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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

An Ode to Age

Age can be a pathetic thing. You realize you’re no longer as good-looking as you used to be. You find it hard to recall what happened five minutes ago – let alone what happened in your childhood. Where did you go all this time? Finally you’ll admit the cruel fact: you’re old.

In your gray existence, you’ll wonder what happened to your youth. Did you really know your family? And what the heck happened to school? You only remember the endless glasses of cheap beer you had with your happy-time mates. Followed by a one-night-stand with a hottie you met at a club. Yeah… it was a taste of heaven back then.

Until she came along, swearing that the little rascal she carried in her arms was your fault. Suddenly, you’re married.

 
Losing your freedom was too much for you. Your so-called wife and son (or was it your daughter?) don’t satisfy you at all. Then you run away from the woman and child you never acknowledged as truly yours.

Since then you’ve lived on your own. Like everyone else, you have dreams and fantasies. But they are only for you. So there you were, living on your own, in quite a selfish way.

Slowly, the absence of company begins to consume you. Wealth, position… they have all deserted you. You regard the world with a pathetic hatred as you face it in your sad little solitude.

***  

Sometimes life is like a long road. The further you go, the harder it is to see what’s behind. But some of the scenery you pass leaves an imprint on your memory to last you a lifetime.

 The further you go, the harder it is to go on. Youth has abandoned you, leaving you to procrastinate with the plague of age. And so, you may welcome the prospect of stopping to rest in the everlasting sleep, to return to the place where we all belong.

Jalan Seni, Aksara 

2009

Friday, March 4, 2011

Tennessee Against Sharia

shariahfreezone2Tennessee state senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and state representative Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) have introduced a bill known as SB1028 (Senate bill 1028). The bill would make it illegal for anyone in Tennessee to practice Sharia. The bill would make practicing Sharia a felony, punishable by 15 years in jail. Sharia is a strict code of conduct that is followed by fundamentalist Moslems, it is sometimes called Sharia law. Sharia law requires Moslems to observe religious traditions, for example, they must pray five times a day, they must wash their feet before prayer, they must face the city of Mecca while they pray, and so on. The bill would give the government of Tennessee the authority to investigate anyone suspected of practicing Sharia. If the bill becomes law, it's not clear how the law would be enforced. Could you be put in jail for fifteen years if you pray five times in one day? Could you be put in jail for fifteen years if you wash your feet before you pray?

It was only a few months ago that a preacher in Florida named Terry Jones threatened to burn the Koran on September 11,2010. September 11 was the anniversary of a terrorist attack perpetrated by Moslems, the Koran is the holy book of the Moslems, so this obviously would have been intended to antagonize Moslems. President Obama urged Terry Jones not to burn the Koran. Obama was interviewed on television, and during the interview, he said that if Terry Jones burned the Koran, it would provoke Moslems all over the world, and Obama said that American troops in Afghanistan may be threatened. Obama warned of 'serious violence' against American troops in Afghanistan if Terry Jones burned the Koran. On September 9,2010, Terry Jones said he changed his mind, and said he would not burn the Koran.

So,where is Obama now? Shouldn't Obama go to Tennessee and give a speech to discourage them from passing such an inflammatory law? Certainly, if this law is passed in Tennessee, it's passage will provoke Moslems all over the world. By ignoring the issue, Obama is showing that he doesn't care about America's image. Certainly, making Sharia illegal could be as inflammatory as Terry Jones' threat to burn the Koran. If Tennessee makes Sharia illegal, shouldn't we expect Moslems to retaliate by killing American troops in Afganistan? Where does Obama stand on that?

(Anthony Ratkov,March 2,2011.)

My comment:
So much for the declaration of independence. I don't really get how some people fight for their right of "FREEDOM" while they oppose others in exercising that right too. Such a double standard.

For example:

  • The sharia law obliges us moslems to wear hijab. Its only a piece of cloth covering our head and our bodies so that only our face and our hands are visible. So why issue a sermon to limit us of this right? We don't force you to stop wearing the latest trend of miniskirts or bikini's. Why can't you regard it as any other fashion? If the designers of the world told you that hijab was just the new fashion I am sure most of you would perceive it differently.
  • Why stop us from praying to our God in the way that was obliged for us? How would you feel if you were hunted down every time you were caught decorating a Christmas tree, giving prayers at thanksgiving, or singing carols in church? Simply the act from stopping anyone from praying to God is an abomination. That is a private sector no one should tamper with.
 
I know that the sentiment against us Moslems is still high in this world. But please try to reevaluate your mindset. Doesn't the universal law punish a subject based on the act of the individual? I believe most of us Moslems don't agree with the deeds of the terrorists who claim to do it all in the name of Islam.