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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright April 2023
There was a time in our nation's history when FLOM referred to a certain lady who was the wife of a former Prime Minister. But that went out of style when the husband stepped down as the premier and the wife ceased to use the term. Or the term was no longer used to refer to her as one.
Of late another FLOM has emerged. This refers to a certain individual who wanted to be a FLOM where the M refers to a mosque.
Over a tea reception on Aidilfitri, I couldn't help laughing when a lady in the community vocally criticised an individual who used the term for herself just because the husband was the chairman of a local mosque committee.
How weird could one be to subject herself to such ridicule?
However, self entitlement gained her access to the prime seat in the women's wing of the mosque at prayer times. Apparently no other person was allowed to occupy that space when her husband reigned supreme.
Wow, it had never crossed my mind that anyone would go out of the way to pronounce oneself as a FLOM only to save a space for prayers at a local mosque just because her husband is Chairman of the governing committee.
It's sheer pomposity and arrogance of the highest order to endow upon oneself a title in the house of God, to be more equal than others. Doesn't she know that everyone is equal before the Almighty? More so in the house of God.
More weird yet, when she was absent the space was left empty because all ladies at the prayer hall feared that she might just turn up and the individual who occupied het spot would be rebuked.
But if only FLOM knew that Allah does not favour the arrogance amongst his subjects. The following verse from the Quran may help enlighten her about not being arrogant.
And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster” (Quran 31:18).
We have cited the case of Flom of the mosque to remind ourselves that "Pride and arrogance are destroyers of faith – it deeply cuts into one’s spirituality and can damage another’s feeling of well-being and happiness as well. As Muslims, it remains our duty to protect our morals of humbleness, respect, and empathy.
"We must ensure we are continuously remembering our duty to treat everyone with the same feelings of respect we would expect from others. After all, we all are only servants of Allah and therefore have no right to harbor any feelings of pride or arrogance."
May I appeal to wife or wives of future Chairman of any mosque committee to refrain calling themselves FLOM and demand they be respected because they happened to be married to the Chair of the day. For you can never demand for respect. It has to be earned without having to resort to false titles.
By the way, we do not make it a norm of calling the wife of a PM the First Lady until that particular individual came to "power" and acclaimed herself to be one.
Let's stop this practice. This is not the US of A.
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