I have just returned from an Umrah trip to the Holy City of Mecca.
Enjoy the snapshots - they are better quality than the ones featured in last year's post Ramadan Nights: The Trip To Mecca.
May you enjoy the remainder of 'Ramadan' in the best of health and spirits.
Praying The Taraweeh Prayers Inside The Haram - They begin at 8:30pm, ending two hours later (a total of 20 raka'as not counting 'Shafr And Witr')
'After Iftar' Column
'SHEPHERDS' OF OUR CONSCIENCE
By Amer Al-Hilal
Reprinted From Arab Times (24th September, 2007)
I truly believe that the majority of Kuwait and its citizens are upright, compassionate people who believe in charity, in all its forms, and fear God. Indeed, religion is invaluable to the fabric of society: the charity organizations functioning to assist the needy; distribution of Iftars and meals; the Zakat allocated to society's poor, among other examples are a tribute to this country and a testament to the spiritual caliber of the average citizen. It is insufficient, however, because society demands that two main components be evident in order to maintain a healthy equilibrium, safeguarding citizens and their rights: Justice ("Adalah") and Compassion ("Rahma").
Kuwait is on the precipice of a spiritual and moral descent, every so often sliding into a 'Devil's Playground': escalating violent crime, embezzlement and corruption, discrimination and intolerance, physical abuse, rapes, among other transgressions on basic human rights. One cannot pick up a newspaper without reading of someone being randomly picked off the street and sexually assaulted, of abuse, of murder, among other crimes (this very newspaper recently created a 'Kuwait Crime' section online due to rising crime).
White collar crime is on the rise as well.
One can embezzle hundreds of thousands (if not millions) from ministries (such as Communications) and remain on the job, paying off their larceny in installments like a regular bank loan, not even the threat of a sacking on the horizon.
Others play for much bigger stakes and walk unscathed among us.
Visa ("Iqama") traders continue to smuggle thousands of laborers whom they will eventually disown (making millions in the process) - Kuwaiti movers and shakers know exactly who the culprits are but are impotent to do anything - and our inaction continues to lead to human rights abuses and tarnishes Kuwait's reputation abroad.
Neglect on the part of corporations leads to unnecessary deaths of employees. Committees are formed to investigate. Months later results are shrouded in secrecy and the guilty are acquitted.
And the tragic farce goes on. It's in your local paper everyday. No one is accountable.
How can we expect our society to instill respect of the law and human rights when the law is not impartial and when we do not castigate the guilty? The laws that protect the innocent are in place; however, loopholes in the legal structure and an inability to implement the law effectively on all individuals, not just the weak, is fueling despair, distrust and cynicism on the Kuwaiti street - this in turn leads to political quandaries delaying progress and development, but most of all it sends a disturbing message to the young generations: "Don't respect the law. The law is for the weak."
The Holy Quran states: "O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do." [An-Nisa 4:35]
As long as there is no fear of punishment on the street level and in the upper echelons, corruption will continue to be rampant, crime and injustice will continue to flourish.
In conjunction with a firm and impartial implementation of the law, a society must also show empathy; unfortunately, a lack of compassion at a civic and governmental level is also evident, affecting health care, education and employee rights. Social unrest is on the rise. It seems like every ministry and government institution is on strike or threatening to strike due to unacceptable employee benefits (or lack thereof). Newspapers contain full page ads by employees of the oil, health, justice and aviation sectors (among others) demanding more rights and better financial incentives.
Doesn't charity begin at home? God has blessed this nation with riches beyond belief and yet we choose to disregard our home, our community. We neglect investing in our infrastructure: our neighborhood clinics, hospitals, our electrical grid, our water resources, our roads; we neglect building shelters; we neglect building proper adoption homes for orphans (victims of broken homes and illicit marriages). Factories are being built in downtown civilian areas such as Hawalli and Salmiya and close to the city endangering our children. The Bidoon humanitarian issue continues to loom, a dark blemish on our heritage and reputation (it isn't sufficient that we deny them free education or birth certificates, we also have to be malicious and deny them education in foreign countries as well) - I could go on but I think you get the picture and it isn't the embodiment of what Islam should stand for.
Islam's core principles revolve around fighting injustice and offering compassion to all members of society, irrespective of race, gender, ethnic group or religion. The society must protect its own and care for its weak and underprivileged (the poor, orphans, the abused etc) - at both a civic and legislative level. Irrespective of whether we are Muslims or not, we are members of this society: shepherds of our kin, our businesses, our employees, our neighbors, and our community. We all need to get involved, need to speak out against injustice whether we live in affluent comfortable neighborhoods or dingy ghettos.
'Reform' is a word that is bandied about too effortlessly in Kuwait, but you cannot have true reform if the social order does not take care of its own and has double standards meting out justice. It is only by directly facing the dark abyss of society's shortcomings that Kuwait can underline the hidden causes of our hindrances and take back its rightful and historic place as a vanguard of progress, equality and integrity.
Yesterday we came across a kinetic, unconventional and hilarious show called 'MAT AL HAKU' on Al Sharqiya (the Iraq satellite channel).
They had an 'Oprah Winfrey Show' skit called 'Obra'. As soon as the words 'OBRA!' flashed across the screen with the 'Knight Rider' theme in tow, I knew this was exactly the kind irrational comedy that I was a sucker for - the kind where you sit around with your friends and go 'can you believe they used that piece of music?' or 'is that guy for real?' Having said that, it is a satirical show with political overtones, which I love - you don't see much of that in the Arab world nowadays.
The show begins at approximately 6:30 pm (GMT +3) - If you enjoy watching Iraqi BRAVEHEART spoofs with Danny De Vito clones (among other irreverent stuff) then I highly recommend the show.
If you think fasting, going to the mosque for prayer and refraining from impure, negative thoughts and actions throughout the day in Ramadan is hard, think again.
My brother-in-law is a low-key, humble individual. He not only spends the afternoon carefully monitoring and preparing food for over 150 laborers and low-income expatriates in Hawalli but also helps serve them food (even though he himself is fasting as well). He is the real embodiment of a Muslim, one who is a brother to all, irrespective of race, rank and color.
There are thousands of people like him in Kuwait working diligently - every single day of Ramadan - towards the betterment of others.
And they do it quietly. You won't see their pictures in any newspapers.
Nevertheless, they are the real heroes in this society (and in Islam).
With the 'Taraweeh' prayers (ending at around 8:30pm), social visits and so forth, Ramadan nights seem to be getting shorter now, maybe due to the beginning of the work and school year and the psychological baggage associated with them. Or maybe it's because we're simply getting older and want to hit the sack earlier.
That will change, however, with the 'Jiyaam' prayers that occur the last 10 days of Ramadan, most of which start after midnight, many which can end at around 3:30 am as well.
The night before Ramadan was mellow...I wrote some emails, sent some SMS's and mentally prepared for the day ahead. Flicking through the channels I caught one of my favorite movies ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN on Future TV - a brilliant film concerning the Watergate break-in - it also offered me some nostalgia since the film is set in Washington DC (where I went to school and worked for many years). It's one of those movies that I can't stop watching whenever it pops up on TV (the others includes FORREST GUMP for some reason, don't ask).
Since yesterday was a Thursday (I had the day off), the first day of Ramadan was quite agreable, from a fasting point of view. As for the daily ritual, I like to break the fast with dates and water (it is Sunna from Our Prophet P.B.U.H.) and then have some soup. Following the soup, I pray the Maghbrib (Sunset) prayer and then continue with the Iftar meal (I cannot eat comfortably if I have prayer on my mind; additionally, it's best to pray when you're light and not lumbering and bloated).
Welcome To Living Hell
Following the meal, there is the post-Futuur ritual for millions of people in Kuwait (and the Arab world) where they swarm around the TV set and watch the programs that are either on KTV, Al-Rai or the other satellite stations. Yesterday, I watched an embarrasing train-wreck in the form of the "The Halima Boland Show" (the exact translation is "The Halima Boland Riddles"). Well it's a riddle to me how this show, which looked like it was shot in someone's basement with a Betacam managed to get on the air. I couldn't believe The National Bank of Kuwait would sponsor such an unimaginative and tedious show, it was unintentionally hilarious; people watched with their mouths open, unable to digest the creative tragedy that was unfolding on their screens, a perfect example of how not to stage and shoot a show - a show that contained a spoof of the Egyptian "Raya Wa Iskina" play, climaxing with musical numbers that looked like they were choreographed by a second-rate, washed-up Arabic-style-Moulin Rouge reject (if Kuwait had a Golden Turkey Award, this show would be a leading contender). Additionally, the supporting cast looked like they were hand-picked at the local fish-market. NBK sponsoring this show is like Chase Manhattan or HSBC sponsoring the television equivalent of PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE.
If Kuwait thinks Halima Boland is our superstar, our equivalent of Julie Andrews, then we are doomed as a country, forever.
"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly".
