S.O.S.

Ya Allah Ya Allah Ya Allah...

I cannot wrap my head around what is happening in Syria.
It's too terrible, Masya-Allah.

Meruntun hati. Menyayat hati.
Tapi memang kita ini jauh, jauh dari memahami.
Saya tak suka sebenarnya melihat gambar-gambar ngeri yang disebarkan melalui FB.
Tapi saya tak nafikan gambaar-gambar itu memang membawa kesan emosi yang besar.

Ya Allah, bantulah saudara-saudaraku yang sedang ditindas dan dizalimi di sana.

My thought: Isn't it high time for a power (one with good intention and no hidden agenda) to intervene? Come on, do something!

Ya Allah, siapa tahu apa rencana-Mu?
Ampunkanlah hamba-Mu yang kerdil dan tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa ini T_T

Ibadah qurban di Somalia

Jika anda bercadang hendak melakukan ibadah qurban tahun ini, timbangkanlah untuk melaksanakannya di Somalia (menerusi perantara).

Antaranya:
Qurban For Life dengan Muslim Aid Malaysia
Program Ibadah Korban denganHaluan

Buat di Malaysia pun elok juga, tapi sudilah juga bersedekah untuk saudara-saudara kita yang betul-betul kelaparan di Somalia.

Baru-baru ini, sewaktu mencari resepi sejenis lauk berasaskan daging lembu, saya terjumpa beberapa komen dalam post sebuah blog resipi, yang saya kira kurang enak dibaca, lebih kurangnya: "Raya haji mesti dapat banyak daging sampai muak makan."

Food for hope

Sharing an FB note by my friend Sakina. Please contribute if you can, every ringgit helps.

Izam is 10 years old. A few months ago, he was caught along with his 12-year-old brother and a friend, selling a table they stole. The table edges are reinforced with metal. They sold the metal part to a scrap metal dealer for a measly RM3.

Why? To buy a small bag of rice.

“We were really hungry,” they said.

“I did not have the heart to punish them when I found out,” said Ustazah Norazainah. She has been teaching at KAFA Integrasi Al-Insaniah since 2004. In fact, she is one of the key people involved in the setting up of the school.

“We’ve had a lot of break-ins, vandalism and theft at the school. It’s really frustrating because we have to raise the funds for the school ourselves. It saddens me to find my own students stealing from the school, but when I found out why, it’s even worse.”

She ended up giving them aid and asking Izam and his brother to show her where they lived.

What she saw broke her heart. Izam has five siblings. They live in a dank flat unit with their father, who wasn’t home at the time. He was out by the roadside along Jalan Masjid India, selling toys.

Their mother left them some time ago. Ustazah Zainah was told it was because she couldn’t put up with the dire conditions.

The siblings were sitting on the floor, eating plain rice off a tray. The youngest was a four-year-old boy. Ustazah Zainah said he looked weak and was passive. Perhaps out of hunger and malnutrition, or an illness we know not of.

The school principal, Ustazah Hawa, told me that they had asked for the father’s permission to care for the four-year-old and the older sister, but he refused. The teachers didn’t know what else to do.

Izam and an older sibling do not have birth certificates. So, they couldn’t go to primary school. His 13-year-old sister was able to go to secondary school, but she also had to care for the youngest sibling when her father wasn’t home. Most of the days, Izam had to take care of his younger siblings while his father goes to work and the older siblings goes to school.

When I first met Izam, he looked quiet and withdrawn. The uniform he was wearing was stained in many places. He told me he wore the same uniform every day, washing it on the weekends.

We chatted about random things. He told me his favourite subject was Jawi. I then asked him to write his name on a piece of paper. He could write (in Roman letters), which was actually an achievement, considering he never went to school.

I asked him what he had for breakfast.

Nothing, he said.

What did he eat before coming to KAFA?

Nothing.

I looked at the plate of goreng pisang in front of us.

“Is this your first meal today?”

He nodded.

Izam told me he sometimes didn’t feel hungry, because he was used to it.

Ya Allah. I cannot imagine what this child endured everyday.

I asked him if he’d like to go to school. He instantly brightened up. He flashed a quick, hopeful smile.

Ustazah Zainah asked if I would like to visit Izam’s home, and I agreed. When we arrived, we found that the father wasn’t home but at the surau performing his Asar prayers. He had instructed his daughter not to let anyone else but family in. Not that it would be much of a problem for unwanted guests, as the doorknob was missing. In its place was piece of rag that was also used to bolt the door. At night, they would hang a curtain across the tell-tale doorknob for security.

We waited for his father outside. When he arrived, he quickly apologised for not being able to allow us to enter.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but it is too shabby inside, I am too embarrassed to let you in,” he said.

He was apprehensive of my presence. He told me that although they were living in extreme poverty, he was not a beggar. He did not want the media to come in with their cameras, highlighting the sorry condition he and his children were living in. He found it abhorrent that people would showcase their poverty with tears streaming down their faces.

I gave him my word that I would not take any photos of him or his home. I will highlight their plight though, but not in the manner he didn’t want me to. I was there in my capacity as a mother, not as a journalist.

Ustazah Zainah and I tried to convince him to allow the school to care for his youngest child and elder daughter during the day, so that he could concentrate on his job or finding one that paid better wages. He was reluctant. His excuse was that if he went to work, who would cook and prepare his children for school in the morning? The teachers had actually come up with a feasible schedule that allowed his youngest to be taken care of by the school and Ustazah Zainah presented it to him, but he still seemed unsure.

He seemed resigned to his fate, saying things like this poverty will make him closer to the Prophet s.a.w. I told him that many of the Sahabah alaihis salam were rich, but they were also very much close to the Prophet. Before any of us judge him for hiding behind the religion, let us remind ourselves that he is also a man. It is very much the male ego that is saying “everything is fine the way it is, I meant for things to be this way.”

I applaud him for trying his best to manage the children with the little they had to go on, but let’s face it, the children are still very hungry and stealing for food. They need education to break out of the cycle of poverty. He told me that Izam often begged him to go to school, saying that he felt left out and had low self-esteem because his peers went to school and he didn’t.

When we told him it was possible to work on getting birth certs for his children, he said,"But what good would it do? He's already in Standard 3..isn't he alreadyleft behind?"

Both Ustazah Zainah and I negated him. I told him his son was motivated to study, and he was a bright student. In fact, many of the poor and hungry children at the school are bright students, said the ustazah. They just did not have the opportunity for a better life.

I snuck a quick peek at Izam, who listened to our conversation with hopeful eyes.

Izam’s father told us he was embarrassed that his children were going to the KAFA school without paying the school fees, as he couldn’t afford it. But Ustazah Zainah said that it was okay, just as long as they came.

“How can I charge these kids for ilmu akhirat? This is my responsibility, to educate them,” she said.

May I state up front here that the children’s mother is a Malaysian, but their father is perhaps, Indonesian. His accent gave him away. Earlier, when disbursing aid, someone told me they did not feel happy helping out because he wasn’t Malaysian. I believe this kind of remark is uncalled for. He is still a human being and the children still children. They are entitled to basic rights like food, shelter and education. And, we are all Muslims. That is the only thing we need to remember.

As our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w said in his last sermon: “O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust.”

The teachers at KAFA Al-Insaniah have gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping the children. JAIS can only afford to pay for one teaching session, but some teachers, like Ustazah Zainah, teaches two sessions, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Some teachers are not even getting paid.

JAIS expects the rest of the money to manage the school to be raised through the school fees. In theory, this would work as many of the KAFA schools in the Klang Valley are located in the medium to upscale neighbourhoods. Many parents can afford the fees of RM20 a month.

However, KAFA Al-Insaniah was built in the middle of a PPRT (Housing Project for the Hardcore Poor). Many of the families there are on the zakat list. Half of the children go to the school are also recipients of the zakat fund, indicating the kind of extreme poverty they are in.

“How can we have the heart to ask these kids for school fees?” asked Ustazah Hawa. “In the first few months when we did, many dropped out. We thought it would be better for these children not to pay rather than miss out on their education.”

The teachers have already taken a pay cut to keep the school running. They make about RM1,200 a month.To make matters worse, thieves have broken in, stolen the school fees, computers with student data inside and the money they raised from various charity sales for the school's upkeep. Thieves have also broken in the school canteen pantry to steal the food. Manhole covers, drain covers and other metal items from the school have also been stolen, causing hazard to the school children. The wire fence have been cut and slashed by vandals and thieves for easy access to the school. The teachers are at their wits’ end on how to keep the school running against these odds.

Every ringgit you donate to the school feeds a child, encourages them to go to school, and helps them change their lives. Every ringgit spells hope, ends hunger and motivates someone else to do good in this world.

Please visit the page Help KAFA Integrasi Al-Insaniah often to see how you can help. No donation is too small. Every donation is a gift to someone else, and is a gift that keeps on giving.

Aisha r.a said that Rasulullah saw said: "The deeds most loved by Allah (are those) done regularly, even if they are small." (Bukhari, Muslim)

Donations can be channeled through the following bank accounts:

Maybank

MBB account - 164388710655 (SAKINA BINTI HAJI MOHAMED).
Please write 'For KAFA' in the comment box and email sakina_amx@yahoo.com.

RHB
Account number 1-12479-00092090 (TENGKU ELISA BUSTAMAN BT TENGKU MOHD ALI)
Please write 'For KAFA' in the comment box and email elisa_taufik@yahoo.com.

To donate directly to the school, bank in to:

Bank Islam SAR AL-INSANIAH
Acc no: 12047010031372

or contact
Guru Besar Ustazah Siti Hawa 0139180191
Ustazah Norazainah 0173217971

Ejen cari dana untuk rumah anak yatim

Rabu baru-baru ini, kami (AJK surau di bangunan saya bekerja) meraikan anak-anak yatim dari Teratak Nur Barakah dan Pusat Kebajikan Al-Nasuha di majlis berbuka puasa dan menyampaikan sumbangan.

Semalam salah seorang sahabat saya menceritakan satu peristiwa yang berlaku sewaktu acara solat tarawih, di mana sebahagian daripada kaum hawa yang uzur duduk-duduk di luar dewan. Kak R melihat wajah Puan F, pengerusi salah satu rumah kebajikan yang kami jemput, muram sahaja. Dia pun bertanya mengapa. Puan F menjawab jujur, "Separuh sumbangan yang kami dapat, kami harus beri pada Puan X." Terkejut Kak R mendengar. "Kenapa pula?" Puan F menerangkan, Puan X (yang juga ada turut serta dalam majlis itu) merupakan ejen mencari dana untuk beberapa buah rumah kebajikan. Dia khusus bekerja pada bulan Ramadan sahaja dan akan menulis kepada atau menelefon badan-badan korporat untuk meminta sumbangan. Dan kemudian, dia akan mengambil bahagiannya separuh daripada sumbangan itu!

Tercengang saya mendengar. Biasanya pihak sukarelawan membantu mencari sumbangan secara ikhlas, dan kalau meminta sedikit saguhati sebagai imbalan masa dan tenaga yang digunakan pun, tidaklah banyak mana. Tetapi ini ... memang satu penyelewengan! Dia seperti mempergunakan nama rumah-rumah kebajikan ini untuk mencari pendapatan untuk dirinya sendiri. Melampau!

Merah padam muka Kak R mendengar penjelasan Puan F. Katanya, "Biar saya sendiri jumpa Puan X untuk ingatkan dia supaya jangan ambil duit hak anak yatim." Puan F menegah, "Jangan. Nanti dia tahu saya yang beritahu." Kak R meyakinkan Puan F bahawa dia akan cuba beri peringatan tanpa terlalu berterus-terang.

Kak R pun pergi berjumpa Puan X dan berkata, "Duit sumbangan yang kami kutip ini semuanya hak untuk anak yatim. Kami hanya memegang amanah penyumbang-penyumbang lain. Puan jangan ambil walau satu sen pun, ya? Puan tahu kan, betapa besarnya dosa memakan harta anak yatim. Astaghfirullahal'azim." Puan X terpinga-pinga apabila 'diserang' begitu. Kak R menambah, "Saya bukan ingatkan puan saja, rumah lagi satu pun saya cakap juga." Harap-harap Puan X ini sedar.

Saya pun diperingatkan juga. Rupa-rupanya kita perlu berhati-hati juga dengan individu-individu yang membantu mencari dana (fund-raising) untuk rumah-rumah kebajikan ini. Rupa-rupanya ada yang tidak ikhlas dan mengambil kesempatan. Naudzubillah. Semoga Allah campakkan juga keikhlasan dalam hati-hati kita semua.

Dan kerana ini mungkin post terakhir saya sebelum bercuti panjang minggu depan, saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan selamat menyambut hari raya dan maaf zahir batin kepada semua rakan-rakan dan pembaca yang singgah di sini. Terima kasih juga kerana sudi membaca dan berbual dengan saya di sini. Tidak dilupakan juga selamat menyambut hari kemerdekaan negara. Dengan patriotiknya, saya mengibarkan Jalur Gemilang di rumah maya saya ini. Madrasah Ramadan tahun demi tahun kita lalui, moga Allah kurniakan ketakwaan kepada ini dan kemerdekaan daripada belenggu hawa nafsu.

Fund-raising iftar

Ramadhan Mubarak! Selamat menyambut bulan Ramadhan :)

If you're still free next weekend, do consider joining this event. Pusat Jagaan Siti Noraini is trying to raise RM33k as the 10% deposit to buy the premise they are currently renting. Even if you can't join the event, sudi-sudikanlah bersedekah by transferring your donation to their account number given below. Full info of the program below:

FUND RAISING IFTAR: SITI NORAINI NURSING HOME

Assalamualaikum warah matullaahi wabarakaatuh

Come and support the founders of this home who are NEW MUSLIM REVERTS.

The occupants of this home are old folks with chronic illnesses, paralyzed, have seizures, and abandoned by their own children. They desperately need the money to buy the house they're living in. The target for the outcome of this dinner is RM 33,000 (only 10% of the house cost).

If you can't attend, you can pay the ticket for someone else to attend.
If you can't pay for the whole ticket, you can still donate an amount.
If you can't donate an amount, you can still spread the message.
And if you do any of the above, may Allah be pleased with you!

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WHEN: Saturday, 6th August 2011
[NOTE: LECTURE BY SHAYKH WALEED ABDUL HAKEEM – ALMAGHRIB INSTITUTE - STARTS AT 6PM]

VENUE: Dewan Masjid UNITEN

Tickets are priced at RM60 and RM100.

RESERVATIONS

For reservations and more information, please contact any of the following:

- Ahmad Fakhri Hamzah (012 281 6364)
- Jamilah Samian (012 201 5352)
- Zuhri Yuhyi (012 289 5653)
- Amar Razali (013 399 8837)
- PM Dr Hanim Salleh (019 238 8032)
- PM Dr Norita Mohd Norwawi (019 575 7727)
- Alia Nadhirah (019 369 5265)
- Mohd Azim (012 641 9466)


IF YOU WISH TO BUY THE TICKET(S) BUT CAN’T COLLECT IT BEFORE THE DAY OF THE PROGRAM :

1. Contact Jamilah Samian (012 201 5352) to reserve your ticket(s).
2. Let her know if you are coming OR if someone else is replacing you OR if you would like her to find someone to replace you (we don’t want the food to go to waste).
3. Please bank in the amount into the following account and your ticket(s) will be waiting for you on the day of the program:

MAYBANK
AHMAD FAKHRI HAMZAH & JAMILAH SAMIAN
ACCOUNT NUMBER 562 1060 50175

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If you wish to donate directly to the centre:

PUSAT JAGAAN SITI NOR AINI
CIMB ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD
ACCOUNT NUMBER : 1267-0000233-10-1

Founder : Abdullah Noel / Siti Nor Aini: 010 253 6750

=============================================================

SUPPORTED BY:

- AlMaghrib Institute
- ILuvIslam.com
- Mercy Mission
- UNITEN
- Young Muslims Project (YMP)
- PPIM (Muslim Medical Association Malaysia) CUCMS Chapter
- IKRAM Kajang


Featuring: Shaykh Waleed Abdul Hakeem


=============================================================

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Sheikh Waleed Abdulhakeem is the founder and director of Islamic Studies at Ilm Path Academy Online (www.ilmpath.com) and an instructor at Almaghrib institute. He was the Imam and director of religious affairs at the first Islamic centre in Toronto, known as Jami Mosque. In addition, he was an instructor at Alkauthar Institute, a member of the Canadian Council of Imams, was previously an Imam in several Masjids in the USA, and was the President of MSA for three years. Sheikh Waleed has been invited to speak and teach in several cities across all five continents of the world, including the Peace TV Conference and Journey of Faith conference. His message focuses on spreading authentic Islamic education combined with practical life skills and personal development training in order to excel in both worlds.

The Family

Sheikh Waleed has lived and studied in Muslim countries overseas for over 20 years. His father is a Hafidh and was an Imam and Khateeb in several countries, and his mother has taught Islamic studies to high school students for over 30 years. His grandfather was a Qari with Ijaza in the ten modes of recitation of the Quran and has given Ijaza to hundreds of students. His wife has a B.A in Islamic Studies and an Ijaza in Quran Recitation.

Islamic Education

Sheikh Waleed is currently studying a Masters & PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Madinah International University, with specialization in the Fiqh of Hadeeth. In the past, he has covered a breadth of Islamic studies in various institutes, including King Saud University, Al-Forqaan academy, and Almajd Islamic Academy. He has also studied most branches of Islamic Sciences in-depth with a wealth of well-known scholars (listed at the bottom).

Other Education

In addition, Sheikh Waleed has a Masters degree in Life Skills Training, and has trained several companies in North America in computer applications and life skills. He also earned two BA's in Applied Mathematics, Applied Statistical Research, with a minor in Architectural Sciences, and is a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He is a member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), and the American Statistical Association (AMSTAT). He is a Certified Life Coach, an NLP Master Practicioner, and a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach.

Work History

In addition to working as an Imam, Sheikh Waleed has worked as a national training designer and facilitator at Home Depot Headquarters, as well as a technical trainer at Babcock and Wilcox, a company that produces energy supplies in more than 90 countries. He has also taught at the University of Akron applied statistical research, communication methods, and lifeskills training courses. He also worked as a research specialist at the Greater Akron Chamber, and has designed Architectural models for homes and office complexes.

Special Interests

In his spare time Sheikh Waleed loves to play sports. He has represented his University basketball team, his school Soccer team, and he also enjoys bowling and golf. He keeps himself sharp by practicing on his calculator and can swiftly perform large calculations from his head. However, his biggest hobby by far is reading at least one book in every field of science, life skills and most importantly Islam.

===========================================

Thank you and wassalaam

Join us in Akal Budi

It began in late 2009, when I wrote the post Free e-book – What Matters Now. As a response to an anonymous critic that ‘accused me of looking up to non-Malay thoughts’, I said I’d love to have a similar compilation by Malay minds - but who’s taking the initiative?

From then on, the seed of the idea grew because in my mind I see it as a fun and beneficial (to society) project. In this digital and internet age, contents are cheap (virtually free) to reproduce and distribute. And what better use of these tools other than to educate? I personally found initiatives such as Starfall Education, Khan Academy and MIT Open Courseware inspiring. One of my favourite daydream (angan-angan, daydream is not the exact translation) is to be able to convince/initiate KPM to do a tutorial portal containing the national (KBSR/KBSM) syllabus accessible online for free to all. Yes, yang macam Score-A tu. More recently, I was also influenced by a book I read, Wikinomics – How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, the principles of wikinomics being openness, peering, sharing, and acting global.

But I digress.

In early 2010, I got a few friends to share the excitement with and they’ve had some great ideas to build up on this. Asma & Lina suggested that, rather than distribute the content(s) gratis, let’s give people the option to donate. A (small?) part of the donation may be used to fund the next project and to maintain website, but the bulk of it will go to chosen charity bodies.

To solicit donation, it’s more transparent to use a group/society account, so we plan to register ourselves as a group under ROS (Registrar of Societies). It’s not very straightforward because minutes of meetings, committee list, logo etc need to be submitted together with the application. Also, we had started discussing about building our website. We’ve agreed on the group name (Persatuan) Akal Budi, the separate words respectively symbolizes the first (education) and second (charity) objectives, while the coined term ‘akal budi’ together meant ‘budaya - fikiran dan kelakuan yang baik’.

However, after my mother passed away in June 2010, I somehow lacked the will and energy to continue, and 2010 flew past without any further development (sorry, dears!). I’ve always known that I wanted to do this, but I just procrastinated. But now, energized by my 3-month maternity leave, I rekindled my desire to see this happen.

What a long story.

What I actually want to say is: if you are interested to join us in Akal Budi, please leave your email in the comment section, or email me directly at mynie.mat@ gmail.com. We really hope we can add more members to our team (there’s currently about 5-6 of us).

After taking care of the logistics side (as mentioned above) such as registering the group, opening a group bank account, and setting up the group website, the first project would be to compile and distribute a collection of pearls of wisdom from respected people in our communities, which would involve tasks such as: identifying and contacting them to seek their contributions/participation, following up, producing a compiled copy, and distributing. If all goes well insya-Allah, we’d like to put forth proposals to interested publishers for the compilation to be published as hardcopies.

Team members should feel free to pursue any projects of their own (for example, some of us are quite keen on early learning contents as parents’ teaching materials) that fits the group common objectives. Akal Budi would just be a platform – as an umbrella organisation, to bounce ideas, to seek support and participation from other members. As a virtual team, we’d discuss things mostly via emails or chat tools or FB or phone. Of course, I hope that we’ll meet face to face at some point in the future. Since we are juggling this besides other commitments and priorities, we don’t expect things to move quickly. But hopefully, we’ll be able to create values for our communities and have some fun along the way, insya-Allah.

So, join us?

Nur Syaheera dan Nur El Amin

Dua minggu lepas, persatuan pekerja Islam di tempat saya bekerja, dengan kerjasama jabatan Hal Ehwal Korporat (Corporate Affairs), telah menganjurkan sebuah majlis berbuka puasa dengan anak yatim. Tetamu-tetamu kami tahun ini datangnya dari rumah-rumah kebajikan di bawah:

Rumah Bakti Nur Syaheera (Cheras)
www.nursyaheera.com
Maybank 564856111166 (Pertubuhan Kebajikan Nur Syaheera Kuala Lumpur)

Rumah Amal Nur El Amin (Rawang)
www.nurelamin.com
http://nurelamin.blogspot.com
Maybank 562012005075 (Pusat Jagaan Nur El Amin)

Ustaz Johari, pengetua dan pengasas Rumah Amal Nur El Amin sempat mewar-warkan sebuah pusat latihan yang akan mula beroperasi selepas raya ini. Pusat Latihan Kemahiran Kreatif Nurelamin bertempat di Bandar Baru Nilai (tapak/bangunan ihsan daripada MAS, ujar beliau). Pusat ini akan melatih anak-anak di bawah jagaan mereka antaranya pengajian teras, bahasa, akademik, kreatif, kemahiran komputer, grafik, multimedia dan sebagainya. Ustaz Johari berkata beliau mahu anak-anak jagaan mereka terbuka untuk menceburkan diri dalam bidang keusahawanan berbanding hanya bergantung kepada mencari pekerjaan kelak. Mereka sedang mencari jika ada dermawan yang sudi menyumbangkan kelengkapan-kelengkapan seperti komputer (baru/terpakai), meja, kerusi, kipas, dan sebagainya, dan juga jika ada tenaga pengajar sukarelawan yang sudi menyumbangkan masa untuk mengajar/melatih anak-anak ini. Ustaz Johari boleh dihubungi di nombor 019-6226313.

Sekiranya berminat untuk menderma dan bersedekah di sehari dua terakhir Ramadan ini, jemputlah transfer ke akaun-akaun mereka seperti yang disebutkan di atas. InsyaAllah segala kebaikan yang kita buat di bulan yang penuh berkat ini akan Allah beri ganjaran yang berlipat kali ganda.


Selingan: Kami berbuka dengan kuih, kurma dan air kotak dahulu di dewan besar (yang telah dihampar tikar menjadi dewan solat), kemudian bersolat Maghrib, barulah makan malam. Sewaktu makan malam Munief bertanya, "Lepas ini kita buat apa, Ummi?" "Lepas ni kita solat (Isyak)." "Lepas tu?" "Solat lagi (tarawih)." "Lepas tu?" "Solat lagi (witir)." "Lepas tu?" "Lepas tu makan (moreh)." Munief bertanya, "Kenapa kita makan, solat, makan, solat, lepas tu makan?" "Err...." Dalam hati, betul jugak ye. Hehe...


P/S
Di kesempatan ini, saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Raya Hari Aidilfitri kepada semua. Maaf zahir dan batin. Taqobbalallahu minna wa minkum, kullu antum bikhair. Antara amalan sunat hari raya 1)Membanyakkan takbir dan tahmid 2)Mandi sunat di pagi raya 3)Pakai pakaian yang indah dan bersih 4)Menjamah sedikit makan sebelum solat sunat raya 5)Solat sunat raya 6)Saling berziarah dan merapatkan silaturrahim

Random thoughts on raising funds (for charitable causes)

I like this idea - a website (and system) to encourage people to consider against buying things they might not need, and donate the equivalent value to a worthy cause.
http://whatididnotbuy.org/

And here’s a project that aims to return the children in Pakistan from the labour market back to school through self-sustaining monetary incentives and vocational skills.
http://www.bagsforbliss.org

I like the idea of Mohamad Yunus’s Grameen Bank, and it has inspired similar initiatives for example www.kiva.org which has grown really big.

In Kiva, the minimum loan you can give is 25 dollars. And the reason why the amount is so low because most of the loans go to people in poorer countries, where a dollar can buy a lot of local currency or a lot of things. For a case given as example, a lady in Tanzania borrowed 175 dollars to open a café! Of course there were other example with higher amount, 1k or 2k. But even so, 2000 dollars is 80 people lending 25 dollars each, still manageable I’d say. What I’m getting at is, is it possible to form a similar organization in Malaysia to fund local entrepreneurs (targeted for hardcore poors)? To get mass collaboration, for many people to be able to contribute, the loan amount has be low and affordable. Say RM50. Many people wouldn’t mind not getting this amount of money back (in worst case scenario) I suppose. 100 people make up RM5000. I suppose this amount is more than sufficient to start a small business. 100 person helping 1 person is less than ideal, I suppose. But then again, these RM5000 can be ‘recycled’ once the loan is paid back. So, it’s ok to start ‘small’. Still, I imagine it's difficult (for an individual or organisation) having to sell the idea to 100 people and at the end helping only 1 person.

In Richard Branson’s book that I just read The Adventures of A Global Entrepreneur, I learnt that a good way to do fundraising is to leverage on ‘perceived value’. The example given by him is a fundraising event which he organized, where he let people bid for 1) a week vacation at his private island and 2) opportunity to name a new plane. In the case of the latter, the ‘real’ cost involved is a matter of painting the name. Another example is one that I saw during one of Oprah’s Big Give episode, where the contestant got Andre Agassi’s help to raise funds. He agreed to ‘donate’ his time (and skills), and people bid to get one week tennis training with him. This made me think also of the car plat number by JPJ. People bid to get the numbers they want because of the perceived value. It doesn’t cost JPJ anything to get this additional revenue. If celebrities want to take part in charity auction, they can auction, say a lunch or dinner with them, and people would actually pay far more than the ‘real’ value of the meals itself.

Mohon derma untuk bina surau sekolah

Dengan rendah hati, saya ingin memohon derma bagi pihak PIBG Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Kapar Indah di Kapar, Selangor iaitu tempat ibu mertua saya berkhidmat bagi membina surau sekolah. Kos pembinaan dianggarkan berjumlah RM300,000 dan pembinaan diharapkan dapat dimulakan pada bulan Julai tahun ini.

Klik imej di bawah untuk melihat surat rasmi.


Sesiapa yang berminat untuk menyumbang (sebarang amaun dialu-alukan) boleh dimasukkan ke akaun saya seperti di bawah:

Maybank 162834003676 Siti Malini binti Mat, atau
CIMB 12470003499523 Siti Malini binti Mat

Kemudian harap dapat maklumkan kepada saya di emel mynie.mat@ gmail.com atau sms O12-3O39470 supaya saya dapat keep track. Resit (contoh seperti di bawah) boleh diposkan. Tarikh akhir: 30 April 2010. 1 Mei saya akan keluarkan untuk beri pada ibu mertua saya.

Sumbangan anda amat kami hargai. Semoga Allah membalas budi baik anda.

P/s: Macam surat rasmi.

Pp/s: I’ m not going to elaborate (read: rant) about how strongly I feel that a surau should have been budgeted and built together with the school buildings in the first place (this school is new, about 2-3 years old) since this is not the right forum nor is it likely to have the right audience, but I thought I’ll just mention it. There.

Vote in World Challenge

Now in its fifth year, World Challenge 09 is a global competition run by BBC World News and Newsweek and supported by Shell, seeking to reward projects and businesses which bring economic, social and environmental benefits to local communities through grassroots solutions. The winner will receive a US$ 20,000 grant from Shell to invest in their project, and the two runners-up will each receive US$ 10,000.

Voting ends 13 November, so do go and vote. I have! I copied a brief description for each of the 12 finalists here below, but the videos and photos are even more interesting – check them out at the official website.

If I were to nominate a project from Malaysia (and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t), I’d nominate Yayasan Pembangunan Nur Hikmah. They use creative entrepreneurship ideas like Mangkuk Tingkat (they now have menu for ibu berpantang) and Tudung Myza (a collaboration with Myza Worldwide) and act as the link between the group in need of income (single mothers etc) and consumers to create win-win situations.

SOLAR SISTERS - INDIA
Barefoot Women Solar Engineers of Africa
These Barefoot Solar Engineers are bringing solar power to Africa’s countryside, lighting up the bush.
“They come as women, and they go back as tigers – they are so confident – oozing with confidence” Bunker Roy, Barefoot College

It’s hard to imagine that in parts of Africa south of the Sahara as little as 2% of the villages have access to electricity – that means no TVs, no microwaves, no fridges, and no electric light at night. Now the Barefoot College in India is training a small cadre of women to install solar panels in areas far away from any electricity grid. And Bunker Roy, the man behind the project, sees the engineers he has trained spreading the know-how across the continent. Roy is not satisfied with just brining light to Africa - he now wants to bring women from Latin America to his college for training.

EMISSION CONTROL - UNITED KINGDOM
Mootral
Our global addiction to meat is now influencing the climate, yet in Wales a new feed technology could help lead to a more sustainable meat industry.
“It’s simple, it’s scalable, it’s sustainable – so that’s why we believe Mootral is is a winner.” Michael Mathres, Mootral

The escalating world demand for meat and livestock products is contributing to potentially catastrophic climate change, especially in the fast-growing beef industry. The figures are not exact, depending on car usage, but it seems that a cow produces roughly the same amount of harmful greenhouse gases as an average car user – surprising when one considers there are twice as many cows in the world as cars. Now researchers in Cardiff have turned to nature, and the magical health properties of the humble garlic bulb, to develop a new feed additive that cuts the methane gas produced by the animals in half.

FUEL CELL - KENYA
Biogas as an alternative source of energy
A prison in Kenya is using inmate’s waste to power the kitchens and heating, reducing energy costs and improving the health of the prisoners.
“Since we got Biogasthere’s been a difference – there’s plenty of heat, but there’s no the smoke that there was before” Prisoner, Meru Prison

Meru prison in Kenya holds 9 times more prisoners than it was designed for. It is cramped, dirty and full of smoke from cooking fires. According to The World Health Organisation smoke from stoves and fires in homes causes around 1.6 million deaths per year worldwide. But a new biogas project, which uses the prisoners waste to power cooking and heating, has helped fix this problem – and it’s not just the prison inmates who are benefitting from this technology. Wherever there is a dense population of humans such as in, say a school or a hospital, biogas becomes economic. Skylink Innovators is a Kenyan company with big ambitions to stop the resource going to waste and saving, in the bargain, Kenya’s remaining woodland.

JIKO RESCUE - the Democratic Republic of Congo
Stoves for Survival
The endangered Mountain Gorilla population is getting a helping hand from a fuel-efficient ‘Jiko’ stove.
“Charcoal is a commodity that everybody needs, especially poor households, because there’s nothing else, and unfortunately 90% of Charcoal being used in Goma and Rwanda comes from Virunga National Park” Emmanuel de Merode, Virunga National Park

There are only 380 the Mountain Gorillas left in Central Africa, and their habitat is shrinking fast: one of their last refuges is Virunga National Park, but the Park and surrounding areas are rapidly losing their forest cover. The wood is used to supply towns like Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- swelled by a refugee population -- with charcoal for cooking. To lessen the demand for charcoal, fuel efficient stoves are being manufactured locally and given to the people. It’s all part of a new approach to conservation which aims to show that conservation can benefit the poor as much as wildlife.

NO BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH - NAMIBIA
Cheetah Conservation Fund Bush Project
Namibian farmers, once the main threat to the Cheetah population, are now becoming their main protectors
“We’ve taken a problem and turned it around into a multitude of solutions” Laurie Marker, Cheetah Conservation Fund

Namibia is one of the last refuges of the remaining world Cheetah population. A quarter of all the remaining cats are found in Nambia. It is estimated their numbers globally have declined by over 90% in the last 100 years. A local thorn bush species is invading the savannah in the country, causing over US$90 million each year in lost revenue to Namibian farmers, whilst also destroying the native habitat of the fastest of the cats. Now the Cheetah Conservation Fund has pioneered a scheme to clear the thorn bush and turn it into cheap fuel briquettes. The project is creating jobs at the same time as helping to restore the hunting ground of the endangered cheetah.

FUNGI TOWN - UNITED STATES
BTTR Ventures
This innovative business turns the waste from coffee grounds into the ideal medium for growing gourmet mushrooms
“All the hard work starts paying off – you can see the mushrooms literally popping out of the substrate of the coffee” Nikhil Arora, BTTR Ventures

Did you know that less than 1% of all the coffee harvested each year ends up in your cup? Most of the coffee grounds finish as landfill. Two business school graduates in California, Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez, have spotted a money-making opportunity: instead of the grounds going direct to the tip, they collect the ‘waste’ and grow gourmet oyster mushrooms on pods in a humid warehouse. As Nikhil notes, “America is addicted to coffee” and around the world over seven million tonnes are produced every year – that’s a lot of waste. After the grounds are used up, they become compost for organic urban farms in the San Francisco area. Now the business looks set to expand as the health food superstore, 'Whole Foods' has begun to sell the gourmet mushrooms.

OLD SCHOOL THAI - THAILAND
Andaman Discoveries
The most genuine tourist experience possible in Thailand? Become a Thai villager for the week…
“I’ve been to Thailand many times and I’ve enjoyed their culture and their way of life and now it’s time I started giving back to them“ Jeannine Curd, Andaman Discoveries

The devastation of the December 2004 Tsunami killed nearly 300,000 people and caused $15 billion in damages. Over a million people were displaced from their homes. In Thailand, the tourist industry, which sees over 5 million visitors a year and over $7 billion come into the country is was badly affected. Andaman Discoveries has been working with local villages to bring tourists in to help with restoration. Some even take the option to do a ‘home stay’, living and eating with local families, to help with the reconstruction. It’s a new approach to tourism which places most emphasis on channelling goodwill and resources to protecting the local cultures, which so far have been unscathed by mass, package-holiday tourism.

LOVE 'N HAITI - HAITI
South-South Cooperation's Project
Could recycling waste and cleaning streets be the simple answer to Haiti’s massive social problems?
“We have moved from cutting down trees to transformation of waste into fuel briquettes“ Jean-Yves Jason, Mayor, Port-au-Prince

Haiti is an unfolding tragedy. The first independent country in the Caribbean is now the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Many decades of mismanagement and bad governance have left over seven million Haitians with little hope that things will improve. But from the most unlikely place -- the crime- ridden and poverty stricken area of Carrefour Feuilles in the capital, Port-au-Prince – is an initiative that is cleaning up the streets and giving hope to the embattled citizens. A local action force is turning the waste littering the countryside into cheap fuel, at a stroke it’s bringing a kind of normality to the slum as well as meeting local energy needs.

NOTHING WASTED - INDONESIA
Danamon Go Green, Danamon Peduli Foundation
The traditional markets of Indonesia are getting a face-lift, and the organic fertiliser they now produce is giving farming in the area huge boost.
“The programme is very simple and easy – it uses simple technology, the raw material is here, available in the market, so it’s very cost-effective” Risa Bhinekawati, Danamon Go Green

Indonesia’s traditional markets are bustling and dirty, just as full of raw waste and rats as they are of store-holders and food. But the thousands of tonnes of waste generated in the markets contains nearly 90% vegetable materials and now, thanks to Danamon ‘Go Green’, they are being cleaned up and the waste turned into an organic fertiliser that is boosting local yields by over 30%. Not only do the local farmers benefit, but the levels of disease from spoiled produce are down and, most importantly, the markets are getting a long-awaited facelift.

A BRIGHT IDEA - SRI LANKA
Safe Bottle Lamp Project
One man’s mission to stop the horrific, and totally avoidable, injuries caused by unsafe kerosene lamps in Sri Lanka.
“If I win the World Challenge I can make and distribute 40,000 of these lamps, protecting over 80,000 people from these horrific burn injuries” Dr Wijaya Godakumbura, Safe Bottle Lamp Project

Despite an electrification programme, over 6 million people in Sri Lanka, nearly one third of the population, don’t have power. Many families rely on improvised lamps made from bottles to light their homes at night, but these can often spill and cause horrific injuries – figures suggest 300,000 people around the world die from accidental kerosene burns every year. Dr Wijaya Godakumbura, a surgeon who witnessed the terrible results of these accidents has designed a safe Lamp that can't roll over and cause a fire. To date, his small foundation has handed out about 775 thousand of the safe lamps.

OFF GRID AID - ISRAEL-PALESTINE
Comet-ME
Two Israeli physicists are helping Palestinian villages in the West Bank generate their own cheap renewable energy.
“The need was obvious – every household you go into, every person you meet, the need cries out to you“ Elad Orian, Comet-ME

In the politically volatile area of the occupied territories in the West bank are communities of Palestinian shanty towns - communities that live in darkness because for them an electricity grid is an impossible dream. But renewable technology such as solar and wind power could change that. Israel is one of the world leaders in solar power and two Israeli physicists, Elad Orian and Noam Dotan, are hoping to bring power to the desert by installing wind and solar technologies to help run lights and fridges for these impoverished people. Through their work developing sustainable power sources on the West Bank they are giving a light of hope, quite literally, to these off-the-grid neighbourhoods.

PATTERNS OF CHANGE - AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Hands
How the American high-end fashion business is creating a design for a better life for the widows of the decades of conflict in Afghanistan.
“The first time I bought them in they were shocked by the sheerness of these things… and they were shaking their heads, saying ‘These Americans – I don’t know what they want!’”
The conflicts in Afghanistan over the last 30 years have caused up to 2 million deaths – creating a generation of widows and orphans in the country. But Matin Maulawizada, whose own family escaped to the USA during the Soviet invasion in the 1980s, has returned to the country of his birth to help some of these widows. Arriving from the US bearing designs commissioned by a niche-market fashion house, his company, Afghan Hands, capitalizes on the skill of these women with a needle and thread and is now not only earning them an income, but teaching them literacy and numeracy as well.

Big giver

I was listening to Radio IKIM’s segment Cerna Minda last Monday on the way back from work on Monday when the Pengarah Radio IKIM, Ir Ahmad Jais related a recent incident that happened in IKIM fm’s jualan amal event. A new foot massager had been donated for the jualan amal. The starting price was RM40. Several people bade for it until the price reached RM100. After that only two people continued to bid. Bidder A won the bid at RM140. He paid the amount to the organiser, but instead of taking the item, he gave the foot massager to bidder B who had lost the bid. He said he wasn’t interested in the foot massager and just wanted to donate. The surprised bidder B, refusing to accept the item for free, offerred to pay back bidder A. But bidder A refused to accept the payment, so bidder B paid RM140 to the organiser. So, the organiser made RM280 for the item which started out at RM40! Yeah, I know - it’s kind of a roundabout way of donating, but it’s more romantic this way, and since I’m a romantic, I feel inspired by it :)

Note 1: Romantic here does not mean ‘displaying or expressing love or strong affection’ but rather ‘imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc, ardent; passionate; fervent, fanciful’.

Note 2: IKIM.fm has interesting segments for their 6.15-7.00 pm weekdays; with Mondays for Cerna Minda, Tuesdays for Qura’an dan Sains, Wednesdays for Usrah Rasa Hati, Thursdays for Salam Masjid (err.. my least favourite), and Fridays for Kau Ilhamku.

Tersentap juga

Jika KNV semalam tersentap dengan beberapa blog post, hari ini saya tersentap apabila membaca kisah ibu mendera anak sendiri dalam akhbar tempatan.

A light amidst the gloom

It's 'numbing' to follow the 'circus' these past week or two. Hmmpphh.. I'm so not in the mood to write something proper, so here's another something from the paper. Something that (to me at least) is heart-warming, about an anonymous philantrophist giving away money to those who asks. I read it first in this paper (that's what the office subscribes to), but I couldn't find the online version, and instead found this, almost word for word. I found this act quite inspirational, perhaps we can emulate in our own little way..

'Bailout Bill' gives away cash in New York

Many of the people waiting for more than five hours were victims of the severe US economic downturn. (AFP PHOTO: Emmanuel Dunand )
He will not say his name, hides his face, and he hands out cash to anyone who asks in the middle of New York.

The mystery benefactor known only as Bailout Bill sat behind a counter in the heart of Times Square in New York giving money to hundreds of people waiting in well-below-zero temperatures.

From a window marked "Bailout Booth," Bailout Bill gave everyone at least $US50 ($78), sometimes a lot more.

He was dressed in wraparound black glasses and had a wool hat pulled low over his head.

Many of the people waiting for more than five hours were victims of the severe US economic downturn. Tens of thousands have lost their jobs in New York alone.

"I'm very appreciative. I might give some to my mother," said Leon McNeil, 25, after being handed $50. He was laid off by troubled department store Macy's last December.

Bailout Bill's giveaway aims to raise publicity for a website where you can advertise unwanted possessions.

He also wants to help ordinary people in the same way that the Government is bailing out banks and other corporations, a spokesman, Drew Tybus said.

All people were asked to do Tuesday was tell their problems to an assistant standing in the street with a microphone and camera.

"My mother is dying in bed," said Mario, a frail man who wore cowboy boots and carried a walking stick.

"Let's see what Bailout Bill says," the assistant replied, hugging Mario.

Bailout Bill announced, "Today I'm going to give $[US]150."

This was the "Bailout Booth's" second and last day in New York. Next it goes to Washington, DC, Boston and Philadelphia, said Mr Tybus.

Mr Tybus said Bailout Bill would distribute $US500,000 ($777,000) before he was finished.

"Bailout Bill can't tell you his real name. We assume there's too much of a risk. Everyone knows he's got money, so, well, something could happen," Mr Tybus said.

But for anyone thinking of taking the money-for-nothing concept a further and robbing that cash-filled booth, Mr Tybus had a warning.

"Those guys standing around here and also in the booth, they're off duty cops. And they're armed."

-AFP

Terrible horrible despicable

Joyous occasion at home, but sad sad news abroad. Atrocious atrocious atrocious. Absolutely heart-wrenching. I'm sad and I'm mad. I weep for you. I pray for you. May Allah protect you. May Allah reward those who died and suffered. How can the world not see what a hideous blatant crime against humanity this is? I don’t understand it. I don’t.
(Click here and here for an in situ account.)

Updated: Below is from Mercy's website. Let's donate. It's the least we can do. There's other venues to channel your donations too, for example Aman Palestin.

MERCY Malaysia appeals to the public to donate to the PALESTINE RELIEF FUND

MERCY Malaysia has initiated an emergency response assessment team on the 30th December 2008 to Egypt in response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 300 people and wounded more than 1,500 people.

The team, aimed at conducting a rapid assessment of the humanitarian needs, will be led by MERCY Malaysia President Datuk Dr. Jemilah Mahmood and EXCO Member Norazam Ab Samah.

We appeal to concerned Malaysians to send in cash donations.

MERCY Malaysia's basis of assistance to the beneficiaries relies on the support and generosity of individuals such as you to contribute to the PALESTINE RELIEF FUND.

It will support our efforts to procure emergency surgical kits, additional medicine and hospital equipment which will be channeled to the affected communities in Gaza.

PALESTINE RELIEF FUND

Cheque payable to MERCY MALAYSIA
CIMB Account No : 1424-000-6561053

For more information please contact 03-2273 3999 or email us at info@mercy.org.my.

Ramadhan charity

Time flies, and now we found ourselves already on the second half of Ramadhan. Ramadhan is a month of amal, and one of the things we can do more is to give more.

Here’s a few suggestions:
Ramadhan Feed the Fasting via Islamic Relief Malaysia – RM50 per food package (can feed a family for two weeks)
Rayuan Ramadhan via JIM – tajaan berbuka puasa dan sedekah kepada yang lebih memerlukan
Or, buy muffins – this lady is giving away all the profits for the Palestinian cause.
Or, donate to these two charity bodies:
Persatuan Kebajikan Darul Najjah
Rumah Anak Kesayanganku
(actually there’s more orphanages out there, of course, but what these two have in common is that they are the special guests for my company’s annual Majlis Berbuka Puasa Dengan Anak Yatim which is happening on Wednesday 17th)

The parable of those who spend in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn; it groweth seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases, and Allah cares for all, and He know all things.
Al-Baqarah 2:261

Of charity and enterprise

Persatuan Kebajikan Darul Najjah, headed by Puan Aminah Mat impressed me with their empowered attitude and proactive initiatives. Events such as the one held last Saturday demonstrated their hard work and creativity in roping the involvement of both the authority and community in their works. As Puan Aminah mentioned to me earlier, they hold this Open Day once a year not so much as to raise funds, but more of to raise awareness. During Raya Qurban last year, they organized a qurban drive, where 6 cows were slaughtered and processed in the premise. The meat was distributed to various orphanages and charity homes in the Klang Valley. This year they are aiming for 10 cows.

Puan Aminah also informed me that they plan to register Batik An-Najjah as an enterprise, so that they could market their handicrafts better. Their batik products can be used as home decoration, corporate gifts, personal gifts etc. “We also don’t like to ask for money from people outright all the time. If there’s something we can do ourselves, we want to do it,” said Puan Aminah. Their official website had been launched last Saturday. I had suggested that they put up Batik An-Najjah online soonest possible so that the products can be accessed farther. They can also open up a sales booth in office buildings. Anyone interested to help organize a booth day for them can call Puan Aminah at O12-2O56167.

I learnt of another brilliant enterprise in one of the emails last week from the Ummiku Sayang mailing list, of an enterprise called mangkuktingkat.com. Under the Yayasan Pembangunan Nur Hikmah, a group of mothers got organised and started to offer this excellent service of lunch and/or dinner subscription, delivered straight to your home or office. At RM4.50 for rice, one meat dish (chicken/fish/beef) and one vege dish, plus RM1.50 for delivery, making the total RM6 per home-cooked meal – it’s absolutely a good bargain! (I do wonder whether the RM1.50 is sufficient to cover the delivery cost, especially in this era of extortionally high fuel price, but I guess it’s okay if they deliver a sizable number of orders around the same area).

What I found most refreshing about this enterprise is that they have chosen to use the mangkuk tingkat as the container rather than the easier option of polistyrene foam. Not only that is it environmentally friendly and keeps food warm, it also helped to create a unique experience. Even more interesting, now they are looking at the supply part of the chain, where they plan to procure the raw materials in bulk via vendor system (so that can get better deals), and also buy from homegrown vegetables (so that can help single mothers, poors etc who grow vegetables). They currently deliver to Bukit Beruntung, Selayang, Gombak, Keramat, Ampang, Pandan, Cheras, Kajang, Seri Kembangan, Dengkil, Kelana Jaya, Shah Alam dan Klang, but they’ll start delivering to several locations in Penang, Johor Bahru, Melaka dan Negeri Sembilan in August.

Majlis Ulangtahun Kedua An-Najjah

Persatuan Kebajikan Darul Najjah akan menganjurkan Majlis Ulangtahun Kedua dan Jualan Amal pada hari Sabtu ini, 26 Julai 2008 bertempat di Pusat Jagaan Anak Yatim / Saudara Baru yang beralamat di:

No 3, Jalan Kent 2,
off Jalan Maktab,
54000 Kuala Lumpur.
(berhampiran Dewan Perdana Felda / Merak Kayangan)
No untuk dihubungi: Puan Aminah (Pengerusi) O12-2O56167

Berikut merupakan aturcara pada hari tersebut:

0900pg
Ketibaan tetamu
Bermula: pemeriksaan kesihatan percuma, jualan amal batik, kraftangan, serta makanan

0945pg
Ketibaan tetamu khas

1000pg
Ketibaan YBhg Che Meme Zainal Rashid (Ketua Pengarah JKM Malaysia)
Bacaan doa
Bacaan ayat suci Al-Qur'an
Ucapan serta pelancaran Laman Web oleh Penaung An-Najjah
Persembahan Nasyid Anak-anak An-Najjah
Lawatan oleh Tetamu Khas
Jamuan Ringan

1100pg
Ceramah kesihatan

1200tgh
Demo mencanting batik
Solat & makan tengahari

0230ptg
Ceramah agama

0330ptg
Cabutan nombor bertuah
Pertunjukan taekwando

0400ptg
Lelongan lukisan batik An-Najjah

0500ptg
Majlis bersurai

Maklumat lanjut (termasuk peta lokasi) boleh dicapai di portal sementara mereka di sini. SimpliSiti akan membuka gerai jualan dari jam 10 pagi hingga 4 petang, insyaAllah.

Sandwiches for books

Some seven or eight years ago during uni days, a group of us did a little charity project – we sold sandwiches and the profits were used to buy books for orphanages. The girls would get together, usually at B’s room, on Thursday nights to prepare the sandwiches. Each of us would do one task. The manufacturing line would begin with B slicing the chicken breasts, which she had marinated and roasted earlier. Next, another one of us would butter the bread, another would cut the salad, another would assemble the ingredients and finally one of us would pack the sandwiches in pairs in clingwrap films before arranging them in a box. I had enjoyed those sessions, because while our hands were busy working, we would be chatting away and catching up.

The next day we would take the sandwiches to the Jumu’ah prayer (solat Jumaat) in the Bowett Room. Over there, it’s very common for ladies to attend Jumu’ah prayer. The khutbah was usually delivered by the university’s appointed Muslim Chaplain, whom we called Maulana. Occasionally, Syeikh Abdul Hakim Murad, or Tim Winter, would also give the khutbah. The khutbahs were usually topical and excellent reminders to us all. Throughout the Jumu’ahs, I’ve seen one guy and one lady (not related to each other and in separate occasions) who first came as observers. They would sit by the side, listening to the khutbahs, and then watching people pray. After months perhaps, they joined the saf! Subhanallah walhamdulillah..

But I’m digressing. I was talking about sandwiches, wasn’t I? After the khutbah and solat, we would pass bulk of the sandwiches to the boys, MHH (then friend) and M, who would sell them to the brothers at 1 pound per sandwich pair. That’s considered cheap, because at the same price you would only get an egg sandwich in a shop. A chicken sandwich (yes, there are halal chicken sandwiches in certain shops there) would cost nearer to 2 pounds, 1.85 maybe. Each week we made about 60-70 sandwiches (if I remember correctly), and they sold out all the time. “Tell the sisters this sandwich is delicious! MasyaAllah.” We just giggled and hesitated to take the compliment – because the tandoori paste we used was straight from the bottle! The profits we made were used to purchase second hand books from charity shops and car boot sales. As I once mentioned, they were really cheap – a Ladybird book cost only around 10-50 pence, depending on the conditions. So we shipped quite a few boxes over to this side of the world.

Today, it’s no longer sandwiches – it’s SimpliSiti’s apparels. 20% of all profits from cash sales from 1 July to 25 July will be used to buy books for the AnNajjah boys (we first visited them in April). They are going to have a one day event (open to public) on the 26th of July to mark their second anniversary, and there will be various activities including health checks and sales of souvenir, food etc. The batik paintings will be on sale, too. (Mardhiah12, you are interested right? Here’s your chance!). I will update more details later when I receive the information. I’ve asked the secretary if I could set up a stall and she said yes. So, I’m seriously considering setting up a SimpliSiti booth there and I will give 50% of all profits made on that day to them. My only qualm is that I don’t want to stay there the whole day from 8 to 5! (Apalah punya usahawan wannabe ni, macam malas berusaha je… hehe) Hmm… maybe I could ask the boys to take turn manning the stall.. If you have some old (but still in good condition) books you’d like to donate, you are welcomed to do so through me. FYI, AnNajjah boys are between 7 to 17 years old. It’ll be really good to get some tafseers, dictionaries, board games etc. This book collection drive is part of our surau initiative. And, as I put in the notice: The reason why we are doing this is help foster the love of learning and knowledge, and the culture of reading. You’ve probably heard the famous maxim - If you give a man a fish, he will eat for one day. But if you teach him to fish, he will eat for many more days of his life. This will be an amal jariah for us, InsyaAllah.

Nargis - who cares?

Adui kasihannya, sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga. Sedang berjuta rakyat Myanmar begitu memerlukan bantuan, kapal yang membawa sebahagian bantuan tersebut karam pula.

But don’t let this deter you from continuing to help! Here are some links to organisations which can help to channel your donations to the victims.
* Islamic Relief Malaysia
* Mercy Malaysia
* Muslim Aid

In the meantime, below is a translation of an article written by Ustaz Hasrizal, who’s campaigning for humanitarian aids for Nargis victims awareness. Read the original article here.

NARGIS: WHEN THE RICE POT IS EMPTY

Source: Al-Jazeera English

It’s no ordinary catastrophe. The destruction is downright ghastly. Myanmar was hit by the Nargis Cyclone on May 2, 2008. It’s the worst disaster to have hit the Asian continent since the tragedy of Tsunami on December 26, 2004.

As reported by Al-Jazeera, the death toll in Myanmar may well reach 100 thousand, not very far from the official figure of 160 thousand in Acheh.

Frankly, I almost felt numb with the news. Speechless in saying Innaa LiLlaah wa Innaa Ilayhi Raaji’oon.

WHO CARES?

But what shocked me more is how our community is giving the cold shoulder to this disaster. I wouldn’t be surprised if many are even unaware of this one piece of news.

Maybe they’ll take notice when their rice pot is empty, because at a time when the world is facing a critical food shortage crisis, the Nargis Cyclone has destroyed the Delta of Irrawady which supplied almost half of the world’s rice supply! Only when the disaster affects us directly, will we realize that the world is sick.

THE POLITICAL GAMES

As I feel saddened looking at the images of sprawled bodies, victims of the disaster, I feel even more angered when the hardship of the Burmese is further exacerbated by the political stance of many parties. As Myanmar has been living under hardships since 1978 under the rule of the Junta, they keep playing games with the outsiders who can’t wait to help.

The Unites States on the other hand continues to display their ugly tradition through Condoleezza Rice who announced that they are ready to help if the Junta Myanmar would allow the American army to enter Myanmar with aids and supplies!

This is the example in today’s world, of the term ‘damned politics’ which were written by Badi’uzzaman Said al-Nursi, “I seek refuge with Allah from the cursed Syaitan, and from politics!”
What is the fate of my brothers in Islam, the Rohingyans who have lived in misery all these while in the state of Arakan, how do they fare?

MY FRIEND BOBO

I don’t know any Burmese except for one. Bobo Iwin is one of the facilitators who worked alongside me during the Inter-Civilizational Youth Engagement Program (IYEP) last year in 2007. He is true and unaffected, almost devoid of mistrust and doubt,

Bobo is an activist who is very active, who travels a lot between Thailand and Myanmar, and introduces me a lot to Myanmar’s internal issues. He is true and unaffected, devoid of mistrust and doubt, with only positive and optimistic thoughts on the future of his country Myanmar.

I last spoke with Bobo end of last year.
“How’s Myanmar with the Buddhist monks demonstrating now?” I had asked.
“It’s very chaotic. Confusing. Let’s hope for the best,” Bobo answered.
Bobo joined many Buddhist NGOs which promotes Interfaith programmes, getting Buddhist teenagers to join dialogues and learn about other religions.
“Did you feel insulted with the statement of Malaysia’s Minister of Information who accused Al-Jazeera of portraying that Malaysia is violent and chaotic like Myanmar?” I ask again. Malaysia was abuzz with the BERSIH event at that time.
“Myanmar is in chaos. But coming from a minister, his statement has got to be better than that,“ answered Bobo. Calm… as usual.
Our talk didn’t last long as the internet line in Myanmar at that time was not too good.
I pray to Allah that the Myanmar people, as well as the brothers of Rohingya there, will be saved by Allah from this difficult test. And to Bobo, wherever you are, may you be safe and sound, till we meet again. Let’s do what we can to help the Burmese.

ALLAH FORBIDS INJUSTICE

But remember… be it kuffar being unjust against kuffar, or kuffar against muslim, of muslim being unjust against kuffar, or muslim against muslim… Allah swt forbids injustice amongst mankind. It is mentioned in one long hadith qudsi..

Daripada Abu Dzar al-Ghifari radhiyaLlaahu ‘anhu, diriwayatkan dari Nabi sallaLlaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam menerusi apa yang diriwayatkan baginda dari Tuhannya ‘Azza wa Jalla bahawa Dia berfirman, “Wahai hamba-hamba-Ku, sesungguhnya Aku telah mengharamkan ZALIM itu ke atas diri-Ku, dan Ku-jadikan ia sebagai sesuatu yang juga diharamkan sesama kamu. Maka janganlah kamu saling zalim menzalimi!…” -Riwayat Muslim

Yet they all refuse to back down from the crime of oppression that has shackled mankind, up to a point that Allah Himself may ‘make the changes’. Those who change only because they have to, are victims. Successful people, are those who convinced themselves to change.
Think about it!

LATEST UPDATE

Suddenly, after 6 months I didn’t see the Bobo’s Google Talk green button, he appeared online just now. Alhamdulillah.
Bobo just arrived in Bangkok. He told me that he was at the office when the cyclone hit Myanmar. The roof of his office was blown away by the strong wind, but Bobo manged to escape the danger of the fierce Nargis force that day.
The plane scheduled to fly him to Bangkok on May 4th had been cancelled. But he later flew to the capital of Thailand as part of his efforts to mobilize humanitarian aids mission to help his fellow Burmese who were suffering as a result of the Nargis cyclone.

“How is your family?” I asked.
“They were in a different district. They’re safe,” Bobo answered.
“Alhamdulillah.. that’s how we say thanks to God!”
“Thank you. I was originally planning to mobilize the members of the Buddhist Youths for an Interfaith program, “ Bobo said.
“Yes, I can still remember when we last talked. You did mention it,” I tried to recall our last conversation.

“But because of what happened, I will focus all efforts to manage incoming humanitarian aids because that’s the priority for now,” Bobo informed me.
“Do give me any information that I can use for this campaign because I’m trying to raise awareness through my blog to help the Burmese. I think the big challenge here is that people may not be too concerned with this crisis because some may feel it’s not their business because the victims are of different beliefs,” I continued.
“That’s very kind of you!” Bobo responded.
“ And yet the message that we need to get across to everyone is that, we should care and help one another on the ground of humanity, that should have been enough. Humanity. Islam itself is a mercy upon the entire universe, that’s what the Prophet had reminded us,” I concluded the subject that I had brought up.
“Yes, that’s what we call global ethics the other day!” said Bobo, referring to the IYEP program last year.

“Yep.. so let us walk our talk!” I ended the conversation.
Crisis upon crisis are faced by mankind all around the globe, but just as Allah gives provision to each of the 1000 merchants selling the same goods in one city, I feel certain that Allah moves the heart of His servants, such that some would help here when others would help there.
So for you who felt moved by the plight of the victims of the Nargis Cyclone, do your bit. Remember, every little helps. One ringgit less, one million is no longer a seven digit figure.
Islam is mercy upon mankind… so let us care!

ABU SAIF @ www.saifulislam.com
56000 Kuala Lumpur

Adik-adik AnNajjah

Bersempena bulan bonus tahun ini, geng Surau S*ell telah mengutip derma bagi dua tujuan, yang pertamanya untuk Pusat Jagaan Anak Yatim & Saudara Baru AnNajjah (AnNajjah) dan yang keduanya untuk projek pembikinan al-Qur’an Braille. Hasrat kami untuk membantu adik-adik AnNajjah lebih berbentuk hubungan jangka panjang bukan sekadar once-off donation, maka Ahad lepas kami berkunjung ke sana untuk bertaarruf sambil menyampaikan hasil kutipan derma dan hadiah.


Sambutan yang diberikan membuatkan kami rasa terharu. Paluan kompang mengiringi kami tiba dan pulang, dan kami dihiburkan dengan beberapa buah nyanyian nasyid. Ucapan dan penyampaian hadiah singkat sahaja, selebihnya kami makan tengahari sambil beramah mesra. Akhir sekali, kami solat Zuhur dan solat hajat berjemaah sebelum bersurai.

Sewaktu menyampaikan hadiah buat setiap adik-adik AnNajjah, Pengerusi kami bertanyakan cita-cita masing-masing. Rasanya cukup lengkap setiap profesyen, walaupun profesyen beruniform nampaknya begitu popular (polis, tentera, bomba). Tapi yang paling menarik hati saya ialah adik Sazri, yang ingin menjadi seorang ustaz! Alhamdulillah. Yang istimewanya adik Sazri ini, dia berbakat mencipta hasil seni batik. Lihat saja gambar di bawah ini. Kalau ingin dijadikan sumber pendapatan, bila-bila masa saja boleh. Kalau saya sudah punya rumah sendiri, saya pun inginkan satu. Semoga adik Sazri mencapai cita-citanya untuk menjadi ustaz – malahan seorang ustaz-artis, why not?

Waktu berbual kemudiannya dia ditanya, “Ibu bapa adik bagaimana, mereka dah memeluk Islam?” “Ibu dah, ayah belum,” jawabnya ringkas. Semoga Allah mengurniakan hidayah kepada ayah adik Sazri juga. Saya teringat ucapan Puan Salmah, Setiausaha Rumah AnNajjah awal tadi – mereka sengaja memilih adik-adik lelaki untuk dididik supaya dapat menjadi ketua keluarga yang berjaya yang dapat mendidik keluarga pula.

Dalam ramai-ramai adik AnNajjah, hati saya terpaut pada adik Azman. Selesai bernasyid dia terus menghampiri saya dan meminta mahu mendukung Afiefah. Dia nampak gembira sekali mendukung dan mengagah Afiefah (lihat gambar di bawah). Munief pun dimesrai dan diajaknya berbual.
“Adik suka baby, ye?” saya bertanya.
“Ha’ah.”
“Ada adik di kampung?”
“Ada. Tiga orang. Tapi jumpa sekali setahun je bila balik kampung.”
Gayanya memang gaya seorang abang mithali. Saya pasti dia meng’abang’kan dirinya dengan baik terhadap adik-adik AnNajjah yang lebih muda daripadanya meskipun tiada pertalian darah.


Pulang kami disertai semangat untuk meneruskan lagi hubungan ini. Saya mengharapkan kami dapat menjayakan projek rak buku beserta bahan-bahan bacaan dalam bulan Jun/Julai nanti. Beberapa orang daripada kami (tidak termasuk saya!) berniat untuk menawar diri memberi tusyen percuma. InsyaAllah, adik-adik AnNajjah akan dijemput untuk acara tahunan berbuka puasa bersama anak yatim kami bulan September nanti. Juga ada cadangan untuk menggunakan lakaran batik adik Sazri untuk menghiasi taqwim 2009, yang mana keuntungannya pastilah untuk AnNajjah. Masih sekadar cadangan belaka, tapi harapnya most of not all dapat dijalankan.

Sedikit info berkenaan AnNajjah – usianya masih muda, baru menjangkau dua tahun. Ditubuhkan oleh sekumpulan ahli komuniti yang prihatin untuk menyediakan sebuah tempat berteduh buat anak-anak yatim dan saudara baru. Letaknya di Jalan Kent 2 berhampiran Dewan Perdana Felda Jalan Maktab, somewhere here.

Buat masa ini, AnNajjah menempatkan 17 budak lelaki, 7 lagi dalam proses pendaftaran dengan Jabatan Kebajikan (kapasiti AnNajjah 24 orang). Buat yang ingin membantu, bolehlah hubungi Puan Aminah (Pengerusi) di 012-2056167 atau Puan Salmah (Setiausaha) di 013-3530898 atau salnordin1405 at gmail dot com. Akaun Maybank: Pusat Jagaan Anak Yatim An-Najjah (564212-10-4074) atau Pusat Jagaan Saudara Baru An-Najjah (564212-10-4081). Saya ada menyatakan hajat untuk membangunkan laman blogspot ringkas untuk mereka berdasarkan profail, info dan sedikit gambar yang ada pada saya, harapnya boleh siap dalam seminggu dua ini, InsyaAllah. Nanti bila siap, saya akan hebahkan.


Mereka membela ikan keli dalam tangki-tangki ini buat makan sendiri.

Lagi satu, saya ingin menghebahkan servis katering Kak Mimi sebagai tanda terima kasih mendapat diskaun daripadanya apabila dia mendapat tahu program ini untuk anak yatim dan saudara baru. Makanan sedap, menu bervariasi (tradisional & western), harga pun berpatutan. Menu kami Ahad lalu: nasi minyak (set dengan ayam, dalca, dan acar), lasagna, drummet, bubur kacang, popiah, blueberry cheesecake, air laici & teh tarik at RM15/pax. Her contact: 016-2280490.