Abû Hurayrah relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Islam began strange, and it will become strange again just like it was at the beginning, so blessed are the strangers.” [Sahîh Muslim (1/130)]

Friday, December 19, 2014

When Will the Shock End?

This has been a particularly depressing past couple of weeks as far as international affairs is concerned, again focused on Muslims. First, we had the long-awaited released of the US Senate report on CIA torture of detainees, which while unsurprising in its content (most of which has been leaked for some time now) makes for grisly reading. That was followed by the Sydney cafe siege and the exaggerated media response to a seemingly lone deranged nutcase. If his intention was to score some quick media fame, then mission accomplished. All this of course happened midst the backdrop of the continuing battle between ISIS and a host of international forces with competing agendas in Syria and Iraq (of which China of all countries may soon be a part). The above for most conscientious souls would be the media equivalent of sensory overload, numbing well-worn instincts for shock value, dulling our feeling of impact. Yet, as if that wasn't enough, we are confronted with the horrific news of a massacre of schoolchildren by militant thugs in Peshawar, and somehow even in this deafening chamber of our world of chaos, this one leaves us stunned.

The cold blooded killing of children, and particularly children, and in such a deliberative fashion, is beyond the pale. It leaves one speechless, empty, grasping for words that will attempt to but cannot adequately capture the gravity of what has occurred. One naturally questions the humanity of the perpetrators, but I find myself questioning humanity itself. Perhaps if I were not a Muslim, believing in Divine Purpose and Order, I would cynically conclude that humanity is a failed experiment of Nature, our intelligence being a genetic mutation liability, adduced from the fact that that we have such capacity for self-destruction.

The actions of the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) who claimed responsibility for the attack, were clearly intended to demoralise the Army which has been carrying out military operations in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan since July. Yet they have come across as desperate and deranged. A rallying effect has been created in Pakistan to unite those disparate forces in opposition, for the time being. Public sentiment is unanimously angry. Even other militant groups has disowned this attack, so heinous it was. The big question is what will happen now. Will a new strategy be crafted? And can, for once, an inquiry be properly done into the security failures that led to this tragedy?

Our prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones. Their grief must be unimaginable. The hope, naive though it may be, is that this incident is a tipping point to allow measures to bring to an end years of conflict insha Allah, rather than a harbinger of further bloodshed.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Why Malcolm Still Matters

In the days of the Greek yore, 'hero cults' were a common thing. The hero represented a larger than life figure capable of feats beyond the scope of the average man. Yet he (or occasionally she) would almost always be someone not among the living. The passing away would only enhance whatever fame he or she gained during a lifetime, and lacquer their deeds in a varnish of gold.  They would transcend to a status above mere mortals but lower perhaps than the gods. In their death, they somehow had the ability, it was believed, to provide strength and succor to those left behind.

Malcolm X is a modern day hero. He exemplified those qualities of valor, selflessness and forthrightness that typified the archetypal heroes of the classical era. Malcolm came at a time in the history of the United States when the African-American was beginning to question their notion of self-worth that had been imposed by a vicious system of White Privilege. Not only did he shatter that idea in his most articulate and inimitable manner, but he could speak truths to the face of the oppressor that nobody else had the courage to. And, at a young age of 39, he paid for his mission with his life. In a world today lacking in inspiration and lagging in spirit, we need figures like Malcolm who can galvanize us to heed the call of the day. 

Yet nowadays, Malcolm X has been reduced to a visual icon, a trendy symbol of counterculture thinking ala Che Guevara. Sporting a Malcolm X image on a T-shirt somehow reveals one to be a contrarian with a touch of rebel thinking. Much less time is spent listening to his penetrating speeches when he dissected the problems of a racist system of bondage, except for soundbites snippets here and there. Even lesser time is spent reading of his life and personal journey. In an ideal world, The Autobiography of Malcolm X would have been required reading in every classroom. 


Unsurprisingly, Malcolm X posthumously was taken up by socialists and civil rights activists, though certainly not to the extent that it was for Dr. Martin Luther King, who had a much 'safer' message of non-violent cooperation rather than self-empowerment. What is curious is that Muslims haven't gone to the same extent to embrace Malcolm X as a uniquely heroic figure and a source of motivation. So much potential lays dormant in the exploration of his journey from Malcolm Little, the hoodlum; to Malcolm X, spokesperson for the Nation of Islam; and finally Al Hajj Malik El Shabazz. We can learn much on the realised possibilities of spiritually driven self-transformation. 

If there was a central message of Malcolm that continues to remain relevant until today, I feel it is the theme of emancipation. In his day, when the vestiges of Jim Crow were still visible to the naked eye, emancipation took a more literal meaning. In our time, we have deluded ourselves into thinking that freedom has been achieved in an information age. We need to recognize that access to information has not emancipated us, its only made us more acutely aware of the level of slavery we suffer from, in larger systems beyond our control. 

It is precisely on this theme of emancipation that the UNRIBA campaign will be organising an event to introduce Malcolm X, both as a historical figure and a motivational one, to the local Malaysian scene. It is our hope that a spark can be generated, in particular in the younger audience, to research more about this special individual and take his example. The event is scheduled for 10 January 2015 and more information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/unriba

For a parting note, I will leave you with a lesser-known clip of Malcolm X from his days in the Nation of Islam, when he rebuffs efforts by the FBI to sell his soul. It is what integrity is all about.