Misbahu El-Hamza

W e all want to enjoy the sweetness of freedom, Justice and happiness. In this world of illusion where you see one thing, but the reality is different. Thirsty to be respected, just as we crave to be valued. Often time we think, that if only the 'society' will give us a chance, we can not just change, but save the world. I once asked a friend why she chose to wear what she wore, outside, though it makes her uncomfortably happy. She couldn't lie but said, society thinks she looks good (in them). See, in the pursuit of happiness and the quest for 'liberation,' Justice and (embracing) the fact that we all are slaves; to either our desires; our various slave masters; our parents, peers, teachers, the CEOs or the politicians are key. Last time I checked, you didn't chose your race, your ethnicity or gender. Subhanallah you didn't even chose your parents and DNA - that priceless molecular basis of heredity passed on to you from generations -- Someone, does! The sa...

I was in primary school when a family friend brought a video cassette of Zango Kataf crisis, somewhere in Kaduna state, to watch in my mother's room. My family, having let him watched with me in place, had to pay the price of sleepless nights for my horrible nightmare. I also missed classes for a week. Sick. While in Junior secondary school, like everyone, we were running carelessly and confused from school back home, for the first time, I saw and jumped over a dying man in blood, crawling helplessly, butchered by angry youths in what was termed 'ethno-religious crises' in Jos. Minutes after we arrived home, out of fear, I was arrested by fever, diarrhea and expectedly, the horrible nightmare. Till date, I have no idea what triggered and misguided hearts in Kataf, but I have hundred stories on Jos. I did not know a single person in Kataf neither do I lose a single relative, directly, in the more than decade crisis in Jos. Yet, my health and mental state were hit hard.  Othe...

We the youths struggle hard to wake for Fajr (dawn prayer). In most cases we largely depend on our alarms or a door knock from Mommy, Daddy or our neighbors etcetera. By all indications, few of us developed a comprehensive solution that addresses their deeper issues of waking up to not miss Fajr. The proportion of the married men and probably women (since I'm not certain but hoping. No hard feelings please) who wake for Fajr on the other hand is significantly awesome. Probably, that has to do with being conscious of their responsibilities of being 'shepherds.' These shepherds, to be honest with you, to say that you people are really trying is an understatement. We are seeing the flow of your flock (the school aged-kids and teenagers especially) to the Masjid (mosque) for Fajr. I don't know how you manage to do that, but that's really commendable of you. However, I noticed something with these young stars; they mostly spent this blessed moment in the Masjid in slumb...