Ramadhan, Hezbollah and one or two other things

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Ramadhan, Hezbollah and one or two other things

Published Sunday, September 03, 2006 by oh admin | E-mail this post

Bulan puasa dah nak dekat, tapi semorang dah mula cerita pasal raya dulu...haha... Takpelah, raya pun nak dekat jugak. Terbaca kat website SunniSisters :

If you’ve spent Ramadan in a Muslim-majority country, how does the observance and the general “feeling” of it differ from Ramadan in a non-Muslim country? Which has been more beneficial for you as a Muslim, do you think? In a Muslim majority country, it is much easier to remember that it’s Ramadan, because 95% of the people are doing the same thing you’re doing. Sometimes, here in America, I may momentarily forget because everyone’s walking around like it’s a normal day. At the same time, in the US, I personally have never experienced people losing their heads over the “special” programming (soap operas, sometimes religious / historical in nature) that comes on in Ramadan, spending hours of their evening watching these shows instead of going to tarawih.

Kadang-kadang terfikir jugak - camna budak-budak Malaysia yang tengah belajar seberang laut lalui bulan puasa? Ada beza sangat ke dengan cara sambutan di Malaysia? Kongsi-kongsi le pengalaman ya, kitorang curious gak! Haha... lagi-lagi ada beberapa kawan kita yang dah nak terbang ke Russia, Mesir dan sebagainya. Speaking of Mesir, saya "teringat" pasal Hezbollah di Lebanon. Ada saudara kita dari Australia menulis artikle berikut tentang diorang ni :

Clearly, they are a Shi’ite milita funded and armed by a regime that seems to have little real tolerance for Sunnis. In Iraq, we have the precedent of Shi’a death squads, running under the auspices of the Iraqi Interior Ministry, targeting Sunnis. There is naturally a fear that if the Iranian-backed Shi’a of Iraq are behaving in such a way, then the Iranian-backed Shi’a of Lebanon will likewise seize the opportunity to settle 1,000 year old scores if they are able. Muslim leaders across the Arab world have dutifully supported Hezbollah and even the so-called moderate Muslim leadership in Australia are calling for Hezbollah to be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. The principle reasoning for all this support seems to be that Hezbollah are killing Jews, rather than any nuanced or considered assessment of Hezbollah’s political and religious ideology. Yet, before even more Sunnis line up behind Hezbollah and start waving their flag (as many Muslims seem to have been doing at recent rallies), perhaps somebody should ask some questions; beginning with: what on earth are we supporting when we endorse Hezbollah as freedom fighters and heroes? More at the Austrolabe

And, speaking of Australia, John Howard recently made the following statement:

"There's a small section of the Islamic population which is unwilling to integrate and I have said generally all migrants ... they have to integrate."

Mr Howard said during a talkback radio discussion yesterday: "There is a section, a small section of the Islamic population, and I say a small section ... which is very resistant to integration.

"Fully integrating means accepting Australian values, it means learning as rapidly as you can the English language if you don't already speak it.

"And it means understanding that in certain areas, such as the equality of men and women ... people who come from societies where women are treated in an inferior fashion have got to learn very quickly that that is not the case in Australia."

The comments prompted a fierce reaction from young female Islamic leader Iktimal Hage-Ali, a member of the Prime Minister's advisory group. She accused Mr Howard of threatening to further marginalise Muslims. "There's no value in pointing out the minority of the Muslim group," she said.
From the Australian

Macam-macam... Apa pendapat kamu? Ramadhan, Hezbollah dan integrasi kaum imigran Muslim di negara Barat?

12 Responses to “Ramadhan, Hezbollah and one or two other things”

Khyrel on 9/05/2006 5:28 PM

i dont have any ramadan experience abroad but i've been on vacation abroad with family and close relatives during raya (i mean from the first they of raya to post-raya period). it was such homesicking moment yet very memorable. it was such meaningful raya (altho without all the kuih and rendang and lemang and wajik) as we went touring across continents visiting relatives living abroad. we had great family reunions and had fun travelling together. as those countries I've visited are not muslim majority countries, i have had forgotten that it was raya then.

what i can only think i can say is that education is the utmost important thing of all other important things. while i side neither for israel nor hezbullah, i personally think that we need to think again whether our support for one party in that particular war is something worth doing.
hafeziftiqar on 9/10/2006 3:20 PM

Admin, kalau sdr akan ke Australia, saya jamin sdr tak akan ada masalah untuk 'integrate' dengan semua lapisan masyarakat di sini. Sepanjang saya berinteraksi dengan pesakit dan masyarakat umum, tak pernah pun diorang ada masalah dengan kami. Sepanjang satu semester saya buat 'attachment' di rumah jagaan orang tua, satu semester itulah kami solat zohor dan asar dalam gereja diorang. Sepanjang saya 'travel' di New South Wales, Victoria, Canberra, dan Northen Territory, saya bebas solat di taman, stesen minyak dan bahu jalan tanpa sebarang masalah. Sewaktu saya solat di taman-taman mereka malah tidak mahu melintas di hadapan saya walaupun jarak antara saya dan mereka bermeter-meter.

Bulan puasa bulan yang sangat seronok. Cuma puasa kebiasaannya agak panjang di Australia kerana menghampiri musim panas. Seronok kerana komuniti muslim di sini selalu berlumba-lumba utk sedekah juadah berbuka. Meratah kambing yg sangat besar secara beramai-ramai sungguh mengujakan. Dugaan juga banyak, kerana Caucasian, Indian, Arab dsb adalah makhluk yang sangat cantik dan kadang-kadang memakai pakaian yang sangat menggundahkan jiwa kelakian kamu-kamu yang normal, kecuali saya yang kuat iman :p.

Howard memang digambarkan oleh kebanyakan kartunis di sini sebagai politikus yang bodoh. Kebanyakan yang gagal untuk integrasikan diri (dari segi penguasaan bahasa) kebanyakannya para pelarian yang baru tiba beberapa tahun sudah (kebanyakan Islam) drp sosio-ekonomi rendah. Bayangkan berapa lama mereka akan mampu untuk kuasai bahasa Inggeris kalau seumur hidup mereka tak pernah langsung bertutur dalam Inggeris.

Ada satu lagi kelompok paling besar yang selalu Howard lepas pandang. Dan sampai sekarang mereka masih marah kepada kerajaan Australia. Howard juga angkuh tidak mahu minta maaf drp mereka bila didesak supaya memohon maaf kerana 'mencuri' tanah mereka. Ini ialah golongan orang asli di Australia. jika di Victoria ini mereka panggil Koori. Sedangkan sewaktu mula-mula tiba di Australia golongan orang asli dibunuh secara besar-besaran oleh pendatang Mat Salleh. Puluhan ribu lagi mati kerana tidak mempunyai imuniti terhadap penyakit-penyakit baru yang dibawa oleh pendatang seperti cacar. Kisah 'the stolen generation', bayi-bayi Koori yang dicuri dari hospital-hospital kerajaan yang berjumlah ribuan itu sampai sekarang masih menjadi bualan. Malah status kesihatan orang asli tidak dimasukkan ke dalam statistik kesihatan kebangsaan sehinggalah baru-baru ini kerana tidak mahu menjejaskan status kesihatan keseluruhan. Apa pun, kalau saudara ke sini, ambillah peluang untuk lihat apa isu yang diperjuangkan ramai kelompok saban bulan menerusi demonstrasi terhadap kerajaan Howard. Dan pastikan juga untuk ketawa melihat poster-poster Howard yang dilakar berupa beruk, manusia berbibir besar, anjing dan sebagainya. Sdr pasti terhibur :p

Apapun, saya ucapkan selamat menyambut ketibaan Ramadhan yang tidak berapa lama lagi. Dan pastikan sdr menikmati benar-benar pasar Ramadhan kerana itu perkara yang akan sangat sdr rindui bila sudah di perantauan. =)
mee_ore on 9/11/2006 1:10 AM

huhuhu... saye tidak menyangka ramadhan tahun lepas ialah ramadan yang terakhir di Malaysia... tak menikmati puas-puas... malas nk pegi pasar ramadhan... macam2 alasan..
sekarang sedikit regret...T_T
Khyrel on 9/12/2006 12:19 AM

terakhir, meor? are u really sure?
mee_ore on 9/12/2006 2:28 AM

positive!! in the case of all the consecutive years for ramadhan experience in Malaysia... The record were broken... The tribe has spoken..
echopena on 9/13/2006 3:09 PM

Seronok jugak la berpuasa di tempat orang. Sambutan Ramadhan di masjeed-masjeed jauh lagi hebat dari di Malaysia rasanya.

Subuh tak pernahnya kurang dari 2 saf. Terawih sah-sah tak muat masjeed. Malam 10 akhir, ramai org beriktikaf. 3-4 buah khemah di pasang. Iktikaf memang iktikaf sungguh, tak keluar masjeed kecuali urusan penting seperti membantu saudara (rujuk hadis). Qiamullail pula membuat diri ini merasa kecil sangat sebab mereka stay up begitu lama, solat begitu khusyuk, ada yg menangis ada yg tidak, esoknya sama-sama jumpa di sekolah dengan kita bermata kuyu sedangkan mereka segar bugar.

Tempat-tempat yang ada imam di kalangan scholars lagi la best. Tiap malam ade lecture (actually time bukan ramadhan pun ada tiap malam kalau ade scholars).

Kalau musim winter, kejap je puasanya. kadang2 tak sampai 12 jam pun. Kalau musim summer panjang puasanya. Tapi Ali r.a kata puasa musim summer la dia suka sekali. Kita pilih yg mana?

Kadang-kadang student tak dapat nak appreciate bulan ramadhan. Sama saja, katenye. Bukan lah semua student yg kata sama tu begitu. Tapi kalau di Malaysia bulan ramadhan lepak kat rumah tengok cerita kartun, ramadhan di negara orang pun duduk rumah tengok tv, memang lah sama rasanya.

Banyak lagi sebenarnya kisah menarik pasal menyambut ramadhan ni. Kata orang, kalau ditanya apa rasa buah durian, kita boleh kata manis atau berlemak atau sedap dsb, tp si penanya tak akan tahu melainkan dapat merasanya sendiri.

Begitupun, menyambut ramadhan di mana-mana bukan hal yang 'extreme' pentingnya. Tidaklah sampai ada yg merasa, ''alaa.. hidup aku tak bermakna sebab takde chance puasa kat negara orang..''. Kalau betul niatnya, hebat amalannya, di mana-mana saja keberkatannya pasti mencurah-curah.

allahua'alam
mee_ore on 9/13/2006 11:11 PM

otak manusia paling aktif (or should i say, paling bagus??) antara pukul 3pg-11pg, iaitu waktu qiamulail.. mengikut ustazah islam and medicine kat intec...
echopena on 9/14/2006 12:58 AM

I think it depends on what you are doing jugak Meor. A person who was sleeping at 3 am might have a brain that is less active than a person who plays chess at 3 pm. Just a random thought though... I haven't done or found any research regarding this matter.
echopena on 9/14/2006 1:29 AM

Regarding the Shi'te and Hezbollah comments by Austrolabe (which by the way sounds like Astrolabe in the US), Muslims are protecting their land.. they were responding to the cruelty of the enemies.. an empathy Muslim might just support any kind of jihaad as long as it is a military jihaad (that doesn't kill innocent people). At least there are people who actually made the world understand that Islam has power to do something. Nowadays, people might have started to argue whether the stories of how powerful Islam used to be are actually true stories or otherwise.

I read Micah Garen's book on on his captivity in Iraq and I followed Jill Caroll's stories about hers; and I agreed that some Sunni and Shi'e Muslim have the same level of cruelty at some point. However, we should go back to the point that these actions were commited because the enemies are terrorizing them, killing their people. Islam didn't start the war at the first place. Some people might want to argue on this point. By all means, please do so.

I laughed off Moriarty's comment on Austrolabe's blog. He/She was asking for people to read about Muslim's response - but didn't he/she aware that he/she has just reacted as flagrantly. Even worse, he/she called on banning all religions - for me, that's even worse than killing people because without religion, a lot of people might just commit suicide since there is no more purpose in life.
mee_ore on 9/14/2006 1:14 PM

The moral sebenarnye, kite (i mean saye la, and kengkawan time kat tepeng, even kat intec gak...) selalu tido lewat kan? sama ada study, lepak, sembang, lepak gerai mamak (budak matrik x leh buat lagi ek, masuk university dulu) etcetera...
and some people say, budaya mrsm last minute study ngn berstay-up =)...
So, instead of stay up dari 11-3pg, baik bangun 3pg ke atas... qiamulail kejap ke (walaupun x pernah buat, nak bangun stay up pagi slalu kantoi, tido balik :P)...
Jadi, kalo nk mudah hafal ke, nak memahami ke, buat la time 3pg ke atas.... bukanyna tido lewat banugn lewat, sebaliknya tido awal bangun awal... Not scientificaly proven, yet...
oh admin on 9/14/2006 6:15 PM

@hafez : trimas byk kerana berkongsi pengalaman... bleh sembahyang kat luar camtu je ke? diorang tak kisah? hehe... best giler la camtu. which university are you studying in?

@echopena : i agree with you wholeheartedly - that Islam never started these wars. but i don't think that some Muslims are completely innocent of causing trouble, on the other hand. to me, the end does not justify the means, so whatever way they choose to fight injustice, it should be done in a completely islamic manner. if what they do only further inconveniences muslims worldwide and even starts to tarnish the reputation of islam, then they should start to reevaluate their intentions - whether they are driven by angry emotions, or out of pure and sincere love for God (in which case they would reject killing of innocent people).

that moriarty shouldn't be posting comments anywhere. i'm glad the austrolabe ppl didnt choose to waste too much time on him :D
echopena on 9/15/2006 2:01 AM

atif, you can pray anywhere you want, i think, in most of the countries overseas. In Malaysia it might looks weird since we have many masjeeds, not many people are doing it and some places are just too dirty to even be an ibadah place.

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