Bombing in Lombard

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم

ya Allah...I need You to lend me Your shoulder yet again..
(#Caution. emotional writing.)

Sambil buat kuih serempit petang tadi, mama ckp Anty Sara balik Malaysia. Jadi, tahun ni inshallah takbir raya akn dibuat di rumah kami. I don't know how to react to that. Happy, of course because we'll be receiving tetamu. Moga rumah ni dipenuhi dengan barakah dan rezqi yang tetamu bawa. Other the other hand, I hope Nadia, Abg Nasser and Uncle Mud's raya will be just as meaningful even without Anty Sara's presence this year. And I hope that all is well over there for her. Moga selamat pergi dan balik, Anty Sara dear...

Then, mama broke the news that there was a bombing at an Islamic School in Lombard, another suburban area, west of Chicago, during taraweeh. Kus semangat. The town is so familiar to me. We shop, eat and go back and forth from there very often, on the way to NIU. I was shocked to learn the news but quite receptive. Mengucap. "Another bombing huh. A day after the shooting at our mosque" Innalillahi wa inna ilayhirojiun. But what really shattered my already broken heart to a million pieces is to learn that due to the crazy recent tragedies, the Raya and Merdeka celebrations organized by 1Mai and EM may be called off as a precaution. Keputusan muktamad akn diberi oleh embassy. Wallahualam by when...

Kenapa saya sedih pulak dengar news kedua? News pertama  lagi gempak kot. 
It's frustrating when the result of these hate crime events manages to exude fear and impede the harmonious Muslim (in this case, Malaysian - i.e. Muslims and non-Muslims) communities' growth and movement. Now is exactly the time when we have to keep our chin up and wear a courageous face. Now is especially the time when we have to stand in solidarity. And by that, not to back off from getting together with the community, concerning over the risks that might take place i.e. in case there might be a shooting and bombing when and where we hold the events. I say, if God wills, then let there be. Wouldn't that give justice its publicity? Wouldn't that scream Islam and all other religious groups deserve some more respect? Wouldn't that make a bold statement that terrorism prevails (so don't just watch out for some bearded Muslims). 

Dalam kemelut Muslim selalu kena tahan dengan pegawai imigresen kat airport (which is almost expected of them), ramai yang bersungut, "Tengok nama la la bro. Dah nama pon Ahmad dan Muhammad, konfem kene la tahan". Nak dijadikan cerita, kes tu terbawak2 sampai kapel2 muda disini yang baru conceive anak dinasihatkan bahawa lebih afdal tak letak first name anak Ahmad/Muhammad. Subahallah. Kenapa begitu. Dimana letaknya sekarang izzah (kebanggaan) kita, maruah kita sebagai Muslim? This is especially D perfect time to name kids with Ahmad or Muhammad, so we could make a statement that refutes the stereotype. Besides, with the prevalent racial and religious profiling, never mind what kind of name or first names you own. 

Tragedi 9/11 mengajak muslim untuk berdialog dengan non-muslim like never before. Maka oleh itu, bertasbih dan bertaubatlah kita atas penyaksian reversion non-Muslims to Islam secara berbondong2. Macam mana si Muslims mengajak si non-Muslims untuk keluar dari kepompong fear dan paranoia dengan kempen "I am Muslim. So Please Don't Panic" dan concurrently give them a quick lesson on "Islam 101", kenapa kita tak ambil ibrah dari incident yang baru lepas kita lalui untuk tak takut dan tak rasa paranoid ke atas pihak lain bila terrorism being impose on us? Kalau kita retreat sekarang dan downplay ahsanu 'amala kita, i.e. the effort of getting the community together especially on Eid, doesn't that manifest our own weaknesses there (being fearful)? We know better after the 9/11 incident, now, we just gotta do better. So tell me, should the Muslims stop going to the masjid after the shooting?

I don't blame or associate any race, ethnic background and religious group that the criminal belongs to. Why? because at the end of the day, bak pepatah the author Sherman Alexie from his novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, “I used to think the world was broken down by tribes," I said. "By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes and the people who are not." (176)” Like how we'd say the dire "Muslims terrorists" don't even represent 0.01% of the entire Muslim population, that's how I view the world as whether it be a crime committed by an American, Buddhist, Jew, African, Hindu whatnot. Define what terrorism is for me, again? 

Ateeqa Nasha struggle untuk faham the reasoning of the "other" end of the spectrum. Or maybe, dia pilih untuk buat2 tak faham. I do realize the risks and the precaution taken ada maslahatnya. But I also realize the risks of not taking this step forward. Sebelum fizikal kita diserang, mental dan emosi kita dah sedia berundur. I hope we don't get disempowered by the decisions that some lunatics choose to make. Ya Allah, generasi akukah yang junjungan Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhiwasalam umpamakan seperti buih2 lautan yang banyak dlm bilangannya tetapi lemah dalam daya ketahanannya? If so, please make me, my loved ones and comrades among the muttaqin who take You as a shield, define the hadid (besi) that makes up the strength of this ummah. Please ya Allah ya Muhaimin, protect us, our deen and our iman from being exploited and sold for a cheaper price. Please make both the Eid kenduri happen, smoothly, productively and meaningfully in the efforts of tying the knots and bonds of silaturrahim among us brothers and sisters, all the more tightly. Ya Allah ya rabbul 'alamin, please keep us, away from extremism and help us practice the moderate way that our deen prescribes. Ya Allah ya ghaffur, I ask that You please forgive me for all my intentional and unintentional wrong deeds and words. If not because of the goodness that is channeled through Your rahmah, I would've been weak and infallible at all times. Amin...

Life is a constant struggle. If we ought to die serving the cause that we struggle for, then what more honorable way is there to die in? 

The ones whom the angels take in death, [being] good and pure; [the angels] will say, "Peace be upon you. Enter Paradise for what you used to do." An-Nahl 16:32


#"Erti hidup pada memberi" kata Ustaz Hasrizal. Sacrifice is a form of pemberian.