Charlie Hebdo: Yay or Nay?

As it happened: Charlie Hebdo attack

In January 2015, a group of Islamists went on a killing spree on the streets of Paris following the cartoon publication by Charlie Hebdo demonstrating caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. Charlie Hebdo, a weekly satirical magazine that largely criticizes many aspects of human life had angered the Muslims and provoked the extremists to hurt the editors and staffs of Charlie Hebdo. Seventeen people were killed in that incident including twelve staffs from the office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. 

#JeSuisCharlieHebdo had been the hashtag of the month when the incident sparked a wide debate all over the world with politicians, law makers and the public pouring out comments in favour and against Charlie Hebdo. A large part of the public showing support to Charlie Hebdo and the right to express opinions were merely joining in the uproar without understanding the fundamental arguments that are underlying this issue in general. 

Earlier this month, Charlie Hebdo magazine was awarded the controversial freedom of expression award by the American PEN and Thoret, Charlie Hebdo's flim critic who received the award did not seem to be happy when people say they are Charlie Hebdo. 

“When you say: ‘Everybody is Charlie,’” Thoret said, referring to the “Je Suis Charlie” slogan that consumed social media and became a subject of some debate among those who found its style uncomfortable, “We have two waves of reactions.” At first, he says, of course he agrees. But then, he added, he realises that the slogan itself “doesn’t mean anything”.
It will take months, Thoret said. “We’ll see the way the debate [over freedom of expression] is going” then, he said. It would be horrible, he said, to find himself surrounded by people who all agree with each other. It would remind him, he said, as a film critic, of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They were happy for the support but, he added: “We are not naive.”

We all know that the magazine is satirical and when we say satirical, it appears offensive and unpleasant for many. Charlie Hebdo is claimed to be a part of the solutions by promoting equality, liberty and fraternity and the magazine is generally for the French audience. The satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was the conscious heir to a French intellectual tradition with a long history: radical anticlericalism. 

With these facts on mind, will a satirical magazine succeed in bringing about positive impacts on society and is it okay to expect people to accept what it publishes with an open mind? 

The reaction from Charlie Hebdo following the brutal attack in January 2015.

Charlie Hebdo hurts people. That is a fact we all can't deny. It may have won the award earlier this month but will it be a champion in educating the public on worldly issues and the way we live our lives? As we know, anything good, when is expressed in ways that could hurt others would not be wholly accepted. What more when it involves sensitive issues of religions and cultures? 

There will be a reaction to any action enforced by people and the reaction is often projected with the same spirit and emotions. So, can we really blame the Islamists for reacting in such manner when what happened had provoked hatred in the Muslim society? Although it would have been wiser for them to ignore what had offended them, it is not rational to expect people to react the same way as the others. The attack should have been something that the editors must have expected to happen even before they publish the caricature. 

So, Charlie Hebdo: Yay or Nay? Yay if the magazine is ready to face the consequences of its actions and the non-constructive criticism. 

 I welcome your thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Look Who Is Misusing The Swastika

Avoid Misconception

The Hindu Swastika

This post is specially dedicated to +BV Bharati . I got the inspiration to write on this issue after reading her post about how the Nazis have been using this symbol which caused great amount of confusion among people of different cultures across the world. Do you know what differs the Nazi version of "Swastika" symbol from the Hindu version of it? I bet most of you do not know the difference and add me to the list too. I know that the difference exist but I wasn't sure until I google-searched about it today. The above image is how the Hindu Swastika looks like. And the image below is what the Nazis use. 

The Nazi Swastika

So, back to the main issue here. Bharati posted this post on her blog. She was explaining about how a holy or sacred symbol became unholy due to the negative image portrayed by Hitler and Nazis. About two days ago, Manchester United apologizes over 'swastika' logo. Now, how sure are we that only the Nazis and people from other associations are involved in this propaganda? 

About a couple of months back in Malaysia, the police force was seen in action when they arrested about 30-50 gangster groups with the respective leaders. Do you know that some of these gangs comprise of Hindus and they actually use Swastika as their symbol? They even tattoo this sign/symbol on their bodies. So when the police was looking for suspects, the public who had this symbol on their vehicles also got caught!

Isn't that sad to see our own people degrading the holy symbol? On top of that, I went out the other day with my favourite Lee Cooper T-shirt, a sleeveless one. The uncle who sells snacks stopped me and told me not to wear it anymore. I was puzzled. Later, he told me that my T-shirt had the number '08' printed on it and coincidentally it was the name of one of the gangs that were caught! There goes my favourite T-shirt! I'm not wearing it at public places for the time being. 

I think, sometimes people dig their own graves by embarrassing their own kind at public! We do not need the Nazis now for this purpose! 

 I welcome your thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Your Shame Won't Alleviate Mine

What's the point of covering your shame?

Thanking +Adrianna Joleigh for letting me know about this documentary on YouTube. As we know, India has been in the spotlight since December last year for rising rape cases throughout the nation. Women in India have come together to protest the sexual discrimination and endless violence they have to face on a daily basis. Ever since the Dehli Gang Rape case incident, more rape cases are discovered day by day and it doesn't seem to get any better.

India's image has been tarnished with world-wide accusations. Men in India are horny bastards. India is not a safe country for women. These are some of the statements that you can see in the comments for the video above. It is definitely a shameful issue for a country and its citizen. I'm feeling really sorry for the victims and I hope for a better future for women in India. 

But the question is, how do you REALLY feel when you watch the video or while reading this post? Are you feeling disgusted about India? Did your subconscious voice just told you that these Indian men are horrible? If you are from a safer place where you have been protected from these violence all your life, do you really think you are safe? Can you assure that your children's safety is protected? 

Indian men don't deserve their women. I said that in one of my older posts. But I have also mentioned that the same rule applies for all men regardless of their race or nationality. The huge misconception in our society when we come across any hideous news happening elsewhere in the world is to assume that we are in a safer part of the world and instantly feel thankful for it. 

I wanted to make a snapshot of some of the comments under the video but when I came back a day later, it was flooded by hundreds of comments and I lost track of the earlier comments. From my observation, some Indians were admitting to the fact that the situation is getting worse in India for women when authorities are not taking proper measures to arrest the rising sexual violence and rape cases whereas some are trying to protect their shame by diverting the attention to countries like Saudi Arabia and Africa where women are treated like slaves with restrictions imposed in the name of religion. 

Will their shame alleviate your shame, India? No. Are we still going to see more women being raped and subjected to brutality? Yes! Because if we are not going to admit that our men are terrible and the situation is getting out of hand, people would continue to protect the name of the nation and shame of the society by pin-pointing to what is happening all around the globe. I agree that countries like America, Australia and Canada are not safe either and you can't claim these countries to be safe as the suicide case of Rehtaeh Parsons serves as an evidence that no where on this earth is really safe. 

The only way to handle this brutality is by acknowledging the issue and start implementing better rules and regulations on sexual violators so that we can see hope for women renewing itself with no expiration date. On the other hand, it is time to reflect this issue upon our own country and see where do we actually stand when it comes to crimes like sexual harassment and rapes. Just because the media caught one country for its shameful incident, we can't be taking it for granted and throwing wild accusations. May be our shame is being swept under the carpet and could be the next talk of the world when someone were to reveal it. 

I welcome your thoughts and views !  Thank you for your feedback

Bikini and Modesty

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Bikini or Burka?What really defines Modesty?
Image grabbed here

I have just watched a video from YouTube, a speech by Jessica Rey, an actress and a designer who has sparked a debate between the conservative and modernised world about swimwear. Jessica says that the bikini has dis-empowered women where they allow themselves to be objectified by men. Is itsy-bitsy really that bad? Here it is the video of Jessica with her speech

Now, before we really look into the issue, think of all the aspects that needed to be analysed. 

• Does showing your skin means being bitchy?
• What modesty really is?
• Where does women's choice lies and to what extent it is acceptable?

The society has this terrible idea ingrained on it's mind for a very long time. Back in the stone age, when people don't know what clothes are, they don't find it awkward to be naked. As time passes and when the world entered into the evolution era, clothes were invented to cover themselves from the harsh environment. Together with that reason, people started to cover themselves as they viewed the human body as a sacred asset. Here, at this point, comes in modesty. And this is completely fine. People covering themselves because they feel the urge to uphold their dignity. 

But to cover yourself because you're afraid that men see you as an object? This is where the problem starts.

Like Jessica has said, the invention of bikini was with the intention to objectify women. The definition of women's skin has become SEXY. Who on earth really came up with this word? People have started to view women in a different manner and when they show some skin, it is called sexy. Women have been exploited as objects in various fields from modelling to advertisement ever since then. Have you ever felt that it is huge discrimination when men who employ models for their business calling another common woman on street sluts just because they wear low cut blouses? I say the length of the dress is not going to make a difference in addressing the real issue we have. 

A lady who fully covers but treats her daughter-in-law like her slave versus a lady who wears a low-cut dress but does charity work during the weekend? Who is the woman with the bad behaviour? I'm not saying that reverting back to the old swimwear is a bad idea, but the intention in doing that causes more damage to the society as we seem to be seeking approval from people, mainly the gentlemen who may not be so 'gentle and nice'. 

Change In Mentality Is What We Need Now

I feel the amount of skin you show shouldn't be used to judge a woman and the common notion of showing skin means sexy or bitchy has to be eradicated altogether. When you cover just because you don't want a man to look down upon you, you are merely seeking approval and dancing to his tune. Force that ignorance and arrogance out of them and let them know a woman is a woman and nothing else grants them the right to objectify her, whether or not they reveal skin. 

What modesty really is? I personally don't reveal too much skin, because I don't think I would carry myself well and this is a personal opinion. Another lady or maybe even you reading this, if you are a lady, would feel comfortable walking down the street with a skirt above-knee length that looks fine and not obscene. Everyone has different a personality to carry and if we were to judge someone based on their appearance alone, I believe we are in the wrong track altogether. A well-mannered woman can only be identified through the way she behaves with another human being. 

If showing skin is wrong, then every woman in the modelling industry has to resign to be labelled a 'good' lady. Even prostitutes would be slammed hard on this issue if it is wrong to show skin. Do we even grant women to make a choice? To me, it is very wrong for a woman to allow her body to be objectified and for a man to take advantage of any woman no matter how she dresses up. While I feel it is wrong to allow people to objectify us, ladies who are in the fashion line would feel that it is their profession and they would stand up for their choice. At the end of the day, it is about giving a woman the power to choose what they want and taking decisions based on their choice.

What do you think about this post? I welcome your thoughts and views!

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Teaching of Religion: Where Is The Extent of Our Obligation ?

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Has Religion Blindfolded You From The Truth?

                                                               Picture grabbed here

While working on my book, reading some issues I thought would be interesting to be a part of the non-fiction book and to be shared with the world, I stumbled upon an ugly fact on how religion can imprison the mind of a man. What I read was beyond what my mind could take and I felt so disgusted that even people who were educated, living in what we say the most evolved part of the world, could second the hideous idea preached in the name of religion and take into their utmost obligation.

A man can marry and have sex with a young girl who hasn't reached puberty and a man is granted many ways to divorce his wife and take another woman according to the rules and allocation in 'that' religion. Period.

 

Religion: Option or Obligation?

I'm totally horrified at the fact that people, including woman, could still abide by the lunatic rules and regulations. I feel that people have taken religion so seriously that anything it says has to be true and needs to be followed. The blind faith and what the holy book has to say have been ingrained into their mind and runs in their blood, like their breath, holding onto it so tight, without which they would die. It seems so hard to knock that blind ignorance out of their small mind because for them to be able to 'see' beyond the veil of religion seems so hard. Even if they have access to education, I strongly believe that the traditional and typical mindset would not be driven out if they do not choose to see things from different perspectives. Education could only feed them with information, but at the end of the day, it is up to them to filter the truth and THINK for the betterment. 

I think what society has failed to look at is the reality behind everything that religion suggests. Have we ever admitted to the fact that to some extent, what our religion tells us are all well-manipulated facts by the rich, the more powerful, and the more dominating sex? How can we assure that our faiths and obligation were just merely rules made to dominate us and imprison our minds?

Sometime back I read that the Philippines has long been suffering from over-population as a result of religion prohibiting birth control. This issue has been resolved to favour to women who want birth control for a better quality of life but now the law seems to be hanging over the fence again. In Hinduism and Islam, the ladies are not allowed to pray as they regard the period as 'unclean'. In Hinduism particularly, the girl is subjected to a lot of curfews during her period and I find this utter crap. The reasons I could find over various sources suggest that it is because they are unclean as there is unwanted discharge from their body. Some vaguely suggest that it is due to some scientific reason too.

To me, my take on religion is simple. One can be a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim or a Buddhist but he should not put his logical thinking behind his obligation to his religion. If your religion says the Sun rises in West and sets in the East, would you still agree to it? Or use your brain instead for God sake?

What do you think about this post? I welcome your thoughts and views!

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