Bring “Amino” Back

Hey there, It’s Moey blogging from Amino’s blog… Please bring her back, I miss her blog and she refuses to blog anymore. HELP!

Amino is a full time English Literature Sophomore. Hobbies include: criticizing the society, reading, and writing. An androgynous writer, conflicted idealist, and a passionate athlete, invests spare time devising plans to take over the world, breakdancing, and explaining all the conspiracy theories to online friends.

Lives for activism, books, and Japanese Manga. Earns a living by being a freelancer, translating documents, and eventually finding a decent job. Most commonly known to be enthusiastic about: gender bending, human rights, and science fiction movies.

Inspired by John Lennon, Sarah Waters, Edward Said, and Margaret Weis. Cherishes privacy, honesty, and independence.

Amino’s known to be the guardian of all freaks and socially condemned figures. Often accused of being a socialist, crucified for promoting liberalism, scorned for admiring anarchy. Practices a tolerant attitude under the roof of personal insecurities, and is not afraid to be wrong, rather terrified to regret.

Favors allegories, satires, and irony in literary texts.

Way to go Pope…

Let’s try interfaith tolerance and dialogue the Pope’s way. It is not only effective in stirring emotions and riots, it also a full package: a stab, a jab, and an apology. I can’t understand what was going through his mind, when he decided to quote Manuel II Palaeologus, the second-to-last Byzantine emperor. The Pope’s quote originates from Manuel’s miserable letter after escaping the Ottoman court; where he had been held prisoner. 

            Let’s see, after several crusades aiming to spread religion through force, an Emperor who bears a grudge after war losses, declares:

            “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

            He then continues, saying, “God is not pleased by blood – and not acting reasonably is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats… To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death…”

            So this emperor, whose empire has waged 13 crusades to spread Christianity through force, is saying you can’t spread religion through violence, and is criticizing Islam.

            Would you in your right mind use such a quote to encourage dialogue and peace between religions? Let’s note that he only used the first part of the quote, and not the latter. I really loved Pope John Paul II; he was doing a great job promoting dialogue between religions. I believe he managed to promote tolerance more than any Pope during his pontificate. Now, this new Pope comes and misquotes a “medieval text” that does not “express what he feels”. You’re the Pope; you’re trying to create more dialogue, why on Earth would you not quote something that doesn’t express your feelings. Apology accepted your holiness, I am just wondering, are you going to quote Hitler next?

            John Paul II, bless you!

++ Cairo Freeze’s Earlyweek

Holocaust Denial, double standards, and Freedom of Speech

                        The Holocaust must be the epitome of fascist atrocity to many, but to me there is something more outrageous: holocaust denial rules. There are actual rules that condemn Holocaust denial and you could be sentenced up to three years in prison for doubting history’s credibility in relation to such an event. To think that a number of European countries mainly: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland, and of course non-EU Israel, who constantly preach about democracy actually have such rules is a direct insult to Human Rights and Freedom of Speech. Such laws are making false assumptions that if you are questioning history then you are discriminating against Jews. If a person were to say that the Paranoiac civilization wasn’t attacked by the Roman Empire, could this mean he’s discriminating against Egyptians nowadays?

                        Why is such a topic so sacred, that it can’t be debated, even more sacred than God and religion to Europeans? Can you be jailed for not believing in God in Europe? Without alluding to the numerous conspiracy theories, the only reasonable explanation is that these rules are unjust and discriminative. Not only foreigners are affected by this, even Jews who question the holocaust are bashed and labeled as Anti-Semitic. That brings us to a good point, that Tololy has brought my attention to the other day, anti-Semitic? How come this term always refers to Jews, although it’s a commonly known fact that all religious sects occupying that area were Semitics?

                        Let us put Arabs and the world aside, don’t the Jews have the right to question whatever they have in their books; just like any person in the world would? People like Noam Chomsky, who is Jewish by birth, were labeled as anti-Semitic for questioning history! We’re not here today to discuss whether the holocaust really happened or not, as far as I am concerned, if it happened then it’s a monstrous crime. If it didn’t… really… what difference would it make? People around the world are able to question every single account of history, and they should be able to discuss and question the holocaust account without persecution. Otherwise, governments are simply carrying out double standards when it comes to democracy and freedom of speech.

 

Terrorism in Jordan, yet again…

Once again, Jordan is hit by terrorism, while people are still licking their fresh wounds that bleed insecurity after the 11/9 events that targeted three hotels in the capital Amman. A couple of months ago, four of the parliament representatives had a rather controversial stand about Zarqawi’s death accompanied with public disdained protests.

Monday, September 4^th marks yet another gruesome day for Jordanians. A gunman has opened fire on a group of tourists visiting the Roman amphitheatre, killing a British man and injuring two British women, an Australian woman, a woman from New Zealand, and a Dutchman.

The gunman reportedly yelped “God is great” before opening fire on the tourists. He has been identified as a clean shaven man in his mid thirties of a Jordanian nationality. The investigation is currently underway, and the government can not state if this was a planned act in connection to the infamous terrorism regimes.

What caught my eye however; is the fact that this kind of action was followed by the parliament’s approval of the anti-terrorism law; which includes preventive measures such as detaining suspects upon any tip from a credible source. I’ve covered that parliament meeting, and was quite daunted by the colorful diversity of language usage. One of the representatives cynically stated that he’d give a prize to whoever could explain the difference between words such as: terrorist act, terrorist project, and terrorist intention. A parliament representative, Mahmoud Kharabsheh, who happens to be a lawyer, pointed out that this violates all legislative standards, in which you can not convict someone for the mere fact of suspicion. Other representatives pointed out that people will be pursuing their own personal vendetta, reporting false information, only to get back on people they’ve had tribal feuds with since the wheel touched the ground.

Moreover, the parliament on Sunday has approved a law that gives the state the complete authority to approve mosque preachers. The major motive was to set an obstacle to all those militants trying to infiltrate mosques breeding hate and intolerance. A lot of people complained that the recent laws are curbing personal and religious freedoms, and some even linked this to pressure from the US and Israel.

One could conclude that today’s events weren’t out of the blue. They are accompanied by two laws, in which a lot of people think are imposed under pressure. Once again, we’re shaken and lacking security, a feeling we’re not accustomed to in Jordan. Roba’s comment on this event was of particular interest, because it probably sums up what every Jordanian feels nowadays:

“It seems unreal that the world was ever safe. A distant memory of my pre 2002-life; me walking into a mall without having to be frisked, of going into the compound without having my ID claimed temporarily, of not having to look nervously when a bearded man walks by, of parking right outside the hotel’s entrance rather than before barracks of stones, of not considering terrorism as a part of the reason to not go to certain places and certain cities.”

We’re not safe anymore, because people are killing in the name of God. What kind of god asks you to kill? What kind of God asks you to murder people who could have five kids back home waiting for their dad to come back? I’d like to meet that God, because I am sure that ain’t the God I’ve been taught about all these years.

Related Posts:

Roba’s “Safe World”

Children, religion, and the boogeyman

 

            Why shouldn’t I steal?

            If you do, you’ll displease God and burn in hell.

           

            I could assure you I wasn’t eavesdropping, but it’s hard not to hear such a conversation next to the candy aisle in Safeway. The kid must’ve put a chocolate bar in his pocket, and his mom basically caught him red-handed. I am not particularly disturbed by the mom’s stern attitude towards stealing, rather by the way she explained to her nearly four year old child not to steal. As we all know, religion isn’t something you inherit; you acquire it with time; therefore a child’s mind is not wired with religious commandments. To explain to a kid at that age, in such a manner, what is his moral code according to God is quite scary and simultaneously effective. She has established in that kid’s mind the image of vindictive God, who will punish when displeased, and reward when content. That image is no different than what the Greek gods were like, except that God is known to be the essence of perfection, while Greek gods are known to lack virtue. However, I believe if you must introduce God to your child’s life, you shouldn’t start with the fear element, which consequently gets your child into believing there is this spiteful boogeyman perched waiting for him to make a mistake.

            Any believer’s relationship with spirituality and God shouldn’t be that of fear, rather of celebration and understanding. If God gave you a moral code, you should be able to look further than your noses, and deduce what is meant. You should provide the children with the true essence of such a commandment, after all why is it there anyway?

            Aren’t religious commandments and teachings there to protect humans? Then why install the element of fear, rather than that of rational thinking and understanding?

            I’ll give the analogy of traffic lights. If you were to teach a teenager to drive, you’ll ask him to stop when it’s a red light. If he asked you why, there are two possible answers:

•             If you don’t, you’ll be fined and you might go to jail.
•             If you don’t, you might hit a car, and cause damage to yourself and others.

           

            Which explanation is more suitable in such a case? The fact that he will go to jail, is the punishment, the rule was instated because of a good reason: he might damage himself and others. Understanding a rule makes more sense than following it blindly controlled by fear.

            Pardon my frankness, but this is what a lot of the religious extremists do nowadays: trying to convert people through fear and terror.

            You will burn in hell…

            They repeat over and over…

            You’re not allowed to drink…or you’ll burn in hell.

            Again pardon my language, don’t you think this makes more sense:

            Drinking damages your brain and liver.

            Don’t you think that God, in any religion, would’ve had the best interest for humans in mind? Or that the religious commandments are there to protect you in a sense.

            A lot of people today are teaching their children about God and religion through a spyglass view. A lot of extremists are spreading religion through fear, and it’s going to put a toll on us sooner or later.

Tableau Vivant, Change, and Apathy

            Change needs people who are ready to deal with it, accept it, and push it forward. Looking at the youth of today: educated, passionate, and open minded people, one might actually reach the conclusion that change is the new celebrity in Life’s stardom. However, a lot of our youth are apathetic to change and politics, a phrase Roba has declared a couple of times, and I loved to quote now. I’ve realized how the majority are consumed with trivial issues, and prefer to discuss a video clip rather than the protest next door.

            Coming back home, I had to deal with the changes inside of me as well as the changes around me. I am afraid I am no longer satisfied with the conversations I could usually sustain for an hour or so. I am unable to hide and swallow my pride when it comes to my rights and dreams.

            In this flood of change, a lot of people are like actors in a tableau vivant, people who are in the right costumes, pose, and place. People who are there in the right moment to have it happen, but are silent and motionless. They are just a living picture to any photographer, a model for any artist. A lot of people in the world are getting emancipated, escaping their cocoons and bubbles, and refusing to be part of that tableau. A lot of people are standing up for what they believe, and what they think should be. On the other hand, the majority chooses to stay put and live in their own pink world where everything’s so perfect, and happiness is actually reincarnated in new cars, cell phones, and houses.

            That is their choice, and not taking part in that tableau is our choice. However, it is our right to deliver a message, and I have listed the top 5 slogans that managed to annoy me throughout the years, but actually cut me deep in the flesh after the seminar.

            #1 Whatever we do, nothing will change.

            #2 Why be the ones to lead? Why be the ones to suffer when we can follow?

            #3 We have nothing to contribute with.

            #4 Dreams are called dreams, because they’ll never be a reality.

            #5 Don’t rock the boat

 

            What if it’s the right time to rock the boat? What if it’s time to break the shackles and dream?

 

Israel, cluster munitions, and HRW

Human Rights Watch, a humanitarian organization, which has long fought for freedom and civility, announced that Israel used cluster munitions in their attack on Lebanese village Blida.

            Cluster munitions are prohibited weapons because of the mass damage they cause for civilians. As the name denotes, cluster munitions usually disperse smaller grenades or bomblets, they are highly inaccurate weapons, since they just scatter on a huge radius damaging whatever is in the way. Their unexploded residue usually affects generations to come. Like land mines, they remain as scars in the ground, blowing up anyone who comes in contact, however; cluster munitions are more dangerous since they were designed to blow up anything in the radius of 30-50 m.

            I clearly remember how in the very first days of the events, Israel asked civilians to evacuate because they are concerned for their welfare. It seemed more like a threat to me “evacuate or die”.

            Now, that’s what I call kindness. We gave you a warning, we really do care if you die or not, that’s why we’ll use cluster munitions. I am curious, if the situation was reversed and Hezbollah used munitions on Israelis, how would the world react?

            They’d probably sympathize with Israelis and see Hezbollah as the villains, and they’d ask for severe punishment. You know what?

            I don’t understand for someone who’s been oppressed and prosecuted in the “holocaust” to go on prosecuting other nations with prohibited monstrous weapons.

I think of you..

Whenever I see your children dead on the streets still clutching to their bottles and crayons. What could have happened if they lived to desert the bottles and use pens instead?

I think of you..

Whenever I see your teenagers living in broken homes, dead fathers, mothers, and siblings. What could have happened if they lived to be in a healthy home?

I think of you…

Whenever I see your adults unable to protect themselves, family, and friends. Unable to buy flour for the bread, unable to eat the bread with all their wounds and pains. What could have happened if they lived to have a delicious meal with their friends?

I think of you…

Whenever I see what was built with gallons of blood, be destroyed over and over again. The huge tall buildings that do not last for a century without being buried and resurrected.

I think of you dear Beirut….

I see yet I can not comprehend.

I see missiles being fired on helpless civilians, I see planes bombing innocent towns..

I see weddings crashed, blood gushing and delivering funerals instead.

I think of you dear Beirut, when I see two military powers unable to sit on a table and save millions. When I see two political agendas being run over the expense of civilians. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? It doesn’t matter…

I think of you dear Beirut when I see you neglected, not worth their cease fire… not worth any negotiations… compromises… or thoughts…and yet I think…

Arabs on time, a dream?

 

            If there’s anything my family is plagued with: it’s time. We’re always on time, if no external circumstance prevents us from arriving. Most of the time, we’re there 5 to 10 minutes before the rendezvous, and we wait.          

            If there’s anything Arabic people are plagued with: it’s time. They’re never on time, even with no external circumstances preventing them from arriving.

            Time is something cheap here, that people waste nonchalantly with no regrets or second thoughts. It tough for me to understand, because we’re an Arabic family of pure Arabic roots and linage. How did my family come to be this way? How do we ever manage to make it on time?

            The three golden rules in the house: 

            #1: Arrange for the event at least two days beforehand.

            #2: Wake up at least two hours before the event.

            #3: Don’t do things haphazardly; know where you’re going, when you’re going, and till when.

            Since we have been used to organize our time since a very early age, I began facing difficulties during early teens. Friends that never show up on time, classes that start thirty minutes late, shops that fail to stick to their deadlines when fixing stuff.

            Why are we plagued with this epidemic?

            Why can’t we be on time?

            I always hear people talking about how they don’t have time to do things. Personally, I think it’s the random spontaneous chaotic system we are taught to live in. Students aren’t taught to be there on time, because their teachers never did. Employees never deliver work on time, because their bosses never stick to their deadlines. It’s a loop that seems to suck us in when it’s the last thing we need. Productivity is all about utilizing your time efficiently, and obviously we don’t.

            How can you get all the things you need to do on time, when you don’t have a clear plan? How will you be able to stick to deadlines, when you procrastinate till last minute, and expect a kind muse to pay you a visit?

            What ignited this?

            Driving lessons….

            Driving instructors have mastered the art of arriving fashionably late. They provide you with the pinch of variety you need to break the routine, by arriving each day on a different time. No matter how hard you talk to them, it’s useless. Being the family we are, I’ve switched to several instructors hoping they’ll be on time, and finally with no success.

            Who is right? Who is wrong? Maybe, it’s our fault now, that we’re an organized family that hates chaos. If we were like the rest of the population, maybe we wouldn’t be fuming every now and then for such situations.

            What makes me angrier is that on my first lesson, he warned me that “He’s very punctual”.

            Yeah right… I can see that.

Sex crazed race; between a need or industry?

Air, water, food, and rest are the basic needs to a human being, and at some mythical age, sex was a secondary aspect for carnal survival.

Naturally, the multinational monopolies managed to turn most of our basic needs into an industry. They turned food into a commodity that promotes excess rather moderation. They turned water into all kinds of brands, where we should care if our water is oxygenated or not. They turned rest into foam, air, and water beds. Even worse, they turned the ultimate form of human bonding, love, and communication into something cheap, over the shelf, and at some times grotesque.

Pornography; the booming industry:

Pornography has existed for a long time; however it spread on large scale with the World Wide Web. 1993, marked a milestone in pornographic mediums, rather that relying on the typical distribution methods, they used the new spider web to provide anonymous images and videos. The statistics show that sex-related and pornographic terms are topping the charts of search engines.

Pornography sweeps over:

Users have the choice whether to download such material or not, but we are still bombarded in daily surfing by unwanted ads featuring unrealistic women and men.

No seriously, how many people actually look like those celebrities or porn stars? Normal people do not have such bodies, and in comparison, you see a major difference.

Pornography and society

Pornography sets unrealistic pressures on men and women, with their stereotypes and implications. They promote these stereotypes, and consequently, we see women resorting to plastic surgery, fad diets, or even anorexia. We see men worrying about issues such as size, performance, and muscles.

These indirect pressures take advantage of a need that was once human. It is not human to me anymore; the way it is presented is more of a barbaric, animal-like, and unsentimental process. I stress the point of process, since it does not fall under the “bonding, love, and communication” category anymore.

Music and pornography

Although I believe everyone is free to do whatever he thinks is right, what I see in music videos nowadays is pure pornography to me. Hip-hop videos are just like a huge orgy, with no emotion whatsoever. Is it hot?

For me it’s not, and I don’t know about you reader. It’s cheap, and dime a dozen. We have switched our parameters of attractiveness to suit rather superficial aspects.

Women and Hip-Hop

I think if there is anything that degrades women nowadays; it’s those videos and songs. We are portrayed as submissive sex crazed items. Women in these videos are just a run of the mill symbols, in which intelligence, wit, and ambition is obliterated. Many of the lyrics boast male dominance in a very cocky way (no pun intended), and that women only think about pleasing a man, and spending his money!

A certain song that caught my eye lately is Pink’s “Stupid Girls”. It hit a jackpot when it comes to my recent feelings, because it shows the state the industry has acquired. There is a thin line between those videos and pornography to me and on first looking you can mix them up.

I urge you to watch Pink’s Video, here… my favorite line is:

What happened to the dreams of a girl president

She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent..