My mother

My mother has been hospitalized since a few days ago due to a diabetis-induced complication. If I could have it my way, I will take the next flight out of Dubai, to KL, to be by her side.

Even then, it could never repay what she has done for me... for my sister & brother... and for the whole family as well. Her sacrifice is beyond reimbursable.

“Tell him not worry about me”, my sister related to me the other day. My sister said that Mak will feel much better knowing that I am OK... not worrying.

But as a child, the eldest son who is supposed to shoulder the responsibilities to his parents, no one can blame me if and when I get worried. I am thousands of mile away when I was supposed to be with her.

Anyhow, for her sake, I’ll stay put and just wait for any updates from my sister and brother. Thanks to the modern technology called the Internet.

May all the blessings of Allah be with her.

This is a beautiful song from Brother Yusuf Islam... I dedicate this to my mother...with love from your son and family in Dubai.


Your Mother
Who should you give your love to
Your respect and your honour to
Who should you pay good mind to – after Allah,
Comes your Mother,
Who next? Your Mother
Who next? Your Mother
And then you Father

Cause who used to hold you
And clean you and clothe you?
Who used to feed you
And always be with you?
When you were sick, stay up all night,
Holding you tight?
That’s right no other, your Mother

Who should you take good care of
Giving all your love?
Who should you think the most of – after Allah?
Comes your Mother,
Who next? Your Mother
Who next? Your Mother
And then you Father

Cause who used to hear you
Before you could talk?
Who used to hold you
Before you could walk?
And when you fell, who’d pick you up?
Clean your cut?
No one but, your Mother, your Mother

Who should you stay right close to
Listen most to?
Never saying no to – after Allah
Comes your Mother,
Who next? Your Mother
Who next? Your Mother
And then you Father

Cause who used to hug you
And buy you new clothes?
Comb your hair and blow your nose?
And when you cried who wiped your tears
Knows your fears?
Who really cares?
Your Mother

Say Hamdulillah,
Thanks to Allah
Thank You Allah for my Mother

A generation of activist idealists

AUG 11 - A trauma can make or break a person. It can make or break a generation, too.
In an inconspicuous house in Bangsar, a group of individuals belonging to the generation that I identify myself with has been meeting consistently for the past few weeks. There is only one agenda in their list and it involves a very global issue of climate change.
They endeavor to spread awareness regarding it to Malaysian youth. More ambitiously, they seek to influence national policy on climate change.
The idea began modestly and has been very much fueled by conviction and commitment to a cause. Friends and strangers met and discovered that they share a passion. With that passion, they banded together to act.
They started making calls and sending email seeking support among larger circles of friends to garner resources required to get the ball rolling.
Climate change was an issue close to my heart. A number of factors prodded me into the realm of economics, and climate change was one of the topics that caught my attention.
It was back in the late 1990s, when I was still a teenager, that I found myself attracted to a concept where a person could trade carbon as currency. With no training in economics whatsoever at that time, it was easy for me to be amazed at the concept.
The concept – pricing carbon to combat negative externality – and many more ideas surrounding the issue are not alien to me any longer.
Just as understanding of physical sciences inevitably render what used to be perceived as magic and supernatural events by the unenlightened into natural phenomena, so too does command of economics wash away my awe of this strange concept.
Ironic as it may seem, economics has made me less enthusiastic about the subject. The tools of economics have made me realise how hard it is to solve the issues.
Meanwhile, the politics of climate change conspire to make it impossible. Just weeks earlier, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd admitted that the odds of success at the much-anticipated climate change meet-up in Copenhagen, Denmark are bleak, and rightly so.
Yet, there they are in Bangsar, speaking so passionately about the issue, trying to affect and effect it. A row of ants standing in the path of an elephant, as I first saw it.
I am tempted to be sceptical about how much they can achieve, especially given the reality of climate change politics. Each time I want to express my scepticism however, my mind races back in time to the day of my graduation.
Amid a melancholic mood, uncertain of what the world holds for me, the president of my alma mater, Mrs Coleman, inspired me. She said, “…stand up for what you believe in, and what is right. You just might change course of events for the better.”
This is the hallmark of an idealist.
A friend of mine jokingly called them the Planeteers (remember the cartoon?)
Jokes asides, these Planeteers are but one example of idealists who make up this generation below 30s.
Another group of friends is working hard to share educational opportunities that exist in the United States with students in Malaysia.
They are out that to smash the myth that gaining admission into the best schools is either impossible or expensive, or both. They are already in those schools and they are inspiring others to be ambitious, just as they had been.
Together, they hold an ideal that Malaysians should have access to not just basic education but fulfilling the quality education that many in my circles believe that the Malaysian system is simply unable to provide, for various reasons.
Yet another set of brilliant cohorts with sterling education joined politics in drove as interns and assistants to politicians whose ideals they share. And they, too, sign up out of conviction, not for power.
There is a dangerous generalization here for surely, in every generation, there are dishonest individuals out merely to acquire power. That seems irrelevant to my circle of friends. In their eyes, I see a cause.
This surprises me greatly. For a generation condemned by others as highly disinterested in politics and societal issues at large, and only out and about listening to unbearable noise on their iPod and out large at night in roaming the city, the manner in which they have come in to shape politics is one big finger to such condescending generalisation.
A common criticism directed against idealists is that they are still young and naïve. The real world, sooner or later, will break them.
This generation of mine, or at least my circles, in a trend so overwhelming like a 50-metre tall wave to a sampan, is different. They are a different kind of idealists, for whom criticism is like a hard stone to a knife.
These idealists recognise harsh reality. Contrary to typical characterisation of an idealist, these idealists found their ideals out of disappointment and from that disappointment, a call to activism.
They have been all over the world. They witnessed it, made judgment about it, made comparison out of it. And they are disillusioned with Malaysia.
They are angry at everything that is true. All promises have been broken and they are posed to inherit a broken country with disrepute institutions, diminished national pride and worsening race relations.
While the older generations tend to dismiss this generation as unappreciative of past sacrifices, this new breed of idealist activists see that the older generations have failed them.
What else can so comprehensively explain why the nation's youth, in so overwhelming a manner, voted against the establishment in 2008?
The disillusionment is traumatic, but it has hardened, not broken, them.
Rather than consoling themselves, they decide to not tweak their ideals, but almost outrageously go out to fix the reality. They endeavor to close the gap between ideals and reality, to improve the lamentable state that we Malaysians are in.
These circles of mine have been privileged but not overly so in their upbringing. After all, not too many attended the likes of Harvard, Dartmouth, Colby, Berkeley – and, ahem, Michigan – among others.
Experience tells me that outliers exude contagious confidence. The arithmetic mean is susceptible to outliers.
Such confidence is bound for greatness. It is individual confidence that is no longer dependent on the state or the community. They are, by themselves, individually, a whole army.

At maddruid.com, Hafiz Noor Shams shares how he is proud of his generation.

"Permata (Untuk Isteri Ku)"

Telah ku siapkan satu daerah paling sunyi
Dalam hati ini untuk kau isi sebagai isteri
Untuk kau penuhi dengan kemuliaan seorang wanita
Untuk kau beri erti dengan kelembutan
Untuk kau hargai dengan kasih sayang

Ku ingin kau jadi wanita mulia
Yang tahu harga budi dan hati
Seorang lelaki bernama suami

Kerana engkau isteri
Ku ingin kau mengerti bahawa hidup ini
Tak semudah yang kita janjikan
Yang kita janjikan
Kerana kau isteriku

Artis: Kopratasa
Lirik: Allahyarham Abdul Aziz HM

Fraudulent defenders of our faith — M. Bakri Musa

This is a nice and a thoughtful piece of article that I found HERE. It make us think about ourselves as a Muslim... Have we done enough to better ourselves before we go around "defending" our cause?

AUG 10 — With Ramadan soon upon us, Muslims everywhere are caught up in a heightened sense of spirituality. That is the good news.
Take last Thursday evening, for example. The San Jose, California, masjid was inundated with believers staying late into the night. It was the 15th of Shaaban, an especially blessed time in the Muslim calendar. Shaaban is the month before Ramadan, and serves as a “warm up” to it. As my imam Ilyas noted wryly in his Friday khutba, what struck him was that many that evening had never before set foot on the premises. That is the bad news.
Malays too are struck by this wave of religious fervour with the impending arrival of Ramadan. Thus the recent local authority raid on a 7-Eleven store in Selangor, stripping the store of its beer inventory. Never mind that the store had been selling that beverage for decades without any harassment from the authorities.
Then there was Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin calling on his PAS counterpart to “unite” against DAP (and thus Pakatan) for allegedly “insulting” Islam. Not to be outdone, Datuk Khir Toyo, a fellow “fighter” in Umno Youth, chided PAS for not standing up to the Pakatan state government’s “insulting” Islam by ordering the beer loot be returned to the store.
It turned out that the local agency had no authority to conduct such a raid. Alas, observing the niceties of the law has never been a strong point with these Malaysian jihadist wannabes.
Our Malaysian jihadists may consider themselves “modern” and of a different breed. After all Khairy has been to Oxford while Khir is a trained dentist. Alas they are “modern” only in their outward appearances, what with their fancy suits and palatial bungalows. In mindset and attitude, however, they are no different from those madrasah-educated, dishevelled bearded Talibans dwelling high in the caves of Afghanistan.
More to the point, I am not all assured that these overzealous “defenders” of Islam are doing our faith any favour. On the contrary, these fraudulent defenders of our faith are smearing the image of Islam.
As my imam Ilyas rightly pointed out on noting the large crowd at the masjid on the evening of 15th Shaaban, while he was pleased with the turnout he gently reminded us that it is far more important to do the many little “good” gestures required of us by our faith all the time than be focused on doing the spectacular ultra religious deeds during Ramadan.
For example, it is much more important to be generous throughout the year rather than making a highly publicised generous donation during Ramadan. On another level, there is no point for us to live a life of vice and corruption and then once a year undertake a haj or umrah in an attempt to “cleanse” ourselves.
If the average citizen can see through the hollowness of such “pious” gestures, rest assured that Almighty Allah would have minimal difficulty figuring out the hoax.
The late Zakaria Mat Deros, a former railway guard turned fabulously wealthy politician with the obscenely ostentatious bungalow squatting amidst the squalor of the Malay kampung in Port Klang, was a prime example. He was accompanied on one of his frequent umrahs by no less than the head of Islam Hadhari, then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
I wish that characters like Mat Deros were the exception; unfortunately they are the norm. Consider that self-admitted adulterer Razak Baginda. Not only did he try to cleanse himself religiously by visiting (yes, “visiting” is the appropriate term) Mecca, he went on to “purify” himself by going to Oxford. Presumably he thinks that a doctorate from that august institution would purify him in the eyes of the secular crowd.
I wonder how Razak Baginda felt when he undertook his umrah knowing that a young girl his daughter’s age was blown up to smithereens as a consequence of his philandering. Did he offer any prayers for the soul of his former lover and for her still grieving family? Charity and generosity after all are one of the pillars of our faith.
These Malays should heed the advice of my young but wise imam. They should instead focus on being “good” in their everyday existence instead of trying to display their piety in dramatic ways during special occasions.
The central injunction of our Quran — Amal makruf, nahi mungkar (Command good, forbid evil) — should be our daily creed. Frequent trips to Mecca, glamorous iftar parties during Ramadan, and having a surau as part of your palatial mansion will not make up for your ignoring this elemental and recurring Quranic refrain.
I wish that Khairy and Khir, being young and the future leaders of Umno, as well as others would address the gross injustices perpetrated on our citizens, the corruption that is infesting our society, and the poverty that blights far too many Malaysians, instead of being unnecessarily obsessed with 7-Eleven stores selling beer. In the same vein I do not see Khairy, Khir and others of their ilk being outraged at Umno stalwarts serving on the boards of Carlsberg and the Genting casino company.
The pair’s selective outrage baffles me. Or stated differently, I, like others, readily see through their hoax.
There is nothing Islamic about a society infested with corruption, dehumanised by poverty, and riddled with injustices. It would be the height of hypocrisy, and mocks our great faith to boot, for Khairy and Khir Toyo to claim the mantle of Islamic leadership if they are a part of the state apparatus that allows these evils to continue. — bakrimusa.com

ISA

Beberapa hari lepas puluhan ribu rakyat Malaysia dari pelbagai agama, kaum dan bangsa berkumpul di Ibukota. Tujuannya hanyalah satu... untuk menyampaikan satu memo kepada YDP Agong tentang perlunya suatu undang-undang yang bernama Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) dimansuhkan (khabarnya ada juga kumpulan yang berhimpun untuk menyokong akta ini pada hari yang sama, tapi kurang mendapat perhatian... terutama dari pihak berkuasa).

Pada hematnya aku bukanlah ahli politik atau aktivis untuk mana-mana badan... tetapi aku dah banyak baca tentang bagaimana akta ini digunakan untuk mengekang mereka-mereka yang di”cop” boleh membawa bahaya kepada keselamatan negara.

Ya, baiklah...ada juga logiknya ISA ni. Tapi apa yang menghairankan, hanya mereka yang menjadi peneraju dan penyokong parti yang tak sehaluan dengan parti-parti kerajaan pulak yang selalu kena tangkap. Khabarnya akta ni membolehkan pihak berkuasa menangkap mereka yang disyaki boleh membawa bahaya kepada keselamatan negara. Jadi sejak beberapa tahun ni, maka ramailah mereka yang di”cop” sedemikian ditangkap. Yang bestnya, mereka yang ditangkap ni, majoritinya, tidak dibawa ke muka pengadilan.... Cuma “disimpan” dipusat tahanan untuk disoal siasat. Hehehe....ada yang kena soal siasat sampai 8 tahun....

Ini menunjukkan pihak berkuasa kita ni tak pandai menyoal siasat.... mungkin tak belajar betul-betul dari siri-siri TV macam Law & Order, CSI, Numb3rs, TJ Hooker, Starsky & Hutch dan lain-lain. Kalau tak, takkanlah ada yang dah bertahun-tahun terpaksa berpisah dengan anak isteri....dan dah bertahun-tahun anak-anak hilang kasih sayang ayah dan isteri hilang belaian suami. Banyak dah keluarga yang menderita sebab hilang orang yang selama ni jadi “bread winner”. Atas alasan apa mereka ditangkap? Wallahu a’lam... Takkan nak soal siasat ambik masa terlalu lama?

Tapi yang pastinya, akta ni memang sepatutnya dah takde lagi dah.... Kalau tak salah Allahyarham Tun Razak dulu kata akta ni hanyalah untuk mengekang bahaya pengganas komunis. Rasanya Arwah Bapa Pembangunan Malaysia ni pun tak pernah terfikir pun yang akta yang dia bawa ke Parlimen dulu akan digunakan oleh kerajaan (termasuklah anaknya PM sekarang ni) untuk tangkap ustaz-ustaz, aktivis-aktivis hak asasi manusia, pemberita, penulis blog...dan yang lebih teruk lagi ialah ahli-ahli politik dari parti-parti pembangkang (tak pernah pulak dengar ahli-ahli politik dari parti-parti kerajaan yang kena tangkap.....Pelik, kan?). Ada juga yang sepatutnya jadi saksi, jadi plaintif...ditangkap.... Pelik juga, kan?

Selalunya bila aku cakap macam ni.... maka adalah di kalangan kawan-kawan dan sahabat yang kata aku ni anti-kerajaan lah, sokong pembangkang lah, tak bersyukur kat kerajaan sebab bantu bayar untuk pendidikan aku lah.... Dari satu segi memanglah betul.... Tapi sebagai seorang Muslim, kita diajar supaya berlaku adil... tak kiralah kepada siapa....tak kiralah samada orang-orang tu berlainan fahaman agama atau ideologi politik... ataupun sekadar berbeza pendapat. Jikalau betul seseorang tu bersalah...siap dengan bukti-bukti dan saksi-saksi...maka hadapkan dia ke mahkamah, dakwa dia....bagi dia perbicaraan yang adil.... kalau terbukti bersalah tanpa keraguaan yang munasabah, maka hukumlah dia.... “Innocent until proven guilty”....

Kalau keadilan tak ada dalam negara, maka visi untuk jadi negara maju akan tinggal visi sahaja..... Sebab dalam sesebuah negara maju, kerajaan dan rakyatnya juga mestilah ada mentaliti negara maju.... Apa dia mentaliti negara maju? Kalau nak tulis....”confirm” menjela-jela.... Faham-faham sendirilah...cubalah tengok negara-negara maju.... tapi tengok yang “part-part” yang baik je lah...kemudiannya, cuba “assimilate” ke dalam konteks negara pelbagai kaum macam kita.... Mungkin susah, tapi kalau tak mula, sampai bila pun kita akan “tersangkut” kat “3^rd World mentality”.... sampai bila pun kita takkan maju...

Rakyat berdemo, bukan sebab rakyat benci kerajaan.... tapi sekadar untuk suarakan ketidakpuasan hati kepada sesuatu isu.... takkan lah itu pun membahayakan keamanan.... “come on” la bang.... Cuba ingat balik, kerajaan dipilih oleh majoriti rakyat.... ye betul...tapi janganlah lupa kepada yang “minoriti”. Diorang pun rakyat Malaysia jugak...bayar bermacam-macam cukai kat kerajaan.... Tapi bila diorang cuba “tegur” kerajaan....kerajaan buat “dek” je.... terlalu sibuk meng”hibur”kan hati yang majority tu je.... mana boleh...tak adil lah namanya....

Jadi sebagai penutupnya.... renung-renungkan lah.... jangan jadikan kuasa yang ada pada kita tu sebagai benda yang buat kita buta.... dan jangan lupa, nanti di Hari Akhir kita akan ditanya oleh Allah apa yang kita buat dengan kuasa yang kita ada....

Apa kita nak jawab nanti?