FATWA

This morning paper is buzzing with objections over the latest fatwa issued by the Malaysian National Fatwa Council against practicing Yoga. This came a few weeks after declaring another controversial fatwa on Tomboy and Lesbianism. I myself could not believe what i read.

First thought came to mind was that was it necessary to issue a fatwa (religious ruling) on such an issue and whether an in-depth study on the necessity and effect on the believers directly and unbelievers indirectly was done.

What is a fatwa? Well, it is a religious ruling issued by the religious authorities like imams and muftis who sit on the panel on issues which are not so clear and can affect a Muslim. They are supposed to be a guide when one is not so sure if an activity or thing is haram or not. Subjects which are not clearly mentioned in the Quran (words of God) or the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet) may require a ruling done as there are many conflicting opinions by various parties regarding the issues. The problem with fatwas in Islam is that once they are issued they become enforceable and therefore those who do not follow it may be subjected to legal implications if they are enforced.

But in the subject of faith which is the core of religious practice of any religion, whereby a person upon confession of one's belief in God and His messenger, the person is to submit himself to all its practices, tenets and do's and dont's as to reflect his commitments as a believer. This unwritten contract between a believer and his God and how good he practices it forms the basis of judgement by God onto him which to affect his rewards in the hereafter. A person may call himself a Muslim because he was born to a Muslim parents, but if he does not practice all the tenets of Islam, he is just a plain Muslim by name. Along his long and winding life, he will face many tests on his faith, situations that may call upon his moral judgement, friends ask him to drink alcohol at a bar or commit adultery or take drugs for instances, how he handles these situations will reflect what kind of Muslim he really is. God will test every believer in many forms throughout their lives so He could reward them and those who failed are given plenty of chance to redeem themselves before they move to the next life.

The question that i want to ask is do we need to be guided every step of the way on every issue with endless rules and fatwas so our iman (faith) is not easily eroded? Are we so fragile that we need such protection? Didnt our parents and education system prepare us enough on the fundamentals of being a Muslim so we can set on a life journey on the right path? Arent we given the minds (akal) to differentiate between what is right, halal and wrong, haram when we come across one in our path? Personally, i would prefer to be tested to the limit on my faith and come out victorious without somebody holding my arms, at least i know i got what it takes to be a good Muslim. In my life, i have been through many tests on my faith, and i am pleased to come out in one piece.

I believe many Muslims are strong in their faith and can tell the difference between right and wrong. A simple activity like Yoga if taken as an exercise to strecth sore and stiff bodies would not erode one's faith. I think most people would know once an exercise becomes entertwined with religious practices and would withdraw if they feel in conflict with their faiths. The religious bodies should stop treating the Muslims in this country like kids as they are matured and well educated and changing with the times. They should concentrate on serious issues which are more of urgent nature like Mat Rempit, money politics, bribery, misuse of power, drug usage, premarital sex among Muslim teenagers, husbands who mistreated their wives, deviationist teachings etc.

If they do need to clarify certain religious issues which are not clear, maybe it should be in a form of advice and not fatwas. Let God decide whether a believer is true to his faith and deserve the rewards in the hereafter, who are we to play God?

DEJA VU

Barely one week after Barrack Obama won the 2008 US Presidential Election, i start to have a bad feeling that the shadow of the old US is still around and kicking. Mr Obama has not even moved in into the White House yet, the IAEA came up with a report that a very minute trace of Uranium was found at the site of the Syrian nuclear reactor site which was bombed by the Israelis. Does this sound familiar? Of course they said it is not enough to prove anything but further probe is required at selected Syrian military sites. The Syrian expectedly will say no as it will affect their security especially when they know who are pulling all the strings - the US and Israel.

To me, the Uranium could have come from anywhere especially the depleted Uranium bombs are used by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan and i am not surprised that the Israelis have them too, and used them in the bombing of the Syrian nuclear site. But like always, the Americans, British, French, Germans and other allied countries are starting to rally around the table to form a pressure group on Syria and eventually like always will use the UN Security Council to pass resolution after resolution which eventually will translate into the US unilateral military action - further bombing of Syria, and another Iraq in the making, mark my word! This looks like Iraq Part 3 as Part 2 is in the making with Iran.

We of course cannot blame Mr Obama for this as Mr Bush is still calling the shot and i am sure he will try to whack Syria before he leaves the Oval Office. It looks like Mr Obama will be under a lot of pressure to deal with this new issue as failure to deal with it will make him look weak through the eyes of the Jewish supporters and lobby groups that helped him win the election. His new Chief of Staff is a jew and will influence him heavily with the pro-Israel policies for the years to come. If he went along using military solutions like Bush did, he will kill all the expectations of the millions of American and the rest of the world have, when he promised change on the day he won the election.

Mr Obama has a unique opportunity now not to follow the old ways used by his predecessors to deal with these kind of issues which never solved any problems, and used a softer approach of negotiation and positive reinforcements in his foreign policies. The main problem that he will face are the people surrounding him who will bombard him with all kinds of advice. Some are hawkish who prefer bomb first and ask questions later, while some others prefer engaging through negotiations which are slow.

The Middle Eastern countries have been victims of years of lop-sided US foreign policy which has always favoured Israel. This has caused a lot of suffering ,and killing the hope of every Arab on the streets for peace and freedom they enjoyed before 1948, when Israel was illegally formed through the help of the British, French and the US. It is time that Mr Obama, the Messiah of Change(i hope), put a stop to all this and bring real peace to that region and eventually other parts of the world.

A NEW ERA

Congratulations! Barrack Obama has done it, he has won the 2008 Presidential Election by beating Senator McCain and in the process become the first ever black president in the 232 years history of the United States of America. The people of the US are in euphoria with their newly elected president who represents change and new ways of administrating the US and the world affairs.

We in the third world countries are also hoping that with the departure of Bush and his people, the US would hopefully change for the better especially in their foreign policy which has caused so much problems to other countries. We hope the US will be more responsible and not biased in dealing with certain countries especially Islamic countries and stop using the instrument of war to pressure and bully others into compliance. Wars should not be used to distract the people from the real issues at home and to cover the administration weakness to handle the economy which has put the US on the brink of the worst recession since 1930. The US also should stop lumping together all the Arabs and Islamic countries into stereotyped grouping as terrorist states, thus putting a barrier for better relationship in the future. Mr Obama hopefully will not walk down this path and make the same mistakes his predesessors had done in the past especially with the background that he has growing up in the Muslim majority Indonesia and having a Kenyan origin.

We also hope the US will be really impartial in solving the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestin which is really the source of all the militant movements in the Middle East and Arab countries. Should Mr Obama sings the same songs like the previous Presidents in the peace accord which leaning toward Israel, i am afraid there will be no end to the conflict. The problem of terrorism ( fighting for freedom to the Palestinians) needs to be solved at the root and hopefuly Mr Obama understands this and have the courage and charisma to gain support among his countrymen in the Congress to solve it once and for all.

The victory of Barrack Obama is the victory for the colored people and defeat for white supremacy in the US. The Black people have been treated with indifference for so long even before the civil wars in the 1700s up to the mid 60s and the present day. I remember when i was growing up in the early 60s, the black movement were very active in order to gain equal rights. They were discriminated almost everywhere. There were White bars only, in buses the black sit on one side and white on the other, up to World War 2 there were no black soldiers batallion except the Triple Nickle Battalion 555 Paratroopers, even then they were not allowed to fight in the WW2. Names like Malcom x and Martin Luther King are the symbols of the fight to gain equal rights, unfortunately they died at the hands of those who wished to keep the status quo. But now, i guess the Americans have matured after 232 years of independence in choosing a person based on his leadership qualities, his visions and hope that he can bring America into greatness again and liked by the whole world.

We hope Mr Obama can fulfill his promises he gave throughout his campaign trail and bring positive changes to America. The world is watching and hoping that this is the beginning of a new era.