The winds of change are blowing in the kingdom and its a breath of fresh air.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been a second home to my family and I. Each time i visit, i reminisce on the years i resided in the kingdom and try catching up with those who are near and dear over a cup of Arabic coffee with a slice of kunafah or my favourite basboosah. During my recent visit, i had the opportunity of meeting up with two really good friends who have been my pillar of strength and support for a decade. They both hail from two unique different backgrounds and im extremely proud of their achievements. The first person i met when I landed in Riyadh in 2008 was Fasahat. We were both new to Riyadh. I had just landed and needed to make a call home notifying my family that i arrived safely. I was told by the security personnel at the hospital that i needed to obtain a Saudi sim card etc from a specific department inside the hospital. Whilst trying to make my way to the relevant department, i bumped into fasahat who could tell that i was new and visibly lost. He was full of smiles and directed me to the relevant personnel who eventually provided me with a Saudi sim card and a home internet solution. From that day onward we became best of friends. We use to enjoy dinners together, visiting the annual janadriyya festival and of course when mom visited for 2 to 3 months yearly, Fasahat was our driver taking us shopping and spoiling mom on her birthday. When i worked night shift, he would send doughnuts and food to the pharmacy. At 7am when i was half dead after working night shift, id find him enroute home with a big smile, saying..' we going for breakfast to pancake house".Fasahat was born in Saudi Arabia into an aristocratic nawaab family originally from Hyderabad. Both his parents were specialist physicians. Whilst his dad passed away a few years ago, his mom is now semi retired. He is an engineer and an MBA graduate. He is intellectually inclined, technologically savvy and just so smart coupled with a great sense of humour, naturally we became great friends. Together, we experienced and encountered many hilarious situations with the Saudi religious police. We were mistaken for being Saudi on a few occasions. I was asked to change my tarha or head scarf to plain black as opposed to black with a pink border. I kept on questioning on what religious grounds or rulings was i not allowed to wear a tarha that had a pink border. My questioning didn't sit well with the mutawwah who assumed i was Saudi and asked for me to summons dad to the police station. As soon as I showed them my access control card and department i worked at, at one of the best hospitals in the world, I was let off the hook. My Saudi manager was also asked to intervene as they were not convinced that i was not a saudi.. Of course, with the new Saudi vision 2030 implementation by the crown prince MBS, the religious police or the mutawwah as they were referred to, are now a thing of the past. Fasahat and i both left KSA a few years ago to spread our wings and pursuit our dreams. Whilst i have returned to SA permanently, he travels extensively within the middle east and is now resettled in KSA due to his demanding job. We both resided in ksa at a time where women were invisible and unable to drive. I must admit though, i enjoyed being chauffeur driven. It was a time when there were no big cinemas like imax or vox.Hospital staff however enjoyed movie nights at the central hospital auditorium, a night we all looked forward to. There were no major concerts, stage shows or theatre productions. Sometimes however, we would get invited to the indian or pakistani embassy to attend a live private mehfil gathering. There were some parts of Riyadh where i had to adorn full abaya with niqaab or complete face covering to avoid unnecessary issues with the religious police who always assumed i was saudi. I had hilarious encounters with men who sold make up and underwearat all major retail outlets. Women at that time were not allowed to work in many sectors of the retail industry. The winds of change are blowing in KSA and its a breath of fresh air. When i landed in the kingdom 2 weeks ago i was so surprised to see women immigration officers carrying out their duties as efficiently as their male counterparts. I noticed young women driving on the busy roads of Jeddah. I noticed women in beautiful coloured abayas with matching tarhas as opposed to the monotonous black. The jeddah of the past is being revived where Saudi women wore traditional jalabiyyas heavily embellished with embroidery and beads. The concept of the black abaya is in actual fact foreign to Saudi culture. Many Saudis believe it was a dress code adopted from Shia iran and was used as a form of control. Believe it or not,there was an era where moderate islam was practised in Saudi and that era is being revived once again where Saudis are now saying, we want to show the world our culture, traditions, customs and faith. We want to show the world what Islam is all about through our hospitality as opposed to what is shown on television. Young Saudi men and women have welcomed and embraced the changes with many saying, " Finally we are now residing like the rest of the world'. However, there are many staunch hardcore fanatics within the kingdom and abroad who are quite apprehensive of the changes. Whilst standing in the queue at the immigration counter upon arrival, i overheard the ultra conservative South african couple standing in front of me say, "la howla wa la kuwwata illabilla-now we must be served by women". I asked myself why the hypocrisy. In SA muslim women in niqaab drive and there is a constant interaction here between men and women in all spheres of daily living. It does not mean that because the most important religious sites in the Islamic world are located in Saudi, that all Saudis now are saints. No. They reside in cities just like ours. They have the same dreams, wants, aspirations etc like the rest of us.A few days ago i met up with another good friend of mine, Abdullah who now resides in Jeddah. Despite the waiter at the posh Brazilian restaurant billing his card for an amount that was 10 times more the actual bill in error, we had a blast catching up, chatting about our past interactions as friends. Watch the headlines coming out of Jeddah this week, ' SAUDI MAN SLAUGHTERS WAITER AT JEDDAH RESTAURANT' as he is yet to receive his refund lol.Abdullah is half Saudi, half Egyptian with stunning emerald green eyes. He has two adorable kids Basma and omar.He hails from a very broad minded educated family. His younger brother is highly educated employed at a world class university. He married an Indian woman and they now reside in America. Abdullah was over the moon at the fact that recently when he requested for an Uber, he was picked up by a woman in full niqaab. In his opinion, this is a great victory for women residing in the kingdom. Women are now empowered to work, earn a living and support their families. Not all Saudis hail from rich homes. There are many homes where women have now become breadwinners as their partners or parents have passed away and so they have no one to support them or take care of their needs. They can now support themselves. For me the best part of being in the kingdom is undoubtedly the safety factor. It was a breath of fresh air walking at the Jeddah Corniche at 2am. The city is buzzing 24/7. There isn't this constant fear of being robbed or hijacked. I noticed construction and development in almost all major cities. Roads were being repaired and the Saudi government has invested billions in education. Whilst i do not agree with many of the Kingdoms foreign policies, credit needs to be given where due. I noticed drastic improvements in all major cities since i last visited in December 2016. The government has launched a massive clean up campaign encouraging citizens to keep the country clean. Citizens are now fined for littering and due to extremely tough driving laws implemented with jail terms enforced for minor offences, the driving culture has improved tremendously. The hop on hop off red city bus in medina is a must do activity especially for all first time visitors. The private and public sectors are all working together to make vision 2030 a reality. The state of the art train service from Medina to Makkah is fully functional at a reasonable price. Whilst our country is riddled with stories of crime, corruption, failing government parastatels, a stagnant economy, a 20 percent pass rate at school (why the helI attend school in the first place), I found the opposite within the kingdom.Of course, every country has their own fair share of issues and problems but nothing compares to whats happening in SA currently. Trust me, the world has taken note. I was told that many Saudi businessmen would not in a hurry invest in SA due to high crime rates and corruption. Mr Ramaphosa wants businesses to invest here but he has failed to create an environment conducive for investment. As much as we want our country to be a champion country or a global player on the international stage, our country is in essence a banana republic. The mass looting is now done openly and there are no consequences for those in power who steal tax payers money. Steal, rape, murder, do as you please, you will be granted bail and life goes on. Mr Ramaphosa is just as useless as his predecessor's. Our government is not for the people. Its a government that satisfies the whims and fancies of the elite few at the top. With all systems go working towards making vision 2030 a reality,the winds of change are blowing in the kingdom and its a breath of fresh air.

Video links:

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/videos/vb.739292781/10159285957582782/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/videos/vb.739292781/10159282353707782/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/videos/vb.739292781/10159276030437782/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

INDIA'S FAVOURITE SINGING COUPLE - SAMIR AND DIPALEE LIVE IN CONCERT IN SOUTH AFRICA

With over 200 international concerts accredited to their name since 2012, they are back once again! For the very first time on South African soil, Ahmed Timol Secondary School proudly presents India`s favourite singing couple, Samir and Dipalee live in concert. This dynamic duo will be performing exclusively for one night only in Johannesburg on Saturday the 7th of December 2019 at the Lyric Theatre Gold Reef city to raise funds for a noble cause. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Ahmed Timol Secondary school. Let us keep the legacy of the late Ahmed Timol alive by supporting this worthy initiative in the interest of 1000 school kids.

Samir Date is the son of the legendary composer Ravi Date. As a singer, he has the flair for delivering soul-stirring performances. He alongside his wife, Dipalee Somaiya Date are multiple award-winning Bollywood playback singers who are constantly on tour & regularly stunning audiences around the world with their onstage chemistry and voice. Hailing from a long line of esteemed musical talent, Samir has added to the allure of his family! The singer has won a number of awards including the honourable "Pillar of Indian Society". He was also the host of the famous Balaji Telefilms production, "Dhun Dhamaka" and sang for super stars like Salman Khan and Amir Khan in hit movies like Maine pyar kiya, Jazbaat and Parampara to name a few.

Dipalee Somaiya Date is a well known playback singer & Saregama TV star since 1994. She has sung in over 200 Hindi/ Gujarati films. She has been awarded the "Best Playback Singer" award by Gujarat Govt. 4 times in a row and twice by the Prime Minister of India. She has also won the "YUVA PRATIBHA" & "KUTCH RATNA" award. Tickets are available from R200 and can be purchased from Computicket or any Shoprite Checkers money market counter.Buy your ticket today and stand a chance of winning a return flight to Mumbai plus 4 nights accommodation courtesy of Sure Mitha travels in association with Mantana tours and travels. The winner will be announced on the night of the event.For further information contact Mr Sagren Naidoo, the principal at Ahmed Timol Secondary School at (011) 413-1323 or SGB member Mr Don Patel at 0794274209

Kashmir -The ground reality- Part 3

I just got off the telephone after having a brief conversation with a very close family friend of ours residing in Kashmir.I could feel the sadness in his voice and pain in his heart. " We never had a normal childhood growing up in Kashmir. All we seen was hardship and suffering. But we became strong and we survived. What we facing now is the worst persecution ever. Why, just because we Kashmiri. They telling the world we are now Indian so why then are they oppressing their own. It is becoming unbearable living here, increasingly difficult. They want to kill us like a slow genocide maybe through starvation. None of us have earned a salary in 4 months. Many Kashmiris are poor, so they live hand to mouth. Now that there is no income, the little savings we had is getting used up to buy food. Neighbours and families are supporting each other with food. Someone may have some rice. Someone may have dhaal or oil. We are eating one meal a day and i must make shukr for that one plate of food. In other countries there is no food at all. In some homes, the kids are going to bed hungry. We need help. But who help us except Allah. I want to move elsewhere to get a job but then who will look after my elderly parents? Every democratic institute in Kashmir is closing in on us by the Modi government.They are ruling us like we are their colony. Make lots of dua for us that Allah's help comes to us soon because the world will not help us." I put the phone down crying inconsolably. How can any good hearted person oppress people to the point where kids are going to bed hungry. To those Indians who are laughing at the plight of the Kashmiris, i hope and pray that one day you too will endure the exact same fate. Mr Modi and his cronies love talking about surgical strikes, however when Gods surgical strike befalls them, they too will face the music one day. What really baffles me is this, how can you call yourself a devout Hindu when you are oppressing 8 million people, going against the very principles of Hinduism. Please say a little prayer for the people of Kashmir.

Kashmir - The ground reality part 2

5th September 2019

The media is undoubtedly the biggest weapon of mass destruction. Whilst Indian news channels continue to fool the public by spreading false propagandist information with regards to Kashmir, the ground reality is in actual fact catastrophic. Alhamdulilla with Gods grace, we managed to speak to a very close family friend this morning who is originally from Srinagar. Our relationship with this family goes back to the sixties when dads brother resided in India to complete his studies. Whilst at university he got very ill and was diagnosed with jaundice. Of course he wanted to return to South Africa but my dadaji instructed him to go to Kashmir to this family. He spent a few months in Kashmir and of course recovered from his illness there.This timid, middle aged gentleman and his family have managed to leave Srinagar for another city. They simply locked their home and left saying that Allah will protect their belongings.When i heard about the hardships and oppression meted out to the Kashmiri people i couldn't hold back my tears. There are army personnel every 100m. Many of these so called military personnel are in actual fact members of the RSS who were just given army uniforms. They have carte blanche to do as they please. Kashmiri people can not step out of their houses as a family. So if your family and friends are walking together, maybe 4 or 5 people you will be stopped and arrested. The army or should i rather say these goons are not there to protect civilians from so called terrorists attacks. They are there to harass and humiliate the locals. The locals are taunted by words like, " This is our land now. Your houses are ours." There has been protests down town Srinagar more towards the old city. Reports of the army raiding homes and kidnapping young boys during the night is all true. The exact same oppression carried out in Gaza by the Zionist jews is being carried out in Kashmir under a fascist barbaric inhumane regime. Perhaps the biggest violation of human rights in Kashmir is the fact that ordinary Kashmiris are unable to access life saving health care. Medical supplies are running critically low. The uncle told me that his sister is a diabetic and due to stress and anxiety she became very ill. She started developing blisters on her hands.There was no ambulance or transport available to take her to the hospital. The uncle risked his own life to get to another suburb where his sister resides. He then took her to the hospital himself after enduring much difficulty. He was repeatedly harassed at the checkpoints. He witnessed many other Kashmiris being harassed as well. Food supplies are running low too and most grocery stores are only open between 6pm and 9pm. This is when most people rush out of their homes scampering quickly down the road to see what they can buy. The economic situation is critical. The area relies on tourism and since all the tourists have left thousands of people are not earning any income. The "Gujurat butcher" is not interested in the people of Kashmir. He is only interested in their land. The atmosphere in Kashmir is dull and gloomy. The Kashmiris are happy at the fact that PM Imran Khan is highlighting the plight of the Kashmiri people to the international community. However the vast majority of Kashmiris do not wish to be a part of India or Pakistan. They want to be able to exercise their right of self determination as was promised decades ago. All they want is to be able to reside in peace on their land . All they want is freedom and independence. We are not living in the stone age. Its 2019, how can you keep millions of people under siege in an open jail cutting off all forms of commumication. Put yourself in these peoples shoes. These draconian laws undoubtedly highlights the pathetic mentality of those in power. They are oppressing Kashmiris simply because they are Muslim. They are oppressing Kashmiris to make true their dream of a full fledged purist Hindu India. They are oppressing Kashmiris because there is no place for minority groups in Modi's India. The ripple effect of the Kashmiri situation is spreading to other parts of India as well. My "brother" a devout Hindu who resides in Delhi has landed up in a deep financial crisis. He too works in the travel and tourism industry as a driver and tour guide. The mere fact that all the tourists left means that he is now left without a job temporarily as he has no one to drive to Kashmir or other parts of India. His boss can not afford to pay staff salaries as many tourists have cancelled their trips. No tourists means no revenue. Many poets and writers have described Kashmir as heaven on earth. In my eyes, it is such a magical place that words can not describe the beauty of the place. Kashmir is beautiful because of the warmth and hospitality of the Kashmiri people. I can not forget the tranquility and serenity i felt whilst walking through the valley of the shepherds. It is a place where strangers accept you as their own. Their culture and way of life is so simple yet so unique. And whilst you are greeted with big smiles and hugs, there is deep hurt and pain that dwells inside the hearts of all Kashmiris. Their heaven on earth, their paradise has always been a hell to reside in being the most militarized area in the entire world.To those Indians who worship Mr Modi as though he is a God, to those Indians who believe the propagandist crap they see on television day in and day out, wake up. Stop watching television and start reading books. Start educating yourself. Stop seeing the world through blinkers. Feel the plight and suffering of others. Today, they are suffering, tomorrow it could be you.

Kashmir - The ground reality part 1

30th August 2019

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Years of treachery will come over people in which liars are believed and the truthful are denied, the deceitful are trusted and the trustworthy are considered traitors, and the disgraceful will deliver speeches.” It was said, “Who are the disgraceful?” The Prophet (saw) said, “Petty men with authority over the common people.”  What we seeing now is exactly as the Prophet Muhammed (saw) prophesized. We have lunatic Trump in the USA, we have blood thirsty MBS in Saudi (killing Yemenis) , we have Sisi the dictator in Egypt, we have a loony Kim Jong-un North Korean leader, psychopath Netanyahu in Israel, tyrannical Assad in Syria and now we have the Hitler of our time, India’s Narendra Modi  who has annexed Kashmir making it his own whilst oppressing millions under his fascist Hindutva regime. Speaking  to a close Kashmiri friend of ours now in Delhi, I am extremely hurt and saddened of their plight. As a businessman involved in the travel and tourism industry, his company has experienced massive losses. Tour groups from Malaysia, South Africa and Europe that should have already arrived in India have all cancelled their travel arrangements. Many tourists have vowed to never visit India in the future unless and until the dignity of the Kashmiri people are restored. His company has a reasonable staff compliment of mainly Indian nationals and due to the excessive losses the company has incurred almost half the staff compliment will be retrenched by month end. This is an individual who has always given back to the community and now his own businesses are in jeopardy.  The gentleman left behind his wife and kids in Kashmir.  Their landline was only connected for 2 days. When he left home, his son had a bit of a cold and some of his close friends were on their way to their villages outside of Srinagar. Now he has absolutely no contact with anyone at his place of birth. He stated that over the years they have been through curfews and they have been oppressed but they managed. But what is unfolding now is the worst ever. In the past despite the curfews in place there were no communication barriers. People could still get their work done and online based businesses could still service the needs of their clientele. However, the situation now is catastrophic. There is no food in many homes and gas supplies used for cooking are running low as well. Kashmiri youth located in other parts of India are being taunted and harassed on a daily basis. These are the kind of remarks passed at them, “Kashmir is now ours. Go to Pakistan.” It’s been almost 3 weeks since I’ve heard from my other friends and family in Kashmir. These are people I was in contact with on a daily basis and so I really miss them immensely. Can you imagine the agony of living life through hundreds of check points being stopped by heavily armed military personnel  just to get your child to school  and having your entire suburb barricaded with barbed wire. Can you imagine how traumatized the kids must be seeing heavily armed military personnel day in and day out? It’s definitely not a normal way of life and upbringing.  These same security strategies have been put into place in Palestine and I’m one hundred percent sure that either an American or an Israeli company had a hand in implementing these methods of control in Kashmir. It breaks my heart knowing that people who are close to me are going through so much of hardship and difficulty. I wish there was more I could do to ease their pain and suffering.  Many Kashmiris who have bonds or taken loans are in great difficulty as they are unable to make payment to the banks. Many are unable to pay their rentals. Despite everything that is happening in that part of the world, the middle aged gentleman said, “This is a test from God Almighty. He is testing our faith and one day His help will come to alleviate our people’s hardship. God willing everything will be fine in the future. Allah tests us in many ways. He puts us through hardship to make us pray more and bring us closer to Him.” Whenever I’m having lunch or dinner with my family, I always think about my Kashmiri friends and family. Do they have food? Did they eat a decent meal? I can never ever forget the love, kindness and hospitality they showered on my family and I when we visited that part of the world a few years ago. They went out of their way to make us comfortable.  I find it appalling and disgusting that there are celebrities and people out there who support war and enjoy seeing the suffering of other people. In our quest for materialistic gain, our hearts have become so hard that we find joy and pleasure at seeing innocent kids being blinded, butchered and murdered. We have lost our moral conscience. I find it so strange and difficult to comprehend that people who love their own kids and want their own families to be protected are raving and happy at seeing families in Kashmir lose their loved ones . They are rejoicing at seeing the family unit disintegrating.  For many it’s a feeling of happiness out of revenge or a deeply ingrained hate for Muslims. But then I wonder, how can you take revenge on a people for atrocities committed decades ago? Why should an innocent two year old be blinded over a decade’s long conflict?
The revocation of article 370 & 35a has brought to the fore religious bigots, islamaphobes and racists both locally and abroad. Take away politics and religion, people are just people. In the same way that you want a secure, happy and bright future for your own kids and family, people in all other countries wish the same. The biggest issue with the kashmir situation i find is the deeply ingrained hate that is instilled even in young kids born today.Hindus hating Muslims, Muslims hating Hindus, indians hating pakistanis, pakistanis hating indians. This needs to end. Both sides should advocate for peace and peace must be brought about through love, dialogue and understanding. You can’t achieve peace by force. You can’t achieve peace by enforcing draconian rules and regulations on a nation. The majority of Kashmiris are timid, kind, and peace loving people. They are warm and hospitable ( Muslims, Jains, Pandits and Sikhs).For me, humanity is the mother of all religions. Love, live and let live. Always put yourself in the shoes of those who are oppressed and ask yourself, will i be happy being in this situation. Will i want my own kids and family to be barricaded and surrounded by armed troops and barbed wire.If your answer is no, then you cannot wish harm on others. You need to be sympathetic and empathetic to their plight.

Today, being a Juma, I ask from all of you to please make a special dua and prayer for the oppressed people of Kashmir and for all people residing in war torn countries. May Allah ease their pain and suffering and may He liberate them from tyrannical leadership. To those who oppress others, may God Almighty guide them on the straight path, the path of those whom God has favoured and not the path of those on whom God Almighty’s wrath will befall 

Let us Coexist

                                                               igurudwara.com                                                                        

South Africa is a melting pot of cultural diversity. There are people from all over the world residing here and despite our past, in general most South Africans do get along well with each other. Over the past few days though, I am quite disheartened to hear that there are Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi families residing in our suburb who have stopped talking to each other in light of the current happenings in the Asian subcontinent. These are people who have been friends with each other for years, their kids play with each other, they go to school together and now suddenly they have stopped talking to each other. Please do not let the issues in that part of the world spill over here. What example are you setting for your children? How can kids born here in South Africa hate their Pakistani or Indian neighbours due to the political situation in another part of the world? Teach your kids how to respect and be good to everyone around you irrespective of caste, creed or race group. Don’t make it a religious issue either. No religion in the world teaches hate and intolerance. This is all about a fascist government trying to indoctrinate a nation with a supremacist ideology. It is the same concept that was propagated in Nazi Germany in the past and it is the same concept propagated now in Zionist Israel. Judaism does not teach hate and supremacy and hence there are Orthodox Jewish communities globally that are totally against Zionism and Zionist Jews in particular. You cannot break ties with your neighbours and friends just because you are of a different faith. However, if you have friends and acquaintances that are in favour of war, in favour of killing and oppressing people, in favour of murdering and butchering innocent kids then yes by all means you have every right to stay away from such people and you should break off ties with them. We are not residing in the Stone Age where people should be colonized and annexed. We are living in a progressive world where people have every right to live happily with dignity wherever they wish to live without any fear of being oppressed due to their faith or belief systems.