13th Presentation - Turkey

Salaam to all. Yaya here. Another class, another topic was presented. Not many people came to class that day, I wonder why.

This time the topic is the country of Turkey and the presenter is none other than my conference and landmark speech group mate, sr. Wahidah.

I actually forgot to post this this topic, Sorry! Anyway, let's move on. Turkey's recent issue about the non-permission to wear the head scarf is what causes uproar and sarcastic remarks from other Muslims, that an Islamic country to banned the head scarf is totally illogical and blasphemous. The factor that is actually responsible is this phenomena is secularism. Of all the issue that sr. Wahidah presented, honestly I could only remember this one.

About miss presenter, her voice tone was high and very clear, she does not have to make an effort to raise her voice at all. I really admire that. she presented it briefly and in bite size form that it was easily understandable. There wasn't much gesture and she didn't move alot, but i think her voice make up for it. since there weren't many people present, she had managed to maintain eye contact but not for long.

All in all, good job sr. Wahidah.

Eulogy by EYLLIA

this is my eulogy to my beloved family...i would leave this world far, far away...hope you all forgive me what i had done to you...

to mom,
i am sorry for not listen to your words. i am sorry for broken your heart. i make you sad. i want you to know that you are my place that i turn to, my shoulder when i am sad...you give me strength to face all these difficulties in life. thanks for your advise mom...please forgive me with all i had done to you...i love you mom, all the way...may God bless you my lovely mom...

to dad,
i want to say that i love you very much dad...you are my great hero in this world...no one else can replace your place. dad, i am sorry for raising up my voice in front of you and for not doing good behave for you. but all you have to know that, you are the greatest father that i ever had...thanks dad! please forgive me what i had done to you dad..may God bless you, my hero...

to my cute little sister,
having you around me makes my life happy...with your smiles, your laughs makes my life more wonderful. i am glad that i have you as my "best friend"...we share lots of secrets, tears and joy...hope your life will be brigther as your smile...study hard dear, make our parents proud of you...love you always sis...may God bless in whatever you do...take care of yourself and our parents too...please forgive me all mistakes that i had done...i love you so much...

to mom, dad and my lovely sis...
i have to go...i must leave you...may all of your life will be bestowed with bless from God...may we see each other in paradise...so long my beloved family...love you all so much!

idea by: EYLLIA HELMIL

Final Presentation-Chechnya

Jay: Salam, good morning everybody….erm for the final informative speech, the topic is about Chechnya. The presenter is Ahmed Nashrul, a shy guy. Regarding the topic, in my opinion, Chechnya is also known as the Republic of Chechnya. Previously, the government type in Chechnya was the regional government but nowadays, it is the separatist government. About the issues in Chechnya, there are three major issues that I will highlight in this blog such as First Chechen War (1994-1996), the Moscow Peace Treaty and the Second Chechen War.
Firstly, the First Chechen War occurred in a two years period lasting from 1994 to 1996 when Russian force attempted to stop Chechnya from getting their independence. Secondly, about the Moscow Peace Treaty, in Mid November 1996, Yeltsin and Maskhador signed an agreement about the issue in their country. Lastly, the Second Chechen War is the result of the agreement between Yeltsin and Maskhador. It occurred in 1996 and this war stuck the Russian government accused Chechnya militant in series of bombing in Russia.
Regarding the presenter, Nashrul has the confidence and his voice projection is clear. At first, he does not read from his note but in the middle of the presentation , he starts to read more on the slides. He can improve himself by establishing eye contact and do not read too much from the slides. That’s all from me tata….

15th Presentation-Philippines

Jay: Salam...for the 15th presentation, the topic is about the country of Philippines and the presenter is Fazli, the youngest brother in our Professional Speech class. in my opinion, The Philippines officially the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas is an archipelagic nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, bordering countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau and the Republic of China, although it is the only Southeast Asian country to share no land borders with its neighbors. The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country with a population approaching 87 million people. Today, the Philippines has many affinities with the Western world, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Roman Catholicism became the predominant religion, although pre-Hispanic indigenous religious practices and Islam still exist. The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and English.

Regarding the presenter, he has the confidence but seriously i do not know what he presents in the class. Anyway, he manages to answer all the questions during the Q & A session because he does not elaborate more during the presentation. That is why the audiences have many questions. Before i end my comment, Dexter, please be prepared and don't forget to bring your USB and handout.

16th Presentation-Iran

Jay: Salam...i'm back. For yesterday's class, there was one presentation entitled Iran. The presenter was Marziana a.k.a Julie. From my opinion, the national name for Iran is Republic of Iran. The type of government of Iran is Theocratic Republic and the current President is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Honestly, Iran is a wonderful country with its interesting places. Furthermore, previously Iran is known as Persia. Next, i will focus about the issues in Iran which are Iran-Iraq War, the earthquake and Iran Nuclear Program. Firstly, Iran-Iraq war is basically about fighting for territory. The cause of the issue is natural resources and power. But the cause is still in doubt. Secondly, in 1990, the major earthquake has killed 40,000 Iranian. it is so sad situation. lastly, the latest issue is Iran Nuclear Program which is Iran enrichment the nuclear program. Iran claimed that the program as peaceful event or purpose. This issue is still unresolved and remined until now.

Regarding the presenter, the presentation is interesting and entertaining but it should be professional. Her sound projection is clear and she has the confidence. However, there is also non word like "maybe". There is still a room for improvement such as establishing eye contact, follow the flow of the presentation and not to wait until to move to the next points...........

Book Review - Ibn Hazm

Salaam to all! Yaya here. I decided to do a book review on Ibn Hazm because I've heard of the name many times before but not know a single thing about the personality. So, below is a brief summary of the book I've chosen.

IBN HAZM OF CORDOVA AND HIS CONCEPTION OF THE SCIENCES
BY A.G. CHEJNE

Ibn Hazm (d. 1064) of Cordova was a humanist par excellence and one of the intellectual giants in Islam. He was born at the turn of the tenth century, in the
golden age of al-Andalus.

He was a poet, historian, theologian, jurist, philosopher and polemicist (see below for meaning) who is reported to have written four hundred volumes on various disciplines. As a prolific writer, he had a great deal to say about the sciences: religious sciences, grammar and lexicography, poetry, literary criticism, logic, astronomy, astrology, medicine, alchemy, music and others.

He recognized the interdependence of the sciences; he believed and promoted a broad liberal education combining the secular and the religious disciplines. Besides, he was a critic and an intellectual rebel who raised his voice on the major issues of his time attacking fearlessly the leniency and indifferences of religious scholars, jurists and rulers towards the socioreligious problems facing eleventh-century al-Andalus and the whole Muslim world.

He was a rationalist and devout religious man, who combined a rigorous scientific method with religious criteria clamoring for change and corrective measures in the approach to religious matters and insisting on individual inquiry (ijtihad) instead of the over reliance on old authorities.

His fresh new approach did not endear him to the secular and religious authorities, which subjected him to ostracism and persecution, but he never relinquished his beliefs. In fact, the sale of his books was forbidden and many of them were burned. Despite these heavy restrictions many of his works survived and had a considerable impact on succeeding generations.

Ibn Hazm is a marvelous thinker and Islamic intellectual, but sadly his ideas were not accepted by the community in his time. His belief of combining both secular and religious education was not realized until now, in the modern time. He was simply living in the wrong place at the wrong time. His method of combining scientific method with religious criteria, in the approach to religious matters, is an interesting way and most probably acceptable in this time.

The book contains 340 pages not including front page, content page, preface and acknowledgement. About 90 pages comprise of bibliographies, notes and appendixes. 45 pages were the Arabic version of one of his famous book, Maratib al-‘ulum. The rest is about Ibn Hazm himself and his thoughts on the sciences.

- polemicist: a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology

BooK ReVieW- Abdullah Yusuf Ali

JAY : For our Book Review assignment, we have to study about the biography of the Muslim Personality. As for me, I choose Abdullah Yusuf Ali because he is the most famous in the English-speaking Muslim world for a major work of twentieth century Islamic scholarship-“The Holy Qur’an” Text, Translation and Commentary, published in 1934. The book that I refer to is “Searching for Solace: The Commentator of the Holy Qur’an”.



Abdullah Yusuf Ali was born on 4 April 1872 in Surat, a textile town in Gujrat, Western India. He belonged to a trade community known as the Bohras. Yusuf Ali died in 1953. His early education was at the Anjuman-e-Islam and then a missionary school named after its Scots founder, John Wilson. Yusuf Ali was one of those children who are born as adults.

Educational institutions were to be his real home from a very early age. Yusuf Ali had a brilliant academic record at Wilson School, matriculating top of his year for Bombay at the age of fourteen. He proceeded to obtain a first-class Bombay University in January 1891, possibly in Classics because he won a Latin prize and was appointed to the Dakshna Fellowship in Greek history at his old college.

Yusuf Ali was awarded a Bombay Government scholarship for further studies in England under a scheme instituted in 1868. During his adult life, Yusuf Ali twice married in England and with many British friends show the personal ties with accompanied a quest for a harmonious world order and he was a prominent supporter of a variety of organizations.

Searching for Solace is an open and sympathetic study that draws on Yusuf Ali’s vast literary production as well as unpublished sources. His public acclaim contrasted with a troubled marital life and a sense of despair. He turned to the Qur’an for peace and mind and found healing. He then wrote as a man inspired, developing his literary skills as a professional for the bright of enlightenment and spiritual upliftment he had experienced. His job as a college principal of Islamia College, Lahore and his political strong loyalty also shaped his Qur’anic scholarship and these inter-relationships are explored in the biography of the book that I have studied.