A Gift Anyone Dreads To Receive

"For as long as man breathes, the conquest for answers to life's questions continues, and there is an awful lot of answers to face."

Arguably, Eid Al Fitr is the most appropriate time of the year for Muslim communities around the world to celebrate with families and friends.  The celebration would be incomplete without gift-giving  to loved ones and friends, being generous and performing good deeds as the most natural things a Muslim is expected or required  to do. Eid Al Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan when all adult and able-bodied Muslims are required to fast from dusk till dawn. They also believe that a good deed performed in Ramadan earned them ten or hundred times more reward than an ordinary good deed done in any time of the year, hence they come in abundance.

While most Muslims have the right attitude toward the significance of Eid, sadly there are some who believe the opposite. Just last week, a twin suicide bombing happened in a military academy in Algeria that left 16 students and 2 civilians dead. Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) immediately admitted responsibility, and proudly announced that it is their  gift for Eid to the mothers and wives who had lost their sons and husbands in the carnage. The bombings coincided with the time when people in the academy were gathered for the iftar or breaking of fast. The leader of Al Qaida offshoot who took responsibility for the gruesome killings, even congratulated the mothers of the victims for their sons' lives who will be rewarded in "heaven" for their "martyrdom".

In Egypt, a recently released senior leader of the Egyptian Islamic jihad terrorist group Sheikh Adel Shehato, announced that Christian churches in Egypt and others that exist in Islamic countries may need to be blown up and Christians exterminated to allow the advance of Islamic law, or Shariah. He confidently says that his principles are guided by Shariah and that he is not bound by the laws of men or any constitution, but by the "divine law" that says, if Christians don't want to convert to Islam they have to pay what they call a jizya tax, or else they are compelled to exterminate them. He further stressed that the Shariah is not based on logic but by the law of god. 

His take on democracy:

"As Muslims, we must believe that the Quran is our constitution, and that it is impossible for us to institute a Western democratic regime. I oppose democracy because it is not the faith of the Muslims...According to Islam, it is forbidden for people to rule and to legislate laws, as Allah alone is ruler. Allah did not hand down the term [democracy] as a form of rule, and it is completely absent from the Arab and Islamic lexicon."

And on a worldwide Islamic kingdom he envisions:

"Of course we will launch a campaign of Islamic conquest throughout the world. All The Muslims in the world who wish to see the Shariah implemented worldwide will join the Egyptian army in order to form Islamic battalions, whose task will be to bring about the victory. There are Muslims and there are infidels. We will have ambassadors in every country. We want to call all other countries to join Islam, and that will be the task of the ambassadors. If [they] refuse, there will be war."

His pronouncements were quite scary if we were to analyze them, and who would not? The man believes he is following the precepts of his god and in fact he is doing him great service by advancing the cause of Islam. He even believes that true Muslims should not make friends with Christians for it is the commandments of Allah. He would further say that he knows everything what the Quran instructs all Muslims to do in order to please god. Well, these are words coming from a terrorist - a sworn murderer of anyone labeled as infidel. And yes, I was convinced that this does not constitute the true Islam, knowing fully well that Islam is a "Religion of Peace". In fact, this slogan is uniquely endemic to Islam just like "Connecting People" is to Nokia, and "Just Do It" is to Nike.

As though I was poised to discredit the words of the terrorist on my own lame arguments, my curiosity led me to search through Bing and cringed at what  probably one of the most liberating and shocking revelations I have never imagined. Still not convinced, I went on rummaging at my old clothes where the small English Quran  given to me by our company accountant was neatly buried that I almost forgot I hid one there. Perhaps just the second time I laid my fingers on that gift to me, I felt awkward and awesome I had to read it leftward. And there I found the truth that would support the claims of the man, whom many of us would want to call insane and hateful. If  indeed he believes he is actually following what  his religion preaches, then I have every reason to believe that this man knows what he is talking about.

The following are verses I copied from the holy Quran that are worthy to ponder upon. If this is actually what gave birth to unheard of hatred in the world, I hope that all religions can still co-exist without lives being wasted for religions' sake. 

"Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them." (Surah 9: 121)

"Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with  them. Hell shall be their home." (Surah 9:73)

"Fight against such as those to whom the Scriptures were given [Jews and Christians]...until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (Surah 9: 27)

"Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God's religion shall reign supreme." (Surah 8:36)

"Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends." (Surah 5: 51)

"Slay them wherever you find them...Idolatry is worse than carnage...Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God's religion reigns supreme." (Surah 2: 190)

To them, the Bible may be the book of the infidels and the enemies, yet these are what it says pertaining to one's enemy and to people who do harm to them :

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. - (Matthew 5:44)

"But I tell you who hear me; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. - (Luke 6: 27-36)

This post would have not led to what you may call a discourse, a debate or what, for it was never my aim to talk about religions. I just found it necessary not to ignore elements of great importance, to be able to perhaps find answers to a polarizing 'truth' why there is enmity towards one another. The articles that I stumbled upon that I thought betrayed logic and defied human compassion, on murdered peaceful sons as gifts for orphaned mothers in Eid - just does not sink in well with my psyche, or maybe I just need to accept the plain truth as it is? As the saying goes, "You should know the truth and the truth will set you free". For as long as man breathes, the conquest for answers to life's questions continues, and there is an awful lot of answers to face. It only boils down to whichever man decides to embrace.

Still the second day of Eid, I prefer to dwell on tradition that this holiday is meant to be joyful for a variety of reasons. Having a longer rest after a month-long of exhausting work is one. After all, I still believe the real God of the universe is a merciful and gracious God who created humans for His glory and that He loves them so much more than anything. Surely, it is comforting to know that the God that I've known personally is rich in compassion and slow to anger. If anything, this divine truth is more liberating as opposed to the anxieties of war, famine, natural disasters, human greed and all these hatred the world is known to offer. Eid Mubarak to all!

Jason And Rischel's Eid Wedding In Obhur!

"There could be no better timing than holding it on the first day of Eid, when every soul is animated by the partying genes in them."

They say you don't reside in Jeddah if nary you've been to Obhur. Down to the advent of  genetic age, the right pronunciation remains debatable. Some say it is Abhur, but who cares anyway? The place is far from being abhorrent. It is famous for its long stretch of beaches and dotting private resorts that cater to exclusive parties and any kind of gatherings. Jeddah has been my abode for almost a tenth of the century, but never had I ventured  the place once. Well, the trend has seen its era broken  last Thursday. Not a coincidence, it was a wedding reception for one of our classmates at TCI. There could be no better timing than holding it on the first day of Eid, when every soul is animated by the partying genes in it.

Rischel the bride is one of our classmates at TCI. Her better-half is Jason. The couple finally had their moment after five years. The wedding reception was fabulous and well-organized. The venue was huge for a party, complete with rooms for 'special guests'. The dancefloor was more than enough  to handle loads of prowling party-hungry guests.

All my TCI classmates were invited, but only a handful came. The seven who got to attend were incidentally the most talented from the class (lol!) except for this one who doesn't glamorize squirming on the dance floor. ( Sorry absentees, you didn't get to show off your wares and so the talent-less label.) We consequently missed out on the program emceed by one of our classmates as an incentive for arriving late. First off, the wedded couple danced, paying tribute to tradition as guests and friends scrambled to steal the limelight, dear notes fluttering their way into the couples' dainty outfits. ( Not a bad idea though to defray a recession-plagued wedding outgoes.  I'm grabbing an FB pic of Benjie, a classmate donning a note on the couple; I'm just damn curious about the color,  he purposely had it taken blurrily, hmmm :-))

Blame it on the Saudi norm, the sight of men and women gyrating as if there's no tomorrow provided a bit of a shocker to me. I've never seen for the longest time men and women mopping around the floor together in an intensely libidinal passion. Normally, you don't get to see women disrobed  in a public place. And here you see order is restored. So, it was a real party atmosphere in every sense of the word. Disco lights elevated the reveling moods interrupted only by an occasional trip to the buffet table to refuel. Foods were sumptuous. Desserts were in abundance. If you came flauntingly in your scanty belly, well think again. You did not come to deprive yourself of the heavenly, after a month of conforming to the adoptive 'dawn till dusk' rituals. It would be a huge anomaly not indulging in as much as your tank can hold up. [Hey, before the glutton label comes up, we were discreetly refined! (bawi agad).]

What made us TCI students even more at home (apart from the food), the couple had assigned one private room exclusively for us. The room was spacious with three beds and the ambience was relaxing. Some unsuspecting guests did attempt a blind invasion, as many crammed through the aisles but were promptly fended off by the boldly-printed warning - FOR Total Care International Students Only. Understandably, guests came in multitudes that after a merciless ambush of the buffet table, they came in scrambling poaching for nests to 'de-stress'.

Fronting our  room was the singers' lounge. Those with vocal pipes to flaunt, get to show off their homesick-driven talents, and the 'wailing' souls did not appear to tire till the sun started to grumble. I had to be content with video-recording the exploits of my classmates of whom three are legitimate singers ( yes, they can carry a tune hence the label 'singers', joke only folks :-))  Khrisnan the humongous bundle of talent, (literally) wiped the crowd off their feet with his Mariah-ness belting prowess. Jhun, the 'kuya' of the group revved up the night with his flamboyant  rendition of big ballads. And Jay, whose singing style is more current crooned us with his mastery of America's materials. And one big revelation, Gerry got to wow us with the remnant of Comaneci's influence in him. :-)  It was no botched Swan Lake choreography, he just owned it, and the night too. That was very funny of him. He really stole the show!  Best buddies Emil and Benjie were the most camera-savvy. They were all over the lens, and inseparable too.

Time to grow fins and scales. It's splash time! The pool was rather suppressed and narrow, but enough to drown a dumb duck. It was less busy by then. The water was lukewarm. And photo ops too for those least concerned of their extra baggage! That's why some refused to shed their tops including me ha ha! Well, if it's public, anything of the ridiculous does not help one's self-esteem. Oh wait, perhaps that answers the riddle why Khrisnan refused to dip his integuments in the pool? (joke) Then customer traffic slightly became congested and so the group settled on the shallow part. Unable to hold lesson review as earlier planned, Jhun our group leader who happened to be a college lecturer randomly picked questions to throw at us. As expected, I did not answer anything. No time yet to browse my notes. I still maintain my penchant for cramming on the dead hours. Don't know why. :-) '

'Twas around eight or past when we decided our energies already drained in the pool. After rinsing, the group simultaneously suffered a post-bath syndrome. The remedy? A last trip to the buffet table where only cakes and sweets survived the gory frenzy earlier. The only suitable edible left was the 'papaitan' that tasted so good; the secret maybe is hidden  not on the condiments but from its oily soup that could drown your heart with fats. But then again, nothing is spared when you  too are in a frenzy to stuff your rioting parts. Sounds gruesome? Not at all, we still handled it with finesse befitting a guest. :-)

Time to pack up. Eyes turned anomalous red. The venue looked as though it just survived a great commotion. And there's not much we can do. Perched at the aisle leading to the door, Jason said his thank you's as we bade him. He has a kind heart. But the bride was nowhere to be found. She had to disappear early to report for duty, I heard. So, no reprieve for the chaos of the day at least to rest on her wedding day? Truly, Rischel is one strong pragmatic woman. Hats off to both of them.

As our tiny car can only seat five people (I mean leaner ones), I don't know how Khrisnan and Jhun managed to keep up with lean Gerry. Off to the winding Corniche road, we spotted yet again perfect photo material and raced towards it for pictorials. And down the steep-walled rocky beach, we ventured dipping and photo ops again! It's no longer fun when the sun threatens to burn your epidermis, and so home is the next thing in mind. One by one we dropped our loads to the delight of our tiny toy. Gerry was quick to get down to check his FB status ( I found out later). Khrisnan wasn't already talking when we dropped him, he could have fallen asleep by the alley, I'm afraid. Jhun was doubting if he would still be facebooking or not. And just yesterday, Benjie's shoutout was not cool, something scary happened to them on their way home? Will try to find out on Friday. On the positive, everyone had a blast. Food and fun, adventure and bonding moments, and another few days left before the holiday ends. Eid Mubarak to all!

Watch the video HERE!