The month of July 2014 is colored with atrocities. The latest war in Gaza, the unremitting war in Syria, Iraq and Yemen not only added to the history of terror that already have in human annals. It is as well the manifestation that we human are not yet free from the dictates of the Beelzebub.
Last July 13, 2014, a group of armed men forayed into the Mabul Island despite the presence of Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) in the area. They killed a Malaysian Marine Police Corporal and abducted a private one. The Home Minister of Malaysia Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Malaysia Chronicle) revealed that the incident was a revenge of the Sultanate Royal Forces who invaded Tanduo, Lahad Datu last year.
The online Netizen observed that the situation in Sulu-Sabah border is getting worst. As the Kidnapping for Ransom (KFR) gang seized Malaysian nationals recently in off coast Semporna, Sabah. The KFR gang has a wider network. Even the Tausug cannot understand why the group still free to kidnap anyone they like. According to the Reuter report, last May 30, 2014 in The Malaysian Insider online portal that "The release of the two kidnapped women was only achieved after the payment of “large ransom”. After the release another two Malaysians were seized. Many Tausug suspecting that there is something going on behind all the incidents.
The creation of Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) is one of the vivid developments transpired in Sabah, after the stand-off in Tanduo. According to a Tausug thinker, Prof. Julkhan Kalim in a cam to cam interview, “Malaysia could not easily pour its military might and equipments to Sabah without any valid justification”. Sabah is a land not only claims by Kiram family as theirs, but the KDMR (Kadazan-Dusun-Murut-Rungus) also advocates separating it from the west Malaysia as an independent state.
The effect of many kidnapping incidents, supply of diesel and gasoline to Sulu archipelago was suddenly stopped. This made the price of oil increased to the peak. This is will add to the effect, if some commodities like rice, sugar, garlic and others will also be stopped. This is somehow affects the business people and the consumers in the archipelago. Before it becomes worst, the Philippine government should address this matter.
The month of Ramadhan is a holy month for Muslims, the 9th month in the Hijra Calendar, and the month of fasting, which the sole purpose is to purify the inner dirt from the dawn to dusk. This is to abstain from eating, smoking, and drinking, as well as sexual intercourse, useless talks, backbiting, and other activities that could void the fasting. In short, this is the month which Muslims surrender everything to Allah.
Killing is the most serious wrongdoing on the month of Ramadhan. The Ulama have made a consensus that “killing civilians, harming national interest, and violating the sanctity of human life is forbidden.” (al-shorfa.com).
Abstaining from eating, drinking and other activities during Ramadhan is letting our self to be empty. The moment that we feel the emptiness, the big chance we could think a lot of wholesome deeds.
It is common in some Sufis, when someone’s self is empty, the divine attributes would takes place until one's soul achieve peace and harmony. It is with this reason why most of the Tausug Sufi masters discourage their murid (students) to create enmity to their fellows. They are taught to love. The love is their very common goal to achieve before spreading it on earth.
Fasting is the struggle against own self, which is a greater form of jihad. Allah says, in the the Holy Qur'an, “for Satan is to man an avowed enemy.” Al-Isra 17:53, Yusuf Ali (1938)
The innocent lives in the world today became fragile. Anytime the people would just die and break into pieces when the superpower countries decided to invade the land, the land of people they considered enemies. Thousands of people died. Children, pregnant women, old folks were killed in the latest Gaza airstrikes. And the Israelis refuse to recognize international pressure to stop them.
As a Muslim, the message of fasting is enough to tell that Islam is and will never encourage terrorism and kidnapping the fellow humankind. I still do believe that the humanity cries that “peace is all we wanted”, that will teach us respect the human lives, the God's masterpiece.
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