"Wrong number" theologians - Time to root them out of society

                                                                             Picture taken from google images


I find it sad that despite our country having so many learned Islamic theologians, key pertinent issues within our societies are not addressed. The latest issue that has made its rounds on social media is the aalim who was found guilty of molesting his students. This is happening in our institutes but is a topic that is swept under the carpets. Then we have aalims who are associated with fraud acquiring millions of rand in a haraam manner. These same individuals are allegedly apart of the tabligh jamaat movement. How can you be calling your self a religious scholar on the one hand whilst you are a thief on the other hand. Why are our scholars covering up for each other? These wrong number aalims need to be exposed and brought to task. Lets talk about the blatant sexual harassment that women are enduring at Islams holiest site whilst making tawaaf. Women all over the world are starting to write about their experiences with many saying they don't ever wish to perform another pilgrimage due to the uncouth behaviour of Muslim men. Our scholars need to talk about these issues, not cover it up and act as though all of these issues only exist in other cultures and that we Muslims are perfect. .. the truth is we not... Let's talk about favouritism in our institutes. If your father is a big donor and contributor towards the institution then you are allowed to smoke in the institute and also carry a mobile phone no questions asked. This is why i am not a fan of islamic institutes that do not practice what they preach.Let us talk about nepotism within our institutes and organizations. We have Muslim organizations whereby the president down scales to a vice president after serving a term. Nepotism is not a part of Islam then why is it practiced in so many of our institutes.We are quick to bring down other religions and condemn people who are different to us yet we are morally and ethically imperfect ourselves. A friend of mine removed his kids from the local islamic school due to the blatant favouritism and bias afforded towards rich kids whose parents contributed significantly towards the running expenses of the school. He noticed that kids who came from middle income or poorer homes were ostracised and looked down upon by kids who hailed from affluent homes. You would expect kids going to an Islamic school to have qualities of simplicity and humility engrained within them as these are true Islamic values but in essence it's quite the contrary.The school is a symbol of class and prestige. I know I will be gunned down for generalising so please forgive me if this does not apply to you. Mom witnessed this kind of rotten behaviour first hand when she was asked to pick up kids from the local islamic school and drop them off home. The kids refused to sit in mom's car as she drove an old rickety Peugeot 504 at that time. It wasn't a fancy BMW or Mercedes Benz..I feel like puking when I think about how some parents bring up their kids to be so shallow. They brought up with this notion that wealth is their tool for power and success.Little do they know that wealth is a bounty from God Almighty. Today you can be high and mighty and tomorrow you can be penniless.

Padmavati - A cinematic masterpiece

Padmavati- a cinematic masterpiece beautifully put together by the magician Bhansali. The 3D experience made the movie more enthralling. The larger than life sets, regal costumes and powerful battle scenes took me back to a bygone era- an era where kings and Queens resided in beautiful fortresses, an era where slaves served their masters whilst beautiful fair skinned women were sought after by men in power. Ranveer Singh plays the role of the Khilji king Alauddin Khilji. He is undoubtedly the life of the movie and acted out each scene effortlessly. However Bhansalis portrayal of Alauddin Khilji is a bit flawed. The Khilji dynasty were devout Muslims who drew inspiration from Persia in terms of literature, music and poetry. Alauddin was a ruthless, treacherous king but he was definitely not a barbarian and neither did he reside in a dungeon like haunted palace. The Khilji dynasty resided in palaces that were ornately decorated with exquisite furniture surrounded by mesmerising gardens.Alauddin might have been a wicked man but he was definitely intelligent when it came to strategically winning wars. He had in his possession weapons that were totally unfamiliar to his enemies. Therefore, Bhansali could have portrayed Ranveers negative role in a more tactful manner. Reference is also made to the Khilji kings homosexual or bisexual tendencies through his most favoured ally Malik Gaffoor. I am pretty sure that conservative Muslims in India must have been up in arms about the fact that a Muslim warrior king was portrayed in this light. Well, hats off to Bhansali for having the guts and being bold enough to highlight a subject that is prevalent yet taboo in the Muslim world. Homosexuality exists in all Muslim societies yet it is a subject that is not discussed openly. In exists in our schools and in our Islamic institutions but never discussed. It is a subject matter that is swept under the carpet.In the middle east, prominent members of society are bisexual and homosexual too. If you under the impression that being a princess in a Muslim Kingdom is hunky dory, think again. I met many princesses in the Middle East who were suicidal and ill treated by their wealthy canniving husbands. They are basically trophy wives and as such treated as a commodity in the same way that the Khilji king treated his subdued wife.Deepika padukone played her role as the Rajput queen with absolute grace and finesse. Whilst many may argue that her decision to take her life by jumping into a fire is wrong I think it's debatable. Would you rather be taken captive and stripped off your dignity by the same coward who killed your husband or would you carry out this act of self immolation thereby taking your own life and maintaining your self respect and dignity. This act of jauhar was very much a part of Rajput tradition in ancient times and as such it should be respected rather than frowned upon. The soft natured demeanour of the Khilji queen depicts the kind nature of a Muslim towards a non Muslim Rajput king and queen. Her character is a total contrast to her tyrant partner but in essence reflects the true character of a muslim. She comes to the rescue of the Rajput king and queen by helping them escape and in the process she is banished to a dungeon and is then referred to as a traitor. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but if you are a closed minded Muslim person who believes that homosexuality does not exist in the Muslim world, if you believe that women are not used and abused in the Muslim world and that all Muslim leaders are perfect ( hell no..they not.... look at the ruthless, treacherous muslim leaders we have in current times murdering and killing innocent kids) then you are definitely residing in a fools paradise and this movie is not for you..