The ban on Burqa

http://www.smh.com.au/multimedia/opinion/the-burqa-ban-debate/20100520-vm3h.html

Australia is the latest country to join in the western outcry of ban against Burqa. Burqa is the attire conservative/staunch Muslim women wear when they go out in public. The idea is to protect themselves from unwanted attention and let them feel secure in the outside world. This may seem ridiculous to many people but that is their cultural value. Unlike the popular misconception that it is a means of oppressing women, it is actually something that dignifies a woman in the Islamic society.

I agree with the lawyer in the video, that if the real concern is about the oppression of women then the concern has to be shown in a manner that shows intention of understanding the values behind it. In Islam, women are considered precious. A woman is allowed to dress as she pleases, adorn herself and satisfy her vanity but only in front of people that matter- her husband and her family. While the Burqa is more of a cultural significance, the colour, shape, cut varying in different countries the basic ruling is to dress modestly. The idea is that a woman should value her own dignity and present herself in a manner that befits a lady of high morale and character. By adorning the burqa, the Muslim woman exercises her right to dress according to her religious and cultural values. She feels safe and protected. Not to mention the convenience of a Burqa. A quick  slip-in and she is ready to go anywhere without much worry of how her hair look like or what kind of dress or shoes she is wearing.

For the clarity of my non-Muslim readers I would just like to mention that while Islam specifies modest, loose clothing that covers a woman's body and hides her curves.  There is no specification of the need to cover the face.  This is something that has evolved with time by religious groups who feel they want to prevent any kind of interaction with males and decide to cover their face as well. This is again a cultural and social phenomenon. Although a headcover is recommended as hair are seen to be the most attractive feature of a woman. Mostly, burqas, veils and hijaabs are also an emulation of the way the prophet's wives dressed and it is a way to show their love for these ladies.

Also, many modern Muslim women adorn the head scarf with western clothing as it is symbolic of their religion. Hence, even in the Islamic world you will find variations. There are also many Muslim women like me who neither wear the hijaab or the burqa, because I feel I dress modestly and can carry myself with dignity without these accessories. Although as a Muslim, I feel it would be better if I start the 'purdah'. Purdah is the concept of totally hiding yourself from the view of other Males. But, so far I have not felt that need to exclude myself in this way and find it more practical to dress like an average person who draws no attention.

Maybe the black burqas stir some kind of fear in the mind of the ignorant, but just remember this woman is only exercising her right to dress as she feels like it. It's not fair to judge anyone by your own moral standards. If the west believe in 'Flaunting it if you have got it' most of the Muslim women believe flaunting only leads to more social evils and they are happy to maintain their decorum and only share their beauty with people who matter. I actually find it quite ironic that the 'headscarf' draws so much criticism and outcry. I wonder why these people do not point fingers at the attire of nuns in the Catholic church, whose attire is very much like a burqa- A nuns dress is also loose clothing that covers them from head to toe.

The burqa should not be seen as a symbol of Islamic extremism. I feel Islam is becoming synonymous with paranoi in the western minds. For this, I take some responsibility and apologize for the heinous acts performed by a small group of morons in the name of Islam. These people are not only enemies of non-muslims but also a big scar on the face of Islam.

I would also like to plead to the western media to stop exploiting issues by presenting only half truths. Its important to see both sides of the coin before passing any judgements.

For any other clarifications, feel free to post your questions here. Although I am no Muslim cleric I will try to give you a balanced view of the peaceful Muslim majority.

Muhammad - The Prophet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuZ1jmoj_KI

In the name of Freedom....A response to the Facebook page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l96PuC8iUTYFreedom of speech indeed, what a sham!! The recent attack on Muslims by a seemingly innocent drawing competition has mocked the meaning of freedom of speech. " Everybody Draw Muhammad Day' was posted as an event on Facebook. It called out to everyone to draw caricatures of the Holy Prophet who is held dear by Muslims all over the world.

Once again the biased international media chose to stay quiet on this issue. Even though thousands of protests were launched all over the globe, there was no mention of it. Until, they got the images they wanted. The image of some radical Muslims burning the US flag and condemning Facebook was posted on CNN and other news channels almost a week after the event began. It was celebrated on 20th May and gave people a chance to ridicule Muslims by posting demeaning paintings of the prophet.

The event was boycotted by thousands of Muslims all over the world and some Muslim countries placed a ban on Facebook and  You Tube with limited access to Wikipedia. While, as a Muslim I salute this stand I am also concerned that the mischief mongers are successful in their mission. Through provocation they rejoice in bringing out the emotional out bursts and continue to deface Muslims as intolerant maniacs.

People criticise the extremism in Islam, all Muslims criticise that too. Has it ever occured to anyone why this sudden rise of extremism in the last 2 decades? I am not supporting the terrorist activities but if you see your own family being maimed, your house blown up, yr city ravaged by foreigners then do u expect ppl to remain sane. This is the true cause of terrorism, the fear, the hatred that has been thrown upon oppressed ppl in Iraq, Afghanistan that is what is coming back to haunt you. Not Islam. 

Since when did slander of character become a symbol of freedom of speech? Why is freedom of speech used as a tool to make racist comments and hurt people's feelings? Is this what freedom means to you???!!

You people know nothing about the religion or the man who brought it to us. Most of the ppl in this group are brainwashed by the media. There are all kinds of terrorists, some of them are Muslims but not all Muslims are terrorists.

What you are doing in the name of free speech is spread more hatred and fear, and why ?? what have you got to prove? what are you proving by this stupid game? If someone abuses you, your family or your friends are u ready to accept it as free speech???

Hypocrites!
The media is just interested in showing the half truth and that is the reality. There is no such thing as freedom of speech.
The reality is that what you ppl call terrorist organisations are the product of the western victimisation . Dig deeper and you will know why people act in such fearless manner. Why is it that they are able to overcome the natural fear of death and ready to blow themslves up for their cause?

I am totally against these suicidal bombings and all terrorist activities. Islam strongly condemns the blood of any human being. It is the planned persecution of superpowers, the half truths of the international media that is working on defacing the Muslims.

We as Muslims respect all faiths. All prophets who came before Muhammad are dear to us. We will never ridicule anyone by drawing caricatures of Jesus,Virgin Mary or Bhagwan or Buddha.

Religion is a personal thing, we respect your faith all we ask is you respect ours. There are radicals everywhere, in every religion and state , question is what do you have to gain by provoking them? Is this ego gratification worth it?
In the end all I can say is,

You may insult me and my faith, you may feel you
have the power to undermine the people I hold dear, yes I am hurt, angry
and sad but I still pray God shows you the right path. I feel sorry for
your insecurity that leads you to gain pleasure through ridicule. I
pray for you and wish you peace as that is what Muhammad has taught his
followers to do.

The Beloved Enemy- Part 1

It was one of those stressful days at work. Deadlines, deadlines... and so many of them. Sarah had been coming home late for the past one week and now it was getting to her. Then walking into the lounge, she got totally flustered when she saw her brother Nickie sleeping on the couch with the TV on at full volume. He had not even bothered to open the curtains since morning. This threw Sarah into a rage.


Nickie had been acting strange since their father’s death. First he left his job then just decided to go overseas. But could not get the visa, so was left with nothing. He would not work or even help out at home. Nickie was 29 years old, it was about time he started taking some responsibility. The whole family was badly shaken after their parents’ death in a car accident a year ago. But that did not mean they could just sit and mope. Sarah had a family of six siblings, four girls and two boys. The three sisters were married and she lived with her brothers- Nickie and Angelo. Angelo was 15 yrs. old and still in school. Sarah was the eldest sibling so the job of running the household fell on her. She had been feeling very tired and exhausted lately.

Sarah and her sisters had tried to support Nickie by encouraging him to try for other jobs but he would not even make the effort to go and meet someone. He was a quiet person, just busy with his computer or watching TV . He also did not have any friends.

“ Get up will you!. Can’t you even shut the TV off when you are sleeping. You have to start caring, we have to pay bills you know.” That’s all the energy Sarah had to tell Nickie off. Then she went to change muttering to myself. The most infurious thing was that he didn’t even budge from the couch, just raised his head for a minute then went back to sleep. Sarah knew it was futile saying anything to him, so just went into the kitchen to prepare a meal for herself and her brothers.

Life just went on at this pace for a while, there were small moments of joy when one of the sisters visited with their kids. Generally they were a close knit family, caring and supportive. The trauma of parent’s death had affected everyone badly but they were being brave and trying to move on, or at least some of them were. All Sarah can remember from those days, is the feeling of exhaustion, mostly emotional. Life carried on in the usual fashion, Sarah was too pre-occupied with her job and home chores. Angelo was busy with school and Nickie was just temperamental. Some days he would be fine and other times gloomy. But other than that he didn’t really trouble anyone, just kept himself busy with his own thoughts and activities.

After a few months, they noticed a change in Nickie’s mood. He was very happy, making plans and buying stuff for home. Suddenly he also started showing concern for his sister, saying she get too tired and they should hire a maid to do the housework. Sarah asked him what he was up to. Did he win a lottery or something? And he just smiled saying he got a good job. He was not very communicative. As always Sarah was just too tired to pursue further and thought it was good that he is at least feeling positive.

Maybe if she had not been dealing with the grief and burden of responsibilities, she may have looked further and seen through him. But unfortunately she was also a very trusting person and usually just took things at face value.

The positive mood did not last long. It may have, if Sarah had not discovered that some jewellery was missing. The phone call from the family jeweller came as a real shock and a rude wake up call. Nickie had been selling off some heirlooms. Since the family had good terms with them, the jeweller called to just check if Sarah knew what was happening. She could not believe it at first. But the truth was the cheerfulness was actually because of some pieces of jewellery Nickie had found at home. Sarah felt did not have the strength to confront him on her own. She was too distraught and decided to consult other family members and Nickie was exposed. But that was the day when he also showed a very different side of himself for the first time. He became nasty and revengeful. He was so good at manipulating everyone that the focus turned on Sarah.

Yes, even though he had been caught red handed he turned the tables by accusing her of plundering money. Not taking care of him or the house and using what she earned for her own frivolities. This is when Sarah’s brother became her enemy.

What followed was a whole year of torment and persecution, till they finally broke away.

To be continued.

Random thoughts on being a writer

I have been told that I have a talent for writing and am good at expressing myself. Personally, I just enjoy writing, but I really wish I could be more disciplined. For many years, I have wanted to compile my own book of short stories. God knows life is full of sensational stuff, much more than what you see on TV. But I have not been able to really discipline myself and actually take this project seriously, although it is something so close to my heart. I tell myself I am a moody writer, sometimes the words just flow and I get inspired, while many times I just shut myself up...even to myself.


Hmmm ..interesting thought, I didn’t realize this happens to me. You see writing is quite liberating for me and it has helped me in my worst phases to clarify my thoughts and be honest about my feelings. I started this blog with the view to pen down my thoughts as they came, but have not been able to fully use that. You must be wondering why I am telling you this. For one thing I think I need some motivation and a push in this regard. So I hope some of you will give me that.

Also by writing this down, I am actually admitting to myself that I am not on track and I have to start doing something if I ever want to realize my dream of being a published story teller.

Now that I am done with my rambling, I decided to write my first story. This is a true experience based on my observations. Do tell me what you think.