Little Red & Peace & Love - Part 3

Zaha S Asks:

Yesterday 12:15 AM

What exactly am I being ignorant about?

tvee, wrote 

Yesterday 10:15 PM

"+Jane Dughatir I'll be the first to tell you I don't have an in-depth understanding of Islam, let alone the basics. From reading your comments here, I would rather learn about Islam and appreciate it from Zaha S rather than you. At least I'll certainly be guaranteed of a rational, objective and intelligent discussion on Islamic teachings and issues faced by Muslims. I doubt that's probable with you! Are you truly knowledgeable about Islamic teachings? Perhaps. Are you an arrogant person? Yes. Are you objective and possess some intelligence? Absolutely….. NOT! That's just my opinion. U are so stupid, you can't even process the meaning of words in your hollow head. Where in my comment did I say sufis are 'kind'? I mentioned the words 'gentle', 'compassionate', 'love, 'peace' 'tolerance' and 'universal brotherhood'. I'm not a genius but please only reply back to me if you have an IQ equal to or higher than my 128. It's utterly frustrating trying to communicate with stupid AND arrogant people!"

Besides the redundancy, it is a load of b.s . Is he serious?? Oh I believe him, I just think it is full of “righteous indignation” at being “insulted” (my words: righteous indignation is the belief that you have the right to be angry [or indignant] even though others don’t agree.). In this case, I don’t agree that he has a right to be indignant, angry or sad; he should be embarrassed for behaving childishly - however, if he is sad that he doesn’t understand Islam properly, then good.

“I’ll be the first to tell you I don’t have an in-depth understanding of Islam, let alone the basics.” …etc…

He admits ignorance, totally…BUT…

[And] “Perhaps. Are you an arrogant person? Yes. Are you objective and possess some intelligence? Absolutely….. NOT! That's just my opinion. U are so stupid, you can't even process the meaning of words in your hollow head. Where in my comment did I say sufis are 'kind'? I mentioned the words 'gentle', 'compassionate', 'love, 'peace' 'tolerance'”

Ha-ha. It is so sad, it is tragically funny. I really wish he has a chance to reflect after cooling down. BUT, the ball is in his court, he can do that or not.

I have one line of questioning:

If he admires the sufis so much, he should really try much harder to become like them. I don’t think a Sufi would take someone to task just for saying someone different than them said another person is “nice” and misquoted him when he really said “gentle, compassionate, love peace tolerance,”!!

Then he expects me to believe he is a good person and I am mistreating him and have been arrogant?? Yes, I am telling you what Islam really is, according to what I believe and have studied for years, both on my own and in a real classroom in a University setting. Don’t insult MY intelligence. I’m glad I never claimed to have the IQ of a genius just to “score points”. I don’t have to do something that childish and innane, which is also impossible to prove, so totally pointless.

Jane Dughatir

Yesterday 11:05 PM

Since name calling is permissible I did some of my own as that is what he did first (“He did it first” - this is turning into a useless exercise., which is why I ALWAYS say, “Debates are counterproductive to Understanding Islam” unless you really pay attention)

ur the idiot, obviously. So in your dictionary kind and compassionate isn't any thing close to what you described about the sufi person you met?? Are you serious or just being a troll? I wasn't quoting you, should be obvious, I was describing how you explained that you met the nice sufi guy and that it seems you believe all Musilms in your eyes are not equal to the task, of being kind or good people except a sufi or someone like Zaha, who can't defend her own religion's teachings, if she is indeed a Muslims (sic), which I'm not certain of either. Anyone who reads this will consider you an absolute moron. Excuse me if you didn't say kind, lol. You are more arrogant if you think ur ranting is going to fool anybody. I don't care if you believe I'm foolish or arrogant because obviously you have no sense at all!! good day. Unlike you, I do have a basic understanding of Islam at the very least, and unlike you, I don't fall for ignorant ppl's claims e.g. what zaha had said, because she wants to be a weak person who kisses ass of Islamophobes or her non-Muslim friends or family or maybe she is also not even Muslim, I don't know if she is or not. Considering her level of ignorance, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't even pray, even if she is Muslim. Or know how to pray. I don't care to have any more dialogue with you. so plz don't send another reply defending your position.+tvee with the high IQ which is totally not true, or youre a monkey's uncle.

Jane Dughatir

Yesterday 11:12 PM

where is Zaha? she can't say anything more to defend herself and needs you,

Mr. T?? +tvee

Jane Dughatir

Yesterday 11:29 PM

Just to quote some of what little Zaha S had said previously, "Its apart of a terrible cultural practice in the Middle East I thought that was already established. Yes it is something good because it is my way of life and I see it as beautiful and peaceful and if more people embrace that lifestyle then that makes me happy. What propaganda? I'm still itching my head at your ignorance, I don't think you're an idiot though, just misinformed. There is no such thing as forced Islam and most reverts find Islam on their own. Ask me anything, what did I ignore? I apologize if I ignored anything."

She is scratching her head, after lying about Islam, which the non-Muslim terente P is more knowledgeable about then herself!! Yes, there are beheadings in Saudi Arabia, as a punishment, which still occur now. And in Iran, ppl also are killed; It is strange however, that many women, not as many men, it seems, are killed for sexual crimes there, but how can this be Islamic? There seems to be something else at work besides women being promiscuous, and I wonder what their "crime" really is?? (Slight revision - about Iran - just to make clear that I don’t approve of what happens in Iran, though Iran claims to practice sharia as well. They have a different understanding of Islam than Sunnis, however. I dare say very different in many aspects. I say I don’t approve, but I don’t say I would impose my will on them, and that goes for the sufis and all other groups or branches of Islam or sects. As long as they don’t claim to have rights over me, I don’t have a dispute with them. But if they are hurting their citizens and are extremely unjust, maybe I will comment, and that’s my right, too. December, 8th)

But Zaha (and others) don't deny things that are even written in the papers or seen in public squares in Saudi or Iran. Yes, sharia calls for some criminals to be beheaded or sexual crimes like adultery to be punished with stoning. Anyone who knows anything about Islam knows this. It is a weak Muslim who denies this.

Do Muslims want to kill all non-Muslims, NO. Do Muslims want to hang non-Muslims for having boyfriends and girlfriends in their own country? NO. Do we want to have people in non-Muslim countries who steal punished with the Islamic punishment if they have stolen something equal to twenty bucks, say? NO.

State the real position on Islamic topics, don't make up your own ideas or an entirely different religous point of view (that's not permitted in Islam, ask any educated Muslim). It is wrong to lie about the religion, period. I don't care if you are nice and want friends all over the internet and want non-Muslims to love you, it is non (sic) sanctioned by the religion, to lie about your religion. If you are that ignorant, be quiet, for your own sake!!

Jane Dughatir

Yesterday 11:56 PM

Islam is only right for those willing to accept it, says Zaha S, lol. So its only right for Musilms (sic). We actually believe it is right for everybody, but that doesn't mean other ppl will become Muslim. And that is their own business. But don't say such things, I am afraid your English needs refreshing. I don't blame otherrs (sp)for their poor English but if your English isn't up to par or isn't at a certain level of proficiency, you should watch how you say things and what you say in general, so you are not taken to task for unintended meanings or blatantly wrong ideas.

Zaha S

1:02 AM

I don't think you understood what I was saying. Of course Islam is for everyone, as everyone is born a Muslim. But what I meant is that it should not be forced on anyone. Please refrain from insulting me, I hope you meant well. M3asalama.

Advice for Zaha,

I know what you meant, but you didn’t say that; that’s my point; be careful and revise your mistakes. ["Of course Islam is for everyone, ....", she wrote the next time, which is what she "wanted" to say, but 'somehow' turned it 180 degrees, into an opposite idea !! ] If you make blatant mistakes, such that you apologize for everybody, you are telling them you think it is okay to be whatever they want (according to most, it is okay). It is even their legal right to do and believe what they wish, but it isn’t going to help them in their search for "enlightenment" if You LIE.. Don’t say, Islam isn’t for everybody, it is, so why did you say that in the first place?? Say what you mean… and apologize if you said something incorrect.

********

The bigger problem is her lying about Islam. And I have already gone over all that. If you care about ppl then you want to tell them what Islam really teaches, not make up stuff, or pretend you know what you don’t know. People love to get along and not to rock the boat, but that means they also lie about their beliefs just to please others; which is what you seem to be doing. Or you are preaching about Islam without correct knowledge.

Zaha S

1:14 AM

+Jane Dughatir I don't really understand what I'm denying either? It is true what you said about Saudia and Iran I never denied that, what I'm saying is their governments are not Islamic! No country in the world practices Sharia law perfectly. I also mentioned that crimes like those are punishable but not all by death, because at the end of the day you need to forgive just like Allah SWT forgives (of course some things like rape and murder are another story). Thank you for calling someone you don't know a weak Muslim and "little" I really appreciate that. I'm not going to spend my time responding to someone who insults me, especially a fellow Muslim. If you are Muslim yourself you would know that Islam preaches kindness. Once again M3asalama.

J D-N 

2:21 AM

salaam, dear. No, you said the specific crimes that were discussed such as sexual crimes are not punishable and they are. So is stealing. That's in Islam when a country properly practices sharia, which is why even though Saudi and Iran are not perfect models of Islam, they do have such punishments which have always been done in Saudi, following the way of the early Muslims. People read about Islam and books are easy to find, as well as some proper sites on internet. ..."You can't fool everybody all of the time." And you can't fool me. Yes, ma'a salaam. Islam also preaches knowledge of your religion. Even many non-Muslims know Islam better and defend it better than you do.

J D-N

2:47 AM

Well, being that Zaha is a Libyan and American answers a lot, lol. I know many, many Libyans who were ignorant of their religion so much that they would defend the non-Muslim's calendar saying it is better than the very accurate Islamic Hijri calendar, which is based on the phases of the moon. Anything Islamic, they would run away from. So, yes, I get that Zaha, is somewhat afraid of Islam, and doesn't appreciate the need for sharia.

If you prayed in Libya in the mosque regularly you ended up in prison. Yet Ghaddafi claimed he was a defender of Muslim rights, or that's what the west told everyone. So, little Zaha's family moved to the west and raised her as a non hiijab wearing ignorant Muslim, who doesn't have a proper Islamic grounding..and is afraid of Islam's reality, much like non-believers she tries to convince that Islam is not what they read in the hadiths books. But for the most part, it really is. I am not talking about misinterpreted texts, but true Islam as taught in Islamic colleges in the gulf states. These are colleges which accept people who have at minimum a highschool GPA of 70% or higher, and who can learn or read Arabic, who can memorize Quran. Such people who can devote themselves to studying at University level, and who are serious about learning. I'm not speaking of children's Islamic study halls, or musallas. As for those who are "weak" and "afraid" you should Stop! making up lies to defend your religion! Islam doesn't need you to lie for Islam. Islam is good and it is the Truth. #Quran #islam #Muhammad

Why do I say Zaha is “little” , or “weak and afraid” ,because she behaves like a child. She is “weak” in her Islamic knowledge or her practice. Does she wear a hijab? Not in her photo. Should she? Should she post photos of herself (according to the sharia) or should she cover her hair at least?

She isn’t practicing as much as many other Muslim girls or women do. Many also are like her, I know that. It is her responsibility if she knows Islam, to practice it properly. I am not going to judge her here or anytime, but God will. As a Muslim I hope she considers that.

[I wonder if tvee is her brother. He seems to defend her a lot, but he says he is an atheist.

There are many Libyans who were communists, so atheism isn’t a far stretch for them. But that’s enough about that.]



To Be Or Not To Be

Not "He"

I had written recently, because I am not the eye that sees everything, or know the unseen, that I thought someone who commented as "Libyan" was my husband. Later, I think the next day, when he called me, he told me that wasn't him - because he doesn't comment on my blog, actually, but he does get emails whenever I publish something. I should have been forewarned by some "premonition" which women get, that he would bring it up, which he did immediately, "I'm not 'Libyan'". "Oh", I said. And for a moment something "awkward" happens. I feel an invisible process,  like a force field suddenly erected by a gigantic spaceship to capture the Earth or the pull between two planets, or the gravity of a bigger planet drawing in a smaller planet, maybe. I am like a satellite, an object with no resitance and feel the need for some air. Then the feeling is gone - we start to discuss our plans for the coming week.

Stay Tuned

Something exciting is happening, which I won't discuss right now. It is kind of a top secret matter around here, I was told the other night when I had dinner with someone. I am good at keeping secrets, so I am bound by an oath. Or I wouldn't have been trusted with this in the first place. Also, being a blogger, I suppose I should always look at the bigger picture - I will report on this again later.

Last night, I talked to K again trying to smooth over the logistical problems for him to come home in time for the "big day", but it is touch and go right now. I am keeping my legs crossed, lol. That means of course (not what you might think) that I am at my desk today again, typing away. I am not ashamed to admit the detox program I mentioned last week on Twitter has me jumping to the bathroom quite a lot - so in more ways than one, time is of the essence this week. Does he think he can make it, or is he trying not to let me worry about it? I tell him I don't completely believe that things will "magically" or otherwise, work out. It is like booking a ride to the moon, unless you are stinking rich, it ain't happenin'. I have a nervous feeling; butterflies which soon will be a large pit in my stomach, if I don't know we can manage to solve the timing problem.

A Man on a Mission

When I went to Juffair the other night, my husband sent five or six SMS checking up on my progress; did I take my son as well? Don't forget to close the car door? Take one of the girls with you! What???

He was worried; I said I will be fine, why would he worry so? I then wondered if he'd had a bad dream, which made me worry - but I pushed that thought out of my head.

K

 If I know him, already the thought crossed his mind to ask other people to call to find out where I am. If I knew how to use one of the applications to pinpoint my whereabouts on a map, I would, just so he could be sure; In fact I think that’s a good idea for all couples. What’s wrong with being able to find one’s spouse on Google Maps™ or Wat’sApp™? And parents should do the same thing with their kids. But there should be agreement that we are going to share our locations anytime, anyplace, because we care – it’s the same as asking your teenager to “call [you] when [she] get[s] there”.

 

He was in stealth mode - probably his own sense of well being depends on my physical well being. As internet service would have it, I couldn't connect for a few minutes, and had to leave - in the car there was no chance of messaging him again. I was relieved, I have to say, because I was afraid he might tell me to stay home, which I would have to do then. To other people, non-Muslims and also many Muslims, this sounds archaic and ludicrous. But I don't care what anyone thinks.

A Room of One's Own

Being on the same page with my husband is paramount. And, though my life isn't perfect, Islam is one of the constants that makes my life worth living, without which I think I would rather be just another form of creature, like a bug; bugs have no worries, I mean, how big are their brains? I don't think something that small knows much about anything, not even what it looks like. They don't have feelings or problems - certainly not the drama human beings experience almost all the time. It's nothing less than biology (but proof of the irrelevance of theories about human evolution) that we don't all have an instinctive urge to jump like lemmings do, considering some of our's deep seated neroses, volatile relationships, jobs that don't pay enough, or careers that don't make sense - what does a stock broker really do? Our lives are always careening towards some danger, or we are always trying to cope, trying to make sense, or trying to forget. That is one side of the story, then there is the good stuff, which would take another five minutes to think about; and I don't have the time.  

I can't blame K for his overpowering need to know where I am and what I am doing - and occasionally refusing me permission to do something even if I am set on it. I understand it better now, after the events of this past summer; I was the one who "needed to know" - where he was, what he was doing, who he was with, who he was talking to on the phone. So I do understand - needing to know can be very unsettling and is much harder to ignore than needing to pee (this is something I know women understand more than men, so the metaphor is an apt one, lol) But he can also be unpredictable, which makes it harder on me, when I have thought something through, decided on a course of action and then find that he is putting up resistance.

Making things public

I timed the start of my blog well, he didn't have anything to say about it at first. Sometimes he tells me to be careful.  Now, he even gives me advice or comments. He liked the last post, though I felt he wasn't being completely honest about his thoughts. "Too personal?" I asked. But he said on his phone the paragraphs were mixed up - I said, no it IS mixed up, because I couldn't edit it; I might edit the post later (should but probably will not do it today), which will mean deleting it,  editing my copy on the pc, posting a new draft, and republishing; I can edit the labels then as well, if I think its necessary. I can't do anything about making the subtitles stand out, block lettering isn't an option. I am frustrated about this, but haven't found any solution to the problem yet. This one, is being written on the fly. I hope it meets peoples expectations, as per the title.

I don't like getting too personal, this is one of the times where I am hesitant, but also figure, WTH, it's only a blog afterall. Blogs are supposed to be journals. I write to tell people what I believe, and this maybe is just one of those attempts to explain a Muslim's perspective on a personal matter of little significance to others, but which impacts my life perhaps weekly or less than that. I hope other people who have struggles or their own little problems have a way to cope that is as simple as mine - the purpose of a journal is to let one's feelings and ideas flow, emerge, and maybe solutions will show themselves.



Reverence for Revolution

Reverence for Revolution

Much has been made of the Arab Spring uprising. The hoopla overshadows everything – the good, the bad and the ugly – for one thing; history is being rewritten before our eyes; Barely no one will notice, just as Orwell had warned us, it happens seamlessly; the few that notice have to have been in the right position, in a position from which they notice things. Non-Muslims, or Westerners, in particular, are not at that special vantage point, because they see things through a lens which paints everything that Americans have done, by and far, anyway, as “rose-colored”.

The vantage point I’m speaking from, writing this - is from the vantage point of an outsider, someone who is neither here nor there; but maybe it’s easiest when you can have one foot here and one foot there; that would be the easiest thing. Unfortunately for me, my feet are neither in the West, nor in the East. As far as physical boundaries are concerned I’m from the Arabian Peninsula, having lived here for 14 years; something I told myself many times, would not happen. Stay in Bahrain; never for too long. In the humidity of an island, beaten by the sun most of the time, drenched by the humidity all year long, it would almost seem, except for a few weeks of reprieve in ‘winter’; but this season, now it is January, and already I feel winter is ending, or never came (the fault of Global Warming, I must assume). The only reminder of winter we have is the off chance that we can turn the ACs off for a few days at a time, between the heat and the humidity or the cold nights and rainy days - when temperatures manage a slow crawl downwards, and a slow crawl upwards - almost go unnoticed this year; as I say, the weather is odd. Some of our joints ache with rheumatism, an all too common ailment in this neck of the woods.

Oh I almost forgot to mention the pollution; there is a thriving, if we can call it that, aluminum industry here, for who it will be most profitable is anybody’s guess; I like to think it is a joint ‘profitability’ being shared by a local wealthy company and some foreign investors. Anyway, irrelevant to me, except for the part about too much dirty air, and also the smell of the gas burning in the distance which wafts over the landscape; this past fall, for what it’s worth, saw a flurry of activity in the drilling sector. Wonder what that’s all about? Many foreign companies that drill the wells here, trucks lined up, we thought would head for the highway just before sunset, then turned up towards more fields ready to drill some more, in virgin areas we used to use for camping grounds (tenting) which will now be uninhabitable. There are also snakes in these mountains, and maybe scorpions that come not from Muharraq, but fly on the air currents form Saudi Arabia, it is not only birds that can fly.

********

Neither here nor there; physical boundaries aside, I must mention, that socially, like many families, or even more so, having rarely seen any of my family at all in the last decade, it is not only sad, but causes one to forget her roots. Mental, emotional and physical reminders or landmarks have all but vanished. A few letters, some written in beautiful cards, a hand or mouth painted picture on the front, are some of my precious but hardly visited physical mementos, and best kept for rare occasions when I dare to remind myself that I have a part of my life that waits like a window, for one bright day when I might open the lock, or slide the pane up and greet some of the family I haven’t seen in over twenty years of marriage, some but once, or twice. I’m filled with sadness and melancholy as well as lingering hope, at the same time. Some cheer even adds some rosiness to my cheeks on occasion. But I don’t dare to go there to that window in my mind’s eye very often. I say, some day I will go to see them, not in my mind, but with my physical body; to visit, remember, cry, hopefully not sob, and reconcile.

When one’s family are far away, or even a short plane trip away, but seen rarely, or when the time has long passed when one should have gone home and didn’t until one of his significant family, a father, an uncle, or a sister has died, or even grown up, married had children and then grand-children, one wonders what has happened to his humanity; why has he changed so much, that even a phone call seems to be a burden? For a while absence does make the heart grow fonder, but too long of an absence will make close relationships not stale, but at peril of being unrecoverable, a distance which can’t be crossed no matter how many miles are flown, gifts purchased, memories reviewed, or turned over like a garden of delicate or dying flowers, which can’t even be called mulch. There will be nothing. The problem is that he has changed, and they have changed drastically as well, but differently; they have changed of course physically; they look older, fatter or thinner, less handsome, or tired and worn, not lively and happy as they were in their youth; which can perhaps be partly blamed on the human condition of age and force of gravity; but they have changed recognizably on the inside, too; the spring of their youth full of dreams and hopes replaced with the cynical realization of reality growing old under occupation, never having been freed, until it was too late or even impossible, from the tyranny of the mind above all, but also imprisonment, torture and physical taxing of body, and mental taxing of mind, some raw emotions which won’t find expression except in callous disregard for others; wealth, property, family position, religion, and the social order, even ceasefire, are all equally permissible targets of their anger, equal to disdain and pilfering. What do they care for the other; his condition or his children? What do they care for his religion or peace of mind or his property? Where has he been all this time? Didn’t he leave us? Didn’t we raise him, and he abandoned his parents? Didn’t his previous friends spend their youth in a cell? Or suffer tortures? Didn’t his father die without a son to bury him, because he was the only son? And he never came, even after ten years, to place flowers, or holy water on the grave (which he wouldn’t have done, if it was forbidden, even if his mother ordered him to). Blame the government, but you didn’t come; in twenty-five years, you saw your parents twice, once in a foreign country, once, just before you decided to emigrate to the west and never return; he didn’t know how things would turn out. But it doesn’t matter; excuses are not enough to an old woman. Nor can he make reparations or even promise that if he were young again he would come back more often to visit; they know, it was not ever possible for him to stay. Life was not completely his to do what he wanted in all things; that was the condition of many, many young men and their families, and others who left Libya in the 80s and 90s and swore they couldn’t return, wouldn’t return. Until the dictator was removed, the video was on television, and it was true that finally Gaddafi was gone for good.

******** 

The Arab Spring didn’t succeed in Bahrain, there will be no Shiites Intifada, not this year, not last year, and I hope not ever. I like the status quo in Bahrain, except for the anger of the Shiites which is hurting the country; unfortunately it can’t be avoided; they are people who have a land, but don’t want to go there, so they prefer to stay here; but not civilly and quietly like so many other ‘foreigners’; they want us to believe that this is their homeland; from Iran, they come, they also travel – Lebanon, Syria, they are hired mercenaries, they fight in other peoples countries, kill Sunnis in Syria, in Lebanon, kill people even here, in Bahrain, or mutilate and cause panic and fear. I know, I have seen and even felt it.

Despite the anger of some of their more ‘orthodox’ members, the larger community of Shiites is not to blame, or one doesn’t know, maybe the numbers are not self-evident; its possible that even a thousand protestors here or there doesn’t justify the calls for reform we hear in the papers and in the world media. Bahraini television for the most part, broadcasts the government line; but this time, the government line is the more rational; it is obvious to those of us living here that the Shiites are an extremist element that wants to stop at nothing to take down the government, a legitimate government, despite their claims, and replace it with something far more sinister; who would then protect the citizens and residents of this country from their ‘reform’?

I’m not a politician, nor have I studied politics, I just know life. We have seen extremism in the media, enough to know that it isn’t always propaganda; sometimes extremism is a real deal. We can peer into the souls of the living dead; people who have no conscience, no feelings of remorse, no shame, nor disgust at their actions, only blank stares; their eyes are mirrors into souls which have nothing but hate for the other; nothing but what they have had driven into their brains, seared into their hearts of hate for the other. It is like seeing a monster; a human but remorseless, angry beast raised in darkness. Sometimes, the most shocking thing is that their children, often marked with scars on their childish faces, scars which are not the result of battles with an enemy or torture by brutal rival gangs, but the result of parenting in the school of extremism - whether it is their actual parents, though quite possible, or the parenting of significant others or done to themselves - reveals in all cases mental disease, or illness. This disease is the self induced and socially fostered hatred of Sunnis. Hating Americans or others comes with the territory, too. But they reserve their most wounded, angry, occultist sentiments and hate for other Muslims; the Muslims who they have hated for Millennia, since the Shiite sect created by Abdullah bin Salul, came into being; the remnants of a Fatimid dynasty which disappeared long ago, and was followed by another equally extremist religious autocracy; a Persian dominated religious authority and outlook. One of their cornerstones of belief is their detest for the Arab race and the largely Sunni Muslim religion of the Arabs.

********

The Bahraini government is the first to build on promises. It is the first nation to have begun implementation of its plan in accordance with humanitarian and international standards; the Bahraini government’s 2030 vision is working towards the future welfare of the state and all citizens and peoples living in the country. If the citizens are reasonably happy, content, free and able to pursue their dreams, within the permitted and in all cases reasonable boundaries of law and order, society will find that peace is possible, differences must not always mean division, or schism. Cooperation between different peoples, differing but reasonable groups, and all religions or sects can meet and work together without fear or contempt or injustice done to anyone. It is reasonable to suggest that the government tries to implement most if not all of what it envisions. But none of the dreams or pursuits of free people will have a chance if hatred festers and grows and seeks an outlet in rage-induced, hate-filled attacks on society; or the other, and especially for no just cause and for no alternative vision of freedom, but a hope of anarchy, or the delusional hopes of conquering free people and enslaving them and installing a puppet government, or a corrupt regime which never belonged in this country. Their own vision is a lie, perpetrated on a free population, to assuage their own demented version of history, and their own self inflicted state of “hopelessness” and a “masochistic” political-religious ideology.

His family plans to finally leave Bahrain, move to Libya, build a house on some land he has recently purchased, maybe do a little farming, and begin afresh. At least his youngest children can experience life as it should be; in a real family, with real relatives; but it will take patience. Their extended family or Libyan society is not as welcoming as it should or could be.

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Political reform is not new in Bahrain. From many decades, Bahrain has seen social movements, the progress of women, in particular, and also economic advancement. The Kingdom was an emirate, ruled by a prince, until after the death of Issa bin Al-Khalifa, the late father of the present King. After some years as the ruler, the emir, Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa was made King of Bahrain in a ceremony. This was so that the government could be a democracy instead of the entity it was previously, which also was not bad. In retrospect, many good things have happened before and since the Kingdom and rule of King Hamad, as he is fondly called by many of the Bahraini citizens and others. This is true for every modern society.

Two generations before, in the decades preceding this new reign, the government opened schools, girls schools were also included in the progress of the island state towards inclusion in the modern world, technological advancements, business studies, teachers colleges, and so much have paved the way for even further studies in other fields of study and further advancements built on the previous technologies and the groundbreaking structures introduced in the previous generations, which saw many of today’s grandmothers here as young women in intermediate or high schools working diligently towards degrees and then continuing onto higher learning. They became doctors, teachers, engineers, business women, politicians, etc; all with professional qualifications, and later came the experience to formulate changes which benefit the young women today. The present generation also hope and strive to further their own dreams and aspirations, to contribute to the future success of their country whether they are citizens of this country or non-citizens, but equal participants in many spheres and having an important stake nonetheless in the future of the Kingdom.

He hopes that Libya, his homeland, will also be able to modernize many of the failing or fallen infrastructures, and move into a new phase of globalization and modern politics. What the people decide and which course of action the new Government takes will have an important initial impact, which might steer the course for future endeavors, understanding, political reform, or the kind of leadership which emerges for the next phase in rebuilding the country, or rejuvenation. Ghaddafi’s rule did a lot to dismantle progress it had originally made. Many things his government did to punish its people for their very existence and their sacred beliefs. He was not a Muslim by any stretch of the imagination. His ignoble end was well-deserved and proof of his people’s hatred of him. The camp which supported Ghaddafi to the end must now also cooperate and help in the restoration and growth of a new and different society based on freedom of religion, freedom of expression, human rights and social cohesion, etc. Already this is starting to happen. People are returning to claim a share of their country, their future as one nation.

Jane Dughatir: Dumb Waiter - satirical, but true

 As if to answer a question on “You want to be a billionaire”, "What is the GCC"' is my answer, the Question is “It’s not an Arab monarchs club".

Read this slightly humorous post, to find out what the oil money is really good for...
(There's more to life than oil... or oil money).

This is one of my older posts, which readers might like.

As always, I invite your comments, or criticisms.

J. D-N

Originally posted in 2011

Arab unrest and the US response

(I will be publishing many posts I had written from the previous 6 months while I was away)

“The west ravaged and destroyed Afghanistan for years “, says Brzezinski in an interview with Fareed Zakaria of CNN.

Libya, and Yemen and Syria are thorny issues.

It has approached the Libyan crisis well”, he had said at the time about Obama administration’s role in the conflict before the lynching of the late leader (Gaddafi) by rebels.

ON the other hand, in other conflicts, the US should not be in the forefront of the military initiative.

“There can be a slight gap between (our) words and actions”, he had said.

The West totally ignored Afghanistan (after the end of the war with Russia) and then Taliban appeared, he explains.

Concerning future relations in the region; “Iran is more hostile while Egypt will be more difficult”, he says.

Fareed Zakaria explains, we approve of the Arab uprisings, but may make things more difficult for American foreign policy issues.

The masses are more driven and less patient, explains Brzezinski.

It’s in Israel’s interest to move forward (now).

I particularly have in mind Egypt and potentially Jordan.

The New York Times “story of a showdown likely in the UN” is worrying. Will the UN vote for Palestinian independence? He asks.

“The time is against us”, he said. US voted against UN resolution despite the wording being like the American position, “conveying that it is powerless,” but it is a “redeemable” mistake, he points out.

American Interference and Life - Part Two

Legalities and Life

The wording is so important;

Will the AUMF apply in 2021 in Somalia, as it does in 2001, in Afghanistan? Now, I want to clarify something, although I’m not familiar with law. If something is right in 2011, isn’t it right in 2001, or 2021? And if it’s wrong in 2021, isn’t it wrong in 2011 or 2001?

You see, the Islamic law, called Shari’a, as most people who read about Islam at all will know, hasn’t changed in over 1,440 years! The Shari’a hasn’t changed, but applications can change, depending on different variables, and so on.

Slavery wasn’t completely abolished in Islamic Shari’a, because, as some people surmise, if slavery were abolished to the Muslims (no longer would they be allowed to have slaves), but somewhere in the future the non-Muslims align against the future Muslim state (under a Khalifah) for argument’s sake, and they decide it is in their best interests to have Muslim captives become their slaves, you can see how it would be really difficult for Muslims to retaliate in wise.

Whereas alcohol and pork are forever and always will be considered “haram”, slavery isn’t. “Slaves” doesn’t mean “blacks”, but anyone who is made a slave. In Islam, racism is totally, forever and always will be “forbidden”. During the early period of Islam, there were slaves among Muslims and non-Muslims. The Islamic state, under the Prophet Muhammad’s guidance, taught the people that one of the best forms of repentance was to “free a slave”. That’s why it was done so extensively. Since that time Muslims freed their slaves liberally and the number of slaves dwindled in the first few centuries of Islamic rule. Just one point, they are not permitted to free another’s slave, only a slave in their possession.

Did you ever think about Saddam Hussein’s trial; why was it done so quickly? Saddam was probably one of the few Iraqis, or Muslims in the ‘war on terror’ privileged enough to (avoid a long and dragged out) “due process”. However, the medical examinations he had to endure could be seen as “unusual punishment” (because he was a prominent figure).

There are lots of detainees still in Guantanamo or in black sites (as “disappeared” persons), who are in effect being held illegally, without trial, without charge, without legal representation, is this not the case? Isn’t this scenario against International law? What is being done about these men, (or if there are any women, about them)?

Can a Muslim government also use AUMF in/for their own country? Or is AUMF only okay for America, or American forces, but not Muslim governments or their forces? Also, is brutal use of force by law enforcement, or military - even “torture” justified in some instances? We are led to believe that “torture” is not justified, yet isn’t “torture” used even by America; as such America’s black sites are there for this specific purpose, to extract confessions out of people? Although he was innocent, Khaled El – Massri is a case in point - he was kidnapped and tortured in Afghanistan for five months, then dumped in Albania, left to find his way home. You can find out more about the ongoing case he’s fighting against the American government at WikiLeaks.

 Faced by “terrorism”, and “extremists” torture or “enhanced interrogation” techniques is still an option most governments (will) use as a final option, whether it gets the desired results or not.

(The Authorized Use of Military Force)

For America as it stands now, the congress needed some powers to get Al-Qaeda, and Bin Laden or their operatives inside and outside America, so AUMF was used. Bush said, “We’ll smoke ‘em out”, or was it “him (Bin Laden) out”? At any rate, AUMF allows for long detentions, detention without trial and interrogation tactics, which may or may not look like torture to some of us, to name a few.  The AUMF must be extended to 2011, now, or the date of the explanation by Ho, I read at opinionjuris.org.  

Some problems:

A new bill – what’s wrong with the old one? Apparently these things run out, and have to be renewed.

The new language – the Obama administration (maybe) wants to Veto (the) (some) new language because (it) “if the set of detainee related provisions are included” (must be bad for the detainees). Mainly as explained by Deborah Pearlstein, the language being objected, more vigorously this time, has to do with “Gitmo (detainees) prosecution -and-transfer restrictions.”(opinionjuris.org)

Spaulding says, “[OBL] sparked the Global war”.

The reason that conspiracy theories exist, and by the theory of relativity, the opposite of them exist; I mean arguments (equally as unbelievable as the conspiracy theories and just as improbable) against the conspiracy theories (i.e. the 9-11 truthers theories, are the most recent and maligned of these), obviously can’t and shouldn’t be ignored, whichever side of the argument you fall on. The fact is, nothing has yet been proven or disproven to the whole population. Actually, the 9-11 camp has a lot of supportive evidence, which if someone is honest with himself, would realize is not all “crazy”.  We should be as honest and straightforward as the truthers are being, should we not? (I’m speaking here as an omniscient outside voice, not taking sides, apparently). To tell the truth, I know what side I’m on, have no ambivalence about it whatsoever, but I’m trying to add my bit to keep the debate alive, otherwise it might die, and become another historically forgotten matter. But what about the next event, national disaster in America, or global jihadist group that comes along; it will...Is there a lesson, to be learned here, in the here and now?

It’s not true, what Spaulding says in her report; that America was pulled into the war with OBL and Al-Qaeda, at least, not completely true. There are ‘forces’ at work, or clandestine” men in black”, in the shadows who make conflicts happen.

Suzanne Spaulding, who wrote her report for the Senate Select Committee, “[The]events of 9-11 provoked the United States into declaring its own Global War, which Bin Laden used to support his own claim that Muslims were called to join in the Global Jihad”

I can’t believe, even in light of the fact that some 3,000 innocent people (innocent of attacking Bin Laden)were killed in New York in 2001, that America decides to start a Global War in ‘retaliation’.  Was it not only to play the blame game, name OBL the mastermind, throw in a global Jihad, the Taliban, Mullah Omar, some Arabs the Pakistanis decide to turn in for the cash reward, who turn out to be largely innocent of a connection to 9-11, Khaled El Massri who is trying to get justice, or a highly paranoid KSM, who ranted in his diaries about all kinds of stuff, obviously mentally disturbed and possibly mentally handicapped, too, to plaster his photo, unkempt hair, chest hair and in undershirt to make one of the supposed “brains” of the operations; should we believe he is brilliant, yet deranged, taking a cheap shot at Muslims and their supposed  “cream of the crop”, the leader who goes into hiding, in caves, and a one-eyed religious icon, Prophet, according to media hype, it all played out so well, in the hysterical aftermath of the crash of the stock markets, in the hysterical aftermath of the crashing of the ‘twin towers’ (in the financial center), never mind that at least one man, Silverstein made a lot of money when he agreed to sign, as he clearly says, in video footage (Loosechange, or other 9-11 theory information gatherers didn’t plan this, it just happened) to have his building (one of the no 5, or no 7, I’ll have to watch the video again to be sure) demolished, “brought down” with “controlled explosions” because as he casually, under no duress explains, his decrepit building is worth a lot torn down, and he wouldn’t have paid for the cost of refurbishing it, because his building had asbestos, an expensive do-it-yourself project on its own, he decides just before the “terrorist attacks” that anytime will be good to “bring (it) down”. The environmental impact of the attacks, and the destruction of the buildings which contained asbestos, clearly was terrible, and the impact on people’s lives continues, to this day. The insurance he got after the attacks (for that building alone) was 3 billion! I think.

The government claimed (i.e. Condoleezza Rice made statements which contradict her earlier actions, or statements) or members of the administration did, that they had no advanced knowledge of “the attacks”. < a href = http://www.opinionjuris.org > Condoleezza </a> received advanced notice, via  information she received in a folder from then President Bill Clinton.

About the AUMF, if America could do so, please try using it to “target” those “belligerent individuals” in Libya ( who must surely exist) if America is involved in a campaign there (revised June 29), as opposed to an entire population in the urban centers which Nato is bombing daily; that might help cut down on the “collateral damage”, as some like to call non-military people in the crossfire or “run” of apache helicopters and “bombing raids” in a ‘war zone’, the civilian casualties. I happened to hear from a close family member that his sister saw a lone school girl outside of  the school she attends get hit with fire from an apache helicopter, as it flew overtop the area. One of many “bringing freedom and democracy” to Libya - or is it too soon to hope? I see that beleaguered country and its people, most of all, facing a future, I’m afraid will be as much as Iraq, one of destruction and mayhem, and above all, occupation.