With the ongoing global recession, it is hard to be unaffected by what is going on around you. Everyday we read thousands of jobs were being shed, companies going bust and major cost cutting measures are everywhere to be felt. Our utilities bill is expected to go up significantly this year.Monday, November 17, 2008
We are in Recession
With the ongoing global recession, it is hard to be unaffected by what is going on around you. Everyday we read thousands of jobs were being shed, companies going bust and major cost cutting measures are everywhere to be felt. Our utilities bill is expected to go up significantly this year.A Ray of Hope
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Legoman
http://creator.lego.com/en-us/Gallery/gallery.aspx
Lunch at Beverwijk
End of the Road
Friday, November 14, 2008
What's with the Mascot
Time of the year when money are raised through donations of private individuals who may organised events to raise funds for charities working with children in the UK. It is now better known as Pudsey Children in need. The kids got involve with it through their British School here. The initiative which started since 1985 uses 'Pudsey', a teddy bear with a bandage over one eye, as the mascot.Thursday, November 13, 2008
Transiting In Budapest
Anyway I took the option. The detail was a bit blurry. I thought I was flying on this M Airline to Sofia in Bulgaria before catching another flight to Amsterdam. Only realised that I was actually flying to Budapest in Hungary when I lined up to board the plane. Well I only had 3 hours sleep prior before being sent to the airport at 2 am to catch the flight at 4 am. And at the airport somebody did the leg work for me, getting my passport sorted out, my luggage checked-in and my exit visa done. I felt embarassed though as the airport was crowded and obviously this guy cut the queue and straight to the front desk (he got the necessary badge which comes with authority obviously).
I am back home now. The plane was good and the Budapest airport was quite modern.
Bawabet Dimashq
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Rain is a Blessing Here
Here in Damascus, the rain fell down heavily today. I have been asking my Syrian colleagues the past couple of days how long has it not been raining. It has been a while. The city looks so dry and a bit dusty. So today it was an absolute blessing. When such things are taken for granted or even seen as an annoyance in other countries, here to see the rain falling down is a real joy.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Kid's Tour of Rotterdam
It was a full iternary, the school group went on a boat around the harbour which by the way is the busiest in Europe if not the world.
A Malaysian Night In Damascus
When I checked in for dinner at the hotel, rather than expecting an Arabian delight, there were surprisingly Malay dishes on offer. It was apparently Malaysian Night theme! So there I was ordering some of those familiar dishes. Unfortunately it was not the same and quite disappointing, how can a Syrian cook make a proper Asian dish - I should have known better. So back to normal Syrian dishes from now on.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Beyond Hope, Time for Change
It was a must read book. When I read the book early in the year, I would never imagine this guy will become a president in such a short time. Reading the book was more out of curiosity of an unconventional politician. Some feel he is too liberal.Monday, November 3, 2008
An Amazing Race
But the season's penultimate race in Brazil yesterday was amazing. Right from the start, something extraordinary was to be expected. The heavy downpour in the beginning set the scene. The unforgetable drama of last years final race was still fresh in the mind.
In the end, the penultimate lap was the decider for the world champion. Every F1 fans were on their edge. Real nail-biting drama. Massa crossed the chequered flag. The whole Ferrari garage celebrated. The whole Brazil was roaring. But moments later when Hamilton overtook Glock, it was an incredible sight to see the looks on the faces in the Ferrari garage when they realised they have lost it!!! For all the steward's strange decisions, the FIA seeming bias, fnally McClaren did it. Well done to Lewis and McLaren Mercedes!!Lewis's father said "this is the culmination of 16 years of hard work. Hopefully this will be an inspiration for other families and kids. When we started we had nothing, no money."
"But after a lot of hard work we are top of the world. It shows it can be done. Hard work, dedication, respect to your family, respect to all people, fantastic."
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunday Invite
The month of Syawal is over but today there was yet another openhouse!This has to be the official 'penutup' for this year's Hari Raya Aidifitri. Time really flies. Felt like Ramadan was just a few weeks ago. Only realised that the month of Syawal was already over on Wednesday. Soon it will be the Haj season and of course the next Hari Raya. Then end of the year.......
It was quite elegant to see some inovations to make the place a bit spacious in the house. The garden was covered with a large tent and turned into an extension of the living room. And with two eletric heaters to warm the place, it didn't feel actually being outdoor in this cold and rainy weather. Monday, October 27, 2008
Winter Time
Came back to Holland last night. We reached home just after midnight. The flight from Granada to Brussels via Madrid took 4 hours. The drive back from Brussels airport was smooth - took one and half hours to reach home.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Tangisan Bumi Andalusia
MAASSALAMAH YA ANDALUS
Maka tersebutlah suatu daerah
Tersergam megah azannya bergema
Keagungannya, kemasyhurannya
Merentas seluruh dunia fana
Dan bersemaraklah cahaya-Mu Yang Esa
Bagai azimat untuk seluruh umat
Kehancuran yang mendatang
Kerna alpa dan prasangka jiwa lara
Harus kau ingat dari musibahmu
Datang bencana kerana kau lupa
Andalusia tinggal sejarah
Kekufuranmu terkubur semua
Haruslah kau beringat
Musibah yang melanda
Bencana dan merana kita lupa
Untukmu insan jadikan pedoman
Selamat tinggal Andalusia
Yang rebah tersungkur ke dada bumi
Selamat tinggal Andalusia
Mungkinkah dapatku kembalikan sinarmu
A Drive to Cordoba
Cordoba used to be one of the greatest Muslim cities. I read from the guide book it used to have up to 3000 mosques at its height in the 10th Century with a population of half to a million people. Now it is famous for a single remaining mosque, the Mezquita or the grand mosque, now 1200 years old, said to be the 3rd largest mosque in the world at that time. It was built by Abd-ar-Rahman 1 in 785 when he formed the exiled Umayyad dynasty in Spain and made Cordoba the capital. Cordoba was then the heart of the Western Islamic empire and the city was said to rival Cairo and Baghdad as a centre of Muslim art and learning. At that time the city also was the largest and most prosperous city of Europe. And the mosque ranked third in sanctity after Mecca and Mesjid Al-Aqsa.
We initially booked a hotel outside the city centre but was given the option to stay at the same hotel chain for the same price but located right at the heart of the city. So we took the offer. And what an offer it was, the Conquistador Hotel is located right in front of the Grand Mosque.
We took a private guided tour of the Grand Mosque and the surrounding areas. The tour took over two hours and was good for the kids as they were quite attentive following the guide.The centre of the mosque has long been converted into a large cathedral when the Muslim rule fell. The original minaret has been covered and redesigned so it does not look like an Islamic minaret anymore. The mosque looks plain outside but very beautiful inside. From outside there is some similarity to the Umayyad mosque in Damascus. But inside, this mosque looks incredible and more beautiful and functional.There are over a thousand pillars inside which form an incredible sight and structure. It is like an endless forest of columns, remarked in some books as one of the world's architectural wonders. It was said that the mosque once could hold as many as 25,000 people. The mihrab is still intact and was not destroyed by the conqueror. Nowadays much of the central part of the building has been converted into a large cathedral.
One of the oddity of this former mosque is that the direction of the kiblat is wrong. This is quite clear when we prayed in our rooms which is parallel to the mesjid. The kiblat is off by 38 Degrees. That's quite a lot - i.e. instead of heading to Mecca to the Southeast, it is heading South. One of the possible reason is that the original builders of the mesjid were from Syria and in Syria the direction of Mecca is towards the South. However this mosque existed for over 300 years and nobody at that time made any effort to correct the kiblat. May be this could be one of the reasons why the mesjid is no longer a mesjid anymore nowadays - only Allah knows.
Old Streets
In Plaza Nueva, one could find plenty of halal eating places and Moroccans shops along the Calle Evira, Caldereria Nueva and Caldereria Vieja streets. These three streets form some sort of a traingle of the Arab quarter in the city.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Meratapi Andalus Demi Merapatkan Umat
Bani al-Ahmar adalah puak yg menguasai wilayah Islam terakhir di Sepanyol iaitu Granada daripada 620 H hingga 897 H, pada tahun di mana perjanjian di atas dimeterai. Perjanjian yang membabitkan 67 perkara itu termasuk jaminan keselamatan orang Islam di Sepanyol yang pada akhirnya tidak pernah direalisasikan bahkan selepas 300 tahun kemudian, Islam dan tanda-tandanya terhakis di bumi Sepanyol, seolah-olah Islam dan tamadunnya tidak pernah wujud di negara itu walaupun ia pernah menyinari dan menerajuinya selama 800 tahun. Perjanjian ini akhirnya dimeterai kerana menerima banyak tekanan daripada orang Kristian Sepanyol termasuk kejadian paling memilukan dalam sejarah Islam pd 892 H. Pd masa itu ribuan umat Islam yg dijanjikan boleh menyelamatkan diri dengan berlayar ke Afrika dibunuh beramai-ramai secara kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan.
Dalam kejadian itu, ribuan umat Islam mati bergelimpangan bermandi darah selepas tentera Kristian membunuh mereka. Sebelum itu, ketika mereka bersembunyi di dalam rumah, dengan lantang tentera Kristian membuat pengumuman bahawa orang Muslim Granada boleh keluar dari rumah mereka dengan aman bagi membolehkan mereka menaiki kapal untuk berlayar keluar dari Sepanyol dengan membawa barang keperluan masing-masing. Tentera Kristian turut memaklumkan keselamatan orang Islam yang ingin meninggalkan Sepanyol terjamin. Ramai umat Islam yang meragui tawaran tentera Kristian itu. Bagaimanapun, selepas umat Islam melihat sendiri kapal yang akan membawa mereka berlabuh di pelabuhan, mereka kemudian mengambil keputusan menerima tawaran itu.
Keesokan harinya, ribuan penduduk Muslim Granada keluar beramai-ramai membawa seluruh barang keperluan mereka pergi ke pelabuhan itu. Bagaimanapun, ada umat Islam yang tidak mempercayai tawaran tentera Salib itu terus bertahan dan bersembunyi di rumah masing-masing. Selepas ribuan umat Islam Sepanyol berkumpul di pelabuhan, dengan pantas tentera Kristian menggeledah rumah yang ditinggalkan mereka sebelum membakarnya. Ribuan umat Islam yang berada di pelabuhan pula tergamam apabila tentera Kristian membakar kapal yang dikatakan akan mengangkut mereka keluar dr Sepanyol. Kapal itu kemudian tenggelam dan umat Islam tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa kerana mereka tidak bersenjata. Kebanyakan mereka adalah wanita dan kanak-kanak, sedangkan tentera Kristian mengepung mereka dengan pedang terhunus.
Selepas menerima arahan pemimpin, ribuan tentera Kristian itu kemudian membunuh umat Islam Sepanyol tanpa perasaan belas kasihan. Jerit tangis dan takbir terdengar tetapi dengan buas tentera Kristian terus membunuh warga awam yang sama sekali tidak berdaya. Seluruh Muslim Sepanyol di pelabuhan itu habis dibunuh dengan kejam. Darah bergenang di mana-mana. Laut yg biru berubah menjadi merah kehitam-hitaman. Itulah kisah menyedihkan dalam sejarah umat Islam yang tidak boleh dilupakan. Banyak cerita yang menyayat hati seperti ini dibukukan seperti al-Ihatah fi Akhbar Gharnatah (Berita Menyeluruh Mengenai Granada) dan al-Muqtabas min Akhbar al-Andalus (Sekelumit Sejarah Andalus), malah seorang ulama terkenal seperti Ibn Hazam menceritakannya dalam kitab mashurnya al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Nihal.
Selepas kejadian itu dan memerintah Sepanyol selama 300 tahun, tidak ada tanda atau simbol Islam yg kekal di negara itu. Umat Islam juga diugut dan diseksa oleh tentera Kristian Sepanyol dgn pelbagai ugutan dan seksaan yg sangat kejam, mengerikan dan menakutkan dan tidak ada belas kasihan. Orang Kristian di Sepanyol tidak mahu Islam wujud lagi. Oleh itu kita dapati umat Islam sangat tersepit sehingga ada yg mengaku Kristian padahal mereka seorang Muslim kerana terlalu perit dugaan yang dialami mereka.
Islam mula masuk ke Sepanyol pada 92 H di bawah kepemimpinan panglima Tariq bin Ziyad, Musa bin Nusair dan Abdul Aziz bin Musa. Selepas kemasukan mereka melalui Jabal Tariq (Gibral Tar) pada tahun itu, Sepanyol beransur-ansur muncul menjadi sebuah negeri yg makmur. Pasukan Islam tidak saja berhenti di Sepanyol, malah terus meluaskan empayar di negeri sekitar seperti Perancis. Kota Carcassone, Nimes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Poitou, Tours dan sebagainya jatuh ke tangan umat Islam. Walaupun pasukan Islam sangat kuat dan memiliki kekuasaan yg luas, mereka masih tetap memberikan toleransi kepada suku Goth dan Navaro di daerah sebelah Barat yg juga kawasan pergunungan.
Islam sudah menerangi Sepanyol dan oleh kerana sikap penguasa Islam begitu baik dan rendah hati, maka ramai orang Sepanyol yg tulus dan ikhlas memeluk Islam. Mereka bukan hanya beragama Islam, namun mereka sungguh-sungguh mempraktikkan kehidupan secara Islam. Mereka tidak hanya membaca al-Quran malah bertingkah laku berdasarkan al-Quran. Keadaan tenteram seperti itu berlangsung hampir 6 abad lamanya.
Penguasa dan pemimpin Islam pada masa itu sangat berwibawa dan digeruni. Abdul Rahman al-Dakhil, sebagai contoh, adalah orang yang mendirikan Khilafah Bani Umayyah di Andalus. Ketika dijemput pemimpin Kristian yang dibantunya dalam memerangi musuh mereka, beliau dipelawa minum arak, tetapi beliau menolak secara diplomasi dgn katanya: “Aku memerlukan tambahan utk otakku bukan untuk mengurangkannya.”
Mereka secara senyap menghantar arak dan rokok secara percuma ke wilayah Sepanyol. Muzik diperdengarkan untuk memujuk kaum mudanya agar lebih suka menyanyi dan menari daripada membaca al-Quran. Mereka juga mengirim sejumlah ulama palsu yang kerjanya meniupkan perpecahan di kalangan umat Islam Sepanyol. Akhirnya usaha mereka membuahkan hasil apabila satu persatu daerah di Sepanyol jatuh.
Sebagai contoh, Abu Zaid, gabenor daerah Balansiah ketika rakyatnya memberontak dia membuat perjanjian dengan Raja Kristian Choinawi untuk membantu memadamkan pemberontakan itu. Sebagai habuannya, Abu Zaid akan memberikan beberapa kawasan kpd Choinawi dan membayar ‘jizyah’ tahunan kpdnya. Jizyah dalam Islam mesti dibayar bukan Islam kepada pemerintah Islam, tetapi apa yg dilakukan Abu Zaid yang beragama Islam adalah terbalik apabila berjanji membayar jizyah kepada Choinawi yg beragama Kristian.
800 tahun bukan masa yang singkat. Selepas umat Islam ‘menghidupkan’ Sepanyol dan menjadikannya bangsa yg bertamadun, berbanding bangsa lain di Eropah, akhirnya ia seolah-olah tidak pernah wujud di negara itu? Peristiwa ini amat menyedihkan bagi umat Islam sepanjang zaman. Sepanyol sekarang bukan Sepanyol dahulu. Sepanyol hari ini bukanlah Andalus pada satu masa dulu.
Sebenarnya musuh Islam dan umatnya tetap satu. Dari dulu hingga sekarang musuh Islam tetap ada, cuma ia berbeza orang dan jenteranya. Mereka tetap ingin melenyapkan Islam sedapat mungkin dengan apa juga cara. Dengan mengambil contoh Andalus yg hilang dan mencari sebab kehilangannya termasuk kelemahan akidah dan terlepas daripada jalur yang lurus, permusuhan sesama sendiri, berpihak kepada bukan Islam, kesenangan yang tidak terkawal dan kecintaan terhadap dunia, tidak mustahil ia juga akan berlaku di mana-mana. Dan ketika itu ucapan bonda Aisyah pada permulaan tulisan ini akan terdengar kembali. Wallahu a’lam.
A Visit to Alhambra
Alhambra is the primary reason why people comes to visit Granada. Inside one could find an incredible reminder of the glorious Islamic period in the past. The buildings are full of beautiful Islamic design and calligraphies decorating the walls, pillars and ceilings.
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200604/alhambra/default.htm
Following a guide is the best way to learn the history and the many intricacies and details of the Alhambra itself. The place was quite full with lots of tourists today and yet this is not the peak season. We only booked the trip a week ago. Everything was done online. The tour in the end lasted for 3.5 hours.
The place is always portrayed as a place of exceptional beauties - water fountains, glorious and most modern traditions of its time, music and art of exceptional beauty, and advanced knowledge of science and technology far ahead of the rest of the Europe.
However the beauty stops there. Visiting this place will give you a mix of pride and sorrow. Pride in seeing the amazing Islamic calligraphies and amazing relics of a great Islamic empire before. But also sorrows knowing that these are just relics and that the decline of the empire was due to the weak ummah and rulers. In reality, the histories are ones of bitterness and great tragedies.




