Rilek1Corner

Category: Agama

  • Singaporean Muslim Mum In London: How Can My Family Live Here Safely?

    Singaporean Muslim Mum In London: How Can My Family Live Here Safely?

    Late last year, just a month after our move from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to London, the city of Paris was shaken by a number of explosions that claimed hundreds of lives.

    What we saw on the news then just numbed us.

    My family and I just sat down for a moment and watched the television without uttering a word.

    We were shocked by what was shown on the news and immediately felt scared.

    You see, Paris was only three and a half hours from our previous residence in Eindhoven and we had, on a number of occasions, taken road trips over the weekend to enjoy Paris’ beauty and serenity.

    The places where the attacks took place somehow struck a chord of familiarity.

    Just four months later, the city of Brussels became the latest target of violence in Europe.

    Once again, we sat in front of the telly and went silent.

    If Paris was a three-and-a-half-hour drive from our previous residence, Brussels was only an hour and fifteen minutes away.

    Worse still, Brussels and Antwerp were the two cities that we visited on most weekends not only because of their close proximity to us then, but also because of the large number of Muslims in these cities that gave us the opportunity to explore the many halal restaurants and shops that catered to our needs.

    When these tragedies, so close to where we have been, happened, I always ask myself if I or we can live safely here.

    Every day when my husband goes to work and the children are at school, I’m afraid to go anywhere and will stay indoors.

    Perhaps this is just me and my mind playing the scary ‘what ifs’ scenarios, but I am a Muslim woman and I don the hijab.

    Also, we now live in an area where there are hardly any Muslims and I know each time something big like the bombings happen somewhere, people will start to look at me in a funny way.

    Although not much has been reported, when incidents of violence such as the Belgium bombings happen, hate crime or hate against Muslims will also be on the rise.

    Since the Paris attack, a number of incidents have been reported in London where Muslim women wearing the hijab had been targets of racial abusers.

    TALKING ABOUT HATE

    My children have also told me that in school, their teachers held special talks about what happened and also about hate crime.

    The head teacher also informed the students that terrorism and violence will not be tolerated and that it is not their Muslim friends or neighbours who commit these devious crimes, but the so-called extremist Muslims who do not follow the teachings of Islam properly.

    But I can’t help thinking that among these students there still might be some who think that all Muslims are the same, that we know about the terrorists among us even when truthfully we don’t and that we hate violence of any kind.

    What truly riles me are these so-called Muslim extremists who claimed the right to live in these European cities, often benefitting from financial, health and housing help from the government and even their livelihood from their adopted countries, and yet committing violence without batting an eyelid.

    Which part of this is the teaching of Islam I wonder.

    Is this what Islam is all about?

    Certainly not.

    Islam is a religion of peace and calmness and teaches, like all other religions, to love and respect one another.

    For example, in the Quran, we are reminded as many as 90 times to be patient. This shows how Islam is.

    We do not inflict violence on anyone even with our tongues, never mind weapons.

    These extremists have deliberately tarnished the image of Islam that we normal abiding Muslims love.The fear these attacks have inflicted on those of us who live near where they happened has also not yet faded. I do realise that we have to choose not to think about it and just carry on living.

    We have to appreciate what we have and must not succumb to just looking behind our backs each time we go out or stay indoors and avoid life altogether.

    But it is so very hard to do.

    So, in times like this, I cannot help but ask my husband: “Will you get a Singapore posting any time soon?”

     

    Source: The New Paper by Ida Suandi- Al Shara

  • Pelajar Tingkatan Satu Dakwa Dipukul Ustaz Hingga Patah Tulang Tangan

    Pelajar Tingkatan Satu Dakwa Dipukul Ustaz Hingga Patah Tulang Tangan

    Seorang pelajar perempuan tingkatan satu sebuah sekolah menengah mendakwa patah tulang tangan selepas dihentak dengan kerusi oleh seorang guru, Isnin lepas.

    Farah Izzati Mohd Rohaizad, 13 tahun, berkata dalam kejadian 8.30 malam itu dia bersama dua rakannya yang sebaya umur dipanggil oleh seorang ustaz ke dewan makan sekolahnya itu untuk mengaji Al-Quran.

    Ketika sampai di dewan, ustaz berkenaan bertanya sama ada mereka boleh membaca atau tidak tetapi Farah Izzati memberitahu dia uzur dan tidak boleh membaca Al-Quran.

    Semasa Farah Izzati mahu mengambil tempat di kerusi berdekatan dengannya di dewan makan itu, ustaz berkenaan secara tiba-tiba membaling kerusi plastik dan terkena bahagian pinggangnya dan dia terus beredar menemani seorang rakannya, untuk mengambil Al-Quran.

    “Selepas kembali ke dewan makan dan mendapati tiada Al-Quran di hadapan saya, kepala saya dihentak kali kedua dengan kerusi namun saya sempat menahan kepala sehingga kerusi berkenaan mengenai belakang tangan kanan saya,” katanya.

    Setelah melakukan pemeriksaan, doktor di Hospital Daerah Baling mengesahkan dua tulang belakang telapak tangan kanannya mengalami keretakan dan patah.

    Sementara itu, bapanya, Mohd Rohaizad Abdullah, 36 tahun, berkata, dia amat kesal dengan kejadian yang menimpa anak sulungnya itu kerana ia sepatutnya tidak berlaku.

    “Banyak lagi cara lain untuk diambil tindakan ke atas anak saya itu jika dia benar-benar bersalah, bukan dengan cara memukulnya sehingga mencederakannya,” katanya yang membuat laporan polis semalam (6 Apr).

    Beliau turut kesal dengan pihak sekolah yang didakwa tidak memaklumkan mengenai kejadian itu kepadanya dengan segera tetapi menunggu keesokan harinya untuk berbuat demikian.

    Ketua Polis Daerah Baling, Supt Shariffudin Yusof mengesahkan menerima laporan kejadian itu dan siasatan sedang dilakukan di bawah Seksyen 325 Kanun Keseksaan.

    Source: Berita Mediacorp

  • Zulfikar Shariff: Muslim Leaders Are Weak

    Zulfikar Shariff: Muslim Leaders Are Weak

    Rasulullah (s.a.w) and his companions had a strong sense of dignity. They did not abuse and did not allow themselves to be abused. They negotiated peace without subjugating themselves.

    When Rasulullah made sujud at the Kaabah and the Quraish placed camel entrails on his shoulder, he did not get up until his beloved daughter Fatimah removed it from him. When he stood up, he made doa against the Quraish. He is the Messenger of the Lord of all the worlds. He had a strong sense of dignity.

    Today, Muslim leaders lack dignity. They accept being discriminated. They accept their community being abused. They subjugate themselves to those in power. They are thrown rubbish and they eat it up. They are supposed to be part of the Khairah Ummah. But act like the weakest of dayuth.

    How far has this ummah fallen.

    How low are the leaders.

     

    Source: Zulfikar Shariff

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Support the BDS Movement Or Not, Do Not Belittle Others

    Walid J. Abdullah: Support the BDS Movement Or Not, Do Not Belittle Others

    It is not uncommon to hear people mocking those who support the BDS movement, or who refuse to shop at ultra-capitalist establishments which engage in dodgy practices (like Primark). Often, those people engage in a series of silly arguments to justify their making fun of others. Three arguments in particular, are put forth:

    1) ‘You are just one person. Boycotting these companies would not change the situation.’

    2) ‘You can’t boycott every single unethical establishment.’

    3) ‘It’s better to work on other things that you can change.’

    To be honest, these points are quite ludicrous to even be addressed. But because they are put forth by people who are even supposed to be religious teachers, perhaps it would be worthwhile to explore them.

    1) ‘You can’t change anything by boycotting’.

    Yes, even if i boycott them, most probably, i would not be changing anything. But i don’t boycott them, i would DEFINITELY not be changing anything.

    Moreover, i have very modest ambitions: i do not harbour illusions of changing the world. All i can concern myself with is absolving myself of association with that establishment. And if that is all i can do, then that is what i should do.

    2) ‘You can’t boycott everyone.’

    Of course. But does that mean i should not boycott anyone? Seriously, what are these people smoking man.

    3) ‘It’s better to work on other things that you can change.’

    Erm, go ahead, but how does boycotting impede your ability to work on other ‘important things’? And there will always be ‘more important things’; unfortunately, too often that is just rhetoric to excuse one’s self from doing anything.

    —–

    If you choose not to support the BDS movement and the like, fine. But don’t belittle others who try to do something. If you have good arguments against it, bring them forward. Don’t articulate silly red herrings.

    It is even worse when the very same people who teach us ‘no deed is too small in the sight of God’, ‘we must encourage even the smallest good act’, etc, immediately abandon these pieces of advice when they themselves are not in agreement with specific acts. For these people, it’s my way or the highway.

    May we not be from amongst those arrogant people who think we have a monopoly on goodness.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Madrasah Students Are More Than Just Future Religious Teachers

    Madrasah Students Are More Than Just Future Religious Teachers

    It’s funny when you hear people saying that madrasah students will eventually become religious teachers or even become jobless. The reality is somewhat different. Most madrasah graduates today are professionals in so many different fields. Many are graduates of top universities locally and globally, specializing in fields within the sciences and humanities. Their parents are in high positions in diverse sectors of the Singaporean economy (just for the record: my two daughters are in two different madrasahs).

    So the next time you encounter a madrasah student, do ask the kid in tudung or songkok what he/she wants to be someday. You will be surprised that their dreams are no different from any ordinary student in secular schools. Let’s keep our minds open and our biases closed.

     

    Source: Khairudin Aljunied

deneme bonusu