The Real Hero’s

Have you ever asked yourself what would happen if you lived elsewhere or were born into a different life or fate? Would you be the same person you are now or would your current self be a hollow shell of your potential self. The fact you were born and live in a western developed country already means you have won the lottery of life by being in the top bracket of richest people in the world. This is because the west holds 45% of the worlds wealth even though they only compromise 13% of the worlds population. And that’s simply a fact from birth.

We all fall privy to taking the things we have for granted by complaining about things which would probably not even register on the radar of concerns of the majority of the world’s population. We all have needs and desires, but I’m guessing if we hadn’t won the geographical lottery our needs and desires would probably be markedly different. I’m not saying its evil or bad that we have been so lucky in life and that we can at times take things for granted. After all we are only human and as humans we are flawed and are in a way programmed to survive, live and adapt to the direct environment surrounding us. I’m just saying this becomes a problem when we choose to not look beyond our self-engrossed lives and fail to take heed of the lives and concerns of others. It’s when we become immune to the world around us that we begin to falter and loose balance and perspective. Some may call it ignorance; I like to call it pure laziness.

The current events in the Middle East I feel have really highlighted this for many people I know. People who were apolitical or not bothered suddenly have found their eyes opened to this new awareness of reality. Its mainly because many of my friends are Arabs like me and happen to have or know of people in the region. So seeing this turmoil and unrest occurring close to home has affected them. But the problem I sometimes find I ask myself, is what would happen if we were in the heart of that revolution? Would I act differently? Would I be that person who doesn’t speak up out of fear? Would I be complacent? Would I be as brave as those we hear about daily on the news?

The reason I wanted to speak about this was because of two main events I heard about that both distressed me.

The first one relates to the 13 year old child named Hamza Al-Khateeb who was beaten up arrested and grotesquely mutilated by security forces in Syria for joining a protest. The link below I think does his story justice in recounting what actually happened:

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/201153185927813389.html

He was only 13. Imagine that, at 13 I was busy worrying about which toy I wanted my parents to buy me or where I wanted to go out to with my friends. But here is this 13 year old protesting and enduring things that not even a fully grown man could endure. The torture he suffered is that straight out of the worst horror movies. But yet he had to suffer through it all and loose his life simply because he chose to join a protest. Protesting? Something many of us would go out of our way to avoid doing. And I will be the first to hold my hands up and say I don’t go to as many as I should and that’s something I will personally work on changing.

And the second event that brought this closer to home was finding out some news from a good friend of mine about her 17 year old cousin who has been arrested, detained and beaten by police for simply wanting to start up a protest with friends in Saudi Arabia. The details below of what happened were sent to me by her and I have paraphrased it as best as possible:

He wanted to start a protest in Qatif with around 6 other boys about the current situation in Saudi with the arbitrary arrests and the abhor able role of Saudi forces in Bahrain. So they all decided to go to Qatif and just as the boys started to gather, they arrested him. His aunt wanted to see him so she went to the prison place and asked the people there where he is. Of course they sent her from center to center from Qatif to Demmam until 3 in the morning trying to find where they had detained him. When they found him he had obviously been beaten. He has exams next week and the family doesn’t know when or if they will let him out. His dad offered to pay money but they said no. His name is Mousa Jaffer Alsadah and his date of birth is 13 august 1993.

So for those who ask me what is the point of all these revolutions and protests I say it’s for people like Hamza, Mousa and the many other brave souls like them. People whose unashamedly brave & bright light should not be dulled & crushed by a repressive dictatorial self-interested-and-engrossed regime. People whose actions put the majority of supposed ‘real’ men & leaders to shame. They do this all so that subsequent future generations can live without fear of this ever occurring to them. So that they never have to deal with such inhumane depravity. They sacrifice their today for the bright future of others tomorrow. Not many of us would be able to do or endure what they did. And I’m not asking any of you to do that, all I’m asking is that you make sure their actions aren’t all in vain. So do your bit and please spread the word anyway you can by sharing this article if you haven’t already. This is especially a pressing matter of concern regarding my friend’s cousin Mousa Jaffer Alsadeh who is still being unfairly detained as I post this.

Till next Time,

Rest In Peace Little Angel, Hamza Al-Khateeb

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Jordan? As in Katie Price?? No.. Jordan as in the country -_-

Never heard of it? I wouldn’t be surprised, not many people have. Though I have a feeling that if I was to show you a picture of our Queen it might help jog a few memories. This is simply because Queen Rania is well-known figure abroad for her humanitarian and development work, inside and outside of Jordan. Plus…as countless guys have pointed out, she is good looking.  But that isn’t what this article is going to be about.

I’m writing to you in the shadow of a saddening event that has recently transpired. A Jordanian man named Mohammed Abdul Karim recently set himself on fire in front of the Jordanian prime ministers office in an act of defiance and desperation. Let us not belittle the event, regardless of whether or not you agree with the man’s motives, setting yourself on fire or taking one’s life is never an easy matter. But this act of protest eerily echo’s those of Mohamed Bouazizi the young Tunisian fruit seller who initially spurred the recent revolutionary currents we see occurring in the Middle East. This act started off by stirring the hearts and minds of the Tunisian people and like an unstoppable domino effect has spread throughout the prevailing region. But it is important to note that Mohamed Bouazizi hasn’t been the only man to have set himself alight to get things moving in his country, there have been countless other victims.

But the point is that it shouldn’t have to lead to this…we shouldn’t have to wait for someone to carry out such a heart-wrenching act for us to acknowledge the despair or turmoil within a country and for us to pay it due attention and heed. But surprisingly enough, this event in Jordan has not really been covered adequately enough by the media. This has left many people none the wiser.

Jordan is a small country, it’s rarely in the world news, and that is something which has been highlighted once again by the protests that have occurred in Jordan. The March 24^th protests was Jordan’s answer to the movements that have swept up the Middle East in progressive fervor. It’s a current that demands it’s people’s voices be heard, acknowledged and respected. A demand for democracy, an end to corruption and a drastic movement towards freedom, free speech and an end to governmental censorship.  These protests had also even at their inception already cost the life of a protester.

I am a proud Jordanian, though I was born and raised in London I visit Jordan yearly. I see the stark differences between there and here, some good and some bad. But what strikes me most is how little the majority of people know about their own country. I don’t mean the day to day runnings of their lives but what I mean by that is what goes on in the echelons of Power. When I was younger, I remember carelessly chatting or airing a view of the politics of the country. I remember distinctly being hushed and told to be mindful of what I say. This confused me, as living in London I had never been asked to censor my views on what I think of the politics of the country, or of the leaders. But here was I, being told that what I wanted to express, though temperamental in the light of what I know now, should be kept to myself for fear of being overheard by the dreaded ‘mukhabarat’ aka the secret police.

The fact I can sit here and express my views on Jordan is something I used to take for granted living in Britain. But especially ever since I have witnessed the backlash of Middle Eastern governments towards their people over the minimalist of demands, I am reminded how lucky I am to live where I do.

Many people accuse me of hating the King or Queen, or even worse, hating my country. These points are not only wrong but absurd and offensive to say the least. Hate is a strong word which I, like any other person, do not toss around lightly. Instead I say to them they are wrong, I love my country, its people, BUT I simply disagree with the people in power. I disagree with the fact that we as a people are censored on monitoring what or governments do or don’t do. That the simple demand of a handful of protests for minimalist reform was met with a barrage of rocks and misunderstood hate.

Things like for example, the fact that the FBI view the dreaded security police in Jordan as their own personal torture chamber upsets me. This was highlighted in a quote expressed by a senior FBI agent about how its institution and agents largely view the Jordanian secret police. The quote centered over the fact that after Israel and Egypt, Jordan is the third largest receiver of American monetary aid with a segment of that aid getting pumped into its security apparatus. His view was that the US practically ‘owned it’. It was in other words, an extension of their force, a place much like Guantanamo bay, where they could get away with torture through simply delegating it to the morally lax but cruel security force.

This upsets me as I don’t want my country to simply be remembered in all the wrong circles or manners. I want it to truly represent what it claims to be, that is a free, open, liberal and democratic country. We need to shed this perpetual cloak of secrecy, corruption and nepotism within our governments and state, and move our country forward progressively rather than continue to stagnate in a field of complicity. Jordan is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and this will be a hard fact to alter if we are not allowed to demand accountability, transparency and honesty from our governments and reliable information from our media.

And on this last note I would like to remind people that blind and utter subservience to those in power is NOT patriotism. Jordan is not made or defined through its governments; no rather, Jordan is made and defined by its nation’s people. Jordan is your homeland and not merely a land bestowed upon to the rich and powerful. It’s soil, earth and land belongs to you and to you alone as a nation. The sooner we acknowledge this basic and pivotal fact the brighter and more prosperous our futures will be.

And let us not allow the plethora of diverging views in our society to divide instead of bind us in healthy & progressive debates.

Till Next Time,

 

Viva La Revolution EGYPTIAN style!

Right off the bat I want to congratulate all the fearless Egyptians who have come out throughout these protests to voice their rights and unequivocally demand that they be recognized and heard. That also includes the many brave souls and hero’s who have risked and lost their lives in this movement. May you rest in peace and may your actions resonate throughout time in the hearts of every Egyptian. It’s a bittersweet moment knowing that those who risked the most cannot be part of the joy and celebration that all the Egyptians are participating in today

But I do think the question that people will be faced with after the celebrations and festivities  have died down will be what happens next? It’s important that things are not left up in the air as the revolution of change does not simply stop with the door hitting Mubarak forcefully on the way out. So here is my brief summary about some overall important points:

Firstly, the fact that Mubarak has been forced out is of course in itself an amazing achievement ..It’s also very powerfully symbolic as it shows that no leader can claim to be immune from the movement and will of his people… It’s also helps in making the remaining corrupt, dictatorial and autocratic Arab leaders hopefully shake uncontrollably in their custom-designed-fur-lined-dolled-up-gold-embroidered-slippers… in other words the demand for sleeping pills will shoot up drastically as restless nights take their toll…so if anyone is looking to make a quick buck that’s a heads up to which shares you should invest in. If the guy who gives extra strong super-glue a run for its dam money *on what can act as better adhesive to the throne of power* can eventually haul on out than ANYONE is susceptible to getting the Alan Sugar ‘Your fired’  dress down.

But Mubarak didn’t of course survive as long as he did in throes of power without having sweetened the deal for the people he has placed around him. So therefore anyone who is seen to be a dummy or cronie of Mubarak should be also swiftly shown the door….. preferably the door of the garbage disposal chute… when the disease -ridden head rolls the body should swiftly follow… and that includes that TWAT Suleiman who i think has proven that no matter who you are, there is always some prick waiting in the wings who will eclipse you at whatever area you choose to specialise in… in Mubarak’s case…that area is : Bastard-ness…yep Mubarak…you officially have someone you can favourably contrast yourself against..

These changes need to be coupled with a complete overhaul and reform of the flawed constitution and electoral process. This will allow things like limits to presidential term to be added so that no one else will be able to do a ‘Mubarak’….if the constitution and electoral process are not addressed fairly and properly, then the foundations of democracy will be weak and anything that is built on it will be inherently shaky and susceptible to failure.

And another thing is that caution should be exercised with regards to the military who are now effectively in power…. that is for the simple reason that Mubarak himself and the presidents that have preceded him have all come from the military……coupled with the fact that the many heads of the military are BFF’s with Mubarak … I heard they even have those tacky BFF necklaces  … someone needs to tell them that’s SO 2000 & late.. Plus the proof that they receive millions in funding from the U.S means that people should be wary of where their loyalties actually lie….And by the military I’m only really referring to the top brass…not the brave underlings who have generally shown that their loyalties are to the Egyptian people first and foremost.

So therefore the interm government that will rule and look after things till elections are actually held should include the opposition figures that have been instrumentally part off and supportive of the movements in and out of Tahrir square and who have stood firmly by the Egyptian people.

This is an unprecedented moment in the history of the Middle East and the momentum should not be lost as this change can hopefully reform not only Egypt’s destiny but the destiny of the whole region…

Egypt is, after all, Om El-Donia: Mother of the world

Till Next Time,

 

Tunisia- viva la revolution!

Well, who-da-thunk-it? A well deserved congratulations to the Tunisian people.

It’s been quite an eventful few days in the Middle East region *yea anyone who wants to argue the geographic location of Tunisia with me is obviously missing the big picture*. The whole Tunisian overthrow of Ben Ali came as a shock to many who didn’t really know much about the region…It’s especially eventful since many news outlet in the western world didn’t really cover the protests and riots *which had been going on for around a month or so* till Ben Ali himself decided to get on a plane and high-tail his dumb ass out the region……welll…i say region…he did leave the region to try to get into France but was rejected *yea…France…the country that gave refuge to the Shah of Iran thinks you’re not good enough for it….talk about kicking a person when he is down…that had to burn*….But not to worry….he managed to find a place called home in Saudi Arabia…which considering how its government and leaders run things…must be realllllly confused over why exactly he got his ass served on a plate to him by his people:

Saudi Official; you mean to say you ALLOW your woman to drive…..you allow a sort of religious freedom…. you allow your woman to dress as they please….you allow your woman to go out and about on their jack-jones…….*let’s just cut the woman list short for the sake of the post not turning into a book of sorts*…you also don’t claim a monopoly on the Islamic religion whilst hypocritically not following those rules….and THEY still weren’t happy? PSHTT… youth these days….so inconsiderate.

But regardless of all that…..the point still stands that what the Tunisian’s did is something which is practically unheard of in the middle eastern region…they did something that is commendable…they stood up for their rights and they did not accept anything less than what they were truly owed….when Ben Ali offered to step down after his term ends in 2014* yea…boi thought that it was the idea of his seeking re-election that had grinded people’s gears….26 years of rule…. alright….anything more..and boi is pushing his luck*  years to quell the protest the people did not stop. It’s something which has rightfully sent shock waves through the region and throughout the world….and …it is hoped…that it might finally have woken up the Arabs in the region and shown them that nothing is impossible if they put their minds, heart and soul into it and if they UNITE to achieve the goal…

These corrupt, despotic leaders do not claim a monopoly over their people if the people don’t allow them to.

But of course…..events should be seen in context….there are factors in Tunisia which played into the hands of the population,

Firstly: the employment rate amongst the youth was around 50%….why this is important is because it is the youth who are usually at the forefront of any type of revolution, so their dissatisfaction adds a huge amount of fuel onto the fire

Secondly: the high gas and food prices…as everyone knows when the people are hungry..that is when they are most dangerous…it’s also why you’ll probably see a lot of countries now in the middle east re-assessing and lowering prices …keep people fed and warm…and you will breed a certain amount of complacency.

Thirdly: believe it or not…..the fact that the Tunisian youth are socially active online…the use of things like fb and twitter and other social mediums was instrumental in getting the movement started…so the next time your parents/friends/lecturer/sister tell you to get your face off of fb and into a book…just tell them when a revolution of sorts is needed…they will be rueing the day they asked you to shift on out…books don’t connect people…websites do *respect*…you reap what you sow ay?

The fact that Egypt ticks two of those boxes is the reason why people are looking to it to carry the mantle of the Tunisian movement through onto it’s shores. In fact, Egypt compared to Tunisia is worse off in the first two points in general…. but it’s the 3rd factor which is missing in Egypt that experts say is a problem…they aren’t as well-connected as Tunisia was.

Plus….the reason why this might not be so easy to replicate in countries like Egypt or Saudi or Jordan etc. is because in Tunisia, the military *and even police to a certain extent* where less willing to get extremely violent with the protesters as would have happened in the former countries….That is not to say that they weren’t violent…they where…especially the police …as lives were lost in the protests unfortunately…but the army in a sense took more of a back seat which wouldn’t have occurred in the other countries where they would probably be knee-deep in blood… as nearly everyone knows in the middle east region, generally…the army…instead of the police….would probably the be the first people on the scene of any type of  protest….yea….in the middle east…when you join the army…you do end up fighting contrary to what people think…..it’s just you end up fighting your own people.

So in summary, I’m completely in awe of all those people who participated and did what they did in the protests *even though they had been intimidated and threatened with violence* to secure justice for their people….And for those who lost their lives, May your actions be forever remembered in the hearts and minds of the current and future generations…let’s hope your deaths will not be to no avail…and that real change comes to a country which has fought and truly deserves it.

And also, as a sign of respect and recognition to the man who sparked these calls to protest through the actions he carried out in the last few moments of his life, I give a brief summary of what his story is:

‘ Mohamed Bouazizi, aged 26, from Sidi Bouzid, in southern Tunisia, had graduated from Mahdia University a few years ago, but could not find a job. Being the only breadwinner in his family, he decided to earn a living and with his family’s help, he started selling fruit and vegetable from a street stall. His venture gave him very little, enough to guarantee the dignity of his family. But city hall officials were on the look out, and have seized his goods several times. He tried to explain to them that what he was doing was not his choice that he was just trying to survive. Each time, his goods were confiscated; he was also insulted and asked to leave the city hall premises. The last time this happened, Mohamed lost all hope in this life and decided to leave it forever. He poured gasoline on himself and set himself on fire.’

I paraphrased his story from this website for those who are interested:

http://inmytrends.com/tunisia-unemployed-mans-suicide-attempt-sparks-riots.htm

R.I.P

Till next time,

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” – Malcolm X