Cardiff Anti-War Rally

Cardiff, 30th December 08- I attended an anti-war rally against Israel's on-going offensive in Gaza today. I wasn't sure what to expect, with myself never attended such events prior.

It was meant to begin at 12 noon, and indeed it did start on time despite the rally crews were just roughly 10 people at the time. And with just a little bit of hesitation all 4 of us joined in the 10 odd people, kickstarting the rally.

Admittedly it was a bit awkward, but in the name of solidarity for our Palestinian brothers we joined in. And the fact that it was in Cardiff actually helped,"Not our home turf, no one's actually going to know us :p"

BBC News coverage of the event

And the lead "rallyist" consumated the rally, reiterating the reason for our peaceful gathering. He was indeed a full-blooded Welsh with no ties whatsoever to the Palestinians, quite unlikely a Muslim. But the way he spoke was as if his own brothers were suffering; fiery but not angry, he was as impressive as he was clear.

After a short speech, some of the crew members started singing songs which were of foreign entity to us. But we hang around the circle which slowly started to bulge quite a bit. By then there were probably 40 people, mostly Muslims; true to the tradition, late as always. Better late than never I suppose.

The rally carried on, with songs and speeches intertwined. The crowd was expanding even further, it was probably around 100 people after 20 minutes. The number was definitely encouragement enough for us to stay on. Anti-war mantra was chanted, "FREE FREE PALESTINE" etc... The spirit within the crowd was definitely palpable; slogans were shouted, flags were waved, sign boards were numerous; men and women, Muslim and non-Muslim, joined hand-in-hand (not literally) in support of Palestine. Media crews were busy snapping pics, interviewing participants of multi-ethnic origins; ultimately making the rally achieving its main purpose for the day - anti-war publicity.

This single rally was never going to stop any war. 2 rallies are still not enough to stop any war. 10? unlikely. 50? maybe big enough a number to apply some sort of pressure. And this small one is a building block to the 'number', whatever it is.

100 people may not sound that many, but it did look fairly crowded - good enough to attain some media attention (the freaking TV was there!).

On a more personal note, apart from showing solidarity in as many ways as I could/should, I just have to see to reiterate to myself that there are people out there; strangers/ajnabis, not people in my close-circle; who also care - be it in the name of Islam, or even humanity.

I was not disappointed :)

At the end of the day, 'Deeds are only by intention...'


P/S,
- qunut nazilah
- pics coming, unfortunately I'm in between cameras and my old-school Nokia phone does not have a camera function ~ a very close relative to the infamous 3310

Do something!

As this very sentence is being written, 280 Gazan lifes have been mercilessly snatched away. Hundreds more are injured to varying extent, some might even be fatal.

And yet we sit here doing nothing significant... we read the news to keep ourselves up to date, we gave the Israel Defense Force (IDF) a tongue lashing (that they couldn't even hear) and we prayed for the safety of our brothers in Palestine.

Here's something else, may or may not be so significant, but insya Allah within our (limited) powers.

Go figure!


"Abu Hurairah r.a. reported Allah's Messenger S.A.W as saying: 'Charity does not in any way decrease the wealth, and the servant who forgives, Allah adds to his respect, and the one who shows humility, Allah elevates him in the estimation (of the people)."

Muslim Vol. 4, Hadeeth 6264

Admittedly, this is unlikely to help in the short term.. Heck, even the UN is having problem helping out (humanitarian-wise) in the short term. But make use of the current sentiment, gain something from all the losses.

If you don't have one (sentiment), I feel sorry for you :(

Israel launched air-strike in "self-defense" again

As this piece is being written, more than 200 people have already been killed by another non-selective strike by the Zionist Israeli regime. More than 700 others were injured. F16 bombers were deployed all over Gaza, resulting in a devestating catastrophe.

It is said to be the "worst attack" since 1967, in term of numbers of casualties. (Yeah, we can probably omit the Shabra & Shatila Massacre, which resulted in deaths estimate ranging from 700 - 3,500).


Rally by Italians to commemorate the Shabra & Shatila Massacre in 2003. Why the heck didn't we have one in Malaysia? (Answer: cause people in general don't care, why? cause people don't know, why? up to yourselves to answer)

Hamas vowed an immediate retaliation, and fired Qassam rockets into Israel 'territories', resulting in a mere 1 death (not that his/her life is less valuable in any way).


Israel said it was an act of self-defense, a response to escalating number of rocket attacks from Gaza. Hmm..



Not that I didn't see that "self-defense" line coming...



Probably he has forgotten what happened in the first place. Who's attacking and who's acting in self-defense. The 'thing' that started in 1881 and 'completed' in 1948. Who took whose property in the first place. Who then wasn't satisfied with the first wave of colonisation that he chose to occupy some more. Who then imposed inhumane sanctions to deplete the Palestinians of everything, literally almost. Who ridiculed others for not adopting democracy only to then sanctioned a "democracy that favours himself". Who then stopped basic supplies coming into Gaza, causing immeasurable humanitarian crisis.



They have suffered all too long... Long enough that, dare I say it, the circle is almost complete...


People say history repeats itself... history comes in cycles.. it's probably nearing the time when the "top end of the wheel" goes down, for its place to be taken by the "bottom end of the wheel".

Pictures credit: cagle.com, wiki

Revision 10 hours later : 271 killed, and attack is still continuing... such retards...

"V"

Just quenched myself with an orgy of symbolisms and plethora of verbiage from "V for Vendetta." Great movie, can't remember how many times I've seen it now, but I just couldn't cease to be enchanted by V's first few lines... which goes as below:

(I can only hope that these are accurate)

"But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace soubriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona.

"Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished.

"However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

"The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

"Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V."

Simply vvonderful, such elegance braided with charismatic sophistication, a symphony of sonata, a concerto of creed, an orchestration of revelation :)

Death: 2 Days & Counting

I just finished my first block for the year, Senior Surgery. Very enjoyable block, great teachers, great patients, great friends, sweet long hours on call, sweet A&E rota etc. Unfortunately I also faced my first fairly personal experience with a dying patient.

Young lady, mid-30s, came in quite late (i.e. with advanced disease) looking very unwell and properly dehydrated. She was well distended when she came in, with really obvious signs of generalized peritonism. She deteriorated very quickly, and an exploratory laparotomy had to be performed. It showed a macroscopically obvious widespread ischaemic/necrotic gut on the whole SMA distribution, most probably embolus/trombus related.

Nothing could be done, she was closed, and when she came around gain, she was told that she was unlikely to survive more than 2 days. She was inconsolably sad... like seriously teary. The team felt awful, choked with a sense of helplessness.

And I was told that her dying experience was not going to be too dreadful, and indeed I hope she didn't.

Then came the weekend, and when I came back on Monday, she was gone.

--------------

The weekend gave me a chance to reflect on life, with a wierd expectation of not seeing her again the week after. It gave me a chance to ask myself, "What if I was told, nay, medically expected, to die in 2 days?"

Strangely enough (or not), I felt a twisted sense of 'happiness and joy' at such hypothetical situation. Nevertheless in reality, only Allah knows how I would felt should it ever happen. But indeed I felt it was a God-given chance, as a Muslim, to almost 'know', you are going to die in an almost 'fixed' time period. Don't get me wrong, Allah IS the holder of lifes and deaths, the ONE and ONLY. Not doctors, not even Izrail. But as a muslim, such a prediction should probably be seen as an opportunity, a 'written' and 'confirmed' warning from Allah that you are going to die soon enough. An opportunity to maximize my potential to do good deeds, make taubah, ask for forgiveness from family and friends alike, etc etc.

Verily this is just a hypothetical "best case scenario" situation. More often than not, it doesn't work that way, ironically for the greater good of mankind. Wallahua'lam.

Syahid di Medan Yarmuk

Hari ke4 Perang Yarmuk, "Hari Hilangnya Mata"
11 Rejab 0015H

Ilustrasi medan Yarmuk

Situasi kian genting di medan Yarmuk.

Komander tentera Islam, Khalid al-Walid r.a terpaksa menggerakkan batalion berkudanya yang digeruni (Mobile Guard, متحرك طليعة ) untuk membantu sayap kanan tentera Islam yang sedang teruk diasak batalion Slavik tentera Byzantine dengan bantuan batalion Armenia dan Nasrani Arab.

Bagi mengelakkan serangan besar-besaran tentera Byzantine tatkala Mobile Guard Khalid Al-Walid r.a sibuk membantu sayap kanan, komander Islam itu mengarahkan sayap kiri melancarkan serangan pre-emptive. Namun seperti yang dijangka, sayap kiri turut mengalami gasakan yang amat menekan. Hujan panah dari pasukan pemanah berkuda Byzantine bertindak ibarat tembok yang kukuh yang menghalang kemaraan sayap kiri. Ramai para sahabat dan tentera Islam yang lain terkorban, dan ramai juga buta akibat hujan panah itu. Antaranya Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, bekas pembesar Quraish yang telah kehilangan satu matanya dalam pertempuran di Taif tatkala zaman Nabi S.A.W.

Hujanan panah itu memaksa sayap kiri tentera Islam di bawah pimpinan Abu Ubaidah al-Jarrah dan Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan berundur. Ikramah bin Abu Jahal, menyedari keadaan genting sayap kiri tentera Islam, mengumpulkan 400 orang tentera di bawah pimpinannya dan mengangkat sumpah ikrar untuk berjuang tanpa berundur sehingga gugur sebagai syuhada'. Bagi membolehkan tentera Islam mengatur semula kedudukan mereka, 400 pahlawan berani ini berjuang ibarat singa lapar menongkah arus panah, memerangi barisan depan tentera Byzantine dan mempertahankan kedudukan mereka meskipun jumlah mereka sedikit dibandingkan dengan puluhan ribu tentera Byzantine.

---------------

Sebelum Ikramah pergi, Khalid al-Walid yang baru sahaja selesai menstabilkan sayap kanan tentera Islam berkata, "Jangan (pergi), Ikramah. Kematianmu akan melemahkan tentera Islam."

"Biarlah kami pergi wahai Khalid," jawab Ikramah tatkala semangatnya sedang marak membakar. "Kamu telah sempat bersama Rasulullah S.A.W sebelum ini. Aku dan bapaku, kami seteru utama baginda. Biarlah aku pergi mensucikan dosa-dosa lamaku. Aku pernah memerangi Rasulullah S.A.W banyak kali sebelum ini, dan kini aku patut lari dari tentera Byzantine? Masakan mungkin!"

Kemudian dia menjerit, "Siapa yang mahu berperang sehingga syahid?"

400 orang pahlawan menyambut seruannya.

---------------

Hanya ada 2 penamat bagi 400 orang itu pada hari ke-4 perang Yarmuk, syahid atau cedera parah.

Setelah tamatnya pertempuran hari ke-4, tubuh 3 bersaudara yang cedera parah terdampar di medan Yarmuk. Ikramah bin Abu Jahal, Al-Harith ibn Hisyam dan 'Ayyash ibn Abi Rabiah (kedua-duanya bapa saudara Ikramah).

Al-Harith dihulurkan air. Al-Harith terpandang 'Ayyash yang layu tetapi bernyawa, lalu disuruh pembawa air menghulurkan air terlebih dahulu kepada 'Ayyash.

'Ayyash dihulurkan air. 'Ayyash terpandang Ikramah yang layu tetapi bernyawa, lalu disuruh pembawa air menghulurkan air terlebih dahulu kepada Ikramah.

Ikramah pula dihulurkan air. Ikramah terpandang Al-Harith yang layu tetapi bernyawa, lalu disuruh pembawa air menghulurkan air terlebih dahulu kepada Al-Harith.

Al-Harith dihulurkan air, namun dia sudah gugur syahid di medan Yarmuk. Pembawa air bergegas ke arah Ikramah; Ikramah juga sudah gugur syahid di medan Yarmuk. Pembawa air bergegas pula ke arah 'Ayyash; 'Ayyash juga telah gugur syahid di medan Yarmuk.

---------------

Kata pepatah orang Caucus, "When the going gets tough, only the tough gets going." Waktu-waktu sukar sememangnya menduga iman dan tawakkal seseorang kepada Allah S.A.W. Tak kira medan perang, peperiksaan, mencari kerja, jodoh (cili=pedas :p), dan sebagainya. Memang agak tidak adil untuk membandingkan medan perang dan (sebagai contoh) peperiksaan, namun saat-saat inilah yang menguji kesabaran seseorang dalam berdoa dan keyakinan yang doa itu akan dimakbulkan oleh-Nya.

Lihat sahaja Hind, Abu Sufyan dan Ikramah, semuanya penentang keras Rasulullah S.A.W pasca pembukaan kota Mekah. Usianya baru sahaja mencecah 5 tahun, namun bukan 5 tahun manusia; tetapi 5 tahun kuda.

Al-Baqarah ayat 286 yang selalu dibaca, "Allah tidak membebani seseorang melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya..."

Wallahua'lam

Return of the Pharaoh

"The Vision

I do not know how but I fell asleep while invoking Allah, and it was then that I experienced the first of four visions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that I was to see during my stay in prison. There in front of me, praise be to Allah, was a vast desert and camels with hawdahs as if made of light. On each hawdah were four men, all with luminous faces. I found myself behind this huge train of camels in that vast, endless desert, and standing behind a great reverent man. This man was holding a halter which passed through the neck of each camel. I wondered silently:
Could this man be the Prophet (peace be upon him)?

Silence has no safeguard with the Prophet, who replied: 'Zainab! You are following the footsteps of Muhammad, Allah's Servant and Messenger.' ....

.... I woke up feeling I owned the world. "

Above was an extract from the book Return of the Pharaoh by Zainab Al-Ghazali (1917-2005). Return of the Pharaoh is an autobiographical piece of literature which tells the story in first person the prison tortures and humiliation that occured during the reign of Jamal Abdul Nasir's regime.

What's her contribution to Islam till she was blessed with such an honour (dream above)? As related by the author, she was whipped, flogged, tortured using savage dogs and snakes, forced to stand for days, immersed in cold water for hours etc. All was done to coerce the members of the Muslim Brotherhood into giving false allegations. Not content with tortures, Nasir's goons resorted to various trickery and worldly offers (including ministership) which were all rejected with great Iman and dignity.

This book opened my eye towards 2 contrasting situation.

On one side, a supremely unyielding, unbending, sagaciously vehement Iman potrayed by the torturees.

On the other, how a person (the torturers) can lack even an iota of humanity, let alone 'Belief'.

*Spoiler* In the end, the torturees won... you just can't beat 'this people'. Either they win the battle, or they die in the pleasure of Allah. How can one lose? :)

All in all, a very well translated version of the book, excellent reading and relatively short. Although the tortures tend to be repetitive (graphical but suitably gruesome), it was told (and translated) in such a way that the repetitions were lost in 'transliteration'. A must read for those who want to understand the history of contemporary Islamic movement.

It has roughly 200 pages but I finished it in a total time of no more than half a day. Just as a proof; it is 'quite' good :)

Senyum simpul

Ada peristiwa lucu yang membuat aku tersenyum simpul pada kepulanganku terakhirku ke desa tercinta sebelum berangkat ke UK.

Kampungku kampung tipikal Melayu; kebun, lembu, kambing, ayam. Namun tidak pula mundur tak berjalan raya atau kelam tanpa api atau tersorok tanpa telefon. 99.9% Melayu.

Lazimnya tidak kusentuh akhbar itu, baik sahaja aku baca The Star. Namun atukku tersayang tak baca 'orang puteh'. Tapi ayahku mahu aku beli The Star juga, "Utusan bukan ada isi, tak abis-abis cerita sama je". Baik, kubilang barangkali aku patut membeli 2 akhbar hari itu.

Setibanya di gerai akhbar, aku tercari-cari. Mana The Star idaman ayahandaku, mana Straits Times sebagai alternatif.. Utusan banyak, tinggi membukit, tapi kenapa bahan bacaan ilmiah tidak dijual langsung hari itu..

Aku bertanya kepada Makcik penjaga gerai, "Makcik tak jual surat kabo omputeh ke hari ni?"

"Eh, awok datang lambat ngatt (sangat)... sughat kabo omputeh abeh blake doh (surat khabar orang puteh habis belaka dah).."

"Aih abeh makcik?"

"A'ah, awal2 pagi doh ilang doh. Hok tu SEPARUH doh tokleh bace, cerita dia pilih-pilih same-same die, selok seniri2... orang takmo beli la" Senyum makcik menampak gigi emasnya.

Nampaknya, ayah aku boleh baca separuh akhbar sahaja hari ni. Aku tersenyum simpul.

Zikir kosong / Zikr Allah

"Jangan meninggalkan zikir
kerana engkau belum selalu ingat kepada Allah sewaktu zikir

Sebab kelalaian kamu terhadap Allah ketika tidak berzikir
lebih berbahaya dari kelalaian kamu terhadap Allah semasa berzikir

Semoga Allah menaikkan darjat kamu
daripada zikir dengan kelalaian
kepada zikir yang disertai sedar (ingat) kepada Allah

Kemudian naik pula dari zikir dengan kesedaran ingat
kepada zikir yang disertai rasa hadir

Dan dari zikir yang disertai rasa hadir kepada Allah
kepada lupa terhadap segala sesuatu selain Allah

Dan yang demikian itu bagi Allah tidak sukar"

Hikmah 47, Hikam Ibnu Ata'illah

Duduk termangu sebelum mega subuh mencuit, teringat (zikr)... Cantik hikam nih... cantik lagi benar, subhanallah :)

Kapitalisme

In an echo to a short entry from my bro's blog, coupled with a recent article in The Star that managed to capture my (decaying) attention - "US to buy stakes in banks" - I giggled at the irony that surrounds the US bailout plan.

Not only that it lack wholesome support even from within, but the fact that her Federal Government is buying stakes to save the banks & companies is itself the ultimate form of humiliation to the "religion" thus far considered the best method to run global economy - capitalism.

(President) Bush's remarks was the crème de la crème, "These measures are not intended to take over the free market, but to preserve it." Talking about the wordplay, dude, you are one slick eel.

A capitalism purist will know that this is against every (moral?) fibre of capitalism.

Whilst I remain impartial to the plan (honestly not knowing the impact of such measures), I know for sure that such measures (takeovers, bailouts) were the ones that Asian countries were trying to take in order to safeguard national interest in the previous wave of the 10-year cycle economic turmoil.

But they didn't, as there were pressures from international community (read : US and the West) to resist such actions in order to preserve the free-ness of the free market and capitalism (read : so that they can capitalise).

"Capitalism is the economic system in which the means of production are owned by private persons, and operated for profit & where investments, distribution, income, production & pricing of goods & services are predominantly determined through the operation of a free market" - Bacher, Christian. Capitalism, Ethics and the Paradox of Self-exploitation. Grin Verlag. 2007. page 2

With such elaborate plans to safeguard the companies, no wonder this action is like spitting to the air. Who knows, without such intervention, some oil-rich Arab companies might be able to acquire major bigplayers in US; AIG, the recently deceased Lehman Bros etc - which is of course a baseless 'teory' of mine that manages to discount the ever important element of public sentiments :)

I wonder if there are better alternatives to capitalism... ending with a rhetorical question... nice... :) Tiqo-sama would have been proud of me.

Perjalanan Yang Pasti 2

Tajuk Filem : Kehidupan

Pelakon utama : Diri Sendiri

Antagonis utama : Syaitan dari kalangan jin dan manusia, nafsu

Penerbit & pengarah : Tuhan yg Esa

Latar tempat : Alam ruh, rahim, dunia, barzakh & akhirat

Latar masa : Selama-lamanya

Skrip : Al-Quran & Hadith

Penulis skrip : Tuhan yg Maha Mengetahui

Pemilihan skrip : Diri sendiri

Sutradara : Diri sendiri

***
Contoh babak-babak penting*
(Babak-babak berikut terserah kepada budi bicara pelakon utama)

Babak utama setiap episod : Solat, zikrullah etc

Babak airmata : Solat malam, zikrullah etc

Babak gembira/komedi : Keluarga & ukhuwwah

Babak aksi : Jihad (pelbagai bentuk)

*Tiada pelakon lagak ngeri atau body double dibekalkan


***

Babak klimaks (wajib) : Kematian hero

Majlis anugerah : Padang Mahsyar

Pencatat kira-kira : Raqib & Atid

Hakim & Pemberi Anugerah : Tuhan yg Maha Adil

Cara menerima anugerah : Tangan kanan, kiri atau dari belakang

Anugerah utama : Syurga atau neraka

Running time : Selama-lamanya



This analogy is taken from a kuliah subuh in my local mosque the other day
Inna lillah wa inna ilaihi rajiuun...

Pedih...

Oh, pedih2 :(

Astaghfirullah...

Alhamdulillah atas Tempat Mengadu yg Pasti

Perjalanan Yang Pasti 1

1994

Hujan lebat. Seorang anak kecil berusia 10 tahun bersama keluarganya dalam perjalanan pulang ke Kuantan dari Muar. Kenduri kahwin; sahabat bapanya seorang Cina mualaf baru sahaja selesai majlis walimahnya.

Hujan teramat lebat. Anak kecil itu sedikit gundah. Jalan tidak begitu jelas. Konspirasi langit gelap dan rentuman hujan mengkaburkan pemandangan bapanya. Sunyi sekali petang itu. Tidak ramai yang mahu berjalan dalam hujan yang tidak menunjukkan tanda akan kebah.

Pendek kata, suasana agak menggerunkan.

Adiknya nyenyak tidur di sebelahnya, kenyang tersumbat dengan hidangan kenduri kongsi ayam Johor yang sedikit janggal tapi enak. Ibunya juga separuh lena.

Anak kecil itu terus gundah, apakah mungkin Izrail akan menjemputnya hari itu? Diikutkan kebarangkalian agak tinggi. Masakan tidak, Izrail mengunjungi semua anak Adam kurang lebih 20 minit sekali setiap hari.

Kilat sabung menyabung, guruh berdentum megah menggegar seluruh alam dan sanubari anak kecil itu. Mata anak kecil itu tertutup rapat, tapi benaknya ligat berputar. Konsep kematian merupakan sesuatu yang asing baginya. Konsep akhirat yang abadi yang diulang bicara guru Fardhu-Ainnya saban minggu menggamit pemikiran.

Akhirat = alam abadi. Abadi = selama-lamanya. Selama-lamanya = waktu yang bersifat infiniti. Infiniti = tiada penghujung, tidak tamat.

Sehari akhirat = seribu tahun dunia. Hidup di dunia +- 70 tahun (purata). Justeru, hidup di dunia = (70/1000) x 24jam = 1.68jam akhirat.

Pendek benar waktu 'peperiksaan' ini. Akibatnya ditanggung di alam abadi. Air mata anak kecil itu berlinangan memikirkan solatnya yang sambalewa. Juga keengkarannya terhadap ibu-bapanya. Apatah lagi umpat-umpatan dan keji-kejiannya terhadap saudara seIslamnya. Makan daging busuk.

Diulit ketakutan, mata anak kecil itu tertutup tapi berlinangan. Kemudian mata anak kecil itu terus tutup.

Kisah benar.

Dah lebih setahun rupanya...

Subhanallah... dalam bertangguh2 aku mencatat pengajaran hidup, tak sangka dah setahun sunyi tak berisi. Banyak yang telah datang dan pergi. Sahabat2 se-batch dah ramai yg blah... lega (tongue in cheek :p)

I was recently re-enlightened of the things I have been missing in life. I went to Australia recently, apparently doing my electives. Dari 3 minggu, mungkin 6 separuh hari kot aku pergi... Yaumul khomisah is practically (in Tiqo's words) sabbath day.

Australia is such a magical place with magnificent views and the weirdest of animals pretty much exclusive to that part of the world. Subhanallah some of the things that I encountered over there are simply breathtaking.

Not least of course are the brothers downunder. It was nice checking up on old friends and fellow 'zoo' members. A theme that was pretty much prevalent throughout the trip (to a varying degree) was ukhuwwah. Some showed magnanimous commitment to the ultimate cause, so much so that I realised that I wasted 4 fruitless years in limbo. And the coming of Ramadhan did help me clear up my conscience and showed me how far astray I was, if I may say so. Astaghfirullah al-azim, may Allah forgive all my sins and wrongdoings...

I recruited one blood brother of mine to guide me back... insha Allah. Time to make up for lost times...

Thank you all for such wonderful hospitality and display of brotherhood that at times left me in tears of appreciation, literally.


Credits - Tiqo, Turot, Butet, Farid, Peps, Megat, Ostrich, Muthanna & family, Mat Rick, the rest of Kings, Naguib, Huda, Bobo & rest of Waratah West, Rob, all the Imams and sheikh Salah, brothers of FAMSY, Azri, budak demam yang muntah atas aku dalam flight ke oz, family bdk tu, Fahmi, Big Joe, driver bus dari sydney ke newcastle yg garang, penjaga kangaroo yg bermurah hati bagi masuk percuma, kangaroo, penjaga koala, koala, makcik penjual makanan korea kat box hill station, adik penjual kebab turki, dan lain-lain yang tak mungkin dapat disebutkan semuanya :) syukran

1st Significant Event of 2008

Nope, it's not the sex DVD... it's Iowa caucuses... not quite a turning point to anywhere, as far as muslims are concerned, it will still be the same... i'm not quite sure how and when the world went wrong, how does people of one country determine the livelihood of the whole world... and they call it democracy in practice... sadly, not quite...

__________________

Source: Aljazeera

Hillary Clinton is among the strongest supporters of Israel [GALLO/GETTY]

Election power of the Israel lobby
By Rob Winder


As US presidential candidates battle it out to become the leader of the world's only superpower there is one subject on which they all, in public at least, agree - the US relationship with Israel.

To leading politicians on both sides of the partisan divide the special relationship is sacrosanct, largely due, critics say, to the power of pro-Israel lobby groups.

Those critics also say that pro-Israeli groups are set to play a major role in the forthcoming election battle, both in terms of funding candidates and by publicly criticising any candidate critical of Israel or the US's relationship with it.

John Mearsheimer, who alongside Stephen Walt is the author of a controversial series of articles and a recent book on the Israel lobby, told Al Jazeera: "Almost all of the major candidates are falling over themselves to demonstrate how deeply committed they are to America's special relationship with Israel.

"Hardly a word of criticism is directed at anything Israel does and that is due to the activities of the lobby."

What is the pro-Israel lobby?

The lobby is made up of dozens of pro-Israel political action committees that draw a large part of their support from the US Jewish community and provide funding to presidential candidates.

But Christian Zionists, who are among the most vociferous supporters of Israel in the US, also play a major role.

They believe that by strengthening and supporting the state of Israel, they are more likely to bring about the "second coming" of Jesus as prophesied in the Bible.

At the lobby's vanguard is the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), which works mainly in US congress.

It boasts its recent "victories" include the US decision to brand Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, securing US aid to Israel and freezing US aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority in 2006.

Money and power

Defenders of the Israel lobby say that the views of presidential candidates are really a natural reflection of the views of most Americans and that it has little influence over elections.

US money pays for Israeli military equipment
used in Gaza and Lebanon [GALLO/GETTY]

But money talks in politics and the figures tell a different story.

The Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP), which monitors the role of money in US politics, says pro-Israeli groups and individuals have already donated more than $845,000 to presidential candidates in the 2008 campaign - 70 per cent of it to Democrats.

In the entire 2004 presidential campaign pro-Israel interests contributed at least $6.1 million to federal candidates and parties.

"Money translates into influence in Washington, so generally the interests that spend the most money are going to get the best access and results," says Massie Ritch, communications director at the CRP.

And it is outside of the presidential race and in congress, which holds the purse strings on the key area of aid to Israel, that the lobby makes its financial mark.

Aipac and other groups spent more than $1.5 million on federal lobbying in 2006 and more than $1.25 million in the first half of 2007, meaning that this year could be a record one for the lobby.

The pro-Israel lobby accounts for about one-quarter of all foreign policy lobbying on Capitol Hill, the CRP says.

Information flow

Arab efforts to put their case across are, in contrast, minimal.

The National Association of Arab-Americans and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee reported spending just $80,000 on federal lobbying in 2006 and $40,000 in the first six months of 2007.

The financial power of the Israel lobby also allows it to provide one-sided information to US politicians not always familiar with the complexities of conflict in the Middle East.

Aipac provides educational trips to congressman and their staff - more trips than any other sponsor, according to the CRP.

"Members of congress and their staffs have been to Tel Aviv more often in recent years than they've been to Chicago," says Ritch.

Anti-Semitism charges

Aipac's defenders say that this is where the organisation plays an important role, as an information source for politicians - including US presidential candidates.

But critics say that pro-Israel lobby groups go much further - as John Mearsheimer says: "The lobby monitors what the candidates say very closely."

In March, Democratic candidate Barack Obama gave a speech in the key primary state of Iowa where he said: "Nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people."

A local Aipac member immediately contacted the media to denounce the comment, describing it as "deeply troubling".

In July Jim Moran, a Democratic congressman who has criticised Aipac in the past, accused the organisation of pushing for war on Iraq.

Seventeen members of congress immediately wrote a letter to Moran condemning him and saying that his remarks "unfortunately fit the anti-Semitic stereotypes some have used historically used against Jews".

Barack Obama has come in for criticism
from Aipac supporters [GALLO/GETTY]

Eric Cantor, the house of representatives Republican deputy chief whip, reportedly went further and was quoted as as saying: "Unfortunately, Jim Moran has made it a habit now to lash out to the American-Jewish community.

"I think his remarks are reprehensible, I think his remarks are anachronistic, and hearken back to the day of Adolf Hitler."

In such a political climate it is easy to see why those seeking a job in the Oval Office are wary of speaking out for any change in the US relationship with Israel or against Aipac.

The charge of anti-Semitism is regularly used by the Israel and lobby and was one of the charges faced by John Mearsheimer.

"We are not anti-Semites and the book is not anti-Semitic," he says.

"Calling critics of Israeli policy or the US-Israel relationship is standard operating procedure for the lobby. It's the standard strategy they use to stifle criticism of Israel and to marginalise those critics."

Military action

Beyond the politics of elections, the lobby's critics say that pro-Israeli groups, after pushing for war on Iraq, are now advocating military action against Iran.

"If you look at who is pushing the US to use military force against Iran, the two driving forces are Israel and the Israel lobby," says Mearsheimer.

Jim Moran, in an interview with the Tikkun, a Jewish peace magazine, said US action against Iran is proposed only because it is a threat to Israel.

"No one's suggested that Iran is a potential threat to the United States," he told the magazine, "any more than Iraq could ever have been a threat to the United States."

"In effect, all the same groups and individuals who were pushing for war against Iraq are pushing for war against Iran."

Aipac, however, vehemently denies it is asking for anything other than sanctions.

Jim Moran has said Aipac pushed the
US into war on Iraq [GALLO/GETTY]

"Aipac solely advocates sanctions as the best way to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons or the capability to make them," Josh Block, an Aipac spokesman, told Al Jazeera.

Real friendship

Mearsheimer argues that the US needs to normalise its relationship with Israel, treating it more like the UK, Germany or India.

He and other critics, from both inside and outside the Jewish community in the US, argue that Israel also suffers from its privileged position in terms of US aid.

They believe that the Israel lobby's support in the US encourages Israel to act without fear of international sanction.

This has emboldened Israeli leaders to sanction the illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the building of settlements and for the Israeli military to carry out numerous human rights abuses.

"If these presidential candidates were real friends of Israel as they claim to be, they would not only be criticising Israel for its policies in the occupied territories ... they would be arguing that the US put significant pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to reach an agreement on a two-state solution," Mearsheimer told Al Jazeera.

"That's what a real friend would do."

US Aid to Israel :
Military : 2.25 Bn
Economic :237 m
Immigration : 40 m
Other : 0.5 m

Source : CRS Report for US Congress, 2006 figures