Lobo's Lessons

Photo credit here It's hard growing up in a foreign country. I went through that almost my entire childhood. Oh don't get me wrong, I love the UK and I would never trade my childhood there for anything in the world. It's just that it tickles me to reflect on some of the things that my sister and I (and a few of our other Malay friends) would do just so that we wouldn't get singled out. One very funny example just recently cropped up in my head, and I knew I had to write about it immediately. In the UK we would have the option of taking packed lunches from home or eat catered lunches called 'school dinners' or 'din-dins' there, though I don't know exactly why lunch was called dinner... it still leaves me baffled to this very day. Having school dinners was sometimes a challenge for us Muslims because we can only eat Halal of Kosher food, and so it was the usual custom that we bring our own lunches. When the bell rings, you walk out of your classroom, s...

Image credit here (Dear reader, I know this entry is a bit long but I really need your opinion on this matter. Don't worry it's not a heavy read) PROLOGUE I have this friend. I remember him being an OK friend.. a bit of halitosis, but nothing holding one's breath can't fix. Like I said, he's an OK (in a sort of so-so way) friend. Academics wasn't his thing (anything that involved learning), though he did try ever so hard, bless his soul. Then he got into business in a big way doing MLM, and because of his family connections he managed to become quite prosperous. Calls every once in around 6 months, usually when he's in JB for his business. But starting from around a year ago I was loathe to pick up his calls. When I see the number on my phone I cringe because I can't stand what a cheapskate he is. Here is a chronology. Judge for yourselves. 1) Four years ago. I was a struggling language instructor. He comes down to JB for business. We meet up for the fir...

Image credit here "Kullu nafsin dhaiqatul Maut" (Every living thing shall taste death) - Holy Quran It came as a surprise to me when I heard the news that the Sultan of Johor was dead. It came as an even bigger surprise to me that I cared... A lot. Not that I broke down into tears or anything, but there was a feeling of genuine loss somewhere from deep within. For years and years, no matter which state in Malaysia I lived in, the Royal families were always the people we read about in the newspapers or saw on television. In Johor especially every Friday prayer ends with at least three whole minutes just reciting the du'a to ask for the health and prosperity of the Sultan and Royal family. However, no matter how I looked at it, they didn't seem 'real', or as detached from 'reality' as I saw it... Oh I had seen some royalty up close and personal but there was no real connection (as far as I was concerned). However, throughout the years spent in UTM, I wa...

I have finally succumbed to the irritation of constant blog spamming. It is with a heavy heart that I enable comment moderation, for I have always held free speech in high regard. Up yours you spamming scumbags.

Saya ingin berkongi artikel ini dengan rakan-rakan saya, baik Islam mahupun Kristian. Semoga ia dapat membawa kebaikan bersama InsyaAllah. Perjanjian Rasulullah dengan Orang Kristian pada 628 Masihi Oleh Dr. Muqtedar Khan Pengarah Pengajian Islam di University of Delaware dan felo Institute for Social Policy and Understanding http://www.udel.edu/poscir/profiles/MKhan.shtml Diterjemah oleh Abdullah Mohd Nawi Pensyarah Jabatan Bahasa Moden Universiti Teknologi Malaysia http://teknologimalaysia.academia.edu/AbdullahMohdNawi Bilangan masyarakat Islam dan Kristian jika digabungkan menjadi 50 peratus dari penduduk Bumi ini. Jika mereka hidup dalam aman dan damai nescaya keamanan separuh dunia terus dapat dicapai. Salah satu cara yang dapat kita ambil untuk memajukan keharmonian Islam-Kristian ialah dengan berkongsi cerita dan berita yang baik bersama, dan menjauhkan diri dari cubaan untuk mengkeji, menuduh dan mencela antara satu sama lain (mutual dem...

In light of recent events of culminating hatred, I would like us all to reevaluate our values. I came across this article that I would like to share with everyone. The Malay version will follow in a subsequent post. Prophet’s Promise to Christians Dr Muqtedar Khan (Common Ground) 8 January 2010 Muslims and Christians together constitute over fifty per cent of the world and if they lived in peace, we will be half way to world peace. One small step that we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonisation. I must remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent set by their Prophet and try to practise it in their lives. In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to the Prophet and requested h...

Image credit here It is now that time of year again, where I start to reminisce the Christmases of my childhood. Christmas? you may ask... But I thought he was Muslim? I grew up in a stout Islamic environment where my parents ingrained in me the tenets of the Quran and hadith. But outside my little bubble I also grew up in an environment where Christmas was a magical time of year. It was the time when my friends would brag about the presents they would be getting from their parents, and how they would be playing with them when I came over to their house on Christmas, and so on and so forth. Excitement would radiate from every child, regardless of which race they belonged to... It was still an innocent time for me. A time when when boys were boys and girls were girls, and the top shelf magazines were not to be seen, although the curiosity was starting to build (Note - many people here would not understand this reference, though people who've been overseas are probably grinning just ...