Selamat Awal Muharram

It’s the last day of 1429Hijrah today, with sunset marking the start of the first day in the new year in the Islamic calendar, 1,430 years approximately after The Prophet’s and his followers’ migration (the hijrah) from the increasingly hostile city of Mecca to the more welcoming Medina.

This year, the new Islamic year coincides with the Gregorian New Year (2009), with Chinese New Year barely a month after. So it seems like a good time for fresh starts and new beginnings, for wiping slates clean, bringing closures to festering issues, discarding negatives and bringing forward only the good and beautiful.

New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday. 
Charles Lamb, an English essayist who lived in the 18th century and died in the 19th, and so could be forgiven for using the masculine to mean men and women
(Quote lifted from quotegarden.com)

Unfortunately, this new year is marred by violent attacks by Israel on the hapless Palestinians, on the heels of an inhumane siege. Hundreds of Palestinians will not be able to greet the New Year with their families while scores of others will be spending the new year in overcrowded hospitals where medical supplies are never enough. The reports from the newswires claim most of the dead and wounded are uniformed security officers of Hamas, but that’s impossible to believe, given that a hundred tonnes of bombs were dropped.

It’s a cruel end to 1429H/2008 and a ruthless start to 1430H/2009. Given that the international community did nothing to end the siege and have done nothing these past years, I don’t expect much but verbal protests. I shouldn’t be too surprised, after what I’ve observed in 2008, at unfortunately closer range. A lot of seemingly decent people perversely enjoy, or are indifferent to, other people’s sufferings (see Roman Holiday).

Let’s see how the New Hope of America (and the World, Mr. Obama, the World), Barack Obama, will deal with the latest development in Gaza.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. 
Bill Vaughan, American columnist (lifted from quotegarden, again)

The Muslims greet the end of one year with a prayer and welcome the new year with another prayer. The prayer for the end of the year seeks forgiveness and blessings for actions and deeds of the past, while the prayer for the new year seeks protection from all that is bad in the next twelve months.

That seems to be a good way to say Adios to the old and to seek help for what is coming.

So, Salam Maal Hijrah to all Muslims, and a Good New Year to all. 

God bless, to all the good people I know are still out there.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey (ibid)

Filed under: Collectibles, Islam, Newsprint, Personal Note, World , doa, Islam, muharram, new year, palestine, World

Advert: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “MUSLIM WOMEN IN THE MIDST OF CHANGE”

When there is a dearth of blog topics, advertise.

This is a good ad, though. The Muslim Professionals Forum, which lists as one of their objectives the provision of an “Islamic response to the intellectual and cultural challenges of the modern world and various school of thoughts, religion and ideology”, is organising a very timely Forum on Muslim Women on 1-2 September 2007 (Sat-Sun) at the KL Convention Centre.

Separated into talks and workshops over the two days, the topics to be covered in the Forum include Muslim Women in History, and the very interestingly titled, “Muslim Women as a Battlefield”. Main speakers are WALEED ALY, a lecturer in politics at Monash University, and a board member of the Islamic Council of Victoria; Dr. M. HAYTHAM AL-KHAYAT, a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, and DR. HEBA RAOUF, a lecturer of political theory at the Department of Political Science, Cairo University. There is also a Dinner Talk by SUSAN CARLAND, the 2004 “Australian Muslim of the Year” and a lecturer in the school of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University where she is currently completing her PhD, researching leadership challenges facing Western Muslim women. 

The second day of the programme is mostly workshop and Forum, and the leaders of the sessions include Kamar Ainiyah, whose name seems to crop up whenever there are family law cases in Syariah courts.

It is an intriguing line-up; I have to confess, as a Hijab-clad Muslim woman, with a family and career to juggle, the topics of Hijab, gender conflicts in relation to the Quran, and family vs work can get a little weary, in the sense that the talks and discussions seem intellectually stimulating, but you step out of the discourse venue and away from your spirited and noble-minded brothers and sisters, and the real world smacks you in the face once more. Still, the objectives of the Forum are worthy:

1. To understand the history and evolution of feminist “traditions” within Islam.
2. To discuss Muslim gender roles from the Quran and Sunnah.
3. To examine the injustices against women in Muslim societies and recommend solutions.

And I am sure the relationships and bonds that can be forged with Muslims from other countries would be invaluable. I am equally interested to follow the action, post-Forum.

The Forum is formally supported by the Ministry of Women and Family Development (Datuk Shahrizat is giving the opening keynote, I believe). If you are interested, contact:

Conference Secretariat, Muslim Professionals Forum, 54 Jalan Telawi 9, 59100 Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel : +6013-331 7430 (Azra); +6012-371 8518 (Siti Jamilah)

Fax : +603-2093 2450

Emails : azrabanu@gmail.com; musa@mpf.org.my

Filed under: Islam, Women, Work & Productivity

Asia’s Progressive Women

(This is old news by now but I’ve been busy…) 

It’s always heartening to see Malaysian women named in regional and world lists. This time, it’s Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, our Central Bank governor who has deservedly earned a place as one of Asia’s Top 20 Progressives, “individuals driving Asia forward – those that are helping to bring about rules-based civil societies, or who are advancing the cause of better governance, be it in business or government.”

The assertive and competent Zeti Akhtar Aziz was appointed governor of Malaysia’s central bank in 2000. Her appointment demonstrated to the world that being a Muslim woman in an Islamic country was not incompatible with either holding a position of real power or with south-east Asian traditions. She had held previous positions with the bank, including deputy governor, chief economist and head of the economics department.

Zeti was instrumental in advising the government to unpeg the Malaysian ringgit from the US dollar, as she had been in advising the government about implementing the peg in the first place. Many might have disagreed with the government’s decision to peg the ringgit in 1998 during Asia’s economic crisis, but few could argue with the competency with which it was carried out – Malaysia’s central bank is one of Asia’s most technically able and least corrupt.

Very complimentary words indeed and a wonderful boost for Malaysia’s reputation as a solid, moderate Muslim nation. Given that finance is traditionally considered a male domain, Tan Sri Zeti certainly broke new ground when she became the country’s first female Central Bank Governor. Now what we women sincerely hope is that the same approach taken to Tan Sri Zeti’s appointment be applied in other areas that affect women, especially in the area of family laws.

The other two women on the list are Thai: Tarisa Watanagase, the first female governor of the Bank of Thailand, the country’s central bank, and Jaruvan Maintak, Thailand’s auditor general. 

Three out of twenty is not exactly representative of Asia’s female population, but it’s a very good start, and quite encouraging, given that the list selects individuals who push for transparency and accountability. The list’s specific criteria for selection, though, is not disclosed.

Filed under: Collectibles, Islam, Malaysiana, Newsprint

Valentine Writing

So, how was your Valentine’s Day?

Despite the usual calls from Muslim clergy that celebrating Valentine’s is haram (wrong/sinful), I got carried away this year and gave chocolates to my workmates. I also sent SMS-es to some family members and got a terse reply from one Uncle: “You got the wrong person”. Uh-oh. I responded and said, “No, I didn’t” which I think must have sent him into a (silent) seizure.

Honestly.

But I had an interesting discussion with my good friend M the other day about Valentine’s. She’s French and she was explaining to me that in France, you only celebrate Valentine’s with your lover, spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, the person you have a crush on, etc. She found it very strange that in Malaysia Valentine’s is celebrated with friends, family and yes, even work colleagues.

I find it hard not to celebrate Valentine’s – even though my husband and I forego the crowded, overpriced dinners for Valentine’s (eschewing the commercial trappings also means yours truly doesn’t get any red roses, unfortunately). My Mom never failed to celebrate, and there was one memorable year when I was in boarding school when she sent me two dozen red roses for Valentine’s which caused a stir because she had signed it “Secret Admirer” (she was kind enough to tell me she had sent it though). The roses still came for me even after I had grown out of school, got married, had kids. God, I miss her.

She didn’t think it was against Islam and I would like to think that it’s not, either.

Valentine’s is a fun excuse to celebrate love and relationships. Of course, you shouldn’t need to have an excuse or a special day imposed, but saying “Happy Valentine’s” is a quick, easy, and relatively innocuous way to say, “Hey, you are appreciated” whether as a friend/partner/colleague/relative. You won’t get away with it so easily on other days!

But I am still evaluating the reasons for the call to stop Muslims from celebrating Valentine’s. Perhaps we Muslims should have our own Day of Love where we can indulge in being romantic – after all, our Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. was romantic in his own way – and I am sure Islam is not meant to be serious, rigid, boring and strict all the time.

Filed under: Islam, Malaysiana, Personal Note

Polygamy (Long, Long Post)

I meant to write about this earlier, but the internet connection at home is acting up again.

On the 4th of January, there was a premiere of “Berbagi Suami” (English title: Love for Share), an Indonesian movie focusing on three women in polygamous marriages.

I was given comp tickets to the premiere, dressed up and dragged husband along, but then got caught for an hour in an unusual traffic jam near my home and decided to turn back. So I do not know how good or realistic the movie was, but I can tell you this movie, the first to highlight polygamy from the woman’s perspective, won the best feature film award at the Hawaii International Film Festival in October.

The premiere was organised by Sisters in Islam and proceeds go to fund the first research work into polygamy in Malaysia.

Religious Context

First of all, let me explain to non-Muslim and non-Malaysian visitors that polygamy is allowed in Islam, but is subject to very strict conditions. According to the Quran, a man may take up to four wives, but must treat all equally, and if he even feels that he cannot be equal to all, the he should be monogamous. Also, the reason for polygamy is wholly to take care of the widows and children of men killed in combat.

“If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them, then only one” (Quran 4:3)

The Quran also emphasizes limitations against polygamy: 

“You cannot be equitable in a polygamous relationship, no matter how hard you try.” (4:129)

Now, I am not going to debate the theological rights and wrongs of polygamy. That would be way be beyond my capacity as a mere Muslim woman. But if you go back to the roots of Islam, you’d find that the religion exhorts the sanctity of the family, accords women and wives equal standing in the religion, and frequently reminds its subjects to treat people as they would wish to be treated. In this sense, free-for-all polygamy is clearly in complete discord with Islam.

Filed under: Islam, Malaysiana, Personal Note, Women

Dina is Blogging Again

Yes, Dina Zaman is back. And even though her new blog is essentially a marketing tool for her upcoming book, it’s wonderful to have Dina’s very human writing on the Net again.

Dina’s book “I Am Muslim” is a compilation of the essays that she wrote for Malaysiakini for a column of the same title. Two of her essays on AIDS from that column won her the Red Ribbon New Media Award 2006. She promised us blogger-friends photos but then forbade us from posting them! She has one now on her blog but you only get to see her back. Tsk.  

The book launch is March 27th, so mark it in your diaries.

Filed under: Books, Islam, Personal Note, Playing Favourites, Women, Writing

Notice: The WISE Initiative

I received this via e-mail today:

WISE: Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity
On November 17-19 at the Westin in Times Square, New York City, WISE will convene over 100 distinguished Muslim women leaders from academia, civil society, art, politics, and religion to network, strategize, and share best practices around the joint mission of advancing the rights of Muslim women.

WISE is a first-of-its-kind global Muslim women leaders’ initiative, as its goals extend beyond simply furthering mutual awareness of ongoing advancements and building a shared experience and affinity. WISE’s underlying aim is to create a legitimate and coherent movement that empowers Muslim women and leverages the strong future network we are building. Toward this end, while pursuing our mandate of educating others and increasing awareness, we will also work within an Islamic legal framework to advocate for greater rights.

This conference is organised by the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), whose founder, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, is doing active work here in Malaysia as well.
First of all, just getting these female leaders together is a great idea. As Dina’s article stresses, it is high time that Muslim women themselves address the issues that affect them, the larger Muslim community, and the societies in which they serve.

The organisers of WISE have two criteria for the “leaders” they pick, that these women have “a nuanced understanding of the issues faced by Muslim women in specific locales, and a demonstrated commitment to working toward change.” I am informed that “Islamic feminist” Zainah Anwar of Sisters in Islam will be there. While I do not agree with all of her interpretations of our religion, it’s good to know there will be a Malaysian voice at the Forum.

I am also relieved to know that they have clear objectives for the get-together:

• The launching of an International Shura (advisory) council of Muslim women leaders to put out recommendations to political and religious leaders on global issues of relevance and concern to Muslim women, but also for specific cases that become publicized.
• The debut of a theater production entitled 7WOMEN, 7HEAVENS, Portraits of Muslim Women, a play by internationally recognized playwright, Kayhan Irani that juxtaposes stories of seven Muslim women in abrasive, funny, and soothing dialogue with themselves around personal struggles with faith, community, and relationships.
• The publishing of an illustrated book to showcase participants’ profiles and their personal and organizational work in improving the lives of Muslim women.
• The establishment of an endowment to provide scholarships for 10 Muslim women to become Muftia’s (one licensed to render religious judgments or fatawa within an Islamic legal framework) around the globe.

The first and last objectives are especially important, given that there are distorted interpretations and prejudiced understanding (misunderstanding, rather) of Islam, that have given rise to anti-women restrictions and laws.

I sincerely hope that the conference will be successful at achieving its objectives. The ball that gets started rolling at this conference should not stop once the conference ends.

On a last note, I take the anti-Bush/anti-Republican/pro-Dems vote at the US mid-term elections to mean that Americans themselves think America’s foreign policy and handling of international affairs suck and that it’s time for a change. It’s about time, I would say. Dare we hope for better relations between this giant nation that has unfortunately taken a strong anti-Islam stance, and the Muslim world?

Filed under: Islam, Newsprint, Women