Upcoming

Subhan'Allah. I have so many things going through my head that I'm soon going to explode if I don't let them out. Here's a list:

• Finish post on Saudi Arabia.
• Laal Bujhakkarr.
• Bollywood.
• Works of Allama Iqbal.
• Works of Syed Maududi.

I hope I can work on all of these.

A Crime Punishable by Death

I'm gonna save my breath, seriously. If you wish to read a fiery, angry, argumentative post about the situation in Palestine and Lebanon, please try one of the links to my fellow bloggers and I am more than sure you'll find at least one raging post about the issue.

I am, however, going to save my breath.

I am not going to pretend to be surprised about the fact that Israel is bombing civillians without so much as mild condemnation from the world leaders.
I am not going to draw a parallel between Israeli civillian bombings and Palestinian civillian bombings.
I am not going to ask why it is terrorism when a Palestinian does it and self-defense when Israel does it.
I am not going to claim a similar right of self-defense for the Lebanese and the Palestinians.
I am not going to ask why my brothers and sisters can't be as precious as the Israeli citizens.
I am not going to ask why their men are worth dying and fighting for and why mine are not.

Why? Because I am a Muslim who knows his reality -- well-behaved some may call me. I know my place in this world and I know my place in history. And that place is to be kicked around and pushed about. I understand that I am to turn my face around when slapped. I am not going to claim what I have not rightfully earned. A well-behaved Muslim knows that self-defense is the right of the powerful. Israel has tanks and guns, planes and missles, bombs and mortars; therefore, what it's doing is not terrorism. Terrorists throw stones. And everyone knows that no sympathies are reserved for terrorists. Let us all focus on the "larger struggle" here.

Such is the real state of this world. No one cares about our rhetoric of peace and justice; heed is given only to power and strength. There is no such thing as an international conscience, it is pure might that decides the fate of nations. This is where winners write history and losers are mindless "Barbarians". This is where the powerful hide behind international laws and conventions when they want; and when they don't, these laws and conventions "do not apply."

Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal -- a great Urdu and Persian revolutionary poet once said:

"Taqdeer kay qazi ka yih fatwa hay azal say:
Hay jurm-i za'eefi ki saza marg-i mufaajaat"

"The justice of fate has eternally decreed:
Weakness is a crime punishable by death"

"Allahummansur ikhwaanana fi Filasteena wa Lubnan," cried the khateeb on jumu'ah... "Inna ha huna qaa'idoon," he should've added too.

Yeah, weakness is indeed a crime punishable by death. Go "Zayn al-Deen!" Defend your honor for us. Go Allah! Help our brothers and sisters. We're gonna chill!

Saudi Arabia: Part I

As my short visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia begins to reach its end, I think it would be a good idea to collect my thoughts and feelings about this country. Why do I decide to do it now, whereas this is where I have literally grown up and where I have spent every summer for the past 10 years? But in this question lies the answer, that after living in the US – a country and culture most detached from Saudi Arabia itself – for two years, I am perhaps ready to give a somewhat unbiased perspective… an outsider’s perspective. This perspective, however, is built around what I have felt and seen, not necessarily around what I know for sure and what is based on facts. This is, of course, not to say that there is nothing factual about what I have to say, but rather that what I am going to be presenting is a layman’s analysis rather than being an expert’s study. This naturally implies that this “analysis” is going to have a lot of holes and imperfections.

First off, let’s get the niceties out of the way. I believe if you are a Muslim and you have any concern for your Islamic development and care enough to want an environment in accordance with Islam, this is mostly the place to be. Of course nothing guarantees a person’s journey on the straight path except the Will of Allah, but if you want to provide good means for it and put ample restrictions on straying from it, then rush to Saudi Arabia. I say this after having lived, and not just physically existed, but socially inhabited, three different Islamic societies and after having experienced several Islamic subcultures. If Pakistan’s middle-class to me represents an Islamic culture almost gone astray and the Muslim-America a culture clearly young, learning, and fighting for it’s survival amidst a sea of ignorance; then Saudi Arabia represents an Islamic culture, though flawed and defeated at many fronts, yet fighting for it’s integrity with enough energy to carry on with this fight for a while. In addition, the lifestyle is somewhat luxurious and relatively easy (plus there are no taxes as of yet), which makes it an ideal place for those who want to bring their children up in a positive manner while providing them with a sufficiently good quality of life. It is like meeting the world halfway while holding on to Islam. There are several catches of course that will be manifest as we discuss some finer points.

Let us delve deeper into this dissection and discuss some individual aspects of this society.

Economic and Political
With the throning of King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz of the family of Saud, a new era of development and reform has commenced in the Kingdom. Cities are crowded with construction vehicles and laborers working at sites of construction. New commercial, residential, and industrial sectors are being built; not to mention the several city-sized projects that are being undertaken throughout the Kingdom. Investors from all over are pouring their money into commercial mega-projects. Interestingly enough, work is underway to provide postal service, hitherto limited to P.O. Boxes, to residential units. Projects are in planning to connect the Holy Cities and Jeddah through a railway line. Gasoline which was SR 0.90/litre ($0.90/gal) is now SR 0.60/litre ($0.60/gal), compared to a can of soda (355 ml) which is SR 1 apiece. This economic development has created a plethora of job opportunities in every field of work. Saudi Arabia has recently been inducted into the World Trade Organization, something that has opened doors for many labor reforms and initiatives in the right direction. Residence restrictions have been loosened and property ownership is being made possible. Overall the buying power of the individual has increased.

This should of course not paint a very rosy picture of the situation. These reforms, though revolutionary, are not necessarily changing the infrastructure of the country. Their specific moral and social implication will be discussed later, but economically, it might have widened the gap between economic classes. Another problem with development is that it has to be maintained and looked after, and Saudi authorities do not necessarily have a good record of maintenance (except in the case of the two Holy Mosques). Unless special attention is paid to it, this new life that has sprung will soon deteriorate under pressures of time and age. Furthermore, princes are still allowed monopoly over certain regions and sectors; an unhealthy trend that discourages local entrepreneurship in major business ventures.

Another serious issue is Saudiization which, though social in implications, is political in nature. The theory being that Saudi citizens deserve jobs in Saudi Arabia more than non-Saudis. The government has thus put a limit on the number of non-Saudi employees each organization can have. This policy wears a mask of sense over blatant nationalism and nepotism; for under it meritorious non-citizens are denied their own jobs in favor of less favorable citizens. It should be understood that this non-citizen has no right as of yet to live in Saudi Arabia unless his previous employer has nothing against it.
I don’t even want to start about Saudi bureaucracy. Everything in Saudi Arabia is done bukra insha’Allah: tomorrow, God-willing.

To be continued insha'Allah...