I forgot to add this, eventhough I did mention it at yesterday's Study Circle. To fellow Muslims, never feel that we can't make a difference. Because we have the power of the doa, and this goes directly to the One who can make a difference. As strong as Bush wants himself to be, he too will bow down when it comes to confrontation with the Almighty.

We may not be registering our protest by taking it out onto the streets, but we can register our protests to the One who is All Powerful.

Aku dapat komen ni dalam guestbook, nak jawab dalam guestbook, tapi dah terover word limit. Jadi aku jawab kat sini.

Statement ni, dari saudara Anonymous Surfer.

"mmg kita rasa Saddam patut surrender, tapi kita ingat, kalau dia keluar, apa yg US nak ialah letakkan org2 yg sekepala dgn dia utk ganti Saddam. Utk jadi another pemerintahan boneka, yg mana, yg pasti akan menggadaikan jugak maruah org Islam. Mcm yg dah terjadi kat Afghanistan. Kita mmg personally tak sokong Saddam atas setiap kekejaman yg dia lakukan. Tapi org2 Iraq dan Saddam jugak wajib (bagi pendapat saya, well, kena lihat apa fatwa Sheikh Qardawi), utk mempertahankan tanahair mereka dr dicerobohi oleh org2 bukan Islam atau org2 yg akan mendatangkan lebih banyak keburukan pada umat Islam. Bagi saya, kita sendiri kena bersatu menentang kekejaman terhadap umat Islam, tak blh berpecah. Saddam mmg bukan lah org yg baik kalau tengok history, tapi kita tak blh nak judge dia sampai, kita sokong kalau dia diambil dan dibunuh cam tu saja. Sbb dimata kita dia masih lagi org Islam, ikatan aqidah kita terhadap dia sama. Tapi di mata Allah, biar Allah yg putuskan. Saya rasa kita kena sokong sikap utk tidak menyerah kalah pada org bukan Islam. Ini tanah org Islam. Dan kita doakan Allah tunjukkan yg terbaik utk kita umat Islam yg lain. Panjatkan doa setiap hari agar Allah selamatkan semua org2 Islam di Iraq, atau tidak pun selamatkan iman mereka, biar mereka mati sebagai syuhada', tanda kita mmg kasihkan mereka bagai anggota badan kita sendiri (hadith). Tak guna kita bertelagah sesama kita, bila kita apa yg Allah sarankan ialah utk kita bersatu padu. Dan jgn underestimate dgn doa, kita pun tahu Allah lebih berkuasa dr US dan UK. So, kita juga agar iman kita sejahtera, dan agar Allah guide kita utk lihat kebenaran, dan jadi insan yg beriman dan mati dlm kesudahan yg baik. "

Bagi aku, aku tak setuju Saddam surrender. Sebab kalau dia surrender, US akan masuk and take over. Silap-silap, dia bawak sama-sama sahabat-sahabat zionis dia and take over economy Iraq, yang begitu kaya dengan minyak.

Kalau Saddam nak mati dalam perang ni, biarlah dia mati mempertahankan kedaulatan negara dia sendiri. Aku tak setuju orang kata Iraq negara sekular - sebab kat flag diorang ada perkataan AllahuAkbar. Jadi kalaulah dia mati mempertahankan kedaulatan negara Islam, mulia la sikit aku boleh pandang dia. Kalau dia lari.. entahlah. Tak tahu aku nak cakap macam mana.

The government will send condolences and look typically sad; but for as long as there is nobody bearing the family names of Blair, Bush, Powell, Rumsfeld, Straw or Hoon fighting the war, they will never really feel the pain. By the way, did you know George W. Bush went AWOL during the Vietnam war?

I've also been getting SMSes asking me how we are doing here. The Malaysian High Commission has issued directives against travel to and from the UK and Eire. It's probably created a bit of a stir back home - but as far as Lancaster is concerned, so far, we're doing all right. It isn't as bad as London, which faces a more serious terrorist threat.. having said that we are not being complacent; aware, but not alarmed.

War has been declared, as of 0230 hours GMT. Saddam could be dead.

"If I oppose Bush and his war, does that mean I support Saddam?" I asked myself this question as I was walking out of my flat heading for the office this morning. The question was spurred by the appearance of a young lady - just 23 years of age - who happened to be an Iraqi in exile on gmTV. For once, here was a Muslim woman clad in proper, Muslim attire; almost Malaysian looking in terms of dress with a nice headscarf and all - on prime breakfast TV, talking about how hours after she was born, the Saddam regime marched her entire family to the Iranian border, in the height of the Iraq-Iran war. She nearly lost her mother in the journey; and to this day she has not yet heard from two of her uncles.

I guess in the heightened emotions of the US and its allies declaring war on Iraq, the fact that Saddam himself is a despot managed to slip to the back of our minds. Yes, Iraq is a Muslim country, and yes, it's people are predominantly Muslim. But don't forget that 12 years ago, it was Saddam himself who launched an attack on Kuwait - for no other reason than that of oil.

And some 23 years ago, it was Iraq who went to war with Iran; and it was Saddam's regime who received arms from the US and the UK to help Iraq fight the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Saddam made the choice to attack Iran because of his fear of the new revolutionist leadership of Muslim Iran. At that point, the US too were scared of the rise of an Islamic nation, and used Saddam to quell that fear of theirs. In the same way that they provided weapons to the Taliban of Afghanistan to fight the Russians - in the uprising against Communism.

Can you really support Saddam, knowing his track record with the Kurds? Knowing how he attacked Kuwait, and how he fought against Iran - also an Islamic state? This is a man who has no qualms about killing his own kin in the name of power. I don't think I can find it in me to do so.

It is evident that the US adminstration are power prostitutes, sleeping with the enemy when they see fit, and then stabbing them in the back when their needs change. And to me, they are the real enemy: with all their pretense, hyporcrisy and fakeness, lulling you into believing them, and if you don't, they ply you with money and 'aid' for your country.

So what is my stand in all this?

* I oppose the use of force against civilians in Iraq, whom I know are predominantly Muslims.
* I oppose the biased foreign policies of the United States of America and the Bush administration, who seem to declare they want to make the world a safer place, but at the same time, not ridding the world of weapons of mass destruction from similar rogue states such as Israel and North Korea.

What do I want?

*I want Saddam ousted, but at no cost to the civilians of Iraq. Come on, Allied Troops - you have the SAS, the SEALS, the Special Forces.. how hard is it to take one man out?
*I want the US to take no advantage of the oil that within Iraq.
*I want the Iraqi people to choose their own leaders, with no outside intervention except that of the United Nations, and even that just as observers to oversee the democratic process, because I fear the people of Iraq may have forgotten they have a voice.
*And I want Israel and North Korea disarmed too. I want UN Weapons Inspectors in there, and if they don't declare all their biological and chemical weapons, I want to wage war on their administration too.

After all the fuss, the politicians in the House of Commons voted to support the inclusion of British troops as part of the Allied forces in the war against Iraq. Should this come as a surprise, after all the talk about rebel MPs and resignations? Perhaps not. Because think of it this way - if you were a politician, or a person, even, and you had sentiments which were in direct opposition with what the general public, on aggregate, believed, how many of you would have the guts to come outright and say so?

It will be the ones who share the public sentiments that speak out; and after watching the media, you find yourself lulled into believing that in general, MPs don't support a war. Add to the equation, images of protests and average Joes and Janes on the streets decrying war - well, don't be too harsh on yourself if you believed there was a possibility something might happen.

The reality of it is: the MPs vote, not the protesters. And the silent majority chose war. Which, of course, brings me back to the whole issue of IQ levels and politicians.

It was the same during the elections in Malaysia just after Anwar Ibrahim was unceromoniously ousted. In general, people would say they supported the Keadilan cause, because it made intellectual sense, and it was the in thing to do. What actually happened when they got to the ballot boxes was a different thing altogether. I could easily name and shame those close to me who, in conversation, denounced Dr. M and then sheepishly admitted they chose to put the X next to the Barisan logo.

If war breaks out, would you blame Saddam for not going into exile?
I won't. Bush has made it clear that the Allied Army would march into Baghdad, whether Saddam goes or stays. If I were Saddam, and I knew that this was the score, I might as well hang on in there and fight till my last breath. Sovereignity is an invisible concept, but it is this that makes many international compromises impossible. Chances are if Saddam sticks around, he would sooner or later be assassinated by "top-notch" American operatives [who mistook a septuagenarian from Bristol for a man on their most wanted list]. But at least he would die defending his country; he would die a hero, and to those who support him, he would die a martyr.

One suspects once they enter Baghdad, the Allied Forces would not be greeted with the cheers and jubilation of the people of a country who have been liberated, and a dictator defeated.

10 Questions for George W. Bush

If I were lucky enough to be granted an audience with George W. Bush, here are 10 questions I would ask him:

1. Now that you have forged on ahead destroying Iraq's weapons of mass distruction, will you do the same to Israel's and North Korea's?
2. If Iraq was a barren desert with no oil, would you give Saddam the time of day?
3. Why do you have no respect for the sentiments and feelings of others?
4. Why do you feel that you rule the world?
5. Since you are so adamant that war must be fought to bring peace to the world, why aren't you on the front line?
6. How stupid do you think the people of the world are?
7. How stupid are you?
8. Why have you never launched an attack on Israel, despite their blatant defiance of over 60 UN resolutions?
9. What makes you think that you are above international law?
10. Can you sleep at night, knowing the innocent lives your bombs will take; the children, the women and the invalids that have to die needlessly; just to feed your ego?

Guilt Trip
On a more personal, micro level, I am feeling a lot of guilt as of late. Guilty because:

Woke up this morning to the BBC News doing a special on Iraq. Switched over to gm.tv; same old same old. I found myself depressed even before my day began. Got up for Subuh prayers; sparing a moment of thought and du'a to the people of Iraq who will have to live with yet another war. In times like these you do not think of the leaders or the politicians, but of someone just like yourself , but living a completely different life - one that is about to come to pieces because of a megalomaniac president who thinks he rules the world.

Fact is I am very much upset at the recent turn in events. I am feeling a lot of frustration and angst, and to a certain extent, my faith in humanity has diminished. We have a world order, but what is the use when three men (or one maniac and two idiots) ignore it all because their narrow minds think they know best? What hope is there for world peace when people like this take charge?

I've just gotten back from [losing in] the Inter-College Women's 5-a-side Football for the Carter Shield. We came in third in our group and didn't qualify for the semis - dammit; but Ana's team went through and lost in finals. It was a fine day, too, to be outside and doing a lot of sports - the sun was actually out for the whole time we were playing and there was the ever slightest of a breeze, just to remind me that I was still in Lancaster.

And even though I am thoroughly knackered, I always feel good after a day out doing sports. My muscles are aching a good ache, my body feels spent, but I usually feel more awake and alive than I usually am when I am not playing. It's probably the adrenalin - since I missed the queue for serotonin, maybe I got an extra dose of adrenalin instead.

So I'm all hyper actually - when I should be taking a nap and recover from all that energy spending. Anyway, here's the weekend in review, starting with Friday.

Zieha's Birthday

Zieha turned 22 on Friday - but major celebrations were put on hold until tomorrow because the 2nd years have an essay due on the Monday. But we did have low scale celebrations - dinner at the Spicy Hut followed by a major hang out session back at Zieha's place. We ended up playing Monopoly, and let me tell you, playing Monopoly with a group of Accounting and Finance majors is never simple.

For starters, I engineered a merger between myself, Rijal and Syed - and Zieha and Ana decided to merge as well. There was a lot of wheeling and dealing as well, what with Khalid and his 'discount' offers; and Iman with his strategic holdings. I let Syed manage our 'company' and took a nap instead. Things only finished at 2am; after which, of course, I spent the night where I usually spend the night when I don't spend the night in my own bed. Not good Idlan - second time this week waking up in a sleeping bag in another room - sleeping around.. heh heh heh.

Me (in yellow), Zieha (in blue, next to me) and Ana(in black, behind me) - among others, during Raya last year

Anyway, there was a little scheme going on in the background between me and Zul, because Zul wanted to surprise Zieha by coming to Lancaster. She'd probably talk all about it in her blog anyway, so I'll not bore you with the details, but my part of the deal was to make her come out to town with me on Saturday night. Not an easy task, since she was focused on her essay.

So I told her the most outrageous lie, which I will not repeat because I am so ashamed of it, and basically, in the end, it worked. I then spent the rest of the night half waiting for the wrath of a woman lied to; but thankfully, she saw the lighter side of it. Together with me acting really moody and depressed during netball training - sorry Ana; had to be really spaced out for the ruse to work - she bought it. Heheh.. I'm not proud of it, but it was for a good cause.

Other stuff

So yeah, all in all.. a good weekend. Knackered, but at least I didn't pick up any knocks today. Have to keep fit and free from injuries for the Warwick games, and I think the only thing I've injured is my ego - only managed ONE goal this year ; where as my record is 9 goals in 7 games! Perhaps it was the service, perhaps I was just not winning the ball enough.. I dunno. But I enjoyed it.

I did plan to get some work in this weekend; but no go. S'okay.. I've got to learn to live a little. Just hope I'm not living it up too much.

Oh, and in the spirit of Zieha's list, I thought I'd get my list out of the way straight up. At least I'm giving everyone a chance to save up. So here's my birthday wish list - I reckon 3 months and 6 days is good enough time for you all to dwell on this.

1. Sony Net MD Mini Disc Player (£169.99)