When faith is put to ultimate tests...

"And certainly, We shall test you with fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give good news to the patient, Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allâh we belong and to Him we shall surely return. They are those on whom are the blessings and mercy from their Lord, and it is they who are guidedones."

Now that's God talking to us in Quran. Every human pays a price for ardently believing in what he percieves or is convinced to be the truth. Be it in religious or social terms. It's always been a test of faith to side with the Truth and usually much more easier to side with those who are not on that path.

One such heartrending story I read recently on a Middle eastern newspaper. Such stories never make headlines elsewhere and not even in the Middle East since most of the press is regulated and doesn't usually do western bashing for the rulers affinity towards their western friends but this is a paper which has many Indians amongst it's op-ed writers and journalists and this report is also by one such journalist bringing honor to her profession.

In this report is a story of a father who is being punished for following the noble diktats of charity of his religion which are sufficient for his implication. Funding of Osama during his Anti Soviet stance, Israeli occupation of lands, Support of saddams unjust and uncalled for war against Iran, wouldn't fall into this category of funding terror by US.

Read "Twin Tragedy":
May god save us from such tests in this life, for most of us are weak to see us through without getting insane.

But then...I have heard that God also gives one strength to pass through such calamities when they befall upon them...afterall, I wouldn't have betted a penny if someone asked me that American casualties in Iraq would go beyond a hundred. It was a country and a population with virtually no defenses, no air power and no missiles and an absolute, dictionary defiinition of "sitting duck", ready to take a direct shot.

But men courage to see them through travails and stand steadfast in face of oppression should never be underestimated. That's one lesson Iraq war has taught me.

Anyways...Present american administrations hegemony behind the curtain of it's "War on Terror" is bringing untold miseries on innocents which, if reported in "Truth", aptly qualifies the present Bush regime to be tried as "War criminals".

But who cares!!!