Bismillah Irrahman Irraheem
It's been a long time since I last wrote a post like this. I wonder if I still know how..
When I first started blogging, when I was about 15, I remember feeling part of the bigger world - especially because I read some political blogs about the Middle East.. It felt good.
I was different then.. I wanted to "save the world".. and then came the years of rancid, selfish apathy.. Then, almost two years ago came my own religious revolution. That did not however revive my feelings of sympathy. Something wasn't right - it was like that girl that wanted to save the world had just died, both because of years of neglect and also because of an inability to meld sympathy with my understanding of Qada' and Qadar (my fault alone)..
And then came Egypt. I was with her from the very beginning - I couldn't believe she was revolting. I couldn't believe the Arab world was shaking the stagnant waters it had been in for decades. Of course there was Tunisia before her, but Egypt was different because I was more intimate with her situation.. The abject poverty, the corruption, people living on the streets and Mubarak living in palaces.. I never imagined - no one did - that Egypt or anywhere in the arab world would revolt. You see, Arab children grow up with the constant complaints of the older generation about the situation of the Arab and Muslim world - the corruption of our leadership, the apathy of our peoples, the large-scale oppression and injustice. This was our wildest dreams coming true - the Arab and Muslim world was coming alive again - ripping off it's cloak of fear and humiliation. "We've killed the fear", the Egyptians said. And with Egypt, I came alive too. It felt so good to laugh and cry with my brothers and sisters in Egypt - constantly checking the news, whether on TV or the internet. It's amazing how modern-day technology is able to really connect you with the world.. And then finally when Hosni Mubarak "fell" - I felt it. It wasn't just a news headline like news usually is for (the old?) me.. It felt personal - It mattered to me. I actually cared. Alhamdulillah...
How good it feels to finally cry for Gaza, after all these years.. How good it feels to be depressed by the news.. Glory be to He Who gives life to the dead
To myself and other I say:
Don't live for yourself, in your small bubble.. Don't let your biggest problems be your problems.
Let's save the world?
