The Problem With The 72 Virgins Theory

Bradley Farless6 Comments

I was thinking about this theory of Islamic martyrs receiving 72 virgins and it doesn’t seem to add up.  This doesn’t really have anything to do with Singapore, but I’m an American who previously served in the Army and spent time in the Middle East, so it’s an issue that I have some interest in.  Extremists are constantly attacking Americans both in the US and abroad using suicide bombing tactics, presumably with this concept of martyrdom and rewards in mind.

So, I did some research and this is what I found:

The theory itself  has no basis in the Koran.  It is instead based on a supposed saying of Muhammad, but Muslim scholars have agreed that the chain of referrers for the supposed saying is fairly weak and that one of the people in the chain is known to have produced unauthentic ‘sayings’ before.  That’s from Wikipedia, so it may not be 100% spot on, but the information is usually pretty reliable.

What Muhammad supposedly said was:

‘The smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode where there are eighty thousand servants and seventy-two houri, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine and ruby, as wide as the distance from al-Jabiyyah to San’a.’

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=talovecof-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1931930252&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrThere is also some debate that if this were in fact said, the current translation is a misinterpretation and that what was meant was white raisins, rather than 72 virgin maidens.  White raisins were considered a delicacy at the time.  Also, Margaret Nydell, who wrote Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times, stated that many mainstream Muslims view the 72 virgin theory the way many Christians view the idea of getting wings and a harp and walking on clouds in Heaven.  It’s just a bit of myth and fluff, not really what you experience.  Unfortunately, the idea is being twisted and used by extremists to turn young men to a path of violence.

From the perspective of people who are far more knowledgeable in the subject, the idea of getting 72 virgins after martyrdom is a fantasy, rather than a reality.  I have to agree.  I tried to rationalize the whole thing, if it were true, but I couldn’t see how it would work.

Let’s just say that there are indeed 72 virgins waiting for martyrs in Heaven.  Where do they come from? That’s the question that I couldn’t get past.

At first, I thought that perhaps these 72 virgins are unbelievers or sinners who are serving in this position for eternity as some sort of punishment for their Earthly deeds.  However, that doesn’t stand to reason.  How many virgins do you know who’ve committed sins grave enough to be sentenced to an eternity of bodily servitude?  Besides that, how could they be serving their sentence in Heaven?  If these 72 virgins are waiting in Heaven, then they too have to be believers, or how else could they be admitted to Heaven in the first place?  And if they were believers and they were admitted to Heaven then wouldn’t they be in a position of reward?  How many women out there believe a reward in Heaven to be spending an eternity servicing a man you’ve never met along with 71 other women?  And of you who say this might be appealing to you, how many are virgins?  It could be possible that these women would be created out of thin air for this very purpose, but what just creator would construct sentient life and then sentence it to an eternity of servitude?

Perhaps I’m mixing my beliefs into this but I just don’t see it as feasible.  If these 72 virgins are live souls then there’s no way they could find themselves in that position.  If they’re created for the purpose of slavery then it’s unjust, and that doesn’t fit the description of anyone’s higher power that I’m aware of.

Keep in mind that this post isn’t meant to tear down Islam as a religion.  How could it?  I don’t understand Islam well enough to launch that kind of argument against it.  This is just my attempt to tackle a theory with common sense, and the series of thoughts I had regarding it.  Perhaps there’s a way to rationalize the existence of these virgins, but I don’t see it.

Having reached the conclusion I did, I wonder how it is that people allow themselves to be tricked into throwing their lives away?

2010 Chinese New Year Home Decorations

Bradley Farless1 Comment

Another big holiday in Singapore (other than Christmas, where they go berserk with decorations) is Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year.  Last year we missed it, but this year we’re planning on being front and center at whatever celebratory event Singapore has to offer.

With the holiday upcoming people are already starting to decorate.  I’ve seen some decorations up at malls, but nothing too serious, yet anyway.  The family we live with has also pulled out their decorations, which are pretty cool looking.  I took some photos to share.

My Cat Ripped A Lizard’s Tail Off

Bradley Farless12 Comments

This is the first time I’ve ever seen this actually happen in person so it was pretty neat for me.

I was sitting on my bed, playing with my cat when she leapt off and ran towards the door.  I looked to see what she was doing and she was chasing a small lizard around the room.  Next thing I know, she’s swatting at a flopping, pale looking thing on the floor.  I took it away from her and it turns out it was the lizard’s tail.

The tail kept flopping around on its own for about five minutes.  It was kinda creepy.

The lizard itself hid in a corner.  I grabbed it with some tissue and put it outside.  It’s probably too traumatized to come back in the house so I’m sure that’s where it wanted to be anyway.

Mini Marble Is Getting Spayed

Bradley Farless5 Comments
This is a much later image of (not so) Mini Marble, from March 2012. The original file was lost when Posterous shut down its service.
This is a much later image of (not so) Mini Marble, from March 2012. The original file was lost when Posterous shut down its service.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever posted photos of Mini Marble here but she was picked up tonight to be taken for spaying.

You see, Mini Marble is a stray cat, a community cat, here in Pasir Ris. She’s a small kitten of about 7 months and we see her every day as we walk from the MRT station back to our place.

We first noticed her a few weeks ago and she won us over with her playful attitude. She also helped us to make some new friends. So, we carry a small amount of kibble with us to give to her to make sure she stays fed.

Mini Marble’s sterilization will be paid for through donations. It’s dangerous for unsterilized cats to wander around housing estates in Singapore. When they go into heat they may become noisy which often provoked uncompassionate residents into filing complaints. I say uncompassionate because the resulting ‘solution’ is that the cat or cats are often rounded up and sent of to be killed.

So, this is a good thig for her. It’ll help keep her out of the crosshairs of idiots and overzealous estate managers.

She’ll be laid up at the vet for a week and she’ll then be taken back to her usual territory. Hopefully everything goes well for her.

Aoba Ramen

Bradley Farless4 Comments

Manpuku at Tampines 1 has a stall called Aoba Ramen (I think) that sells some really kick-ass dishes.  I hadn’t noticed it before, probably because I always associate ramen with that cheap, instant stuff I’m used to seeing in grocery stores.  After reading some blogs about Japan though, I stopped to give it serious consideration and decided to try it out.

My wife and I both fixated on the shoyu ramen that had pieces of pork set on top of it.  It was a great choice!  I didn’t have my camera on me so I snapped some photos with my iPhone.

Aoba Ramen

We also got a side order of gyoza with our ramen.  I think there was a discounted price that day so we decided to give them a try.  They were also very good.

Aoba Ramen 2

We finished the meal off by trying the green tea ice cream, which was listed as ‘macha’ ice cream.  It has a unique taste and is pretty good.  I think the taste would get old if I ate it too often.  It can also play games with your stomach, so be careful of that.

Aoba Ramen 3

Looking at the picture of the ramen, blurry as it is, makes me hungry.  I think I’ll try to convince my wife that we should go back there soon.

Almost Time For Chinese New Year’s

Bradley Farless3 Comments

If you don’t know, Chinese New Year’s is going to fall on February 14th this year.  That’s right!  Right on Valentine’s Day!  So, now you can spend the day on a date with your significant other and then spend the night celebrating at the parade.

Also, if you don’t keep up with the Chinese year’s and what animals represent them, this lunar year will be the Year of the Tiger.  If you’re in the US and there’s no Chinatown close by, just eat some cornflakes and share a smile with Tony the Tiger to celebrate.

Chinese New Year’s Decorations are already on sale:

Chinese New Year Decorations

Avatar Used To Justify The Belief That 9/11 Attacks in NYC Were Staged

Bradley Farless13 Comments

“In September 2001, the World Trade Centre was attacked allegedly by terrorists. I am not sure now that Muslim terrorists carried out these attacks. There is strong evidence that the attacks were staged. If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,” said Dr Mahathir during his speech at the General Conference for the Support of Al-Quds here. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

For those of you that don’t know, Dr Mahathir was the Prime Minister of Malaysia from 16 July 1981 to 31 October 2003. He gave this statement, and others that will be in this entry, on January 20th, 2010.

Now that you have some background on this guy, let’s dive right into the heart of the matter. This guy is either senile, crazy, or both, but he’s most obviously a racist and should no longer be allowed to get near a reporter or microphone. How the hell can you say that because the US can make a 3D movie, we were capable of staging the September 11th attacks that killed around 3000 people? It’s absurd. Guess what, Dr Mahathir? Those holes in the ground in NYC aren’t special effects. They’re real. The people that died weren’t extras that shared a beer and laughed about the film later. They were real too. And they’re dead. Al’Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. The last time I checked, Osama Bin Laden wasn’t the Commander in Chief.

And, as if this weren’t enough, he went on to make plenty of off-color comments about the Jewish people and Israel.

“The Jews had always been a problem in European countries. They had to be confined to ghettoes and periodically massacred. But still they remained, they thrived and they held whole governments to ransom.

“Even after their massacre by the Nazis of Germany, they survived to continue to be a source of even greater problems for the world. The Holocaust failed as a final solution,” said the outspoken Malaysian leader who was noted for his anti-Western and anti-Zionist stand while in power for 22 years, until October 2003.

Nice job projecting your racist views about Jews onto the entire European population. He seems to imply here that all Europeans wanted to get rid of the Jews all along and that, given the opportunity, would have sanctioned their mass extermination. I must have missed that page in my history book, and I certainly don’t recall World War II playing out quite that way.

The only sensible thing to come out of his mouth was what he had to say about Obama:

“Well, I am a bit disappointed because so far none of his promises have been kept. He promised to get out from Afghanistan but he ended up sending more troops there instead. He promised to close down Guantanamo but he has not closed down Guantanamo. Even other things he has not been able to do.

“It is quite easy to promise during election time but you know there are forces in the United States which prevents the president from doing some things. One of the forces is the Jewish lobby, IPAC,” he said.

I wonder why he went easy on him? It might be because he feels like Obama is a fellow Muslim being oppressed by supposed Jewish powers in Washington.  This guy’s paranoia runs deep.

There should come a point in all of our lives, famous politician, rock star, or whatever, where we realize that we’re no longer competent to speak to the public. If we can’t see it in ourselves, someone should tell us, because obviously Dr Mahathir’s time has long since come and gone.

Singapore’s First Wendy’s Is Great, But Why Lau Pa Sat?

Bradley Farless3 Comments

We’ve known Wendy’s was here in Singapore for quite a few weeks but we just never took the time to get out to it.  The reason is that it’s not situated in a very easy to get to area.  It’s way out in Lau Pa Sat.  First off, that’s a good distance away from where most anyone lives, and it’s not a major thoroughfare like Orchard Road either.  It’s sitting off by itself, near Raffles MRT station.  It’s not easy to find if you’re not familiar with the area and it’s not a place you can stop to eat at while window shopping.

If you look at this map, you can see that it’s not even close to the MRT station. Zoom out twice and you’ll see Raffles MRT a bit north of the location.  The reason this is bad is that this is the first Wendy’s in Singapore.  It has to make a name for itself, and it’s not going to be able to do that effectively where it’s located.  Besides the fact that it’s hard to get to, it’s been stuck in with a landmark food court that sells local dishes.  That makes it a hard choice, even if you went there specifically intending to go to Wendy’s.  My wife and I almost passed on it to eat the satay that was being served right next to it.  This restaurant would fare a lot better in a mall at the least, and on Orchard Road somewhere for sure.  I suppose what it does have going for it is that a lot of foreigners likely work in the surrounding area, but even so it could have been better situated.

Mobile Photo 19-Jan-2010 AM 04 13 58

That aside, it was nice to see that familiar Wendy’s logo.  When I lived in the US I rarely ate there.  I just didn’t care for the burgers that much and I still don’t, more so than ever after watching Food Inc.  So, in the US I would usually pass them up for Arby’s or Subway or Chinese or Mexican.  You get the point.  If this were the first Wendy’s in a US town I wouldn’t have even cared.  But, since I’m an American in a foreign country it was worth the trip just to have a small taste of home.

Mobile Photo 19-Jan-2010 AM 04 14 22

Despite the location, many people were making their way out there to eat.  The line stayed consistently long the entire time we were there.

Mobile Photo 19-Jan-2010 AM 04 14 53

And also despite my desire for a small taste of home, I wound up loading two trays with my order for my wife and I.  My wife was downtown already and couldn’t wait so she got started with a cup of chili and a salad.  When I got there, I ordered some additional food.  Like I said, I never did care for the burgers so I didn’t bother to order one.  Instead I opted for the Grilled Chicken Ceaser Salad, which was good.  We also got a cup of chili, a chili cheese baked potato, sour cream and chives baked potato, two small Frosties and a medium Coke.  It’s more filling than it sounds.  It was all great, especially the chili.  I was surprised at how well it was priced, considering how much meat was in it.  I think it was only 3.50.  Or maybe 2.50.

It’s well worth the effort of finding it and I’m sure we’ll be making another trip soon to enjoy the chili and Frosties again.

Malaysia’s Church Bombings A Disappointment

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“I think Singaporeans must have a care not to bring problems like this to themselves,” said DPM Wong at a community event in Singapore on Sunday.

“We live in an inter—connected world, we cannot be divorced from what happens in other countries. But at the same time we must be rational, and examine: when we bring such problems to our shores, what are we trying to do? Are we trying to express sympathy only, or will doing so result in more problems for our own community?”

Race and religion have always been seen as a potential minefield in Singapore.

via Yahoo! News

I’ve been following the news about the church bombings in Malaysia off and on and I think this guy’s message is pretty important.  It’s good to understand what’s going on in the world around us, as long as we don’t let it affect us so deeply that we begin to act on other people’s problems.  For all its ethnic and religious diversity, Singapore is probably the most peaceful country in the world.  It should stay that way.

This issue in Malaysia is one that boggles my mind.  Who knew that some people could be so deeply offended by such a small thing?  The universe is large, and God, or Allah, created all of it.  Do we really think that he would be so concerned over such a petty thing as non-believers using the name typically reserved for himself (in Malaysia)?  And even if Allah’s anger was piqued by non-believers using his name to refer to another idealization of God, isn’t it up to him to mete out Justice?

From my limited understanding of the use of Allah, it is typically used by Muslims when they reference God.  However, “Allah” is not a Muslim word.  It is an Arabic word, and as such is not subject to a monopoly by any certain group of people just as “God” isn’t subject to monopoly by Christians.

“The Allah ban is unusual in the Muslim world. The Arabic word is commonly used by Christians to describe God in such countries as Egypt, Syria and Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation.”

via cnews WorldWatch

I also read that one argument against allowing the Catholic publication to use the word Allah is that it may confuse Muslims and lead to unwitting conversions.  That seems really weak to me though.  Do they have so little faith in people’s intelligence?  Or in their convictions?

The most disappointing part of this incident is that it has led to violent reactions allegedly on the part of Muslims.  Violence isn’t an answer.  It’s not going to make anyone change their mind.  Not in this day and age and especially not with petty acts of arson.  If anything, these actions have galvanized public opinion against extremist Muslims and painted Christians as the victims, lending public and international  favor to the court’s ruling to allow them the use of the word Allah.

On the other hand, this does is cast Malay Muslims in a poor light, even to other Muslims, since Islam as a religion is struggling to overcome international bias as a religion of war, terror and extremism.  There have been statements from the Malaysian government stressing that these actions are not condoned by the majority of Muslims in Malaysia.  There are also many Malay Muslims who have made contributions to have fire-bombed churches repaired, in a show of national solidarity against extremist attacks.

The controversy has pushed locals to turn to the Web in a bid to rally support for the affected buildings. A blogger who started an Internet fundraising campaign for the Metro Tabernacle Church, which was attacked by arsonists, raised 8,467 ringgit (US$2,493) in four days.

Mohamed Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman, 45, started the donation drive on his blog after learning about the attack in Kuala Lumpur. He said donations poured in nationwide, and from the U.K. and Europe.

via ZDNet Asia

I don’t pretend to understand Islam, since I’m not Muslim myself, but what I do know is that we as human beings should be able to settle our differences peacefully.  Any religion that purports itself to be a religion of peace can not, by definition, support violence as a mean’s to an end so committing violent acts in the name of Islam or Allah is contradictory.  People shouldn’t be so offended on religious grounds by a practice that’s already widely accepted by Muslims around the world.

In closing, it’s nice to see that while Singaporeans have taken in the news of religious strife in Malaysia, they’ve simply consumed the information for what it is and not let it affect the peaceful prosperity that Singapore is currently enjoying.

Chow Kit Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur (Pictures)

Bradley Farless4 Comments

Just down the steps from the Chow Kit monorail station.

The busy Chow Kit wet market.

This photo was also taken in the Chow Kit wet market. The man is using a machine to shred coconut meat.

A neighborhood in the Chow Kit area.  The houses seem to be arranged in such a way that some don’t front the street at all.  You can see the blue house in the background which only has access to the road using a driveway.

Chow Kit street cats.

I took this photo from a bus when we were on our way back from the Batu Caves.  Mangay’s.  I just thought it was an interesting sign.  We saw a McCurry and a McBath along the same road.
I’m still very much looking forward to the next time we’ll get to visit Kuala Lumpur.  I miss the food and the excitement there.