Philosophy is questions that may never be answered.
Religion is answers that may never be questioned.

Beberapa minggu lalu kami tonton Crossing Over at the cinema. Nothing to shout about actually, other than the censorship, or lack of it that is. We actually saw some boobies on the screen, okay? Siapa yang luluskan? Tak fahamlah. Itu lulus. The comedy Stacked pula rated PG13. Mengapakah? Sebab Pamela Anderson berlakon? Pelik. Anyways, if anything, I think Crossing Over provides another reminder of American paranoia and Islamophobia. If you ask me, I think that they are one bongkak bangsa. Bongkak dan perasan bagus. Baiklah, bukan semua tentunya but I’m referring to Americans as a whole. I know I’m guilty of generalizing sekarang ini. Malaslah nak explain. If you get it, you get it. Got it?

The reason I’m writing about the movie ialah kerana saya mengaku bahawa mereka berjaya menimbulkan sedikit ketakutan pada saya. Ada satu watak, Tasleema namanya, a 15-year-old girl who came to the US from Bangladesh when she was only 3. This girl, whose mother tongue is English, went to American school and cannot speak Bangladesh at all. One day she wrote an innocent article, sympathizing with the courage, if not the methods, of suicide bombers. Her teacher thought that the article is somewhat menakutkan and that she could be a threat to the US government, lalu melaporkan kepada FBI. How’s that for freedom of speech, huh? Other aggravating factors, according to the FBI Agent, were the facts that (a) she wears the hijab; and (b) she’s interested in Islam (as evident by the religious websites she regularly visits via her personal computer). As a result, Tasleema and her mother were sent back to Bangladesh, leaving behind her father and her siblings, bagi membolehkan mereka dapat hidup yang lebih baik. Paranoia dan kebongkakan all rolled into one. Nice.

The Husband joked that I could never go to the US now, with my tudung and the Quran translation bookmarked as Favourites in my personal laptop and the many Islamic applications installed to my iPod. But I say he’s no lesser threat either, with that name and that goatie, memang tak selamatlah. Haha. I actually know of some people who changed the way they dress to blend in demi keselamatan. Astaghfirullah. Saya mohon kasih sayang Allah agar kuatkan iman saya dari keinginan untuk melanggar perintahNya semata-mata kerana takutkan manusia. Ameen.

Have a blessed Monday, God-fearing people!