It is not over. We are mistaken. We all are standing at the Tahrir Square helplessly. Without being able to remove the rule of Hosni Mubaraks. These are those Hosni Mubaraks who have been in power for over “thirty years” – actually generations. These are none other than ourselves. We are clinging to our prejudices, preconceived notions, respective schools of thought and outdated ideas more strongly than Hosni Mubarak clung to power. Some of us are clinging to them from a much earlier age. Some of us are still not relenting while Hosni Mubarak actually did. Hosni Mubarak proved to be more flexible and accommodating.Having studied in Jami‘atul Falah I know many of my Falahi friends. A big number of them find it extremely abhorrent to hear anything different – different from what they have grown older with. This defeats the very purpose of the existence of Jami‘atul Falah (if some of the words have some meaning). When I see that they have become followers, it hurts. When I see that they make fun of the same methodology which they have learnt, then it pains. When I see that they are not willing to see beyond, then I wonder. When I see their giant Hosni Mubaraks then I aspire for many more Tahir Squares.I am fortunate to know many AMU alumni. For them their preconceived notions and gravely mistaken ideas about ‘the nearest life (al-hayaat al-dunyaa)’ and ‘the way of life (al-deen)’ – which they have relentlessly clung to for many generations under severe conditioning effects – are far louder than all the clamouring on the Square. They give a deaf year to the protests. They are not listening to the teeming millions who have swarmed the streets of Cairo. Their rule of “thirty years” is not coming to an end. Not in the near future.Our arrogance is the greatest Hosni Mubarak. When I find arrogance it only means that truth is eluding us the seeking of which is our career on earth – to the best of our capacities and with utmost humbleness. How can we afford not to relent when faced with truth? How can we be arrogant and the seeker of truth – both at the same time? If we still cannot see the difference then we need to go back to Makkah and analyze the characters – who was arrogant and why and who wasn’t and why not?We have been against one Hosni Mubarak mistaking him all this while to be somewhere farther away from ourselves. But the one which is the real one and is constantly in the mirror we do not worry about him. And we allow him to perpetuate his tyrannical rule as long as he wishes. The struggle for deposing these Hosni Mubaraks has to continue – all the life. Unless we depose them we will not see the real and lasting change which we are aspiring to and are deservedly excited about.We expect change from masses and then the Governments. We think that the change in regime is a precondition for the change within. But then what and why do we teach? How will we justify the existence of so many educational institutions? The day we sincerely work on ourselves and send our own selves to Sharm El Sheikhs (or anywhere else) we will see a new dawn. We will see a changed world around us. Congratulations for removing one Hosni Mubarak. There are many more.Some of them I recently met during a study circle of Qur’an. The friends had reached to the concluding rukoo‘ of Soorah al-Baqarah. On being asked to comment, I protested on the Tahrir Square that “My pace of studying Qur’an is very slow and I haven’t reached the end of Soorah al-Baqarah as I am still stuck with ‘Show us the Straight Path’ in Soorah al-Faatihah because when I contrast it with our situation then I hardly find any Path or anything Straight”. But my protest was brutally crushed. I am sure the same regime will continue for some more time and any protests will be dealt with in the same manner. Everyone is the victim here, though. Including the circles and the Book.I have seen them in the emails on our Forums. I come across them in my daily conversations. I see them in our directionlessness and complete disorientation. I see them in our mistaken priorities. I see them in our frequent ‘assertion’ that “Jirgah apni jagah par lekin parnaalah wahee(n) giray gaa”. I see them in our love for speed and distaste for direction. I see them in our notion that we cannot do anything unless the regime changes. I see them in blaming all others for our ills and evils. We have to depose all these Hosni Mubaraks – one by onAnwar Ibrahim has denied claims by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims that he had tried to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA), but was blocked by the police.Speaking to reporters after attending his sodomy trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Anwar, who served for Mahathir’s deputy for five years, said that the matter was never brought up.“This matter was never brought up by Dr Mahathir at all whether in government nor in the party. I’m surprised why he is bringing it up now.“In fact, Dr Mahathir was the person who defended (the ISA),” he said.Unlike Mahathir, Anwar said that he had personally proposed that the ISA be reviewed when he was in government.“Check the Hansard. I rased the matter in Parliament while I was in government in the early 1990s,” he said.‘Hanif never approached me’Anwar, who was incidently detained under the ISA in the 1970s, said Mahathir had never made any initiative to amend or repeal the ISA when the latter was Home Minister.At a forum on democracy organised by the Senate today, Mahathir claimed that the police had dissuaded him from scrapping the ISA.“I suggested scrapping of the ISA, but I depend on national security advice from the police and they said ‘cannot’ (because) that there are still threats,” he said.Another panelist at forum, former Inspector-General of Police Hanif Omar concurred with Mahathir, adding that the law was necessary at the time.Asked on this, Anwar said he did not know whether Mahathir had met Hanif on this.However, he stressed that he was never approached by Hanif over his opposition to the ISA.Who says Malaysia is not a police state? When Ops Lalang happened in 1987, Tunku Abdul Rahman lamented: “Overnight Malaysia has become a police state.”At that time, the Tunku, ‘Bapa Malaysia’, knew the underlying reasons for Mahathir’s actions and he was not afraid of revealing them.He said, “Umno was facing a break-up. The prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s hold on the party appeared critical when election rigging was alleged to have given him a very narrow victory against Tunku Razaleigh.“The case alleging irregularities brought by Umno members was pending in court. If the judgment went against him he would have no choice but to step down. So he had to find a way out of his predicament.“A national crisis had to be created to bring Umno together as a united force to fight a common enemy – and the imaginary enemy in this case was the Chinese community…”All is revealed.That was in 1987.Fast forward 2011 and this time the enemy is not imaginary. It is the Malaysian people.Malaysians have been galvanized by Pakatan. This coalition of parties which make up the Opposition movement, is led by Anwar Ibrahim, whose own political future hangs in the balance because of the sodomy trial.However, the public’s desire for change is huge and the opposition movement has become greater than the man. It does not matter if Anwar is not at the helm, because he has laid the foundations for proper governance and there are enough capable people to steer the country into the right direction. There is enough momentum to propel the country forward.BN is afraid because they know that even if Anwar was not around, the Opposition remains a dangerous threat. For as long as the Opposition is strong, BN’s survival is doomed.We live in a police state and the police are tasked to do the dirty work of the government. Their trick is to intimidate and harass members of the public.Why else would they arrest an entrepreneur, Norazimah Mohamad Noor and charge her with taking part in a demonstration against price hikes in 2008?She was arrested by four officers from the Dang Wangi police station, who picked her up around midnight at her home in Jinjang.Norazimah and 43 others have been charged with illegal assembly for the ‘price hike protest’ at KLCC in January, 2008.The others on trial are PAS treasurer Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli, PAS MP for Kuala Selangor Dzulkifli Ahmad, PKR vice-president Tian Chua, PSM president and Kota Damansara assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim and secretary-general S Arutchelvan.Norazimah is not the first, nor the last to be arrested because BN wants to send a message to the rakyat. They are warning the rakyat that if we dare protest or speak out against them, they will pursue us.There have been other tell-tale signs of BN’s desperation.The blogger who spoke about the Minister of Information, Communication and Culture’s alleged rape of his maid found his car stolen and his house broken into.The office of a community paper in a northern state which complained about rising crime found its offices vandalised.An Indian reporter, who went to cover former Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s talk entitled the ‘Malay race and the Future’ was barred from entry.A reporter who covered the Hindraf and Human Rights Party convoy had a camera smashed into her face. Several people were arrested at this gathering.Namewee was harassed when he made his video clip about two heads of school who were racist.The Malaysia Chronicle too, has seen its share of harassment.But we return to the entrepreneur, Norazimah, who was arrested for taking part in a demonstration against price hikes.BN might like to be reminded that one of the main reasons for the Egyptian and Tunisian uprising was to protest against rising prices.
The Tunisian president responded with his usual tricks – first the brutal crackdown with arrests and police intimidation.But when the unrest spread, he changed tack and pledged empty promises of change.Well, we know what happened to President Ben Ali after that.READMOREMuhyiddin: BN not scared by Revolutionary Thoughts we are a Police State the Brutal Crackdown with Arrests and Police Intimidation is our Phenotypic Traits
It is not over. We are mistaken. We all are standing at the Tahrir Square helplessly. Without being able to remove the rule of Hosni Mubaraks. These are those Hosni Mubaraks who have been in power for over “thirty years” – actually generations. These are none other than ourselves. We are clinging to our prejudices, preconceived notions, respective schools of thought and outdated ideas more strongly than Hosni Mubarak clung to power. Some of us are clinging to them from a much earlier age. Some of us are still not relenting while Hosni Mubarak actually did. Hosni Mubarak proved to be more flexible and accommodating.
Having studied in Jami‘atul Falah I know many of my Falahi friends. A big number of them find it extremely abhorrent to hear anything different – different from what they have grown older with. This defeats the very purpose of the existence of Jami‘atul Falah (if some of the words have some meaning). When I see that they have become followers, it hurts. When I see that they make fun of the same methodology which they have learnt, then it pains. When I see that they are not willing to see beyond, then I wonder. When I see their giant Hosni Mubaraks then I aspire for many more Tahir Squares.
I am fortunate to know many AMU alumni. For them their preconceived notions and gravely mistaken ideas about ‘the nearest life (al-hayaat al-dunyaa)’ and ‘the way of life (al-deen)’ – which they have relentlessly clung to for many generations under severe conditioning effects – are far louder than all the clamouring on the Square. They give a deaf year to the protests. They are not listening to the teeming millions who have swarmed the streets of Cairo. Their rule of “thirty years” is not coming to an end. Not in the near future.
Our arrogance is the greatest Hosni Mubarak. When I find arrogance it only means that truth is eluding us the seeking of which is our career on earth – to the best of our capacities and with utmost humbleness. How can we afford not to relent when faced with truth? How can we be arrogant and the seeker of truth – both at the same time? If we still cannot see the difference then we need to go back to Makkah and analyze the characters – who was arrogant and why and who wasn’t and why not?
We have been against one Hosni Mubarak mistaking him all this while to be somewhere farther away from ourselves. But the one which is the real one and is constantly in the mirror we do not worry about him. And we allow him to perpetuate his tyrannical rule as long as he wishes. The struggle for deposing these Hosni Mubaraks has to continue – all the life. Unless we depose them we will not see the real and lasting change which we are aspiring to and are deservedly excited about.
We expect change from masses and then the Governments. We think that the change in regime is a precondition for the change within. But then what and why do we teach? How will we justify the existence of so many educational institutions? The day we sincerely work on ourselves and send our own selves to Sharm El Sheikhs (or anywhere else) we will see a new dawn. We will see a changed world around us. Congratulations for removing one Hosni Mubarak. There are many more.
Some of them I recently met during a study circle of Qur’an. The friends had reached to the concluding rukoo‘ of Soorah al-Baqarah. On being asked to comment, I protested on the Tahrir Square that “My pace of studying Qur’an is very slow and I haven’t reached the end of Soorah al-Baqarah as I am still stuck with ‘Show us the Straight Path’ in Soorah al-Faatihah because when I contrast it with our situation then I hardly find any Path or anything Straight”. But my protest was brutally crushed. I am sure the same regime will continue for some more time and any protests will be dealt with in the same manner. Everyone is the victim here, though. Including the circles and the Book.
I have seen them in the emails on our Forums. I come across them in my daily conversations. I see them in our directionlessness and complete disorientation. I see them in our mistaken priorities. I see them in our frequent ‘assertion’ that “Jirgah apni jagah par lekin parnaalah wahee(n) giray gaa”. I see them in our love for speed and distaste for direction. I see them in our notion that we cannot do anything unless the regime changes. I see them in blaming all others for our ills and evils. We have to depose all these Hosni Mubaraks – one by on
Anwar Ibrahim has denied claims by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims that he had tried to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA), but was blocked by the police.
Speaking to reporters after attending his sodomy trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Anwar, who served for Mahathir’s deputy for five years, said that the matter was never brought up.
“This matter was never brought up by Dr Mahathir at all whether in government nor in the party. I’m surprised why he is bringing it up now.
“In fact, Dr Mahathir was the person who defended (the ISA),” he said.
Unlike Mahathir, Anwar said that he had personally proposed that the ISA be reviewed when he was in government.
“Check the Hansard. I rased the matter in Parliament while I was in government in the early 1990s,” he said.
‘Hanif never approached me’
Anwar, who was incidently detained under the ISA in the 1970s, said Mahathir had never made any initiative to amend or repeal the ISA when the latter was Home Minister.
At a forum on democracy organised by the Senate today, Mahathir claimed that the police had dissuaded him from scrapping the ISA.
“I suggested scrapping of the ISA, but I depend on national security advice from the police and they said ‘cannot’ (because) that there are still threats,” he said.
Another panelist at forum, former Inspector-General of Police Hanif Omar concurred with Mahathir, adding that the law was necessary at the time.
Asked on this, Anwar said he did not know whether Mahathir had met Hanif on this.
However, he stressed that he was never approached by Hanif over his opposition to the ISA.
Who says Malaysia is not a police state? When Ops Lalang happened in 1987, Tunku Abdul Rahman lamented: “Overnight Malaysia has become a police state.”
At that time, the Tunku, ‘Bapa Malaysia’, knew the underlying reasons for Mahathir’s actions and he was not afraid of revealing them.
He said, “Umno was facing a break-up. The prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s hold on the party appeared critical when election rigging was alleged to have given him a very narrow victory against Tunku Razaleigh.
“The case alleging irregularities brought by Umno members was pending in court. If the judgment went against him he would have no choice but to step down. So he had to find a way out of his predicament.
“A national crisis had to be created to bring Umno together as a united force to fight a common enemy – and the imaginary enemy in this case was the Chinese community…”
All is revealed.
That was in 1987.
Fast forward 2011 and this time the enemy is not imaginary. It is the Malaysian people.
Malaysians have been galvanized by Pakatan. This coalition of parties which make up the Opposition movement, is led by Anwar Ibrahim, whose own political future hangs in the balance because of the sodomy trial.
However, the public’s desire for change is huge and the opposition movement has become greater than the man. It does not matter if Anwar is not at the helm, because he has laid the foundations for proper governance and there are enough capable people to steer the country into the right direction. There is enough momentum to propel the country forward.
BN is afraid because they know that even if Anwar was not around, the Opposition remains a dangerous threat. For as long as the Opposition is strong, BN’s survival is doomed.
We live in a police state and the police are tasked to do the dirty work of the government. Their trick is to intimidate and harass members of the public.
Why else would they arrest an entrepreneur, Norazimah Mohamad Noor and charge her with taking part in a demonstration against price hikes in 2008?
She was arrested by four officers from the Dang Wangi police station, who picked her up around midnight at her home in Jinjang.
Norazimah and 43 others have been charged with illegal assembly for the ‘price hike protest’ at KLCC in January, 2008.
The others on trial are PAS treasurer Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli, PAS MP for Kuala Selangor Dzulkifli Ahmad, PKR vice-president Tian Chua, PSM president and Kota Damansara assemblyperson Dr Nasir Hashim and secretary-general S Arutchelvan.
Norazimah is not the first, nor the last to be arrested because BN wants to send a message to the rakyat. They are warning the rakyat that if we dare protest or speak out against them, they will pursue us.
There have been other tell-tale signs of BN’s desperation.
The blogger who spoke about the Minister of Information, Communication and Culture’s alleged rape of his maid found his car stolen and his house broken into.
The office of a community paper in a northern state which complained about rising crime found its offices vandalised.
An Indian reporter, who went to cover former Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s talk entitled the ‘Malay race and the Future’ was barred from entry.
A reporter who covered the Hindraf and Human Rights Party convoy had a camera smashed into her face. Several people were arrested at this gathering.
Namewee was harassed when he made his video clip about two heads of school who were racist.
The Malaysia Chronicle too, has seen its share of harassment.
But we return to the entrepreneur, Norazimah, who was arrested for taking part in a demonstration against price hikes.
BN might like to be reminded that one of the main reasons for the Egyptian and Tunisian uprising was to protest against rising prices.
The Tunisian president responded with his usual tricks – first the brutal crackdown with arrests and police intimidation.
But when the unrest spread, he changed tack and pledged empty promises of change.
Well, we know what happened to President Ben Ali after that.READMOREMuhyiddin: BN not scared by Revolutionary Thoughts we are a Police State the Brutal Crackdown with Arrests and Police Intimidation is our Phenotypic Traits
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