PAGES FROM A 13TH CENTURY HOLY KORAN
It would be selfish of me if I do not share this poignant piece by Malik Imtiaz Sawar: I know that he will forgive me for not asking permission. A former boss told me that in times of urgency, it is easier (more expedient)* to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Reflect.
*(parenthesis mine)
Forgive Me
I looked into the Quran today,
I really looked.
Found nothing to support racism, corruption
Or the breaching of sacred trust
I read verses, I read between them
And no matter how much I tried,
I could not find anything about it being alright
to lie, cheat, steal and
to hurt, really hurt, people.
Injustice, it seems,
is not mandatory
is not permissible
I looked in the Quran today,
I really looked
And I did not find Malaysia
But then, who am I
To dare read and presume understanding,
Who am I to have the audacity to believe.
Who am I to think, to appreciate
what God expects of me,
all by my sorry self
when I was obviously given only
half a mind, and half an intellect
Safely esconced with the ulama,
the other halves lie there,
waiting for eternity
My passport to Heaven
Forgive me, God
For reading
Forgive me, God
For believing enough
to want to believe
Forgive me, God
For thinking that the Quran
was for me
I looked into the Quran today,
I really looked because I thought
that was what You wanted of me
I am sorry
MIS
I don't think this is wise. Republishing another person's work, which talk about the Holy Book by someone from a another faith.
ReplyDeleteIt's best to avoid this. The wrong and/or misinterpretation of this, may lead to something ugly.
Just like months earlier, when someone blurted "If you touch my religion, I will kill you", a third party got offended in that private argument between two other persons and chose to express his/her views/comments on the incident publicly.
Big Dog. As blog owner let me be the judge of what is wise or otherwise.
ReplyDelete".......may lead to something ugly" smacks of a threat.
That someone was YOU...and the third party was ME....so why the he/she? Pls stop meandering.
....wrong and/or misinterpretation...
only bigots will make many interpretations of a good piece of poetry.
If your posting was an advice given with no malice, I thank you.
Sure. You are the blog owner and free to make your own choices. Just like took a private argument between two persons and published it here in your blog, for public consumption.
ReplyDeleteWorse still, without getting any form of agreement from neither two persons who argued in private (These two persons are private citizens and do not hold any public office, therefore, not subjected to any public scrutiny).
That is a breech of privacy!
Go ahead........ make your discretion and choices and thread on any form of literature all you want.
Big Dog, what private argument....it was in a home of our host and this outburst was said in the presence of the host. That outburst was threatening, it was hurtful in a mixed group.It was said with vehemence! What breech of privacy when it was publicly voiced and not whispered. You said:Go ahead........ make your discretion and choices and thread on any form of literature all you want.That mighty decent of you.Thank You Biggie. I know you have a good heart....but it pulpitates in full gear sometimes.....
ReplyDeleteYes, because I always be the last one to leave, I talked to the hosts about it and they were okay about it.
ReplyDeleteLater, I talked about it to the person I had the argument with and he was okay with it too. No hard feelings. But he was not happy either you took the private argument between me and him for public consumption.
I talked with some senior writer friends about you taking this into public consumption and they are neither agreeable to it. They advised me not to react about it EVEN THOUGH there were too many comments that thread onwards to the posting. They said, All-Blogs at that time could not afford anymore 'infighting', especially online.
So I listened to them and abstained from commenting/making the issue into something more misrepresented/miscontsrued than it already had been and veered into.
Hence I wrote the article title "Leadership and Loyalty" (http://bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com/2007/06/23/leadership-and-loyalty/) dated 23 June 2007 because I had to express my frustration not able to response on it and I am always loyal to those I submit as my leaders.
Don't think what ever crosses your mind is the right thing of getting things done.
Taking private argument into public consumption in your blog is definitely not the right thing to do. People might not want to talk to you again, for fear you might be unable to differentiate what is okay and what is NOT OKAY to be published for private consumption. That is what my friend told me, specifically.
Sorry, but I had to tell you this, in public and for public consumption.
.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, when confronted with bigots the best way is to be upright, honest and straight forward as you have displayed – the most convenient way of sending them into the abyss of cesspool where they belong.
Religious and racial sensitivities are a non issue to right minded person.
There is nothing they can do except regurgitating garbages as holy scriptures and thats exactly what they are good at.
.
I was there and if I remember it wasnt said in jest or influenced by a barrelful of beer. Perhaps I'm more forgiving than most but then again I'm not Zorro.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the moral of the story here is that in this country there are sensitivities so perhaps we shud carefully weigh what we want to say abt race and/or religion.
BIGGIE, thanks for buying us drinks last night. HAPPY 4Oth.Wwwwwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ReplyDeleteZorro,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful as it is the poem, as I see it, it is a subtle bashing of ulamak as not subscribing to the Quran he sees it to be.
A super sensitive could see it as the writer propagating to call ulamak as liars, cheats, hurtful, and etc., which I don't think any sensible human would do. Not to worry, I am not super sensitive.
Quran has been around long, and has been interpreted and deciphered by the learned for centuries. It is a body of knowledge and a discipline by itself, involving language and theology. Not for novices.
Shouldn't we be student before being trying to reinterpret and change. Unless, we master what has already been an estblished knowledge by learning from the learned, do we undertake our own exploratory journey.
Islam is philosophically different as much as other religion is different from Islam and other religions. Lets not apply generalist worldview on issue of faith. The Quran is specific to say to the effect, "You your religion and ours our own."
The best way to respect other religion is to leave that religion alone and do our own religion. In our demands, lets not encroach on others rights and interest or be adversarial, or it turn into a retaliatory.
This I agree with these words, "Do not do unto others, what you do not want to unto you."
P/S I do not quite understand why you wanna discuss a poem which has theological implication to a religion other than yours.
Off course, it is your blog and perhaps you did not see it in the manner I see it.
Voice, as a teacher of Literature and thus appreciating poetry I consider this a good piece of poetry. Period. I never meant it to be a topic of contention as it has turned out to be. I never meant it to be a piece for discussion. I appreciate good poetry and I wanted to share this good piece. If others find it offensive, that is their interpretation of the piece.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote:This I agree with these words, "Do not do unto others, what you do not want to unto you."
I do not understand this inference.You have lost me there.