The Shock Doctrine

I have to admit that when it comes to finance or economics, I am simply as ignorant as can be. And every time I tried to change that fact, I just failed cause I could not understand anything of what the "experts" said or wrote. As a matter of fact, the harder I tried, the more confused I got. So, I just took it for granted that my brain was just not meant to understand money matters.

Well, I am glad to announce that this has recently changed. I finally discovered that I was not getting what the (so called) "experts" said simply because it did not make any sense, and not because I was (God forbid) stupid.

So when I read the following news bulletin:

Following their recent visit to Egypt, IMF staff issued this concluding statement:

"For the medium-term, reducing fiscal vulnerabilities is be a precondition for achieving Egypt’s growth potential. Sustained high fiscal deficits and public debt could undermine investors’ confidence and put upward pressure on the yield curve, with attendant risks to government financing costs, economic activity and the exchange rate. Government plans to resume medium-term fiscal consolidation as the global economy rebounds are well-placed. The authorities are aware that a credible fiscal consolidation strategy will be crucial to support investor confidence and foster private sector-led growth. This should be supported by policy actions to: strengthen revenues through introduction of a full-fledged VAT; and increase the efficiency and control of government spending with further rationalization of subsidies and decisive progress with financial management reforms. As plans for pension and health care reforms are finalized, it would be important to ensure that the potential fiscal impact is controlled."

instead of simply shrugging my shoulders and assuming that the IMF "experts" knew what they were talking about, I honestly panicked!!

Why? Because this recipe for "boosting" Egypt's economy is nothing but the same "Washington Consensus"; a term coined by John Williamson to describe a set of ten specific economic policy prescriptions that he considered should constitute the "standard" reform package promoted for crisis-wracked developing countries by Washington DC-based institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the US Treasury Department who mercilessly forced those polices on people of South Africa, and the Asian Tigers following the rumored crash of the nineties.

Those set of policies are in complete sync with the "Shock Therapy" policies pioneered by Milton Friedman and his "Chicago Boys" who applied those policies in Chile, Argentina, & China. The "Berkeley Mafia" did the same thing in Indonesia. And Jeffery Sachs applied more or less the same policies in Bolivia, Poland, and then in Russia.............. (well this is all I know for now).

The good news is that the "Disaster Capitalism" policies had extremely positive results to the multinational corporations, Wall Street, the richie-rich, and most of the time, the leaders of those countries. The bad news is that the same policies came at an extremely high cost to the majority of the people of those countries.

OK, I do apologize for showing off, but I couldn't resist it.

The reason I understand world economy & finance better now is that I am currently reading "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein. This book finally confirmed what I suspected all along. To find what that is, please read this book. I am sure that you will have as many "Oh My GOD!!" moments as I did.

If you are Egyptian, then you have to read this excellent book by Naomi Klein so you can formulate an educated opinion regarding Businessmen getting into bed with the government, the on-going privatization of Egypt public sector, the reductions in subsidies, and other so called "reform" policies.

Until you do, don't be surprised if I ignore you or even pretend that I don't know you. I refuse to talk to or socialize with people who are as ignorant as I was four days ago!!

The air I breath

On this day, 27 years ago to be exact, my life changed for ever. I had my first child. Cruel labor pains and the joy that followed were just a taste of what to come. A kind of love that hurts so bad but at the same time gives you so much happiness that you're not sure whether to cry or laugh out loud. The Arabs say “our kids are our kidneys walking on the ground”. I say “my kids are the air I breath”.

God, You deserve my thanks for all the blessings and grace you shower us with. And I do thank you for them all but above all I thank you for the air I breath. Please God bless them with loving You, your prophet Mohammad, and their fellow humans of all color, race, religion. Bless them with happiness, a healthy long life, success, wealth, a loving spouse, and great kids.

One more thing, please don't test my belief or strength through my kids. I admit, I am weak. Having them away from me for most of the year is hard enough. Please be their protector and savior wherever they go. And one more thing, please never deprive me of the air I breath.

Fayza

In line with what I wrote in the previous post, one of the few graduates of the year 2009 is my dear Fayza. Fayza became a member of my family over forty years ago when she came with her mom who did various domestic work at my parent’s place. The unconditional love of this woman to my parents, my sister & I, our husbands & kids is phenomenal. But this is not why I believe Fayza is a far better human than I.

When I go back to Alex, my hubby, kids & I stay at my mom’s place. Needless to say, the amount of housework needed for this army of guests is backbreaking. Knowing that at least four out of the seven occupants of the house (I will not name names) are OCD patients obsessed with cleanliness gives you a vague idea about the about of work needed to keep everyone happy.

Moreover, the family trusts no one else to go clean my sister’s place at the North Coast (el sa7el el shamali), and this year, I too asked her to clean an apartment that we had but did not use for years, to have it ready for some guests who were spending a couple of weeks in Alex.

To top it all, her daughter’s wedding coincided with all this. Yet she refused to take more than two days off to take care of that.

Now some people might argue that all this could be explained by the kind treatment & generous pay she gets from the family. But here is what makes her a better human than many people I know including myself.

I walked quietly into the kitchen, of course to find something to nimble on until lunch was ready, and I found Fayza in the corner, praying, thanking God (a few “Ass Holes” such as myself might think “for what??”), and even praying for a long and happy life for each one in our family.

I love that woman. And I have no doubt that she will be rewarded for accepting & making the best out of the tough hand she was dealt in this life. And above all, for not having a grain of envy or hatred in her heart. Fayza has passed her exam in life.

I am not that sure that I’ve passed mine.

Back to school

Let’s imagine what would happen if we all went through the existing education system, yes that same one that we all hated, but this time around, we will apply two modifications to it. First, no exams are required to move from one grade to the next. Passing or failing will be left to the judgment of each student. The only exception is at the final graduation. And second, your graduation could come at any random date!!

I have no doubt that most students would gladly agree to switch to this new system. It seems extremely fair and self assuring to be able to evaluate oneself in stead of being evaluated by others who might be unfair, prejudice, or apathetic. At first glance, this looks like a great system with great potential. This relaxed environment will definitely bring out the best in each of us.

Unfortunately, this system will now work. It will fail because of the two character traits that are deeply founded in all of us, Vanity & Selfishness. Most of us will simply believe that we do deserve to constantly move to a higher grade, even when all the signs suggest that we don’t. And when we see fellow students miserably fail their graduation exam because they never prepared for it, we would confidently say, “this will never happen to me!” Moreover, when we see others who need a little help in order to advance, most of us will just turn our backs to them, if not even climb on their shoulders to reach higher.

In other words, the system will miserably fail, not because it is a bad system, but because the students misunderstood the true meaning of an education.

Well, the good news is, I have no authority to apply this system to the education system in Egypt or anywhere else. The bad news is, I believe that we are living this system. We live in this world with one goal in life, to be better than the others. And we actually convince ourselves that we are. I am better looking because I fit the beauty standards. I am better than the followers of other religions because I am a Muslim. I am a better Muslim because I have a prayer mark on my forehead. I am a better Muslim because I am veiled. I am better at my job because I was promoted. I am smarter because I had higher grades. I am better because my ancestors built the pyramids. I am better because I am the boss. I am better because I am a man. I am better because I have a foreign passport. I am better because I make more money..…………

Some of the above may be true when comparing people. But none is true comparing humans. To be a better human one has to believe that: “I can only be a better human when I love my fellow humans as much as I love myself.”

Spaghetti Sandwich

I went on a touristic tour of old Cairo with my hubby & kids and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Old Cairo is much more beautiful than I ever expected it to be. I’ve seen parts of old Cairo before, but this visit was different. The trip felt like going on a ride in an open air museum, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I wish we had enough time to visit each and every one of the mosques we saw since each one had a distinct character and was beautiful in a very unique way. The mosques we actually visited were El Sultan Hassan aka the Obama mosque, al Hussain, and Amr ibn el 3as mosques. The latter left a lasting impression on me, not because it was the most beautiful, nor because it was the one where I had an exceptional spiritual experience, it actually touched me for a different reason.

While hubby & the two boys were inside praying, I was outside admiring the facade of the mosque, and trying to figure where the Hanging Church, and Ben Azer’s temple - that along with the mosque form the Multi-Religious Compound - were. Ms. Paparazzi (aka Noona) went around the mosque taking pictures of anything and everything. I noticed that next to the mosque was a Zakkah committee, specialized in supporting orphans, and a large number of women, old & young, were waiting in line to get to a window to receive what I assume must be a monthly allowance for the orphans they support. To me, this small building was as beautiful as all the mosques we saw. I was more than glad to see that in spite of my belief that the dominant flavor of Islam in Egypt now-a-days is a superficial one that exaggerates the importance of appearances and minimizes the role of the Muslim in bettering the society, yet a good number of well to do Muslims must be regularly paying their due Zakkah in order to sustain such a project and many like it around the country.

As I was admiring the beauty of Zakkah at work, Nouna returned followed by three young girls. Mai, Heba, & Habiba. She had asked if she could take pictures of them, and they gladly agreed, and then followed her to where I was waiting. We talked and Noona gave them some candy that Habiba said she will eat after she finishes the sandwich she had in her hand. This made me glance at her sandwich and what I saw lifted the thick veil of apathy that covered my eyes. Habiba was eating a spaghetti sandwich. Only then, her shabby and worn out clothes, and her bare feet completed the picture of poverty & deprivation that my mind was programmed to ignore. I know this might sound stupid since there are many more visible & tragic signs of poverty that we see every day, but the vivid image of Habiba eating her all carbs sandwich is still tormenting me. Stuffing my face at Chilli’s and paying over L.E. 500 for one meal for a family of five less than an hour earlier has definitely added to my guilt.

Most probably I will never see Habiba again, which means I will never be able to influence her life in any meaningful way. Yet she generously gave me a gift that I will cherish forever. Hopefully her image will continue to remind me to appreciate what I have, and to remember my duties, and pay my dues towards the less fortunate fellow Egyptians.

I am blessed with a new son

Good guess but no, I did not just give birth to a baby boy (didn't know you believed in miracles).

Give up? Well it's simple, my Noona got engaged to Kole.

3o2bal 3andokom.

p.s. Boys, looking forward to meeting my two new daughters.

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