The West from a Middle Eastern Perspective

Creator Of Facebook Group Allah (الله) Arrested. Islam Criticizer Walid Husayin

2010-11-13T04:26:00.001+02:00

(المقال باللغة العربية في آخر الصفحة)

After all he was very stupid to think he can get away with creating a group called Allah (الله) and starts altering verses from the Holy Quran and renouncing Islam in his own twisted ways pretending to be God himself.

26-years-old Walid Husayin, a Palestinian living in Qalqiliya West Bank, was leading a double life. His family is conservative, he used to pray and help his dad in his barbershop; however, in his free time, he was pretending to be God and posting anti-Islam rants on Facebook by creating groups, he also had a blog that had the same content.

Millions of users around the world have posted hate messages to all his Facebook groups and his blog, few others were happy encouraging the continuation of this sick phenomenon.

Although Facebook has removed the first group he created, it didn’t stop him from creating two other groups of the same nature with more aggressive content and posts.

He was finally arrested for several religious accusations. What’s ironic is that authorities did not spy on the creator of the page to arrest him, it was all a coincidence that they found out it was him. All listed below.

More details on the story and arrest:

A mysterious blogger who set off an uproar in the Arab world by claiming he was God and hurling insults at the Prophet Muhammad is now behind bars - caught in a sting that used Facebook to track him down.

The case of the unlikely apostate, a shy barber from this backwater West Bank town, is highlighting the limits of tolerance in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority - and illustrating a new trend by authorities in the Arab world to mine social media for evidence.

Residents of Qalqiliya say they had no idea that Walid Husayin - the 26-year-old son of a Muslim scholar - was leading a double life.
Known as a quiet man who prayed with his family each Friday and spent his evenings working in his father's barbershop, Husayin was secretly posting anti-religion rants on the Internet during his free time.

Now, he faces a potential life prison sentence on heresy charges for "insulting the divine essence." Many in this conservative Muslim town say he should be killed for renouncing Islam, and even family members say he should remain behind bars for life.

"He should be burned to death," said Abdul-Latif Dahoud, a 35-year-old Qalqiliya resident. The execution should take place in public "to be an example to others," he added.

Over several years, Husayin is suspected of posting arguments in favor of atheism on English and Arabic blogs, where he described the God of Islam as having the attributes of a "primitive Bedouin." He called Islam a "blind faith that grows and takes over people's minds where there is irrationality and ignorance."

If that wasn't enough, he is also suspected of creating three Facebook groups in which he sarcastically declared himself God and ordered his followers, among other things, to smoke marijuana in verses that spoof the Muslim holy book, the Quran. At its peak, Husayin's Arabic-language blog had more than 70,000 visitors, overwhelmingly from Arab countries.

His Facebook groups elicited hundreds of angry comments, detailed death threats and the formation of more than a dozen Facebook groups against him, including once called "Fight the blasphemer who said 'I am God."'

The outburst of anger reflects the feeling in the Muslim world that their faith is under mounting attack by the West. This sensitivity has periodically turned violent, such as the street protests that erupted in 2005 after cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad were published in Denmark or after Pope Benedict XVI suggested the Prophet Muhammad was evil the following year. The pope later retracted his comment.

Husayin is the first to be arrested in the West Bank for his religious views, said Tayseer Tamimi, the former chief Islamic judge in the area.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is among the more religiously liberal Arab governments in the region. It is dominated by secular elites and has frequently cracked down on hardline Muslims and activists connected to its conservative Islamic rival, Hamas.

Husayin's high public profile and prickly style, however, left authorities no choice but to take action.

Husayin used a fake name on his English and Arabic-language blogs and Facebook pages. After his mother discovered articles on atheism on his computer, she canceled his Internet connection in hopes that he would change his mind.

Instead, he began going to an Internet cafe - a move that turned out to be a costly mistake. The owner, Ahmed Abu-Asal, said the blogger aroused suspicion by spending up to seven hours a day in a corner booth. After several months, a cafe worker supplied captured snapshots of his Facebook pages to Palestinian intelligence officials.

Officials monitored him for several weeks and then arrested him on Oct. 31 as he sat in the cafe, said Abu-Asal.

Husayin's family has been devastated by the arrest. On a recent day, his father stood sadly in the family barber shop, cluttered with colorful towels and posters of men in outdated haircuts. He requested that a reporter not write about his son to avoid being publicly shamed.

Two cousins attributed the writings to depression, saying Husayin was desperate to find better work. Requesting anonymity because of the shame the incident, they said Husayin's mother wants him to remain in prison for life - both to restore the family's honor and to protect him from vigilantes.

The case is the second high-profile arrest in the West Bank connected to Facebook activity. In late September, a reporter for a news station sympathetic to Hamas was arrested and detained for more than a month after he was tagged in a Facebook image that insulted the Palestinian president.

Gaza's Hamas rulers also stalk Facebook pages for suspected dissenters, said Palestinian rights activist Mustafa Ibrahim. He said Internet cafe owners are forced to monitor customers' online activity, and alert intelligence officials if they see anything critical of the militant group or that violates Hamas' stern interpretation of Islam.

Both governments also create fake Facebook profiles to befriend and monitor known dissidents, activists said. In September, a young Gaza man was detained after publishing an article critical of Hamas on his Facebook feed.

Such "stalking" on Facebook and other social media sites has become increasingly common in the Arab world. In Lebanon, four people were arrested over the summer and accused of slandering President Michel Suleiman on Facebook. All have been released on bail.

In neighboring Syria, Facebook is blocked altogether. And in Egypt, a blogger was charged with atheism in 2007 after intelligence officials monitored his posts.

Husayin has not been charged but remains in detention, said Palestinian security spokesman Adnan Damiri.
He could face a life sentence if he's found guilty, depending on how harshly the judge thinks he attacked Islam and how widely his views were broadcast, said Islamic scholar Tamimi.

Even so, a small minority has questioned whether the government went too far.

Zainab Rashid, a liberal Palestinian commentator, wrote in an online opinion piece that Husayin has made an important point: "that criticizing religious texts for their (intellectual) weakness can only be combatted by ... oppression, prison and execution." Daily Chili

قامت الأجهزة الأمنية الفلسطينية في مدينة قلقيلية باعتقال شاب فلسطيني بتهمة ادعائه الألوهية وإنشائه صفحة مثيرة للجدل على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي الشهير "فيسبوك" باسم "أنا الله"

وذكر موقع "سي. إن. إن." السبت 6-11-2010 أن الاعتقال تم نهاية هذا الأسبوع بعد أن تم ضبط المتهم في حالة تلبس أثناء إبحاره على الشبكة العنكبوتية

وأوردت تقارير إخبارية عن الموقع الرسمي لحركة فتح أن المدعو "و.ح" محجوز لدى جهاز المخابرات العامة الفلسطيني

وأكدت بعض المصادر أن وليد يعد أحد أهم الناشطين الملحدين على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي "فيسبوك"، وصاحب مدونة "نور العقل" و "صفحة الله" التي يدعي فيها الألوهية

وفجرت هذه الصفحة إبان إنشائها موجة سخط عارمة في صفوف مئات الآلاف من متصفحي الإنترنت نظرا لاستفزازها المباشر لمشاعر المسلمين وتعمد صاحبها لتحريف القرآن والاستهزاء بالرسل

وتم بالفعل الضغط على إدارة "فيسبوك" ليتم إغلاق الصفحة "المشبوهة" في شهر مارس/آذار الماضي، غير أن ذلك لم يمنع منشئها من التمادي في أفعاله، وأقدم على إنشاء صفحتين أخريين تحت عنوان "الله حي لم يمت" و "مؤمنون بالله الجديد" لتبدأ حملات الاستنكار والتنديد الإلكترونية. العربية

“Coming Soon” A Worldwide Banned Film That Sparked A Bestiality-Rights Revolution

2010-11-07T13:59:00.001+02:00

Watch the full film at the bottom (Streaming) – Scroll down

The name of the film is “COMING SOON.” Genre – Documentary. 100 minutes playtime featuring 50 Czechs, 2 Germans, 1 Englishman and Dozens of Animals.

This is by far the most controversial film I have ever seen in my life that shows the true nature of practicing Bestiality and raises many questions.

What is Bestiality?

Bestiality/Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον (zṓion, "animal") and φιλία (philia, "friendship" or "love"), also known as zoosexuality, is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals (bestiality), or a preference or fixation on such practice. A person who practices zoophilia is known as a zoophile.

Although sex with animals is not outlawed in some countries, it is not explicitly condoned anywhere. In most countries, such acts are illegal under animal abuse laws or laws dealing with crimes against nature.

Bestiality lovers even found an organization for bestiality rights and started being more open about the subject saying that bestiality is even purer than having sex or loving humans themselves. The film is a documentary type of film that interviews bestiality lovers and ordinary people about their views and perspective regarding the matter. But in my opinion, if this is legal, then having sex with the dead should also be legalized since there are no communication between the living and the dead. Same with animal, I consider this animal rape because an animal’s brain is limited to their instincts and behavior. I understand they have souls but come on people, animals are not human!

I have seen zoophilia clips, heard stories and even watched movies about it like “Stay” aka “Sleeping Dogs Lie.” This movie was produced in 2006, the same year as “Coming Soon” and it is a romantic comedy in which a girl's relationships are destroyed when she reluctantly reveals a past indiscretion. 'Stay' will move and touch you -- maybe in a bad way because the secret involves bestiality practice. Anyhow, my point is, with all the exposure of such a phenomenon, I still find it disgusting and shameful to animals before being shameful to sane humans.

Bestiality is another matter that I will write about later since I am only focusing here on the sickness and disturbance of the movie “Coming Soon.” The full movie is embedded at the bottom, however, watch the trailer before so you have a glimpse of what you’re about to see in the movie

Synopsis

One of the most controversial films of all time, 'COMING SOON' is quickly becoming an underground classic and has already made history as the film that sparked a Bestiality-Rights revolution!

Born in the depths of the European underground, and brought to life by American Director, Sir Tijn Po, this award-winning feature debut has been drawing accolades from a slew of international thinkers, audiences and critics alike!

By following the trials and tribulations of E.F.A., the world's first Bestiality-Rights organization, 'COMING SOON' explores the ever-evolving boundaries of love, tolerance, sexuality, tradition, etc.

Inspired by Nietzsche, Svankmajer and Pasolini, 'COMING SOON' presents a challenging journey for the experimental mind.

Indulge!

PRAISE - CRITIQUE

"Hilarious and disturbing...entertains while raising deep questions!"
Peter Singer - World-Renowned Philosopher (Princeton University)

"An exhilarating and unsettling film echoing Nietzsche, Pasolini and Švankmajer."
Institut Francais de Prague

"Extraordinary!"
MF Dnes - leading Czech daily

"Ground-breaking!"
Thomas Francis, 'VILLAGE VOICE MEDIA' (U.S.A.)

"One good film. I'll be promoting it."
Jan Švankmajer - World-Renowned Film Maestro (Mlada Fronta Dnes)

"A HIGHLY chilling tour de force!"
"Q" - Czech National Television (24:25)

"A film that redefines the boundaries of love, tolerance and sexuality."
KINO BAYLON - MITTE (Germany)

"Supremely crafted, poetic, humorous, perverted...far more interesting than the David Lynch of today...undoubtedly a film that will be discussed for a very long time...Highly recommended."
Alfred Eaker - Award-Winning American filmmaker

More reviews…

Enjoy watching the full movie for FREE

Movie is embedded from www.comingsoon.cz

Video Links for ALL Mobile Phones

Trailer – Full Movie (click on VIEW PAGE DIRECTLY)

They Call It Stalking, We Call It Love…

2010-11-06T03:14:00.001+02:00

Funny how cultures extremely differ in such matters as stalking is considered a very serious matter in the west that can lead to pressing charges against one another and one can be labeled as a stalker publicly by the authorities.

However, in an Arab world, being a stalker in the actual meaning of a stalker is very much normal. It shows care and effort for attention. It goes for both, guys and girls. when a guy is interested in a girl, he gets her phone numbers, sends SMS, befriends her friends, cruises outside her house and goes to wherever she goes just for attention and YES it works. Same goes for girls. And still, this is only the beginning. When things evolve and they get in a relationship, they literally call eachother all the time, constantly talk, no privacy, they exchange passwords for emails and all the rest, they get into eachother’s accounts without the other knowing etc…

I must admit that this behavior is generally not healthy for both the guy and the girl in any culture, but if this is not done in an Arab relationship, something must be wrong. Either one of them starts doubting the other or thinks that the other is not interested anymore. So this drags the behavior (that is called stalking in the west) back to being perfectly normal.

Stalking the one you love in the west is considered an invasion of privacy, offence or crime! I do understand that if stalking reached to an unpleasant level one has to be careful and report that person, but after a warning or something like that.

So far I don’t think my post is pretty clear. Well, all I am trying to say is, since 90% of my readers are from the west, when you’re an Arab in love, if you don’t stalk the person you love or vice versa, love doesn’t exist! Shocking but true. Just be reminded that stalking in the Middle East very rarely reaches an extreme level where the stalker would cause a threat or continue after receiving a clear warning to stop.

Muslim Wanted! Dead Or Alive… Very Dangerous!

2010-11-02T18:38:00.001+02:00

A Jew can grow his beard in order to practice his faith.

But when a Muslim does the same, he is called Extremist and Terrorist.

A nun can be covered from head to toe in order to devote herself to God. Right?

But then, if a Muslim girl does the same, why is she oppressed?

When a Western woman stays at home to look after her house and kids. She is respected by the entire society because of sacrificing her life to her house…

But then, if a Muslim woman does the same, why is she oppressed?

Any girl can go to university wearing what she wills and has her rights and freedom.

But when a Muslim girl wears Hijab, they prevent her from entering university.

When a child dedicates himself to a subject, He has potential and talent.

But when he dedicates himself to Islam, he is hopeless!

WHY?

When a Jew kills someone, religion is not mentioned.

But when a Muslim is charged with a crime, it is Islam that goes to trial!

When someone sacrifices himself to keep others alive, he is noble and everyone respects him.

But when a Palestinian does that to save his son from being killed, his brother’s arm from being broken, his mother being raped, his home being destroyed, and his mosque being violated… He gets the title of “Terrorist”!!

WHY?

Because he is a “Muslim”!!

When there is trouble, we accept every solution available right?

However, if the solution lies in Islam, we refuse to take a look at it.

When someone drives a perfect car in an improper manner, no one blames the car…

But when any Muslim makes a mistake or treats people in a bad manner, people say “Islam is the reason”!

Without giving a glance at Islamic laws, people believe what the newspapers say. But question what the Holy Quran says!

Want to eradicate injustice?

Go ahead and forward this message to everyone you know…!

I am a Muslim, Kill me and call it Collateral Damage

Imprison me and call it Security Measure

Exile my people en masse and call it New Middle East

Rob my resources, invade my land, alter my leadership and call it Democracy

Assalamu Alaikom – “Peace Be To You”

The above slides were extracted from a Flash Animation created by Nayzak and located Here

October 29th, The International Day of Solidarity with the Victims of Honor Crimes

2010-10-29T15:37:00.001+02:00

Today is the International Day of Solidarity with Victims of Honor Crimes.I think it is about time we create a global awareness for this matter. Honor killings are the ugliest forms of domestic violence in the world.

I just don’t understand how men can reach a state of mind leading them to killing their wives, sisters and daughters simply for dating, as instance. If men think they can date and have sex and women are prohibited from that, they are absolutely wrong, as in all religions, premarital sex is prohibited and not allowed for many reasons. And for Muslims who think they can just take away lives for their so-called Honor that will be even more shameful afterwards, remember, God can be forgiving and give second chances, why can’t you. Also remember that men and women should be equally punished, as in the Quran it is mentioned that in case of sinful sex, male and female are treated the same and here is the proof:

الزَّانِيَةُ وَالزَّانِي فَاجْلِدُوا كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ وَلا تَأْخُذْكُم بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

الزَّانِي لا يَنكِحُ إِلاَّ زَانِيَةً أَوْ مُشْرِكَةً وَالزَّانِيَةُ لا يَنكِحُهَا إِلاَّ زَانٍ أَوْ مُشْرِكٌ وَحُرِّمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاء فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

The adulteress and the adulterer - punish each one of them with a hundred lashes; and may you not have pity on them in the religion to Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day; and a group of believers must witness their punishment.

The adulterer shall not marry except an adulteress or a polytheist woman, and none shall marry an adulteress except an adulterer or a polytheist; and this is forbidden for the believers.

And those who accuse chaste women and do not bring four witnesses to testify - punish them with eighty lashes and do not ever accept their testimony; and it is they who are the wicked.

Except those who repent after this and reform themselves; so indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

I shared two stories that were exposed to the world before in an earlier post:

Amina Said (L), 18, and her sister Sarah, 17, were shot dead by their father Yaser at their home in Irving, Texas, in January 2008. Said was upset by his daughters' "Western ways" and was assisted in the killing by his wife, the girls' mother. The victims of honor killings are largely teenage daughters or young…. more

Fortunately now, many major worldwide organizations are taking action on the ground, and virtually through reaching out to millions of people. If you are against domestic violence of any kind take a few moments to support ending this brutality.

Join the Cause and make a difference on Facebook – HERE
Sign the Petition to End Domestic Violence in the Muslim World – HERE

Links:

Honor Killing claims the life of 17 years old in Iran
Saudi woman killed for chatting on Facebook
Two different stories about two girls who were physically abused after being kidnapped, they were killed because what happened dishonors their families. Story 1 – Story 2

Teenagers’ Obsessions for 2010 - Justin Bieber, Step Up 3D and EMO Style!

2010-10-27T21:59:00.001+03:00

3 simple images found on the web, combined together, make the dream wallpaper/picture for every teenager’s phone, laptop, Facebook, Twitter, My Space, Messengers, etc…

First let me list the three obsessions and tell you a brief about them:

Justin Bieber – 16 year old Canadian singer who was discovered through his uploaded Youtube singing clips. He is loved because the media played a kick ass role in making this happen. His blonde, naturally styled and brushed hair as he claims, is a dream hair of all the boys and an attraction to all girls. They say his voice is hypnotizing, but all I can hear is a kid singing like both my brothers do, I will give him a chance till after he turns adult, maybe the professionals have the ability to hear his future grownup voice. He is a good dancer and guitar player.
Step Up 3D – A Step Up sequel featuring professional trained dancers/actors and can be viewed using 3D experience as it is the 3rd sequel. The soundtracks of the movie are very popular now.
EMO Style – It is a so claimed “state of mind” or “trend.” The state of mind states that one should be only friends with those of the same EMO nature. One should not talk much and be extremely emotional, the pain felt by EMO is a pleasure and not actual pain as they tend to deep cut their arms and legs and do some major physical damage. As for the trend, the hair should atleast cover 30% of the face/forehead, dark colors to be worn, tight jeans, scarves and jackets, all seasons!! And for the girls, make up should be dark with dark or multicolored nail polish.

I don’t really know much about what is going on at the moment for western teenagers but all I know is what I have been seeing this year in the Middle East region. And as a person born and raised in the Middle East, I go out for cruises almost everyday. However, while doing that on the weekend, I look around, and I see the streets are literally packed with kids that seriously lack style and etiquette. They walk in the Middle of the streets as if they don’t care to be run over since they are fearless (EMO), I can’t remember the last time I saw a teenager wearing red, yellow, white or any bright color, noone dresses for the season, hair is extremely greasy from the kilos of wax or ultra strong gel applied to it. Most of them have all Justin Bieber songs which is strange as it doesn’t match the style or outfit. 13 year olds smoking, dance groups on every pavement starting fist fights from their lack of dancing experience, I know the sentence sounds strange but this is the true nature of what’s happening.

As for the teenage girls, now, most of Caucasian, dark skinned or brunette boys are out of every girl’s league. Because all of them are looking for blonde skinny boys, with very soft hair who can sing and know how to dance, a plus is knowing how to play the guitar!!! So, since in the Middle East only 1/20 of males are blondes, teenage girls start dating older guys since all the blondes their age is taken.

After seeing all this, I sat with my young brothers and conducted a small scaled survey with their help. and concluded that, literally, all teenagers ranging from age 13 to 17 are obsessed with atleast one of these 3 phenomena.

I hate to say that this generation lacks common knowledge, education, boundaries, morals, respect and most importantly they lack personality. They are what others want them to be, and the others are what the media wants them to be. I don’t think it is some kind of conspiracy or propaganda. It is just a shame how empty minded teenagers are these days and how absent minded the parents are these days.

Music, television, shows and dancing is the new formula to a teenager’s personality…. What a shame!

I am not sure how to end this post, but all I can add is:

Not everything in the West can be imitated and looked high at since such phenomena can lead to an incompatible teenager mentality with our society or culture. So I tell you dear parents: ……….. Ahhhhh never mind! You won’t listen anyway!!

Google Street View. Complete Invasion of Privacy

2010-10-25T15:43:00.003+03:00

This is a photo captured by Google Street View cameras in the US. Shared below, are even more photos of what has Google Street View cameras been capturing without the public noticing and without even their consent.

Google map launched their new under-development project called Street View. Download the latest Google Earth or go to Google Maps from your browser to browse the streets of many countries. The project is intended to drive Google Maps into extreme interactivity of walking and driving through the streets of the world in POV. Also, they planned on providing Wifi Hotspot information to users so wherever you go you can connect to hotspots and be online all the time with no hassle.

So what Google did is that they bought cars all over the world and utilized those cars with special 3D cameras that can shoot from 9 different angles on the move. Also utilized Google personnel with cameras that are of smaller sizes to also roam the streets and capture everything on sight. Along with the special cameras there were special Wifi sensors that can gather all wireless activity around and log detailed information of inbound and outbound connections. During this process, Google has captured thousands of faces, inappropriate photos of couples and individuals, personal Wifi connections and security passwords, email addresses and passwords and much more.

After posting those information online and invading the privacy of many individuals all over the world, viewers were shocked as Google did not blur people’s faces leading to the exposure of people’s identity. Not forgetting the exposure of home’s personal Wifi connections and the logging of emails and passwords in Google’s database. I understand that Google’s annual turnover is 14 Billion USD, but this doesn’t give them the right to expose identities and invade privacies all over the world.

UK has gone mad about this exposure and imposed 500,000 Pounds fine on Google. Also there were many remarks and complaints from viewers claiming that they can be seen clearly in the photos. So as a start, the new Director of Privacy Alma Whitten said: “We are profoundly sorry for having mistakenly collected payload data from unencrypted networks,” “As soon as we realized what had happened, we stopped collecting all wi-fi data from our Street View cars and immediately informed the authorities. This data has never been used in any Google product and was never intended to be used by Google in any way.” “We want to delete the data as soon as possible and will continue to work with the authorities to determine the best way forward, as well as to answer their further questions and concerns.”

I guess Google wasn’t only satisfied by showing people’s houses to the world. Anyhow, the first conclusion we get from Google is that it was a mistake how they did it, but it wasn’t their staff’s mistake, it was an automated system fault. But they will blur the faces of the people, you can only do that when you see your face on Google Street View, send them a passport copy, then your photo will be blurred.

So one never knows of their exposure all over the internet. No one’s email is safe. If Google can penetrate encrypted and unencrypted Wifi connections, why can’t any computer freak do?. If you think your privacy is protected, in this world where virtual technology is taking over, no one is safe anymore.

Below is a slide show of their cars, personnel, people captured and inappropriate photos taken by the cameras of Google Street View. ENJOY

Google Street View

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Links:

Google Maps with Street View

Top 5 Reasons Why the West is More Dangerous Than the Middle East

2009-06-07T05:32:00.004+03:00

All my life I have been surrounded by people scared to leave the Middle East and live in the west. They had this belief that it’s so much safer living in the Middle East than living in the west. Safer in many aspects and not only in the meaning of physical safety. So I had to do some research to come up with why Middle Easterners think so especially that, in my opinion, it’s much more fun and productive to live in the west.

I have gathered so much information that validates their point of view. They are statistics and researches conducted by the western countries and shared to the whole world. I have minimized the list to the top 5 reasons the west is more dangerous than the Middle East.

5
Racism
Racism is a very ugly issue that has been around for hundreds of years. In the Middle East, racism is barely recognized due to the indiscrimination of color, this is a result of the effect wars had on Middle Easterners where they no longer need to think about colors, they only need to think about sticking together and keeping an entire civilization alive. So, in the Middle East, there is no specific gathering area for each race, instead, everyone lives around everyone in peace and harmony no matter where they come from.

Whereas, in the west, racism is one of the biggest still-unsolved issues they are suffering from. Racism is still a conflict between many groups of people from same or different races. So the bottom line is that in the Middle East, you can’t be threatened by anyone from any other race because racism isn’t available in their vocabulary.

4
Nature of the Culture
The nature of the western cultures is mostly neutral. It means that everyone is eligible to take care of themselves on their own at some point. Emotions don’t much get in the way of their logical thinking and life goal. It might be a good thing but it has a long lasting effect on people’s behaviors, either well adjusted or ill adjusted.

The emotional nature of the Middle Easterners is the main reason they haven’t built empires and they still have a deep meaning of the importance of family unity instead of reunion. This emotional nature helps the people to accept themselves and be as humble as possible. It might be a bad thing but if you look at the overall outcome of this emotional nature they have, you will find less crime and more empathy with others.

There is one simple example that can provide enough explanation of the nature of both. Let’s assume a 26 year old man stole some money from his parents’ house. In the Middle East, they try to contain the situation and come up with a solution without anyone knowing except themselves if they found out. In the west, most cases end up in court.

It's also shown in the worldwide wars that had happened. Middle Easterners mind their own business and don't like to start wars and problems between each other. The western countries are usually the first countries to start wars on other countries and history proves this. This is a way of showing that in the west people ten to care about themselves only then care about the people around. But due to the emotional nature of the Middle East, people tend to care about others as much as they care about themselves.

3
Religious Variety
Everywhere in the world, there is religious discrimination between main religions and also between sects from same religions. This is something inevitable and unfortunately something we couldn’t get rid off and I don’t think we ever will. Religions have always been the main reason of worldwide conflicts.

Knowing the mentioned facts will grow a bigger perspective on the living conditions in the Middle East and the west. In the west, there are up to 3,000 different religions and beliefs recognized, but in the Middle East, there are only 207 recognized religions and beliefs.

So, basically, it’s more dangerous to live in a part of the world where there are 3,000 different religions because there will be many cultures and mentalities that can be dangerously effective to your life. The probability of religious conflict in the west is so much higher than in the Middle East, making it safer to live in the Middle East than in the west.
(For a complete religions demographic map please click here)

2
Crime Rate
The international crime rate is higher demographically in the west than in the Middle East by a great amount. Crimes committed in the Middle East can’t be closely compared to the crimes committed in the west every year.

I found an amazing website that has accurate incredible information about the crime rates and with a list of the top 100 countries in crimes. The website also provides a map view of the statistical data gathered that can prove that crime is the top unnatural reason to prove that the west is a more dangerous part of the world than the Middle East.
(For the map that contains the statistical information and numbers please click here)

1
Natural Disasters
This one is the most interesting part. The top reason why the west is more dangerous than the Middle East is a natural uncontrolled reason, natural disasters. Due to the geographical location of the Middle East, the Middle East suffers the least among the entire world from natural disasters. Whereas, almost all other sides of the world suffer a lot from natural disasters and normally the results of them occurring are very dramatic and destructive.

After doing this research I discovered that living in the Middle East is not that bad of a thing after all. It made me more proud to be living in the Middle East and not in the West because after all I want to be living in peace and not in constant worry and anxiety.

Arab Girls are Becoming Slutty - My Response

2009-05-12T12:40:00.004+03:00

Researching the Arab world is so much fun and extremely intellectual. People in the Arab world are generally extremists and they can only see in black or white, never have shades of gray. I was looking for the actual meaning of Slut when I couldn't help but click on the title found through the search results, Arab girls are becoming slutty. The blog post was written by an angry "rebellious" female who is convinced that she is right and everyone who disagrees is wrong. This is a typical case of a typical Arab individual. As I always say, there are exceptions to every rule.

The post is as follows:

Arab girls are becoming slutty..

Well well.. now this is a controversial topic I am starting. Well, here is the thing. I have been browsing the net lately for friends sites. I know lots of people, but I don’t talk to them because they piss me off. However, I find their profiles on some sites and they are

fucking slutty. They wear practically nothing and wear bikinis to the beach or pools. It’s normal for them. I look at them and wonder why the hell their parents say their daughters are pure angels. What’s so angelic about showing your ass to the world? Seriously.. what are they doing? We all know they are bitches but proving to the word they are bitches and slutty is too much. Furthermore, you got to love the part that said Drinks and Smokes socially. lol Now that is hilarious, and for a fact I know some are not virgins either cuz they had numerous boyfriends who are pure pimps, clubbers and drunks. People say the Arab world is bad, but here they are 100 times worse but not as obvious cuz they do it all behind the scenes.
Also for Arab guys. If I see a picture of you in a club with a beer in one hand and a slut on the other hand then don’t bother messaging me. I have no interest in talking to you and we have nothing in common!
So what I am thinking is that I should seriously move to no man land; where I am the empress and ruler and whom ever wants to become a permanent resident of my empire must be decent human being with self respect and morals. I am not mentioning all these because it is against my religion or culture. No, but I cannot stand people who drink. It’s just I hate it. Even those who smoke. It actually makes me ill to smell it. Most people who meet me think I am too open minded and I drink and always have a boyfriend in my arm.. but no. I am total opposite. I just want to have fun in life and I don’t need any substances or any crap to be “liked” or be part of the “clique”. It’s all shit I swear. I don’t know where all the decent human beings out there has gone, but the world we are living in has become infatuated with low life sluts and ass holes.
So to join my empire you need a historical list of not being a slut and a drunk.. Who is part of the 0.00001%?

As a start, I read the entire WARNING POST she posted and I was impressed by the level of stubbornness and anger she suffers from. Also I was confused by her contradiction and hypocrisy.

I would like to share a few samples of what she has shared with the world in her blog about her opinions and her. First, you must all know her name is Mona, a Muslim from Palestine.

"If I don’t reply to, then don’t take offense by it. I am just a bad person who probably didn’t like what you asked. Can you blame me?... I am sick and tired of people judging me by my site’s title... I am sick and tired of people thinking that if I don’t listen to them or agree with them, that I am a very horrible person and should be ridiculed some more... I am not ANYONE and I am a very stubborn opinionated person... I love people! However, I dislike morons and closed minded individuals... My faith is for me to live by, for me to follow, and for me only as a human being... I never judge anyone. I don’t care. It’s not my problem... I am very Arabic. My way of life is very conservative. I don’t go out much. I never been to clubs, bars, dancing, etc. I don’t do anything... I view my self as a really good person, and I never in a million years thought of doing anything that opposes my religion or culture as a whole."

As a well formulated person who uses Blogger humbly just to share information, experiences and opinions I had to share this with my fellow readers. She is constantly contradicting what she's doing with her beliefs. She is sick of people judging her when all she did in her article is judge others, and she mentions that she doesn't judge anyone. She is a very stubborn opinionated person but she doesn't like closed minded individuals. I must admit, she is a typical very Arabic girl.

I also feel the need to clarify meanings to words she misused.

SLUT - A person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous. A woman prostitute. Slut is a pejorative term for a person who is deemed sexually promiscuous. The term is generally applied to women and used as an insult or offensive term of disparagement, meaning "dirty or slovenly."[1] It may also be used as an expression of pride in one's status, or to express envy at the sexual successes of others.

MORON - is a term used in psychology to denote a category of mental retardation.

REBELLION - Disobedience or revolt.

Now I shall start. I understand the main niche of her website, she is a rebel, a typical Arab rebel. I am, however, confused because she talks about sluts and disrespect when she is constantly calling names and cursing others for their own lifestyle. A person should understand that we are born in a free world where a person can literally change religions, friends, work and family. Every person has a distinctive personality and I respect that she has her own. But it's always said and known that one's freedom ends when it's on the expense of another's freedom. I don't see how being "promiscuous" behind the scenes is a bad thing and even worse than being a slut out in the open. When a girl is being a slut behind the scenes, this shows respect for her culture or society or it might also show fear of her own mistakes. After all, they're her own mistakes and I think everyone is aware of what they're doing as long as they're rational normal human beings.

Mona is calling every girl who goes out and dances as a slut. This is where my argument falls, it doesn't make sense. Some people love dancing and enjoying their time to the max, that doesn't make them people who are having random sex with everyone. And when a girl is a non virgin, this doesn't mean that she's a bitch nor that her boyfriend is a pimp. A non virgin girl can be non virgin as an outcome of sexual activity with a boyfriend in a long term relationship with feelings and emotions. Such relationships can result in a happy marriage and an eternal life with an amazing husband and amazing children.

I am a Muslim and I must say, if I have to say that Mona is right all men are pimps because they like to sleep with many girls, remember how many wives Prophet Mohammad had. He was not a pimp but he had many woman as his wives.

Also swim suits are mentioned. I go out with many girl "friends" I have and when we go to a beach I don't think they wear swim suits just to get guys sleeping with them, meaning that they're not sluts.

I understand that she has a point that sultry is increasing in the Arab world but this is only in the meaning and true meaning of sultry, it doesn't mean girls dancing and guys drinking will end up in a huge sexual orgy because the girls are sluts and the guys are drunken pimps.

She doesn't like drinking or smoking, then she has no right whatsoever to judge an entire group of smokers and drinkers. She doesn't go out much, then don't judge who do go out.

I have a question, a girl drinks with her family, and then smokes at a cafe with her girlfriends, and then she is engaged to a man, they go out to clubs and dance in weddings. Does that make her a slut? Are those shameful acts?

I strongly suggest she opens her mind a bit to the world we live in and try to experience life from all aspects. After all no one can understand the joy or hate of something done unless they experience it themselves.

I am not judging her, instead I am proving that she is judging the book by the cover and misreading the entire title. Respect comes from within, if you don't respect yourself, you can't respect people. If you don't appreciate yourself, you can't appreciate people. If you don't love yourself, you can't love people.

If Mona doesn't care what I write, other people care. That's the beauty of having different opinions. As much as I oppose to her opinions because she is generalizing, I respect that she has a mind of her own. That's why I took the time, effort and care to write this blog in response to her post.

Links and Sources:

Top 10 Reasons Why Islam is Not the Religion of Peace - My Response

2009-04-08T16:55:00.011+03:00

I was going through websites and blogs about religions so I learn more about every single religion existed. I couldn't help but read this article written by James Arlandson who happens to have a PhD and teaches world religions and introductory philosophy at a college in southern California.

I was shocked when I read this specific post on his blog. I understand that I am not all religious although I come from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds, but I know enough to disagree with all what he said. I will quote his sentences and put them in italics so you can differentiate between my words and his. The link to his article is posted at the end of this post.

"Ever since 9/11, Muslim leaders who have access to the national media have told us that Islam is the religion of peace and that violence does not represent the essence of Muhammad's religion.

Even President Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Blair have repeated this assertion, saying that Islam has been 'hijacked' by a few violent fanatics. Is this true?

Sadly it is not, for empirical, observable facts demonstrate beyond doubt that Islam at its founding is filled with violence—in the life of Muhammad himself and in the Quran itself.

Hence, these Muslim apologists must stop misleading unsuspecting Westerners, and they must be honest about the heart of their religion, for once and for all."

He's saying that all Islam are just liars who deny the original roots of Islam, that is violence. And he also insists that Muhammad and the Quran represent violence. In his case, it's obvious he doesn't know anything from what he's talking about. All I can do is oppose every word he said by proof and by being a person who knows better than him about Islam.

I will start pointing out the ten top reasons he mentioned and talk about them in details.

10 Muhammad nicknames his weapons

I mean, come on, this is the silliest excuse and the silliest thing ever mentioned in his blog. Everyone nicknames his weapons. All countries and people have nicknames for literally everything. I bet you have a nickname for your wee yourself. So I believe this point is a total non sense that I will have to stop writing about. Although I still have to mention that his point relies heavily on some "early Muslim historian" who only The State University of New York Press trust. I haven't heard of him by the way.

9 Muhammad commands in his Quran that adulterers and adulteresses should receive a hundred lashes

This is true and mentioned in the Quran. In all religions, premarital sex is prohibited, that's why there is something called Marriage Sanctity. So if a girl or a guy experiences sexual acts without marriage, in all religions it's considered an outlaw. Remember when Virgin Mary was pregnant how she was an outcast and everyone started talking about her and treating her badly because she wasn't married, well the punishment in Islam is for the adulterer and the adulteress to receive a hundred lashes to be cleaned from the sins committed.

If there wasn't any "religious" punishment for sins, especially about adultery, there wouldn't be something called marriage in any of the religions or the holy religions we're talking about.

"Perhaps the most gruesome hadith is the following. A woman came to the Prophet and asked for purification. He told her to go away and seek God's forgiveness. She persisted four times and admitted that she was pregnant as a result of fornication. He told her to wait until she had given birth. Then he said that the Muslim community should wait until she had weaned her child. When the day arrived for the child to take solid food, Muhammad handed the child over to the community and ordered the woman's death by stoning.

And when he had given command over her and she was put in a hole up to her breast, he ordered the people to stone her. Khalid b. al—Walid came forward with a stone which he threw at her head, and when the blood spurted on his face he cursed her . . . (Muslim)

The Prophet prayed over her dead body and then buried her. Truthfully, how effective was the prayer when Muhammad and his community murdered her in cold blood? They should have forgiven her and let her go to raise her child."

"He cursed her . . . (Muslim)"???? Man are you serious? There is nothing called leaving a bastard child in this world and killing a woman for having premarital pregnancy. And by the way, the only punishment where it's killing is when a Muslim kills another HUMAN BEING for no reason, because in Islam, we are all humans and when someone thinks he has the privilege of killing another human being for no reason, he will be punished by life being taken away from him. He should check his sources before writing such things or I think he should go back to his old school and study the Islam religion a bit more.

8 Muhammad in his Quran permits husbands to beat their wives

"Husbands should take full care of their wives, with [the bounties] God has given to some more than others and with what they spend out of their own money. Righteous wives are devout and guard what God would have them guard in the husbands' absence. If you fear high—handedness from your wives, remind them [of the teaching of God], then ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they obey you, you have no right to act against them. God is most high and great." He quotes from the Quran.

I believe the whole verse is misunderstood. And also there is an entire Hadith explaining the true meaning behind the "hit them" sentence. At that time, in ALL religions, wives were being beaten. But in Islam the beating means a tap on the shoulder and not domestic violence as he called it.

"Thus, domestic violence sits at the heart of early Islam—in the life of Muhammad and his Quran. Islam is therefore not the religion of peace."

Did you know that Muhammad never laid a hand on any of his wives and daughters? Just for the record.

7 Muhammad in his Quran commands that the hands of male or female thieves should be cut off

Let me start by saying: STOP saying Muhammad in HIS Quran! The Quran is a holy book sent from above, according to Islam. This proves that he doesn't know anything about Islam except that he reads online unreliable sources and starts quoting and acting all smart. The Quran doesn't belong to Muhammad and he never created it, it's God's written words. It's a miracle that Muhammad didn't do.

Well, let me explain this punishment. Back in the days, there were no prisons and no ways of punishing thieves, so the only way a person can regret stealing is by having his/her hand cut off and NOT BOTH HANDS. First the left hand because the right is an important hand and direction in religion. Then if he does it again then the right one will be cut off.

I think in all Islamic countries now they don't use this punishment because they have prisons and other alternative ways of punishments.

6 Muhammad assassinates poets and poetesses

He mentions in his article that Muhammad killed a poet after he begged for mercy saying that he has children and a poetess after she mocked Muhammad was killed in cold blood while her child was sleeping on her breast. I never knew Islam kills in such cold blood. This is new information to me especially when I know that all people at that time used to speak in a poetic way. Most Muslims back then used to be poets and poetesses. Have a look at the Quran in it's original language 'Arabic' and you will notice that it's written in a very poetic way where most verses rhyme.

"However, even if Muslims reject the early non—Quranic sources where these assassinations are found, they still must answer these questions: Why would such a tradition grow up around Muhammad in friendly Islamic sources? What was it about Muhammad that produced such reports? Why are these sources eager to present their prophet in a 'positive' way?"

5 Muhammad commands death or the cutting off of hands and feet for fighting and corrupting the land

Let's see... What if a person tries to assassinate the American president? One should not be punished in anyway, he should be talked to and left alone? An American shall not be punished for fighting against America in a war or for being a spy? Is this what the "Dr." meant? Hypocrite!

Let me put it in other words. The Christ was tortured and crucified in the worst ways ever and he didn't do anything about it. Regardless of the reasons. If I was Muhammad, I wouldn't want this happening to me. There were no prisons, what's the punishment then?

4 Muhammad aggressively attacks Meccan caravans

This is true, but without the "aggressively" because at that time Meccan caravans attacked many Islamic troops that were traveling for trade and stole their merchandise. It was a revenge to take back what originally belongs to them.

Let's consider it unfair wars to expand the Islam religion. Did he forget about the Crusades in Europe where they started slaughtering people in the name of Christianity?

3 Muhammad in his Quran promises sensuous Gardens for martyrs dying in a military holy war

"Throughout the Quran, Muhammad promises the men in his fledgling Muslim community that if they die fighting for Allah and for him, Allah will reward them with a 'virgin—rich' Garden.

Muhammad lost 70 of his fighters. Thus, he must make the loss of life appear worth the sacrifice, so he frames their deaths in an economic bargain. If his jihadists trade in or sell their lives down here, they will be granted Islamic heaven—it is a done deal."

Terrorists and suicide bombers are people who, regarding to Islam, are not considered martyrs because they didn't die in war, instead they die voluntarily making them as guilty as those who commit suicide. So, yes they are martyrs when they die during a battle but not when they voluntarily kill themselves.

2 Muhammad unjustly executes around 600 male Jews and enslaves the women and children

"The sentence: Death by decapitation for around 600 men (some Islamic sources say 900), and enslavement for the women and children (he took a beautiful Jewess as his own prize). Muhammad was wise enough to have six clans execute two Jews each in order to stop any blood—feuds. The rest of the executions were probably carried out by his fellow Emigrants from Mecca and lasted the whole night."

I am just speechless! Yet again, let's assume this is true. Crusaders killed Jews and Muslims UNJUSTLY. Jews tortured the Christ UNJUSTLY. Jews are killing Muslims everyday in Palestine UNJUSTLY. So I guess one mistake from Islam, if considered mistake, is to be forgiven compared to all the rest giving the fact that it took place 1,500 years ago.

1 Muhammad launches his own Crusades

Every religion has a crusade. And by the "Dr." writing this article. It's a crusade against Islam and specifically Muhammad.

This article did not insult me. In fact it insults the entire Islamic religion especially that he ends every point description with the sentence "Islam is therefore not the religion peace." I will not be talking religion now, I will be speaking as a human.

In order for any religion to be spread, it has to have a certain power and control. Jews did extremely inhumane things, Christians launched massive destructive crusades, Islam started many wars. I personally don't think terrorists are in anyway linked to Islam. They all use the name of Islam to have the power to perform such terrorist acts. What about the Jews fighting for the "right" of the land in the name of their religion. What about Christians hating all other religions and having terrorist cells as well.

A person, especially one who teaches "religion 'S' " should understand that all religions have their bad and good side. Many things are unexplained, that's why it's called religion and belief.

I think Jim Arlandson is a Christian extremist who is, to me, exactly equal to the Muslim extremists. Both try their best to find faults and errors in eachother's religions. I can't accept any word from any of such people because I believe that religion has a higher meaning than just standing there and criticizing other religions.

A message for JAMES ARLANDSON

You are speaking as if you know about Islam. You want to prove your points no matter what, because you know you won't be trusted or believed entirely, by putting a million links on your post. You are attacking Muhammad and not Islam, so Muhammad might had been a bad figure but I don't think a religion is created for destruction. You keep mentioning that Muhammad said in HIS Quran and this is utterly wrong because in Islam Muhammad is the prophit who will deliver the messages from God (Quran) to the people.

You need to learn a lot about Islam because you don't know anything about it. I know about Christianity and Islam because I have my parents having both religions. They are both holy religions that are aimed for peace and love.

Last but not least, you are ignorant regarding this matter.

Here's the link to the original article that I responded to:

Top ten reason why Islam is not a religion of peace - American Thinker

Abortion - Right or Wrong?

2009-04-06T17:37:00.011+03:00

What is abortion?

"An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced. Within animal husbandry abortions can be used on mammalian livestock for the health of pregnant animals or for breeding purposes. In the context of human pregnancies, an abortion induced to preserve the health of the gravida (pregnant female) is termed a therapeutic abortion, while an abortion induced for any other reason is termed an elective abortion. Abortion as a term most commonly refers to the deliberate induced abortion of a human pregnancy, while spontaneous abortions are usually termed miscarriages."Wikipedia

Abortion raises ethical, legal and religious issues. It's considered, in the West, a free choice if the fetus is less than 8 weeks old. In the Middle East, it's forbidden and banned in all cases because of religious beliefs. I am completely against abortion of all kinds and types.

Abortion is very dangerous to the pregnant female. It can be fatal or destructive to the uterus and it can have extreme psychological effects. Most people who have premarital sex seem relieved for the fact that nowadays we have the latest technologies to perform a safe abortion. I think if you're not ready to get pregnant, don't have sex in the first place, or at least try to have safe sex with the many contraceptive ways available.

I am glad that the worldwide abortion rate went down since 1993 from 46 millions a year to 40 millions a year in 2008. It's a big accomplishments to all the people who are against abortion and who made amazing campaigns to raise more awareness to the subject. This is mostly in the West because in the Middle East abortion is out of the question, but this is only in shallow water. If you go deeper in the Middle East, you will find that there are illegal abortion clinics run by normal people or "retired" doctors.

I think religion and the law in the Middle East are enough reason for people to think twice about abortion. If two people fell in love and the girl got pregnant before marriage, they both should get married and in extreme cases, the girl should undergo abortion because the child will be a bastard child. Yet again I don't think that's enough reason for any one to perform or have abortion.

I believe that no one has the right to take the life off of anyone even if they think they're the "creators". A mother doesn't have the right to deprive the unborn from it's life just because it's her choice. What about the choice of the unborn? I believe that religion is right after all regarding this specific matter because abortion is exactly the same as killing a person, but the person at least had a life, so what about an unborn.

Well, I posted some photos that are of extreme graphic nature for everyone to see. These are the results of abortion to the unborn. Do you think it's fair? Imagine yourself not existent just because your mother decided to have an abortion. How would it feel?

Check AbortionNO.org for abortion video

***WARNING***

**Graphic Photos**

*Viewer Discretion Advised*

(Click to Enlarge)

Think Before You Boycott

2009-04-04T17:55:00.007+03:00

Since the beginning of life, there are two kinds of everything, the good and the bad. Without them co-existing, there will never be balance and equilibrium in the continuity of life. Without balance everything will fall apart and everything will fail.

If we were all rich, there will never be people who can make pizza and deliver it to your house. If we were all poor, there will never be any progress in our existence. If we were all peaceful, we would never find a place to stand up because the world will be packed with people and over-flooded with everything. If we were all evil, our existence would've ceased thousands of years ago.

So without the balance of life, nothing will be able to go on. I know I said nothing related to boycotting, but I will get to the point in a bit. We humans evolve really fast, and especially in the times we're in now, we are faster than ever and the speed of our technological advances and evolution is even accelerating gradually.

Wars are the worst form of negotiation ever because it always results in physical and psychological harm for both sides. Humans are very sensitive and easily affected by their surroundings. We are born like this and will always stay like this because this is the main reason we are evolving.

Back to the good and bad, well whenever someone does good in this world, one is rewarded. And the bad is always punished. In my opinion, the stupidest and lamest punishment is boycotting. I know I might be hated for this article, but I am a very realistic and reasonable person. I have feelings too, but I don't think that boycotting will ever work on anyone.

Let me relate it to a simple scenario. You have a very successful popcorn business, you used to distribute the popcorn bags to a poor neighborhood. One day you fire one of the employees you have whose originally from this poor neighborhood. He goes to the neighborhood and tells them to boycott your popcorn. The results will be the following; not all of them will care because they like the popcorn, the people who boycott at first, will go back to buying this popcorn again later. And for extreme worst case scenario where everyone in the neighborhood REALLY boycott this product, you will also find another solution to replace the profit you used to make from this neighborhood by; either finding another neighborhood, or raising the prices slightly to compensate. So either way, you will not lose anything, in fact, they will stop having your delicious popcorn and that's it.

Well the same scenario happens when people boycott anything. I went through hundreds of websites to gather information about anyone who tried to boycott anyone. The results were hilarious to me. Everyone in this world relies on someone. The biggest two examples are the West relying on the Middle East's oil and the Middle East relying on the West's technologies. To be able to boycott a business successfully, you have to have an alternative.

When the war on Gaza started a few months ago, everyone started sending me hundreds of emails to boycott everything related to Israel. I was like okay let's do it, where do I start? I researched all products that has the slightest benefit to Israel and this is what I came up with:

Intel - The computer I am using is Intel based, Mac's are also Intel based. So I have to throw it away but I can't.
Microsoft - The main operating system in my laptop is Windows from Microsoft so I think I should also delete it but also I can't.
All Messengers - AOL, ICQ, Google, Windows Live, Yahoo and Skype. I have to uninstall them, but again, I can't.
My USB Drive - A technology developed by Israelis and it's still advancing by Israelis. I guess I can get rid of it.
My Voice Mail - The voice mail is also a technology by Israelis. I'll disable it on my phone, I don't care if anyone contacts me when my cell is turned off.
PHP Websites - Almost all websites are now PHP websites because it's a very helpful language and easy to use developed by Israelis. I have to stop visiting all websites and emails with PHP. I can't do that because everything is now connected through the internet.
Nestle - No more cornflakes, milk or nescafe. I am fine with that, I can find alternatives but they're honestly disgusting.
Coca Cola and Pepsi - Well I can stop them as well and have the other disgusting brands.
Disney - I have to stop watching any animated movie because it will be beneficial for the Israelis.
Many many many many more....

So after all I thought to myself, this is non sense and insane. I can't just throw away everything Israeli related. Because everything around us is somehow related to Israel and the West, EVERYTHING, look around you. Before I decide to boycott anything, I want my own country to have the proper technology and the products I am getting rid of as an alternative and I promise I will boycott everything related to the West, after all I want the best for my country. Besides, after all the campaigns of boycotting Western products, no one is boycotting jack. Everyone eventually will, at some point, use a Western products and it's inevitable. That's one thing, also we realistically will never drastically affect their developments and businesses because we rely heavily on the West and our governments as well.

Does not boycotting any of those products make me evil? No. Because after all, we are all selfish people looking for our happiness and looking for our satisfaction in this world. I don't live for you or for any other person. I can help out in everything by donations and supporting causes in many means, but I can't deprive myself from anything for you. Instead of depriving, I am more into supporting and giving.Which is better, to punish the abuser or to help the abused? In my opinion, to help the abused is a priority. After all Karma has it's way and I believe in Karma as it's the only explanation to the balance of our lives.

One last boycotting example. If the West decides to boycott Middle Eastern oil. They will suffer from the greatest loss in everything in a very short time and we will have more oil. Eventually, no one is benefiting from boycotting, instead, the people who boycott will be missing what they boycotted. And one last word for everyone, if you still insist on boycotting anything, do some research on what exactly to boycott to DO IT PROPERLY, and then DON'T STOP BOYCOTTING because if you stop, you will never be able to do something properly and right ever. Think about it from a logical realistic point of view.

I am not supporting anyone. I am not with or against anyone. I am just talking about the boycotting from my own perspective as a concept. Honestly, it's the lamest way of punishment. Supporting is actually supporting the needy and not boycotting the fulfilled.

Middle Eastern Sex Scandals

2009-04-02T18:24:00.003+03:00

I receive tens of attachments and forwards everyday. Some of them are pretty interesting things and others are the crappiest B.S. to ever be forwarded or sent to anyone, atleast in my opinion.

Through the past month I have received four emails with the subjects: Lebanese Girls, I Love Lebanon, Fathe7a Website, and The Secret Lives of Arabs Exposed. Every email of such nature pisses me off so much so I ignore and delete.

Basically, such emails will show you pictures or videos stolen from private accounts of social networking websites for normal people, stolen from cell phones, stolen from cameras, stolen from computers etc.

There are specialized people who steal those photos or videos and then start spreading them to everyone around just for the fun of it forgetting that pictures and videos that are private should always stay private. They even created major websites with high capacity servers so people can upload all "scandals" found so everyone can access it worldwide.

People have different lifestyles and different mentalities. a girl might love to photograph herself in her undies or naked or however, a couple might like to film themselves privately when performing sexual activity, a family in their swimming suits go swimming and wouldn't like the whole world to see them in their swim suits. Well, most of what's mentioned is being exposed through demented people who like exposing other people's private life even if it can be life threatening. They simply don't care about the consequences.

How Your Private Data Get in Such Hands

Performing maintenance for your device (computer, camera, memory card, cellphone) at an untrusted place
Losing your device
Your device gets stolen
Handing your memory card to anyone
People accessing your user profile or the device without keeping an eye on them
Hacking (phone bluetooth, computer network, emails, etc.)
Giving your personal passwords to anyone

How to Prevent This from Happening and How to Secure Your Private Data

Computer/Laptop/PC

Always use a password to your username and make your profile private
Password protect your "Private" data by using SafeHouse software (Details at the end of the post)
Protect your computer from hackers and viruses that expose your private data by installing the latest antivirus and firewall program. Norton 360 Recommended (Details at the end of the post)
Never perform maintenance at any place without you being there unless the place is fully trusted
Try to constantly backup your information to DVD's or CD's in case it's stolen
Never let anyone use your private windows/MAC user unless you're around or just create a Guest account where everything is hidden and out of reach for any other user
When you delete your files "permanently" using windows based recycle bin, your data can always be retrieved anytime by computer specialist unless you use File Shredder to literally permanently delete the data
Never sell your Harddrive/Harddisk/USB Flash to any store or person. Keep it, recycle it, or just burn it
Don't lose it

Cell phones

Never keep your bluetooth turned on because your data on the cell phone can then be easily accessed and transferred to a bluetooth hacker
Always save your data (pictures, videos, files, contacts) on the memory card and not the phone memory
Whenever you want to perform maintenance to your cell phone, ALWAYS remove your memory card from the phone and keep it in a safe place
Never sell your memory card to anyone under any circumstance
Don't lose it

Cameras - Still and Video

Always use the memory card to save pictures and videos
Never perform maintenance on the camera at any place without you taking out the memory card and keeping it in a safe place
Don't lose it

Internet/Emails/Virtual World

Don't give any password you have for anything on the internet to anyone
Don't upload your private data to any website ever unless you intentionally want to be exposed
Don't send emails that has private pictures and videos attachments
Don't accept invitations from unknown people because they might be professional hackers who will take your private information from the internet or your own computer to expose it later
DO NOT TRUST THE INTERNET

Everyday a major scandal is exposed to the world, it might be someone we never knew, it might be someone we once knew, it might be someone close or it might be you. So please everyone be careful about how much you expose yourselves and to what and whom. It hurts me to see or watch a girl trust a person so much to give him everything, especially indecent photos of her and then get exposed because the guy is an a$$ or because of a terrible mistake. It hurts me to see our Arab brothers and sisters getting exposed "bad intentions" all over the internet just for the fun of it. And I certainly wouldn't want this person to be me, you or anyone in the world. In frank blunt words, there are many perverts in this world who will steal your photos and videos just to fantasize over them in the most disgusting of ways (masturbation included). Do you want that to happen? Do you really want to be involved in a Middle Eastern sex scandal?

Quick Notes

Data deleted can be retrieved if not properly done
Cyber sex (Chat sex with video and voice) can be recorded
Deleted pictures and videos from a cell phone or camera memory card can be retrieved

So please be careful not to record any "private" activity and not take care of it because it might end up in the whole world seeing it and enjoying it more than you ever want.

Software for Computers to Ultimately Protect Your Data Against Everything

Norton 360 - This is an amazing program that can protect your computer from any kind of unauthorized access and keep it running smoothly like no other software. It has antivirus, antispyware, firewall, automatic computer maintenance and will literally so everything for you. The new version will leave a tiny memory mark so you will not notice any speed difference with it installed. You can Try Norton 360 for a 30-day trial period or Buy it from Amazon for the best price.
SafeHouse - This program will create a virtual partition on your harddrive that can be expanded to as much space as you want. This virtual partition will be password protected and encrypted with the highest forms of encryption ever existed. The encryption type where it can take thousands of years to unencrypt the data stored. This program is worth every penny if bought. Check all the options on SafeHouse website.
File Shredder - This is a simple easy to use software that completely deletes your information in a way that they can never be retrieved by transforming them into zero's and non existent harddrive data. It is for free. Download it here.

Women Driving Rights in Saudi Arabia

2009-03-31T16:24:00.005+03:00

Who said driving is meant to be only for men? Who made those rules? In this world men and women share equal rights of having the ability to do and become whatever they want. In some countries driving for women is prohibited and until now I don’t get why. Anyhow, I did some major research in well known countries that prohibit women from having their own cars or driving.

One of those countries is Saudi Arabia, since cars arrived to Saudi Arabia women were never meant to use it. It’s a strange law; however, they say they have their own reasons. So I asked a friend of mine who lives in Saudi Arabia about the reasons, and he said:

“Saudi Arabia is a country ruled and run by religion and only the Islamic Sunni religion. I know it has nothing to do with women not driving. But, imagine a women, a 1000 years earlier, riding a horse or a camel. I wouldn’t make sense. Nowadays, in Saudi Arabia, it’s believed that women don’t have the stable state of mind to be able to drive. And apart from this, if a women is seen driving in Saudi Arabia, it will be disastrous. When you roam the streets in the cities of Saudi Arabia, all women either use taxis or chauffeurs. Still, guys find the ways to stalk them and follow them in their own cars to hit on them. Hitting on women in Saudi Arabia isn’t like any other country. They follow the car the girl is in until she opens her rear window and accepts that the driver of the car following her to throw a paper with his number written on it. So imagine a girl driving, she will not only be stalked or followed, she will probably be pulled over and raped. Their mentality in Saudi Arabia is limited and it all revolves about men having the ultimate right of owning and using everything.”

I was shocked when I heard this. I had lived in Saudi Arabia before, but it never occurred to me that this is the reason women are prohibited from driving. I think this is so unfair. People all over the world say that women drivers are the worst drivers ever. Well, let me correct you all, do your research before saying so because the statistics say that in every 10 accidents, men are responsible for 7 of them. Making men worse drivers than men in the entire world.

I absolutely disagree with the sentence “women don’t have the stable state of mind to be able to drive”. It’s not me who says the opposite, it’s the numbers. But as for the guys following women even if they’re not driving and for how it’s done, I think it’s better if a women didn’t drive in the Saudi Arabia until their entire mentality changes. Although it’s weird how they follow women when they can’t even see their faces because women in Saudi Arabia should always cover their heads and bodies in black by the law.

I don’t understand how religion prohibits women from driving because it has nothing to do with it. In what verse or hadith it’s said in the Quran that women shouldn’t drive? None. And what amazes me more is that Saudi Arabia is a country that has incredible alliance with the United States. Is it a way of hiding their true identity? Is it a way to keep women in control? Or is it just that they’re scared when women start driving they will start wandering off?

It’s a very controversial issue all over the world. And when talked about, every country that has this law feel offended. I don’t get why. I know I might have offended many Saudis in this article but my intentions are to understand the real reasons behind this strange unfair law.

A couple of decades ago, Saudis started travelling more and having more open mind than ever before, they’ve seen the world and they were exposed to the West and the open-minded mentalities in the Middle East. So I don’t think it’s not easy for them to change this law and start granting women the right to have their own cars and drive. If the men were a bit more open minded and civilized, they will be more secure about letting their own women drive.

I am aware that religion, especially Islam isn’t much of a fair religion to women because men can have 4 wives and they have the ultimate right to start and end the marriage. Men can almost do anything and not suffer the consequences women will if they do the same. I know this, but what does driving have to do with any of those rules and religion?

I am looking for an answer. What do you think?

Sources and Opinions

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers - Telegraph
Women Driving in Saudi Arabia? Why Not? - Arab News written by Dr. Khaled Batarfi from Jeddah stating reasons to why women shouldn't drive
Saudi Women Challenge Driving Ban - BBC News | Middle East
Saudi Arabia's Debate on Women Driving Masks a Deeper Divide - PolicyWatch/PeaceWatch

Music

2009-03-30T23:31:00.002+03:00

This form of art has been around for thousands of years. It's fun, it's entertaining and it's very artistic. It takes real creativity to produce good music, actually, there is no good or bad music because it all depends on the audience preference.

We are all born into a world filled with music. Music represents almost everything in this world, love, hate, misery, happiness, fear etc. We relate the music we listen to to however we feel. It's an amazing form of expression to all individuals.

I personally love Western music for the beats used and the wide variety and range of words and lyrics used. I think all Arabic music talk about the same issue over and over again. Same words, same expressions and same everything, just different video clips and sentences. Or maybe I just can't understand all they say, it's a preference. I am one of the few Arabs that don't like listening to Arabic music.

Surprisingly, many people in the West love Middle Eastern music and beats. They are even inspired by the translation of the lyrics and they see Middle Eastern music as a very interesting music art.

Music depends solely on the artist and the audience. It's a form of connection. Not all people like it though, and the ones who like music have different music tastes and preference. I guess I am stuck with the rock/pop/r&b Western music although I am an Arab.

The Middle East - My Perspective

2009-03-25T10:35:00.008+02:00

This blog is all about the West and the Middle East. I have received many comments about not having known enough about the Middle Eastern society to talk about it. People felt offended. Well, I can't blame them because anyone will feel offended if faced with the truth that we are people living in shells and we still have closed minded mentalities and limited thinking horizons.

Let me start by listing what countries I mean every time I mention the Middle East:

Turkey
Lebanon
Syria
Iraq
Jordan
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Bahrain
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Oman
Yemen
Iran

I personally have traveled to 8 of the mentioned countries and lived in 5 of them; Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. So I am proud to say that I covered the African part, the Gulf part and the "Middle Eastern" part.

Very recently people in the Middle East region are opening up to accepting major changes that our parents hardly approved of. Such as, dating in public, holding hands in public, public display of affection, women driving, internet exposure, later curfew, cellphones for young kids etc. So basically, all that changed because we are now more exposed to the world like never before. This change is the best in years. The best thing about it is that although people have become more open minded, they kept their morals, cultures and beliefs intact.

When I mention something about how different we are from the West, I proudly mention it because this is who were are and that is who they are. We are different people with different mentalities and this can never change. As much as Middle Easterns try to make it seem normal that they are open minded, still something inside them will be a constant reminder that we are Arabs. We are closed minded people with great pride. I have my culture and my beliefs that I will never get rid of because they define me as a Middle Eastern and as an Arab. The blogs main topic is to view the West from a Middle Eastern point of view and not the opposite. Also I state facts about the West and the Middle Eastern society based on where I have lived, based on research and based on the society and the people I know.

I will mention the best things I have learned about the different cultures I lived through. Jordan and Syria almost have the same mentality and the same people, it amazes me how they both don't like each other. They are both newly exposed, same living standards, same social issues with only one difference, their political beliefs. Lebanon is a very nice place to live in, people are very social, open minded and accepting to almost everything. They love life and enjoy it to the max, what fascinates me about Lebanese people is that they are willing to spend their last dime on having a good image, they love to look good and be educated. It's not a bad thing at all because almost all other Arab countries look up to Lebanese people even if they don't say it. People all over the Middle East go to Lebanon for vacations because it's the best place to spend a wild vacation in. But Lebanon's one and only problem is politics and sectarianism. Saudi Arabia represents the Gulf in general, but still there are exceptions. The Gulf area is a very religious sector in the Middle East, almost everything is controlled by religion, politics, society and culture. It's not a bad thing though because it keeps the people under control. Saudis are very educated people who travel alot and enjoy life in other countries as there is not much to do in their own country. The architecture there and the cities' infrastructures are incredible. Everything is organized and they have the best highways in the Middle East. In Egypt, the people are the funniest people you will ever meet. I think the most part I loved in Egypt the the people. It's the number 1 social country I have ever been to.

I breafly mentioned the things I liked about the countries in general. I don't want to blabber much about each country. All I can say for now is that the Middle East is a very nice region that has a great variety of people, religions, beliefs, cultures, politics and social standards.

Dog Fighting - Why?

2009-03-22T18:30:00.012+02:00

What is Dog Fighting?

"Dog fighting is a sadistic "contest" in which two dogs—specifically bred, conditioned, and trained to fight—are placed in a pit (generally a small arena enclosed by plywood walls) to fight each other for the spectators' entertainment and gambling. Fights average nearly an hour in length and often last more than two hours. Dogfights end when one of the dogs will not or cannot continue. In addition to these dogfights, there are reports of an increase in unorganized street fights in urban areas." Dogfighting Fact Sheet

This is by far the cruelest form of dog treatment ever. Supporters buy a fighting breed puppy that's cute and beautiful, starve him, hit him, abuse him and train him to hate and fight. Such people are not aware that dogs are creatures as much as we are. How one would like it if he was trained to only fight to kill? It's inhumane and it's the worst form of abuse for animals.

Dog fighting is in some countries, up until now, a sport or a game of gambling where they gamble on the which dog will win the fight. During the fight, loud voices of pain and suffering will be heard by the audience coming from the dogs fighting, not forgetting the physical pain and sometimes the death of one of them. Even if one of them survived or both did, there will be scars and painful procedures done for the dog afterwards. The dog with the most scars on his body is considered a strong dominant dog.

In the west, dog fighting is, in some countries, considered a crime. In the middle east, it's still not considered crime, but there are many organizations that are against it and fighting for the right of stopping this animal cruelty. Nowadays, in the middle east, having a dog is not as strange as before, people are buying dogs, adopting and raising them in their own homes; this is amazing since ten years before, having a dog in the house wasn't something very acceptable in the society. But the only problem is that many people brag about the strength of their dogs based on dog fighting instead of how friendly they are with other people and dogs.

I personally love dogs and owned one myself, a beautiful Golden Retriever female named "Mia" - No offence to anyone called Mia. I can't imagine or even think of putting my own dog even if it wasn't a Golden Retriever into a pit to fight other dogs. I will never allow my dog to suffer just so I can make money and gain popularity. It's a very inhumane thing to do and I am working my way around fighting this phenomena in my area where I live by posting this article that's also accessible to all internet users.
Public Facebook Photo Gallery for Mia

Dog fights are something sometimes we can't control even if one had the friendliest terrier. Terriers are called so because they're very territorial, when other "alien" dogs get close to their territory they go and fight so they keep the owners safe, even if the dog was not trained to fight. It's a survival instinct. To be able to stop a fight there is a very useful short guidline to stopping it without getting hurt. Especially because when dogs are engaged in a fight, they switch into survival mode kill-or-be-killed not realizing who's the good or the bad and sometimes resulting in major injuries to anyone trying to end it. To be able to stop a dog fight without getting hurt CLICK HERE.

The following are some useful websites involving Dog Fights:

To support the cause against Dog Fighting please sign the petition --> Stop Dog Fighting

Video contains GRAPHIC material for any dog loving person

Civil Marriage is a Civil Right

2009-03-19T16:32:00.005+02:00

Civil marriage is a very controversial matter in the Middle East region. Civil marriage is basically allowing a couple to get married regardless of race, religion or beliefs. All marriages in the Middle East are based on religion, and only a few religions allow different religion marriage. It’s a very complicated issue if, for instance, a Christian man wants to marry a Druze woman. In most cases they solve this problem by travelling to the closest country that allows civil marriage, Cyprus, and get married there.

Why all the hassle if our countries can provide this freedom of choice for us, the freedom of marrying the one we love for their own being and not for their religion or race or beliefs. I support fighting for the right of legalizing civil marriage in the Middle East.

What’s marriage in the first place? Marriage is when two people are officially announced as a husband and wife in front of a group of people not opposing to this unity. The paper work is only proof of their marriage. Now, what bothers me the most is that in religion, there only has to be two people as witnesses and a religious figure to announce the marriage. Let’s say two people are from different religions have different belief, they both loved each other; there has to be a way that they can get married without the religious figure because not all religions are open to other religion marriages. This is where civil marriage comes.

In the Middle East, civil marriage is a very unaccepted thing because they consider it as drifting away from your own religion. This sometimes might lead to pressing legal charges and sometimes lead to honor killings. However, as people understand the human point of civil marriage and the human right of being able to easily consider it, they are fighting to make it legal in the Middle East. I came across many websites and Facebook groups and causes that are asking for the right of civil marriage in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, for governments to apply civil marriage in the Middle East and granting this right, it’s highly improbable. We first have to eliminate religious discrimination and sectarianism in the Middle East, and then grant civil marriage rights. And governments are indirectly reinforcing sectarianism and religious discrimination, not necessarily on purpose. It’s something that’s very hard to have in our region.

Some high authorities are benefiting from using religion as a way of controlling demands and as an excuse to not listening to what people have in mind. Civil marriage is a step forward to a new era full of understanding and personal freedom. Religions won’t be an obstacle in the ways of those who don’t believe in it. It’s purely a civil right for every man and woman to be able to spend the rest of their lives with the partners they choose without any prior conditions.

I think we should work hard to make it happen because after all civil marriage is nothing but a human right before being a civil right.

If you are a supporter of Civil Marriage in the Middle East, Sign the petition - Civil Marriage is a Civil Right in the Middle East. Tell your friends

Main sources
All for Civil Marriage in Lebanon – Facebook Group
For Civil Marriage in Syria – Facebook Group – Thank you for the Picture
Civil Marriage Lebanon – Website
Civil Marriage in Lebanon – Facebook Page
Civil Marriage – Beliefs and Causes
Civil Marriage Civil Right - Website

Does Slavery Still Exist?

2009-03-18T15:08:00.004+02:00

The answer to this question is unfortunately YES. Slavery still exists in different kind and different forms in our times than in earlier times. First let's define the word slavery.

What is Slavery?

"Slavery is a form of forced labor where a person is compelled to work for another (sometimes called "the master" or "slave owner"). Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation (such as wages) in return for their labor." Wikipedia

Slavery started when white people used to kidnap children from their homes in Africa, ship them and sell them to the highest bidders abroad. This is something very unacceptable to all human kind who believe in humanity. Using people as slaves for masters against their will and with no return is an ugly form of abuse, even uglier than physical abuse itself.

Slavery itself is unfair, as well as the treatment slaves get, the physical abuse, the moral destruction and the unappreciation of their services. Slavery is a crime that's being fought by the organization of Human Rights. So far slavery in the historical form is eliminated. But there are many other forms of slavery still existent in our times.

Having a maid is not slavery, it's a service provided by the maid who is getting paid for the work, but it can be considered slavery if the maid is abused, underpaid or threatened. Another form is for workers that come from poor countries to work in a rich country for rich people, I know they provide services for money, but the treatment they get, and the constant reminder of the inability to complain about the wage is another form of slavery in our times.

So basically, slavery was fought and taken care of regarding its most brutal forms like in the old case of Africans being held and kidnapped against their own will to work for nothing. However, it still exists and will never cease to exist as long as man kind exists.

"In my opinion, slavery will always exist as long as human kind exists, even if we try to eliminate it, there would be always people who are willing to be slaves and those who love to be the masters. It's all a matter of how far would you go to be a master of slaves, will you strive to have them young and control them and abuse them, or will treat them as human in laying out some rules for them to be more organized and more civilized." Naylofar H.

Inspired by the article ‘The Limits of Reason’ and the Case of the Slave Trade written by Naylofar H.

The Islam Usual Suspects - Generalizing Terrorism

2009-03-16T13:47:00.005+02:00

During Bush’s administration, Muslims were randomly picked and interviewed by the FBI with the assumption of them involved in some terrorist organization. It’s a common issue. From a personal experience; my uncle, Muhammad Saleh, went to America 2 years ago visiting family and friends. He was surprised when he was dragged into a small interrogation room in the airport, strip searched and then waited for anyone to appear for a long 3 hours. He was cuffed sitting on a small steel chair. He didn’t know what to expect or what’s waiting for him. A big man wearing a suit got into the room and started asking the regular question asked to a terrorist.

“Why are you here?” “Do you have any connections to a terrorist cell?” “Do you know these people (he showed pictures)?” “Where do you live?” “Why did you come from Syria?” “Do you know anything about guns?” “Have you ever owned a gun?” “Are you aware of any upcoming planned terrorist attacks?” and so on...

My uncle answered calmly and honestly every question he was asked. Then he asked the FBI agent himself: “Why am I here being interrogated by the FBI when I am only visiting family and friends?” He answered: “It’s because you’re a Muslim and your name is Muhammad.”

That was very shocking and almost unreal to my uncle. Now what pissed me off is that it’s a shame how Muslims with certain names are picked and put into this small room. Before you go and pick random people, with their technology, isn’t there something called a background check? I can understand that the terrorist attacks on America are creating a huge national insecurity for the governments and the people. But that doesn’t give the right to randomly pick innocent people and interrogate them. What if the person picked was a student who wants to live and America and lives the “American Dream”? This incident will create a long lasting effect of him hating the minute he walked in because he was, even for a minute, treated as a terrorist.

Some people are scared of being Muslims entering America. I don’t think that’s what America is all about. America is known, through media and television, as the one country embracing all kinds of religions and people from the whole world and treating them as their own people. That’s the best thing in America. Unfortunately it turned into something else. Again I remind you that I am aware of the ugly unfair terrorist attacks on America, but it’s also unfair for innocent people to be treated this way.

The same way in the Middle East. Americans are people who are generally hated because of their political alliance with Israel. But what about the people? I don’t think it’s unfair for both sides to treat people differently because the work of governments isn’t related to the beliefs of people. Look at the time when the last war happened in Gaza. A lot of Americans and other western populations hated the war crimes committed in Gaza and they took a stand for it, even if morally, at least they did. Those are people we should treat well because not all your fingers are the same. The same way it should work in America. The Muslims and the middle eastern shouldn’t be treated like “usual suspects” when they’re just visiting the beautiful country holding their friends and families.

I think it’s time for people to start understanding the differences between governments and people because as much democracy they claim there is in the world. It’s a hypocrite world we live in. governments and administrations choose their predecessors and the people don’t have a word in it.

There is a very interesting article I just read with the title “The Usual Suspects”. Take a look at it.

Also don’t forget to check The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Website.

Homosexuality - Mental, Physical or Just a Preference

2009-03-14T00:23:00.008+02:00

In the middle east, homosexuality is the most shameful thing to ever exist. I was born and raised this way. I can't change what I think about it although I am trying to. It's not about me though, it's about an entire culture.

In the west, homosexuality is normal but not considered a norm. It's a very interesting thing. They say people are born with homosexuality; what defines their homosexuality then? Their mental health? Their physiology? Or they are born normal but preferred same sex relationships?

First let's talk about homosexuality in the west and the middle east.

Middle East

Homosexuality is forbidden, unaccepted and very wrong
Homosexuality is sometimes considered a "fashion" or a "cool" experience
Having a homosexual son or daughter is enough reason for the parents to murder the sibling to prevent shame and defend their honor
A gay person is always considered a guy "acting like a girl, giving oral sex receiving anal sex"
Homosexuals have homosexual friends and few straight friends. For guy, homosexuals normally have more female friends.
A homosexual is forced to get out of his preference and marry from the opposite sex after all
Homosexuals have normal relationships but very discretely
Homosexuals never expose themselves in public in their true "nature"
Homosexuality in the middle east is more of an experience rather than a lifetime "sexual abnormality"

West

Homosexuality is normal and accepted
Some countries allow same sex marriages
Adoption for a homosexual couple is allowed
In some countries, they have their own parades

I think there are many reasons behind homosexuality based on the research I conducted. Homosexuality can be a physical disorder. Let me explain. Some people are born males, but have very small or sometimes tiny genitals and their hormones are unstable that they can't reach puberty. In females, some are born with a high testosterone amount in their body that they start developing male voices, big clitoris, small breasts and facial hair, they are the characteristics of males. In this case a male with this disorder turn into a homosexual from the femininity and the female can turn into a homosexual because of the extra masculinity. of course such conditions can be treated or the person can, with the recent advanced medicine, have a sex change surgery. They can't help it because they are born with this disorder.

I was talking to a psychologist friend of mine about this issue. We were debating about if homosexuality can be a mental disorder or an abnormal behavior. I used to call homosexuality an abnormal behavior because it's against the laws of nature. But I was corrected with her giving me the meaning of abnormal behavior. Homosexuality can not be a mental disorder nor an abnormal behavior. In the homosexual mind it's normal because this is how they feel, but in my mind it's not normal because it's against my norms and the law's of our existence and nature.

So I came to a conclusion. Homosexuality, if not a physical disorder, it's definitely a sexual preference that any person can get rid of and end it. Seriously, look at all the movies and all the homosexual people in the world, most of their attitude, jokes and fights between themselves are sexual. It's mostly about sex. So this leaves me wondering, is it only a sexual pleasure - the same sex foreplay and intercourse. The same sex physical attraction that they "can't" help has only two explanations:

Hormonal instability or genital dysfunction
Homosexuality is a fetish or a physical sexual act that's fulfilling if performed to or received from a person of the same sex

I don't know the origin of this phenomena but all I can say is that I am trying to accept the idea that it can be a natural one. I am trying because I still and will always see homosexuality as something against the laws of nature and against our existence and evolution. There is only one thing I am completely against, it is same sex marriage. I understand a gay couple wanting to get married and spend the rest of their lives together "out of love". But the only marriage part that I hate is the one with adopting a child.

A homosexual couple can't adopt a child because any child needs to experience both types of parental love and care. The male and the female parents love. If two were males, it will be confusing and missing. If two were females, it will be confusing and missing too. If anyone disagrees with me, I only have one thing to say, the origin of the child adopted was what? A male and a female. Two different sexes produced this child as a result of a male and female fusion. Two people from the same sex can not reproduce "naturally". So I can understand the idea of homosexuality and I can accept it as long as it's not for me, but I can never support a homosexual couple adopting a child because it will be unfair for the child.

Psychologist Dina Malas says: "Research shows that a child raised with homosexual parents turn out to be just as stable, and in some cases, even better functioning than children raised in a heterosexual environment. And a homosexual relationship is much better functioning than a heterosexual relationship because they're from the same sex and not from different sexes fighting about their differences."

This research Dina is talking about is done in the west and not in the middle east. So I can't be sure if it's valid in the middle eastern society and culture or not. Anyhow I would like to hear opinions about it and be enlightened more about the subject.

I don't want any homosexual individual to feel offended because I am just saying what conclusions I came up with and I might be 100% wrong.

Western Expectations for the Middle East

2009-03-12T15:47:00.003+02:00

For the past decade, western countries are trying their best to change the mentalities and policies of middle eastern countries. They are open minded people with governments providing everything needed for their people. At least that’s the way they see it. Sex, relationships, alcohol, porn, ultimate democracy and rights are their norms. In the middle east it’s very hard to impose such mentalities.

In the middle east, many wars took place, many mass accommodations occurred, and religion is a very important part of the everyday life of a typical middle eastern person. Middle easterners follow their leaders blindfolded and see that they’re doing their best for the country. Few countries are run by “democracy”.

The west keeps sending troops and creating wars in the middle east in the name of “change”. But the big question is if middle easterners can accept this change. I think through the past decades, if not centuries, we showed that we don’t like to change our norms. Each country or region have different believes , cultures and traditions from the rest. Why to impose their way of life on us. Many of us are happy the way things are and others support this change.

Personally, I am against this change because if we want to change, it will happen from within and we don’t like anyone to force us to change in any way possible or the results will be disastrous . let’s take Iraq for example; they were very limited people with simple lives, regardless of the hardship of their previous leader. When the US and other troops created the war in the name of “eliminating their nuclear reactors” to take control of the incredible amount of petrol they had, the results were very bad they’re almost irreversible. They changed everything so suddenly that the Iraqi people couldn’t handle and reacted aggressively towards this change.

Lebanon is always an example of westernized mentality set from the west to other middle eastern countries forgetting the Lebanese constant struggle from within. We middle eastern are born and raised under our conditions and this is very hard to change. Premarital sex isn’t normal, relationships aren’t as accepted and normal as in the west, alcohol is against religious beliefs, democracy isn’t actually the best of ways to control and maintain the middle eastern population (look at Lebanon), and many other things are normal in the west but very wrong in the middle east.

The message I am trying to deliver is that every person, family, community, city, country, region and continent have different ideals. No one has the right to expect the other to act or be the same. Our differences define who we are.

Are Men and Women Equal?

2009-03-11T18:45:00.005+02:00

Men and women can never be equal. I wrote a very interesting article about equality between men and woman and how to be able to reach the closest to “equality”. I put it between quotations because I didn’t literally mean equality, it meant more like harmony. You can find the article HERE.

In the west, almost all countries have made it clear that woman have the "same exact equal" rights as men. Whereas, in the middle east, women have very little rights compared to men. This is due to religion.

Personally I’m against both. Because women and men can never be equal, and also they both have the same rights. Having the same rights doesn’t mean reaching equality. Equality between men and women is almost impossible physically, emotionally and mentally. Not forgetting that there is no gender superior to the other.

In Islam, a man has the right to marry 4 women. A man has the power to end the marriage whenever he feels like it by saying one word. In every religion, men have more rights and more power over women. Let’s take a quick look at all three religions or at all other religions. In every single one of them, the messenger is a male, the holy figure is a male, God is a male. Of course there are few exceptions, but this is the case in general. Is that fair? Is it true?

I believe men and women have the same exact rights in this world because we live in the same world and we support each others’ existence. Without men, women can’t survive. And without women, men can’t survive at all. So basically we are not equal, we complete each other to make life equal. And when it comes to rights, we must have the same exact rights in this world.

All over the world, it’s believed that men are superior to women. Men get promotions, men get paid more, men rule, and men decide, men choose, men create, men buy, men sell and men have their way. Everything shows that men have more rights. There are many organizations run by men and women fighting this phenomenon, but my only complaint about them is that they speak of equality rather than reserving the same rights for men and women.

The Iraq War is Over - Obama is Executing Bush's Original Plan

2009-03-05T17:42:00.010+02:00

I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart, March 3rd 2009 episode. It's quite an interesting show. Anyway to get to the point, there is the sketch called "Mess O'Potamia - The Iraq War is Over". The sketch speaks about the "new" plan of withdrawing the American troops from Iraq, except a few dozens of thousands soldiers.

The video I embedded is a must see. The video include Obama's speech regarding the matter and regarding the so-called "new" plan, compared to Bush's speech about the earlier plan. Surprisingly, they both said the SAME EXACT SENTENCES but with a change in a word or two. The Obama's plan is supposedly to be executed in August 2010.

I understand the Democrats won the elections over the Republicans. But honestly, Middle Eastern hopes for a better change in the region by the Obama administration are fading away as everyday passes by. As I said in mentioned in an earlier post, we Middle Easterns can't hold on to hope from any type of administration in the United States because after all it's the United States administration and not the world's administration. They do what's best for their own country.

Honestly they're doing the right thing by thinking solely about themselves because we always fail to do the same. We always think of pleasing others instead of us and our people because we're intimidated by them.

I was really disappointed from the speech and the plan because I saw clearly that from the outside everything look like new, but from the inside everything is still the same. We Middle Easterns keep drowning more and more with every change in foreign politics. Praying this would change.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mess O'Potamia - The Iraq War Is Over

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Proposal, Engagement, Marriage and Divorce - Part IV

2009-03-04T22:45:00.001+02:00

The Divorce (Part IV)

Divorce is one of the worst things ever in my personal opinion. I think when anyone is to be married, it has to be forever. The partner has to be chosen carefully as the one and only for the remaining years of one's life.

In the West, divorce is a very hard thing. In the Middle East it's very easy to get a divorce unless the couple is Christian.

West

Divorce in the west is a very hard thing to get. There has to be many settlements depending on the laws of divorce. Also the religious aspect of divorce is very complicated as they advice the couple to try counseling then they ask different opinions then the couple have to wait for the approval. It's very complicated.

Yet, they don't choose there life partners wisely. Even some law firms have compelling advertisements for them such as "Life is too short. Get a divorce". Divorce rates are increasing each year. This is all due to making the wrong decisions and choosing the wrong life partners. The good thing about a divorced man or woman in the west is that none of them is talked about. They can normally go on with their lives and have different partners.

If there are kids involved, the governments will check both parents' statuses; financially and emotionally. After the routine check, the court claims the custody, that can be appealed over and over again.

Middle East

In the middle east, divorce is pretty easy for Muslims because it only takes one word from the husband to the wife for the divorce to be completed. Of course nowadays it's more about the papers than the words, but in Islam, once the word is said, they are officially divorced. The same western routine is applied on Christian married couples in the middle east.

The main problem about divorced individuals in the middle east is that when people know they're divorced, very few will accept their friendship or companionship because for a girl being divorced it's a shame, and for a guy being divorced it's a security alert. So it is exactly the opposite of the west; easy to do and hard to deal with.

When kids are involved, there are three possible scenarios; the kid is young so they stay with the mother; the kid is above 10 years old and the father is the keeper; or in some cases the kid can have the option to choose. Of course this happens if there is a custody battle, but normally the kids have equal time for both parents under the agreement of the parents; words and not official.

Nowadays, the concept of divorce is more accepted than before in the middle east because it's happening at a much higher rate than before. Increasing exponentially instead of gradually.