June 5, 2013

Hello world!

May peace and blessings be upon you as you read this short communique.

as the Greek philosopher and mathematician, Phythagoras, was quoted as saying: "Do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few;" I will attempt to do just that :)

When the judge gave me my sentence of thirty (30) years-to-life under California's horrible "three strikes law" for a non-violent crime, he gave me this time to punish me and told me "to think about my crime"... and believe me i have. However, during these past fourteen (14) years of imprisonment, I've come to realize that God gave me this time to heal. I'm trying. So I am still standing tall, with my head to the sky and my feet on the ground, because "man" did not create me. God did "whom I call 'Allah'). Likewise, man cannot break me. And 'Allah' never will. The judge society, "man"; they can take 'my time', but they can never take 'my spirit.'

With that said, I would like to share some 'reflective poetry' that I wrote back in March of 2012. It is entitled: 'I am'...

I am Zakee Abdul Hakim (my Islamic name), a Muslim in America.
This is who I am, today. In Arabic, this name means 'The intelligent and pure ('Zekee') servant ('Abdul') of the most wise ('al-Hakim'), which is Allah. I am trying very hard to live up to this name. I wonder if equality, justice, and true freedom will ever come to fruition in these United States of America.

I hear the frustrations of the 99% poor that is directed towards the 1% elitists of our society. I see gun towers, razor wire, and high stone ramparts designed to keep me hidden from society because I stole money while high on cocaine, and I see this resulting '30-years-to-life sentence as what it is... capitol puncishment, the death penalty in slow motion.

I want to be free... to life, love, and find my life's path and purpose. I know my crimes of the past do not define who I am today. I am Zakee Abdul Hakim, a Muslim in America.

I pretend that social, racial, and economic inequality do not trouble me, when in reality it really does. I feel that our backgrounds and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, ultimately, we are responsible for who we become. I touch the ground with my forehead, in prayer, five times a day.

I worry about how my life can be changed in a matter of minutes by peopel who don't even know a single thing about me. I cry when the people I care most about in this world are taken from me way too soon. I am Zakee Abdul Hakim, a muslim in america.

I do understand that if it is my opinion that I am living in a dreadful insufferable life, then that is the kind of life that I will live.

I say what I mean, and I mean what I say.

I dream of the day when I will be able to travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform my 'Hajj'. I try to remember that 'happiness' is not a horse; I cannot harness it. I hope that I will always be faithful to my true instincts and impulses, the ones that will carry me in a direction of the excellence that I more desire and value. Surely that will lead me to a noble life.

I am Zakee Abdul Hakim, a muslim in America, and I am an American, too...