Of Peacock Throne And Peacock Angel

I had always thought that the Peacock Throne was the seat of the Persian King, the one that Reza Shah Pahlavi had pride over when he was King. I was in school then but imagine my surprise to know  later that the Peacock Throne was originally the seat of the Mughal Emperors of India. It was first commissioned by Shah Jahan in early 17th century not only to display the royal gold and jewels accumulated since the time of Tamerlene, but also to underscore his position........of floating above the ground closer to heaven. It took 7 years to build and cost twice as much as the Taj Mahal. At the top were two peacocks. Both the Taj Mahal and the Peacock Throne were designed by Austin de Bordeaux

The Peacock Throne

History tells that 7 Mughal Emperors later i.e. in 1739, during the rule of Muhammad Shah, the Peacock Throne  was captured by the Persian King Nader Shah as a war trophy. Other riches of the Mughals were looted . It is believed that Nader Shah captured several other thrones as well and upon his return to Persia, built other replicas with the looted jewels and gems. Unfortunately, 8 years later Nader Shah was assassinated by his officers and the Peacock Throne and others disappeared, probably dismantled and the encrusted jewels taken apart.

The Sun Throne, was built in the early 19th century for the Persian King Fath-Ali Shah of the Qajar Dynasty. His consort's name in English translates as Lady Peacock which is how this throne later got to be referred to as, The Peacock Throne.

The Sun (Peacock) Throne

Some claimed that parts from the original Peacock Throne have been used.

Peacock exists in Greek mythology as the bird Hera made. The tail was made from the 100 eyes of Argus. During biblical times it is regarded as a treasure and King Solomon brought many back to his Kingdom. To the Romans, practical as they were, regarded it as a delicacy. In Babylon and Persia, it is the guardian to royalty. Early Christians regarded it as a religious symbol, the all-seeing eyes, while the Indians, sacred and associate it with the deity, Lakshmi. It is also India's national bird. Yet, in some cultures and societies it is regarded as evil. It's tail is equivalent to evil eyes and is therefore bad luck to be inside homes.

An Indian Peacock

So, what is with Peacock Angel? 

An ancient faith believes that the Peacock Angel (Tausi Melek) was created by the Supreme God on a Sunday and on each of the other days six other Great Angels were created to help administer the universe. He was sent down to the young Earth  to calm the quakings ......this he did in the form of the peacock  and he was said to have  landed in Lalish in Iraq. He was sacredly regarded by the Yazidis.

Lalish, Iraq

Next when Adam was created each of the angels endowed him with a physical sense to experience life. It is said that Peacock Angel breath life into Adam.

Peacock Angel is manifested in various faiths,/religions and cultures and is regarded with respect. However, those who thought it's similarity to the story of Satan is uncanny and as such might have distant themselves.

Tausi Melek

Parenthood Taking Another Leap

When our son began to take notice of girls, we told ourselves that he was growing up as any normal boy would. There was a time when I had to seek his understanding and good sense when it comes down to getting serious with any girl. Just a motherly advise.......

Now the stage is set once again. He had declared that he wants to take their friendship to another level and that he wants us, parents, to propose an engagement. Two rings were shown to me, a merisik  (enquiry) ring and an engagement ring. Most people would surmise that merisik is spying. I do not think spying reflects the seriousness and nobleness  of the matter. In the old days merisik would involve an investigation or enquiry into the other family and the availability of the lady the man has in  mind to propose to. It was usually done by the man's parents or representatives. Today, as society becomes more open and on account of geography, most things are prearranged between the couple. Families  have known one another for quite a while and therefore merisik has become more  symbolic in nature. Traditionally the mother's ring ( a simple gold band) is used for the merisik as a symbol of the intent. It is returned upon the engagement  (betrothal). However, it has become common practice now for the boy to get a new ring and ultimately give it away to the fiance as a gift.

So, our family had gotten together and a suitable date was picked. As the girl's place is in Kuantan, a three hours straight drive from Shah Alam, we shall do the merisik and the engagement  together. My brother-in-law had generously offered accommodation at his house in Kuantan if we need to stay overnight. It was then that we knew his family had finally stayed put in Kuantan while he moved on to stay at the plantation  where he is manager of.. He usually take a weekend drive back to Kuantan to be with his family.

Najib was immediately put in charge of information and logistics. The subject was raised during a berkampung (meeting of the family elders) for a nephew's coming wedding. Those who would possibly be with the engagement party were noted.

Berkampung is a meeting of family elders. In the Minangkabau  Perpatih tradition it is done before family ceremonies reflecting the kind of togetherness and cooperation between family members through thick and thin as per the following quatrain:

  Kalau  berat sama dipikul,
  Kalau ringan sama dijinjing.
  Ke bukit sama mendaki,
  Ke lurah sama menurun.

Literally it means : 
  If it's heavy we shall carry it together on our back,
  If it's light, we shall lift it together with our hands.
  Together we shall scale the mountain,
  Together we shall descend to the valley.

Traditionally, the meeting of family members of the same suku (matrilineal family) is headed by the Buapak who is an elected male member. He overseas all planning and execution of work done for the families he is head of. Today, as city dwellers, we still preserve similar concepts and values amongst  close family members. Instead of the Buapak, we do have a spontaneous understanding of the "leadership" amongst the elders. It does not necessarily be the oldest among us. A leader must also be willing to take the baton.

My daughter took charge of preparing the hantaran (gifts), five trays in all. They shall be headed by the traditional tepak sireh, a brassteel (some say brass and silver) receptacle set for the pinang (beetle nut of areca palm), gambir (of family Rubiaceae), mineral lime (for catalyst), cloves, and most importantly the sireh (piper betle leaf). We filled the extra container with jelly beans! 

The Tepak Sireh 

Chewing betle leaf is an age old habit inherent in Southern Asia and the Pacific region. While there is little scientific study done, many believe the concoction does have medicinal value. It is often used by traditional medicine men. Some chew it for enhancing facial aura.......The tepak sireh is also a highly symbolic item in the Malay customs and traditions. In daily life it becomes an opener and in a ceremonial events it indicates that the visitor has come with a very big wish or hope.

The other gifts consist of fairly customary items like material for the wedding dress, perfume & makeup set, sweets, a fondant cake and most importantly the rings.

All items were given a little decoration of ribbons and flowers and placed on our traditional dulang pahar  (brass trays). Some people would have these done up by professionals and rent the dulangs from them. We managed them ourselves. The embroidered dulang covers are from the ones I made for our daughter's wedding nine years ago. Many thanks to my daughter, Azreen and cousin Azie for  helping out.

The Hantaran

I was pretty sure that over the years, sometimes lending them to others, we have lost a couple of the dulangs  We used to have nine of them and now we have only six left! I will leave it to God to deal with that......

We had spent some time polishing the dulangs with Brasso which came fully recommended by the hubby who had grown up polishing his late dad's police brass studs. Quite a joy it was having the three of us working on them together. 

We drove to Kuantan on 081212 in such fine weather. However, we did notice a burning Merc and a stalled trailer along the highway. We stopped over at one or two R & R for streatching and refreshments.

Goodbye From A Caring Neighbour

A Rare Pic With All Four  Of Us

Resting At A R & R

We found my brother-in-law's place without much difficulty. That night we had dinner at one of the many seafood centres dotting Jalan Gambang. Food was good !

The morning of 091212 was a hive of activity. Early morning my brother-in-law had gone to buy the traditional breakfast of Kuantan - Nasi Dagang and of course the ever present roti canai (unliven bread taken with curry).

Later, the rest of the family members making a day's trip from Kuala Lumpur started arriving. 

Traditional Breakfast of Nasi Dagang 

Om Hermi And The Kids 

The Meminang  (Engagement) Party 

Some Of The Gift Bearers

Our party arrived at En Rasip's place at 12:15 pm and was quickly ushered into the house as it had started to drizzle. Immediately the salutations, introduction and discussion began.

 Three Very Important Members Of  Our Family 

Representatives Of Both Families 

Belting It Out

En Rasip's Answer Is..........

The merisik ring was the first to be  presented to En Rasip for his and his daughter's approval. It was then followed by the discussion on the engagement. Some clarifications regarding the wedding were also made and noted for purpose of subsequent preparation.

Guests Following The Discussion

The Other Guests

The  discussions were all over by 1 am. I then slipped the engagement ring on to the finger of En Rasip's daughter, Mazni Ezura. An enclosing doa prayers ensued. Then only Najib joined us in the photo session and the  reception.

Photographers The Photographed

Yes The Ring Fits Very Well

A Candid Moment
(Can't Remember What Happened)

With The Ladies Of The  Family

A Section of the Balasan (Reciprocal Gifts)

The girl's balasan is usually two more in number in keeping with the odd numbering. I am yet to understand why it is usually odd and not even in number!

A Section Of The Gifts

The Treats Corner. That Tiffin Carrier Sure looks Familiar!

f

Azreen & Mazni 

The Parents

For The Family Album

The So Cute Door Gifts - Fondant Cakes

 Alhamdulillah, by the grace of God all went well. Many thanks to En Rasip, Pn Zuriah  and family for being such lovely and gracious  hosts.

Thanks and hugs too to the relatives for your support and cooperation.

Till we meet again ..............

Strange Things Can Happen.............

Strange things can happen when you always talk about it.......

With family friends when grandma and  my older brother came to visit.

When we moved to Kota Bahru in the 50s, the people who were previously staying at the quarters hinted out at the strange air of the house. Dad just shrug it off as utter nonsense. Mum never utter a word about it to us, kids.

It was a two-roomed wooden house, with a servant's room adjoining the kitchen. In those days a servant's room would just have a wooden deck, about 3 to 4 feet high at a section of the room which may also serve as a bed. All it needed further was a mattress. The two other rooms were on either side of the sitting room. My younger brother and I took the one furnished with two single beds.

For some unexplained reasons we never used  the bathroom adjoining our bedroom. Even when I needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I would make a sound till my mum gave me the green light to enter the master bedroom and use the bathroom there. I had always felt a dislike of the bathroom adjoining the kids' bedroom. I can't explain it further except that it gave me the creeps. Surprisingly, my brother who was about 6 years old did not use it either. It was only used occasionally by some people attending the Immigration Office in front.

In the evening, after dinner, mum and dad would often sit atop the front steps chatting away while we kids did our homework or reading in the sitting room. It was much later after we had moved that they related to me what they had seen on some of the evenings. 

Once they had seen a flying thing with fiery trailing tentacle-like structures from it's belly side. They just watched it as they knew better not to utter anything when seeing such a thing. 

At another time they had seen a dark shadow moving under the mangosteen tree on their left. They had bolted into the house before it became clearer what it was!

Those were the golden age of Malay film industry and there were a number of Malay horror movies like Pontianak, Anak Pontianak, Sumpah Pontianak, Dendam Pontianak and  Orang Minyak to name a few. At school, we would spend recess time  discussing the movies we had seen while some would also spice it up with what they said were true experience. I think all these activites somehow affected me in some ways. I had nightmares fairly often. At times I couldn't move my body even when I tried to yell. I often visualise a shadow trying to sleep with my brother across the room.

One day my parents announced that we were going to visit a friend in Rantau Panjang. This place was an Immigration checkpoint near the Golok River. There was no road there and the only way to get there was to take a train. Once we went across the railway bridge to Golok Town on foot. Malaysians loved to go there to buy Thai made tableware and other household items. Crossing the railway bridge on foot was quite an experience ..... just do not look down, they said.

The whole Immigration Dept community lived in the quarters provided. A family friend had had some friends visiting them and his wife had just gone missing. Dad had come all the way from Kota Bahru to lend a hand. A search party was organised but it was unable to find the missing woman. News had it that it was some months before she was found on a tree in a forested area, without a stitch on !

Oh, December!

December is always a crazy month. It is the school term holidays and many people would be on the move clogging shopping malls, holiday resorts and places of attraction. Somehow the Malays make it even more crazy by having engagements and weddings during the same month. It is logical perhaps so that relatives from all corners of the country would be able to attend. I remember those days when I would be stuck with the year-end closing and that alone took us off the road so to speak.

In retirement, December becomes more challenging. What excuse do I now have if I were to send my regrets for not making it to the invitations? Events and invitations can be overlapping and at this age we find it a little tiring to attend more than one or two events in a day. As a matter of fact, a few invitatuions have gone completely off my radar due to mixed up dates! I had more than once gotten ready to leave for the event only to realise later that it was over a day or a week earlier!

This year, we made plans to attend a relative's wedding reception in Seremban and then to "balik kampung" (the Malay popular term for "returning to the village")to attend a niece's engagement the next day. We sent our regrets to another group of relatives for not being able to join them in the usual annual outing in Port Dickson and another cousin for not being able to be present at his house warming "doa" and prayer session. I also informed my daughter and son-in-law of our plans. We left the keys with the neighbour so that the cats may be fed. My son, Najib drove. Anticipating the madness on the North-South Highway, he smartly chose the new alternate Lekas Highway. A good name indeed as "Lekas" means, quick. True enough we made it to Seremban in good time.

Weddings are usually a fantastic time for the relatives to meet and catch up with one another. You must believe me the womenfolks would usually have a mile long issues to recoup....and I mean a mile long!

The wedding dias was so lovely. They had decorated the whole stage looking like a personal boudoir. The wedding dias represents the throne for the new weds to sit and be blessed as a "king and queen for a day". Lunch was a sumptuous affair with the traditional choice of white and briyani rice and a host of chicken, beef and vegetable dishes, deserts, drinks and the traditional wedding eggs symbolising fertility. I had always thought traditionally, the eggs would have been the most versatile thing you could get to decorate and present as gifts and almost every household would have had a chicken coup in the backyard. Well, I think they still are the best door gift today. We wish the couple a most blessed journey henceforth.

December is a freaky month. There is no telling when the rain and storm would appear. Dark clouds are never too far off. In the old days, weddings were usually held outdoors. Many would sought the services of the rain shifters. These are people who are said to be able to shift rain to another place hence saving the ceremony from being rain washed!. There used to be other myths and traditional practices associated with rain prevention like throwing an old shirt on to the roof of the house or placing a lighted oil lamp under the kitchen rafter. I remember well the wedding day of an aunt when I had been put in charge of the oil lamp. But I guess the almighty wasn't listening as it still rained cats and dogs. Then the whispers came saying that the "shifter" must have taken a leak! These days many would hold such events in halls in schools, hotels and community centers. It is usual for the popular venues to have a year long waiting list!

My daughter was also there with her husband and three young kids. Our family was complete. She said that she would be following us back to "balik kampung" instead of joining the other party at Port Dickson. I thought it was a wonderful decision. That would be the two year old's first trip to grandpa's village.

A trip to the "kampung" is always a much anticipated event.It is especially so when our whole family is joining in and making the ride back to Segamat, Johore where gradpa Din was born.

We stopped over at Tampin, Negeri Sembilan and settled down for teatime at a Kopitiam Restaurant ....6 adults and 3 kids. It is a rather new shop and we found it during our previous trip. The garlic bread and mushroom soup were lovely, much to our delight. While sipping our drinks we noticed a market nearby and thought it quite convenient to get something for dinner later on. It is always a good idea to bring something for the pot so that dinner may be served without much problem. My daughter was very thoughtful to also buy some packets of 3 in 1 Nescafe from a nearby grocery shop before we continued our journey. Everyone knows that I do not take white tea that is popular amongst the Segamat folks.

We arrived at Segamat around 8.30pm and soon enough dinner was prepared through the cooperation of all the 5 ladies present. We took some time to drop by at my sister-in-law's place to check on the program for the engagement day. White tea is almost always served in Segamat. Our two years old grandson insisted on having some tea in his bottle which we relented in the end. He relished it but soon enough he gestured a tummy discomfort.......Even on the next morning he was still feeling the discomfort. Poor dear ! I am sure he had learned a valuable lesson there.

The engagement was over the next day with both families in mutual agreement to whatever terms discussed. Here are the happy parents with their daughter soon after the ceremony. Lunch or actually "tunch" was really a Johore affair _Briyani Gam- what else!

When it was time for family get together, the durian feast begun. Segamat is well known for it's durian. It was a delight to watch my 7 years old grand daughter, Anyssa and her second cousins relishing the durian and then rambutans plucked right from the tree nearby. A true Malaysian indeed! However, her younger brother, Amyr would only come near with his two fingers up his nostrils and then disappeared. Bro-in-law "Burn" did the honour of splitting open the durians.

After the durian feast I sent the Charlie Angels to have their faces and hands washed and be sure to take a drink of plain water which they dutifully did. The drink was to prevent any onset of coughing usually associated with the eating of too much durian and rambutans.

When it was time to leave and return to Shah Alam, Anyssa and her cousins bid goodbye to one another. So did the others and I was sure Anyssa enjoyed the short sojourn in the kampung and I hope it would remain in her thoughts for some time.

Koranic Law Does not Impose the Headscarf

by Khaled Fouad Allam (appearing in January 22nd 2004 edition of 'La Repubblica' in Italy)

Historically speaking, the “hijab” (or Islamic headscarf) has never represented any form of Islamic dogma, legal obligation or religious symbol, even if today the impression is such.

Jurists during the classical period of Islam – who when Muslim law was first formulated for the four great legal schools of Islam – never presented any theories on the headscarf. The celebrated jurist and founder of the Theological University of Fez in Morocco, Qayrawin (died in 996), spoke about the headscarf only in reference to prayer rituals, when women enter mosques to pray on Fridays. And the word he used was “khimar”, a veil covering women from head to toe. He never used the term “hijab”. It is the same with other authors of the period.

There is indeed an explanation for all this. Classical Islam jurists warned of the need to formulate legal theory concerning the headscarf or veil, simply because a woman’s medieval world was that of a cloister, where she didn’t leave home, leading her life within the borders of private property. And when she did venture out, which was rare, she had to do so with the authorization of a male figure – whether it be her father, husband or brother –and only under exceptional circumstances, as for some formal ceremony or pilgrimage.

The hijab is an invention of the 14th century, and it has no real basis in the Koran. In the Koran, “hijab” comes from the root “hjb”, which refers not to an object, but an action: wearing a headscarf, pulling down a curtain or screen or reducing light so as to prevent others from prying or looking in.

The change to the word “hijab”, from signifying an action to meaning an object, comes in the 14th century. The jurist, Ibn Taymiyya, was the first to use the word “hijab” to mean “headscarf”. It was a headscarf that distinguished Muslim from non-Muslim women. It came to distinguish a woman’s identity and religious association.

Ibn Taymiyya stated that a free woman has the obligation to cover herself with a headscarf, while a slave is not obliged as such. He justified this based on a maximalist interpretation (cf. Koran, verse 31, sura 24), transforming the words of a generic statement into a principle, by giving it a binding or legal sense. Yet all this – and we do well to point it out – was still an interpretation, an interpretation which gave rise to a rule.

This change in language and social interpretation is a sign of crisis within the 14th century Muslim world: the end of the great Islamic empires and the invasion of Baghdad by a foreign power – the Mongols of Genghis Khan. The “ummah” (the community of believers) had to therefore face and struggle with what nowadays we call the principle of “otherness”. This posed the same problem then as it does nowadays: today’s Muslims now must cope with how to be themselves in a society dominated by non-Muslims. The headscarf is a sign of the Muslim community’s defensive reactions and focuses on legal norms not to create leeway for freedom of expression, but rather to establish a form of control – on Islam itself.

Therefore it is no coincidence that Ibn Taymiyya (died 1328) is a daily point of reference in neo-fundamentalist language.

However the decisive change for the “hijab” in terms of meaning and law occurs in the 20th century, especially in its last fifty years. In Muslim countries, following the period of decolonization, the processes of modernization created great difficulties for traditional societal structures and institutions. Two unprecedented phenomena occured: literacy of the masses and women going to school, work and out from their homes. The outside world was added to their main world of reference.

In the face of such social changes, many exegetes in Islam have reacted in neo-conservative ways, creating a legal system legitimizing and prescribing the use of the hijab. The headscarf thus becomes a distinct symbol of Islamic identity and separation between sexes. The headscarf’s introduction and use into public areas indeed favors the creation of a gender barrier, which today is not limited to the headscarf itself, but in some other countries has given rise to an actual division of space, even in public transport vehicles (e.g. some neo-fundamentalist-minded architects have drawn up ideas for separate elevators for men and women). Thus public space, instead of sanctioning a principle of equality, focuses on sexual discrimination.

However, all these changes in the headscarf’s use and practice is joined to that which is a constant in the customs and norms of Muslim society: the dichotomy between the pure and impure, and prohibition as a basis for Islamic law.

The frequent emphasis in sacred texts – that women mustn’t do anything to look at other men and draw attention to themselves, hence covering up their figures – has indeed led the collective Muslim unconscious to associate femininity with lust. In this way women have become synonymous with the chaos and disorder attributed to vice. Hence with women there is always the imminent risk of committing acts of impurity. Due to their reproductive role, women are invested with a certain sacred nature. Therefore, breaking the rule – that is to say, showing themselves off – means contaminating their original purity.

This taboo spells for a puritan society and articulates a legal system of control. Muslim societies are obsessed by issues of impurity; and the headscarf tends to symbolically preserve the bounds between the pure and impure.

Today the headscarf takes on the meaning of an identity crisis. In addition to expressing the widespread malaise found in Islamic society, the headscarf conceals its changes and exacerbates people’s fears. Whoever wears it, especially in the West, does so because they are coerced or conditioned to do so or are claiming their rights and asserting free choices. There are many opinions, but they all defer to a series of unsolved conflicts: between Islam and the West, with Islam itself and between law and culture.

A Strange Brush With Life

I felt a calling to write these little episodes while watching a nature programme about the hinterland of the state of Kelantan in the Nenggiri area.

It was in the 1950s, more so around 1956-58 when the family was staying in Kota Bahru, Kelantan. One weekend, we made a trip to Gua Musang deep down south. It seemed to me like in the middle of nowhere. The road was quite desolate. The greenery, lush. They were renting a place in the heart of a kampong.

Folklore abound regarding Gua Musang (Civet Cave)....like the hunter and the six companions who disappeared. From the more recent pictures Gua Musang has grown to much importance over the years. It is now a gateway to the Taman Negara/National Park, one of the oldest rainforest in the world. There is now a highway - a far cry from what it was back then.

My parents had such family ties that apparently, they had received an "SOS" call from my mum's cousin, auntie Azizah  whose family was living there. Her husband, uncle Othman, was a Detective Sargent with the Police Department (called "Mata Gelap" by the Malays or locals meaning "dark eyes") there and had suddenly taken "ill" in a strange way. That was as far as I knew then. There being no other family in Kelantan, it was only natural that they contacted my parents it times of need. Amongst other things auntie Azizah, mum's cousin, said that uncle would sometimes not return home when he should. Today, looking in retrospect, I must say I might understand why a man does not return home.......

Through dad's help, uncle Othman did get a transfer to Kota Bahru. I am not sure if the transfer did solve the problem with uncle Othman. In 1958, we were putting up the night at the old black painted KB Rest House on dad's transfer to Ipoh. In the early morning, we were awakened by a call from my second cousin Amir, saying his dad had not returned since the day before. Dad got ready and went out with young Amir to make a police report and assist in any way possible. Later, when dad returned, we were told that Uncle Othman had been found by the Kelantan river not far from home.

Those days Kelantan was often beheld as a place steep in mysticism and black magic. Those from other states were expected to go and work there "prepared" least they be "tested". If they fail, they'd surely fail miserably.

According to mum, uncle Othman was never the same since then but the family trudged along. We met them again when they moved to Kuala Kangsar where we had another memorable incident in their kitchen. There was a blackout and we girls were about to fry some preserved fish, the very traditional ikan pekasam. Little did we realise that we were "frying" them in water instead of oil! No wonder, there was no sound of crakling oil! The lesson learned was never place water and oil near each other! Strange things can happen in the dark!

I had another strange brush with the supernatural when my parents were living in Sabah.............Ah, that is something I had always wanted to forget. Perhaps I shall find the courage to write it someday......

Winter of Discontentment

The winter of discontentment seems to descend upon the human race again. While the winter of 78/79 saw strikes brought about by the British government's pay freeze policy to curtail inflation, the very, very cold winter brought misery to many. Looking back now, a 5% pay raise was also very normal where I worked back then. Why couldn't the orang putih get by with that too? Looking back too workers have been used to such inflationary pay rises up to 18% to 25% and even 40%, I would have been very rich then by that standard! Were we in the former colony, managing our economy better?

Austerity measures purportedly took their toll again recently flaring up in anti-establishment demonstrations, riots, lootings, arsons and even murders. Death of a 29 year old while in the custody of the police was duped as the straw that broke the camel's back. Deprivation and prospects of further deprivations seems to drive people into conflagrations. Senseless as it may seem, that seems to be a popular reasoning by many. But then many of those involved were youths not likely to have been so affected by the rule of the day. Could the economic link then be simply spurious?

According to work on US race riots by the economist Ed Glaeser, for example, ethnic heterogeneity in a neighbourhood increases the probability of unrest. So does unemployment. Poverty, on the other hand, seems to play a smaller role. All in all social unrests have many divergent causes some of which can be deeply rooted feelings bottled up since time in memorial.

Could it also be the miscarriage of a basic tenant of democracy itself?

"Everyone has the right to assemble and to protest government actions. However, citizens have an obligation to exercise these rights peacefully, with respect for the law and for the rights of others."

My question is does the assembly and protest have to be on the streets? If I need to go down that street why should I be devoid of that right just because some people have jammed up the place recording their protest?

I recall the day before Manchester United came to the borough to play Leyton Orient FC. in 1974. Yes, MU did play second division football back then! Here is an image of the Brisbane Road stadium in Leyton.

Dropping by at my local Asian butcher I noticed the guy getting ready to man his "fort". He gave me an idea of what could be expected. I just shrugged it off but at the back of my mind I was much aware of the reputation of MU fans. As the evening fell more MU fans arrived and they layed their sleeping bags on the pavement.

As I passed the street next morning to watch the game, I saw dustbins and their contents in disarray. One shoe shop had been looted and there were shoes on the pavement. Heck, I thought! Well, I did get tickets but they were for standing room only. My friends and I watched the game for a while.....

My point is, bad behaviour in society has always been there. Call it herd or mob mentality that drives people in a group to behave in similar manner. Herd mentality implies a fear-based reaction to peer pressure which makes individuals act in order to avoid feeling “left behind” from the group. Most of all they believe they may hide behind the numbers and remain anonymous.

What sparked the recent unrest was the shooting of a 29-year-old man, Mark Duggan, in Tottenham by the Metropolitan Police's Operation Trident team. The police's handling of the aftermath of that incident looks to have been poor. Mr Duggan's family apparently had to wait 36 hours to see his body. And when members of the community staged a vigil outside Tottenham police station to demand answers about the circumstances of the shooting, officers seem to have failed to communicate with them. There appears to be a context of mistrust of the authority (police) here.
People can be easily worked up by such stuff and the mob may be instantly reborn. Shops of high end products were understandably the main targets. Still, I cannot help thinking there were simply thugs just waiting for the clarion call.