Out of Work Prostitute Will Work for Free

Okay, okay. So the title is a little over the top. But unemployment is seriously getting to me.

chai for the soul

I woke up to a reminder of how truly blessed my life is with beautiful people like 'arctic fire'. Thinking of you now, as I write. You hit the nail on the head; I am having one my "appreciating the small things moments- the smell of the ocean, the look of the moonlight and motorbikes as they pass by at night and the soft laughter of friends." Your absence is sorely felt in the dent that you've left in my heart. I miss you my sister from another mother. I miss you my friend.

"There's nothing I could say to make you try to feel okay,
And nothing you could do to stop me feeling the way I do.
And if the chance should happen that I never see you again,
Just remember that I'll always love you." 

-Badly drawn boy, A minor incident.

women: 'prisoner's behind netting' or 'uncovered meat'?

Two women on atoll radio the other day were talking about Buruga's and covering up your modesty. They spoke about the west being infested with promiscuity and lewdness. This they believed was because the women in those societies refrained from covering their heads. Next they implored all Muslim women to wear the buruga and protect themselves.

For me the program stirred conflicting merits at a personal level. I believe in a plural society where those who want to wear the buruga can do so without prejudice but I also believe in respecting those who choose not to cover their heads. I think my stand on the issue is best explained through my opinion on the relationship between the Hijab and two men; the French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the second being Australian Mufthi Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali.

Last year Sarkozy again exhibited that he is more than willing to trade off civil liberties for political gain when he was quoted to have said "We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity" President Sarkozy  Sarkozy's comments are unacceptable. Article 18.1 of the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights protects a person's right to the freedom of thought, conscience and religion; "freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching". This inherent right cannot be derogated even in times of national emergencies (See Article 4.2).

So why is the French President, the leader of one of the G8 countries making such statements? Does he not understand that the buruga is a symbol of our faith just like a rosary beads and crosses are a part of his faith. If the lawmaking body finds that the buruga does undermine French secularism and bans the buruga the same way they banned burugas in public schools in 2004, are such laws not blatantly against the spirit and wording of Article 18 and infringe the rights of the 5 Million Muslims in France? Such discriminatory laws would surely fall within Article 26 which states that "the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground" including sex and religion.

There has been a lot of literature about young girls and women who were barbarically forced to wear the buruga. Wearing it, needs to be a choice made by a girl because of her belief. I agree that sometimes these choices are made for the girls whether it is their parent or the fear of being ostracised from the rest of their community, but these are not the women I am talking about here. I am talking about the many women and young girls who choose to wear the buruga and embrace it as a part of their faith. Discriminatory laws would infringe on their rights to express, observe and practice their belief. This is why I think that President Sarkozy's remarks are unacceptable.

Rights come along with responsibilities. Just because you are privileged with a right protecting your freedom of expression does not mean that you can infringe on the rights of others by saying derogatory things. Muslim clerics have developed a bad rap for doing so. Take the example of Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali. He was in the news a few years ago for one of many controversial comments:

"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside... and the cats come and eat it... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?"-Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali

Being a woman who does not wear the buruga I take great offence to this remark. Promiscuity does not stem from a piece of fabric you cover your hair with. Promiscuity is a choice made by a man and a woman, whether they are covered from head to toe in 8ft of cotton is not the issue here. Comments like these are offensive and serve no purpose but to alienate people of other beliefs from the good teachings of the Quran. The Prophet P.B.U.H lived in peace and harmony with Jews, Christians and Idolaters of Medina. Did he not teach of tolerance?

Respecting and observing tolerance to the rights of others and their beliefs is pivotal for humanity to co-exist. But these rights come with responsibilities which need to be upheld.  I am a Muslim woman, I don't consider the buruga to be a prison nor do I believe that my choice of not wearing it automatically qualifies me a piece of meat- STOP LABELING ME! - and go work for world peace, or eliminating poverty and starvation or the likes.

Keats; the elixir for love.

Ode to a Nightingale

can't seem to find my way home

The winds and my ruby red shoes have blown me back to Male'. But it feels like I've been a flyer too long. 

Is it even possible to suffer from culture shock in a place where you grew up? The sheer number of veiled women, wait let me correct myself women in black hijabs and nigabs on the streets of Male' left me utterly flabbergasted. And the bearded wahabbi men, with head cloths and salwars, it’s like walking through some Arabian/Pakistani village. You half expect camels to pop out of the blue.

Then I was introduced to the preachers and pundits on the now numerous radio and TV channels. For men who speak the word of God and his prophets, some of them sure do speak filth. Promises of sexual favours and fantasies... going to the very details of the bosoms of the consorts 'ye with faith' will receive in the here after - erect nipples seem to be very popular. Some of it, I would have classed as soft porn. Sitting on their self righteous pedestals, they blamed the demise of our society -drugs, sex & rock n roll- on women going out to earn rather than staying home to cook, clean and look after the young. What enrages me is that they do all this in the name of Islam. This is not the Islam I was brought up in. 

What I see is the Arabisation of our once unique way of living. Blatant derogation and marginalisation of women by misogynists. And here we the so called liberal Maldivians just sit and watch the desertification of the 'sunny side of life'.