BaCk aNd BaLd
Written on 5/24/2004 08:36:00 pm by sikapitan
Yes,i'm back after an 11 day hiatus into the holy land of Mecca for some spiritual cleansing.What have i missed? I don't know if anyone still bother to visit this site.But for those who have missed my daily (almost) tirade against everything and everyone, here i am, aiming to please:)
Just give me the light..
I can't say much about umrah. iT went well, alhamdulillah. The weather wasn't too bad, and i didn't experience anything physically or spiritually scary. It was a concern of mine that maybe i wasn't as prepared as i should have been, and since i'm hardly the model muslim boy, there was some nervousness as to how i would be dealt with by God (seriously, there are plenty of scary stories of pilgrims who weren't that religious getting lost,seeing things etc2).Instead, as soon as i landed in Jeddah, there was a certain calmness inside of me. Maybe it was just the fact that we were an isolated group, with no entertainment and mostly sequestered in our hotel. This went on throughout my stay there, and i managed to perform my obligations admirably well. I even enjoyed the whole experience (something i thought i would never say) and i wouldn't mind doing it every year, maybe just as a refresher on how to be a muslim!
But what concerns me now is the fact that i see no changes in me. It's hard having a critical mind because you tend to overanalyze, and you CAN'T overanalyze religion. If you do, you'll have some serious funky thoughts that could shake your belief (for UiTM law students, case example :Prof Darby). I am no more religious now than i was before, and as soon as i got back i let off a mouthful of badwords because someone drove my wheels while i was gone.This led me to think: Issit better to be a good person (but not religious,meaning not praying 5 times a day etc2) or issit better to be religious (but not a good person,meaning being nasty with others etc2)? There's argument for both. On one hand, part of being a good muslim is to be a good person (nice) but then it isn't merely enough to just be good as there are mandatory obligations imposed on you that you MUST fulfill.And you can't really chooooosee to do half and not do other (for example: "ala,aku dah semayang magrib,okay la tuh.."). I'm not the best of person (i can be mean eg.) nor the best of muslim (limited to magrib and friday prayers-pathetic me) but i'm not a bad person nor am i NOT a muslim (as i still do believe in ALLAH). sO where does that leave me?
Shoddy Saudi
I am extremely dissapointed with the Arabs, or at least those i've met and seen in Saudi. It's no wonder that they can't do anything to help the Palestinians. They are generally a selfish,impatient,too proud,lazy, inefficient lot.This is the first time i've been on a foreign road and i wished i was driving in KL! tHEY're the most impatient drivers you've ever seen! The most used equipment in the car is the HORN while the least use is the INDICATOR. tHEY Horn incessantly. They horn to change lane, to say hie, to curse. I bet if they could move the car by horning,they would have done so. I think there's a genuine relationship between Saudi car owners and their horns while the good-old indicator stalk gather dust!
And while the country might be rich, i don't see it on the ground. There's plenty of decrepit buildings,beggars and signs of undevelopment in a country the whole world depends on for oil.Why? Maybe because they're too proud and lazy. The banks only open for a few hours each day, and the stores only opens in the evening. There's no sign of economic activities during daytime. They are too dependant on an unsustainable resource that would dry up one day. What will happen then? And the workers are the unfriendliest bunch i've ever met.The porters there do not except tips below 20 ringgit!!If not, they will 'tarik muka'!
Let's not start with the government and its agencies. The Arabs in Saudi are reallly inefficient. Despite their wealth, their airports still lack organization at the basic level, and basic infrastructures. Imagine still using real WEIGHT SCALES to weigh luggages at the airport! They would take hours to just check us out of the hotels.And every work is painstakingly done in the slowest manner possible. It's not just me. From what i hear (i can't mention my sources),the Arabs are the most difficult bunch of people to work with, simply because of their inefficiency and stubborness. They have the resources to build 10 KLIAs and yet the airport in Jeddah (the main transit point for all pilgrims heading to Mekkah-which means millions of visitors each year) looks no better than any of our local airports. Maybe the sheiks are too busy grabbing the money for themselves.
Tragedy in Rafah
And while we are at the topic of Arabs, why not just look at the tragedy that has befallen the people of Rafah. Israel's troops invaded the refugee camp and kill scores of Palestinians. It's beyond doubt that they are committing war crimes. But what can the world do if the only superpower in the world is only able to say that the developments was merely 'disturbing'! U.S didn't even critize the Israelis. Why? The fact that Jewish lobbying groups are the most influential in Washington and that every successful election is dependent on strong financial backing from the Jewish community renders the U.S government as puppets to the Jews.
The world can only sit, and at best raise their voice, but they can't spank this stubborn child of mother earth.Is it a wonder that these people turn into terrorists? Haven't the U.S learn from Sept 11 and subsequent terrorist attacks (for example in Madrid) that their policies are the best recruitment call for impressionable young muslim men? If an educated,not religious Muslim boy living far far away can feel anger and be hateful towards them,what about the sons and husbands and fathers of those killed? tHIs is not only about Islam. The actions of the Israelis are crimes against humanity. No matter what god you pray to, killing innocent children cannot be right.
Back home
Maid abuse,Noritta's case, Man Utd winning the FA Cup, NS HySTeria,filled mailbox,friendster msgs and requests,summer blockbuster season opening and many more greeted me when i arrived home.I miss my house. Right now it's filled with relatives so i still haven't slept in my room yet.
Is it common among people to always get the better of others in a conversation? I noticed this amongst my relatives. For example, my grandma would say that it was really hot in Mecca, then my aunt would interject by saying that when she went there the sun was practically double it current size (i'm creatively paraphrasing and lying:) or my mom would say that the hotel had lamb everyday and her sister would say that when she was there the hotel served caviar (again,example2) everyday then my mom would say she forgot to mention that the lamb was served WITH caviar. You get my point. I just find it annoying and trivial.
Oh, did i say i was the same now as i was before i left?. I lied.
I went bald while i was there. Cue the kojak,shaolin,serenti etc2 jokes and wisecracks from my footie mates. This is your limited opportunity to see how i look like bald!Trust me,if i wasn't good-looking before, now i'm just a plain old god-awful thug ! Was i being modest???My god, maybe I HAVE change. Go figure.
Au revoir.
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