Hospitality Canada!

        From the 17th of October until 29th of October 2012, I was given the once in a life time opportunity to visit a country that I had only dream of going, The Great White North of Canada. It was a student exchange program organized by my university.

        To be honest, I did not know what to expect when I went there. I know very little about Canada. Yet my journey was amazing. From the very first day we departed, i felt as if I had landed in heaven. I had learned new things, I discovered new discovery, and I gained new experiences. Canada was far better from what I had imagined.

     
         Yet, the best thing about Canada to me was the hospitality. When the day to fly finally came,  my hearts were pumping, my feeling was full of nervousness and my mind was full of curiosity yet at the same time, the feeling of joy and excitement fills me. After 22hours of flight and a transit at Abu Dhabi, we finally reached Toronto and was greeted by Mr Ferhad, the president of Islamic Institute of Toronto. they will be our host and we were later be divided into our family.

       They had been an amazing host. I had never imagine such hospitality. They treated us as if we are a King of a country. No, maybe even better. they treated us as if we are family to them. Every single day in Canada, i felt as if I am at home. I felt as if I had never left Malaysia and Canada had forever been my home. I felt in debt with their kindness. It is not easy treating a guess who you had never known before and accepted them as your own child. I to take them as my family. All of them were like my mother and father, my brothers and sisters. for the first time in my life, I can really imagine what "Islamic Brotherhood" is all about. I can imagine how the brotherhood was like during the time of the prophet. I never thought I would actually discovered the true Islamic Hospitality in Canada. 

       Today, I might be half across the world. Yet, never I felt Canada was far from me. As from that day, Canada is very close to my heart and soul. If I were given another chance to visit Canada for just ONE DAY and to go through the 2days traveling, I would definitely do it. This is because "my family" is there and forever, they will be a part of my life.

With my Canadian Family

      

Kita semua adalah daie. Ya, DAIE!

Khabarkanlah kepadaku wahai rajawali
adakah gerhana akan berlalu pergi?
untung nasib barangkali ada gerimis

menyejukkan hati bagai direnjis

embun-embun pagi yang menitis

langit sudah berubah senja

si kecil sudah bergelar raja

pondok miskin berganti istana

lembah muram berubah suasana

laut yang tenang menjadi gelora

awan yang mendung berarak sudah

pipit yang bingit bercicit segala

bumi yang kering berganti sawah

ulama’ yang teguh terkubur sudah,

tapi buih-buih putih yang berjuta-juta

sekadar berkemutih menyejukkan mata

hakikatnya tetap lemah sengketa.

Oh… jiwa-jiwa yang kesakitan.

Sudahkah kematian menemui kalian?

Ataukah hidup seperti bangkai?

terbuka sahaja mata, karung diisi sekenyang-kenyangnya

seusai mengisi perut, diisi pula kantung pusaka

bagaikan hidup seribu tahun lamanya

padahal siapa tahu sebentar lagi ajalnya

bisakah kita menentukan hujungnya?

Oh… jiwa-jiwa yang buta!

Celiklah!

Adakah tenang dengan mengulit harta dan wang?

Adakah menang dengan menghancurkan kasih sayang?

Adakah pasti akan terang dengan mengutip bintang-bintang?

Siapakah yang bisa menyelamatkan kamu

dari Hutamah yang memburu?

Siapakah yang bisa melindungimu

dari Jahannam yang menderu?

Siapakah yang akan memayungimu

pada hari lidah-lidah terkunci kelu?

Ayuh, jawab soalan ini…

Oh… jiwa-jiwa yang lemah…

Kalau tidak kerana manisnya iman

aku tidak menyeru kalian

Kalau tidak kerana aku ketakutan

aku tidak memanggil kalian

Kalau tidak kerana bakal dipersoalkan

aku tidak peduli sebarang urusan

Umat ini sedang karam ditenggelamkan

Akankah kita tenang mengulit mimpi

disaat bayi-bayi yang dilahirkan

dibenam dalam-dalam

sampai bernafaslah mereka dalam najis-najis musuh Adam a.s

Tenangkah kita?

Menangkah kita?

Gemilangkah kita?

Ketawalah kerana kebodohan pemimpin-pemimpin

tetapi takutlah juga kerana kau juga pemimpin

khalifah yang dilantik Rabbul ‘alamiin

bukan cabutan undi ‘demokrasi terpimpin’

Kalau aku menjadi kalian.

Akanku kobar api kesedaran

Akanku bakar tiap-tiap binaan jahiliyah

biar hancur menyembah tanah

Sampai masa, aku bina istana Islah

biar subur menghasilkan buah

pemuda-pemuda al Fateh dengan semangat Rasulullah.

-- Laskar Pelangi

Report : Closed Discussion with Prof Thariq Ramadhan

Professor Dr Tariq Ramadan (Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies, Oxford University, UK)
visited IAIS Malaysia and engaged in dialogue with the members/fellows of IAIS
including the invited participants.

representing IDFR in a round table discussion with regard to
the Islamic Contemporary Issue Around The World with Prof Thariq Ramadhan.

Recently, the prominent scholar Prof Thariq Ramadhan had visited Malaysia to give talks and speeches to the Malaysians. One of his schedule during this short yet meaningful visit was to have a round table discussion at Institute of Advance Islamic Studies (IAIS) in Petaling Jaya. The discussion was held on Monday, 16^th July 2012.

Several guest attended the event which include former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, for Chief Judge of Malaysia Tun Abdul Hamid and former minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar. Others were representative from academic institution form IIUM, Ngo’s as well as amembers from the public at large. There approximately around 30 people in the discussion exclusive Prof Thariq Ramadhan.

The discussion began with an opening speech by Prof Dr Hashim Kamali who was the moderator of the discussion. He introduced a bit about Prof Thariq Ramadhan before passing the microphone to him to begin the discussion. There is no specific topic with regard to this discussion and it is an open discussion whereby the people are allowed any questions as long as it is appropriate.

Most of the issues discussed are quite general and it is with regard to the Islamic Contemporary Issues. Many issues were discussed such as the role of Islam in Education, knowledge and economics. There is also issue with regard to the understanding of Islam by others as well as how Muslim understands others. However, the most controversial issue is regard to the issue of interfaith marriage between a Muslim and a non-Muslim without converting to Islam. The issue was later settled well by Prof Thariq Ramadhan and the Prof himself does not agree too such matter.

The discussion that began at 10.15am ended 2hours later at 12.15pm. The  discussion was later concluded by Prof Thariq Ramadhan that Muslim today should focus more on improving Islamic Ethics. IDFR hope that such discussion will be continually held in order to benefit the society at large especially the Muslims.

The Game that Unite a Nation

August 5th 2012, will be always be remembered in the hearts of all the Malaysians. Those who love badminton will remember the date till they die and those who never liked nor watched badminton must surely fall in love to the game. It is the day that Dato' Lee Chong Wei had fought with all his life knowing the burden of the whole country is upon.

Dato' Lee Chong Wei knows that he is the carrying the hope of the nation to see Malaysia win their first ever gold medal. Not once since this Olympic was established nearly a century ago have Malaysia won a gold medal. Never had the proud song of the nation "NEGARAKU" being heard and played in the Olympics. The closest Malaysia had ever come  in reaching gold is in Beijing 4 years ago and by the same person Dato' Lee Chong Wei as well as in 1992 also in badminton.

With the burden that he has to carry, he played the game beautifully. He is just back from a nasty injury that kept him out for about 3months and only have 2 weeks to train. Yet, he utilized those 2weeks and train his best. The word "tired and exhaustion" never come to his mind. He is focus in his mission,  to get the GOLD. Dato' Lee Chong Wei fought hard with all he can. His rival? Non other than the great Lin Dan or Super Dan they called them, the same man that beat him at the same stage in Beijing, 4 years ago. The rivalry of these 2 champions is not a stranger to the badminton fans around the world. Thousands of badminton players certified as professional by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), but none can beat this two champions as they are at a class of their own.

It is the Tiger vs the Dragon. Both played with perfection and cautiously. The first set goes to Dato' Lee Chong Wei, 21-15. The second goes to Super Dan 21-11. Then the third stage is set up. The game was full with emotion, anxiety and excitement. Finally the game was tied at 19-19. Yet at the end of the day, Super Dan managed to win it 21-19. It broke the heart of all Malaysian. Tears can be seen all around the country and the face and emotion shown by Dato' Lee Chong Wei says it all. He knows, he might had just lost his one last opportunity in grabbing the gold. All hopes are lost.

He might have lost the gold but he had won a bigger prize, the heart of the nation. Dato' Lee Chong Wei had managed to bring back the spirit of Malaysia putting aside religion, belief and race differences aside, all eyes were on Dato' Lee Chong Wei cheering for him until the very end. The country that had in recent times fall into chaos with "fools" fighting for money and power, the country is once again united. In a country where time move so fast, he stopped it. A country that is losing hope, he gave them light. A country that is falling behind, he pushed it forward.

 By my observation, even until today people are giving strength and encouragement to Datuk Lee Chong Wei. I believe that Datuk Lee Chong Wei had managed to unite the country better than what '1 MALAYSIA' could ever do. Congratulations Datuk. You may not win the gold, but you have managed to win our heart, a true Malaysian Hero.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Third Gender : Rights vs Laws

Everyday we read the newspapers and we can see many headlines all around the globe that people everywhere are claiming for their rights. We want our rights! Its our rights! People are yelling this all around the world. Malaysia is no exception The LGBT group had been asking their rights to be recognized. These people are demanding and yelling the word RIGHTS but do they know what RIGHTS is all about?

Yes everyone deserves their rights but remember rights have their limits. Imagine this world if everyone is asking their rights to be upheld. The drugs users manage to get their rights upheld and can freely take marijuana. A married couple wants their right to be upheld so they can have sex freely in the public. Even better, a woman wants their right to be upheld that they can marry as many man as they want? If we allow such rights, what would actually happen to this world.

Yes everyone has their rights and deservedly so. Right to life, right to food and right to shelter. Yet, remember these rights are limited and it is here where the Law comes. The Law limits the right of the people in order to create a better society. The function of the law is not just to sanction or to scare but to limits the right of the people. Imagine a society living without laws with an unlimited rights, surely the society will lead into chaos and even to destruction. The function of the law is to preserve and protect the people.

If today we are recognizing rights of Homosexuality especially in a Muslim majority country, what next? Legalizing marijuana or even an inter-religious marriage like Indonesia. As for Malaysian perspective, we are not ready to accept the existence of such people and as far as I am concern, we should not even bother to accept such people. They might argue that it is not them that wanted to be this way but God created them the way they are. Well, God created you as a man and there are people out there wants to be a woman and claiming its their right to do so. Its just a mere excuse that you do not want to admit your mistake. If you know you had done something wrong, by right change it.

This world is never a democracy world. the right of 49 people may be taken away by 51 people in a 100 people meeting. the right of one person may be taken away by 2 people in a three people meeting. This life is not about right. No. It is about how together we can create a better world and for standing up for something that is wrong, will not in any way help.