To cane, or not to cane - that is the question.

(From henceforth, a few of my entries are backlogged ones. That is, I have written these some time ago, but have not found the time, or in some writings, the courage, to publish them. I normally mull over my entries, thinking about the impact they have on readers (if any do read them anyway!) and the implications or insinuations the writings might have.)

July 21st 2010 marks a momentous event in Irsyad. For the first time in my nine years here, the school conducted a public caning on three students – 2 are secondary three pupils, whereas one is a mere secondary two pupil. ‘Conducted’ seemed to imply that it was some sort of organized show. Indeed, it was. Every single detail was discussed, debated and agreed upon. It had to be done in an atmosphere of seriousness and respect – for Allah’s laws, for the teachers, for the students and above all, we do not want the offenders to be stripped of their dignity. In the end, the public nature of their crime warranted a public punishment, and thus, the public caning.
The decision to cane was not an easy one. The polemics gyrated among many issues – like the impact of the offenders’ actions on the school, in particular, and on the madrasah community in general. Many questions were asked – what went inside their heads when they did it? What made them do what they did? At one point of their misdeeds, the scene caught on camera was blasphemous and that shook all of us, with a few shedding tears. The utter lack of awareness of Allah’s omnipotent presence was just too unthinkable, too incomprehensible – yet the video caught them exactly in that state – utter disregard for a shared common courtesy, a shared common respect and a shared common tauhidic concept.
The three were caned in an atmosphere of tension and silence. Each received three lashes. Only the lashings were heard. The first and second offenders took their punishment quietly. I was not looking. I couldn't look. Wouldn't look...The third offender, perhaps due to his young age, was visibly disturbed, his face already red before he was caned and my fear, as well as some other teachers was that he would collapsed before the canings were completed. He was groaning by the first caning...I shed tears for him, that boy...for I remembered when he was in primary one and I sent him home about twice or thrice, for he would always be the last boy to still be in school and taking pity of his young age, I would send him home. He wasn't afraid to go home alone even at that young, tender age. He had been independent and street smart and his family puts their complete trust in Allah to protect him and help him as he goes to and from school and his home. He had a pretty serious accident with a lorry when he was in Primary six, if I was not mistaken, but he survived through that too, coming to school with a few scars on his face, still smiling, still unfazed. He was, in all respect, highly impressionable and prefers to mix with older students. In the end, this preference made him the youngest offender among the three caned that day.
May Allah grant these kids taufik and hidayah to understand the serious implications of their misdeeds and help them to turn over a new leaf. Amin.
On retrospect, were we right to take on the role of the family in caning these kids? Has the canings served the purpose of making right the wrongs they committed and making them see their wrongdoings? Did the pain and public shaming make them better Muslims? Did the canings make them see that the school cares for them; that the school still believes in them and has the hope of them changing for the better, which was why we chose caning to expulsion? Did the canings served to warn the others of the serious stance the school takes on such matters? Did the canings instill in others that wrongdoings will be served justice by Allah, if not here on earth, then later in the hereafter???
These are salient questions with no clear answers. However, I fear that to many of those questions, the answer is a dull, resounding 'No!'

Haflah 2010 - Defining moments

(From my perspective, and wholly from mine)

Lump in the throat:
Stand down from office of S5 2010 Student Leaders - so much promise, unspoken disappointments, personal regrets. Zul's speech. Despite that, truly, this batch has achieved much:
i. Setting up of an fb account as a communication channel between SLs and Irsyadians
ii. Completion of proposed official SL blog
iii. Official T-shirt for the SL Exco member

Swell in the heart:
SLs investiture, especially the pledge taking led by newly appointed Head SL Farid. May the unison and pride in the recitation signal a more vibrant SL unit in the future. Amin.

Memorable moments:
1. Performances by the juniors, especially the Sultan and his most beautifully-attired Princess. Precious!
2. The bantering of the two senior MCs - chemistry, surely, between Muhammad and Nuha. We will never forget Nuha's two line 'pantun's !
3. Khalifah fil Ard, Maryam Subaidi's speech at the part where she thanked her parents - truly in her own words and what comes from the heart will go touch the heart too...
4. Irsyadee's new members' performance: Taufik and Zaid: a little shaky, but showed much promise. They will certainly fill in the shoes of their seniors in no time, insyaAllah.
5. Amir Syafiq's vouchers, which, because he was tops in 8 subjects, resembled an almost perfect fan. English remains out of his reach however - Final Year Examinations, perhaps, Amir? :)
6. The staff black and white attire : hmmm.... :)
7. Syafiq, Maira, Luqman, Irshad and Ariff - not to mention Maryam - Marha! Marha!

Last but not least, three 'gatecrashers' who are most welcomed anytime in Irsyad! :))

p_p

Rasulullah bersabda: mata boleh berzina dgn melihat, lidah boleh berzina dengan bercakap, tangan boleh berzina dengan berpegangan. Kaki boleh berzina dengan berjalan ke arah tempat maksiat. Hati pula boleh berzina dgn merindui, mengingati dan membayangi si dia

(HR Bukhari dan Muslim,rujuk Riyadusolihin bab larangan melihat wanita)

"Mak! hidung haziq berdarah!"

After preparing breakfast ( fish nuggets, chicken nuggets and french toast - :) was relaxing with Nina, watching tv when Halim rushed out from the kids' bedroom, shouting those words. A bit worried, for on Saturday, we went through the ordeal of nearly two hours jam at Gelang Patah, WITH NO AIR-CON - so the bleeding nose could be from heatiness. Grabbing a box of tissue, I went into the bedroom, saw Haziq lying on the bed, took out handfuls of tissue and was about to wipe his nose, turning him over when,

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAK!!!"

Awww! I GOT BUSTED - AGAIN! :)

Apparently, these kids managed to smuggle the present - a beautiful clock with carvings, into the house, managed to wrap it up and kept it somewhere - right under my very nose! Even Nina was in the secret, for she pointed to the wrapped present and exclaimed, "Clock, mak! clock!"

It's cliche - but words cannot describe my gratefulness to them...they accepted their mother in all her weaknesses - laughed at my lame jokes, speak praises of my 'cooking', endured my naggings, were understanding of my mood swings (Halim said i am 'pms-ing'; as if he knows... :)) and endured the long, tiring journey in and out of JB so that all of us can be a whole family everyday when they could have chosen to play football, or be at the beach cycling with friends...-
i have made many mistakes in my life, regrets i have plentiful, but they - my children - was never part of any regret nor mistakes.

They are the best thing that has happened to me.
A character in a film once looked at a baby and marvelled: 'How could anything so perfect comes out from two imperfect people?'

Ya Allah! May you bless my children dunia and akhirat. Amin, Ya Rabb...Amin...

...and he forgot to say InsyaAllah!

In a motivating moment, he said this country has the best soccer coach-manager in the world.
Na'am
He said this coach would always take full responsibility if his team lost because he believed he has the best players in the world. Anything that goes wrong, is his own fault and weaknesses for not bringing out the best potential in his best players.
Na'am
He said because of this, he believed they will be the World Cup champion this year.
Murmurs in the audience. Disagreement.
He reiterated his stand, convinced and unflinching in his belief.
Tsk. Tsk.
He forgot to say 'InsyaAllah!'
Lost 4-0 to Germany. Argentina is out of the World Cup finals.

...he will always be 'Fahri' to me...

This guy to me is the epitome of good-naturedness - his polite ways and winning smiles, his slightly hesitant speech all adds up to his easily likeable personality. I remember his initiative in the class where he would promptly surfed the Internet for answers to queries I had, or issues the class discussed regarding Islam.

But of late, he has gotten out of favour with several key teachers, being seen as the 'inciter' of a movement which goes against the core of our belief. His fall from grace is also partly due to his own insistence to follow his heart rather than fulfill his duties and obligations, as expected of him.

Where I do try so hard to understand the teachers' anger and stance, I still see him as the gentle leader, sensitive to other's needs. He is still 'Fahri' to me...

and she is the Khalifah fil Ard...

I think this year had the most number of pupils nominated for this most prestigious award - the pinnacle of honour for every Irsyadian. It wouldn't hurt to list the nominees, for I think they are all so special in their own way :

1. Harith - ex-Head Student Leader. The leader who prefers his hands to do the helping and his smiles to do the talking. Personally, I remember the mischievous light in his eyes when there is something 'amiss' he is planning....An experienced young Imam and on the way to be a Hafiz, insyaAllah.
2. Hafidz - ex-Asst Head Student Leader. The brother in arms to Harith; his 'darker' twin. :)Hafidz's wisecracking always get the better of him. But once in the silat circle, this guy's gut and determination becomes his trademark.
3. Ariff The Thinker - accomplished in so many ways - nasyidian, grammarian, debater, writer, athlete and footballer. His self confidence is sometimes mistaken for arrogance. Or maybe it is that... :)) Good with little kids. Or maybe he is still one... :))Always pushing himself over the limits - testing the boundaries and breaking them at the same time. I remember the look on his face, cocking his head slightly, thinking, digesting, then slam - out comes the verbal tirade!
4. Irshad - quiet goal-getter with a penchance to help others, this guy's maturity is his ornament. A dark horse who dares to persevere in order to achieve.
5.Maryam - fiercely independent with a mind of her own, this lady is highly principled and stayed focused where others have stumbled in the sea of youthful pursuits. Yet, she remained true to herself and her blog is an expression of that mind and passion. Respectful of elders and always mindful of her duty towards her family and faith.

...and thus, in the end, it is SHE who became Khalifah fil Ard!
...to the other nominees and the rest of the S509 cohort - stay true to this purpose that everyone of you IS a Khalifah fil Ard.
...and girl, you ARE now the Khalifah and may you be better than you were yesterday and the best you can ever be tomorrow! :)