Sunday, October 29, 2006

The Mullah and the Lady

Another day, another controversy in the name of Islam. And who shout out the most- people who are least affected. I am getting tired. Every couple of days a new media crowned messiah of Islam makes some new comment about Islam and again the whole bull in a China shop circus starts. Whether it be fatwas or triple talaq or women rights, in the media frenzy the actual debate gets lost. It seems there is no middle position. Its either with us or against us.

Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali an Egypt born Australian cleric has blamed women for rapes and believes dress plays an important part in the whole act.
In his sermon the sheikh said...(no spin the actual translation
)

Who commits the crimes of theft? The man or the woman? The man.

That's why the man was mentioned before the woman when it comes to theft because his responsibility is providing.

But when it comes to adultery, it's 90% the women's responsibility. Why? Because a woman possesses the weapon of seduction.

It is she who takes off her clothes, shortens them, flirts, puts on make-up and powder and takes to the streets, God protect us, dallying. It's she who shortens, raises and lowers.

Then it's a look, then a smile, then a conversation, a greeting, then a conversation, then a date, then a meeting, then a crime, then Long Bay jail. [laughs].

Then you get a judge, who has no mercy, and he gives you 65 years.

But when it comes to this disaster, who started it? In his literature, scholar al-Rafihi says: 'If I came across a rape crime - kidnap and violation of honour - I would discipline the man and order that the woman be arrested and jailed for life.'

Why would you do this, Rafihi? He says because if she had not left the meat uncovered, the cat wouldn't have snatched it.

If you take a kilo of meat, and you don't put it in the fridge or in the pot or in the kitchen but you leave it on a plate in the backyard, and then you have a fight with the neighbour because his cats eat the meat, you're crazy. Isn't this true?

If you take uncovered meat and put it on the street, on the pavement, in a garden, in a park or in the backyard, without a cover and the cats eat it, is it the fault of the cat or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem.

If the meat was covered, the cats wouldn't roam around it. If the meat is inside the fridge, they won't get it.

If the meat was in the fridge and it [the cat] smelled it, it can bang its head as much as it wants, but it's no use.

If the woman is in her boudoir, in her house and if she's wearing the veil and if she shows modesty, disasters don't happen.

That's why he said she owns the weapon of seduction.

Satan sees women as half his soldiers: "You're my messenger to achieve my needs."

Satan tells women: "You're my weapon to bring down any stubborn man. There are men that I fail with. But you're the best of my weapons."

The woman was behind Satan playing a role when she disobeyed God and went out all dolled up and unveiled and made of herself palatable food that rakes and perverts would race for. She was the reason behind this sin taking place.


There have been calls for his resignation while the Mufti has his supporters behind him but as a muslim I have only one thing to say to him. Sir you are wrong big time. Your speech just shows your mentality and your biases.

Comparing women to meat makes them nothing more than an object of desire and by saying that they ought to be in their homes means you believe that the man shall provide while the ladies shall stay at home. There is a reason why Islam is so much in controversy. Seeing the world change around us with women getting liberated, paranoid old men such as the Mufti have become the voices calling for a rigid enforcement of Islam. And the world simply does not hear the voices of sanity in between.

But let the world not worry. This line of thought is not limited to the Muslim world only. The Mufti has a unique supporter in the radical hindu party Shive Sena which has again and again said a similar thing. Its strange how the radicals have literally no religion.

But moving on let me state the truth. Today is not seventh century Arabia. Islam was and people forget this many times the most progressive religion of its time. Women got respect and property rights. It took 1300 years and the supreme court ruling to give Hindu women similar property rights. So the problem is not with Islam but with the self crowned guardians.

Yes today is not seventh century Arabia. And the fact is to blame wome women for rape is as henious as the act itself. Coz it would not be rape if the women is to blame it would then be sex by mutual consent.

If we are civlized then the women in question should feel safe to walk down any street as she pleases and not feel insecure. As a civilized society we succeed only when we give her that sense of security. Saudi Arabia and other Islamic societies where women are ruthlessly suppressed and not allowed to even go to the market alone are an abhorrence and should be condoned.

And the mufti turns a blind eye to two facts. One most rapists are relatives of the victim who hope that the victim will be too scared to report. And secondly that most of the women who get raped they are very decently dressed. They are preyed upon because they are weak and percieved to be helpless. Its the men's mentality that must change not the women's.

But dont get me wrong. I dont believe the call for change can come from outside. It has to come from inside Islam from the believers themselves. George Bush in his call to change just kills the voice for change. The voices have to be from inside Islam. Like this one and a hundred others that are slowly calling out.

Rape is a crime and Islam has only one penalty for it - death. Nothing less. There can be no justification of so henious a crime. Not in a civilized society.


By the way if u find this interesting also read my earlier blog in support of Project Blank Noise, an anti eve-teasing movement. Click to go there

Saturday, October 14, 2006

"Fly Away " the poem

FLY
AWAY

I had tried to be the norm,
But I had failed.
I have tried to be the exception
But I am not doing very well
For I am treapped in an image
An image of my own making
And now I am trying to fly free
I made that image
For I thought that was what i wanted
But I was off the mark
And I think I realized what I truly wanted
Just a few moments ago
Even though I had known it for quite some time
But the work of time does not vanish in an instant
And I am again being squeezed in that old mould
But I am not setting in it any more

Let me fly away
For I am not in the mood to be here
Let me fly away
For I am restrained where I am
Let me fly away
For it's hard to stay here
Let me fly away
For its torturous holding myself here
Let me fly away
For maybe if I leave now, I may be back tomorrow
Let me fly away
For maybe then I may become the exception
Yes,let me fly-fly away
BY- SYED ASHRAF HUSAIN

Another of my poems from the cold storage. I have rebelled and have found my peace but still.................................
The need to rebel is as old as civilization itself. This poem written many years ago is an expression of that maybe atavistic need itself.
It is about the time when I wanted to rebel. Now of course I am at peace with myself having been there, seen it and also done it all.
Lookin back those times seem full of immaturity. But in retrospect even the urge to rebel is a great teacher
Enjoy it.
Ending ASHRAF

Another Sem Passes

Another Semester has passed.

And wow what a sem this has been.

Its been good and it's been bad. So a mixed sem as such.

But there is only one undeniable thing about this sem-it was over in a wink. Am still surprised it's over.

It was mixed as at times I had the time of my life and there were days where loneliness and emptiness nearly made me loose my sanity.

"Loneliness and emptiness"- surprising words especially esp for people who know my life at least from the outside. Many batchmates, juniors and even seniors have at different time come up to me and confessed that they ENVY MY LIFESTYLE. They can only see the outer facade of me being there everywhere, part of the mag board , talking to gals etc.

But the emptiness is felt at the end of the day when there is no one around. I am indeed living a good life but something's absence or presence makes it all worthless. I wish I could figure out what the void is all about.

Too much of melodramatic talk. I think I will move on. Frankly this sem I had a lot of fun with and without the mag board.

Had two rocking treats at "Sheesha's" and "Bashos". PURE FUN. It's been a pure ecstacy being there and enjoying myself. But if there was fun then we had work being done too. And Mag Board is about that 50-50 mixture of fun and work.

A lot of stuff was done this sem. We worked on a recruitment brochure for the college which sadly has not yet seen the light of the day, had a successful treasure hunt, had a notice board and most of all Published the first edition of the "eMAGe", the Mag Board at AIT e-letter. And I am proud of it all.

In acads me and my project partner decided not to pursue the AI paper this sem, so had a chill out sem. Not much action there actually but so what.

Anyway I guess I covered a lot of ground. Time to cease the typing.

Bye

Ashraf's log saturday 14th Oct 4:00 am