Islamic Day.

Islamic day was first celebrated in the late fifties or early sixties in the Maldives. Today "this day" has penetrated the consciousness of Maldivians more than before, maybe because our Government has taken the opportunity to mark the day with different programs to demonstrate how much more “Islam friendly” they are in comparison to the 30- year regime.

Centuries ago our forefathers accepted Islam, and today many of us like to boast; an increasingly contested statistic that we are 100% Muslims. Whatever the truth may or may not be, it’s an incontestable fact that Maldivians by and large have enjoyed historically (recent, at least) homogeneity with respect to their belief system. How much this homogeneity engendered brotherly love and harmony between the sons and daughters of this country, I leave for you to ponder.

By the Grace of Allah we have been fairly consistent in our acceptance of the Oneness of Allah and the acceptance of the Holy Prophet as Allah’s slave and Messenger. I dare say until recently the ordinary Maldivian had no difficulty in accepting the supremacy of the Shariah with regard to his day to day life. Thus I put it to you the reader that the Shariah was not given its due place in our lives mainly due to the failings of our leaders and even more importantly the failings of our scholars & elite.

It is in this light that we have to face facts and take stock of the present situation that we are faced in. On the one hand, in our day to day lives we consiously or unconsiously completely deny any preponderance or supremacy of the Shariah in our lives and on the other hand we consciously and actively give value and preference to a system of life that goes against the grain, letter and soul of the Shariah. We are now spending more and more time, wealth and all our energies in divisive politics and letting the strongest, richest, loudest and meanest amongst us to wedge hatred and ill feelings amongst us.

So in the many gatherings, celebrations, lectures in forums, TV and radios we are marking this day with unusually robust fashion. Alhamdulilahi! I wonder how many of you would stop and think that centuries ago our ancestors accepted by Allah’s Grace Islam as taught by Allah’s own prophet – who underwent insult upon insult, trauma upon trauma and pain upon pain to pass the Message of Islam entrusted on him by Allah in all it's pristine purity.

I invite you to make the firm resolution today that Insha Allah we are going to strive to uphold the attestation that THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH & THAT PROPHET MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER. Brothers & Sisters, the “mighty oak tree” was once only a seed. Together Insha Allah we can strive to reclaim our lives, our ethos, our being for ALLAH & ONLY ALLAH.

003.103 YUSUFALI:

And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.

A Women’s Day

It’s the sign of times…. in that we name a day, then coo and pooh, and end up preening shooing over how modern we are and how evolved we are and how clever we are. Its good economics, good psychology and an opportunity to play the great deception.

In principle what it should be all about is the alleviation of the suffering of women and ameliorating the perception of women. The first step towards solving any problem is identifying the problem.

The fact is that since the beginning of time, we have been abused as women, in every conceivable way. In bygone eras, we had been identified primarily as a means of satisfying men’s lusts and secondarily as a means of producing children. In Christian Europe until the 19 & 20th centuries women were considered mere chattel and it was often hotly debated if we had even a soul. Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist perception of women was little different.

From East to West, North to South, from the stone ages women were subjected to brutality, unfairness and hardship. She was recognized as sex objects and often treated as quasi sex slaves with no recognized rights to her self and her property. Inequality and injustice seemed women’s only birth rights.

Which of the above would anyone deny?

The crux of the problem has always been that down the ages women were perceived as only useful for sex and procreation. Since she could poorly defend herself she was subject to all kinds of harassment both blatant and subtle and exploited for sex and hard labour. This is what happened then, and this is what happens now. Thus in most so called developed societies where reliable statistics are available, every few seconds a women is raped, every few seconds a women is battered, every few minutes a women is murdered, every few seconds a women’s right and honour is trampled, and every few moments women are exploited.

Their in lies the problems faced by women THEN and NOW. Whether it be a women living 5000 years back or a women living in Europe, Asia, North or South America NOW, is different only in the shades and subtleties of discrimination and this being the result of the differences in social and economic realities across the ages. There is in varying degrees exploitation of women based on her sex and brutality, rape injustice for no other reason but her sex.

What is the solution?

More laws …..; as the MUPPETS - both men and women amongst our midst advocate? If laws were the answer! Law-enforcement was the answer; we would have women living in equality, harmony sans prejudice, sans exploitation, harassment and free of violence, hindrance & honour in the bastions of Western democracies. However even in these very countries women have the most startling and horrendous statistics; thus belying the stated premise that ….. “Law and law-enforcement” offers the solutions to problems faced by us women.

I boldly state that the solution to Women’s problems lies in following Allah’s Commandments to the letter. In other words, following the Holy Koran and the Sahih Hadis. In short our rights to human dignity, and our sort in this world and the next can only be guaranteed by following Allah’s deen ONLY.

Let’s all turn together and grasp the rope of Allah. Let’s fight tooth and nail for our salvation and for the salvations of the children that we bear Insha Allah tomorrow. Let’s remind our brothers the great testament that our beloved prophet, the Messenger of Allah – Peace and Blessings be on him, his family & companions, left us on his final sermon on his farewell pilgrimage.

“Maldivians for Islam” back on track.

“Maldivians for Islam” in my opinion is by far the vast majority in these islands. This site attracted at one time many Islam enthusiasts and offered a platform for great exchange of views. I managed to track Jasmine and had lively discussions as to the reason why she let the site run down.

With a wry smile, Jasmine told me that she did not have the expertise to talk Islam so she “shut up”. I was told that she took to blogging simply because she thought with the recent political changes in Maldives she was scared that Islam in Maldives was in danger. Apparently she now was happy that this was not so and felt content that Islam in Maldives was not at risk.

When I suggested that she should keep up the good work she started she just said that she was too scared of mistakes she might do, and without solid grounding in the sacred texts she was scared of what she would have to answer on Judgment day. When my friends and I needled her that she was abandoning her readership, she said that her readers would understand her stand.

She wanted us to restart a new blog. We pointed out that this site was already started and many came here, so it was a waste of energy to start all over again. Jasmine was the kind of person who listened well, and she agreed that it made sense to let “Maldivians for Islam” continue. However she has handed the reigns over to us.

Jasmine likes to see faith as a plant, and her eyes glint and radiate eagerness and earnestness whilst on the topic of Islam and Muslims in Maldives. Perhaps she sees her “Maldivians for Islam” as a plant that has already withered and died. She agreed that Muslims should not just give up, but turn to Allah and with prayers on our lips strive.

So sisters and brothers, lets try to get “Maldivians for Islam” back on track. May Allah Help us!