Adversity: A Fact of Life September 16, 2009

I don’t know what it’s been about this summer but it seems adversity has been lurking around every corner.  Whether it’s in one’s personal or professional life, adversity doesn’t discriminate.  We all face it in our lives, and it can be a total bitch, but it’s in how we deal with it that matters.

When we’re going through tough times we tend to ask ourselves ‘why is this happening to me?’ or ‘how am I going to get through this?’  Loved ones will tell you not to worry, things will be fine.  They’ll tell you that you may be worried now but things will always end up working themselves out.  Sometimes it’s comforting to hear those words but other times, when you’re on the verge of having a nervous breakdown, it’s just annoying.

We’ve all been there, feeling sad and confused like Taylor Swift at the VMA’s, thinking to yourself  ‘what the hell just happened?’  Just when you think you’re having your moment in the spotlight, your moment of achievement, your moment of joy and happiness–just when things start to look up–it all comes crashing down.  You think, ‘this isn’t how I planned it…I don’t deserve this!’  It’s sad when bad things happen to good people. It sucks, actually.  I don’t know why it happens but people of faith will tell you that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.  But I can’t help but think why does it have to hurt so bad?

The great Arab-American poet, Kahlil Gibran, once said that “out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”  Of course, since we all face adversity we all have the scars to prove it, though some of us have more of them and ones that run far deeper than others.  What I wonder is how many scars can one person endure before it becomes too much?  Is there ever too much?

Like the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.  The problem is some of us spend most of our time worrying about what will kill us. Sadly, that only ends up holding us back from enjoying and appreciating a lot in life.

I think deep down we all know that somehow we’ll get through difficult times. Just the mere passing of time helps and, of course, the love and support from friends and family is vital.  It’ll be those who are there for you and by your side during the difficult times that truly care.

For Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan is coming to an end.  It’s a time when, amongst other things, we are to be thankful to God, as always, for what we do have in our lives.  I’ll do my best to always keep that in my head and my heart, no matter how difficult the times, and say alhamdulillah.

Palestinian Reality in Atlanta? June 16, 2009

No, definitely not.  In an absurd move, CBS has walled off an entire neighborhood in Atlanta to force the neighbors to spend time with each other.  It’s all for a new reality show tentatively called “Block Party.”

The image of the wall built for this show looks very similar to Israel’s apartheid wall in the West Bank.  Of course, life in Palestine, particularly in areas like, Gaza, Ni’lin and the Aida Refugee Camp is anything but a block party.

The details on the specifics of this show are not clear except that the families “will be trapped inside the 20′ maximum security-looking wall for about three weeks for a cash prize.”

I find it insulting to have an entertainment show with a premise built around a crippling and devastating reality faced by an entire population of Palestinians.  While these contestants will be confined behind this wall for three weeks and possibly end up with money for the sake of entertainment, Palestinians have been confined for years within Israel’s illegal wall with no end in sight.

Brace Yourselves. Paris Hilton Is Coming to Dubai. June 2, 2009

God help us all. Paris Hilton is coming to the Arab world to look for a new BFF.  I thought my ears were deceiving me when I heard today that Paris will be going to Dubai to tape her show “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF”.  Sadly, my ears weren’t deceiving me.  It’s true.

Hilton’s reality show, if you can even call it that, first aired in the US on MTV and then a UK version soon followed.  The show’s premise is basically a search for a so-called new best friend for Hilton in which contestants go through a series of tests to see which one can best suit her lifestyle.

Later this month, the show will go to Dubai to film for about 17 days. This, of course, was only with the approval of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.  Is the financial crisis in Dubai really that bad?

The show’s contestants will comprise half of women who are Middle Eastern and the other half who are from other parts of the world who reside in Dubai.  According to co-producer Ish Entertainment, the show will be less racy than the US and UK versions. Basically, cursing, hoochy clothing and booze will be avoided.  Somehow, that doesn’t make the feeling of  nauseousness go away.

This will be Hilton’s first time in Dubai.  Producers intend to exploit that and tape footage of her reaction to her trip.

I’ve certainly never seen Paris’ show but just watching the previews for the upcoming US season is frightening.  The idea of Arab females competing to do whatever it takes to become Paris Hilton’s new BFF makes me cringe.  What’s even more frightening is the idea that this show will actually find an audience in the Middle East.  Yikes!

Tradition Isn’t Always Right May 15, 2009

The other day I came across an article in the Christian Science Monitor about one of the two first female Islamic judges in the Middle East.  The article focused on Khouloud el-Faqeeh who is Palestinian. She is described as not only being exceptional in her knowledge (top in her class at Jerusalem’s Al-Quds University and one of the highest scorers out of 45 people in the qualifying sharia judge exam) but she’s also a straight arrow; she won’t bend the rules for anyone.  Pretty fantastic.

But there was one thing in the article that annoyed me.  It was the view that women are ‘too emotional’ to take on such a position.

Sheikh Hamed Bitawi, who’s the head of the Association of Islamic Scholars and Scientists,  said that there are two schools of thought on the issue: that every position but that of a caliph is open to women, and that women are too emotional to make legal decisions – as judges or as witnesses.

“I am of the second view because I consider women to be gentle human beings who should not be subjected to difficult situations or difficult decisions,” Mr. Bitawi says. “They cry easily, and hence their judgment is tainted with emotions. Moreover, lawyers are difficult to deal with and people who come to courts are angry and violent.”

Give me a break.  I’ve heard this perspective before and for the life of me I still can’t believe why people continue to buy into this archaic and stereotypical argument.  As if men aren’t emotional?  Men indeed are emotional. One could also make the stereotypical argument that men tend to have a short fuse and they consequently yell, scream or react violently.  Therefore, they too are ‘tainted with emotions.’  Would that make them a better judge?  Of course not.  That’s why one’s qualification shouldn’t be based on gender but by their individual abilities.

El-Faqeeh explained that “In Islam, it says a sharia judge has to be a Muslim, rational adult” – not necessarily a man.  Whenever I would discuss this with the chief judge, he would say, ‘This is tradition.’ “

I’m all about tradition. But when it comes to professional matters, sometimes tradition counters common sense and what’s right and that needs to be corrected.  As el-Faqeeh said “I’m a legal person, and, to me, legal issues are stronger than tradition.” Case closed.

Palestinians Getting High May 10, 2009

Living under occupation is no doubt stressful.  So, it’s not really a surprise that some Palestinians would want to get high.  But I would think people would try to be a little discreet about it.  Apparently not.

Palestinian police recently found marijuana plants growing “near the main crossroads” of the village of Turmus ‘Ayya according to Maan News Agency.  Yep, right out in the open.  Sadly, the residents there said they thought they were just regular plants.  I’m almost certain there were those who knew what those plants were but kept it on the down low so as to maybe get some of the end product.  Police also found over 1,000 poppy plants and seeds in the gardens of nine residents in a village near Nablus.

I wonder if there’s any correlation between the drugs and the areas in which they’re grown.  My theory is that life in the Ramallah area isn’t so bad.  Therefore, weed is sufficient in relieving any stress. However, people in and around Nablus have it much worse due to the constant raids from the IDF and the like.  Therefore, a more hardcore drug like heroin is necessary to deal with the adversity.  But if that’s the case, what would the people in Gaza use to escape the hard knock life?  That’s a frightening thought.

West Bank Formaggio May 6, 2009

A group of Italian agronomists have helped start the first West Bank Italian cheese factory at the Golden Sheep cheese factory in Tubas.  Three Palestinian farmers have been trained in Italian cheese-making and so far the project has been a success.

The project initially started ten years ago when Stefano Baldinia from Ucodep, an independent Italian group that sponsors small-development projects around the world, trained Palestinian farmers to make mozzarella.  Apparently though, Palestinian cows aren’t cut out for making mozzarella.  I wonder if a male, milk-producing goat could do the trick.  Now, ten years later, the Golden Sheep cheese factory is successful in making pecorino, smoked ricotta and scarmorza cheeses.

The idea for this cheese-making factory was conjured up to help the West Bank economy. So even though a lot of Palestinians aren’t accustomed to the taste of these Italian cheeses and most likely can’t afford to buy them, the cheeses are a hit with wealthy Palestinians who’ve lived abroad and with the various internationals living in the West Bank.

Inevitably, as with many business endeavors in the West Bank and Gaza, Golden Sheep has its setbacks.  Power outages make it difficult to keep a steady temperature in the ripening room.  They don’t have a refrigerated truck and therefore can’t sell the cheeses all over the West Bank.  And the cheese that they can distribute is hampered by long delays at Israeli checkpoints.

Regardless, I think Golden Sheep has a bright future despite the various setbacks.  They’ve started making pecorino with za’tar to cater to the Palestinian palate.   Sounds good to me.

Israel Wiped Off The Map. Literally. April 30, 2009

The British airline BMI recently had the state of Israel removed from an in-flight map during a flight to Tel Aviv.  But don’t think the British suddenly decided to make a bold statement on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  There’s actually an explanation for this.  It was a mistake.

Apparently, BMI recently purchased two planes from a company that mainly flew to Muslim countries. According to a statement from BMI, the in-flight system in these planes was adapted to mainly show places holy to Islam.  The airline had asked that the maps be removed but a technical mistake prevented that from happening.  Of course,  Israeli passengers were furious and complained to the authorities.

The Israeli transport ministry responded to this whole thing by saying that “Doing business with Israel has its advantages and disadvantages, but we will not agree to a situation where they hide the existence of Israel but want to do business with Israel.”  Isn’t that what Arab countries do?

Thanks Ron Paul! April 21, 2009

This is just a shout out to the Bay Area Ron Paul Campaign for Liberty for their awesome tea-bagging poster. With conservatives organizing tea-bagging parties across the country, the Ron Paul campaign thought they’d join in too. But their poster conveys a message that I truly stand behind and actually makes sense.  Of course, some republicans aren’t too happy about it; as if that’s a surprise.  California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring put out a statement today in which he said:

“The leaders of the taxpayer movement in California are good, solid people with whom I’ve worked for years. Their work is incredibly important and should not be tainted by the anti-Semitic views of a few who wish to use the growing taxpayer movement for their own, fringe purposes. Such attempts must be roundly condemned across the board.”

Sorry, but criticizing Israel’s policies (occupation, war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc.) that are supported by our government and funded with our taxpayer money isn’t anti-Semitic. And, by the way, Palestinians are Semitic too.

But back to the awesome poster.  It’s image couldn’t be more vivid and the text is so on point.  The text reads “Uncle Sam Reminds You: KEEP PAYING TAXES. The ongoing extermination of Palestinian Children Can’t be Done Without Your Help.”  There you go.  Plain, simple, to the point and pure awesome.

‘Harem Pants’: Hot Or Not? April 10, 2009

From left: Harem styles by Topshop, Mango, and Yves Saint Laurent for Netaporter.com.

Fashion designers often times come up with trends that are just utterly ridiculous.  The latest cockeyed concoction in women’s fashion to hit the boutiques are pants with a droopy crotch and tapered leg called harem pants.  The style comes in various lengths and crotch droopiness.  The shorts example shown here just looks like an adult diaper to me.

What’s wrong with this trend?  First of all, I take issue with the name.  The word harem conjures up images of female servants and concubines being held captive by Arab men back in the day. This, of course, does nothing but further the negative stereotype of Arabs.  Maybe I’m over analyzing it, but I think it’s wrong nonetheless.

Besides taking issue with the name, these pants immediately take me back and remind me of Ghawar, the character portrayed by Syrian actor Duraid Laham in movies I saw when I was a kid. For those who don’t know, this style of pant, called a shirwal, is a traditional piece of men’s clothing worn in the Bilad al-Sham region of the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan).  Even if  you’re not Arab, these pants will regrettably remind you of the MC Hammer days.  Who’d want to relive that?  I still can’t believe some people actually thought those pants were cool.

I don’t know if women everywhere will start wearing these but I certainly hope not.  I’m totally down with traditional Arab styles becoming prevalent but certain things should just be left alone.  This style is definitely not hot!

Technology Can Be A Bitch April 9, 2009

The popular and expanding use of text messaging, Facebook and Twitter definitely have their advantages. They have become great tools in dispersing information widely and quickly.  However, if you happen to be on the receiving end of bad news or the subject of unflattering information from such messages then it may not be so great for you.

A couple of days ago a Gazan mother and journalist, Laila El-Haddad, was detained at the Cairo airport with her two young children.  El-Haddad was attempting to visit her family by going through the Rafah crossing.  Through her Twitter and blog updates, via the free Wi-Fi at the airport, El-Haddad has been documenting about her detention and treatment.  Apparently, the Egyptian authorities at the airport told her they cannot allow Palestinians into Egypt if the Rafah crossing is closed.  According to her latest tweet, she’s been informed she’ll be deported back to the US via the UK. Thanks to this technology, El-Haddad’s story has been picked up by several online media outlets and the whole world knows of her ordeal and treatment in Cairo.  I wonder if Egyptian authorities will decide to discontinue the Wi-Fi at the airport after this?

In another story, a Saudi man decided to divorce his wife via text message.  He followed up the text with a couple of phone calls to relatives to inform them of his decision. The man wrote the text from Iraq where he was on jihad, as he describes it.  If you’re wondering if divorce via text is legit, it apparently is in Saudi Arabia. A court in Jeddah finalized the whole thing.  Under Sharia law, a man can divorce his wife by saying “I divorce you” three times but I always thought that one must say that in person.  I don’t know.  It’s probably best his wife, or ex-wife now, didn’t see him.  I hope this way of getting a divorce doesn’t catch on though.  It’ll be a cop out, particularly for men with no backbone.

The access to instant information is great but it can be a bitch too depending on the circumstances.