*Bangs Head on Wall*
Subhan'Allah.
I don't like people.
People who let their egos and irresponsibility and personal grudges get in the way of continuing the work of an Islamic centre. Grown adults who act like petty school children; who have willingly volunteered their time but who don't actually do anything - or at least, don't do anything unless they're (verbally) kicked in the butt, and then they go do what they're told with a frustratingly childish sulky attitude.
People who can't take care of expensive equipment bought with painstakingly collected and saved donations...
People who overwhelm the few really awesome people left, who ruin the efforts of this special handful, and totally mess up the good that's being done (or trying to get done).
I feel so sorry for my dad... having to manage not just a Madrasah, an upcoming summer camp, a Muslim youth helpline, counselling, AND an Islamic centre in another city.
May Allah grant him ease, peace of mind, and the strength and patience to keep dealing with stupid people. If I were him, I would've smacked someone upside the head by now.
This is where the control freak in me kicks in: I wish I could implant mindchips into these people's heads and override their stupidity so that it makes things easier for my dad and for the other few guys who are working really hard at the Dar...
Honestly, I feel like crying. For nine years my dad worked his butt off getting the Islamic centre off the ground, helping it grow out of a tiny office on top of a car factor into several larger facilities, from a simple bookstore to a musallah with weekly halaqas and regular programs for men, women, kids and teens... subhan'Allah, he sacrificed a lot of family time (and okay, so we resented it awfully at the time, but now I'm starting to understand why), and our lives were split between home and the Dar - we used to joke that the Dar was our second home, and my dad's first home.
Then the stress got so bad that we had to move, and now stupid people left in charge, who were trusted to keep things going, go and RUIN EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Bangs head on wall*
I'm glad that I have strong memories of 'the glory days' and haven't had to witness the miserable ruins of the place as it is now (unlike my dad, who's had to make several trips back and forth to deal with issues)...
Politics used to fascinate me. Now it sickens me. Politics between people, between fellow Muslims who are forgetting what our Islamic centre was founded on and why it was established in the first place, is what is ruining everything.
People suck.
Masjid politics are never fun.
ReplyDeleteA local scholar I know mentions often how today, we as Muslims take out our frustration on the global Muslim condition on our local masjids. We can't control the governments of Muslim countries, so we try to control our masjids. Everyone wants some ownership and control of the masaajid, and it consistently ends up as a big mess.
My old Islamic Centre went through a phase where it had become something of a power struggle between the adults and the youth. The adults were doing a terrible job organizing things and hurt our efforts to build a full masjid by their constant bickering, and we ended up losing a chance at purchasing some amazing property. Eventually, us youth took full control of the place, and alhamdolillah we successfully managed to purchase a great piece of property and establish a proper masjid. We're all friends that run the place now, and things are going very smoothly masha-Allah for several years now. Of course, we will still solicit the advice and help of the older generation, but the real decisions are still made by the youth (though we're all growing up now, so I don't know if our group can still be called "youth".)
Bottom line is, I don't think "People suck", but adults often do.
"Of course, we will still solicit the advice and help of the older generation, but the real decisions are still made by the youth"
ReplyDeleteI have a better idea, it is better that AnonyMouse decide everything for the local masjids.
Come to think of it it would be even better if AnonyMouse run the country.
But the absolute best idea is to let AnonyMouse run the whole world!
I think that would be best for everyone.
sweden1975
(I am sure it is the best solution)
Faraz:
ReplyDeleteMasha'Allah, I'm glad that things turned out well for your community after all!
What I think is sad is that the younger guys whom my dad trusted with certain things are doing just as badly as the older guys are... and even WORSE is that this weekend I found that my fellow teens suck just as much when it comes to following up on talk with actions. Only 3 people - myself, and two of my friends - showed up at the masjid for what we had planned.
:(
The absolute worst thing for me is, I know these people closely, and we know them to be good people with good intentions... so when we have to deal with their irresponsibility and incompetence, it really hurts.
You can't get angry at them - or at least, you can't show your anger - because it'd mean ruining your friendships... and it just seems to be a lose-lose situation in which a few people have to burden the business of the majority.
May Allah make things easy for us, ameen.
Sweden: You're still around, eh? Thanks for the comment... ironically, my latest English essay was on a dictatorship headed by moi! :P
Hmm, maybe I'll go pop in there myself and take a look to see what's going on. I've only got a few weeks left before I leave this city!
ReplyDeleteWell written article.
ReplyDelete