Pregnant Teens

It is definitely alarming that such a high percentage of students are pregnant in this school, be it expecting or had a child already. The school also gives a certain lunch discount to students who are pregnant.

I could not give much of my opinion regarding my own school life and sex education here in the U.S. as I have no experience schooling in this country before going to college. Even so, I could relate this issue very much to the schools in my country; there is also an alarming increase in students who are involved in sexual activity and getting pregnant. What is worse regarding this issue is as the number increases, so does the number of abortions and newborn babies being thrown into the trash or toilet as they are the 'love child'.

I absolutely support sex education in our young generation today. However, I strongly believe that our system in educating our children about sex does not come with the consequences of sex, be it bad or good. Our children should not only know about safe sex, but they should also know the consequences of getting a girl pregnant, or being pregnant, and how these could affect their lives greatly. We should also emphasize much more on STDs, and the risk of death. How could we decrease the number of pregnancies and death of our young children due to STDs if we are ENCOURAGING our children to have safe sex? They should be taught of the consequences greatly and not emphasize only on how to have safe sex.

In the video, I could observe that the public school is like any other average public schools. I might be mistaken, but there is a possibilty that most of the students in this school are African American. Based on history, African American are usually (not all) more economically distressed. Then again, NOT all African Americans are committing crimes, but they are more inclined to do so due to their economic distress and available options around them that allows them to get quick money. There are African American students who are so much more successful and smart than other races or ethnicity, but I am sure that growing up in a community with a high crime rate and pregnancy rate is difficult as they are more 'inclined' to take the other road; hence the invisible strings are tightening on them.

The same thing goes about sex and pregnancy. Even though girls in this school are aware of how many of their friends are pregnant due to 'unsafe' sex, these girls are still more inclined to be pregnant themselves as well due to the invisible string 'tightening' on them, no matter how hard they try to not get involved in unsafe sex. Yes, there might be girls that will be able to not get themselves pregnant, but the inclination to do so will always be there as long as the invisible string is attached to them. These girls who succeed are those who are able to take control of those invisible strings attached to them.

Other than that, one of the commenters had also mentioned about the discounted lunch policy that will be given to pregnant students. Though this may sound silly, but poorer students might just get themselves pregnant just to get a cheaper lunch. Therefore, the school should not be taking steps that actually ENCOURAGE the students to get themselves pregnant. The school should be giving classes to those students who are pregnant or support group, and not a cheaper lunch. The cheaper lunch, is another invisible string, that are attached to other girls who are not pregnant. They might consider to get pregnant (this string is tightening on them) as they will think that "I will get a cheaper lunch and get to eat more for less if I am pregnant!" Once again, not all girls in the school will get themselves pregnant, but the inclination to do so is, and will always be there.

Therefore, the students are definitely not completely 'free' to choose whether to get pregnant or not, and how to deal with it as long as these invisible strings are affecting them greatly.

Us vs. Angels

Allah SWT selesai menciptakan Jibrail as dengan bentuk yang cantik, dan Allah menciptakan pula baginya 600 sayap yang panjang , sayap itu antara timur dan barat (ada pendapat lain menyatakan 124, 000 sayap). Setelah itu Jibrail as memandang dirinya sendiri dan berkata:

"Wahai Tuhanku, adakah engkau menciptakan makhluk yang lebih baik daripada aku?."

Lalu Allah SWT berfirman yang bermaksud.. "Tidak"

Kemudian Jibrail AS berdiri serta solat dua rakaat kerana syukur kepada Allah SWT dan tiap-tiap rakaat itu lamanya 20,000 tahun.

Setelah selesai Jibrail as solat, maka Allah SWT berfirman yang bermaksud:

"Wahai Jibrail, ka! mu telah menyembah aku dengan ibadah yang bersungguh-sungguh, dan tidak ada seorang pun yang menyembah kepadaku seperti ibadat kamu, akan tetapi di akhir zaman nanti akan datang seorang nabi yang mulia yang paling aku cintai, namanya Muhammad.' Dia mempunyai umat yang lemah dan sentiasa berdosa, sekiranya mereka itu mengerjakan solat dua rakaat yang hanya sebentar sahaja, dan mereka dalam keadaan lupa serta serba kurang, fikiran mereka melayang bermacam-macam dan dosa mereka pun besar juga. Maka demi kemuliaannKu dan ketinggianKu, sesungguhnya solat mereka itu aku lebih sukai dari solatmu itu. Kerana mereka mengerjakan solat atas
perintahKu, sedangkan kamu mengerjakan solat bukan atas perintahKu."

Kemudian Jibrail as berkata: "Ya Tuhanku, apakah yang Engkau hadiahkan kepada mereka sebagai imbalan ibadat mereka?"

Lalu Allah berfirman yang bermak! sud. "Ya Jibrail, akan Aku berikan syurga
Ma'waa sebagai tempat tinggal..."

Kemudian Jibrail as meminta izin kepada Allah untuk melihat syura Ma'waa.
Setelah Jibrail as mendapat izin dari Allah SWT maka pergilah Jibrail as dengan mengembangkan sayapnya dan terbang, setiap dia mengembangkan dua sayapnya dia boleh menempuh jarak perjalanan 3000 tahun, terbangla malaikat jibrail as selama 300 tahun sehingga ia merasa letih dan lemah dan
akhirnya dia turun singgah berteduh di bawah bayangan sebuah pohon dan dia sujud kepada Allah SWT lalu ia berkata dalam sujud:

"Ya Tuhanku apakah sudah aku menempuh jarak perjalanan setengahnya, atau sepertiganya, atau seperempatnya? "

Kemudian Allah SWT berfirman yang bermaksud. "Wahai Jibrail, kalau kamu dapat terbang selama 3000 tahun dan meskipun aku memberikan kekuatan kepadamu seperti kekuatan yang engkau miliki, lalu kamu terbang seperti yang telah kamu lakukan, nescaya kamu tidak akan sampai kepada sepersepuluh dari beberapa perpuluhan yang telah kuberikan kepada umat Muhammad terhadap imbalan solat dua rakaat yang mereka kerjakan.... ."

Marilah sama2 kita fikirkan dan berusaha lakukan... Sesungguhnya Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan enam perkara iaitu :

* Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan redha-Nya dalam taat.
* Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan murka-Nya di dalam maksiat.
* Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan nama-Nya yang Maha Agung di dalam Al-Quran.
* Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan Lailatul Qadar di dalam bulan Ramadhan.
* Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan solat yang paling utama di dalam solat (yang lima waktu).
* Allah S.W.T telah menyembunyikan (tarikh terjadinya) hari kiamat di dalam
semua hari.

Semoga kita mendapat berkat daripada ilmu ini. Wallahualam

*Ingatlah yg walaupun solat kita tidak begitu sempurna, tetapi jgnlah bersedih kerana solat kita sgtlah disukai dan dinilai oleh Allah :) Jom berusaha untuk meningkatkn quality solat kita! :D*

SOC 001

Assalamualaikum! :)

Just a quick heads up to any readers out there about future posts that I will be posting in this blog :)

I am currently taking an introductory class to sociology; SOC 001. Part of this class includes responding to blog posts posted in the World in Conversation website. I find the blog posts by my lecturer and the TAs on the blog is very2 interesting! I will try to save my comments on those blogs and reblog them here.

I really liked that these blogs are indeed sensitive issues that not everyone would know or talk about daily. And to some extent, I know that some of these issues might be important on how we view life, how we view others, and basically, on how we think.

Feel free to browse through those blogs, but what I will copy and paste in my blog here are entirely my own comments on those blogs. Hence you do not have to take in on everything that I have commented :) But please do feel free to have a look on those blogs, and tell me what you think; what is your own comment on the issue? :)

I think I already posted one regarding the soldiers suicide once they get back from wars.

Look out for further posts! :)

Aku, Lim dan Islam

Aku punya seorang rakan baik dari zaman kanak-kanak. Lim Wei Choon. Sama-sama bersekolah rendah hingga ke peringkat menengah. Selepas SPM. Aku masuk ke Tingkatan 6, manakala Lim dihantar keluarganya melanjutkan pelajaran ke Amerika Syarikat. Kenangan sewaktu kanak-kanak hingga ke zaman remaja terlalu banyak yang dikongsi bersama. Setiap kali Hari Raya menjelang, Lim pasti berkunjung ke rumah ku untuk menikmati dodol arwah ayahku yang amat digemarinya.

Kadangkala, jika ada kenduri kendara dirumahku, pasti Lim akan turut serta. Aku jarang ke rumahnya kecuali untuk beberapa sambutan seperti harijadi dan juga Tahun Baru Cina. Aku takut dengan anjing peliharaan keluarga Lim. Dengan Lim juga aku belajar matematik manakala subjek Bahasa Malaysia sering menjadi rujukannya padaku.

Kenangan-kenangan seperti memancing, mandi jeram, ponteng sekolah untuk melihat pertandingan 'breakdance', semuanya kami kongsi bersama-sama. Apa yang ingin kunyatakan ialah, warna kulit dan perbezaan ugama tidak pernah menjadi penghalang persahabatan kami.

20 tahun telah berlalu, Lim telah menetap di Amerika setelah berjaya mendapat Green Card, beliau bekerja di sana. Itu yang kuketahui dari kakaknya. Hubungan ku dengan Lim terputus setelah dia melanjutkan pelajaran. Maklumlah, dizaman kami dulu tiada internet, email atau telefon bimbit, yang ada cuma sesekali menghantar poskad bertanya khabar. Untuk menulis surat kepada lelaki amat malas kami rasakan.

Suatu pagi. Aku bertembung dengan kakak Lim di pasar , kakaknya memberitahu Lim akan pulang ke tanahair. Dan aku amat terkejut dengan berita yang kudengar dari kakaknya. " He's name is no more Lim Wei Choon. He's now Ahmad Zulfakar Lim since 5 years ago. ..Subhanallah! Syukur Alhamdulillah, rakan baikku telah menemui hidayah dari Allah S.W.T. Memang aku tak sabar untuk berjumpa dengannya lebih-lebih lagi setelah menjadi saudara seagama denganku.

Hari yang kutunggu-tunggu telah tiba, dan petang itu aku berkesempatan bertemu dengan Lim di rumahnya. Ada satu keraian istimewa sempena menyambut kepulangannya. Ketika aku tiba, tetamu sudah semakin berkurangan.

....Itulah kalimat pertama dari mulutnya, wajahnya sudah jauh berubah, air mukanya amat redup dan tenang. Aku menjawab salam dan berpelukan dengannya dan kami menangis umpama kekasih yang sudah terlalu lama terpisah.

'Ini dia olang memang sudah manyak lama kawan, dari kecik ini dua olang" Ibu Lim menjelaskan pada beberapa orang tetamu yang melihat peristiwa kami berpelukan dan menangis itu. Tetapi aku bukan menangis kerana apa, tetapi kerana amat sebak dan terharu dan sangat bersyukur melihat keislaman rakanku.

Lim mengajak aku duduk dibuaian dihalaman rumahnya untuk berbual-bual. beliau masih fasih berbahasa melayu walau sudah lama berada diperantauan. "Talha, kau kawan baik aku kan? betul tak?..." Lim memulakan bicara.

"Memanglah..Kenapa kau tanya macam tu?" aku kehairanan.

"kalau kau kawan baik aku, Kenapa kau biarkan aku diseksa?"

"Sorry Lim. Aku tak faham..diseksa? What do you mean?" aku bertanya.

"Cuba kau fikir, kita ni kawan dari kecil. Aku ingat lagi, rumah kau tu, is my second house. Tapi, mengapalah kau tak pernah ceritakan pada aku tentang Islam? Mengapa aku kena pergi ke US baru aku dapat belajar tentang Islam? Mengapa bukan di Malaysia, negara Islam ni? Dan mengapa aku di Islam kan oleh seorang bekas paderi kristian?"

Aku terdiam, kelu tak mampu menjawab. Dan Lim terus berkata-kata.

"Kalau betullah kau kawan baik aku, Kenapa kau cuma nak baik dengan aku di dunia saja? kau suka tengok kawan baik kau ni diseksa didalam api neraka?"

"Kau tahu, kalaulah aku ni tak sempat masuk islam hingga aku mati. Aku akan dakwa semua orang melayu Islam dalam kampung kita ni sebab tak sampaikan dakwah dan risalah Islam pada aku, keluarga aku dan non muslim yang lain."

"Kau sedar tak, kau dah diberikan nikmat besar oleh Allah denagn melahirkan kau didalam keluarga Islam. tapi, nikmat itu bukan untuk kau nikmati seorang diri, atau untuk keluarga kau sendiri, kau dilahirkan dalam Islam adalah kerana ditugaskan untuk sampaikan Islam pada orang-orang yang dilahirkan dalam keluarga bukan Islam macam aku."

Aku masih tunduk dan terkata apa-apa kerana sangat malu.

"Berdakwah adalah tugas muslim yang paling utama, sebagai pewaris Nabi, penyambung Risalah. Tetapi apa yang aku lihat, orang melayu ni tiadak ada roh jihad, tak ada keinginan untuk berdakwah, macamana Allah nak tolong bangsa melayu kalau bangsa tu sendiri tak tolong ugama Allah?"

"Aku bukan nak banggakan diri aku, cuma aku kesal..sepatutnya nikmat ini kau kena gunakan dengan betul dan tepat, kerana selagi kau belum pernah berdakwah, jangan kau fikir kau sudah bersyukur pada Allah. Dan satu lagi, jangan dengan mudah kau cop orang-orang bukan Islam itu sebagai kafir kerana kafir itu bererti ingkar. Kalau kau dah sampaikan seruan dengan betul, kemudian mereka ingkar dan berpaling, barulah kau boleh panggil kafir."

Aku menjadi amat malu, kerana segala apa yang dikatakan oleh Lim adalah benar! dan aku tak pernah pun terfikir selama ini. Aku hanya sibuk untuk memperbaiki amalan diri sehingga lupa pada tugasku yang sebenar. Baru aku faham, andainya tugas berdakwah ini telah dilaksanakan, Allah akan memberikan lagi pertolongan, bantuan dan kekuatan serta mempermudahkan segala urusan dunia dan akhirat sesorang itu.

Petang itu aku pulang dengan satu semangat baru. Aku ingin berdakwah! Lim yang baru memeluk Islam selama 5 tahun itu pun telah mengislamkan lebih 20 orang termasuk adiknya. Mengapa aku yang hampir 40 tahun Islam ini (benarkah aku islam tulen) tidak pernah hatta walau seorang pun orang bukan Islam yang pernah kusampaikan dengan serious tentang kebenaran Islam?

Semoga Allah mengampuni diriku yang tidak faham apa itu erti nikmat dilahirkan sebagai Islam.

Nukilan Abdullah dari Jeram Pasu
disampaikan oleh Roslan Abdul Hamid

Link: http://johor.ikram.org.my/Tazkirah%20Santai/Aku%20lim%20dan%20islam.html

*semoga kita semua akan cukup kuat dan berani pada suatu hari nnt untuk menyampaikan hakikat yang Benar, kepada rakan2 kita yang kita sayangi, rakan2 kita yang Belum Islam :) Amin!*

Soldiers Suicide

The suicide rate and death due to overdoes of drunk driving within the soldiers once they get back home is larger than the death toll of the soldiers within the battle field. This statistics did not really surprise me as well, along with a few commenter's of this post. Based on the video, it is good that the military is indeed making changes in making sure that the soldiers are getting more help such as providing more chaplains and such. Even so, it is quite disappointing to know that it took them more than a year to really start helping out these soldiers.

If we were to look from the soldier's point of view, they have indeed endured or will eventually endure the cruel environment of war. I am sure that this has already been included in the intense training that these soldier had even before being qualified to be able to go into the battlefield. I am also quite positive that they would take pride in being able to take down the enemy. Some horrors that they might not have been prepared for are losing their own teammates, or perhaps regarding to what extent killing really means.

To look from a completely different perspective, soldiers who are trained extremely well to handle war-extreme conditions might be completely caught off-guard when they have prisoners held; inhuman tortures and procedures executed on the prisoners or hostages are something that the soldiers are most probably not taught to handle before hand. THEY themselves might have been trained to ENDURE those tortures themselves if they were captured by the enemy, but it is a whole different experience when you are the one performing the torture.

Having these shocking and bad experiences either from the battle field, or simply from the prison or place where the enemy was held captive and tortured, returning home to his or her family would certainly not aid to simply wash those experiences away. With these bad images and experiences, the soldier would not want to burden his or her family by talking about it with them; hence they tend to keep it to themselves. When this happens, the soldiers will feel isolated and feel that no one could help them or understand their feelings (other family members are not soldiers like them). He or she might also be afraid to seek help with this problem as they might see it as a 'weakness' for a soldier. Hence the alcohol, drugs, drunk driving and suicide.

Even though the video mentioned that they are indeed doing something about this issue, but I am still doubtful about to what extent is help actually being provided to these soldiers. As a matter of fact, they should actually change their training pattern to better prepare the soldiers to endure bad experiences, and not to simply tell them to 'man-up' and forget about it. They should be more well informed of what they could ACTUALLY experience besides the basic 'bloody' warzone. In addition, they should also be told that it is okay to admit that they have nightmares or problems due to what has happened to them or what they have seen or experienced. By doing this, they do not have to feel ashamed to admit that they have nightmares; they are indeed human beings like us. Providing a support center for the soldiers to go to BEFORE they go home, right after a war should be executed as well to help decrease the suicide rate, drug and alcohol abuse within the soldiers.

As a side note, improving the military procedures will most likely be favorable to all parties. Torturing prisoners or hostages definitely has its limits, but crossing these limits has caused these soldiers to also commit suicide as they could not handle the inhumanity. Though this might seem to be favoring the enemy, (whoever the enemy may be), but it is more in favor of our own troops and soldiers. So which one would you choose?