d.[E!].a.t.h.

 

television is our death. who the f*ck gives a bleeding damn if Paris Hilton was seen in a f*cking yellow hat?!

 

Merciful message missed

 

As published in The Sun

 

Bismillahirahmanirahim. In the name of God the most Compassionate, the most Merciful.

 

Yasmin Ahmad starts her film Sepet and its recently released sequel, Gubra, with this phrase written in its Arabic form.

 

Compassion and mercy are two key aspects in bridging race relations, so to start a film that addresses the issue head-on seems more than apt.

 

Like Sepet, the permeating theme in Gubra is love and inter-race relations. Both films have triggered vibrant discussions about race relations in Malaysia, and Yasmin’s attempt to address it.

 

Comments published in the English-language newspapers, which seem to come from mostly non-Malay readers who have seen Gubra, have been overwhelmingly positive. Yasmin is applauded for her courage in tackling the race issue directly. She is also praised for being bold in her approach, with lines such as “It’s like loving someone who doesn’t love you back” said by a Chinese character about his citizenship – a scene that many non-Malay viewers seem to identify with.

 

The Malay newspapers similarly have seen many of their mostly Malay readers writing in support of Yasmin’s efforts to bring race relations to the forefront of filmmaking. It is not simply about having the various races in Malaysia represented on screen playing trivial or stereotypical roles – like in the local sitcom Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu – but to have the issue addressed head-on within the storyline. This is what makes Gubra (and Sepet) special and respected.

 

Unlike Sepet, however, Gubra offers its viewers more issues to digest than just race relations, that is, the role and duties of Malay Muslims in their society. Those who haven’t been following discussions about the film in the Malay newspapers and TV talk shows have missed out on heated debates between those who support Yasmin’s efforts and those who think her film is Islamically deviationist and culturally corrupting.

 

For example, the scene where the imam pats a dog on its head on his way to morning prayers has raised many Muslim eyebrows. A commentator in one of the Malay language dailies said Malaysia’s tropical weather doesn’t guarantee that the dog is completely dry, which makes touching it haram (unlawful) for a Muslim – what more for one who is about to lead his neighbourhood in prayers.

 

The commentator said Yasmin should have had a scene where the imam cleanses himself from touching the allegedly wet dog through special ablution in order to reassure Muslim viewers of his Islamic discipline and knowledge of the prescribed and proscribed. While one expected from the onset that the largely legalist Muslim viewers would harp on this matter, one cannot help but be extremely disappointed that the whole point of a Muslim man’s compassion towards God’s lesser creature is completely ignored.

 

In any case, why can’t we just assume that the mutt was dry? After all, it really doesn’t rain everyday in this country. In fact, we sometimes even experience drought.

 

Gubra is also criticised for having the imam and his family tolerate the neighbourhood’s Malay prostitutes instead of trying to coerce them out of the business and lead a righteous Muslim life. Again, I think many have missed an important point in the story. Coercion and confrontation aren’t always effective, as was the case of the disco raid by Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) in Kuala Lumpur last year which did not discourage young Muslims from clubbing the following week.

 

Yasmin’s remedy for social ills seems more promising: constructive engagement. Religion and morality cannot be propagated by force. In fact, one of the reasons why some of the dakwah (propagation of religion) missions have backfired is because it is often confrontational and exclusive. Engagement, on the other hand, allows trust to build over time and is based on living by example. One is unlikely to attract people to goodness by lecturing self-righteously, rather through one’s wholesome way of life.

 

Nevertheless, Gubra is not without faults. Yasmin recently said there were scenes in the film that she could have shot differently, such as the scenes of men and women touching each other freely or the scene that showed an actor’s buttocks. But what’s important is the message of the story and the healthy dose of discussion that followed.

 

We just have to remember that hers is a story of compassion and mercy, which in Islam transcends colour, gender, economics and vocation.

 

flip

 

we’re not exactly the kind of people who read what’s popular or cool. take for example Wonder Boys (Chabon). if it weren’t for a friend who cared enough about our coolness and introduced it to us, we probably wouldn’t have read it. and you know what? it wouldn’t have affected is a bit, not readnig it. okay sure, Wonder Boys isn’t a new book. but it was once new, when it first came out. and considering its reputation, it must have rocked the reading world from the start. not only did we not know about it when it was first published, we weren’t even a*sed to be curious when we eventually found out about it. it took a concerned friend to force the book upon us, and sure … we liked it. didn’t go crazy about it, but we liked it. must say though … Chabon can be quite annoying with his sentences. he does it sometimes, long sentences with lots of commas in them. you know, when a writer tries to say too much in a breath. it’s f*cking annoying. and even more annoying is that you know he felt good writing those sentences. you just know it. you can almost see the sly smile form on his face when he dots the period. by the way, the book’s made into a movie. we, of course, have not watched it and cannot be a*sed. for now, at least.

 

as for Oprah … well, we have much respect for Oprah, but we don’t give a bleeding damn what she’s reading, or if she likes a certain book and think the millions who watch her should also read it. what the f*ck, Anna Karenina? are you f*cking with us, Bretha?! we have jobs and bills to pay, damn it!

 

don’t ever read Godless Morality (Holloway). it’s annoyingly American.

 

and what’s up with all these books on how to make lots of money in 24 hours?! f*ck.

 

whatever happened to the Mr. Men and Little Miss series? we went all over the universe looking for them but with no luck! those were good shit. we’d put the series in at par with Lenore and Captain Underpants. look it up, kid. good shit.

 

yea … Madonna should never be allowed to address children. not even in writing. did anybody see that picture of her feeding chicken in her garden? 

 

can you feel this song? if you can, i want to know you

 

it’s like sitting in a corner, crouched on the floor, back against the wall, listening to Edith Piaf’s song, whatever the title is, the really sad one. you have no idea what the hell she’s saying, but you understand her completely. it’s like the tenor saxophone solo at the start of that really depressing song; what’s the title again? mournful. the language doesn’t matter, it’s the message that counts. tears fall from your eyes. the music pierces through your skin. bones. soul. you’re forever scarred.

 

how does it feel like crying to a song you know not the language? out of this world. have you ever been there; out of this world? no. but i know what it’s like. it’s like love. i don’t know what love is, but i know how it feels. eventhough i’ve never been in love.

 

Onitsuka this

 

the thing about Tarantino is that he’s f*cking brilliant. i f*cking hate his guts, but he’s f*cking brilliant. have you seen the extra footages in his Collector’s Edition DVDs? the man is so f*cking full of himself. being a genius is no excuse for that, surely! see, Kanye West is f***ing full of himself. but he’s not annoying about it the way Tarantino is.

 

f*ck. the T reminds me of someone i used to know.

 

would it be too lame if i said i want to get me one of those Mexico 66’s that Tarantino has? why? because he has a pair and i’m one of those stupid f*cks who buy stupid shit things that people usually don’t give a damn about unless geniuses like Tarantino have them.

 

$83.95 for a pair of ugly tennis shoes. what the f*ck?!

 

it’s too bad what happened between Thurman and Hawke. i hated him in Reality Bites. i loved him in Great Expectations. Thurman’s brilliant in Tarantino’s movies. Kill Bill was one of the most romantic movies i’ve seen in my life.

 

it’s funny how a good soundtrack makes all the difference. Kill Bill could have been a violent, horror movie.