3rd of Ramadhan

srizals@gmail.com

It's been three days of smoking free zone in the lands of the Malay. Well actually it didn't last that long. Not after Maghrib entered the time zone and all Muslims break their fast and at the same time, breaking their lungs in a very gentle manner, almost unnoticed until it is a little too late. Then COPD would set in or even worse, lung cancer. I remember my visit to my dying distant grandfather. He was not a smoker but his job requires him to interact with heavy smokers and sadly he got what he didn't deserve, a lung cancer. He had to suffer for almost two years before succumbed to his disease. When I visited him, Karpal Singh was in the same room. I remember his smile when he looked at me. He was detained under ISA at that time. As evil as ISA seems to be to some Malaysians, his smile reassured me. It was not that bad. I still have his smile in my head. That sincere smile.

I went to an airport send-off last night. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi bin Awang was there. Looking at the man, he is more charming than his picture in the media. He prayed for all that were going with him and all prayed along, disregard what political belief one has. Actually I was sending my relatives that were in the same umrah package as he was. And frankly speaking, I truly hope that he would find new inspiration in the holy land and see differently than his current views for the benefits of us all. We don't have to remove an entire leg when only the toe is gangrened. It is better to remove it in a surgical precision cut so that the bad toe can be discarded and the good leg saved.

If we can tolerate and cooperate with those who have different faith and standing than us, why can't we do the same with those who have more similarities with us? Surely we can't expect everyone to change overnight. Al Quran took 23 years to be revealed. Change needs time. Slowly and gradually. No one likes to be pushed around and felt like they are being forced to follow one's interpretation of goodness. You can't rush taufik and hidayah. I don't think it is up to us. We can only try and show a better way. A much better option. Hopefully some would see the choices that he or she had to make. Having said that, there are certain things that are open for debate and different interpretations, some are not. There is always an exception to the rules. It's only natural.

There was a suggestion by a prominent political leader on how to address teenage illegal pregnancy that is growing in numbers in the lands of the Malay. He suggested the establishment of a school dedicated for married teenagers. Some kind of support will be provided for them and their children until they had finished their studies and could fend for themselves. It is his view on how to stop them from having sex, illegally and immorally and encourage sex in a marital legitimacy and form a normal family unit rather than dumping the unwanted babies later on.

Baby hatchling centre was also one of the ways proposed to handle these ignorant menaces. Unwanted babies can be sent here and therefore no one should be tempted to discard their newborns as they please. Since there is no anonymity, I don't think that it would work out since the young parents would be afraid of facing the consequences of their actions.

Personally I think that we need a comprehensive solution. No one should be stopped from fulfilling their biological needs of sex. It is only natural. It is entirely our own fault for not being able to stop the sexual oriented atmosphere around our teenagers and young ones that had made them lost control of themselves. Everything they see and do is sexually oriented. Be it the internet, television shows that showed women in attires similar of those working in the sex industries, girls that are dressed but are actually naked for revealing their beautiful curvaceous bodies as if they do not understand that they are the Achilles’ heel for the supermen. Recently there was a suggestion to censor the internet to avoid easy access to pornographic materials. I wonder what had happened to our silicon valley that was supposed to produce software to tackle these problems and make money at the same time. I guess we are lacking of IT geniuses in our Multimedia Super Corridor. I'm sure any foreign companies can come out with this solution and they are surely going to make money after this.

Boys will be boys. Girls will be girls. It is their nature to be sexually mature and productive before they have the ability to support themselves. With environment so conducive in making them so obsess with sex, we can hardly blame them but ourselves for not creating the right environment of educating self-control and solid religious understanding for tirelessly trying to please mere men, not God.

Why don't we took the blame and try to solve the problems that we have only helped to create unknowingly? It is us that had neglected our children in the first place. We are not bothered to monitor our sons and daughters and be jealous and cautious of their whereabouts and activities. It was us, for being too busy chasing wealth and fame that had made us unaware of our most precious belongings of all, our own children which are the continuity of our genes in this world. We had failed to be the parents, teachers and guardians that we should have been. Shame on us. We have failed to practice the teachings and the guidelines that had saved the Muslims before us. The same teachings and guidelines that had made them invincible to their enemies. Both in the physical and the mental form. We have adopted a foreign way of life. Assimilating foreign dress code and practicing unlimited social interactions have proven to be disastrous for the Malays. If we can stop being a copycat, maybe there is still hope for us.

Last but not least, after all the efforts to reduce and regulate and making it easier to marry and have a life, one must not forget the punishment element if some still refused to adhere to the law. Again, learning and knowing the human behaviours, without punishment as consequence of his bad actions, it would not be a comprehensive solution to a person that prefers to behave like a cockerel. Mating with as many and any hen that he can get his hands on. There must be a price to pay for the defiers of good nature. Look at the Iraqis and Afghanis, all of them have to pay for the crimes they have not committed to the American people. Even the Palestinians are paying for the crimes of someone else. So why shouldn't the culprits that refused to have a decent legal sex? What's actually the problem of having sex in an honourable way?

Used imported garments or bundle clothes are in the abundance here in my hometown. Most are not imported from Muslim's countries so they are rather sexy and revealing. The problem is that they are dead cheap. So the Malays, not having the economic advantages like the non-Malays, would have little options for them to choose from. I don't know whether the Baitumal or the Islamic community have a NGO that specifically provide decent clothing or selling cheap second hand clothing or financial aids for the local desperate average Muslim and Muslimah to buy at least decent and cheap attires but I surely hope one would come out with this idea one day. May be there is already one that I have not heard of.

If the Malays with multiple Sport Utility Vehicles such as Porsche Cayenne, X5 and gigantic houses with huge stockpiles of money to burn care at least to perform their zakat duty and share a little of their wealth with the local community they are in, may be they would be able to play in some part of assisting the good and closing the evil ways. Maybe then their glaring appearances won't be so intimidating to the society they live in.

Some would only be willing to spend some money to feed their neighbours in a ceremony of chanting zikr and offer prayers when some unlucky circumstances happened in their luxurious life. Only when they are touched by evil, a result of their snobbish sons and daughters' actions, some are offering alms to the needy. How I wish that there are more millionaires that would have a foundation of their own just like Al Bukhary Foundation and give back to the society from which they have taken so much.

But men being men, they would always have some new toys, lands and luxuries to buy and to show off in order to put some weight in their character. Wealth is intoxicating if not handled correctly. It helps in insulating ourselves from the ailments of the world. Having too much love for it can be devastating. Sharing is the ultimate reward and happiness for having so much of it. Look at Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. They had a ball by sharing their wealth. Too much love of this life would make us forget our actual roles, responsibilities and happiness. May Allah guide us all to His mercy by being able to overcome our arrogant world views that exist deep in our hearts. Amin.

Ops, updates on Luwak Coffee, there has been a fatwa that it is halal since the coffee beans are not digested and are still in their perfect condition as any coffee beans available. The process involved also ensure its cleanliness, so I'm planning to have one since I have two coffee trees and there are many civet cats roaming freely around my neighbourhood. Hmm. The reason for the coffee trees? Well, the scent of the coffee flowers of course. If you have smelt them you will know what I mean.

For those who still think it’s odd for some Muslims to have to drink camel urine with camel milk to cure their disease and those who drink Luwak Coffee, let me introduce you to a unique toilet found in India and Japan. The pig toilet. If you are still not convinced then maybe you should be reading about the camel and the pig in Wikipedia or any other informative websites and books available. Make the comparison. It's the only way to develop the right understanding. One provides a cure while the other provides certain deadly diseases. The natures of both are in complete contrast. Remember, there is always an exception to the rules. Desperate times and circumstances require desperate measures. It is only natural. In the abundance of the fruits that we are having here now in the lands of the Malay, I can only say I'm glad for being given this opportunity in experiencing Ramadhan. May we find the right path in everything we do. Amin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GE6M2MWM2k
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_toilet
http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Mysterious-Nerve-Disease-Caused-by-Pigs-83771.shtml
http://www.academicjournals.org/ajar/PDF/pdf%202010/4%20Jun/Al-Abdalall.pdf
http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9600376.0
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8771453
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_a_camel%27s_urine_make_you_healthy_and_beautiful
http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Content/File/p/Tech_Bull/TB314.pdf
http://www.chemistry-in-context.com/articles/0006/