23/11: God is watching us

Raja Petra Kamarudin


Today is Friday. To Muslims, Friday is considered a ‘holy’ day. So today is certainly a good day for me to remind Malaysians of Muslim persuasion that God is watching us.

On Sunday, our fellow Malaysians of Indian origin will be marching to the British High Commission. The predominantly Malay-Muslim police force has been placed on full alert since yesterday, resulting in massive traffic jams in almost the entire Kelang Valley. The head honcho of the police force has warned those who insist on participating in the Sunday rally that they will face severe retribution for their folly.

The police have demonstrated how violent they can be on 10 November 2007 when they smashed the leg and kneecap of one marcher. He lay on the ground, immobilised by the excruciating pain, his pleas for help ignored. He was then ordered to stand up and get into the police truck. But he could not even crawl, let alone stand up, so they picked him up like a sack of potatoes and threw him into the truck.

Islam says, if you eat alone, all you get is the satisfaction of being full. But, if you eat in a group, you get twice the benefits. Other than getting full, you also receive pahala. Islam says, when you travel, do not travel alone. Travel in a group and appoint one from amongst you as the group leader. Islam says, it is better to pray in a group than to pray alone. You can get 27 more pahala when you pray in a group compared to praying alone.

Yes, Islam encourages group activities. Islam rewards you with multiple pahala when you do things in a group. (Okay, orgies may not quite be included in this list of group activities). Islam is all about groups and communities. Islam says you must perform the Haj or pilgrimage in Mekah at least once in your life if you can afford it. What is so significant about the Haj? The Haj allows millions of Muslims to assemble in the same place at the same time. That is the awe of the Haj.

Muslims march to celebrate the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, the larger the crowd the better. Hindus too march and carry the Kavadee. Christians too march. Buddhists also march. Most religions have some form of marching or another to ‘demonstrate’ their piousness. But if the marching or assembly is not in support of the political masters, then all of a sudden it is an illegal act and the powers-that-be can treat you worse than animals and brutalise you.

When you take the oath of office you do so in the name of God. But once you are already in office do you still act in the name of God or do you do things opposed to what God prescribes? Let our political masters and powers-that-be ask themselves this question, this holy Friday, because God is watching us. And I will close this piece with the lyrics from Bette Midler’s song, ‘From a distance’.