Its been a while

Ah! Its been a while since I posted, but I lost the energy to continue somewhat. I am now wondering what to discuss next. More literary stuff? Or the whole creation/evolution thing again?

I dont know ^_^ but I am now thinking of writing a fantasy novel of sorts. For the time being Im polishing up my language by reading some classical literature, and am not sure where to start.

I ll probably delve deeper into the philosophy of religion, rather than science, as its a lot easier for the layman to understand.

Hmm....and so far this blog is a little niche on the internet to keep these unadulterated thoughts of mine. Now how to market it?

Scandal

Those hands holding each other in the dark,
Those lips, pressed together, have made their mark,
Their eyes pierce each other, knowing they're blessed,
Away from judgement they must disembark.

Like larks in love, they must fly to the nest,
Consumed in passion, they forget the rest,
They make love in the tender throes of night,
The rush of clothes, him caressing her breast.

But jealous watchers will suspect a slight,
So they look and stalk, knowing it's their right,
For they no longer feel marriage's wonder,
Soon their sad eyes will find the lover's bite.

Oh my father, his heart rent asunder,
Cos' of my mother's love for another,
Once the grief wears away, what will be left,
All I hear will be the crack of thunder.

Islam (part 1)

I intend to keep this short  and succinct, but the neological Religion of Peace is, euphemistically speaking, not very peaceful, and has been so for the last 1400 years of its existence.

 In the present, terror attacks are ramping up all over the world. From the recent massacre of nearly 150 Christian students in Kenya, to last month's attack on a museum in Tunisia that killed 19, to the barbaric brutality of ISIS, al-Shabaab, the Taliban and Boko Haram, something is seriously wrong.

Yet, there is no denying it: there are billions of peaceful Muslims around the world, who are caring, compassionate and would never slaughter some French cartoonists for caricatured depictions of Muhammad. What is going on? Are those the true Muslims, the doctor of Pakistani heritage dutifully treating his patients in the USA, or is it the mujahideen strapping on a suicide vest and blowing up hundreds of rafidhas in Yemen? Which person is representative of Islam?

The answer is: both are.

Islam, although holding on to the universal principles such as the Five Pillars (syahadan, zakat, salaat, fasting during ramadhan and pilgrimage to Mecca) and others such as tawhid (oneness of God) has had various other precepts that are basically amorphous and shifting with the times. But fundamentally, at its core, Islam is dominionist and restrictive, extremely punishing to those who commit shirk (idolatry). Try Surah 48:29 or 9:29 from the Quran for example. Unlike the Bible, which Christians can pick and choose because of the Old Covenant-New Covenant dichotomy, the Quran and the other sacred texts, the hadith, are undistilled and show what is wrong when pre-medieval religious traditions are taken as "divinely inspired" and applied to modern-day contexts.


I dont mean to say that Islam is "pure unrestricted brutality" since its obviously not.I dont deny that Islam has a rich tradition that goes back centuries, and there are very intelligent, peace-loving devout Muslims either. They did have the Islamic golden age and some very fine calligraphy and geometric design. Furthermore, there are verses in the Quran that claim there is no compulsion in religion. Well whats going on?

 Turns out that the Quran was only compiled after Muhammad's death, and information gathered from various oral traditions. Muhammad did preach peace at times, but at others he openly slaughtered unbelievers.

Anyone superficially familiar with the history of Muhammad would know of his early years in Mecca, where he at first preached peacefully. He was persecuted and driven out, so he fled to Medina, where he consolidated his power.

And things changed.

He began killing poets who wrote against him. He organized caravan raids to weaken his enemies in Mecca. He killed prisoners of war (look here for a list of people Muhammad personally killed or order to kill).

He conquered Mecca and slaughtered thousands.

What the Islamists are doing around the world today, is fundamentally replicating Muhammad's warpath and such rivers of blood flow around Babylon and Jerusalem. A site ironically called the religion of peace is dedicated to cataloguing all the daily atrocities committed in the name of Islam.

I DO NOT advocate bigotry and discrimination in any way, shape and form. I have Muslim friends and will stand against any harrassment and discrimination against them. but it is important to remember that the ideology of Islam does not deserve equal treatment. There are more Christians than Muslims in the world today, yet there are significantly fewer Christian terrorist groups. Why? There are bloody groups like the LRA for example, but these groups are outnumbered by the number of Islamist groups (and the violence they commit) around the world.

Islam must be shown for what it is.

A Wishing Star

I caught a wishing star in my hand,

I asked of it, before it started to fade,

Take me away to a distant land.

 

I found it at the beach, in the black sand,

Bright and light, the pretty hue of jade,

I caught a wishing star in my hand.

 

 I dreamt of rainbows in bright bands,

Of gentle giants coming to my aid,

Take me away to a distant land.

 

For my crime, I felt like a filthy brigand,

Hiding my catch beneath my smiling façade,

I caught a wishing star in my hand.

 

Oh, how I dream of pastures so grand,

With singing swallows and rolling glades,

Take me away to a distant land.

 

Please, take me before they touch me with the brand,

Or rip my hair by wringing my braid,

I caught a wishing star in my hand,

Take me away to a distant land.

Her Search

Sometimes I wonder which of those

Ideas I could put my faith in,

To appease the heart’s roaring din,

And unshackle the mind of woes.

In goodness of light I repose,

Even though shadow stalks within.

I gracefully turn away sin,

Yet its scent pricks me like a rose.

So I realize I must travel,

To see, hear, feel the world’s rancour,

With my hometown as my anchor,

Still, my inner peace unravels,

In travel, I look for my soul,

I cross great roads and frozen glades,

I rest under the world tree’s shade,

I see blackened stumps, burnt like coal,

I see fish swimming in great shoals,

I see lost art, starting to fade,

I seek fellow wanderers’ aid,

I venture forth with no known goal.

I walk this journey as if cursed,

Undying, hollow and empty,

Though I have water aplenty,

It does not nourish this cold thirst,

Emotion, thoughts swirl through my mind,

A maelstrom, most of it unkind,

It’s a breached dam of perturbed peace,

Only craving for sweet release,

I fear it may reach breaking point,

It reverberates through my joints,

Only one purpose remains for me,

To plunder the Dragon's treasury,

Then over life I ll gain mastery,

And conquer the hunger within me.  

The Chosen One's lament

How can there be no respite, no quarter,

For me, whom they chose for being able,

Why am I treated a pawn, fate’s martyr,

When they all beseech me remarkable.

Why, as if sailing through a ceaseless tide,

I am thrust, unwanting through storms of strife,

How can it be, although so much I ve tried,

My heart is still empty, devoid of life.

There’s no fighting the tangled web of fates,

My will was never mine to consider,

Like endless winter that never abates,

My heartfelt desires only hinder.

Since when did hewn heroes die from within,

My life is no different from a machine.

Reveries of the Gods

The skies above bleed drops of salvation,
A small, running trickle was all that turned,
The baked, withered earth, of healing it yearned,
Back to life, as if by its volition,
It could summon forth summer's carnations.
The blessings of paradise it had earned,
Yet, the earth, shifts, roils and turns, as if spurned,
For below lurks the lure of perdition.

For the heavens have promises unkept,
The earth below has love unrequited,
The nourishing rain scours the sodden land,
Such that good and bad alike will be swept,
By bursting streams to places benighted,
The subtle work of a fallen god's hand.