assaif87

Ziz.

I found this off Ahmad Nizam's blog, which was attributed to Marina Mahathir's blog. The following, barring the words in bold which are the words of the Prophet, are credits to the latter.

"In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St. Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world’s oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1400 years under Muslim protection.

"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.

Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.

Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.

No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."

The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St. Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God’s covenant.

A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!

The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person.

I know most readers, must be thinking so what? Well the answer is simple. Those who seek to foster discord among Muslims and Christians focus on issues that divide and emphasize areas of conflict. But when resources such as Muhammad’s promise to Christians are invoked and highlighted it builds bridges. It inspires Muslims to rise above communal intolerance and engenders good will in Christians who might be nursing fear of Islam or Muslims."

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It's amazing that I've never come across this instance in Muslim history before. But anyway, before any idiot starts to extol that Orientalist idea that 'dhimmitude' is inherently humiliating or some Muslim bigot tries to qualify the Prophet's words, let me just insist that mutual respect and understanding has always been the original state of affairs between communities.

It is repulsive to see bigots of all colour - be they right-wing political parties, extreme practitioners of religion, discriminatory pressure groups et al hijacking the agenda of the peace-loving majority. These people are intellectually-impaired in the sense that they ignorantly foist a scapegoat for their problems, however pertinent they may be. These people should be utterly condemned and moderate majority should do much more to ensure that these constituencies are kept on the fringe.

Ziz.

I needed this break. So when Czaf asked if I wanted to go to the Alps for a week with a few of his friends, I jumped at the offer. After three snowboarding tutorial lessons at Guildford in Surrey over two weeks during the Christmas vacation break, we (thought we) were ready to conquer the slopes. Wrong.

After flying from Birmingham to Grenoble Isere aeroport, and after a two-hour coach ride up into the mountains, we arrived at Les Deux Alpes. The place had a frontier town feel and did not feel at all like a luxury ski resort. This impression was commensurate with our discovery of lower-than-expected food and grocery prices. Despite that, our rented apartment was fully furnished and in many ways more cosy than my expensive flat in central London.

I spent five days snowboarding on the various slopes; and given our enthusiasm we frequently bit off more than what we could chew. There were times when I felt that my mortality (alright, my bodily integrity) was at stake. But doing something difficult makes one good at it, no? By the fourth day most of us were cruising comfortably on the green and blue-rated slopes.

The last day we tried skiing out of a whim. I've never skied before so I was particularly worried. But after being given a two-hour crash course on a slope near our apartment at night, and after a morning's worth of skiing practice on the beginner slopes, I felt ready to do the green and blue-rated slopes were were doing for snowboard the days before. And skied them properly I did - I was genuinely surprised that skiing was more forgiving than boarding - one mistake on the latter and one tumbles out of control.

And as always, the fresh mountain air and expansive views were a powerful catharsis to all the ennui built up during the term past. London promises your daily noise, cloister and grubbiness. It felt good to be away from all that. The new term starts tomorrow and I am dreading it like I've never known before.

Ziz.

1. The North Face Montana Hyvent gloves, for all its handy features (goggle wipe, nose wipe) disappoints given that the drawstring attachment on the left glove gave way today on its first use during snowboard training today. But crucially, the fit was good, the gloves kept the hands warm throughout and is thoroughly waterproof despite the lack of Gore-tex dazzle.

2. The Arc'teryx Beta AR 2009 pro-shell on the other hand worked extremely well in the cold and drizzle; it regulated my temperature well - I was only wearing a t-shirt and cardigan underneath in 4 degrees and significant wind chill. The hood is well-designed, and the fit takes the rough and tumble of active use excellently. The only gripe though, unlike the other similarly-priced contender for my affections, Mountain Equipment's Changabang, the Beta AR doesn't have enough pockets.

I love gear testing; next week I'll be in Les Deux Alpes and we'll see how all my stuff works in proper snowfall and negative temperatures.

Ziz.

After an evening of snowboard training at a ski centre in Guildford, Surrey, and after dinner and many games of Guitar Hero at Aik Hui's thereafter, I quickly packed and left for St Pancras International at 4 in the morning. My train was due to depart at 0525h but I had to reach early given that Eurostar has been a bitch. To cut the long story short, they were operating on a backlog, i.e. the Wednesday travelers (moi) could only travel on Thursday.

Managed to catch the first train, arrived in Paris two hours and fifteen minutes later, and then took a bus which winded through the various arrondissements before reaching Laura's place. The both of us met up with Christine and went for lunch at a brasserie, before meeting up with another of Laura's friends, Chloe, to go to a graffiti art exhibition at Fondation Cartier.

During the evening, I joined L's family for a sumptuous Christmas meal of oysters, foie gras, roast turkey and Chinese herbal soup. And later that night, Jacky, Laura's dad, brought us to the cabaret at the Lido on Champs-Elysees. It was both racy and artistic - but I think for a greater portion of the former I should go watch Moulin Rouge on my next visit.

On Boxing Day (though there is no such holiday in France), I waited for a bloody hour in the blasted cold to buy a ticket to climb the Eiffel Tower. The last time I came to Paris I took one look at the queue and decided against it. But the views from the first and second levels were magnificent to say the least. At night we went for a dinner cruise on the Seine and was treated to a splendid meal; with good views of various landmarks. Reminded me of the two cruises I've went on the Thames, though London's riverbank views aren't as enchanting.

Left the day after; and got on the last Eurostar for the night. I had a great Christmas with a touch of family warmth I wouldn't get here in icy London.

Ziz.

I hope Sarkozy gave Guillaume Pépy a good hiding when he was summoned to the Elysee palace. I think having Eurostar break down so comprehensively in the run-up to Christmas is massively unacceptable. Tens of thousands of travellers are still stranded. I'm going to make an early assault tomorrow morning on St. Pancras so that I can get a train to Paris, failing which I might call off my plans.

In more cheerful news, I'm traveling to Guildford in Surrey today for snowboard training on fake snow. How fun!

Ziz.

1. Won the Client Interview competition.

2. Progressed to the third round of the Senior Moots.

3. Christmas is coming. School is ending, for a bit.

Ziz.

The days pass like waves willing driftwood to shore.

Ziz.

My heart pounded hard as I strode on the gravel. The cold was deepening into the recesses of my lungs, as I struggled to draw in more breath to match my exertion. I glanced at my watch, and saw that sunrise was in five minutes, or less. The trees lining my path were a deep black against the the lightening sky, their autumnal bareness providing scarce respite from the wind chill.

I pass the Parsee Fountain quickly, and increased my pace as I reached the end of the park. After two crossings, I reached the bottom of the hill and, heaving a few resolute breaths, made my way to the top. The tension was unbearable; with every stride I could feel pain radiating from my thighs and calves. The words 'The view's so nice' painted on the path provided little comfort. With the glint of the skyline at my left periphery, I willed myself to finish my dastardly task. And I did.

I took in the skyline, and briefly checked my watch. It's sunrise. But half the sky is cloaked with cloud, with streaks of lightning radiating over the City. On the east the sky was a lightening blue, but a veritable gale was sweeping the thunderstorm clouds across the skyline. I give myself enough time to let the pain in my legs and chest dissipate, and slowly made my way down.

We try to run to the light but our perch yields little of it.

Ziz.

Kudos to Sarah. We were talking about procrastination and complacency and the strange inclination of our community to fall back upon divinity where all else fails. We were referring specifically to this particular mentality...

Sarahazwana Mahani says: (1:39:19 AM)
sudahlah. cannot cope, takpe. relax...
Sarahazwana Mahani says: (1:39:27 AM)
something will come up
Sarahazwana Mahani says: (1:39:35 AM)
or worse. Ya Allah, tolong please...??
Sarahazwana Mahani says: (1:39:38 AM)
HAHAHAHAHA
rockafunkadeliks says: (1:39:53 AM)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH U CRACK ME UP

Ya Allah tolong, please? Haha. God.

Ziz.

Thank you, Amsterdam, for proving that I still have a life beyond the drudgery of work. Times like these (burdened by readings, essays, the moot, etc) I just want the simple pleasures of strolling down cobbled streets, appreciating a morning coffee and pancakes without thinking about the itinerary for the day ahead, or just enjoying a night out without wondering how to get to that 9am lecture.

Anyway I'm exaggerating. My second visit to Amsterdam was good; met Ine and her Dutch friends, walked round the usual sights, watched Eddie Izzard at the Heineken Music Hall, visited Paradiso - this club akin to KOKO - and in all had a worry-less time. It was a good break from the rough and tumble of term time and I cannot be any more regretful that Reading Week has ended.

I don't think I'm going to get much sleep the next few days; but I'm fine with it. I'm used to excruciating inertia and perpetual self-doubt - so much that I know it's always fleeting and the remedy is usually a nice hot shower or some pleasing playlist.

Roll on Friday.

Ziz.

It's been more than a month since I returned and so far most things have been good. I run every day through Regent's Park and up to Primrose Hill, and then breathlessly take stock of London's skyline. I saw how more leaves fell day after day, and as of the start of this week (when my cold and cough knocked me out of commission) the ground has turned into a leafy mush. School has been a drag, as it's always has been, but I've been committing myself to the hours - painfully at times, when I'm nursing the after effect of a night out, or when my system feels as if it's on the verge of illness.

It's been interesting too in terms of the partying. In the space of three nights we managed to have a friend lose almost all his valuables and then have another one admitted to hospital. I should stop this deluge of fun lest it brings more bad luck. On the lighter side, Reading Week's coming up and I'm looking forward to the lack of activity to start re-organizing my work in anticipation of the next half of term. The trip to Lille is off, so I'm not heading anywhere; not as if anywhere's a good prospect given the colder weather.

I think I'm doing okay this year, really. Like what I told my boozy friends during our housewarming, I think i'm on a 7 out of 10.

Ziz.

Today we got treated to an incisive, insightful and poignant talk by the former Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa's Constitutional Court. He comes across as a humorous and gentle personality, something you wouldn't expect from someone who lost his sight in one eye and most of his right arm from a car bomb orchestrated by the apartheid regime.

I think he is an exemplary man - one who has stood against injustice, had suffered torture and solitary confinement as a consequence and had emerged with his humanity not only intact, but reinforced.

I have long opposed authoritarianism and draconian law, even where there is a strong case for justification - but I think I emerged from Bloomsbury Theatre with an even stronger conviction.

Ziz.

Ziz.

I was reading the National Geographic Traveller mag online and suddenly I remembered some of the dramatic places I've been to this year. The Cornish coast was especially poignant. Henry, Ine and me were rubbing our eyes after a short afternoon nap and realized that sunset was in fifteen minutes and that we wanted to catch the sunset. And so, we breathlessly stumbled onto Fristal beach and lo and behold...

And for the two days after Henry and Ine left and I was left alone in Newquay for my rock climbing tuition, I walked along the coast and reveled in the sight of waves crashing into rocks and fields of buttercups buffeted by the Atlantic wind.


Sometimes I wonder why we allow ourselves to be trapped in a non-ending deluge of work, social politics, petty preoccupations...when we can extricate ourselves and indulge in what the world has to offer. Be it discovering an Italian hill-town and walking among cobbled streets with gelato in hand, or soaking in the riotous atmosphere of the Champs-Elysees at the stroke of midnight on New Year's.

I think it's great to be alive, and traveling.

Ziz.

Today I spent a total of £170 on books.

On the bright side, we found out that for Public Law II, 40% of the assessment is based on a dissertation on human rights. Delish.

Oh and today I spent £11 on watching (500) Days of Summer at touristy Leicester Square. The movie theater still has an attendant who shines your way in and who says 'film' rather than 'movie'. Intéressant.

Ziz.

I had a burrito for lunch with Henry, Ine and Scarlet at my favourite Mexican eatery in Charlotte St, before enjoying a coffee at the newly-opened Cilantro on Tottenham Court Rd. I could walk home this stretch blind at night - this is how much we've walked the stretch the past year. In the evening, after coming by Laura's five-room penthouse/maisonette (in a council estate), we went for a blistering run to Primrose Hill and my have I not felt so winded in a long time. I'm really happy to meet the regular people and do the regular things I do here; it makes the transition from life in Singapore to London much quicker.

My former housemates were substantially impressed by the appearance of my new flat; from the town-house look of the front porch of my building, to the red-carpeted, soft-lighted interior of the lobby, and then to the vintage open-the-door yourself lift which I think would be a massive inconvenience to anyone who comes home drunk.

My two-bedroom flat, shared with two of my mates, looks big. The living room and bedrooms are spacious, though at the expense of the kitchen and one of the bathrooms. The other shower and bathroom are en suite to one of the bedrooms, taken by Shana and Adri. My old housemates who came to visit gushed at the 'roof terrace', which is really one of the building's roofs made accessible by going out through the window. It's a great place for a smoke break, but also a burglary hazard.

One of the greatest pleasures (and pains, in equal measure), is furniture and furnishings shopping. The problem is that Ikea is some distance away and given the kinds of stuff we need to get, i.e. study desks, it makes sense to look for cheaper alternatives. In this case, Argos is a life-saver, with its cheaper stuff and cheap home delivery service.

And so tomorrow begins a new week and I'll have a lot of fun and pain retrieving my items stashed away for summer from Noora's and Hannah's, unpacking, as well as doing more shopping.

Ziz.

I was driving home today in the mid-afternoon and it was beautiful - everything was basked in golden sunshine and the sky was an impeccable Provence blue. I don't usually enjoy my drives because I usually drive at peak hour or during some desolate hour of night after supper. It's my last few days here in Singapore before I begin the massive flurry of activity back in Londontown. It's not going to be all hunky dory when I get there - I have to work out the domestic issues, refurnish my flat, pay my school fees, buy my school books, begin doing the vacation readings, complete a Jurisprudence essay due possibly in a week and so on and so forth. I'd expect myself to be exhausted for most part over the next few weeks.

But it's the days and nights when there is no looming deadline or pressing matter to attend to that revitalizes the spirit. The past few weeks have been simple - time with family, time with friends, re-engaging with God - and come term time in London I will miss the easier disposition of life. I found out in first year that come term time, we become hunkered-down and are kept perpetually at the edge of our seats - the days are a flurry of lectures, tutorials, printing notes, socializing, partying and so on.

There is little time for a breather. And so while I revel in the last few days here before I get on that plane and disappear (or reappear, if I know you from London) for another year, I'll remember the good people and the good experiences I've had over this summer.

If there is one thing I realized, whether from the time spent with colleagues over dinner, or with friends over supper, or during the last nights of Ramadan and then on the day of Eid; is that I am massively, massively blessed. I pray that my good fortune induces humility, and not hubris.

Ziz.