Sometimes, things move too fast. You have trouble keeping up with new developments and are forced to focus on a few things... while others get neglected. Like this blog. So that's the gist of why there's been such a large gap between the last post and this.
For the last few weeks I've been involved in the development of an idea that sprouted during a quiet after-maghrib chill-out session at Masjid Moulana Ali at Raffles Place. I thought of all the bayaans (religious talks) that I'd been to, trying to recall the most memorable ones. I couldn't recall any, save for some tafsir sessions by the current Bencoolen mosque imam.
Then I thought of Raffles Place... and the current global financial crisis. The cycle of lending and re-lending and loans becoming toxic was very complex for me to understand. Many Indian Muslim folks work at Raffles Place, and in the coming months, the impact was going to be felt. I was feeling uncomfortable that many of them folks might not even know what the current crisis was about, and why something some rich bankers did (or did not do) impacted us in Singapore. How would they know that there was this great big recession coming their way?
Bayaan. Crisis. It occured to me that bayaans needed to move from topics like "What One Should Do to Avoid Hell-Fire" and "Guaranteeing Your Place in Jannah" to ones that discussed what Allah says we must do when faced with a global recession. Things that Allah and the Prophet s.aw. have already told us to do (the broad "policy" directions, if you may) during times of crisis, modern or medieval.
I spoke to a few "brudders" to get their sense of the possibility of organising such a bayaan, and they were receptive to the idea. We spent a good few days securing the speakers and finalising the details. Insha Allah, come 23 Nov 08, we hope to have a useful session on the global financial crisis and what people can do during the tough times ahead.
For the last few weeks I've been involved in the development of an idea that sprouted during a quiet after-maghrib chill-out session at Masjid Moulana Ali at Raffles Place. I thought of all the bayaans (religious talks) that I'd been to, trying to recall the most memorable ones. I couldn't recall any, save for some tafsir sessions by the current Bencoolen mosque imam.
Then I thought of Raffles Place... and the current global financial crisis. The cycle of lending and re-lending and loans becoming toxic was very complex for me to understand. Many Indian Muslim folks work at Raffles Place, and in the coming months, the impact was going to be felt. I was feeling uncomfortable that many of them folks might not even know what the current crisis was about, and why something some rich bankers did (or did not do) impacted us in Singapore. How would they know that there was this great big recession coming their way?
Bayaan. Crisis. It occured to me that bayaans needed to move from topics like "What One Should Do to Avoid Hell-Fire" and "Guaranteeing Your Place in Jannah" to ones that discussed what Allah says we must do when faced with a global recession. Things that Allah and the Prophet s.aw. have already told us to do (the broad "policy" directions, if you may) during times of crisis, modern or medieval.
I spoke to a few "brudders" to get their sense of the possibility of organising such a bayaan, and they were receptive to the idea. We spent a good few days securing the speakers and finalising the details. Insha Allah, come 23 Nov 08, we hope to have a useful session on the global financial crisis and what people can do during the tough times ahead.
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