Seasons in Transition

 When I came here everything seemed so cold and dreary. The trees were barren and looked like grieving old people with gnarled fingers pointing to the sky, which in turn looked at them with steely indifference. There were hardly any flowers seen. And people walked fast, their faces down afraid of the chilly wind. They walked, huddled,shrinking inside their coats and squeezing out the last bit of warmth from it. The world seemed to consist of just black, brown and grey. Then it snowed and for sometime everything was covered in white. And it looked pure and pristine. Then it turned to slush and gave me nightmares.


But now Winter is almost out of Nottingham and Spring is already making it's way in. I can feel the joy in the air, in people's smiles, in blooming cherry blossoms and the sunny daffodils. I can see the colours painting themselves across the lawn, the gardens and the rest of the city. Those gnarled fingers are sprouting tiny green leaves,the tomato bush outside my hall is flowering. People are out in bright skirts and shorts and tops. A 10 minute walk to the uni makes me so happy that I feel like walking back just to experience the sights and sounds again!


Today is such a bright, warm day. From my window I can see everything-trees,buildings, people- encompassed by the sun's warm glow. Stepping out I can smell fresh grass and mud. Someone's mowing the lawn. Walking down the Broadgate hill I can see the cherry blossoms on both sides competing for attention. The tiny pink flowers have just started blooming, they remind me of tiny babies opening their little eyes. They already give the place a whole new feel!









Walking out of broadgate park and towards uni I see daffodils. Bright, sunny, makes-you-smile, daffodils. Everywhere! They are lifting their sunny little heads from any place they can find.

And the grass, it seems a brighter shade of green now. From far it looks like this huge velvet spread out. In contrast the sky is a brilliant blue today, without a single cloud scarring it.







I have to detach myself from the sight of the green and blue treats and get back on track to class. Walking further, I am greeted by weeping willows who don't seem so morose now as they are getting their leaves back. They do look like they are sulking, almost like a teenager denied a party, but as long as they aren't  leafless, I'm fine.

 

I'm getting late for class, so I walk faster and, for the first time, the wind on my face feels good. Behind me I hear two girls discussing where this wind might be coming from. One of them says it's easy to know where it's coming from- if it's warm it's from France, if it's cold it's from Norway. And I smile at yet another conversation about the weather.


It's tough to force myself into the class looking at everyone else just enjoying themselves out there. While messing up my French conjugation, I find myself longing for the sun's warmth on my face and the feel of comfortingly  prickly grass against my skin.


Soon it's time to leave. I step outside and just breathe in. Deeply. The air is sweet as it fills my lungs. I see some students already out in the lawn, and more claiming the spots before they are taken. Some are reading books, some are sitting in circle, talking and laughing, and others just lying on the grass and looking at the sky.

I stay for some time and then make my way back. Now I notice some things I didn't notice while coming to class: The sounds. Since I'm already getting used to the sights of spring my brain gives me a chance to pick out the sounds. I hear birds. Many of them. Chirping, twittering, singing...it's not organised but yet there's some rhythm in their calls. And once you pay attention you can hear how different they are, and yet how their voices together just form melody.


Before I know it I'm back in my room and all I can think of is if the creation can overwhelm my senses like this with their beauty, what about the creator?

Things to Think Through...

The past few weeks in the UK have given me a lot to think about. Living here in a different culture, going to a mostly western classroom...I really have been forced to step outside my comfort zone! Another reason I have been thinking so much is because I have A LOT to read these days. I am doing two literature classes and one Cultural Politics module so naturally, there's a ton to read. But for the first time, I don't mind the reading. I LOVE the library here. It's so huge and has so many books! I know, Duh. But it is amazing. I live reading about cultural politics as every week we have seminars on our reading where we discuss our individual reading. And since I like anything that involves talking, I'm lovin' it! We have interesting discussions on identity, cultures, youth, sexuality... and a good thing about being in an international classroom is that you get to hear multiple perspectives. (Our class has a smattering of Australians, French, Chinese and British people.)

Something I realized over the past few weeks is that keeping an open mind is not about just listening to what other people have to say, it's about taking what they said and thinking about it and comparing it to what you believe in. It's difficult at first to look at what you have grown up believing in and practising with a critical eye. But I think it's something we have to routinely engage in. Re evaluation is necessary if we want to avoid intellectual stagnation. 

Cultural Politics involves looking into a lot of Western Critical theories and at first, I must admit, I was a little worried about it clashing with what I believe in (in terms of faith). However, what has happened is that studying a lot of them has only reinforced my faith and even cleared some doubts I had about it! I know you maybe a lil' sceptical about it, but it really did something to the way I think. So many concepts of faith that I was grappling with, were put into perspective! Especially while studying Feminism! Though I do not agree with some of their arguments, I do get the essence of it and understand where they are coming from. And as a muslim woman from India, who chooses to add an extra piece of clothing to her wardrobe, I feel have something more to offer to the ongoing discussion. I really understood the wisdom behind dressing modestly when I read about the objectification of women in the past (even now). The hypersexualization of woman's body to sell things to the male audience, it disgusts me. Why do shaving cream adverts require a half naked woman to prance around the man? Why does a sleek sports car need a bikini clad woman to lie on top of it, in order to sell it? 

They are all catering to the male gaze, the camera is looking at the female body from a male eye. That's why in movies we have the extra focus on the woman's curves and the man's eyes eroticising them. I can't even count the number of times I have seen the camera lingering on the woman's cleavage.

It's at this juncture I fully appreciate my hijab. It shields me from this objectification. I am not instigating that the entire male population is out there fantasising over the female body, but what guarantee do I have that when I walk out, wearing whatever I want none of them would do it? I am in no way justifying the whole notion that 'she asked for it'. She never did. No woman in her right mind ever does. But what Islam has given me is an option guard myself against the gaze. 


 

And the woman is not the only one responsible for avoiding the 'gaze'. The Quran, in the verse before the one which asks women to cover, says "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and to protect their private parts from illegal sexual acts, etc.) That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All Aware of what they do.” (24:30)

Hence, the primary obligation is on the MAN to avoid looking at the woman in an inappropriate manner.So it’s not as though the burden lies on the woman’s shoulders alone the man is also accountable for the gaze.  As a ‘believing man’ HAS to lower it. And only then comes the verse about the believing women covering themselves. And I understand why we have to be particular about the way we dress because no matter how civilized, modern and progressed the society is there will be people out there who will still objectify women with their gaze. 

Now, coming to the problem at hand. What has happened is that the majority of the muslim community places more emphasis on the part about the woman covering herself than the man lowering his gaze. Which is why most people end up believing that Islam asks too much of women. In muslim majority areas, a woman not wearing hijab faces more criticism than a man who does not control his gaze. This maybe because by its nature the hijab is a very physical act, the gaze, on the other hand, is more capable of escaping the public eye. Again, can we hold religion accountable for something which man is accountable for. So the focus should be on reformation of cultural notions which cause people to twist religion rather than the religion itself. In order to get the essence of the any religion we have to look at it in isolation of the cultural baggage it has come to accumulate. So to understand Islam we don’t look at Afghans, Pakistanis, Malaysians or Arabs. We look at the scripture. We then hold up what it says against the wider social context and see how and where religion and the present day practises deviate.  So we look at Honour Killings-  Culture. Female Genital Mutilation- Culture. Female infanticide- Culture. Racism-  Human idiocy. More often than  not, it's these deviations which the media have been pushing as ‘Religious backwardness’.

Islam asks people to think, to reason, to ponder. It tells us not to blindly follow everything our fore fathers did. So even those of us who are born muslims, we have to ask questions. We need to know the difference between what our book says and what our people practise We need to question whether what we have grown up believing in is cultural or religious. We have to open our critical eye.

Marx said religion is the opium of the people. I think not. I think religion in general and Islam in particular was very counter cultural when it came to the mankind. 

It opposed most of what culture dictated. Example? In pre-islamic arabia, female infanticide was a common practise. But Islam strongly condemned this and questioned the idiocy of the practise.  

“And when the girl [who was ] buried alive is asked. For what sin she was killed.” (Quran, 81: 8-9)

During those times there were also clashes between tribes and there existed this feeling of Arab superiority over the others. What does Islam say about this? “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 49:13)

What did the Prophet say about racism? “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a nonArab over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.”

The rich are obligated to look after the poor. Neighbours have to look after each other. The society has to take care of its orphans and widows. The husband has to treat his wife kindly. The environment has rights over the people. We have to fight for the oppressed. Justice inspite of class or familial superiority...

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. (Quran, 2:177)

Replacing the million little things in this world which enslave us by One Master.
This is what religion is about. 

And if this is still opium for you then yes, I am an addict. 

Turning 20...

Hey All!

I turned 20 today!
This is my second birthday outside India and all this extra time has given me a lot to think about.

You can read about it here- http://penguinpeeks.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-turning-20.html

(I didn't want to copy-paste the entire thing here) (I tried) (Din't work)

Cheers!
Nazreen