Pengalaman sertai Demo: Himpunan Aman Solidariti Rakyat Mesir

Assalamua'laikum,

Pada 17 Ramadhan 1434 / 26 Julai 2013, telah di adakan Himpunan Aman Solidariti Rakyat Mesir selepas solat Juma'at. Peserta-peserta demonstrasi telah berkumpul di depan surau Tabung Haji dan dari situ telah berjalan kaki sepanjang 3km ke arah Kedutaan Mesir. 

It was my first time! I have never joined a demo before! Hubby parked the car at LRT Asia Jaya and we took the LRT to Ampang Park and walked to Tabung Haji. We arrived there a few minutes before Solat Jumaat, so I waited with some girls who had also arrived early. 

Since the other demonstrators also arrived early, the crowd for the Jumu'ah prayer spewed over to the pavement. To me it was a beautiful sight! I took a picture of it: 

Anyway, before my hubby left me; he told me to put on my niqab (i don't usually wear one, but i bring one around nowadays due to the haze). I felt uneasy to put it in but since it was moderately hazy and since we were going to walk on the street, I decided to put it on. 

I saw quite a few familiar faces; most of them hubby's friends who usually come down for demo's anyway. What else is new? :) 

After the Jumu'ah prayer the place was crowded with more demonstrators! Men and women alike. One girl and her clique decided to "adopt" me since I had no clique of my own and I just felt like that was the sweetest gesture! Subhanallah. 

After getting posters of Dr Morsi, we were given instructions on the procession (this came after a short pep talk about the demo) and soon after, we began the demo with spirited slogans : Hidup Hidup! Hidup islam! I can't quite remember the rest except Hidup hidup morsi, turun turun sisi (asisi) besides some zikr La ilaha ilallah, etc. 

First, we crossed a busy main road with traffic. Literally traffic lights left and right and cars and motorcycles, but I was quite awed by the fact that the demonstration had a team of volunteers that looked after the crowd all along the way. I also saw a few motorcycles used as medical stand by. 

So we walked..along the road. We occupied the pedestrian walkway as well as one driving lane, i think. It did cross my mind whether we might have been causing a traffic jam and I recall feeling slightly nervous of being scolded by any of the drivers but this did not happen. Or at least i did not happen to see or hear any. 

So all along the road we were chanting the slogans, until we arrived a few blocks away from the Embassy. I was told that we   weren't allowed to gather directly in front of it and the FRU (police) had camped in front of it anyway. 

So we stood there, it was a housing area. And listened to the speeches given by the leaders of a few NGO's. They were very spirited! One of them read the memo that was going to be sent to the Embassy. Can't quite remember all four points of it. My bad! 

I think we finished by about 4 pm with a doa. I was so glad to hear the moderator announce that busses were provided for the female demonstrators! It was raining cats and dogs and I was not fasting and feeling rather hungry and thirsty. 

On the bus on the way back to Ampang Park, I sat beside a girl I recently met about a month ago. We chatted some and parted at Ampang Park. Hubby prayer 'Asr at the surau Tabung Haji and we took the LRT back to Asia Jaya. Hubby and I chatted about the purpose of Demo's (in general) and the role of the media. 

Oh i forgot to mention that as i was walking, it suddenly occurred to me that the Hajj Pilgrimage is also a "demo" because just as Qurban and fasting in Ramadhan or fasting in general, Allah does not "need" anything from us except that He has instructed us to do some practices FOR OUR OWN GOOD or some other benefit pertaining to it (for the society, for other people to take benefit from it, etc). 

As for demo's (and not religious routines), I do believe in it to make a statement. Because... i believe that Allah also asks us to make a "demo" especially for Him (Hajj and congregational prayer). Wallahua'lam. Alhamdulillah, i feel so lucky to have been given the chance to join this demo!