The second Palestine Festival of Literature

From 23-28 May 2009 across the Palestinian territories 17 internationally acclaimed authors, editors and publishing heavyweights will travel daily from checkpoint to checkpoint - from Jerusalem to Ramallah to Jenin to Birzeit to Bethlehem to al-Khalil/Hebron - to bring the Palestine Festival of Literature to the people of Palestine.

Click here to visit the PALFEST site.

Cardiac Ward - Room 232

Needless to say, it was a huge relief when my hubby was moved from the ICU to a regular room in the cardiac ward since it is a sign that he is out of danger. But I was unhappy when I discovered that he will be sharing a room with another patient. My OCD took over, and I was very uncomfortable since he will also have to share the bathroom with his roommate. Hubby, who manages to stay in a good mood even when stressed, did not mind it at all. He actually prefers being in a double room since he loves having company.

His roommate turned out to be a very old chap, who had just undergone a heart catheter procedure. Despite the fact that by the time I left around 9pm, his roommate was still sedated, and barely moved or spoke, I had no doubt what so ever, that something interesting will happen overnight (the adventure of the ICU was still fresh in my mind), and could not wait to see hubby the next morning to hear all about it.

As expected, at around 2am, hubby woke up by the weak voice of his roommate calling the nurse. Since he knew that no one outside the room will be able to hear him, hubby told his roomie to press the red button next to him to call the nurse. When the poor - half sedated half deaf - guy did not respond, hubby pressed the button on his bed. A Filipina nurse, who looked kind and helpful came to the room.

In broken Arabic she asked roomie: "Aish fi baba??"
Baba :"fi dem!! fi wayed dem!!"
Nurse: " Ma fi mafhoum baba. Aish fi?? Fi alam?"
Baba :"fi dem!! fi waged dem!!"
Hubby:"I think his hearing is weak, so you better raise your voice."
Nurse: " MA FI MAFHOUM BABA. AISH FI?? FI ALAM??"
Baba: "Ma fi alam. Agoulek fi dem. Wayed dem fi sareer!! "
Hubby: "Dem means blood. He is trying to tell you that there is blood in his bed. "
The alarmed nurse, turned on the light and rushed back to the bed. When she could not see any blood in the bed, she relaxed, and with a big smile on her pretty face said: "INTA MA FI 3ANDAK DEM BABA. AISH FI MOUSHKILA?"
Baba : "Aish tegouli inti!! Ana ma 3andi dem?????"
Nurse:" AYWA BABA. WALAHI INTA MA 3ANDAK DEM BABA!!"
Hubby who was extremely enjoying this encounter, but did not want things to escalate much further said: "Yabouya hiya b te2oulak ino mafeesh dem fi el sereer."
Baba deciding to use the little English he knows: "Kaif ma fi dem? fi wayed WATER fi el sareer."
Nurse:"MOOMKEN INTA I3MEL BOAL W INTA NAYEM BABA!!"
Baba: "Aish tegouli inti? Ana reyal shaiba fi 3omr abouki. Ana abgha waladi ..."
Hubby sensing that this enjoyable lost in translation transaction can turn ugly told Baba:"Yabouya hedi nafsak. Heya mish fahma 3alaik."
And he quickly turned to the nurse saying:"I think you'd better get an Arabic-speaking nurse, and preferably a male nurse, to come take care of this patient, cause he is getting angry and agitated by this miscommunication."
Nurse:"Good idea doctor. MA FI ZA3AL BABA. FI HINA NURSE BA3D WA7ED DAGEEGA."

Unfortunately, the Arab male nurse was able to peacefully sort things out with Baba, so there are no more interesting dialogues to report. Fortunately for the nurse, by the time his son came to see him the following morning, Baba had forgotten the "MA FI 3ANDAK DEM" encounter.

See you in room 233.

p.s. Dedicated to Noran, who seems to enjoy the "Only with Nahoul & Family!!" weird posts.

Room 224

After his first cardioversion in the ER, my husband was admitted to the ICU for observation. All ten rooms in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit are single-patient rooms, and are equipped, with medical devices of every shape, size, and color. Observing nurses and doctors working in the other rooms, I never saw any of them use anything other than a stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure and pulse monitor, and the IV drip.

Behind each bed are three outlets. The first outlet is green, and is definitely for Oxygen since the nurses have repeatedly connected it to a mask and placed it over my husband's face to help him breath easier. I heard rumors that pure oxygen has an age reversing effect, so when the nurses leave the room, I always ask hubby to lend me the oxygen mask for a while. But he never does.

The other two outlets, are blue and orange, and I never ever saw them used. So to avoid spending my time by my husband's bed, while he was resting or sleeping, worrying, and thus increasing my anxiety and gloomy mood, I decided to spend the time in trying to figure out what those two outlets are for. I finally came up with a couple of reasonable theories.

I believe the blue outlet is for laughing gas, which is known to have anesthetic and analgesic effects that must be useful in the ICU. Had I been in charge of the ICU, I would use it on all patients, even if they didn't need any sedation, so they can benefit from the healing effect of laughing. I would even recommend using it on the visiting family members, doctors, nurses, and janitors, just to improve the mood of everyone in the ICU.

As for the orange outlet, I think it is for mustard gas (thus the color). I know that mustard gas is a lethal poisonous gas that is supposed to be banned as a chemical weapon, but may be Dr. Kevorkian was consulted, and recommended adding this outlet just in case. Thank goodness, I've never seen this outlet used in any room.

Being in a single room and especially in the ICU where all the patients are tied to 37 tubes and wires, I never expected that my husband will have interesting stories to tell me when I went to visit him the next morning, but of course he did.

Patients in the ICU never get any continues sleep since nurses come in every couple of hours to check their vital signs, and between those visits, janitors come in to empty the trash baskets, clean the bathrooms, or sweep the floors. So when my husband heard someone in his room at midnight, he was not startled and slowly opened his eyes.

He was not prepared for what he saw. A guy in his late twenties, wearing a thoab that was raised to his waist was walking towards his bed. He stood still when he heard my husband, who by now was surprised, alarmed, and scared, ask: "Who are you??? And what are you doing here??"
Stranger: "Don't worry. Go back to sleep. I am here visiting my father."
Hubby: "But it is way past visiting hours and you should not be in the ICU at this time!!"
Stranger: "Well my father was just admitted a short while ago in the room next to yours, and I will be leaving soon any ways."
Hubby: "But what are you doing in MY room??"
Stranger: "Well, I just need to use your toilet. I will be out in a minute."
Hubby: "Wait here! Where do you think you're going? Why don't you use the visitors toilets outside or the toilet in your dad's room."
Stranger: "I am not sure where the visitors toilets are, and my brother is in my dad's toilet."
Hubby: "So? How long does your brother take to pee? I am sure if you go back to your dad's room now he will be done. So please leave my room immediately, otherwise I will call the nurses and have them deal with you."
Stranger: "OK, OK I'm leaving."
And as he was leaving the room he added: "I don't understand why make such a big fuss I was not stealing anything from your room you know. Actually, was going to add to it!! Ha Ha!!"

See you in room 232.

CHARGE. ALL CLEAR. ZAP!!

Looks could be deceiving. My acquaintances might believe (at least I think they do) that I am opinionated, independent, stubborn, obsessive, and tough. BUT, people who REALLY know me, realize that I am actually opinionated, independent, stubborn, obsessive, but not as tough as I look.

Deep down inside, I am a hopeless softy. I am actually very sensitive (حساسة) , despite the impression given by my posts that I am shenshitive (حشاشة) - sorry but this extremely old joke will only be appreciated (I hope) by Arabic speakers.

These past six weeks or so, have really been nerve wrecking. My husband has been to the Emergency Room and in the Intensive Care Unit as frequent as I wash my hands each day, my hubby & I fight each week, or even my mom calls - long distance - as soon as she suspects that one of us is not well. In other words A LOT!!

Although I am not a big fan of medical shows - cause I faint at the sight of blood - I did not mind , even enjoyed, watching patients being zapped with an electric shock to bring them back to life. I though it was cool hearing the doctor go: "CHARGE. ALL CLEAR. ZAP", and then seeing the lifeless electrocuted patient hitting the ceiling of the OR and then falling back into his bed alive.

In real life, and when I received a call at work from an ER nurse telling me not to panic but to come immediately to the ER to sign a consent giving the doctors permission to Cardiovert my husband, I immediately panicked, although I had no idea what the heck she was talking about. During my 10 minutes run from my office to the ER, the tough Nahoul disappeared, and the fragile person inside me, that one I usually manage to hide, took over.

Although my husband has been admitted to the ER several times in the past years, but seeing him there with wires connected to his arms, legs, and body, and the alarms on the monitor flashing and beeping like crazy immediately pushed the hand of the panic sensor in my head to the extreme panic zone. Before I could talk to him, the cardiologist walked in the cubical, told me that he could not wait for me so he already got the consent from my husband, (not sure how cause he was in no condition to sign his name, even if he was told that the consent was actually his marriage contract to Haifaa Wahbi) and asked me to wait behind the curtains cause he was going to do Cardioversion, which is administering an electric shock to his heart, because it was beating at the Speedy Gonzales rate of over 150 beats per minute, which is dangerous to his life!!!

I have no idea what sort of an expression was on my face at that particular moment, but it must have not been a smart one cause without me asking him to elaborate he added that it was like when a computer freezes because it is busy looping in an endless process, sometimes the only solution is to turn it off, then turn it back on again. He added that the shock will stop the heart, and when the heart automatically restarts, hopefully it will start beating at a normal heart rate. This I could understand. My only worry was the heart not responding to the treatment and its rate not going back to normal which is extremely dangerous to my husband,'s life considering his heart condition.

I am grateful that at the time (not sure due to the shock I was in, because of my strong faith in God, or because I am actually not that smart) I never contemplated the fact that there must be a small chance that (God forbid) the heart would not restart, thus the consent. Needless to say, hearing the doctor say "CHARGE. ALL CLEAR. ZAP", then hearing him add: "Normal sinus rhythm" after the first try was music to my ears. Thank God. I am truly grateful. Hubby was monitored in the ICU for a couple of days, and then released to go rest at home. I tried to be strong and supportive to him, but instead I was extremely anxious and must have added to his worries. Tough Nahoul my foot!!!

Not to be any less dramatic than ER or Gray's Anatomy, two weeks later, and after going back to work, he was admitted again to the ICU with the same problem and some additional complcations. After two more weeks of scare, frustration, panic, and contradicting doctors' opinions, he had to go through another Cardioversion (again I was standing steps away and could hear everything going on). This one too was successful, al hamd l Allah, and he is back to normal sinus rhythm.

I am happy to report, especially to my kids, that my husband is currently stable and that he is resting at home. He must have been really scared this time cause for the first time in his life he is actually taking it easy, and is following doctors' orders (touch wood, rock, & fiber glass).

As you must have guessed, he did have numerous adventures with fellow patients during his multiple stays, but I will tell you all about those adventures in another post.

p.s. To all those who provided their support and good wishes in the past difficult weeks, we both thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Fatema Mernissi: Love in Digital Islam

From a lecture by Moroccan writer Fatema Mernissi:

I was enjoying fresh grilled sardines at the Miramar Beach eight kilometers from Rabat with my colleague Kamal, an expert on "Medieval Arabic treatises on love~ when my cell phone rang. It was my Casablanca editor who wanted to publish Love In the Muslim World as a paperback to target the millions of Moroccan youth who dash to the beaches in the summer.

“But Layla! I shouted; "this book is more than twenty years old! The young people you are targeting with your paperbacks aren't interested any more In Ibn Hazm! Young Arabs my dear, spend their time watching video clips on the 465 Panarab TV channels or chatting on the Internet." And to make sure that Layla would give up her project , I added that at least "192 of these Arab channels flood our youth with a 24 hours non-stop deluge of superficial programs" which promote Western multinationals consumerism which clashes totally with 'Ibn Hazm"s romantic message of love.

Ibn Hazm defines love as ‘Ulfa' in the very title of his book (fi-I-Ulfa-wa-I·Ullaf), which literally means in Arabic to become attached to someone' (Iazlmahu). To do so, you have to use your ‘aql' to brlng your partner to trust you enough to allow you to get closer! A synonymous of 'Ulfa' is 'Uns', the very root of the Arabic word for human being; 'insan'.

And no wonder, Ibn Hazm dismisses "Love at first sight” as utterly ridiculous because it confuses love (hub) with hawa (desire) : " I indeed marvel profoundly at all those who pretend to fall in love at first sight. I cannot easily prevail upon myself to believe their claim, and prefer to consider such love as merely a kind of lust."

And he is convinced that when you use your 'aql' and manage to 'create a stable relation, you don't feel the need to either get new friends or buy new clothes:" Similarly I have never longed for a change for change's sake, in any of the things that I have possessed, I am speaking here not only of friends and comrades, but also of all the other things a man uses - clothes, riding-beast, food, and so on,"

Ulfa is the total opposite of giving in blindly to desire (chahwa) because you need to negotiate with the other. The danger of attraction is that: "Your love for something makes you blind and deaf”. You need to summon your 'aql' (reason) to avoid self-destruction.

And vanishing in pleasures is exactly ' what consumerist ads brainwash you to do: "The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product. She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself." Ibn Hazm has no chance today, I was convinced, because his 'UIfa' is about altruistic love and community-building while consumerist ads brainwash us to vanish into individualist and egoistic self-love.

And Western psychoanalysts are the first ones to witness the devastating impact of consumerist advertising that reduces humans to tragically solitary "Shopaholics:' because they confuse love with compulsive acquisition.

Whence my conclusion that the famous conflict Mr. Samuel Huntington sells as a "Clash of civilizations" (West/Islam) is in fact a clash between 'Aql', rational thinking and consumerist advertising! Islam, just like the scientific Western civilization, encourages us to develop our 'aql' so as to fight desire:" The one who is not ruled by his 'aql (reason) is destroyed by what he loves most': stressed the Imams such as Ibnal Jawziya (born in 691 AH/1292 CE), who carried up to the 14 th century, Ibn Hazm 's tradition of writing treaties on love.

So, if the Westerners themselves are incapable of stopping the confusion of love with the irrational consumption which disturbs their children, how can one expect that our own Arab youth, brainwashed daily by advertising on the televisions and internet, will care for Ibn Hazm's 'Ulfa'? And to finish the long telephone call with Layla, Mernissi concluded on a very pessimistic note: "My poor Ibn Hazm is condemned to the fate of dinosaurs who disappeared from our planet 65 millions years ago after 150 millions years of existence!

Just then, Kamal, my colleague sitting with me at the restaurant, shook my elbow to force me to read what he had hastily written on the back of the menu: "Fatema, You are a dinosaur! You are disconnected from the digital galaxy: Ibn Hazm's book on love is a best seller on the Internet!"

'Who consumes Ibn Hazm's message? Was my question to Kamal. "Apparently a lot of people do” he started," .. Just think for a minute about the profile of his likely consumers: the millions of young Moslims who study or work far from their families and who need not only to understand love for the first time but also to get the information from a religious authority who has two striking features. The first is that Imam Ibn Hazm was young. barely 35, when he ran away from his war-torn childhood city of Cordoba to settle In the Spanish city of Jatlva In 41SAH (1027 e.E) to write his book. The second is that he was born in a chaotic Spain torn by wars between Spanish and Arabs and between Arabs, and Berbers. His life was hectic just like Arab youth today because wars were going on non-stop since he witnessed the collapse of the Umayyad Dynasty in Andalus. And since he inherited his father’s aristocratic position as a Wizier, he ended up in prison and exile many times, which may explain his obsession with altruistic love.

Apparently, If the satellite-relayed information technologies such as TV and the Internet have transformed our planet, love seems to resist these apocalyptic changes. And one reason for this is that Western science advertised by secular Europe as the solution to all our problems, failed miserably when it comes to teaching us how to love. “The Science of Romance: Why We Need to Love to Survive” " was the huge title of February 4, 2008 “Time Magazlne” cover. But I discovered, after reading it, that scientists confess not knowing much: “we have only a very limited understanding of what romance is.

The love arrow is directed towards the self when it comes to consumerism, while it is directed towards the other in the case of ‘Ulfa’. And this is why I propose that first we increase our emotional intelligence by learning by heart Ibn Jawziya 50 words for love and second start a campaign for a U.N.U.F (a United Nations Ulfa Fund).

Ibn Hazm: an Andalusian love expert, who is Mernissi's main reference, was born in 384AH (994CE) in Cordoba, the Spanish city where the Umayyad caliphs reigned after they conquered Andalusia in CE 756.

Fatema Mernissi: a Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist. She was born into a middle-class family in Fez in 1940. She received her primary education in a school established by the nationalist movement, and secondary level education in an all-girls school funded by the French protectorate. In 1957, she studied political science at the Sorbonne and at Brandeis University, where she earned her doctorate. She returned to work at the Mohammed V University and taught at the Faculté des Lettres between 1974 and 1981 on subjects such as methodology, family sociology and psychosociology. She has become noted internationally mainly as an Islamic feminist.

Lost History

This will be a very short review of an excellent book by Michael Hamilton Morgan:

JUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Click here to go to the Book's Official Site.

WYSIWYG

Those of you familiar with computer lingo know that this acronym stands for:

"What You See Is What You Get". (for those of you who did not know that, well, now you do)

I always liked WYSIWIG interfaces because what I saw during creating/editing a document or an application was similar to the final output. So there were no surprises there.

On the other hand, I hated interfaces that were NOT WYSIWYG because they were unpredictable, deceiving, and annoying.

Now that the acronym is almost dead in computer land, I would like to revive it and use it in people's land. Again, I am very comfortable with WYSIWYG people even if they were far from perfect, but I am getting more and more intolerant to the NOT WYSIWYG individuals in my life.

What Arabs Think

This book by James Zogby analyzes the views of 3,800 Arab adults polled by Zogby International from eight countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Morocco, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Palestine).

I've only read the first two chapters, but I could not resist commenting on what I read so far. (mararti itfa2a3it!!)

In chapter two, and when asked: "What matters most in life?", and out of the nine specific choices they were given (family, friends, marriage, the quality of their work, job security, political issues in their country, political issues facing the Arab nation, leisure time, and religion), what do you think the top answer for the Egyptians surveyed was?

Yes, it was religion!! An astounding 93% said religion is what matters most in life. Morocco & Saudi Arabia also ranked religion at the top, while it was raked 5th in Lebanon, and 6th in UAE.

Zogby then went on to further analyze the responses of the sample polled. He examined how the responses in each area differ when compared not only by country, but by age, gender, education, and Internet access.

Guess what!! In Egypt, old & young, male & female, those educated up to secondary school or less & those with college degrees or higher, and those who have access to the Internet and those who don't have, all these groups have agreed on one thing. Religion is what matters most in their life!!! Only Moroccans managed to duplicate the same boring result.

To me those results are pretty depressing. Not that I have anything against religion, on the contrary, I have deep respect for all religions. And not that I will pretend that results were a total surprise, since I have repeatedly heard and read that the Egyptians are supposed to be the most religious people in the world!!! It's just that if over 90% of Egyptians across age, gender, education, & Internet access lines think that Religion is such an important aspect of their lives, you would expect Egypt to be Heaven on Earth.

And since it is not, to say the least, then what is wrong? Are those surveyed a bunch of liars? Did 93% of Egyptians surveyed misunderstand the question? Or do they, and many Egyptians like them, simply misunderstand religion itself?

Recipe for Success

Excerpts from a lengthy letter on leadership, which Caliph Ali sends to his loyal follower, Maalik al-Ashtar, appointing him as the new Muslim governor of Egypt:

Let it be known to you, Maalik, that I am sending you as a governor to a country, which has seen many regimes before this. Some of them were benign, sympathetic and good, while others were tyrannical oppressive and cruel. People will judge your regime as critically as you have studied the activities of other regimes and they will criticize you in the same way as you have censured or approved other rulers. …

Remember, Maalik, that amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you have, they are brothers to you; and those who have religions other than that of yours, they are human beings like you ....
Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you. ....

Never say to yourself, 1 am their Lord, their ruler and all in all over them and that I must be obeyed submissively and humbly, , because such a thought will unbalance your mind, will make you vain and arrogant, will weaken your faith in religion and will make you seek support of any power other than that of Allah ....

You must always appreciate and adopt a policy, which is neither too severe nor too lenient; a policy, which is based upon equity, will be largely appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common men, the have-nots and the depressed persons more overbalances than the approval of important persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be excused by the Lord if the general public and the masses of your subjects are happy with you. ...

You must know, Maalik, that the people over whom you rule are divided into classes and grades, and the prosperity and welfare of each class of the society individually and collectively are so interdependent upon the well-being of the other classes that the whole set-up represents a closely woven net and reciprocal aspect. One class cannot exist peacefully, cannot live happily and cannot work without the support and good wishes of the other. ...

Remember, Maalik.... The thing which should most gladden the heart of a ruler is the fact that his State is being ruled on the principles of equity and justice and that his subjects love him. And your subjects will only love you when they have no grievance against you. Their sincerity and loyalty will be proved if they gather around you to support your government, when they accept your authority without considering it an unbearable burden on their heads and when they do not secretly wish your rule to come to an end. So let them have as many justifiable hopes in you as they can and fulfill as many as you reasonably can. Speak well of those who deserve your praise. Appreciate the good deeds done by them and let these good actions be known publicly.

From Michael Hamilton Morgan's Lost History.

So did Maalik, Ali's devoted supporter, follow his instructions to the letter? And did Egyptians actually enjoy a utopia under his rule? Unfortunately NO. Maalik Ibn Al-Harith, AKA al Ashtar, did not live to rule Egypt.

Mu'awiyah who wanted to control Egypt, sent a big army to occupy it. When Mu'awiyah heard that Ali has appointed Maalik as Egypt's new ruler, he was worried, for he knew that Malik would save it. So Mu'awiyah decided to kill Maalik when he is most venerable, that is while traveling from Kufa to Egypt. At al-Qilzim City on the borders of Egypt, Maalik was greeted by innkeepers who were actually supporters of Muˤāwiyya. They poisoned Maalik's honey, killing him before he ever set foot in al Fustat.

Mish maktobalna!!

نفسي لما أكبر أبقي زي ...........؟؟؟؟؟؟

لو سألنا أولادنا : مين مثلكم الأعلى؟

أو لما تكبروا، نفسكم تبقوا زي مين؟؟
ياترى حيقولوا أية؟؟؟

ويا ترى من حقنا إننا نتخض وتجيلنا زغطة لو سمعناهم بيقولوا تامر حسني (الهارب من التجنيد) أو اللمبي (الهارب من الفواقان) أو هيفاء وهبي (الهاربه من الهدوم) أو الحضري (الهارب من الأهلي) ؟

أو حتى لو قالوا (علشان ماننساش اولاد المدارس الأجنبية الخواجات - بالجيم) لبرون جايمز أوجاي زي أو الأخت بيونسي؟

(ملحوظة: الأهل اللي ولادهم جاوبوا وقالو شخصيات زي : هدى شعراوي، أحمد زويل، فاروق الباز، مجدي يعقوب، نجيب محفوظ، أم كلثوم، محمد غنيم، تهاني الجبالي، صلاح جاهين، سميرة موسى، يوسف إدريس، يوسف شاهين، منى ذوالفقار، محمد عبده، لطيفة الزيات، شاهندة مقلد، نهول،...أو أي شخصية محترمة من النوعية اللي فاتت دي من فضلهم ييجوا على جنب علشان الشتيمة اللي جاية ماتطرتش عليهم). أيه دة، بس دول؟ ألله يكسفكم.

لأ مش من حقنا إننا نتخض ولا نزعل أو نتقمص. لية؟ لإن إحنا (الأهل والمدرسة والإعلام) كلنا مسؤولين عن الخيبة التقيلة دي يا ....@@####&&&$%%%####***** (شتيمة)

يلا كل واحد يبتدي ينمي في ولاده روح الإنتماء والفخر بوطن خرج أعلام في جميع المجالات وقادر إنه يخرج لنا زيهم وأحسن كمان.

أظن كلامي واضح ومش محتاجة أطول عليكم أكتر من كدة!! وكمان أنا مستعجلة علشان ألحق أروح أتفرج على التلفزيون. أصل فية إنترفيوه مع شاكيرا شاكيرا وجورج كلوني.
(تنويه للناس اللي ماعندهاش روح الدعابة، ... بهزر). ء

الحملة القومية المصرية لجعل يوم 10/04 عيد للنظافة فى مصر

دعوة عامة لكل المصريين للإشتراك في الحملة القومية المصرية لجعل يوم 10 إبريل عيد للنظافة فى مصر. الحملة أطلقتها مجموعة على الفايس بوك وعدد المشتركين -حتى الأن- حوالي 2500 مشترك.
بجد أنا فخورة بيهم وغيرانة منهم لأن الفكرة الهايلة دي راحتلهم وما جتليش أنا. ء

نص الدعوة:

"الحملة القومية المصرية لجعل يوم 10/04 عيد للنظافة فى مصر
تعالوا نتعاون جميعا وننظف بلدنا وشوارعها
تعالو نزين مصر تعالو نخليها عروسة فى يوم عيد نظافتها
تعالوا نتسابق على نظافتها تعالو نتبارى فى كيفية جعلها انظف دول العالم
تعالو نكرم عمال النظافة فى اليوم ده ونقدم لهم ورودا ونشكرهم ونغير نظرة المجتمع ليهم
تعالوا ننظف مصر". ء

لزيارة الموقع الخاص بالمجموعة، كلك هنا . ء

شكر وتحية مني ومن كل إخواني وأخواتي المصريين على هذة المبادرة الجميلة. ء

شكر أكبر وتحية خاصة جدآ مني ومن كل إخواني وأخواتي المصريين المصابون بداء الوسواس القهري علي هذة المبادرة اللضرورية لإحتمال العيشة في البلد. ء

شالو ألدو

أول ما قرأت عنوان خبر التغيير ............. خلينا نقول..؟؟.. أيوه التغيير في الفريق الأول لأحدى الفرق الرياضية، شفت أدامي عدة سيناريوهات (مش عارفة إيه حكاية الأفلام معايا الأيام دي).

وكلها كانت في منتهى التفاؤل. ء

سيناريو رقم 1: طبعآ فيه كام لعيب بعد أداءهم اللي زي الزفت، وقلة الحرفنة و اللياقة، وتكرار الأخطاء القاتلة، والغرور المتناهي، والفردية، وعدم الحرص على مصلحة الفريق، والشتيمة في الجمهورإذا إعترض على الأداء، فإن المدير الفني - الي مفروض يجيب البطولات، ويطبق اللوائح، علشان يرضي الجماهير الغلبانة اللي طلع روحها - أخيرآ طلعلهم الكارت الأحمر وكرشهم من الفريق.

سيناريو رقم 2: ياسلام بقي لو المدير الفني يكمل جميلة ويكرش مع المجموعة الي فوق دول شوية اللعيبة اللي يمكن أداءهم مش وحش أوي كدة لكن دم أمهم تقيل أوي على قلب المشجعين.

سيناريو رقم 3: ويبقى يوم الهنا يقى لو المدير الفني سرح الفرقة كلها و أقر بمسؤليتة عن ضعف المستوى الفني والأخلاقي لللعيبة و روح بيتة هو كمان.

سيناريو رقم 4: ويبقى يوم المنا لو إدارة النادي تشرك الجمهورفي إختيارمجموعة جديدة من اللعيبة الجدعان اللي بيحبوا النادي من قلبهم.

والله أنا يا طيبة يا ساذجة يا هبلة.

لما قرأت الخبر، طلع إن المدير الفني إتشطر على لعيب واحد لأنه تجرأ وحاول ينبهة إلي خطوة خطيرة مقدم عليها أكبر خصوم النادي، ولكن المدير الفني طلع عارف ومطنش وكرش اللعيب علشان يكون عبرة لمن يعتبر.

لك الله يا جمهور نادينا الحبيب. التغيير طلع فشنك. حاجة كدة زي سكتش الثلاثي بتاع "شالو ألدو جابو شاهين". والله المفروض الجمهور هوه اللي يهتف و يقول "مانتوش لاعبيين".

أخيرآ أحب أأكد إن البوست دة عن الكورة، كله كورة، ولا شيئ غير الكورة. وإن أي تشابه بين البوست وأحداث معينة حصلت في البلد الأيام ده عبارة عن صدفة بحتة وشكرآ. ء

Call me Flipper!!

I don't believe in reincarnation, so I wasn't prepared when a friend of mine asked me:"If you had a previous life, who do you think you could have been?".

That's why, I was truly surprised when I heard myself saying:"A dolphin." (needless to say the last words I ever heard from this so-called friend were:"What the heck!!")

Looking back, I wonder where did this answer come from. I am no animal lover. I am scared of cats, dogs, horses, monkeys(with the exception of Mo), turtles, birds, ducks, geese, chickens, ..or any other creature that some people might call a pet or a domestic animal. Needles to say, I am terrified of insects, rodents, and fierce animals. I won't deny that am also kind of uncomfortable around most people, so knowing all this, I would have expected to hear "Moi!!"

So why a dolphin?

Could it be my OCD? Am I really scared of all of God's creatures or am I only scarred of the microbes, viruses, dirt, and other yucky stuff they may be carrying around? Those guys don't shower or bathe as often I would like them to, and on the rare occasions that they do, some stupid ones dry themselves by rolling in the dirt (Good Grief!!!). On the other hand, dolphins are taking an eternal bath.

Or could it be my love of swimming. My father & grandfather were both swim champs. I loved swimming since I was a kid. I used to swim at the beaches of Alexandria, and at the pool at school. I later joined the swim team of the Sporting Club for three years. I don't swim much anymore, but whenever I get the chance to go swimming, I just love it( provided that obscene amounts of chlorine has just been added to the pool, and there are no young or old kids swimming close by). So if I were a dolphin, I could work, exercise, eat, drink (do sea mammals and fish drink? Just checked and found out that they actually do), and even sleep while swimming.

Or is it my memories of the TV show Flipper and other popular culture stories; about dolphins rescuing humans from drowning or sharks, keeping them safe from harm. I actually just researched this topic and found that those stories are absolutely true. So if I were a dolphin, I would become the hero I always wished I was.

Or is it my love for music & my iPod. Will give you a couple of minutes to try to figure this one out yourself. On second thought, it came to my attention via several sources that my brain works differently that most people I know. (I took that as a compliment. You can take it as one too.) So here it is: Dolphins live in groups called Pods. So if I join a group, I could say "i Pod!!"....Never mind!!!

Last, and I hope least (not to come across as insatiable), it could be my love of seafood. Instead of having to wait until my next visit to the Fish Market, I would have seafood for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desert!!(but I guess I need to start developing a taste for Sushi)

Arabesque at Kennedy Center, Washington DC

Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World
February 23-March 15, 2009

Unwrap the cultural treasures of the Arab world in this Kennedy Center international festival showcasing the varied cultures of the 22 Arab nations that represent the Arabic-speaking world. From the Arabian Gulf to the Levant to North Africa-this region of the world is the birthplace of human civilization and features extraordinary diversity in geography, traditions, landscape, religion, and contemporary aesthetics. In cooperation with the League of Arab States, the three-week festival brings together artists, many of whom are making their U.S. debut, in performances of music, dance, and theater, as well as exhibitions featuring art installations, fashion, a soundscape, cuisine, a marketplace, and much more. Discover the evolution of art forms born from the cradle of human civilization. Experience an amazing breadth of culture that spans both eons and continents.

Visit the Kennedy Center site to check out the program and some videos of the events .

Egypt rapists to die, court rules

BBC NEWS

Thursday, 5 March 2009

An Egyptian court has confirmed the death sentence imposed on 10 men convicted of raping a teenager.

They were found guilty of raping the 18-year-old newlywed for several hours.

The men, armed with guns, raided the woman's home in 2006, kidnapped her and took her to a rural area where the attack took place.

Handing the death sentence to 10 defendants at once is unprecedented in Egypt, according to the state-run newspaper al-Ahram.

The gang, two of whom are 18 and the rest in their 20s, were sentenced to death by hanging. Another teenager was jailed for 15 years because of his age.

There is a widespread perception in Egypt that violent crime is on the rise, according to the BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi, and this case could confirm for the public that it is spreading.

The presiding judge is reported to have said that the harsh sentence was needed in order to purge society of the defendants' evil.

الطيف الرمادي

لطيفة عندها أغنية بتقول :

باحب في غرامك،. ألاقي كلامك،
محدد قصادي

كلام مش بيحود، يا أبيض يا أسود،
لكن مش رمادي

كنت باحب الأغنية دي علشان أنا كمان كنت شايفة الدنيا يا أبيض يا أسود.
ياصح ياغلط. مافيش نص نص.
مش عارفة إية بالظبط اللي أتغير فيه، ولا عارفة إمتى بالضبط إتغيرت ، لكن المتأكدة منة دلوقت هو إن الدنيا مافيهاش ابيض و إسود.
الدنيا عبارة عن
طيف من الرمادي.

Shades of Grey

مقتل فرنسية وإصابة 17 من جنسيات مختلفة فى انفجار قنبلة بمنطقة الحسين بالقاهرة

القاهرة - محرر مصراوي - أعلن وزير الصحة والسكان الدكتور حاتم الجبلى وفاة سائحة فرنسية وإصابة 17 من جنسيات مختلفة فى حادث انفجار الحسين مساء الأحد.. واصفا الإصابات بأنها طفيفة.

وقال الجبلى إن المصابين بينهم 3 سعوديين إصابتهم طفيفة للغاية، وألمانى إصابته سطحية، و10 فرنسيين بينهم حالة إستدعت تدخلا جراحيا متوسطا، و3 حالات لمصريين إصابتهم طفيفة أيضا.

وأضاف "أن الغالبية العظمى من الإصابات لا تستدعى أى تدخل جراحى، ولكن يتم إجراء الآشعة والتحاليل للاطمئنان على كافة المصابين".

وأكد وزير الصحة أن معظم الحالات من الممكن أن تغادر المستشفيات الاثنين.. لافتا إلى أن هناك حالة أو حالتين فقط تستدعيان بقاءهما فى المستشفى مدة أطول .

وأشار وزير الصحة الدكتور حاتم الجبلى الى أنه تم الاتصال عن طريق وزارة الخارجية بسفارات الدول التى يتبع لها المصابون،وأن مندوبيها سيذهبون للاطمئنان على هذه الحالات خلال الساعات القادمة.

من جانبه، قال المستشار الإعلامى والمتحدث الرسمى بوزارة الصحة الدكتور عبدالرحمن شاهين والسكان إن إحدى السائحات الفرنسيات لقيت حتفها إثر الانفجار.

واشار إلى أنه من بين المصابين مصرى تم تحويله إلى مستشفى أحمد ماهر، وفرنسيتان تم تحويلهما إلى مستشفى القاهرة الفاطمي، و11 مصابا تم تحويلهم إلى مستشفى الحسين الجامعى ، بينهم مصريان وتسعة من جنسيات أخرى، بالإضافة إلى ثلاثة سعوديين تم تحويلهم إلى مستشفى مصر الدولى.

وأشار إلى أن وزير الصحة انتقل فور علمه إلى مكان الحادث وقام بزيارة المصابين فى المستشفيات للاطمئنان على حالتهم.. مؤكدا أن إصابات معظمهم طفيفة.

وقد انتقل المستشار عبدالمجيد محمود النائب العام يرافقه المستشار عادل السعيد النائب العام المساعد إلى موقع الحادث الانفجار .

وتفقد النائب العام معاينات آثار الحادث التى يجريها فريق كبير من المحققين من نيابتى أمن الدولة العليا وغرب القاهرة حيث أعطى النائب العام توجيهاته بسرعة إجراء التحقيقات ومعاينة آثار الحادث للوقوف على اسبابه وسماع اقوال الشهود والمصابين.

كما انتقل المستشار عبدالمجيد محمود النائب العام إلى مستشفى الحسين وتابع عمليات سماع اقوال المصابين فى الحادث.

وذكر مصدر أمنى أن الانفجار الذى وقع بمنطقة الحسين وسط القاهرة مساء الأحد ناجم عن عبوة ناسفة فيما قالت مصادر ان عدد الجرحي وصل إلي 17.

وبينما قالت وكالة رويترز للانباء ان هناك اربعة قتلي بينهم اجنبيان، نفت وزارة الصحة المصرية علي لسان المتحدث باسمها الدكتور عبد الرحمن شاهين ان يكون هناك قتلي .

وقال ان سعوديين مصابيين توجهوا بسيارة أجرة الى مستشفى مصر الدولي وان ومصري يدعى حسين محمد حسين " 37 سنة" من منطقة المطرية اصيب بإصابات طفيفة وبصدمة عصبية تم نقله الي مستشفي احمد ماهر .

وأكد المدير المناوب لمستشفى مصر الدولى الدكتور صلاح فوزى أن حالة المصابين السعوديين الثلاثة الذين استقبلتهم المستشفى ، موضحا أن إصاباتهم سطحية وطفيفة.

وقال إن أعمار المصابين الثلاثة تتراوح بين 22 و24 عاما، مشيرا إلى أنه يتم حاليا اتخاذ الإجراءات الطبية والفحوصات اللازمة لهم داخل قسم الطوارىء بالمستشفى.

وقد توجهت 20 سيارة إسعاف الى المنطقة وعالجت 15 مصابا فى مكان الانفجار .

وأشار مصدر امني فى تصريحات لوكالة أنباء الشرق الاوسط من موقع الانفجار انه كانت هناك عبوة ناسفة اخرى تم ابطال مفعولها قبل ان تنفجر.

وقالت الوكالة الرسمية ان الانفجار لم يسفر عن حدوث أى اثار تدميرية فى المكان أو المحلات الكائنة أسفل الفندق ، وهو ما يشير الى ضعف المادة التفجيرية التى كانت متواجدة داخل العبوة الناسفة .

ومازال رجال وقيادات الامن يتابعون الموقف كما يقوم الان رجال المعمل الجنائى برفع آثار البصمات من موقع الانفجار .

كما رجح مصدر امني مصري لمراسل الجزيرة بالقاهرة ان تكون جماعة إرهابية صغيرة وراء الانفجار.

وقال المراسل ان قوات الامن الان تقوم بادخال اكياس تحتوى على رمال لملئ الحفرة الى خلفها الانفجار والذى وصف بالشديد .

كما تقوم الان قوات الامن بجمع الادلة واخذ العينات من موقع الانفجار وذلك للتوصل الى خيوط تؤدى الى المسئول عن هذه العملية.

وترجح مصادر امنية ان تكون القنبلة التى انفجرت قد القيت من اعلى فندق الحسين او القاها احد المارة .

وكان شاهد عيان قد ذكر فى مكالمة هاتفية لقناة النيل للاخبار ان الانفجار ناجم عن قنبلة كانت امام المسجد مباشرة وهى منطقة مكتظة بالسياح والمصريين .

واكد ان المصابين من المصريين والاجانب وانهم تم نقلهم الى المستشفى على الفور.

واشار الشاهد الى ان قوات الامن طوقت المنطقة واغلقتها تماما الان .

وقبل سنوات وقع أكثر من انفجار في المنطقة التي يكثر فيها السائحون الاجانب والعرب. ويتردد مصريون أيضا على الحي الذي تنتشر فيه المطاعم والمحلات.

(منقول من موقع مصراوي)

إماطة الأذى عن الطريق..

يمكن لو ماكنتش لسة مخلصة قراءة كتاب "حتى الملائكة تسأل" للأمريكي المسلم جفري لانج، ماكنتش حتى لاحظت سلوك ثلاثة من زملائي بالعمل النهاردة الصبح. علشان أديكوا صورة واضحة عن المشهد اللي لفت إنتباهي، إسمحولي أوصفة علي طريقة مشهد سينمائي لفيلم عربي بايخ (طول عمري كان نفسي أشتغل بالسينما، بس للأسف، مالكوش حظ).ء

نهار خارجي، أمام مبنى مكاتب إحدى الشركات في بلد عربي، الساعة تقترب من السابعة صباحا موعد بدأ العمل، و الرياح الباردة المحملة بالأتربة تعصف في وجه الموظفين و تعبئث بتنورة اليطلة نهول (في الحقيقة أنا كنت لابسة بنطلون بس حبيت أضيف إثارة إلي المشهد)

تعلوا الموسيقي بأنغام رومنسية و بصوت سلين ديون.
طبعآ فيه مشاهد غلس حيقول إيه اللي جاب سيلين في الفلم الديني دة؟ إسمحولي أرد عليه. الموسيقى جاية من ال أي-بود بتاع البطلة يا فالح.

أسرعت نهول الخطوات لتتفادي البرد والأتربة وتبويخ رأيسها. كان باب المبنى قد أصبح على بعد 30 خطوة تقريبآ وفجأة (أن أه) أتت الريح بعلبة مشرب غازي فارغة (مش حقول إسم المشروب علشان مايبقاش إعلان) في الممر المؤدي الى باب المبنى.

خللي بالكم معايا من اللي جاي علشان دة هو الكليمكس بتاع الفيلم. الحبكة كلها في رد فعل الثلاث موظفين اللي بيني وبين الباب.

الأول كان مسلم محافظ على ما قد يعتبره سنة محببة (على أقل تقدير) لأنة ملتحي (تدين مش شياكة). تفادى الموظف الإرتطام بالعلبة و دخل المبنى مسرعآ. الئاني لا أعرف ديانتة ولكن ملامحة عربية، هو كمان تفادى العلبة (اللي كانت عمالة تلف في دوامة) ودخل المبنى بسرعة. أخر موظف بيني وبين الباب كان أجنبي. عمل إية يقى الخواجة؟ راح للعلبة لأنها كانت مش في طريقة، وداس عليها فثبتت في مكانها، وبعدين شاطها برجلة ناحية الحائط.

نهول تقول بصوت منخفض: ألله يرحمك يا شيخ محمد عبدة، أو يا شيخ رفاعة الطهطاوي، لإني مش مأكدة مين فيهم اللي قال" في الخارج وجدت إسلام بدون مسلمين .. وهنا (بلادنا) وجدت مسلمين بدون إسلام"!!!

النهاية.

عارفة، حتقولوا إيه الفيلم البايخ دة؟ سينما أونطة هاتوا فلوسنا.
أولا فلوس إية؟ البلوج دة بلوشي.
ثانيآ الفيلم دة أحلى من أي فيلم يعرض حاليا في السينما.
وثالثآ و أخيرآ، اللي مافهمش الفيلم (لأنه فيلم مهرجانات ومش فيلم تجاري) يبقى على رأي شويكار مش من مستوايا.
أما باقي القراء الأذكياء، فإلى اللقاء في فيلمي القادم. ء

Israeli Apartheid Week 2009

Mark your calendars - the 5th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week will take place across the globe from March 1-8, 2009!

First launched in Toronto in 2005, IAW has grown to become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar.

Last year, more than 25 cities around the world participated in the week's activities, which also commemorated 60 years since the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and land in 1947-1948. IAW 2008 was launched with a live broadcast from the South African township of Soweto by Palestinian leader and former member of the Israeli Knesset, Azmi Bishara.

This year, IAW occurs in the wake of Israel's barbaric assault against the people of Gaza. Lectures, films, and actions will make the point that these latest massacres further confirm the true nature of Israeli Apartheid. IAW 2009 will continue to build and strengthen the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement at a global level.

Check the web site.

Watch the trailer.

Coming soon near you: Abu Dis * Arhus * Atlanta * Barcelona * Berkeley * Bethlehem * Birzeit * Boston * Chicago * Copenhagen * Edinburgh * Edmonton * Fredericton * Greensboro * Halifax * Hamilton * Hebron * Jenin * Jericho * Johannesburg * Kingston * Kristiansand * London (UK) * Madrid * Mallorca * Malmo * Manchester * Montréal * Nablus * New York City * Oakland * Oslo * Ottawa * Oxford * Peterborough * Pisa * Puebla * Qalqilya * Salfit * San Francisco * Toronto * Tulkarem * Vancouver * Washington * Waterloo

Kalam by Dale Carnegie

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all".

Dale Carnegie - American Author and lecturer.

Even Angels Ask (2)

In Chapter 2, Lang starts by highlighting his approach to the Qur'an.

Use of Symbolism:
Since Muslims assert that the Qur'an is a revelation appropriate for all persons, times, and places, then we should allow for, even anticipate, that it would use allegory, parables, and other literary devices to reach a diverse audience. The language used had to be that of the prophet's milieu, and reflect the intellectual, religious, social, and material customs of the 17th century Arabs, but if the message is universal then it had to transcend the very language and culture that was the vehicle of revelation. The Qur'an achieved this through the employment of allegory, that is, the expression of truths through symbolic figures and actions. As the famous Qur'an exegete Zamakhshari put it, "a parabolic illustration, by means of something which we know from our experience, of something that is beyond the reach of our perception.

Qur'an is NOT a Scientific textbook:
Some of the descriptions in the Qur'an of the "signs" (ayat) in nature of God's wisdom and beneficence bear a fascinating resemblance to certain modern discoveries, and it is also true that none of these signs can be proved to be in conflict with science. Yet, the Qur'an is far from being a science textbook since to be inspired with awe and wonder about the Qur'anic signs does not justify attempts to deduce or impose upon them scientific theories.

Qur'an is NOT a Historic textbook:
The same applies to the relation between the Qur'an & history. The Qur'an narratives defies all attempts to present it in a historical setting unless outside sources are consulted. Moreover,the meaning behind the story is emphasized, while extraneous details are omitted, so that the reader would focus on the timeless meaning of the stories. The stories in the Qur'an are not for relating history or satisfying human curiosity, but to "draw a moral & illustrate a point", sharpen the focus of attention, & to reinforce the basic message."

Accordingly, we will be approaching the Qur'an from the standpoint of meaning, seeking to make sense of and find purpose in the existence of God, man, and life.

We enter:
Lang sees Al Fatiha as a prayer which starts with glorifying God (1:1-3), then it continues as a request for guidance (1:4-7). The Bakara verse, is the answer to this prayer since it tells us that This Book is the guidance to those who have fear. Verses 2:3-20, is a description of the Qur'an potential audience: 2:2-5 are true believers, 2:6-7 are the rejecters, and 8-20 are all those who are in between. Verses 2:20-29 outline some of the Qur'an's major themes:

• Man's need to serve the one God
• the prophethood of Muhammad
• the hereafter and final judgment
  
• the Qur'an use of symbolism

We now reach verse 30. Lang explains that the opening scene is heaven as God informs the angels that He is about to place man on earth as His delegate (khalifa). The angel's reply; which inspired the title of the book; is both fascinating and disturbing. In essence it asks, "Why create and place on earth one who has it within his nature to corrupt and commit terrible crimes? Why create this being, who will be the cause and recipient of great suffering?"

The question is made all the more significant when we consider who and from where it comes from. We are not even a single verse into the story of man and we have already confronted our (atheists') main complaint. And it is put in the mouths of angels!!!! If angels, those peaceful, pure, holy creatures who are in perfect and holy submission to God, and who should represent the model we should aspire ask questions, then shouldn't we??

The verse gives no explanation, but a reminder of God's ultimate knowledge. This is in no way a dismissal of the angels' question as the sequence of passages will show.

Verses 2:31-33 highlight man's ability to communicate his knowledge and experience on a high level.
2:34 tells us about Satan, and how pride and selfcenteredness (and not money) is the root of all evil.
2:35 introduces the choice that was granted to man.
2:36 Adam's "slip" and not eternal sin.
2:37 instead of the punishment, God blesses Adam with his mercy.
2:38 the command issued in verse 2:36 is repeated here but with assurance to man kind.
2:39 is the end of Adm's story; for now. Bits and pieces of the story are found later interwined in the text.

As you see, the Qur'an does not take us directly to our goals, it will provide directions, but we have to do the traveling and discovery. We must be willing not only to search the horizon, but also our own selves until we know as much as we can grasp of the truth. The Qur'an begins an explanation but it only provides enough of an answer to catch and hold the reader's attention. The reader will have to read on if he wishes to obtain more clues.

If you like what you've read so far, then please do read the whole book. You will not be disappointed.

Even Angels Ask (1)

I am currently reading Even Angels Ask by Jeffrey Lang.

In his forward, Murad Hofmann writes:
"Jeffery Lang wrote this book first and foremost for his children-leading them through the Qur'an in an eye-opening way and introducing them to the five pillars of Islam worship in a manner which stresses spirituality rather than legalistic routine."

Lang starts by imaging this dialogue between a non-Muslim & a Muslim living in America:

• NM:"Why did God create us to suffer here on earth?"
• M: "I believe He created us to test us."
• NM: "So your religion rejects the omniscience of God, for otherwise what could He possibly learn from testing us that He does not already know?"
• M: "No that is not quite it. Ah! Yes!! We are created to worship Him!"
• NM: "Then you must believe that God has needs and weaknesses, for why else would He demand our worship?"
• M: "No! Adam sinned and his punishment was this earthly life!"
• NM: "It appears that you believe that God is unjust; for why punish all of Adam's descendants for Adam's sin? Why not give each his own chance? Do you Muslims also believe in original sin?"
• M: "No! No! Of course not!"

The game is over!!

This dialogue is meant to illustrate the questions Muslims living in non-Islamic countries may confront, for they are part of the intellectual basis of western civilization. Sometimes the result may be a loss or, even an abandonment, of faith since the immigrants and and their children, are not used to facing or answering such questions that are rarely raised in their countries of origin.

This book is a Journey to Islam in America, that is meant to find answers to the above and other similar questions. To embark on this journey, you need to know:

What to pack?
Lang advises us to leave behind as much religious baggage as possible, ideally you should pretend you are an atheist, with perhaps many objections to belief in God, yet open-minded enough not to dismiss a point of view without at least considering it.

How we will get to our destination?
Lang informs us that our guide will be the Qur'an, the principle source of guidance and spiritual compass for billions of Muslims and, for many newcomers to Islam, their main introduction to the faith.

So as you see, this book might not be suitable for the faint of heart. But if you are still interested even after this unusual introduction, please check out the next post.

Kalam (Sufi Teaching)

Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten.

And seeing them...he cried:
"Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?"...

God said, "I did do something.
I created you."

Sufi Teaching

ظاهرة التدين البديل

بقلم : علاء الأسوانى

جريدة الدستور 2008-07-23

هل نزل الإسلام من أجل تغطية شعر المرأة ؟
فى العام الماضى هاجم الوزير فاروق حسنى الحجاب ، فوقف أعضاء الحزب الوطنى فى مجلس الشعب يدافعون بضراوة عن الحجاب والمحجبات ، وبلغ الحماس بأحدهم أن صاح فىوجه فاروق حسنى 'أنت فتنة على الإسلام' ثم سقط مغشيا عليه من فرط الإنفعال ...

ووجدتنى أتساءل : إذا كان ممثلو الحزب الحاكم يحرصون على الإسلام إلى هذا الحد ، ألم يفكروا قط فى أن تزوير الإنتخابات واعتقال الأبرياء وتعذيبهم وهتك أعراضهم ونهب أموال المصريين وإفقارهم وغيرها من الجرائم التى يرتكبها النظام الذى يمثلونه لايمكن ان تتفق مع مبادىء الإسلام ؟

من المعروف أن كثيرا من ضباط أمن الدولة ملتزمون دينيا ، يؤدون الصلاة فى أوقاتها ويصومون ويحجون إلى بيت الله ، لكن ذلك لا يمنعهم أبدا من ممارسة عملهم اليومى فى التعذيب والضرب واستعمال الكهرباء فى صعق المعتقلين .

فى نفس السياق تربطنى علاقة مصاهرة بمسؤول بارز فى الحكومة إشتهر بتزوير الإنتخابات والإعتداء على إستقلال القضاء وهو معروف فى محيط الأسرة بتدينه العميق ، حتى إنه يعطى أقاربه دروسا فى الفقه ..

الأمثلة لا تحصى – كثير من المصريين يؤدون فرائض الدين بإخلاص لكنهم فى حياتهم اليومية يتصرفون بطريقة أبعد ما تكون عن الدين .

ففى شهر رمضان الماضى نشرت جريدة المصرى اليوم تحقيقا ممتازا عن المستشفيات العامة ساعة الإفطار ، لنكتشف أن معظم الأطباء يتركون المرضى بدون رعاية ، حتى يتمكنوا من أداء صلاة التراويح! والذين يفعلون ذلك ليسوا جهلاء ، بل هم أطباء متعلمون ، لكنهم ببساطة يعتبرون أن صلاة التراويح أهم بكثير من رعاية المرضى ، حتى ولو كانت حياتهم فى خطر ..

المسألة إذن ليست مجرد نفاق أو جهل ، وإنما هى وعي فاسد بالدين ، يؤدى إلى نوع من التدين الظاهرى الذى يشكل بديلا عن الدين الحقيقى ..
وهذا التدين البديل مريح وخفيف ولا يكلف جهدا ولا ثمنا لأنه يحصر الدين فى الشعائر والمظاهر . فالدفاع عن مبادىء الإسلام الحقيقية ، العدل والحرية والمساواة ، مسألة محفوفة بالمخاطر فى مصر ستؤدى بك حتما إلى السجن وقطع الرزق والتشريد . أما التدين البديل فلن يكلفك شيئا ، وهو يمنحك إحساسا كاذبا بالطمأنينة والرضا عن النفس .

الذين يتبنون التدين البديل يصومون ويصلون ، ويحيون الناس بتحية الإسلام ويلزمون زوجاتهم وبناتهم بالحجاب والنقاب ، وربما يشتركون فى مظاهرة ضد الرسوم الدنماركية أو منع الحجاب فى فرنسا أو يكتبون إلى بريد الأهرام منددين بالكليبات العارية . وهم يعتقدون بعد ذلك أنهم قد أدوا واجبهم الدينى كاملا غير منقوص . وهم لا يكترثون إطلاقا للشأن السياسى ولا يهتمون بموضوع التوريث ، بل أن بعضهم لايرى بأسا فى أن يورث البلد من الأب إلى الإبن وكأنه مزرعة دواجن.

المتدين البديل لا يعتقد أساسا أن له حقوقا سياسية كمواطن ، وفكرة الديمقراطية لاتشغله ، وأقصى ما يفعله بهذا الصدد أن يدعو الله 'أن يولى علينا من يصلح' ، ثم يحدثك بحماس عن عظمة الخلفاء العظام مثل عمر بن الخطاب أو عمر بن عبد العزيز التدين البديل مرض محزن أصاب المصريين فأدى بهم إلى السلبية والغفلة . وجعلهم قابلين للإستبداد والقمع . . ولم تكن هذه طبيعة المصريين ، فمنذ 1919 وحتى عام 1952 خاضت الحركة الوطنية المصرية بقيادة حزب الوفد نضالا عنيفا وقدمت آلاف الشهداء من أجل طرد الإحتلال البريطانى وتحقيق الديمقراطية ..

والحق أن إنتشار التدين البديل له أسباب عديدة : فحتى نهاية السبعينات كان المصريون .. مسلمين وأقباطا أقل اهتماما بمظاهر الدين وأكثر تمسكا بمبادئه الحقيقية ، حتى جاء أنور السادات الذى استعمل الدين لترجيح كفته السياسية ضد اليسار المعارض . ثم إندلعت الثورة الإيرانية لتشكل إحراجاً وتحدياً حقيقيا للنظام السعودى المتحالف مع الفكر السلفى الوهابى .
وعلى مدى ثلاثة عقود أنفق النظام السعودى مليارات الدولارات
من أجل نشر الفهم السعودى للإسلام الذى يؤدى بالضرورة إلى التدين البديل وكل من يجادل فى هذه الحقيقة عليه أن يراجع التناقض الفاحش بين المظهر والجوهر فى المجتمع السعودى ..

وفى القنوات الفضائية السعودية يظهر يوميا عشرات المشايخ الذين يتكلمون على مدى 24 ساعة عن تعاليم الإسلام . ولا يتكلم أحد منهم أبدا عن حق المواطن فى إنتخاب من يحكمه ، أو قوانين الطوارىء والتعذيب والإعتقالات ..
الفكر السلفى يؤسس للتدين البديل الذى يريحك من تبعات إتخاذ موقف حقيقى من أجل العدل والحرية . بل إن بعض الدعاة الجدد يفخرون ويفخر أتباعهم بأنهم قد نجحوا فى إقناع فتيات كثيرات بإرتداء الحجاب . وكأن الإسلام العظيم قد نزل من عند الله من أجل تغطية شعر المرأة وليس من أجل العدل والحرية والمساواة ..

على أن النظام الإستبدادى فى مصر قد حرص دائما على إنتشار التدين البديل . فالمتدين البديل هو المواطن النموذجى فى عرف الحاكم المستبد ، لأنه يعيش ويموت بجوار الحائط ، دائما فى حاله لايعترض أبدا على الحاكم ، ويقصر إعتراضاته إما على مايحدث خارج مصر ، أو على اشياء لاتزعج النظام فى شىء ، كرقصة أدتها دينا أو فستان إرتدته يسرا فى فيلم لها .
'مجموعة من المتديين البدلاء ينشطون الآن بحماس على النت من أجل توقيع عريضة إدانة للمغنى تامر حسنى لأنه نظر إلى جسد بطلة فيلمه الجديد بطريقة غير لائقة '. .
النظام يرحب تماما بالتدين البديل لأنه يعفيه من المسؤلية . ففي عرف الإسلام الحقيقى يكون الحاكم المسؤل الأول عن مشاكل المواطنين فى بلاده ، أما المتدين البديل فعندما يعانى من الفقر والبطالة لن يفكر أبدا فى مسؤلية الحاكم عن ذلك بل سوف يرجع ذلك إلى أحد إحتمالين : إما أنه قد قصر فى العبادة ولذلك فإن الله يعاقبه ، وإما أن الله يختبره بهذا الشقاء فعليه أن يصبر ولا يعترض .

إن شهداء نظام مبارك الذين فاقوا فى عددهم شهداء كل الحروب التى خاضتها مصر ضحايا القطارات المحترقة ، والعبارات الغارقة ، والعمارات المنهارة ، ومرضى الفشل الكلوى والسرطان بفضل مبيدات يوسف والى وغيرهم – كل هؤلاء فى نظر الإسلام الحقيقى ضحايا الفساد والإستبداد ، والحاكم مسؤل مباشرة عن موتهم وتشريد أسرهم . أما التدين البديل فيعتبر هذه المآسى جميعا من القضاء والقدر لا أكثر ، ويعتقد أن هؤلاء الضحايا قد إنتهت أعمارهم ، وبالتالى كانوا سيموتون فى كل الأحوال ، فلا معنى إذن لأن نلوم أحدا بإعتباره متسببا فى موتهم .

إن الإسلام العظيم قد دفع بالمسلمين يوما لكى يحكموا العالم ويعلموا البشرية الحضارة والفن والعلم ، أما التدين البديل فقد أدى بنا إلى كل هذا الهوان والشقاء الذى نعيش فيه .

إذا أردنا أن نغير واقعنا ، علينا أولا أن نتبنى منهج الإسلام الحقيقى ، وليس التدين الظاهرى بديلا عنه

Thank CBS 60 Minutes for Exposing Israeli Apartheid

Please watch the CBS groundbreaking 60 Minutes program on Israeli Apartheid and write letters of support.

They are being inundated by Zionist attacks. They had to have known that they would be exposing themselves to attack but they aired the program anyway. Never before in mainstream media. Awesome!

Watch CBS 60 Minutes

We will not go down - A song for Gaza

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)

(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009
Click here to listen/download song or watch a video

A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Thank you Ani for sending me this link.

For Gaza Psychologist, Hope Amid Despair

By James S. Gordon, M.D.

January 12, 2009
The NewYork Times

Jamil sounds different on the second day of the attack. It isn’t the occasional voice-obscuring thunder in the background — Israeli shells exploding near his Gaza City apartment. It’s a subtler note, a bewildered, despairing flatness I have never heard in the six years that this kind, understated, endlessly resourceful child psychologist has coordinated our center’s work with Gaza’s psychologically traumatized population.

“Do you know our team member Waleed?” he asks. I do. The image arises of a sweet, soulful young social worker who cares for traumatized kids.

“He has been killed,” Jamil tells me.

Gaza has never been easy. Most of its 1.5 million people, the families of refugees from Israel in 1948, live many to a room in buildings separated by alleys little wider than a big man’s shoulders. Even in 2002, when I first visited, when tens of thousands of laborers still streamed daily into Israel, unemployment was as high as 40 percent and most residents received supplementary food from the United Nations.

Since Hamas won elections in 2006 and Israel has sealed Gaza’s border, conditions have grown much worse. Unemployment reached 60 percent or more; fuel, food and water were often in short supply. Fed by impotent rage, family violence and clan conflicts escalated.

In 2007, we surveyed 500 children. Fully 70 percent said they had witnessed a killing — by Israelis or in factional fighting. Almost 30 percent had post-traumatic disorder: agitation, inability to concentrate or sleep, violent outbursts, nightmares of traumatic events and flashbacks of them during the day, withdrawal from ordinary activities and emotional numbing.

Still, Jamil, Waleed and the other 90 professionals we trained felt happier and more hopeful as they used the techniques that our international faculty taught them: slow deep breathing to quiet anxiety; guided imagery to seek intuitive solutions to intractable problems; words, drawings and movement to express and share their feelings.

Our Gaza clinicians soon began to share what was helping them in hundreds of small groups that they created for thousands of traumatized children and adults. On my recent visits, they introduced me to mothers who, learning in our groups to relax, were able to successfully breast-feed babies who had been failing to thrive; to a teenage boy whose group leader had taught him mental images that gave him alternatives to suicidal rock throwing at Israeli tanks.

Now, two weeks after the initial bombings, with almost 900 dead, several thousand wounded, and Israeli ground forces swarming Gaza, it is hard to find hope. Yet in the midst of despair, many of our colleagues do find some.

“When the bombs fall,” Jamil tells me, “my children and I breathe deeply, and then we share our feelings. We have each other — our families and our Mind-Body team, too — and of course we have to trust in God.” And then his voice rises, and he is asking about my family and planning for the time when we will return to Gaza, to train 150 more clinicians. “We will need them so much more,” he says.

He’s getting ready to sign off: “The children are crying.” He thanks me for listening and for encouraging our Israeli colleagues — Arabs and Jews — to get in touch with him.

As we hang up, I remember what another Gazan colleague told me not long ago: “In our Scripture, it is written that when you do not have hope, you look for it in the face of your friend.”

James S. Gordon, a psychiatrist, is the founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington and the author of “Unstuck".

Talking to the dead

They've been called the work of the Michelangelo of antiquity and they were brutally ripped apart as the spoils of empire. Now the fragments and paintings of Neb-Amun's burial house have been sympathetically brought together in a new gallery at the British Museum. Their history has much to teach us about international relations today, writes Ahdaf Soueif.
The Guardian, Saturday 10 January 2009

In Room 61 of the British Museum you will soon be able to see some of the most beautiful paintings ever to come out of Egypt. The 11 brilliant fragments, dating to approximately 1350BC, were acquired in 1822 and - until 1997, when they became the subjects of the largest conservation project ever undertaken by the museum - they were on constant exhibition. And so the tall young man fowling in the marshes with his son holding on to his leg will be familiar to many visitors, as will the four musicians and the naked dancing-girls. What's new is the curatorial approach adopted in Room 61.

I never used to like the Egyptian galleries in the British Museum. For a start, mummies on show make me uncomfortable, whether in London or Cairo. I won't go on about that since we all know that mummies are a major crowd-puller. But for all the exhibits (as well as being supremely so for the mummies - but no matter) there was a painful sense of displacement. Powerful kings from 5,000 years ago struck solitary poses as they stood captive in the cold and gloomy halls; for each, instead of his five complex and highly significant names, a small placard bearing one Latinised name that meant nothing. Every one of these figures had been painstakingly sculpted and installed in a palace or a temple in Egypt for a purpose completely negated by their present plight. When you came across pharaonic artefacts in Egypt, even ruined ones, they were part of the landscape. Here, they were the spoils of victory, the visible proof of Egyptian defeat.

Once my attention was caught by a guide leading his group through the Egyptian hall. He was encouraging them to express disgust at the transparent dresses of the Egyptian ladies, revulsion at the perfumed cones on their heads. He made the bemused, elderly Americans pass and repass in front of Sekhmet, an aspect of Hat-hor, goddess of love and beauty - lion-headed, wrathful, manifesting the destructive potential of love. He urged them to step across the goddess's line of vision: "The Egyptians thought she'd curse you, but she can't. Step right up to her . . ." It wasn't an official museum tour, but still . . .

The curator of the new gallery is Richard Parkinson, assistant keeper of pharaonic culture at the museum, and his approach can be said to address - and perhaps even to redress - all this. It is empathetic, imaginative, highly professional and very post-colonial. Parkinson's specific area is the poetry of Egypt's classical age (1940BC to 1640BC) and a few years ago he wrote a paper arguing that the time had come to examine this poetry as literature rather than merely ethnographic documentation. He also argued that to appreciate the poetry you had to be able to imagine it in performance, and urged a parallel with the difference in experience between seeing the lyrics of an Umm Kulsoum song on the page and attending a concert by the great 20th-century Egyptyian diva.

Now, in Room 61, he tries to recreate the setting of the fragments, to help the viewer experience something as close as possible to actually walking into the burial house of Neb-Amun now lost in the desert west of Luxor. An interactive computer simulation shows you what the house would have looked like in its natural setting - and then there are the paintings: Neb-Amun fowling in the marshes; a party with musicians, dancing-girls, stacks of wine-jars and lots of elegant guests; Neb-Amun examining the livestock and produce of his lands, and so on. They've been called the work of the Michelangelo of antiquity, and Parkinson, in the book that accompanies the exhibition, The Painted Tomb-Chapel of Neb-Amun, shows us why.

The burial house (or tomb-chapel as it's called here) had to conform to certain requirements: an inviting façade and front yard, one or two (or more) pleasant rooms for the family of the deceased to come and visit and offer food and prayers, and an underground, sealed room for the burial. Within these parameters, the artists could deploy their inventiveness.

In Neb-Amun's house the meticulous design combined with the flair and fluidity of execution to produce dazzling results. Parkinson points out how the party scene and Neb-Amun's table of offerings would be the first scenes to catch the sunlight, and how the cleverest bits of each scene are positioned at eye-level to the viewer. He explains the techniques used to achieve certain effects, to draw the eye of the beholder: the "highlighted" quality of Neb-Amun himself achieved by painting the red ochre of his skin over a layer of brilliant white. Or the lustre of the women's hair and décolletage achieved by brushing them with glittering beeswax.

One of the most touching things about this exhibition is that it enables you to see the artist at work. As some of the creamy white used for the background, for example, has worn off, it has revealed the bars of a chair put in the wrong place, painted over and repositioned, or the staff held by Neb-Amun pulled in closer to his body. The corrections, Parkinson says, are always in the direction of making the composition tighter, the picture fuller.

Neb-Amun must have been pleased. Solid in his position in the accountancy department at Karnak, married to "the lady of the house, whom he loves", and blessed with at least one child, he was in a position to commission the must-have of the gentleman, his burial house. And what a house he got. The commentary on the exhibition makes a little too much, I think, of the fact that they express an "idealised" portrait of the life of the "elite"; that they are "aspirational" representations of a life that the common, labouring Egyptian was not in a position to have. You could say the same of any formal portrait of well-to-do folk in any society that had reason to be pleased with itself - and Egypt, in 1350BC, had plenty.

This was the reign of Amenhotep III. In a few years his son, Amenhotep IV, would change his name to Akhenaten and set in motion the crisis that would almost destroy the state. But when Neb-Amun was building his burial house the country was enjoying an economic boom, international relations and trade were at their most expansive, and the land hummed with great construction projects. Egypt was at the pinnacle of the classical phase of its civilisation. Three reigns previously, Tuthmosis III had taken on the kings and chieftains nibbling away at his borders and won decisive victories that spread Egyptian hegemony to the Fourth Cataract south and well into Syria in the north, establishing, in fact, what was then a "global" empire. Ra, Egypt's sun-god, instead of overseeing the Nile Valley, became - as Tuthmosis described - the god "who seeth the whole earth hourly". Thebes was not just the heart of the empire but a cosmic capital. And Karnak was its Whitehall. And Neb-Amun was in charge of a portion of the treasure flowing into and out of it.

The pleasant burial house is part of the Egyptians' constant attempt to turn death into something they could live with. At this happy moment in Egypt's history, Neb-Amun's artists presented him with a burial house exuberant with comfort and optimism. It puts the question: What death is this that so teems with life?

Parkinson says that the new gallery aims to present its exhibits as art, and to spark a dialogue between the living and the dead. The director of the museum, Neil MacGregor, has argued that it was established for the benefit of all nations, and he is seeking to return the institution to the founding principles parliament set for it in 1753: "to allow visitors to address through objects, both ancient and more recent, questions of contemporary politics and international relations." Well, the new gallery is in the eye of the storm of both contemporary politics and international relations. It's just as well that MacGregor believes the museum's remit to be "about understanding the world, both through the past and through what's going on now", because everything about the gallery, from the acquisition of the exhibits to its funding and naming, represents a spectacular learning opportunity.

By a curious coincidence, another "message" that reaches us from 1350BC - besides the Neb-Amun paintings - is the "Amarna Correspondence": some 300 letters on clay tablets that were stored in the royal archives in Akhenaten's city, n ow Amarna. Mainly from Canaanite chiefs to Egypt's pharaohs and written over a period of about 30 years, they paint a picture of Egypt's relationship with Palestine and her investment in the rich coastal trading cities of Gaza and Acca. Among them are nine letters asking for Egypt's help in repelling marauders.

I am writing this article in Cairo. Out of my window I can see the 15th of May flyover. The traffic is slow because a kind of checkpoint has been set up on one of its exits as the government tries to control the protests sweeping the country. In my living-room the TV is switched off because I'm trying to finish this piece. I began it inspired by my visit to the gallery in early December and I'm trying to finish it now and not be distracted by what's going on, by the news, by the cause of the protests, by Gaza.

There have been demonstrations in support of the people of Gaza across the world. And in many places the embassy of Egypt was targeted by the protesters alongside the embassies of Israel and the US. Under tremendous popular pressure our deeply unpopular government has agreed to open the Egyptian border with Gaza for a couple of hours every day to bring in the more seriously wounded. But it continues to provide petrol and gas to the Israelis for a fraction of market price and to carry out mass detentions of protesters.

The political configuration which led to the British Museum acquiring the Neb-Amun paintings, and displaying them today, also led to what is happening in Gaza. The interest that rival European powers took in Egypt and the Holy Land from the beginning of the 19th century, the casual racism that led them to believe that they could do what they wanted with the natives' lands and their history, the ignorance of the local rulers and the carelessness of the Ottoman sultan in Constantinople, were all part of this configuration.

The Painted Tomb-Chapel of Neb-Amun does not shrink from describing how the men working for Henry Salt, the British consul, hacked into the paintings on the walls of Neb-Amun's burial-house "with knives and saws, outlining rectangular pieces that they then prised away . . . with implements such as crow-bars". To carry off choice sections of a scene, whole contexts were destroyed. A young woman sits next to her friend at the party. The saw hacks through the crown of her head, severing the stalk of the lotus flower in her hair, cutting through the colourful headband, slicing down behind her ear then dividing into an inverted delta of damage, one branch snaking down her chest and arm, the other reaching across her shoulder to her friend. The brutality is astonishing.

In a later stage of the same historical moment, another set of English and Frenchmen took a hack-saw to the lands of the defeated Ottoman empire. They couldn't carry away the fragments, but they tried to own them, and they gave away one: Palestine. We are still living the effects of their actions.

The funding for the exhibition in Room 61 is also related to this process: the gallery enjoys the generous financial assistance of the R and S Cohen Foundation established by Sir Ronald Cohen and his wife Sharon Harel-Cohen. It is named the Michael Cohen Gallery in an English variant of the name of the Labour peer's father: Michel Mourad Cohen, a Syrian Jew who left Egypt in 1957 in the aftermath of the Suez war, when Britain, France and Israel attacked Egypt. Sir Ronald himself, known as the father of venture capitalism, was born in Egypt. He was 11 when the family left for England, but remains invested in the affairs of the Middle East.

"If you look at my history," he has said, "born in Egypt, a refugee, married to the daughter of the commander of the Exodus who's an Israeli, there's an obvious connection between me and the region. I can empathise with the Arab world to a greater degree than the average person would, yet at the same time I can empathise with the Israelis." In 1998, he was among a select group presented with Israel's highest tribute, the Jubilee award, recognising him as "one of the visionaries who have done the most to facilitate Israel's integration into the global economy and to realise its world-class business potential".

In 2005 he established the Portland Trust to help the Palestinians "build up a powerful economy . . . based on a deep level of interdependence with Israel". Even though the United Nations has cited Israel's policy of encirclement and checkpoints as the principle reason for the devastated economy of Palestinian cities, Sir Ronald, with an entrepreneur's optimism, wonders if you can have "a different approach to checkpoints, which turns them into points of economic interchange rather than just for security?"

The historical process which broke up the Neb-Amun paintings, made a refugee of Ronald Cohen and is killing the children of Gaza, is still in motion. Where will it take us next? The British Museum, in this gallery that took 10 years of planning and fundraising, has elicited happy outcomes from the first two events. There can be none from the third. But maybe we can learn? If that is the BM's remit, can the gallery dedicated to Cohen, a Syrian Jew from Egypt, by his British son, help us learn something about ourselves, and about history, that would help us stop the bloodshed?