I read in the papers the other day that a Malaysian professor who was visiting Male’ had been taken in by the Police while in his room in the hotel he was staying at. I happened to meet this professor when he came to the wedding party of a cousin sister of mine. Her husband is a student of the professor in the International Islamic University.
Anyway, I had a long chat with the three teachers and it became very interesting because one of them is a professor of management. The other is a teacher of some aspect of religion. As we were discussing religion I invited my son and daughter to sit with us. I can fondly remember what the scholar had to say to my children.
He talked to them about fish. He asked them what happens to the fish if they are taken out of the water. He then pointed out that humans were created by the Almighty to live within the religion and explained what happens when people move out of religion. Ofcourse, what I have said is too simplistic and the professor explained it in a beautiful manner that impressed both my eighteen year old son and ten year old daughter.
We spent much of the one and half hours together and I was able to appreciate the personalities of the three and was impressed with them. It was such a shocking news to hear that the religous scholar amongst the three of them will be dragged from his hotel room in the middle of the night and taken to the Police. What a shame!
If this is the way we are going to treat scholars who wear a beard and dress in a particular way, especially those who come from a friendly non-hundred-percent Muslim country where they are not considered a threat to society being who they are; I cannot simply understand what a society we have become. A society afraid of its own identity. And interestingly, we blame our young for an identity crisis, when our leaders are having one that is worse!
It is our fear of failure and rejection that control us in life, it is our fear of ourselves that will ruin us. We have become unique again in this world, by being the only hundred percent Muslim country that fear our religion!
Smile and Let Smile 
Anonymous
February 10, 2008 at 10:33 pm
A very inspiring post Shihab. This is indeed an issue that needs to be brought to the limelight.
Anonymous
December 31, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Commendable effort Mr.shihab..but its gonna take more than a sincere anecdote to tame these coyotes!..Jaahilu to the bone!keep it up )Dr.freex
mhilmyh
December 13, 2007 at 3:38 am
SimonI too feel that ‘fish out of the water’ is the wrong analogy to show the benefits of living within the bounds of religion.Stretch that line of thinking a little further and you get Sheik Hilali, ex Mufti of Sydney Australia who said: “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?””The uncovered meat is the problem.”The sheik then said: “If she (referring to a woman who was raped) was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred,” meaning no rape would have taken place.
Simon
December 12, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Shihab,It is completely wrong (and just plain cheap) to apply the fish out of water analogy for religious belief. You might be fondly surprised to learn that water is not a belief held by fish. They actually live in it, completely submerged and is essential for their life.What happens when a fish is removed from water, as observed by laymen, is that they suffocate and die. On the other hand when humans remove themselves from religious belief they don’t suffocate, they live, quite happily in many cases.I know the point is about morality and there is a lot that can be put on debate about that. But talking about the plight of a suffocating fish is simply appalling. This kind of meaningless and yet clever sounding inferences are used by mullahs and clerics to brainwash young men into such horrendous acts as suicind-bombings.If 1 and a half hours of religious flimflam can have a good impression on you, you sir, should be careful.
Anonymous
December 12, 2007 at 8:38 pm
exactly….You have to be very careful, when ppl comment, we may unknowingly believe them for no reason.Its also easy to rember what exactly he told your kids (if they had concentrated enough they probably have memorized it already), and tell show-off your religious skills to others.
Anonymous
December 12, 2007 at 5:41 pm
You and your children have been victimized unknowingly by a cult leader.