ISIS does not represent Islam

This morning while  watching some random videos on Youtube I came across a disturbing video called "A Message To America" with duration of 2.29 minutes. In that video there was a man who dressed in an orange jumpsuit, kneeling in front of the camera, with a masked man standing beside him. I went on watching the video for the first minute and a half, and right after the masked man revealed his knife, I stopped the video and closed the entire tab right away.

That man is recognized to be Mr James Foley, the American photojournalist who was reported to be abducted by unidentified gunmen in Syria back in 2012. The footage are reported to be posted on Youtube on behalf of ISIS on Tuesday, August 19th, 2014 (as recently as two days ago).

Before he was killed, Mr Foley, 40, was forced to read a statement that blamed America for his death. The journalist said: “I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers – the US government. For what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality.”

Minutes later he was beheaded by the masked man.

I scrolled down a little to read some comments made by the viewers. And I tell you what, I wasn't disappointed to read those comments. I was actually expecting those outraged comments condemning Islam and blaming Muslims as a whole to flood the whole section.

Good job ISIS. Thank you for committing terrorism in the name of Islam, and makes us all look bad in the eyes of the world, once again. Thank you for bringing the hate upon us again, and thank you for bringing back the Islamophobia back on the rise once again.

I know there are also conspiracy theories claiming that this ISIS is actually a creation of the USA itself to put the disgrace on Islam and shift the world's attention away form the middle east's conflicts.

You can choose which of these versions to believe; I personally don't give a damn about it. Coz either way, it does not makes a difference at all. This ISIS truly does not represent Islam. I am a Muslim and I am outraged with what has happened. And I am literally angered with these people who claimed to be Muslims but does not act like one.

Associating Islam with terrorism is not a new thing, I know. If you are viewing things objectively, and you what Islam is, you know it is not true. But I am not exactly gonna put the whole blame on the people for all the stereotypes they throw at us Muslims. The blame is on these small groups of people, ISIS or any other groups who claimed to be representing Islam but commit unnecessary violence like this. You guys, if you truly are Muslims, are the disgrace of Islam.

To the whole world out there who are angered with the actions and violence committed by these groups and starts to point fingers to Islam, please understand that this is the act of a small minority group and does not speaks for us as a whole. Don't judge us Muslims based on the actions of some small minority lunatics. The majority of us are not like that. The majority of us are actually against that. 






Sincerely, a Muslim.

Closer Than Vein

 
Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when death is so close you can actually feel its presence? Ever had a feelings of hopelessness so great, all you had in mind was families and friends thinking that you will never see them again?
 
Though death is so imminent, yet it is so subtle. It looms around you, hides behind your back, and tries to communicate with you. Tries to remind you how fragile life is. And sometimes, it even touches you.

Three months ago (6th of May to be exact) I experienced a rather serious accident at the gym, while doing my daily routine workout. My left lung suddenly collapsed, and I could hardly breathe. I was literally gasping for air like a dying fish; totally helpless, for almost 15 minutes before I could get to the hospital. That ride to hospital was the longest ride in my life. And I was literally dying.

I can vaguely recall how desperate I was as I begged my friend who was driving the car to drive faster. That man was a hero, and I owe him a life. He got me to hospital just before the oxygen in my lung are all used up. "Five more minutes, and you'll be gone.." said the doctor.  It was totally a close call. Seriously man, real close.

As I woke up at my bed in the hospital the next morning, I couldn't actually believe that I actually survived the night. All praise to Him The All-Merciful, I was still alive the next day. I couldn't describe how grateful I am to survive the night. It is beyond words. 

For the next three consecutive days I was placed at the critical ward, heavily supervised. Some of the beds in the ward were the deathbeds for a lot of patients there. I have witnessed several deaths on the bed around me, for almost everyday. Again, death loomed just around me.

There are many things that I have learned from the tragic event but these two are golden; that death are never too far from you, and that there are always people who care for you even when you're not noticing. 

This piece of paper keeps me strong. Thank you guys.

Thank you Allah, for this event. Though its tragic, it taught me a lot.

"And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein." (Quran 50:16)

LGBT - Is It Okay?

I don't think I need to clarify to you what is LGBT in the first place. It is, by the way,  a more decent way to refer to the community of homosexuals. And there has been a lot of debate over this term nowadays; some agree to accept them as part of the community, some disagree. And some others would grab popcorn and just enjoy those people arguing over a group of homosexuals.

Me? Lets cut to the chase; I don't. But I am not radically oppose them in the community. And I have my own reasons why.

First let me just emphasize that I just don't agree to accept the idea that they should freely practice their homosexuality in the community. I do accept them as part of the community, as we cannot deny the fact that they are out there, but I don't like the idea of accepting the homosexuality as something normal. I believe it is not.

There are some claims, however, about a study that shows that homosexuality doesn't just exist amongst human but also in several kinds of animal. I had never came across it but for the sake of argument, lets just assume there is and it is true. But does it render that homosexuality is normal? Well, its tempting, but no. Just because there exist some homosexuality cases in nature doesn't mean we as a human being should accept it as normal in our eyes too.

In the same sense, well, to practice incest is also in nature. Animals, they do it all the time. They don't even have any idea who is legitimate to mate up with and whose not. They don't even care. -_-

But does that mean we have to accept it in the community too, and accept it as normal all the way? Unequivocally, no.

In this case, I would say its all about moral values, ethics and being 'human'. And talking about values, we should relate them closely to the religion we strongly beholden to, be it Islam, Christian, Buddha, Hinduism etc. Me as a devout Muslim, I shall and will always follow everything that He had set as a guidance for us pertaining to 'values'.

Allah (S.W.T) has made it clear to us Muslims about the matter of human values and even, homosexuality (as we were discussing). A translation of the Holy al-Quran, chapter 26 verse 165-166: "Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, and leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!". Clearly, being homosexual shouldn't be acceptable in the community according to Islam, as it is considered as crossing the line. It is not the path that is meant for as a normal human being, and therefore should not be viewed as normal.

There are several other places in the Holy al-Quran that mentions about how homosexuality is a profound wrongness. But wait a minute, you might think why the heck am I bringing all of this verses up. You might say that I shouldn't have taken this matter into a religious context. Well, where else should I take it when it is about values and ethics? And even if you're not a Muslim, you should also agree that homosexuality is unethical because there's no religion that accept homosexuality to be normal. (correct me if I am wrong)

And to legalize it in our country, I don't think it is a wise idea considering that Malaysia is an Islamic country, with Islam as its official religion and the majority of Malaysians are Muslim. Plus, if it is allowed in our country, it will looks like we somehow advocating it, don't you think?

I didn't say that we should oppose and detest these kind of people. Yeah, some of us might feel disturbing to even set eye on them, with some of them may be dressing like transvestites and act inappropriately but nonetheless, they are part of the community too. It is utterly unwise to antagonize them and look at them as the outcast of the society. They are truly not.

The way we should treat them shouldn't differ with how we treat other straight people. Embrace them and talk to them. We can guide them back to who they really are, rather than keep claiming that "homosexuality is in the blood" and therefore we are the one who should change and follow their lifestyle. No way. -_-

By the way, as this is a very heavy subject to reach to a point where everyone would agree upon, therefore you don't have to nod to everything I have stated above. Everyone have their own thought; maybe some of you don't agree with part of what I am saying, or maybe all of them, and that doesn't matter. This is my personal thought about this. You're free to think in the opposite way. :)

A tangle on a string

High school friends are always the closest one to your heart. Whenever you're on holiday and taking an urban retreat at your peaceful hometown during semester break, they'll be the first one you're gonna seek to hang out with. Right? I do believe most people will agree with me on that.

" Life is like a traveling ship. The sailors make friends at every port of call. But then they have to leave. Next port of call, new experiences, new friends. Years later, the ship comes by the old ports once more. Old friends reunited.

We are all under the same sky where the Lord is, even if we are separated by different geographical lands and seas.

As we stare at the sky above, the sky will gaze upon the very land and people left behind in a journey that will hopefully lead back to the same port of call.."

(credits : Miseria Cantare)


I gotta say, I don't love my friends that I got acquainted at campus the same way as I do to my high school friends. At campus things are much closer to work-related relationship. I mean, we do interacted a lot, do things together most of the time; we even stay in the same house, but the relationship bounds where we got things to do. We are housemates, classmates, room mates and all, but thats it; nothing more. They never make me feel as comfortable to be with as I do with my high school friends.



(I am not being sentimental, I am merely just unearthing whats deeply buried in my heart)


Sometimes I quarreled with my friends at campus, big time. There's no face-punching and nose bleeding, but every time we fight, I am inclined to take the most pacifying way, by giving in and yield. By the end of the day, we would still be friends but the thing will always linger in my mind. "Why couldn't you all be like my high school friends?", I would whisper to myself.


It has been more than 7 years and counting since we first got acquainted at high school, but we never had a fight. There were some little disagreements back in the day, but it won't ended up to be just another scar in the heart. No grudges to hold, no dissatisfaction, no nothing. They won't hurt you as much as anyone would do.


By the end of this semester break, I am beginning to sense it. Its not friendship anymore, its brotherhood; family. Its just like a tangle on a string; which can never be separated. 

:)

Why I.S.A.?

Yeah I know it has been banned, replaced and repealed by the Security Offences Act in 2012, but I wasn't talking about that I.S.A. This is the another kind of I.S.A.; Information Security and Assurance of Computer Science. (I know people would normally associate the acronym I.S.A. with Internal Security Act) -_-

Anyway, this entry is dedicated to our juniors who are still kind of confused, wondering what the heck is I.S.A. is all about. There are basically three kind of reactions to the offer letter that got to their door. Some are freaked out, anticipating this might be some kind of a trash program that the university just randomly throw to any unlucky students; some are the kind of student who just don't care, just accept whatever they got without whining and go with the flow; and some others are very much intrigued with the word I.S.A. and wanna know more about it.

Apparently, the word I.S.A didn't tell much.

Well I've been there too. I was once like you. Perplexed, confused, and pretty much freaked out too. I mean, yeah, what on earth am I supposed to learn taking computer science? And Information, Security and Assurance? What, am I gonna end up being a security personnel or something?

When most of my friends decided just to stick with the course and the path of computer science, I took the drastic move of changing the course and appeal for the other courses. There are several other choices in the faculty, but I chose Food Biotechnology. I guessed that lil bit of enthusiasm in biology I had when I was in school will serve me right.

So did I. Flash forward, a few weeks later, I received a letter telling that my application is granted. Yep, I now stand a chance to be a scientist by pursuing Food Biotechnology program, rather than studying something which I have no idea what it is about, and ending up in a security post with a computer, or something. I now have a chance to embrace a brighter future.

But you know what I did? I turned it down at the very last minute, and decided to stick to the I.S.A. program. Why?

Because there was one day I let myself sunk deeply in thought, thinking about what kind of field of expertise would the world mostly demand on in the future. I mean, I know we should be choosing the field of study in which you're mostly interested in, but seems as I didn't really think that my interest in Biology is any less than being in computer science, then I chose to make a choice that gonna get me job in the future. Enthusiasm will catch on. Don't worry about it.

I believe in the future, which presumably just a few years ahead, the world would heavily cling on the application of computer in our daily life. I mean, just look at the way it is today. In light of the era of Information Age today, the application of computer is so vast and fast growing. In every institution or company in the world, every single data is keyed in into computer and managed electronically. Even today in school, the government are introducing and encouraging the application of technology (computers) that replace text books and physical notes, so that students won't have to carry heavy bags ever again.

Realistically, it is possible that one day pen and paper would cease to exist..

That is the main reason why I chose not to switch courses, and stick with the computer science program. That is the basis of my reversion. And you what, that imagination of the future has slowly beginning to come true. Some of the seniors that have graduated from this course that I met told me they don't have any problems getting a job. Some of them even have more than one job offers, which is, looking to the never ending unemployment problem today, actually quite surprising.

And now, so far, after two years studying I.S.A., all I can say that I have chosen the right choice.  I have never regretted it. Alhamdulillah.

If you're wanna know more about what I.S.A. of computer science is basically all about, click here. I have explained a lil bit about it in the I.S.A.'s official blog.

I know this entry is more to a personal thought rather than explaining what is I.S.A. is all about, but I was just wanna let you know that I have been in your shoes before. I just don't want you to make the same mistake that I have made.

*If you're thinking of applying for another course, its utterly your call. But I suggest you think hardly. Weigh both pros and cons before deciding, for your decision will determine which path are you going for the next four years.

So long. :)

Loyalty Is Hard To Find These Days, huh?

Is there is anything else faster than time? Yes, literally speaking, I see none. Because as I write and you read this post at this exact moment, the time is already passed by. But we are not to realise that because it really is very subtle; noticing things that abstract when most of our senses are just aware of physical things, are difficult. But it kept moving fastly. Faster than a choo choo train.

"Enough speaking so philosophical already!", you would say. No, I just wanted to let you wander in your thought about how fast the time is. I, for instance, have just realised I haven't posted any new entries in this blog for like, a month already, when I thought it would've been just like, a week ago since I wrote the last post. But maybe all the workloads and busy-ness filled the empty spaces, and as a result I was like, got washed away by the turbulent waves of time and didn't actually realised it.

I was busy, yes. Not really as busy as crazy workaholics whose time are spent entirely tapping the keyboard and clicking the mouse all the time, just I feel so uncomfortable to write when my time table are tightly scheduled. So I ended up to be posting new posts only when I am off schedule, by which I mean, on a break, or holiday, or whichever that serves me a chance to be at my lovely home town, in Kuala Terengganu. Well, I am, right now.

Anyway, you readers (in case there's any) are most probably yawning in boredom right now, reading this crap, and whining like, whatever are this guy babbling about about his freaking boring life blah blah.. but to me, my blog is nothing but a dear, loyal and the best listener of mine. Every time I wanted to let my thoughts out on something, or just want to ease my mind, or just to be listened, I'll be here writing about it. 

Oh yes, speaking of loyalty, if someone ask me to define loyalty, I would profoundly state that "it is something that is nowhere to be found.." Figuratively, not literally..

And when talking about loyalty, or being loyal, people will quickly think it is all about relationships. Alright, lets go there. I am assuming whoever you are, you must have some experiences in dealing with relationship with the opposite sex, or lets just say it as "love", for at least once. Right? If so, tell me, does loyalty exists in your relationship? Do you love birds, have ever come across that she or he might be cheating on you? Or just simply, like somebody else secretly? Or maybe, seeing somebody else behind your back? Do you? Have you?

I ain't going to talk about my experiences, but the bottom line is, you either cheats, get cheated or think that you got cheated. Whichever you are it doesn't matter because in the end, any of them will become the reason that wreck your relationship. That is always how it ends, deal with it.

Sometimes it lingers in my train of thought that, we don't have to bother seeking to find "the other half of me",  not just because it is already fated, but also because if we do, most of the time it doesn't ends well. But then I realised we have to make some effort to gain it, because, “Truly, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran 13:11)

As marriage is inevitable (I think..), so does the relationship that gonna lead to it, the question that rises is just how you are going to steer the wheel of the relationship. 

At the age of 20, I think there's nothing wrong for me to start talking about this stuff, I suppose. It will get to us all one day.


- Single, coz loyalty is still, nowhere to be found..

Learning To Be Better

I don't know what but I had this strange whisper in my head lately. The message was subtle, but apparently it  was a request. A request from inside myself, to myself, beseeching for a better me next semester.

"You know what, I think its time for a change, for both of you and me.."

It was right. This upcoming September I'll be turning 20, and being 20 means a little growing up. I mean, just think about it, what have I done for the past few years? Nothing. All the time, nothing but fooling around, enjoying my adolescence. And I think I had had enough.

Lets grow up for a little bit.

Out of sudden, a few weeks before the new semester session blazed its trail, I got a call that I was chosen to be in a leadership programme in Maran, Pahang with the other 60 participants. And I thought, ah, right in time. Maybe this can be a great start.

The programme lasted for six long days, but it was worthwhile. I don't think it is exaggerating to say that it was one of the best leadership camp I ever participated. Not only we were exposed to the true nature of leadership, but also the true nature of ourselves. The benefits goes both ways; as a leader, and as a Muslim personally.

When the new semester starts later on, I was allocated to be the leader for the second year student of ISA programme. To me, honestly, I don't think being in this position will be something that I can be proud of. Thinking about that much burden that I am going to carry on my back later on, that position is utterly nothing. Plus I never really had any experiences handling something bigger than a small tutorial class before, so I must be extra cautious about everything. But after all, I took the responsibility. I took it, and regarded it as a medium to develop myself, to be someone better.

Today, I challenged myself to becoming a MC (Master of Ceremony) of the Dean's Award Ceremony of my faculty, something I had never did before. And I did it. Up till this moment, I don't believe I did it. It was never something I intended to be, but I think, to be better, maybe I need to challenge myself to things I feared the most before, just like that. ( I had this phobia with talking in front of crowds)

I am not mentioning all of these because I am proud of myself, just I want you people to know that, the only thing that keeps stopping us from doing something that we should is, the guts. Something may seems impossible for you to do, but I believe all it needs is for you to take the first move. Just take the first move, and surely the others will be following. :)