طراقات

I am not sure whether it's the movies, the series, the shows or the books that get on my nerve the most when discussing parenting. It's almost as if they want to pass "say something 'bad'/hit your child once, and chances are s/he will grow up to become rapists and hookers."

Children (ages 3 till they get married and have kids on their own) will always say or do something the parents do not approve of. With disregard ofcourse to 'bad parents' - yeah, they were beaten up as children ha? - they have every right to put their children back in their place the way they deem fit.

Countless times I have heard something around the lines of: "so I'm walking in a mall, and I see a mother slapping the hand of her 4 year old child. I immediately think 'that mother is a bitch for doing that' and that she has no love for her children." Aha.

Who the fuck are you to pass judgement, who gave you the right to sum up 4yrs in 10 seconds? That's not bad parenting, infact, that is parenting. Just as much as loving a child and making him or her (it? heh) feel safe, taking action and stepping up is just as important. (This is an example of how action is percieved wrongfully).

Appeasement is not a method one (or two) can rely on in parenting.

Sure, there's a hell of a difference between child-abuse and putting a child back in his/her place, the sole differentiation - I think - being that child-abuse is (could be) random. While the latter is stimulated by an action of the child himself.

Also, and I am saying this based on experience(s) of myself and others I know, 2-3 times in 18yrs is enough for any child to 'get it'. Don't get cute, the 4yr old example above does not count.

دال سين, دال صاد

PhDs are overrated. Now that we got that out of the way, onto the main idea. In Kuwait, the way I see it, we have got only three "types" of PhDs. Academic, political, and social. These three may, or may not, cross paths; just as much as they are not mutually exclusive.

The most obvious, you would think (or perhaps would like to think), is the Academic PhD. Where x pursues his or her further education for the sole purpose of academia and interest in knowledge. That, to me, is bullshit. From what I have gathered, a PhD is only the first step - as opposed to contrary belief that it is 'the final step on the ladder of knowledge' - and you can only thrive through research which follows, as one example.

Let's face it, Kuwait University, even though financially capable, doesn't give two shits about research. You do not see PhDs at KU publishing many significant articles in related-field journals, now do you? Yes, I know that there are researches that have been done slash being done. And yes, I know that Kuwait University has its own press (or whatever). Yes, I do know you are probably being taught a certain course, and the textbook's author is a Kuwaiti. I also know that most of the researchers are not the Kuwaiti PhDs that are in Kuwait University - as you would guess - they are the, um, non-Kuwaitis.

Personally, I don't give a fuck about research, or adding something to the field. Infact, I think what I am studying right now to be stupid and worthless in that sense. The catch being, however, is that it is a pretty important step to push one's career. And yes, when I say career I mean, and only mean, salary.

The political motivation for a PhD, is ofcourse, to have the Daal infront of your name when you run for parliament. This is extremely evident with the Islamists (what they call themselves- not what they should call themselves). These political PhDs are very fond of Egypt and Jordan to name a couple of countries.

Personally, I don't blame them for taking that path; simply because of what I have mentioned above about how 'some' regard the PhD as the last step - as opposed to literally being the first. In other words, if this Daal infront of their names would earn them votes, good for them I say.

Then comes the social PhD. The pursuit for "Dr X came, Dr X went" (word-to-word translation). The difference between the social and political PhD is that the social PhD does share some of the interest in the academic field. However not to the extent to be labelled an academic. My unscientific and un-based-on-any-statistics prediction suggests that each 4 out of 10 social PhDs have a 70% chance of switching teams to the political PhD team later on in life.

Now, the reason why I am writing this is because I have had a number of discussions with a number of friends. Some who are prospective MA+PhD students with Kuwait University, and some who have already started.

All of them fall into the Academic Team. 'What do they know', I tell myself.

The way I see it, spending 2 - 5 years doing a PhD (when you know you are coming back to Kuwait) can only be plausible - in my opinion - if two out of the following reasonings are met:

a- PhDs do not report to anyone. They do not have bosses. They have colleagues who may be heads of department. Heads of department can go fuck themselves. They are not bosses.

b- PhDs never experience routine. While what is taught may become repetitive with time (days, semester or years), the sections will always change. This is good for two reasons: smoking hot chicks first, and keeping up-to-date with what the at-the-time-students are into. Both reasons are just for fun. Point being, there isn't really much routine to scare away from.

c- PhDs earn, in some cases, more than members of parliament in salary. Repeat, in salary.

d- PhDs, whether they know it or not, will always be just-that-bit-much more respected by everyone for the Daal.

Stuff like that.

Point being, the only valid reason for doing a PhD in our day and time (again, knowing that you are going back to Kuwait) is to join the Social Team.

Economically, it depends on how you look at it. The calculation of the opportunity cost of staying and doing something else is a whole different issue which I prefer not "knocking its door" (word-to-word translation).

Quality of Life

They were gathered on the porch, all nine of them. They had been sitting there for the past three hours, talking about nothing and everything. The sun was up now, two by two they would come and go from and to their prayers.

It wasn't really winter but given that the sea was ten meters away, if that, made them all slowly go back inside the shalaih, get their coats, and come back outside. Sport coats to be exact, and shorts as opposed to pants ofcourse. The official Kuwaiti shalaih dress code when it's chilly. One by one, the smokers of the bunch would reach for their cigarette boxes, and pat them before taking one out. They would also gather next to each other so as to share the ashtrays.

The main topic now was graduating college. A few of them had already graduated this semester or the one before. Some had been working for the past year. It didn't take 15 minutes for the whole discussion to shift to jobs now. Five minutes later, it was about salaries. Before you knew it, it was about Vitamin-W.

It was pretty amazing actually, how one sentence would change the whole course of the conversation of nine. Two of them were up now asking, or rather interrupting, to see what the others wanted for breakfast from Bnaider. When they left, the seven remaining spared no time to come up with a prank to pull off on them when they're back.

As the discussions continued, now to more serious matters, one of them started drifting in thought. In the background, he could hear something about the at-the-time allied invasion of Iraq. When he looked at the waves, he could actually hear the faint sound of the clashes over the guys' conversation. As he looked up, he directly faced the sun. He raised his hand to cover his eyes from the blinding brightness, and looked away over to the tied jet skis.

The world around him slowed down, as he looked over at his friends, he could see them move and make gestures in slow motion. Their speech mumbled and slow as a turtle, as if rewinding a record.

Didn't know it at the time, but he probably should've taken it all in. He slowly turned his head to see what appeared to be a four year old running and playing with the sand from the shalaih next door. He could hear exactly what the mother was whispering, but he couldn't make sense of the constant noise of his friends a meter away.

Looking back at his friends, they were still going in slow motion. They were more than seven by now. Guys who were asleep, or who were "milking their girlfriends" all night joined them. Still, the sounds mumbled. He should've freezed that moment in time.

He just stared at the endless sea, guessing how much would he cover if he swam all the way before he drowned. He thought he heard something from behind, so he looked over his shoulders and leaned on his chest to get the driveway of the shalaih in view.

Behind the parked Porsches, Aston Martins, Ferraris and AMGs, he could see the Lamborghini and Corvette putting on a show just behind the volleyball court. The guys got up and started walking towards the court laughing and cheering. He just smiled facing the opposite direction.

He knew that if they were all stripped from this big shalaih, those sports cars, those designer sports coats, their degrees, even their family names. Whatever it was, they would have still enjoyed each other's company just as much.

He knew that every single one of them knew what he knew. He knew that there were a bunch of unwritten rules that bonded them all together. He also knew that now he was hearing his name. "3laiwi, 3laiwi o yahad inshalla.. Hey ent, na7no hona!". He looked over, two of his friends were walking towards him telling him to come join them. "Yaaykom, yaaykom" he said. Now it all became clear, he made sense of it all.

They were all about heart.

علي وما أدراك ما علي

I've been trying to write something for well over an hour now. Then I remembered who I was really trying to write about.

However I will say this, if everybody knew something about the real life of imaam 3ali Ibn Abi 6aalib سلام الله عليه as opposed to the nonesense being taught in schools and university courses, then the world would be a very different place.

Let's not get into the historical events, because mentioning some and leaving others would defy the exact same reason people should learn about him.

I refer you as an example to sayid 3ali Il Sistaany in Iraq and his directions. How he is the only one who can take credit for the 'peace' in Iraq. If you thought it was because of the military presence and/or if you think the bombings/killings and kidnapping was something significant: then trust me, you would NOT imagine the situation without sayid 3ali Il Sistaany.

I say the world would be a different place if more people knew about imaam 3ali's life, because of the fact that there has been no one who has kept a sound mind in unimaginable situations as he did.

Yes, I am talking about what has happened after the death of Il Rasool صلى الله عليه واله, as one very small example (as there have been many more significant turning points in Islamic history, all because of il imaam 3ali). But to no reason other than not hurting someone's feelings, I will not say more.

In one of my comments, I told mbh to look forward to this post. But because now I know اني مو قد اتكلم عن الامام علي I refer everyone to look up what imaam 3ali did during the three days after he was struck while praying, in respect to his prisoner 3abdilra7maan Ibn Muljam. Human rights you say? There you have it.

ما نقول في رجلٍ أخفت أعداؤه فضائله صداً
وأخفت أولياؤه فضائله خوفاً

- الشافعي

لاقينكم

Is it just me?

I feel as if I am the only one who regards Sadam's trial as a disgrace. It's as if the majority actually believe in his 'right' to 'stand trial'. To my limited understanding, trials mean the laying out of 'facts' and supporting claims with evidence. The maths just does not work in this case (pun intended).

Disgrace because you are implicitly giving him the benefit of the doubt, and he actually pleaded not-guilty. I don't blame him, he probably sees it as a joke himself. He's probably thinking 'those fuckers gave me a chance to go down in history as a hero, a man of my standards, instead of the pussy I truly am". Disgrace because I understand he is being 'prosecuted' (for loss of a better word) for the 'murder of 148 men (shee3a) after an assassination attempt'.

Seriously now, 148 men? Am I the only one that thinks they dropped out like SIX zeros after the Eight? And what the fuck is up with only 'men'? What about the murdered and raped (in THAT order, yes) women infront of their husbands and brothers? What about the same women's children who then have to dance in Sadam's birthday?

I mean how do you explain something that is so obvious, there just are no words that fit. How do you describe a white wall? It's a surface, and it's white. You don't get the luxury to get all poetic about it, do you?

Sadam's trial is exactly the same. It's a disgrace, and there's no need to reason why and there's no need to question why.

Let me demonstrate in another way. It's like you ask Hitler "Hey Dolfie, so, you're being accused for the murder of one soldier, who happened to trip on a wood branch in the wood and crushed his skull. Since the war was your fault, we thought we'd blame you for his death. Oh no no, don't worry, everything else is fine. We'll just let the German people pay us 600 million in reparations and you'll be free as a bunny. How do you plea?'.

Hitler spared himself all the drama.

edit: I deleted the Sadam's trial post by mistake along with the comments. However with extreme gratitude to "Jingoism", s/he was able to recover the link. For the comments please click on the link provided.

دبل

It appears that some writers/columnists (or people for that matter?) mistake foul language and rudeness for directness and honesty. Stating the obvious, yet with that individualistic twist that triggers your attention, only then to actually hurt your eyes.

It also appears that some writers/columnists like to be 'the first to comment' on a certain issue as if it were a competition; knowing very well that infact no one really has got the grasp of either the sensitivity and (slash or) the importance of the matter discussed. It is as if they force themselves into being in the heat of the moment (or is it that the heat of the moment forces them?).

But then again you think, maybe the writers/columnists themselves are not really voicing their genuine opinions. Perhaps they are merely a medium, connecting the majority of the population to the opinionated few who are unfortunate enough to be from a certain family, but ofcourse fortunate enough to 'buy the opinion of the columnist'.

At some point, it just gets ridiculous. Attacking a certain someone personally, rather than professionaly; yet even worse, making fun of either the way s/he talks, walks or moves. Under this criteria, the classic mentioning of the family name: as if stereotyping the whole family members, is also evident. I have reached a point where I could tell who wrote what, if I had the time to skim through, and then read thoroughly.

Back when I was in school, I got used to translating and I am telling you straight up, most columns (articles) would be damn lucky (not good) if they managed to still keep third their length when translated. This has nothing to do with number of words, rather content.

- Tedebil / Tebedil -

I have been tagged not once, not twice, not thrice, not, er, four times, but five. If it was planned to get on my nerve, it didn't. Anyway I finally decided that anything over five times would be just rude, so here goes

I plan to :

- Finish my MA as planned, next September
- Either do the MBA next,
- Or go on to do the PhD من شاف ويهي مايقول لا هذي ولا ذيج
- Make 1,750kd per month from salary(ies) alone by the time I'm 22
- Own 2 Ferraris, 2 Porsches, 2 Mercedes', 2 Lamborghinis, 1 Aston Martin and 1 Corvette - mind you, at the same time
- Name, en Allah a7yaana w rezagna, my boys: Il-7or / Ameer / Zaid
- Name, en Allah a7yaana w rezagna, my girls: 7our / Janna(t) / Rayan

I can :

- Lie
- Decieve
- Keep a secret
- Convince myself number 5 above is true
- Spend 24hrs doing nothing useful, when I could finish an essay I have to hand in
- Housekeep like I'm a mexican immigrant
- Watch up to 5 movies, back-to-back in one-sitting on the condition that it's using a PC (la7ad yemalig wegoli "wetha 3 ajza' godfather, goodfellas o casino, tegdar?")

I can't :

- Imagine a world without Religion and faith
- Imagine my world without family and some friends
- Learn, nor accept French as a language worth its existance
- Stop my mind from living 2-4 years ahead of the present day (reaches 20 when I think about my to-be-children)
- Not-talk-about slash look-at-cars for 24hrs
- Shut the fuck up and be happy with what I materialistically have
- Understand why people want to be MDs in Kuwait

Things I say most often:

- eshlayti
- walla, walla, walla, 3laiwi
- awal wa7ed (.. continue as in context)
- e3teberny sadagtek
- maylaish/maysheno/maymeno/che
- "anty weshishmish?"
- Te (prefix) + tasreef el fe3il el monaasib aw el isim (tasreef isim il 3allam lah gawa3id in later modules) e.g Te-metwir, Te-berwish, Tezegrit, وهكذا

قاعدين على بنك

It amazes me, just as much as it aches my heart, to see certain characters as members of parliament. I have always, and always will, both think and believe that the beloved Kuwaiti National Assembly is nothing more than a facade for those with money to do business with those in power, and those with power to be acquainted with those with money in an 'official' manner. Think organized crime, if you may. Not that I personally think there is anything wrong with that, since I stand my ground in observing to the phrase 'survival of the fittest'. Fittest as in how deep your pocket goes, and how deep your hand can go into your pocket and buy your way into some very good, but somewhat rather wrong, things.

I say it amazes me, and I say that it aches my heart to see certain characters in parliament simply because 'MP' has a certain connotation to it that I think exists. Maybe in dictionaries, atleast. However, I ran out of ways to somehow rationalize some statements by an MP who is calling for 'dropping the loans'. I say 'dropping a loan', because I am sure that there exists not one single example in the whole of the English literature a concept of 'dropping' a loan, and hence I have no idea what the correct word to use is.

Only, who said anything about 'dropping' anything. What the character suggests is that the government actually pays off the debt, instead of the citizen. What the character also fails to differentiate, is the fact that he is calling for the government to pay off the 'private' loans (along with the loans for housing and what not). In other words, think of the government actually and literally buying you new cars, and furnishing your new dowaneyas.

The character, along with his supporters - who yourself could be one, whine about the fact that the government has decided to 'drop' what Iraq owes it. And so, because 'we are no different than Iraq, we should also get the same treatment'. Governments and states, are not the same as populations and citizens, so I have no idea on what basis the comparison is built on. Moreover, I fail to see the politics involved when the call for 'dropping' (paying off) the loans is made.

Also, the character fails to see (I really think he fails, I highly doubt he knows this) the economics involved. Think 50kd raise, and think of prices ever since. Now think of atleast 4 (8 is much more realistic if you ask me) times the 'raise', and you can get a pretty obvious picture as to what my point is.

Those who think this is rubbish, reason their stance by saying that this cannot be fair for others who either paid off their debts, or those who do not get loans in the first place. Valid, yes. But not exactly the point. This is not about individualistic accounts, this is about the state's money first and demeanor second. I have no doubt that this call will be forgotten soon, but the mere discussion is alerting. Alerting in the sense that how can someone even come up with such an idea, without having utterly no respect not for himself, not for his fellow countryman, and most importantly for the future of his children.

Sounds like something you would read in a Russian army newsletter from WWII, I know. But it is the only way to put it.

انا اخلصكم.. بس فضوها سيره

edit: (N)ABEEEEH .. maskooh bas, wetshofon ely yeserkom wen ma saar redoha 3alay teyee eb wayhe ana akfel el deera khalaas .. قضيّ الأمر

Play: "3alaik Wa7id"
Characters: Il Khrafy (JK) in his Maybach, Sh Salem Il Ali, Saayeg il Maybach (Temetwir)
Plot: JK recieves a phonecall from SA, JK asks Temetwir to put the call on speaker. Temetwir takes out his mobile and records the whole thing.

Klakaait Scene 1, Take 19, "3alaik Wa7id" .. Action

JK: *walaih, hatha shyaby daag?* alo..?
SA: hala wala shlonek akheenna? awal shay wedy agolek ena wenne3im fek ent wahalek. bas latkhaly 7ad yesteghelek 3aad khalek emfati7
JK: la yoba ergid waamen, manee b 7aajat 7ad 3ashan ate7akak.. SHTABI?
SA: ent mas'ooletik enek tesooun el distoor yakhooy.. deer balek
JK: enzain? SHTABI ya3ni? sh3endek daag?
SA: ha? shesma.. agol ya3ni .. shda3waaaa, goly.. shgaalek Il Ameer?
JK: nafs ma ektebaw bel jarayed, 3ad ent latseer de3la itsadeg kel 7arf.. bas ya3ni, ekheth bel mathmon
SA: shda3wa? okay.. gooly shgaal 3aad? ma astaahel? 6alabtek..
JK: Il Ameer gaal ina ra'es el wizara khosh ewlaid o ana ajaded el thega feeh .. w tara elthefr ma ye6la3 mn el la7am, o balaghni Il Ameer eny agol 7ag il shella ena yet'thamenoon ma3a Bo Nasir - yakhi mo same3 eb bet on the winning horse?
SA: *gassat wayh* enzain, bas ham ana arid wagolek deer balek 3al distoor yakhi, mayjoz ely ga3ed yseer bel balad
JK: SHTABI ya3ni .. shsayer? shet7achy 3ana?
SA: Nasir Il M7amad lageeha sebahlala 6aaye7la tekhetim b hal maraseem, w Il Ameer ma yadri
JK: ok ana ams 3enda, o Sh. Mish3al garaalah el marsoom ely mafaadah ena Bo Naasir ye7athir jalsat eftetaa7 el maailes .. SHTABI?
SA: shda3wa, goly .. wagga3ah? basseed 3alaih shay Jasoom tekfa
JK: wallah 3ad e7na meshaina, wana gelt lek kel eli sheftah 3ad, ana b waady went b waady, o ent ta3al ta3al.. habaabek metsha6e6 "7afeth 3al distor" o "7afeth 3al distor" went egtera7ek belajna el tholatheya gair-destoory.. ma lagok wayh wala faddaw kettaabek bel jarayed, daag 3al bo-3abdile6eef 3ashan yansherlek? el3ab gairha
SA: eeh, bas hathy lajna mosaa3dah .. akeed laha 7isba khaassa
JK: la ya mama, la ya 7abeebi .. lako shay esma lajna mosaa3da, wala 3endena gair Il Ameer bel osra.. yoba el osra kelha ma laha mawge3 e3raab bel destoor, SHTABI ent al7een? .. wa7acheek taraak lajaitna daag 3alaina nesaayef elail, 3alamek 6aag-ha so7ba.. etha 3endek shay latyeeny etsa7ib 7achi .. deg 3ala Bo Naasir w tewaa3ad ma3aah bel mazra3a, shalaih, starbucks.. kaifkom tenyaazoun.. 6alle3 eli b galbek kella 7agah.. ana shako
SA: ha? khalas.. eeh .. okay, 3ad el3asham feek mawasseek
JK: *sadda b wayha*

Wiseguys

We Kuwaiti men (ones I know, la7ad ya7shir 3omra) are born made-men. Not necessarily Italian, but definitely Sicilian. Not exactly gangsters, but might just as well be.

You think I'm kidding? Think again, The Mafia and Kuwaitis both:

1. regard family as the most important thing in life
2. respect our fathers to the limits of fear
3. are spiritual/religious
   
4. drive our mothers crazy
5. have a place for friends to gather for LONG periods of time
   
6. have nicknames for the guys in our crews
7. love women
8. appreciate good food
9. treat women badly
10. have bad diets
11. have mad respect for our neighbourhoods
12. disrespect all other neighbourhoods
13. when we're kids, we wanna become the grown-ups around us
14. when we're grown-up, we want kids to be us
15. have nothing but our word
16. believe in the power of money
17. use foul language when it's uncalled for
18. have a certain dress code
19. enhalig when we dress casually
20. look REAL sharp when we're in our 'business/official' clothes
21. keep either hand in either pocket, or both
    
22. hated by most
    
23. deep down inside, we're all nice guys
24. love cars
25. most of us smoke real early
26. believe in tradition and try to keep it as old school as possible
    
27. have certain 'tests' for girls who are 'malot zawaaj'
28. have atleast 10 other words for 'girl'
    
29. have atleast 5 other words for 'car'
30. who we become when we grow up depends on who we grew up with
31. our biggest joy is to be among family and friends
32. don't fuck with each other's families
33. go by "your friend is my friend"
34. greet each other by kissing on the cheek
    
35. act totally different when we're with the "bosses" (el a3maam)
36. would rather keep marriage into and between "our own kind"
37. celebrations MUST have family even BEFORE friends
38. care about whether or not our wives can cook
39. try to do all the wrong things the right way
40. stick together for each other's fights
41. take loyalty seriously
    
42. become street-politicians by the time we're 14
43. know how to drive by the time we're 14
44. if we're not "men" by the time we're 14, we get smacked by our fathers till we are
    
45. neqaar 3ala ahalna
    
46. atleast one of our family members is a politician/lawyer - for a living
47. we travel in entourages
    
48. can be wherever whenever by a simple phone call - lots and lots of us
49. let's face it.. we're the best-looking bunch
50. have a certain decorum which can't really be learnt - you just have to be born into it
    
51. best for last: IT'S ALL ABOUT BEING CONNECTED

Based on wiseguys as shown in the movies. Not to be taken seriously. Wa6any il kuwayt salemta lel majde.

Trade?

I believe the re-introduction of the Taxes law at this time may be just a little bit more convenient for my beloved government than it should.

I haven't studied politics, infact I only took one introductory course back in my first year (Allah yer7emik ya Dr Saif 3abaas) - to which I think I got a C by the way. So quite frankly, you might not want to give credit to anything I say from now on.

Okay so the Taxes law has resurfaced, and not surprisingly, the first to comment were the members of Il Kotla Il Islameya. One of them made it quite clear that they would not agree to pass the law, unless the Zakaat law is given the green-light first. "Ya salaam, wo heya raag3a leek yakhoya?"

Anyway, with the uncertainty and the yet-to-be-decided-upon attitude towards the northern oil fields issue, I believe the government could swing the verdict its way if they passed the Zakaat law on the condition that the members who want the Zakaat law to be passed first; would vote in favor of the northern oil fields' one later (or vice versa). And as for the remaining and "more commercial" MPs the government needs to hit a home run, they could reach an 'understanding' on the percentage for the company taxes.

Only time will tell I guess.

Differentiation

From my own humble observation of people's actions and behaviour, in addition to their claims and sayings; I have found many, if not most, to be lost. Not lost in the sense that I would love to see many, and this time not most, on the path of redemption. Rather, lost in the sense that they seem to lack the ability of correctly identifying that which they want to discuss.

We, the population of the Gulf, would like to believe that we are people of tradition. We, again, like to believe that this tradition is derived, if not directly connected, to our religious beliefs. Since we enjoy believing in certain things so much, we therefore have come up with the concept of Il 3aadat Wil Taghaleed.

This, in my humble opinion, is something we should be proud of. However, this is where it can prove to be a little bit too tricky for some. You see, I believe that there is a misconception of "Il 3adaat Wil Taghaleed". I believe that, unfortunately, this phrase has grown for some to become a synonym of "the right thing".

The problem in this case is not in that these certain people (x) regard it as "the right thing", quite ironically in this case, it is that some others (z) would actually believe it is "the right thing". Hence, (z) projects the misbelief of (x) to be true. When, ofcourse, it isn't.

As a result, we have individuals who would challenge the 3adaat Wil Taghaleed, under the false belief that these traditions are the ultimate truth. In other words, they are wasting their times.

Take anything from these traditions, and say you do not agree with. Nobody will give a fuck. The catch being, unless this tradition is directly linked to religion. For instance, and this is coming from my limited understanding, the tradition of asking for the hand of a young lady is to let the mothers do the talking first. This never hurt anybody, and it never will. However, from religion, what I seem to understand is that the man would speak directly to the young lady's father (or waly ilamr). Since there is nothing wrong with the tradition, espicially when it is known that after the women talk, both men would meet.
The point is, traditions are just the way things work in a given society. This happens to be an example which does not affect religion, so no worries there.

Moving on to my main point, consider drinking alcohol. Here, what I am trying to say becomes clear. Drinking alcohol is not "wrong" because traditionally it is forbidden. Sure, it may be forbidden in a given soceity. But that does not mean that that is the reason why it is "wrong".
If that were the case, then when someone is outside the geographical parameters of that society, that certain aspect loses its value.

To show what I mean by a tradition losing its value if outside the geographical parameter, here is an example. In Kuwait (presumably the Gulf), upon a man meeting another man, if the physical distance between them is not that great, a shake of the hands is due. Not shaking hands, would send the implication that there seems to be lack of respect for whatever reason. This falls when you are someplace like the UK. The none-shaking-hands does not mean lack of respect. Rather, the refusal to shake a hand which has already been extended is.

Projecting this back to drinking alcohol, it would still be "wrong" for you to drink even if you were in the UK. And ofcourse, any other similar example you can come up with.

In addition, you can apply this also to the parameters of time.

Here, we reach the introduction of religion, the actual fixed "right thing".

Publications

Mbarak Il Dwaila. Not a big fan of his. Cannot care less to what he says or thinks. Have my differences, but..

That was an introduction by the way. Mbarak Il Dwaila seems to be a prominent figure in society, doesn't he? In the sense that anything and everything he says; would have -rakzaw- MOST of the newspaper articles addressing his saying over the next week or so.

Get this straight. I am not addressing what Il Dwaila said, rather what has been addressed to his saying.

Background: He said "el jenseya hal ayam hababha 7ag Kumar o Metwaly". Ofcourse, it was taken out of context by those who had nothing better to do than just whine and bitch over and over, day after day.

From that phrase (which was taken out of context, I insist), the writers decided to settle their debts with the guy.

Which brings me to my main point. If the writers have nothing better to do than just wait for someone to say something, 3ashan yetssayedon 3alaih, what good is the 'Publications' law that is in its final stages now? Repeating the same news in different words? Madri laish.

The good old "freedom of speech" cliche makhoth khairha, le3baw gairha. In a moment of honesty with oneself, one would realize that there isn't much use that the Publications law can be put to.

Sure okay, my bad. "Shakelha 7elo" and it gives you something to brag about (nevertheless not understand).

By the way, personally I find it amusing that the law has now bounced back so they can alter some of its articles. One of which gives them the right to reject any "application", without having to give any reasons. Igzarat, wallah gaseen 3alaikom.

edit: From 7asan Il 3eesa's article today:

إذا أصر مجلس الوزراء على ان يكون المرجع الأول والأخير في تظلمات رفض إصدار الصحف دون القضاء «فلا طبنا ولا غدا الشر»، فلا معنى لحرية الصحافة متى كان أمرها مرهونا لمزاج السلطة التنفيذية، تعطي التراخيص لمن تشاء وتمنعها عمن تشاء، فلا حقوق ولا ضوابط للأفراد غير مزاج السلطة ومشيئتها، وهي الخصم والحكم في النهاية.

Gayelekom il mas'ala 3endehom i6laabah, bas ma7ad yesma3 el7achi.

Mujhse Dosti Karoge?

There are three certainties in life you do NOT fuck with. Religion. Family. Money. Yes, they come in that order. Politics is next in line. But you don't have to worry about fucking with politics. It fucks with everybody, and it isn't personal.

Qi6ar, and Il Ba7rain (I think) have already put behind their differences with Israel and are now happy to deal with one another. In business, you have no friends and you have no enemies. In business, you only have one friend so you might as well make the most of it. Money.

Money comes before politics in my little list of certainties. So yes, I can see why Qi6ar and Ba7rain would want to deal with Israel. The thing is, however, this has nothing to do with politics.

Political: So last century, there was this big war which started in the late 30s and ended in the mid-40s.
Political: After the war ended, the Allies (what you would call Shillat Il Khamma) decided that it was their earned right to share whatever the defeated colonized.
Political: They also felt sorry for a whole bunch of people who they felt got screwed during that war, so they thought they would make it up for them by giving them some place to live.
Political: When it hit them that you don't actually add to the space on this planet, you have to deal with what is already there; they thought "okay, we have somewhere". And so, Israel was born.
Political: Israel became an international entity.

Like most new-borns, give them something and they'll do anything to get some more. This is where it stopped being political.

Putting behind your differences with the Palestinians and "what they did", you would come to realize that your differences with them are political. When it comes to religion, Palestinians are your best friends.

That said, becoming best friends with someone who is happy to show no respect for who you really are (Qi6ar/Ba7rain with Israel) would make you their bitch. Not a business partner. Their bitch.

Okay, so now you're thinking "but in school, we know that Il Rasool - salla allah 3alayh o aaleh - lived with Jews and obviously dealt with them".
Who said anything about the Jews? We are talking about Israel. If you thought Israel was the same as saying "Jews", you have a lot to learn.

Being in business with someone is a way of recognition. It is one way of saying "you are worthy". When the differences are political, it doesn't really matter. Money is more of a priority, even politicians would tell you that much. If they know what politics is really all about atleast. However, when the cause of dispute is in respect to religion. Then you should have the courtesy to stop right there.

You don't exactly want to profit someone who is going to employ that profit into destroying everything you believe in, do you? If you don't have anything to believe in in the first place, then that's just sad. So sad infact it doesn't make you any different from those Israelis.

You see, the thing with Israel is, it's a lot like The Devil. It fucks with everybody, but you never really know that it was the cause. Well you do, but by then it would be too late. That doesn't do you much good, does it?