Scripture Triggered Thoughts

            In this posting I would like to allow my mind to wander slightly and jump from reflection to reflection. As a believer, we often find it very hard to understand why someone would deny the existence of the Almighty. As I was reviewing the Quran today, I passed upon a passage which states that: Indeed We created you, so why will you not witness the truth?” Immediately, I felt a strange feeling within me and so I moved to rewind the clip so I could hear the verse one more time. Afterwards, I began to wonder why I had been so struck by this verse. After all, my divine creation was not a new concept to me. This was an idea that had been engrained in me by my parents from my early childhood. Rather, I was struck at the simplicity of the message of Allah and the logic it uses to try to stimulate the mind into comprehension. I owe so much to God simply because He provided for me in my life. My life is enriched with blessings and opportunities that are scarce for so many of my fellow humans.

            Secondly, I just would like to touch on something which I heard that hit my heart. A hobby of mine is to listen to recordings of taraweeh prayers which take place in Mecca every Ramadan. As the prayers come to a close, the Imam often will make a short supplication which is recited out loud for the faithful to listen to. One of the supplications which the Imam made was: “Oh Allah, we thank you for Your grand blessings, as You have revealed to us the best of books and sent to us the best of prophets”. After hearing this, I began to remember the incredible opportunities which have been placed in my life. I have been born into Islam and have not had to spend years in darkness and self-oppression in order to find my meaning. I have been blessed with a tremendous pair of parents who have instilled in me a sense of social justice and equality. I have been given extremely talented teachers who have worked tirelessly in helping me learn Quran. Allah blessed me in allowing me to belong to a Muslim community which has allowed me to develop and hone my skills.

I owe so much to you Allah. Ultimately, I regret many things in my life. Things I've seen, things I've done and said. However, I've never regretted anything done for Allah. The friendships forged for Him, the struggles done for Him and the lessons learned for Him. Alhamdullilah, all the good in my life is from Him alone. Only the misgivings and errors have been from myself.

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On Syrian and Intervention

                As we witness the traumatic events unfolding in Syria, we begin to wonder why the world seemingly is observing the commission of genocide passively.  As humans, we feel a sense of sympathy towards the oppressed as well as a strong feeling of anger towards the murderous regime intent on silencing a revolution through violent means. The purpose of this short reflection will be to dwell on the concept of international intervention as well as the hypocrisy that governs this principle.

                In 2003, President George W. Bush declared war on Iraq and began a military offensive against the nation because of suspicions that the government of Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction which could be utilized against the Iraqi people as well as the American homeland. However, as time passed and no such weapons were recovered, it became evident that the purpose of the invasion was not as pristine and pure as was presented to us. Rather, it can be contended that there existed an ulterior motive that was fueled by the resources and commodities that were found in Iraq (primarily oil). In 2011, the United States and allies in the NATO organization participated in an aerial campaign intended to protect Libyan civilians from the murderous regime of Moamar Gadhafi. This was a tremendously successful campaign as it resulted in the eventual displacement of the dictator as well as facilitated the survival of the Libyan revolution. From a constitutional perspective, the legality of the American action in Libya can be contested and debated. However, it cannot be disputed that lives were certainly saved from a regime focused on the eradication of a popular revolution.

                With respect to the Syrian situation, we can observe many parallels to the aforementioned occurrences. President Bashar Al-Assad is culpable for the murder of many innocent Syrians. The murdered Syrians did not commit any crime, rather they yearned for the ability to chart their own course and control the direction of their nation. In an effort to stymie this resistance, Assad has resorted to the mass murder of his people. If we were to follow the examples illustrated above, we would have international intervention in order to ensure that mass atrocities cannot be perpetrated by Assad. In international law, there is a doctrine called the “responsibility to protect”. This particular doctrine states that the international community is responsible for the protection of civilians from mass atrocities if the government of the nation in question cannot fulfill that mandate. The government of Syria is committing mass atrocities against their people and the international community is legally responsible for the protection of the society.

                I’d like to close with a short reflection on our status as a Muslim community. All too often, we find ourselves attacking American foreign policy for consistent invasions and aggressions of Muslim lands. While these critiques may have merit, it is interesting that as Muslims we are also getting upset at the United States for not intervening in the Syrian conflict. It would be brilliant if we (Muslims) would be able to develop sophistication and strength in our own respective nations so that we would be able to manage situations that take place in our homes without looking for outsider intervention. The Arab league is a defunct organization which often holds lame duck sessions which facilitate and turn a blind eye to corruption. As Lincoln once said regarding the state of America after the civil war: “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. Let us unite our metaphorical house and cause change on this planet.

“I for one, will work with anyone, don’t care what colour you are, as long as you want to change the miserable condition that exists on this earth” – Malcolm X