacy" was provided for in the Constitution as it referred to the special positions of the Malays as well as the Malay Rulers.

Today however, Dr Mohd Asri appeared to back PKR's view on the topic, pointing out that while there was no clear definition on the "ketuanan Melayu" terminology, the concept was also not formally expressed in the Federal Constitution.

"Hence it is strange for any party to attempt to defend such a fuzzy concept, whose meaning remains unclear," he said.

Despite this, Dr Mohd Asri described the concept as one that propagated the supremacy of the Malay race above others, explaining that ultimately, the word "ketuanan" was derived from the word "tuan" in Bahasa Malaysia.

Its English equivalent, the scholar claimed, was "supremacy".

"It refers to the root word 'tuan' and when combined with 'Melayu', it means that the Malays are in the status of 'tuan' or in Arabic, it is called 'siyadah' (supremacy).

"If you refer to the meaning according to the language, it means that the Malays are always on top, are more supreme and more noble if compared to the non-Malays," he said.

A clearer definition, added Dr Mohd Asri, would mean that the "Malay race is supreme and most noble".

He continued to assert that such a belief was un-Islamic and cited several verses in the Quran to back his claim.

As an example, Dr Mohd Asri pointed out that Allah himself had declared in Surah al-Hujarat verse 13, "Oh mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sigh of Allah, the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted (with all things)."

"This verse explains that human dignity comes from one's core values, which is noble faith and morals that is defined as righteousness," he said.

Dr Mohd Asri added that Islamic teachings also preached principles in assessing man without looking at his skin colour or race but at the moral values that he possesses.

"If a race should be viewed as noble, this nobility must be proven in how they lead their lives. The Malays or the other races can achieve this through their efforts towards upholding dignity, and not just by relying on their races or different ethnicities," he said.
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Misi kemanusiaan Yayasan Amal di Kassala, Sudan

Di salin-lekat dari email seorang sahabat...

KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Nov: Yayasan Amal Malaysia (Amal Malaysia) akan melaksanakan misi kemanusiaan di Kassala, Sudan dari 15 November hingga 20 November akan datang bersempena sambutan Aidiladha.

Misi kemanusiaan bagi membantu pelarian Eritrea di bandar sempadan Sudan itu akan disertai 15 anggota termasuk pegawai perubatan.

Amal Malaysia juga akan melaksanakan ibadah korban di khemah-khemah pelarian Islam di Kassala sepanjang berada di wilayah sempadan Sudan itu.
Presidennya, Husin Ismail berkata, pihaknya mensasarkan 50 ekor lembu bagi ibadah korban itu dan setakat ini berjaya mengumpulkan 20 ekor lembu bagi tujuan tersebut.

"Bagi program ibadah korban kita menetapkan RM295 untuk satu bahagian lembu dan RM500 untuk seekor kambing," jelasnya.

Sehubungan itu beliau mempelawa orang ramai yang berminat menyertai program ibadah korban bagi pelarian Eritrea di Sudan menghubungi Amal Malaysia di talian 019-951 1860 (Cikgu Husin) dan 019-664 4796 (Jamuluddin).

Kini terdapat 116,000 pelarian Eritrea di wilayah Sudan ekoran konflik etnik, politik dan agama di negara pinggir Laut Merah itu. Ia mewakili jumlah terbesar pelarian di wilayah Sudan.

Sudan turut menampung 25,000 pelarian dari Chad, Ethiopia (11,000), Uganda (7,800) dan Republik Afrika Tengah (5,000) selain konflik dalaman di wilayah Darfur yang membabitkan lebih 5.3 juta penduduknya.


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Seeing Positivity in Defeat

I'm not a fan of Malaysian football, at least not anymore. Not since that famous Gold Medal finish in 1989 Sea Games when we beat Singapore 3-1. After that game, Malaysian football has been lost somewhere, somehow.

But watching the Malaysia Cup Final Saturday night, I saw something that has been missing in our favourite past-time. Young players playing their socks off, all for the love of the game and fopr the glory of lifting the most famous trophy in the land.

I was quite dissappointed though that Kelantan beat my home state Negeri Sembilan 2-1. But seeing two teams, consisting of a majority of players under 25 years of age, playing a good game of football was a feast to the eyes. Don't compare them to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal though... They are too far ahead. Even our national teams would struggle to beat their U-18 sides.

But it's a sign that Malaysian football is not starved of young talents. The best thing to do will be to give them enough exposure... International exposure... And a good and sound management...and I'm sure the future would bright for Malaysia...


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Khoda Hafez FB

Khoda Hafez, literally means "May God Protect You" in Farsi... It's a common farewell greeting in Iran where I used to spend a lot of my professional life while in the Middle East. When you say it, it means you are saying "Goodbye"... So, Goodbye FB.
I'm not sure whether I'm going back or not but as for now I want to go back to blogging.
I have a lot things on my mind that FB just can't cater. And I want to be free expressing my thoughts and feeling... in my own web-space.
A few of the people who are close to me (including my sister) testified that they felt more "relieved" once they quit FB-ing. I want to feel that too.
So, from now on, this web-log will come alive again... Cherios!!!

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Bracing For FB Withdrawal Syndrome

Eversince I got active with the social network called Facebook (FB), this blog has becoming more and more dormant. FB has been taking up and occupying plenty of my precious time.
I think it's high time for me to bid my FB account farewell and return back to blogging. I have been reading some of my past blog entries and they actually sound very good (hehehe).
I also have readers who like my blog and I don't even know them. I'm not actually much of a writer (not like my sister) but I like to write and express how I feel. I suck at verbally expressing my thoughts and feelings.
To begin with, I have already deleted the FB application in my BlackBerry. I am giving myself until the end of this month before deactivating my FB account.
What about all my FB friends? Hey, FB is not the only way we can communicate... There're other ways... Text messages, emails, phone calls, GoogleTalk and, if they own a BlackBerry, BB Messenger. I can even install a ChatBox in my blog.
So, one more week of FB, then I'm gone from that virtual network.


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15 years ago

Date: 15th October 1995
Time: Between 3-4pm
Place: Wincell field, Wincell Rd off Fulton Avenue, Sacramento, Ca

Incident: Sports injury - twisted right knee causing damage to interior meniscus and ligaments.

Impact: The end of my footballing "career", and also all kinds of contact sports. The beginning of the "horizontal expansion" process.

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Satu Revelasi

Assalmualaikum dan Salam Sejahtera...
Rasanya dah lama betul laman blog ni tidak terusik... entri yang terakhir bertarikh 28 April 2010... beberapa hari sebelum berangkat balik dari Dubai.
Hmm, sebut pasal Dubai ni, masih ingat lagi pertanyaan seorang sahabat di Dubai pada hari terakhir kami kat Dubai.
"Apa pengalaman pahit dan manis di Dubai?" tanyanya.
Masa tu tak pasti apa yang harus dijawab... banyak kenangan pahit dan manis di Dubai khususnya dan UAE amnya.
Rasanya pengalaman yang manis ialah dapat berkenalan, bersahabat dan ber"saudara" dengan warga-warga malaysia di Dubai dan UAE. Sebelum tiba di Dubai, tak pernah lagi jumpa satu masyarakat Malaysia yang betul-betul rapat antara satu sama lain... betul-betul 1Malaysia... hehehe. Perhubungan rapat tu berevolusi dari kenalan ke sahabat ke saudara ke kerabat. Bak kata pepatah, cubit peha kiri satu badan rasa sakit.
Tapi, pengalaman yang pahit pun ada... dan sebahagian besarnya menjadi sebab-musabab kenapa aku ambil keputusan untuk balik ke Malaysia dan tak sambung kontrak kerja.
Biarlah aku mulakan cerita macam ni.... bagi aku bila kerja, kena proffesional... walaupun aku tak suka kau, tapi kerja dan personal kena ada sempadan.
Sejak mula aku jejak kaki ke Dubai dan jumpa ketua jabatan tempat aku kerja tu pun aku dah boleh rasa. Tapi rasanya keadaan jadi lebih teruk bila ada Ex-pat Negara Matahari Terbit (BG) dari ofis di Malaysia transfer ke Dubai pada awal 2009. Dia ni memang dah dikenali ramai sebagai seorang yang suka main tikam belakang. Aku dah dapat rasakan sesuatu yang tak berapa diingini akan berlaku. Kebetulan dia di"station"kan di negara Parsi tempat aku selalu pergi untuk urusan kerja. Bila kerja di sana tu... kebebasan dan kreativiti aku jadi terhad sebab dah ada si BG ni... apa yang aku buat semuanya tak ok... sampai kat depan pekerja kat sana pun diboleh malukan aku, seolah-olah aku tak pandai buat kerja.
Bila balik ke ofis di Dubai, setiap bulan akan ada mesyuarat untuk present results bulanan. Bila aku present result yang bagus untuk kilang-kilang yang aku lawati, semua (termasuk si Ketua Jabatan dan MD) puji si BG ni. Seolah-olah selama setahun sebelum ni aku tak buat apa-apa. Bila datang je BG ni, semua jadi perfect.
Si Ketua Jabatan aku ni (YT) muda dari aku setahun, tapi takde respect langsung (dan aku pun tak respect kat dia). Seperti kebanyakan orang dari negara dia, dia ni kuat mabuk dan kaki perempuan (ni kena bukak satu entri lain), tapi tu biarlah.... dia punya pasal. Yang aku rasa tak bestnya ialah bila di ofis di Dubai, aku rasa macam orang asing pulak. Nak kata aku orang Malaysia, yang sorang lagi sahabat yang datang dari ofis Malaysia pun orang Malaysia jugak. Aku tak faham apa yang dia "jaki" sangat dengan aku. Dia amat-amat jarang sekali cakap dengan aku (kecuali kalau nak "belasah" aku) apatah nak bergurau, kalau ada apa-apa aktiviti yang melibatkan jabatan, aku selalu ketinggalan (contohnya bila ambil gambar jabatan dengan cermin mata 3D, semua orang ada kecuali aku).
Semua ni meyebabkan aku rasa terlalu tak sedap untuk terus kerja.
Tapi "the ultimate" datang bila YT panggil aku dah bagitau dia dapat informasi, dari "sumber yang dirahsiakan", yang bila aku pergi urusan kerja ke negara-negara Mesir dan Parsi aku selalu curi tulang. Tu lah yang dikatakan orang putih "the straw that breaks the camel's back". Memanglah cara kerja aku tak pulun... aku work smart... kerja teruk-teruk tanpa results tak guna. Dia pertikaikan aku selalu balik kerja awal bila di negara-negara ni. Dia pertikaikan aku selalu duduk ofis je dan "tak turun padang". Dia pertikaikan aku sampai di Dubai awal dari negara-negara ni tapi terus balik rumah dan tak pergi ofis. Sebenarnya, dia pun buat benda yang sama... takde pulak orang pertikaikan? Kalau dia boleh buat, kenapa pulak aku tak boleh? Bukannya kerja aku tak siap... dan mana-mana kerja yang tak siap, aku plan untuk siapkan bila aku pergi lagi ke sana atau aku "assign" orang di sana untuk buat dengan "guidance" daripada aku.
Kemudian dia melalutlah bab family aku yang company support (rumah, utiliti dan anak-anak sekolah company support). Yang ni memang masa sebelum pergi lagi diorang (ofis Malaysia dan Dubai) dah cuba pujuk aku supaya tak bawak family. macam-macam diorang kata.... anak-anak susah nak dapat sekolah la, susah nak sesuaikan diri la, nanti isteri aku boring la dan bermacam-macam lagi. Agaknya sebab pujukan tak berhasil, aku masih berkeras nak bawak family, maka diorang berkomplot untuk buat aku tak sambung kontrak.... WaLLahu a'lam.
Kemudian faktor gaji.... cuma tinggi sikit dari gaji aku di Malaysia... dan 70-75% kena hantar balik Malaysia untuk bayar bill-bill di Malaysia dan gaji aku di Malaysia bukannya banyak... kurang dari RM5k je. Bayangkan duduk Dubai dengan duit tunai macam tu... kalau takde duit elaun kerja luar negara, tak tau lah family nak makan apa.
Tapi bab ada orang tikam belakang nilah yang membuat aku tawar hati untuk sambung kontrak lagi. Dah la belakang kena tikam, salah seorang yang menikam tu pulak dapat semua puji-pujiannya. Bukan aku kebulur untuk dipuji pun, tapi sekurang-kurangnya bagilah kredit sikit. Takkan takde langsung kontribusi aku sebelum yang layak dapat kredit? Teruk sangat ke aku ni?
Sorang lagi yang menikam tu aku tak pasti identitinya tapi warga Malaysialah jugak. Sebab si BG ni jarang-jarang ke Mesir... dia boleh kata 98% di Parsi je. Tapi aku boleh agaklah sapa yang tikam aku kat Mesir tu... sebab bila aku jumpa dia di ofis Malaysia, dia buat muka "cam hampeh!!!" dia... serious, muka dia memang cam hampeh!!!.
So, cukuplah 2 tahun. sekurang-kurangnya keluarga aku merasa hidup di rantau orang, anak-anak aku merasa sekolah di sekolah antarabangsa, isteri aku merasa jadi surirumah sepenuh masa dan kami dapat berkenalan, bersahabat, bersaudara dan berkerabat dengan warga-warga Malaysia di sana.
Lagipun di Malaysia sekurang-kurangnya aku dekat dengan Mak dan Ayah (kandung dan mertua) yang semakin berusia. Kalau apa-apa hal senang nak balik kampung.
Tapi kalau ada rezeki dari Allah, aku masih lagi berminat untuk kerja di luar negara...mungkin di Dubai semula....mungkin di tempat lain....semua tu aku serahkan kepada Allah....
Bila di luar, fikiran dan minda kita lebih terbuka.... kita dapat tengok negara kita dari perspektif orang luar....
Tapi buat masa ni biarlah di Malaysia dulu.

Let's Learn Farsi

Here are some Farsi that I picked up....

yek - one
doh - two
seh - three
chahr - four
panj - five
shish - six
haft - seven
hasht - eight
noh - nine
dah - ten

bale / a-re - yes
nah - no
khub - good
khub nis - no good

khubi? - are you ok? (informal)
salam - hello
sobh be kheir - good morning
asr be kheir - good evening
shab be kheir - good night
khoda hafez - good bye

Yek shambeh - Sunday
Doh shambeh - Monday
Seh shambeh - Tuesday
Chahr shambeh - Wednesday
Panj shambeh - Thursday
Jumaeh - Friday
Shambeh - Saturday

Farudgah - Airport
Benin Melali - International
Musafiri - Passenger
Tabaghieh - Floor
Medan - Square

Agho-ieh - Mister (Agho-ieh Haza = Mister Haza)
Hanum-eh - Miss (Hanum-eh Ziela = Miss Ziela)
Mohandes - Engineer

Mohandesin - Engineering
Benzin - Petrol (fuel)
Jadeed - New
Khaleej - Gulf
Musykil - Problem
Masalan - Example

For more info about the Farsi language, click this link http://www.masteranylanguage.com/cgi/f/pCat.pl?tc=MALFarsi

Dubai In Moments

Where does the name Dubai come from?
There are several theories as to how Dubai was named. One theory is that the word Dubai is a combination of the Farsi words for two and brothers, the latter referring to Deira and Bur Dubai. Others believe that ‘Dubai’ was so named by people who considered its souq a smaller version of a thriving market named ‘Daba’.Another possibility is that the name came from a word meaning money - people from Dubai were commonly believed to have money because it was a prosperous trading centre. It is worth mentioning that there is another town named Dubai in the Al Dahna' region of Saudi Arabia, between Riyadh and Ad Dammam.
1833-1958
In the 18th century, Dubai was a small fishing and trading village inhabited by members of the Bani Yas.The Al Maktoum family settled in Dubai in 1833 when members of the Al Bu Falasah seceded from Abu Dhabi.
Although he was young, Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti ruled Dubai effectively and it grew into a flourishing coastal town. As the population grew, Dubai branched into three distinct areas: Deira was the largest and the main commercial centre. On the western bank, Bur Dubai and Shindagha were separated by a wide stretch of sand called Ghubaiba, which would flood during high tide. Shindagha, situated on a narrow strip of land separating the sea from the creek, was the smallest area and the main residential district. The ruling sheikhs traditionally lived here and the late Sheikh Saeed's house is still standing. Shindagha was probably the site of the original Bani Yas village.
Donkeys and camels provided transportation on land. Crossing the creek meant a long and arduous journey around the end of the creek or a ride in an abra, a small wooden boat that ferries passengers to this day. Abras were also used to transport people to ships.
Deira's souq, the town's public market, was lined with narrow, covered passageways. With 350 shops of commodities from around the world, it was the largest market in the region. ‘Many of the craftsmen in the suq had no shop, but worked on a vacant piece of ground as close as possible to their clients. They were known by name, and the cry would go round the suq, "Where is Hassan the mattress-maker?" until it reached him and he was able to make contact with the potential client. A mattress-maker's creation was vulnerable to visits from passers-by, who might stop to pray on it or simply to rest and chat.Prior to the introduction of electricity in 1952, kerosene lamps or candles were used for lighting and charcoal, imported from the interior of Oman, was used for cooking and making coffee. Sweet water came from wells around Dubai.The majority of the inhabitants lived in barastis, huts constructed from palm fronds. Extended families dwelled in compounds amid the compounds of relatives. Houses were constructed of gypsum from the salt marshes at the end of the creek and coral stone.The town's highest points were the wind towers of the coral stone houses, the watchtowers and Al Fahidi Fort. Wind towers were used for ventilation - a house would cool as water on the floor beneath the tower evaporated. Built in 1799, the Fort is Dubai's oldest surviving structure and it has served as the seat of government, the ruler's residence and as a jail.



Extracted from HERE

Ila Liqa’ Dubai الى اللقأ دبي

We will bid farewell to Dubai in two week’s time... Looking back to the two years that we have spent here, they are not without any events or things that we will remember for the rest of our life....

I arrived in Dubai on the 1st of May, 2008... Knowing no one except for the colleague who had arrived 2 weeks earlier... The family didn’t arrive until the middle of June that year.

The first contact with the Malaysian community was when we gathered at a Lebanese restaurant for a dinner... We “wined and dined” until the wee hours...

One weekend I joined some friends who were going to the Blue Souq in Sharjah and Dubai Outlet Mall... I was beginning to like it here... despite the searing summer heat...

Then I was occupied with work... travelling to Iran for 2 weeks... until the beginning of June 2008.

When 3 leaders from PR came, I took that opportunity to meet other Malaysians... I found out later that Malaysians here welcome visitors... especially those who are going to stay here long, like myself.

My life was made complete again when the family joined me on the 13th of June, 2008. There we were... together in Dubai at last.

A few weeks after they arrived we attended the Agong’s birthday celebrations in Matrade and we met more Malaysians that day.

Before that, we had to enrol our two elder daughters into a school. I had done a lot of communicating with a number of international schools even before I arrived in Dubai. At last, one school, Raffles International School in Umm Suqeim, accepted them. They aced the assessment tests (English and Maths). They started their first day in school in early September 2008. And thanks to the host company that the school and the bus fees would be paid by them.
We celebrated our first Ramadhan and Eid holidays away from home that year... new experience for the family.

Perhaps, the most obvious thing about us that time was that we didn’t have our own mode of transportation. We didn’t have a car and I didn’t have a driving license. When we wanted to travel anywhere, it would be either by walking or the taxi. I knew it was quite hard for the family but at least they learned how hard it was to be in a foreign land and how to survive. Surprisingly I heard little complaints from them... especially Apit, my youngest child.

Nevertheless, we were lucky that we have friends who offered us a ride whenever there was a gathering or during the Eid celebrations... We were so grateful that we made a promise to ourselves, if ever we had the opportunity, and means, to buy a car here, it would be a big car.... So that we can offer other people a ride.

I had started my driving lessons towards the end of October 2008 and, after failing the first driving test, I got my Dubai driving license on the second test (valid for 10 years) on the 5th January, 2009.

The first major event that we joined was the Island Escapade, in early March 2009... Organized by MyUAE-Pro, in a small island off the coast of the Emirate Umm Al Quwain. About 300 Malaysians from all over UAE gathered there for a day of funs, games and get-together. Mabrook to MyUAE-Pro and the organizing committee for the wonderful and meaningful event.

We managed to buy a big made-in-Korea minivan later in the middle of March 2009 and all praise be to Allah, our prayers were answered.... and true to our words, to the best of our knowledge, we never denied any one who wish to hitch a ride with us. For a family of 5 like us, a car is a necessity... and the company didn’t provided us with it... one of the down-side of things for us in Dubai. With a car for ourselves, we were free to go anywhere... we wouldn’t have to trouble any one because we wouldn’t have to depend on our friends to take us where we wanted to go. And we didn’t have to depend too much on the taxis and other public transports.

When MyUAE-Pro had its first AGM and officially called MY-UAE, I was elected as one of the ExCo members. As I mentioned personally to the elected President, I was honoured to be elected to serve my fellow Malaysians... and I meant it.

Meanwhile, our two daughters had been settling well in school. They have made a lot of friends, really good friends. One of the wonderful things about Dubai and the international school is that they really open the minds of our kids. They befriended almost everybody regardless of religions, race, skin-colour, mother tongue, etc.


I was really grateful they settled in well because we had always thought that they would have a difficult time adapting to the new environment. They had proven their mother and me wrong. Their friends are consist of students who come from a well-to-do families... whose fathers didn’t have to rely on BizTrip allowances to make ends meet, they were still accepted as one of them. Frankly speaking, I am quite sad that they have to live Dubai and their friends.

July 2009 came, and I took the whole month off and took the family back to Malaysia for a holiday.... but 1 month was not enough... we only managed to go to visit a few relatives and a weekend trip to Singapore.

We came back to Dubai just a few weeks before Ramadhan... our 2nd Ramadhan in Dubai.
We joined the Ramadhan Bazaar.... we shared a table with a couple from Kelantan who were one of our good friends in Dubai. My wife made karipap, koci and etc.... it was our first experience as entrepreneurs and I think we did well.... and we got to make new friends too. The kids also helped in their own ways despite having to fast... well, except for Apit.

Ramadhan passed and Eid Al-Fitr came.... this time around, we didn’t have to worry about not having to join in on the celebrations. We had our own car. It was one of the busiest Eids for us.... we travelled around from morning until midnight, attending open houses... and as for every Eid, we held our own open house at our small 2-room apartment. The menu was, as usual, my Soto Ayam and Spaghetti... and a number other delicacies. Shukran jazilan to all our friends who had attended our open house...

The new school year started in early September 2009. Apit started his KG education this year. Once again, we were worried that he would not settle in, but once again we were proven wrong. He settled in well and seemed happy to start learning and making new friends. He didn’t have that “Day One” syndrome that most kids his age had.

With all the kids at school, my wife was left at home from morning until the early afternoon. She passed the time honing her baking skills (I bought her a Kenwood bread maker as a motivation) and chatting with friends and family back in Malaysia on the internet (YM, FB and etc.). I started a new assignment at home in the morning when not on BizTrips.... waking Apit up, bathing and dressing him... It’s more like a father-and-son thing... the Hilmy clan version of male bonding.

In late November 2009 until the middle of December 2009, we had some important guests... My mother, father and my two nieces came for a 2-week visit to Dubai. I picked them up at Terminal 1 and brought them to our apartment. It was a kind of small re-union for the Mat Zean clan. They couldn’t come at a better time because in early December, we had a long weekend due to the UAE National Day celebrations.

We brought them to places around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and we also joined the trip to Musandam, Oman... My sister said it was a motivational trip for my mother who had just recovered from a diabetic-induced complication.

When we were growing up, our parents used to take us to places such as Kelantan and Penang during the school holidays... and the roles were reversed when they came to Dubai. It was my turn to take them for sight-seeing and savouring the delicacies that Dubai had to offer. My parents particularly liked the Lebanese food as it lacked oil and served with complimentary pita breads and vegetables. Traditional Arab food is actually good for people who are health-conscious as it is cooked with less oil and salt... My parents even brought home some pita breads with them when they left Dubai.

In mid-January 2010, it was my sister’s, the Running-Mom, turn to come. She was running the Standard Chartered 2010 Dubai International Marathon (read HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE).

One of the highlights of our 2 years in Dubai would be our family trip to Istanbul, Turkey, during the New Year Holiday (2010). There’s another entry for that HERE.

New Gregorian year 2010... the news came that the company might not be extending my contract... so, the preparation to leave Dubai started... Frankly speaking, we had mixed feelings about leaving Dubai. We have made a lot of good friends here... The kids have settled down in school... they have also made a lot of good friends, including Apit. It’s really sad to leave, but we know that life has to go on... who knows, there could be better things for us in Malaysia...

One of our friends asked me, what would be the most memorable moments for me (and us) in Dubai... after 2 years. Trust me, I don’t have the answer for that... every moment in Dubai is a memorable one.... We will never forget each and every one of it. But the most important thing is the friends that we met and made here will always be in our hearts... I hope the friendship will continue for as long as we all shall live.


We will always cherish the memories in Dubai... who knows, we will come back in the future... who knows? ;-)

Earth Hour

Let's celebrate Earth Hour...

Turn off your lights, electrical lights that is, for one hour tonight.... Starting from 830pm to 930pm.

Lend your supports to the initiatives to make our Earth, our home, a better one.

An hour of our time will go a long way....

Sent from Haza Hilmy's BlackBerry® device

Of the Letter and Countdown

I was expecting it actually... since the day that my boss told me that my contract won't be extended... and since the day that I told them I want to come home. There's a related entry in Bahasa Malaysia HERE.

So, on Sunday afternoon, I received it... by hand from the HR Director himself.

Last day of employment (or the last day on "Host Company" payroll): 17th May, 2010
Repatriation leave: 7th May ~ 16th May, 2010
First day of employment in "Home Country": 18th May, 2010

If everything goes a planned, InsyaAllah, we'll be back in our beloved Malaysia on the 8th May, 2010 at about 935pm.

So, that's it... my "Tour of Duty" days in Dubai are numbered.... and I'm actually counting them down now.

Still, there some items need to be settled... the car, the visas, the bank, personal effects shipment and etc.

Hope everything will be okay... and we'll go back home to Malaysia with a happy feeling that we have spent 2 wonderful and eventful years in this land....

Istanbul (New Year 2010) - A very belated entry

This way to Istanbul

Actually, our year-end holiday plan could be called an Ad-Hoc one because I initially planned to take my family to Tehran. That was my plan from a few months ago. I made a promise to my wife that I will take them somewhere for a vacation when I have a 4 day weekend during the New Year break.

Due to the instability in the Iranian capital, I turned to Cairo. But, unfortunately the Economy Class seats were all sold out. Only the Peak Economy seats were left vacant and at the price that I couldn’t afford.

One of my colleagues suggested Istanbul. I checked the flight tickets, searched for the accommodations... and the rest I will share later... in a nut shell (I am not much of a writer...)

30/12/09
I went to have my hair cut in the morning. All the things to bring with us to the Turkish capital were already packed.

At about 12:00 noon we left the house to catch the taxi to the airport.
We brought:
1. One suitcase of clothes
2. One small bag of food items and
3. Two knap-sacks and my wife’s laptop computer
4. Our Sony H-50 camera and the Nikon compact as a back-up
This was actually considered light for our standards.

Upon arrival at the airport, we checked in our two larger bags at the self check-in kiosk and went on to the passport control and the departure hall.

We performed Jama’ and Qasr for Dzuhur and ‘Asar at the prayer room and walked to the boarding hall for our flight to Istanbul... EK121. We checked in at Terminal 3, but had to walk all the way to Terminal 1 for boarding. But since everybody was in a good mood, nobody complained.

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The flight took us to Istanbul in about 4-4.5 hours. We didn’t have any problems with the immigration and the luggage delivery.... everything went well (except that they didn’t informed us at which carousel our luggage should be collected from).

Coming out from the Arrival Hall, there were so many people around, most travel agents, waving the placards with names on them. I was looking around for my name when my wife said, “there it is...”. In capital letters “HAZA HILMY ZEAN”.

The agent ushered us to a corner as he was also waiting for some other passengers. After about ½ hour of waiting, he took us out to the waiting shuttle bus (a big van, actually). We got the first taste of Istanbul’s weather.... It was not very cold to my standard (I’ve experienced colder temperature when I was in Iran) but not to my family. They never experienced this kind of weather before (which was why I wanted to take them for the winter vacation in the first place).

The trip to the hotel took us from the Ataturk International Airport to the heart of Istanbul in about half an hour’s time.

The taxi stopped a few meters from the hotel, Star Holiday Hotel, just in front of Diva Nyolu Cadesi (or Diva Nyolu Street). It will be our home for the next 3 nights. It wasn’t very cold actually... except when the wind blew.

We checked in and with the help of the hotel staff, climbed three flights a narrow staircase to our room, a quad-room, in the 3rd floor. The room wasn’t that big for a quad-room... there was hardly any space to walk around... but we were not actually planning to stay in the room all day.
The room has 3 beds; 2 in the front and there’s another one, a bigger one, in a small “sub-room”. It’s separated from the rest of the room by a door-way.

Once we were settled in, we went out to see the night-life... It was about 8pm and quite chilly...even at night we could see that Istanbul is a beautiful city.

The night out in Sultanahmet

We walked around the Sultanahmet area... checking out the sights and sites... took some pictures... and went back to the hotel when Apit was beginning to have one of his “Apit penat lah...” acts...

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31/12/09
We were awakened by the Fajr Azzan... from multiple directions... for a country without any official religion in its constitution, Islam is something special here... historically and spiritually. We can see from afar, there were a lot of mosques (camii in Turkish) in Istanbul and when it comes to azzan, every mosque would seem to try to outdo its neighbour. The closest mosque to our hotel was the Agha Firdaus Camii and the Sultanahmet Camii (or the Blue Mosque).

We went to have breakfast at the 4th floor terrace... just overlooking the Blue Mosque. If we panned our view to the left, we would see the Haghia Sophia (or Aya Sofiya), a one-time cathedral, then a mosque and now a museum.

The breakfast was simple... freshly baked bread (the size of a small coconut), hard-boiled egg, cheese, some pickles, fresh olive, thinly-sliced sausages, tea and coffee, fresh milk... but it’s enough to keep us full until lunch-time.

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Inside the boat - Bosphorus Cruise

The agenda for today will be the Bosphorus Cruise. So, we took the tram from Sultanahmet station, past Gulhane and Sirkeci stations towards Eminonu station. We got off and went directly to the Eminonu Port just a few meters away from the tram station. It was about 1045am.

The official Bosphorus Cruise boats were already departed and we chanced upon some people who offered the “mini-cruise” for TL20 per head.... Apit would get to ride for free.

So, off we went... from the quay just adjacent to Galata Bridge towards Bosphorus Bridge... one of the two bridges connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. The other one being Fatih Sultanmehmet Bridge, about 7km up the Bosphorus Strait from Bosphorus Bridge.

The view was ultimately breathtaking... the undulating movements of the small boat were almost forgotten and ignored... the only thing that made us dizzy was the smell coming from the diesel engine. We were with about 20-30 more tourists on the boat... most of them looked European or Caucasian.... I think we were the only Asians on the boat. We saw the Dolmabahçe Palace, which used to be the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire as well as the Presidential resident of Kamel Attaturk.

On the boat - Bosphorus Cruise

We also saw so many beautiful buildings... seagulls and cormorants were everywhere, feeding in the waters of the Bosphorus, perching on the side of the jetty or simply flying along following the boats.

At Beylerbeyi town park

Our small boat made a u-turn upon crossing under Fatih Sultanmehmet bridge and made a stop-over at a small town of Beylerbeyi, just next to the Asian side of Bosphorus bridge. We spent about an hour there, appreciating the weather and the view and taking pictures.

At about 130pm, we board the boat for the last leg of the trip; a return leg to Eminonu. We arrived about 40 minutes later. Since we hadn’t had lunch yet, I bought a fish sandwich at a nearby stall. A meal of the sandwich and soda cost just TL5. To kill the fishy taste, you had to eat it with some salt and lemon juice. We finished the small lunch and headed to the next destination which was the Masir Carsisi or Egyptian Bazaar or the Spice Bazaar.

It was the 2nd largest bazaar in Istanbul after the Grand Bazaar. We weren’t planning of doing any shopping, so each of us pick a small souvenir for ourselves and a few more for friends and family.... that was it.

We went back to the hotel to take a much needed rest. We were planning to go to Taksim Square that night to watch the new year celebration.

After solat (about 630pm) we went out and have Turkish kebab dinner at a road-side restaurant halfway between the tram station and our hotel. We had our first taste of authentic Turkish cuisines and the aromatic and tasteful Turkish apple tea.

Then, we took the tram towards Kabatas station. Kabatas is the last tram station in the Zeytinburnu-Kabatas tramway. After that, we had to take the Taksim Fenikuler train. It is a train system that connects Kabatas and Taksim Square. It actually runs up the hill towards Taksim Square in an underground tunnel. The train itself was design to tilt at about 40o – 45o.

Taksim Square is located on top of hill.... it serves at the gathering points for Istanbulis.... equivalent to our own Merdeka Square. It is a place where people gather for almost everything from demonstrations to celebrations. But we didn’t wait for midnight because judging by the in-coming traffic of people, we were sure that at midnight there would probably be no place for us to even sit down.

So, after taking a few snaps of pictures, we decided to leave Taksim Square. We went down the stairs to the Fenikuler station to buy the tokens for the ride back. That was when I realized that my wallet was gone.... (but I don’t want to tell sad stories here....maybe another time.... just maybe)... hehehe. Luckily, we still have some TLs because I split the TLs between my wife and me.

So, we went back to the hotel and called it a day.

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01/01/2010

Ain and Apit enjoying themselves at the Blue Mosque ground

I went to settle some issues in the morning and promised to meet my family after Jumaat solat. It was the first experience for me to listen to the Friday sermon and perform solat with tourists all around me, sitting on the outer rim of the square. I guess, on Fridays, they don’t restrict visitors to the Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Camii for Muslims only.

I rendezvous-ed with the family later, right after I finished doing some errands and the ‘Asar prayers. We went for a tour around the Sultanahmet Mosque and Aya Sofiya. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enter Aya Sofiya as it was already late and the visitors’ entrance already closed. We just took some pictures and went instead to the Topkapi Museum. On the way there, we stopped by the road-side shops because my wife was looking to buy some souvenirs to bring home.

The museum was also closed by the time we arrived at the entrance, and once again we were only able to take pictures outside the huge museum complex. We walked back to our hotel......the kids were already tired and in need of a rest.

We had dinner in the room... just to finish off the food that we brought with us... When kids were settled down, my wife and I decided to go out and experience the cool Istanbul night, just the two of us.

We took a walk along the tramway towards Gulhane tram station... taking some pictures along the way... while appreciating the wonderful Istanbul night.

We got back at about 1100pm... tomorrow would be our last day in Istanbul.

Me and Hotel Manager, Mr Altin Decko

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02/01/2010
We got up early and started packing our things after breakfast. After bidding farewell to our host, we took the tram to Ataturk Airport.

From Sultanahmet station, we travelled by tram to Zeytinburnu station. It’s a transit station to the airport. From Zeytinburnu, we took the Metro line towards Havilamani (airport).
The journey took us just under one hour.... and it rained and hailed halfway through the tram and metro ride.

We arrived at Ataturk Airport, checked in, perform Dzuhur and ‘Asar prayers (Jama’ and Qasr), had a light lunch at BK and went straight to the boarding gate.

That’s the end of our Istanbul trip... but deep in our hearts, we knew that 2-3 days were not actually enough for us to really experience Istanbul. We made a silent promise that we will return one day, one fine day, InsyaAllah.

Hachiko, the Faithful Dog

In 1934, a bronze statue of a dog called Hachiko was erected at the Shibuya Train station in Tokyo, Japan. The story of this dog is mentioned below.

Hachiko was born in 1923 and was owned by Eisaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. The professor used to take a train from the Shibuya Station every day to go to the university. Each day Hachiko accompanied the professor to the train station when he left for work. Upon returning, the professor would find the dog patiently waiting for his master and wagging its tail. This happy routine continued until one fateful day in 1925, when the professor was taken ill on the job and unfortunately died before he could return home. As usual, the dog waited at the train station that day for his master to return back. However, seeing that he wasn't coming back, Hachiko waited till night fell and retuned back home. The next day Hachiko went back to the train station again, waiting for his master to come back. He patiently waited till sunset and then retuned back home. The dog was so devoted to the professor that he continued to visit the train station everyday for the next 10 years! The people who passed the loyal dog each day were so touched by his story that they erected a statue in his honor in 1934.

In 1935, Hachiko died at the very same spot where he used to wait for his master.

Dear readers, we should take a lesson from this story for ourselves. By reciting the kalimah of Tawheed, all of us have taken an oath to be loyal to our Master, Allah Ta'ala. Now, we should look deep into ourselves and check to see how much love we really have for Allah in our hearts.

Source: Partially extracted from Wikipedia and Fabulous Travel.com.

Dubai International Peace Convention (DIPC) (17th - 19th March, 2010)

With the motto of "Aiming Global Unity Through Peace", the DIPC is held under the patronage of H.H. Syeikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai.

The world renowned Islamic scholars and orators will be holding talks, along with handling Q&A sessions. Notable personalities such as Syeikh Yusuf Estes, Syeikh Dr Hussein Yee, Sheikh Mishary Rashid Al Afasy, Adv. Mayan Kutty Mather and etc. will be talking about various subjects.

For more information, visit http://www.peaceconvention.com/Home.aspx

** An update (21/03/10):

My wife and I went on the 2nd and he last day of the conference... and for the first time in our lives, we were the witnesses to the Shahaadah proclaimed by our new new brothers and sisters. Alhamdulillah, they were shown the lights by Allah to return back to the righteous path of Islam. To tell the truth, I just couldn't hold back my tears... All that I could do was just to praise the Almighty Allah... Allahu Akbar!!!!

We went home a little late last night... because Dr Zakir Naik was giving his talk... he wasn't scheduled to give any talks, but, I guess, due to respect to a man of his stature, he was given a cameo appearance.... But it seemed like his appearance was what people had been waiting for.... Read more about Dr Zakir Naik HERE

** Another update (22/03/10):

We left a bit too early that night when the Q&A session with Dr Zakir Naik was just starting. A friend who stayed back related that a total of 25 brothers and sisters made their Shahaadah that night and revert to Islam... Masya Allah....

UN rejects export ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna

By MICHAEL CASEY, AP Environmental Writer Michael Casey, Ap Environmental Writer – Thu Mar 18, 2:24 pm ET
DOHA, Qatar – A U.S.-backed proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna prized in sushi was rejected Thursday by a U.N. wildlife meeting, with scores of developing nations joining Japan in opposing a measure they feared would devastate fishing economies.
It was a stunning setback for conservationists who had hoped the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, would give the iconic fish a lifeline. They joined the proposal's sponsor Monaco in arguing that extreme measures were necessary because the stocks have fallen by 75 percent due to widespread overfishing.
"Let's take science and throw it out the door," said Susan Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group in Washington. "It's pretty irresponsible of the governments to hear the science and ignore the science. Clearly, there was pressure from the fishing interests. The fish is too valuable for its own good."
As the debate opened, Monaco painted a dire picture for a once-abundant species that roams across vast stretched of the Atlantic Ocean and can grow to as big as 1,500 pounds.
It has been done in by the growing demand for raw tuna for traditional dishes such as sushi and sashimi. The bluefin variety — called "hon-maguro" in Japan — is particularly prized with a 200-kilogram (440-pound) Pacific bluefin tuna fetched a record 20.2 million yen ($220,000) last year.
"This exploitation is no longer exploitation by traditional fishing people to meet regional needs," Monaco's Patrick Van Klaveren told delegates. "Industrial fishing of species is having a severe effect on numbers of this species and its capacity to recover. We are facing a real ecosystem collapse."
But it became clear that the proposal had little support. Only the United States, Norway and Kenya supported the proposal outright. The European Union asked that implementation be delayed until May 2011 to give authorities time to respond to concerns about overfishing.
Fishing nations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean complained any ban would damage their fishing communities and that fears of the stock's collapse were overstated. Libya, in a rambling defense of its position, went so far as accusing Monaco of lying and trying to mislead the delegates before calling for the snap vote.
Japan, which imports 80 percent of Atlantic bluefin and has led the opposition to the ban, acknowledged stocks were in trouble but echoed a growing consensus at the meeting that CITES should have no role in regulating tuna and other marine species. It expressed willingness to accept lower quotas for bluefin tuna but wanted those to come from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or ICCAT, which currently regulates the trade.
"Japan is very much concerned about the status of Atlantic bluefin tuna and Japan has been working so hard for many years to ensure recovery," Masanori Miyahara, chief counselor of the Fisheries Agency of Japan, told delegates. "But our position is very simple. Let us do this job in ICCAT, not in CITES. This position is shared by majority of Asian nations."
Afterward, Miyahara welcomed the decision but admitted the pressure would be on his country and others who depend on the Atlantic bluefin to abide by ICCAT. It ruled in November to reduce its quota from 22,000 tons to 13,500 tons for this year. The body has also vowed to rebuild the stock by 2022, which could include closing some fisheries if necessary.
"I feel more responsibly to work for the recovery of the species," Miyahara said. "So it's kind of a heavy decision for Japan too. The commitment is much heavier than before."
But the European Union's Gael de Rotalier said the vote set a worrying precedent and showed there was widespread mistrust about giving CITES any role in marine issues.
That could bode ill for several other proposals still pending, including several regulating the trade in sharks and one dealing with red and pink corals. If that would occur, a meeting that was expected to boost the protection of marine species wood be seen by many environmentalists as a failure.
"We were expecting to have a real debate but it was not possible," de Rotalier said. "There was a strong feeling in the room against any involvement of CITES in marine issues. They were making it a matter of principle and not looking at the merits of the case."
The tuna defeat came hours after delegates rejected a U.S. proposal to ban the international sale of polar bear skins and parts, suggesting that economic interests at this meeting were trumping conservation.
The Americans argued that the sale of polar bears skins is compounding the loss of the animals' sea ice habitat due to climate change. There are projections that the bear's numbers, which are estimated at 20,000 to 25,000, could decline by two-thirds due by 2050 due to habitat loss in the Arctic.
But Canada, Greenland and several indigenous communities argued the trade had little impact on the white bears' population and would adversely affect their economies.

More HERE

Plight of the tiger

There are less than 3,000 tigers left roaming the planet, a drastic decline from 100,000 tigers just a short century ago. There used to be nine tiger sub-species worldwide, but in the last 70 years, three have gone extinct - the Balinese, Caspian and Javan. Globally, the tiger has lost 93% of its habitat in the last 100 years.

The Malayan tiger Panthera tigris jacksoni found only in the Malay Peninsula, was recognized in 2004 as the ninth sub-species. In the 1950s, there were an estimated 3,000 tigers in Peninsular Malaysia. Today, only about 500 Malayan tigers are believed to remain, but no one knows for certain.

The initial decline in tiger numbers was primarily due to large-scale loss of habitat but in more recent times, the most urgent threat is poaching for its body parts, persecution by angry villagers, and starvation as their prey is over-harvested.

Threats to the survival of wild tigers are mounting and a world without wild tigers may become a reality in our lifetime unless drastic measures are taken.

The tiger is endangered. It is in trouble, and the time to save the tiger is now or never. The Malayan tiger needs greater interest, concern and action from the Malaysian public.

More Malaysians must join the fight to save the tiger. It may not take much to push our tiger closer to extinction, but Malaysia must act urgently if we are to save our national icon of strength, beauty and courage.

________________________

Tiger beer worth more than real tigers in Malaysia

12 February 2010

Kuala Lumpur – We are just a day shy of entering the Year of the Tiger, the year of hope for wild Malayan tigers.

While news of heightened awareness for tigers flood the media, articles about a tiger brutally killed in the Bukit Tapah Forest Reserve in Perak, Malaysia, speak of the harsh reality faced by our Malayan tigers.

Responding to reports that a tiger had attacked an Orang Asli, the Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks made the gruesome find of a dead tiger with a wire snare still entwined around its severed left forelimb. The tiger was trapped in the snare for a few days, shot in the eyes and other parts of its body and attacked with spears fashioned out of hard palm stalks. It is also believed to have been poisoned.

Read more...

From HERE

Bluefin on the brink

Monday 15 Feb, 2010
Sushi craze is pushing one special tuna close to extinction, reports Ocean Correspondent Cheryl-Samantha Owen

Life without sushi…? Judging by the popularity of the fishy food across the world, one wonders if we could cope.

But the day those perfectly timed (not too slow for fashion conscious diners to lose patience - not too fast to dry out the fish) conveyor belts present little more than rice and seaweed could be just around the corner. The Japanese-born sushi trend has turned out to be as big a threat to our oceans as pollution and warming temperatures.

Tuna, especially bluefin tuna, crowns the menu for sushi lovers and forms the basis of many fisheries world-wide.

All seven commercially fished species are being unsustainably exploited and three are already listed on the IUCN’s Red List as threatened with extinction.

Though they may be the golden goose for the fishing industry today, these magnificent fish will soon become the dodos of the sea if they are not offered immediate protection.

More than half a century of overfishing is pushing the bluefin to the brink, and scientists estimate that stocks are within three years of total collapse.

The stock of Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna has already dropped below 15 per cent of its pre-exploitation levels, qualifying it for a ban on trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Due to the rarity premium paid by diners, it is very possible that the bounty on their heads will ensure that bluefin are hunted to actual extinction.

Last month a single bluefin tuna sold at a Japanese auction for $175,000.

Perverse as it is, the faster the tuna population plummets, the higher the price of this fish soars.

Pound for pound, bluefin can be more valuable than ivory.

Most people find the idea of tucking into a plate of elephant, snow leopard, whale, dolphin, or any of the perceived “cuddly” creatures of our world hard to swallow, yet serving up slices of this marvellous apex predator is like dining on sashimi of African cheetah.

The name tuna stems from the Greek “to rush” and for good reason.

The bluefin tuna can reach bursts of speed of 90 kilometres per hour. Its extraordinary internal and external designs combine to ignite an explosive power that gives the fish its astonishing attack capability.

It is one of the most highly evolved of all fishes. Starting life as microscopic larvae they can reach 15-feet in length and grow to almost 700 kilogrammes.

It’s the widest ranging of the tunas - stretching from the tropics to the Arctic.

Once revered and traditionally fished in the Mediterranean for three millennia, today there is a scramble to catch the last bluefin. Gone are they days when bluefin the size of cows were landed and fishing was fair.

Today fishermen are catching fish a third of the size in massive purse-seine nets that can capture three hundred fish in a single haul of the net.

With spotter planes radioing to boat captains the location of schooling bluefin below and “super freezers” stockpiling thousands of tonnes for a time when they have emptied our seas - the bluefin and other shark species like it do not stand a chance.

They will lose the battle unless immediate action is taken.

Tuna farming or ranching is no panacea.

Tuna ranching relies on the capture of juveniles from the wild.

It removes immature bluefin before they have even had a chance to spawn.

In addition, almost 20 pounds of fish go into the feed that makes one pound of bluefin - a ratio even worse than prawn farming.

The end of wild stocks will be the end of ranching and the end of bluefin sashimi.

How you can help
• Avoid eating bluefin and bigeye tuna
• If you don’t know what the tuna is, where it came from and how it was caught - don’t eat it. (Tuna cans often omit this information).
• Boycott restaurants that serve endangered species, such as bluefin tuna.
• The CITES meets in March this year to debate the fate of tuna.

Encourage your government to ban the trade on bluefin tuna.

From HERE

SAVE OUR SEAS.... Visit HERE

The Unforgettable Love Story

This was emailed to me from a friend....

By Dr. Hesham A. Hassaballa
She was one of the noblest women of her time, coming from a very prominent family. She was also quite beautiful and the holder of a considerable amount of wealth, for she successfully ran her own business. To marry her would have been a great feat for any man, and indeed, quite a few of the most prominent and wealthy men in society had asked for her hand. Yet, she rejected them all; already being a widow, she had lost the desire to marry again.
Until he came into her life. He was young man of 25, and although he was also of a noble family, he was an orphan and was not a man of many means. He had made a meager living tending sheep in the hills surrounding the city. Yet, he had an impeccable moral character, and he was widely known as one of the most honest men around. That is what attracted her to him: she was looking for someone honest who could conduct business for her, as she “a woman in a fiercely patriarchal society“ could not do it herself. So, he started working for her.
After he came back from his first business trip, she asked her servant, whom she had sent with him, about him and his conduct. The servant amazed her by his report: this young man was the kindest, gentlest man he had ever met. Never did he treat the servant harshly, as many others do. Yet, there was more: as they traveled in the heat of the desert, the servant noticed that a cloud had followed them the entire time, shading them from the blazing sun. Upon hearing this, she became quite impressed with her new employee.
Not only that, this new employee proved to be an astute businessman in his own right. He took his employer's merchandise, sold it, and with the profits bought other merchandise that he sold again, thus profiting twice. All this was enough for her: the embers of love in her heart that were once extinguished were re-kindled again, and she desired to marry this young man, who was 15 years younger than she.
So, she sent her sister who asked him, "Why are you not married, yet?"
"For lack of means," he answered.
"What if I could offer you a wife of nobility, beauty, and wealth? Would you be interested?" she told him.
He replied in the affirmative, but when she mentioned her sister, the young employee chuckled in amazement.
"How could I marry her? She has turned down the most noble men in the city, much wealthier and prominent than me, a poor shepherd," he said.
"Don't you worry," the sister replied, "I'll take care of it" (Ibn Al-Atheer).
Not long after, this wealthy business-owner married her young employee, and it was the beginning of one of the most loving, happiest, and sacred marriages in all of human history: that of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwaylid.
When they were married, the Prophet was 25 years old, and Khadijah was 40. Yet, that did not bother the Prophet one bit. He loved her so deeply, and she loved him as deeply. They were married for 25 years, and she bore him seven children: 3 sons and 4 daughters. All of the sons died at a young age. Khadijah was a source of immense love, strength, and comfort for the Prophet Muhammad, and he leaned heavily on this love and support on the most important night of his life.
While he was meditating in cave of Hira, the Angel Gabriel came to Prophet Muhammad and revealed to him the first verses of the Quran, which Muslims believe is the word of God, and declared to him that he was to be a Prophet. The experience terrified him, and he ran home and cried to Khadijah , "Cover me! Cover me!" She was startled by his terror, and after soothing and comforting him for a while, the Prophet was able to calm down and tell her about his experience (Al-Bukhari).
The Prophet feared he was going mad or being possessed.
Khadijah put all his fears to rest: "Do not worry," she said, "for by Him who has dominion over Khadijah's soul, I hope that you are the Prophet of this nation. Allah would never humiliate you, for you are good to your relatives, you are true to your word, you help those who are in need, you support the weak, you feed the guest and you answer the call of those who are in distress." She then took him to her cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal “a Christian scholar well-versed in the Judeo-Christian scripture“ and he confirmed to Muhammad that his experience was Divine and he was to be the Prophet they had all been waiting for (Al-Bukhari).
After his ministry began, and the opposition of his people became harsh and brutal, Khadijah was always there to support Prophet Muhammad, sacrificing all of her wealth to support the cause of Islam. When the Prophet and his family were banished to the hills outside of Makkah, she went there with him, and the three years of hardship and deprivation eventually led to her death. The Prophet Muhammad mourned her deeply, and even after her death, the Prophet would send food and support to Khadijah's friends and relatives, out of love for her.
Once, years after Khadijah died, he came across a necklace that she once wore. When he saw it, he remembered her and began to cry and mourn. His love for her never died, so much so, that his later wife Aishah became jealous of her. Once she asked the Prophet if Khadijah had been the only woman worthy of his love. The Prophet replied: "She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand" (Al-Bukhari).
Much has been made and said about Prophet Muhammad's multiple marriages. There are many who smear him as a womanizing philanderer, citing those multiple marriages. This is, of course, totally false. If, God forbid, the Prophet was as they claim, he would have taken advantage of his youth to act on these desires. But he did not. Rather, he was with no other women before Khadijah, who was 15 years his senior, and he had no other wife alongside her, although multiple marriages was common custom at that time.
It was only after Khadijah died (God rest her soul) that he took on more than one wife at a time. All his subsequent marriages were undertaken based on divine instructions. Most of these wives were widows, whom the Prophet married to care of, or they were the daughters of prominent Arab chieftains, so that the Prophet could form a cohesive Muslim society out of a fiercely tribalistic Arab culture. The smears against the Prophet fall flat on their faces once the light of truth shines brightly upon them.
In a song about the Prophet and Khadjiah, Muslim rappers Native Deen sing:
"We look for stories of love in places dark and cold. When we have a guiding light for the whole world to behold."
Many of what we call "love stories" today are nothing more than stories of lust and desire, physical attraction disguised as love.
Yet, I can find no love story more powerful, more spiritually uplifting, more awe-inspiring than that of the Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah. It is a shining example of what an ideal marriage is, and if I ever claim that I love my wife, I must gauge my actions with that of the Prophet. As the country commemorates Valentine's Day, and everywhere we turn this month, "love is in the air," I cannot help but reflect upon, what is to me, the greatest of all love stories: that of Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah. Even with all of its amazing creative talent, Hollywood could not have come up with a story greater than this.
Works Cited: Ibn Al-Atheer, Ali. Usd al-Ghabah. Vol. 5. Cairo: Dar Ihya Al-Turath Al-Aaraby, 1996.

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. In addition, his articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global. He is a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune. and is a contributing writer for the prominent news website altmuslim.
Dr. Hassaballa is author of the essay "Why I Love the Ten Commandments," published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). He is also co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday). In 2007, his blog, God, Faith, and a Pen, was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is "the most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post."

"Have Breakfast… or… Be Breakfast!"

From a colleague at the office... a good read
-------------------------
By Y. L. R. MOORTHI
[Management Views from IIMB is an exclusive column written every two weeks for India.wsj.com by faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.]

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.

Reason being cameras bundled with cell phones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cell phone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sonys and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).

Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.

Nokia confessed that they all but missed the Smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's Iphone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails.

The "Mahabharata" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question – "who is my competitor?"

Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately.

Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising? Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson". So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital."

In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both. It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?"

The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.

In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco.

Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget. So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no.

Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands. If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!

India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmi gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket. Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 overs.

Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the eve of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment). Cricket season might push films out of the market.

Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.

One last illustration. 20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cell phone! An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!

On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots? Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition. He said "Have breakfast …or…. be breakfast"! That sums it up rather neatly.

—Dr. Y. L. R. Moorthi is a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He is an M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and a post graduate in management from IIM, Bangalore

UAE National Environment Day (4th Feb, 2010)

Introduction
The last year has been a phenomenal one for progress in the fields of environmental protection and wildlife management in the UAE. While much of the progress has taken place without fanfare or publicity it is clear that government commitment, corporate support and greatly enhanced awareness of the general public all factors that have received sustained attention over previous years have borne considerable fruit. The evidence for this progress is to be seen almost every where one looks in the Emirates, from the widespread improvements in environmental controls to the impressive wildlife breeding, conservation and public display projects. The fact that, after 10 years of careful study and habitat development, the greater flamingo finally bred successfully in Abu Dhabi during the winter of 1998–99, the first confirmed breeding of this species in the UAE and the first confirmed breeding anywhere on the mainland of the Arabian Peninsula, is much more than an ornithological triumph. It is also a reassuring confirmation that UAE policy on environment and species protection is actually working. As is well known in the UAE and among the world's leading conservationists, the role of Sheikh Zayed in protecting and rescuing Arabian wildlife has been crucial. He grew up close to nature and with a deep respect for the plants and animals that he encountered in the mountains, deserts, oases and coastal waters. While seeking to provide his people with the benefits of the modern world, he has never lost sight of the vital need to protect the natural one. Sheikh Zayed's government and the people have both been led by and, perhaps more importantly inspired by, his own appreciation for the environment and wildlife.

Over the years a number of government organizations have been established with the role of studying and protecting wildlife. Abu Dhabi’s Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA) has a major national role in this regard. In addition there are other regional departments which have their own programmes for environment protection, wildlife protection and, most importantly for increasing public awareness.

ENVIRONMENT DAY
The UAE's National Environment Day is by now a well established event that serves to focus the attention of government, the corporate sector and the general public on matters of environmental concern. On the occasion of the 1999 National Environment Day, Sheikh Zayed once again commented on the importance of the environment, calling it ‘a dear part of our heritage, civilizations and future’. This year's event focused on the particular needs of the marine environment, with the slogan: 'Together for the protection of our marine environment'. The President also announced that he had ordered there levant authorities to issue any new regulations they deemed necessary to ensure protection of the environment.

Read more HERE

Protecting The 'Malayan Tiger'

By Mazani Chan Yat Sin

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- English poet William Blake of the 17th century era became fascinated by the tiger to the extent that he wrote a poem entitled 'The Tyger' where the opening lines are:

"Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

As the Chinese community in Malaysia and rest of the world await the countdown for the arrival of the Year Of The Tiger, experts on wildlife conservation are struggling in their efforts to prevent the Malayan tiger from becoming extinct.

Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department's Director for Biodiversity Conservation, Mohd Nawayai Yasak said the population of the Malayan tiger in the Peninsula now is about 500.(According to sources, the Malayan tiger is not found in the jungles of Sabah and Sarawak. As for its cousin, the Sumatran tiger which is found in Sumatra, is bigger in size and length as compared to the Malaysian species).

MALAYAN TIGER

The Malayan tiger, Panthera Tigris Jacksoni, can only be found in the Peninsula and most of these mammals are in the thick jungles of Perak, Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.

"The population size of the Malayan tiger is getting smaller and we need to do something before this species become extinct," he told Bernama in Perhilitan's office at Jalan Cheras here recently.

Throughout 2008, Perhilitan's game rangers carried out 174 operations and destroyed some 1,000 tiger traps and snares.

"Most of the snares set up by poachers are of the wire type where it can endanger not only the big cats but other animals that pass through the spot," he said.

WILD AND BREED

The tiger population in the country dropped significantly from the some 3,000 in the 1950s to only about 300-400 in the 1990s.

"From 1989 to 2008, we have successfully bred 50 tiger cubs at the Melaka Zoo.

"We carried out two methods. The ex-situ breeding where the tiger born in the zoo is left to be with its group while the in-situ breeding involves the tiger that roam in the jungles and allowed to breed and move freely there," said Mohd Nawayai.

"However the cost for the ex-situ breeding is high as it incurs various expenditures like the tiger cub's upkeep, its food and the likes as a tiger is known to consume a lot of food," he said.

In the move to improve the conservation efforts, the authorities are reviewing the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 to enable stiffer fines to be imposed on poachers and wildlife smugglers.

NGO AND STATE GOVERNMENT

The cooperation from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and state governments is crucial towards protecting the tigers, he said.

"We cannot do this alone. That is why we are hoping for the collaboration from the NGOs like the WWF, the public and state governments."

"We welcome the effort of the state government to gazette the state forests and reserve jungles as the permanent place for the conservation of tigers in the country," he said.

Meanwhile the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia has created a unit known as 'Team Ronda' to curb activities that can lead to the extinction of the mammals.

"Team Ronda comprises 10 volunteers from WWF and will conduct patrols at spots that draw the presence of poachers," said the programme's officer Ahmad Zafir Abdul Wahab at WWF Malaysia office in Petaling Jaya.

"From early January 2009 until today, Team Ronda and Perhilitan have destroyed 114 tiger traps installed by poachers at the areas fringing Tasik Temenggor and Belum Forest Reserve," he said.

PUBLIC AWARENESS

Inconjunction with the arrival of the Year Of The Tiger, WWF has conducted a programme known as 'TX2' to double the population of the Malayan tiger.

WWF Malaysia corporate communications officer Sara Sukor said the programme is staged to boost public awareness on the importance of conserving the tigers.

"The programme is organised by the WWF and held worldwide. We want to deliver a message via this programme that the Malayan tiger is in danger of extinction," she said.

"The TX2 programme is not only to double the population of the tigers but also to ensure that the mammals are free from extinction," she said.

The programme uses the tiger as its mascot and contributions received from the public as well as the corporate and private sectors will be used to carry out protection and conservation efforts for these mammals.

From BERNAMA

Has the Prayer Lost Its Power?

This is an article that I got from one of my colleagues. It's kinda long but worth reading....

By: Abul 'Ala al-Mawdudi

Brothers in Islam! Undoubtedly you often ask yourselves: Why is it that the Prayer, good and beneficial as it is, seems to make no difference to our lives? Why does it neither improve our morals, nor transform us into a force dedicated to Allah? Why do we continue to live disgraced and subjugated?

The usual answer will be that you are not offering the Prayer regularly or in the manner prescribed by Allah and the Messenger. Such an answer may not satisfy you. I shall therefore try to explain the matter in some detail.

Parable of the Clock

Look at the clock fixed to the wall: there are lots of small parts in it, joined to each other. When you wind it, all the parts start working and, as these parts move, the result appears on the clock face outside it which you observe. Both hands move to denote each second and each minute. The purpose of the clock is to indicate correct time. All those parts which are necessary for this purpose have been fitted together and the winding system has been made so that each of them moves as required. Only when all the parts have been assembled correctly and the clock wound up properly will it begin fulfilling the purpose for which it is made.

If you do not wind it, it will not show the time. If you wind it but not according to the prescribed method, it will stop or, even if it works, it will not give the correct time. If you remove some of the parts and then wind it, nothing will happen. If you replace some of the parts with those of a sewing machine and then wind it, it will neither indicate the time nor sew the cloth. If you keep all the parts inside the case but disconnect them, then no part will move even after winding it up. The presence of all the parts will not serve the purpose for which the clock is made because you will have disrupted their arrangement as well as their connection.

In all these situations, both the existence of the clock and the act of winding it become useless, although an observer from a distance cannot say that it is not a clock or that you are not winding it. He will surely consider that it is a clock and will expect it to be useful as a clock. Similarly, when from a distance he observes you winding it, he will take it as a genuine effort on your part to do the job, hoping to notice the result which comes from winding the clock. But how can this expectation be fulfilled when what looks like a clock from a distance has in reality lost its 'existence'?

Aim of Muslim Ummah

Imagine Islam like this clock. Just as the purpose of the clock is to indicate the correct time, so the aim of Islam is that you should live in this world as the vicegerents of God, as witnesses of God unto mankind and as standard-bearers of truth. You must yourselves follow the commandments of God and bring all other people under Him:

You are indeed the best community brought forth for mankind: you enjoin the doing of right and forbid the doing of wrong, and you believe in God (Al Imran 3: 11O).

And thus We have made you a just community, that you might be witnesses unto mankind (al-Baqarah 2: 143).

God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make you to accede to power on earth (al-Nur 24: 55).

And fight them, until there is no rebellion [against God], and all submission is to God alone (al-Anfal 8: 39)

Wholeness of Islamic Teachings

To fulfil this purpose, various parts as were required, like those of the clock, have been brought together in Islam. Beliefs and principles of morality; rules for day-to-day conduct; the rights of God, of His slaves, of one's own self, of everything in the world which you encounter; rules for earning and spending money; laws of war and peace; principles of government and limits of obedience to it - all these are parts of Islam. As in a clock, they are linked to each other in such a way that as soon as the winding is done, every part starts moving and, with the movement of all these parts, the desired result is obtained. Rule of God's law in the world, domination of Islam, start manifesting just as, with the movement of the parts of the clock in front of you, the time appears on its face.

In order to fasten together different parts of the clock, screws and small pieces of metal have been used. Similarly, to join all the parts of Islam together, there is an arrangement called the Jama'ah or organization. Muslims should organize themselves, and have leaders equipped with proper knowledge and endowed with taqwa; the brains should help them and the limbs should obey them, as they all strive to live under God.

When all the parts have been brought together and properly assembled, regular winding is necessary to set them in motion and to continue their movement: Salah which is offered five times a day provides that winding, creating the energy which sets an Islamic life in motion. Cleaning this clock is also necessary: fasting observed for thirty days a year cleanses hearts and morals. Lubrication, too, is required: Zakah is like the oil which is applied to its parts once a year. Then it is also necessary to overhaul it periodically: Hajj is that overhauling which should be performed at least once in a lifetime. And the more often it is done, the better.

Abusing the Clock

The processes of winding, cleaning, lubricating and overhauling are of use only when all the parts are present in the frame, when they are linked in the order designed by the clock-maker, and when all are so trained that immediately on winding they start moving and begin showing results.

Alas, today the situation has become very different. For a start, the very Jama'ah, the organizational structure, which was supposed to link the parts of the clock together has ceased to exist. The result is that all the fittings have come apart, each has gone its own way. Everybody does whatever takes his fancy. There is nobody to question anything. Everyone is autonomous. If someone wants to follow the Islamic code, he can; if he does not want to, he need not.

Since even this so-called freedom has not satisfied you, you have pulled out many parts of the clock and in their place put anything and everything: a spare part from a sewing machine, perhaps, or from a factory or from the engine of a car. You call yourselves Muslims, yet you render loyal service to Kufr, yet you take interest, you insure your lives, you file false law suits, your daughters, sisters and wives are forsaking Islamic manners and your children are being given secular materialistic educations. Some have become disciples of Gandhi; others are following Lenin. Which un-Islamic gadget is there that you have not fixed into the frame of the clock of Islam?

Despite this, you expect the clock to work when you wind it! And you suppose that cleaning, lubricating and overhauling it will also be of use. With a little reflection, however, you should see that in the condition to which you have reduced the clock you can wind it, lubricate it, and overhaul it, for the whole of your lives without any effect. Nothing will happen until you remove the parts brought in from other appliances, replace them with the original parts, and restore the original priorities. Then, and only then, will the winding and so forth produce any results.

Why Worship Rites Are Ineffective

This state of affairs is the real reason why your Salah, Sawm, Zakah and Hajj make no impact upon your lives. First, there are so few among you who perform these acts of worship. Due to the dissolution of Islamic Jama'ah everybody has become autonomous. Whether you fulfil your obligations or not, there is nobody to care. Nor do those who do apparently carry out their obligations do so in a proper manner. They are not constant in attending the congregational Prayer. People are selected to lead the Prayers in the mosques simply because they are fit for no other work: people who exist on the free bread doled out to mosques, who are uneducated, who lack moral calibre. How can congregations led by them turn you into the leaders of mankind? Similar is the situation regarding your Fasting, Almsgiving and Pilgrimages.

Despite all these facts, you may argue, there are nonetheless many Muslims who do discharge their religious duties conscientiously. Why does that make no difference? But, as I have said, when the parts of the clock have become unhinged and numerous foreign bodies have been inserted in it, it makes no difference if you wind it or not, clean it or not, lubricate it or not. From a distance it does look like a clock. An outside observer may say: This is Islam and you are Muslims. But what he cannot see is how badly its inside machinery has been tampered with.

Our Deplorable Condition

Brothers! You understand why it is so that you pray and fast and yet remain trampled under the heel of cruel tyrants. But, should I tell you something even more distressing? Although most of you no doubt regret this situation but, I would say, 999 people out of 1000 are not prepared to change their situation. They have no urge in their hearts to assemble the clock of Islam again properly. They are afraid that any such reconstruction would mean that their own favourite imported parts would be thrown out, and this they are not prepared to accept. They are afraid that any tightening of various parts would mean that they will have to discipline themselves, and this they are not willing to undertake.

Instead, they prefer that the clock remains a piece of decoration on the wall for people to be shown and told how wonderful Islam is, what miracles it can perform. Those who are supposed to love this clock more than others would like to wind it repeatedly and zealously and to clean it most laboriously; but they want to do nothing to reset its parts properly or tighten them, nor will they seek to get rid of the extraneous parts.

I wish I could endorse your attitudes and behaviour, but I cannot say anything which I believe is wrong. I assure you that if, in addition to praying five times a day, you were to offer Tahajjud (pre-dawn), Ishraq (post-sunset) and [Duha] (mid-morning) Prayers, read the Qur'an for hours every day, and observe, over and above Ramadan, extra fasts for five and a half months in the remaining eleven months, it would not be enough. What is needed is to restore the original parts to the clock and fix them firmly. Then even the little necessary winding will make it work smoothly; and the minimal amount of required cleaning and lubrication will be needed.

Wa ma 'alayna illa 'l-balagh

There is no responsibility on us except conveying the truth.