July 24, 2012

In condolence


My heart goes out in condolence to the victim of the latest killing perpetrated in the spirit of our present practice of democracy! I read that this is the 9th in a spate of killings that have happened in this small population of ours in just this year. Yesterday was the latest. The innocent life of Lance Corporal Adam Haleem, of the Maldives police force who was stabbed to death as he went about his daily duty in Kaashidhoo island is an act that we should condemn with the harshest of remonstration. Emotions fanned by the callings of the mob pushes its members even outside its physical premises to answer its call. This cult-like following of our so called democratic movement is ironically being played out as a movement of vested interests. I feel ashamed and pained to witness such heinous debauchery being committed on our beautiful shores.

Again the moral emptiness of our party system comes to my mind. Don't we see it is the lack of a true ideology that makes for such inflamed action? A moral or social ideology that frames party ideals cannot take us to such decadent depths. Moral ideals bind, not divide nations, because the combination of moral exhortations can only strengthen the moral fiber of society. Don't we see that it is another power that is dividing us? It is the ego. In place of moral edicts and ideologies, our parties are made up of egos. And when there is a confluence of egos, it’s the power of multiple egos that dominate our thinking. The power of even a single ego is to divide. But when thousands are rolled into one, this doesn't just divide, it devastates. And we are seeing the results of this moral devastation. And if that is not enough, we now begin to also witness party members that contradict even the edicts of our Religion in the case of how to deal with heinous criminals such as murderers. Delusion has indeed set in. In solidarity with the thousands who detest this act, I join in support.

When anyone dies, someone cries and whether rich or poor it doesn't matter, it is a soul’s agony that is touched. And it is not just one but many -- those related and even not so related in blood and genes. We all are a family in our nation - extendable to even the whole of mankind. When we kill one, we are killing a nation or even humanity. We are desecrating Allah's established creation. It is He who gives us life and it is He alone who can take it away. None of us has the right to, except as the Edict dictates. 

I pray and supplicate and implore to the Almighty to please end this madness in our nation -- for us to wake up from this dream of deception in which we are mired. My heat goes out to the grieving family of  Adam Haleem            who are left to bear the remorse from the act of a deranged individual. Perhaps we are all blameworthy as perpetrators because it comes from the hate we create in society even though we may not be aware of it. By our condoning and our silence we become part of this madness.

May Allah Bless Adam Haleem's soul and bestow on him the Joys of Jannah.
  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a very interesting article. I would love to know ur opinion on the penalties imposed for murder. Personally I feel that the media has failed to to address the issue in a philosopical manner.

Abdul Sattar Yoosuf said...

I'm not an authority in that department. But every nation has laws to deal with the issue. Islamic law and common law both provide for solutions. You might like to ask such authorities. But other reader comments also can get a dialogue going on this very important issue facing Maldives in our new democratic governance environment.