This is a story about a man called Allah.
It's interesting how the very idea of calling a man after the name of God makes me very uneasy. It's a thought that is taught, I am to submit to my religion, my beliefs. I am nothing but a slave to my God. I do things to gain favour in God's eyes, to be worthy of heaven. I am not sure if I'm doing it correctly anymore,
But this story is about a man who called himself Allah. How preposterous. A man could not call himself a god. I am struck by the definition of Allah - "I Self Lord Am Master". I like the idea of Islam being what it is to me regardless of what anyone else, what Imam, what old folks, what other judgemental pricks think of me. If I don't follow their rules, I can still be a Muslim. Regardless of what I do and how I look, I still believe in in Allah. I hope that's all that matters.
The second story is about the dark side of Dubai.
It's the story of how Dubai is like a mirage, it looks great on the outside but inside it's a dictatorship. It covers so many things - on maids, slaves, blatant ignorance of their ecological impact, mindsets, etc. Dubai has grown damn fast and to think that the people are immediately conditioned to accept Dubai in its new glory is amazing. Horrible things are happening under their very noses and yet the people can't do much about it. And it's becoming a story that is spreading from place to place. However, with the rest of us there is the hope that democracy could save the day - the average Joe would be able to help make decisions, and in the end we wouldn't take the path to destruction. But in a dictatorship, how is that possible without shedding blood? It seems wholly unnecessary. It seems like a regression towards barbarism.
The third story is about decolonial aesthesis - how decolonized societies feel about themselves.
It was interesting how the story highlights the neo-colonization - the colonization of the mind, the senses. The perception of how one side is better than the other. And I think I am one of those trapped within this tight frame of mind of Western is better. It is not. It's just different. Like how different genres are different and how art is different from food. They're unique in their own ways and yet none is lesser than the other. I have to avoid unconscious bias and evaluate things as they are. Along the lines of all men are equal, I think it's how it should be treated because everyone would like to be treated that way.
In the end, so we can believe that everyone can reach for the stars. And no matter where you start from, you can succeed.
Read Users' Comments (0)
I know I would never take drug if I ever were curious this is worth reading through...
And is I were curious of how Neil Gaiman views the world... this is worth reading through...
This is a subreddit worth looking through... as Edward Denham recommends. =P
This looks like a good Jane Austen resource.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
