12 April 2018
So this morning I read Faizal Sayed's post about the piety brigade and I was left in stitches of laughter. I think I need to elaborate further. Last weekend I attended the saffron book launch and it was such an amazing afternoon in the company of like-minded intellectuals. Those of you who know me on a personal level will acknowledge that I am a person who loves singing. I grew up listening to Rafi Sahab, Kishore Kumar, Sonu Nigam and so many other world famous artists. A part of me has always wanted to learn about Indian classical singing and being able to sing difficult raags. It is a phenomenal talent that only a few have perfected. I am always in awe of these artists who place tremendous effort in being maestros in their field. At the book launch I was asked to sing a nasheed as a part of the program. Even though I am no meastro or diva,I enjoyed doing it thoroughly. The video that was uploaded on social media garnered almost 2000 views thus far and I have received so many kind and warm messages from so many new friends that I made at the function. However I have also received so many nasty inbox messages filled with criticism, hate and animosity from fake profiles. I’ve had messages stating why am I singing about the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and God Almighty with my shoes on. I should take it off. Another comment was related to the fact that I am a female and hence I should not have been invited to sing in the first place. A male person should have been asked to sing. What absolute rubbish. Why should a male be asked to sing at a function that was put together to celebrate the trials and tribulations of 56 inspirational women. There are people on social media who thrive on snooping at other peoples profiles and taking out fault in others. They forget their history and backgrounds. They more interested as to why a woman is not wearing a head scarf rather than airing out their own dirty laundry which is far worse than not wearing a piece of cloth.. Why is our community so ridiculous? If the neighbour’s daughter is getting married or divorced, it’s not your business. It doesn’t concern you. Worry about the happenings in your own home. I honestly don’t care about what anyone thinks about me. I live my life by my own rules. The people who are important to me are close to me and their opinion matters. My piety is nobody’s concern. The bond that I have with my Lord is between me and Him only. It involves no one else. Stop sending me messages from fake profiles. Only cowards behave in this manner. Why can’t we live and let live. Why can’t we be happy for someone else’s successes in life? By burning down someone else’s candle does not make your own candle burn any brighter. Learn to see the good in others. Juma Mubarak to all my friends and family across the globe. Kindly remember my family and I in your prayers.
Watch the video here:
