On Bahraini Blogging & Freedom of Expression

Freedom of expression in this country has been drastically declining, and here is the evidence from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (which is ironically blocked in Bahrain!), try accessing it here.

The blogging scene, which was in its peak of activity and freedom just 3 years ago, has been affected too. There have been discussions on the same online, you can check the blogs emoodz and Mahmood's Den for more information.

The reasons are many, and without popper research we wouldn't know whether this happened because of the rise of use of addictive social networking sites, the decline in freedom of expression in this country or simply because Mahmood, "The Godfather" almost stopped blogging. It most probably is because of all these reasons combined, but that is not my concern today.

I found myself post a comment on a recent political topic online, then deleted it seconds later, wondering if I'll get in trouble for publicly stating my opinion. I am now ashamed of myself for doing that.

So do we speak up regardless of the chains that surround us? Despite the easiness of writing a facebook note? Do we still speak, but diplomatically, shyly, like some do? Or do we keep it to ourselves and walk close to the wall repeating "الحيط الحيط ويا ربي الستر" like sheep, afraid of what Big Brother might do to us?

What do we do? And until when do we do it? Do we, as usual, wait literally forever for them to give us liberty on a golden platter, and are we that foolish, are we that passive? Or do we scream high phrases of rebellion without pacticing what we preach?

When you are 60 and you look back at your life, how do you want to see yourself? As a coward who surrendered to the unjust rules of this time, or as a hero?

It is a matter of choice. And it is a matter of self respect.

America & Genocides

"لم تكن إبادة 18.5 مليون هندي أحمر على يد المستعمرين الإنكليز في المنطقة المعروفة اليوم بالولايات المتحدة حادثة فريدة في التاريخ الأميركي, ولم تقتصر حروب الإبادات الجماعية على الهنود الحمر, بل إنها رافقت تاريخ الولايات القديم والحديث. إن يهودية الاستعمار الإنكليزي هي التي أرست الثوابت الخمسة التي رافقت التاريخ الأميركي في كل محطات : - المعنى الإسرائيلي لأميركا - عقيدة الاختيارالإلهي والتفوق العرقي والثقافي - الدور الخلاصي للعالم - قدرية التوسع اللانهائي - حق التضحية بالآخر "
المصدر

An amazing book by Munir Akash, who uncovers details of the monstrous genocide of 112 million Native Americans by "Pilgrim Fathers" and discusses vital issues including "the right to sacrifice the Other", Christian Judism and the WASP philosophy.

A must read -eye opening!!

Network - "I'm as mad as hell"

"The Pianist" of Palestine, by Omar Bargouthi

"When I watched Oscar-winning film The Pianist I had three distinct, uneasy reactions. I was not particularly impressed by the film, from a purely artistic angle; I was horrified by the film's depiction of the dehumanization of Polish Jews and the impunity of the German occupiers; and I could not help but compare the Warsaw ghetto wall with Israel's much more ominous wall caging 3.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in fragmented, sprawling prisons.

"In the film, when German soldiers forced Jewish musicians to play for them at a checkpoint, I thought to myself: "that's one thing Israeli soldiers have not yet done to Palestinians." I spoke too soon..." continue reading...

..شهرزادك..

أجلس إلى جانب قدميك النهر
تحوط بنا الورد والعطر والخمر
وأرفع إلى عينيك عينيّ
أحلق في وقع شفتيك
صوتٌ ملئ القلب تيم
أزمان وحكايا وعجائب

أشهرزادك أنا يا أيها الطفل الأمير؟
أشهرزادك أقع عندك كل ليلة لتشاطرني سرك..؟
لست أنا الراوية ولا أحيك شيئاً غير الستائر لك..
القصص خالقها أنت
الذاكرة ذاكرتك أنت
أنت الحائك والحاكي
وأنا لست سوى
أسطورتك..


أمل - أغسطس 2009

..تقول همساتهم..

تقول همساتهم أنك سترحل
كل يوم يقف الغراب المغري عند نافذتي وينعق
سترحل
..
أترحل حقاً؟
أترحل وأنت مزروعٌ فلسطيناً في حلقي؟
أترحل وأنتَ خلخالاً يشدني الى الأرض..
يذكرني أني كالتراب تافهه.. كالتراب خصبة.. كثمره شهية..؟
أترحل وأنتَ منجلاً في قلبي.. إن تزحزح مات؟
..
وكيف ترحل هكذا..؟
ماذا أفعل بالكون عندها؟
من الشمس أين أختبئ؟
و أين أدفن الوقت؟
أتجف عيناي أم تبكيانك طوفان؟
أيبكيك دماً عيناي أم هذا القلب الدمار..؟
في أي حضن أرتمي حين لا أجد حضنك؟
أكتب لمن؟
أصرخ لمن؟
وكيف أُجن؟
..
تقول همساتهم أنك سترحل..
تمزق همساتهم أحشائي وأصاب بالغثيان
أمسك حفنةً من همساتك وأصلي سراً
علّ تنبؤاتهم السم لا تصدق..

أمل - أغسطس 2009

Think+++

I went on a disastrous vacation last month. It was so disastrous that the worse matters became, the funnier I found the vacation overall. When I had had enough, fearing it would get seriously damaging, I cut my vacation short and came back to Bahrain, spending the few days before I went back to work meditating and contemplating the shock those 10 days were.

In order not to sink into that level of negativity again, I made a decision to try my best to maintain a high level of positivity and optimism. Which I began to practice immediately, starting with yoga, herbs and dead-sea bath salts to calm my stressed mind, to walking away from negative people, to accepting negative comments with a laugh, and spreading positive thought and energy generously to my surroundings.

It worked perfectly fine for me. But let me tell you this. One does not begin to realize how much negativity there is in this world until they see it (the world) with positive eyes. People, at least maybe in this part of the world, I wholeheartedly say, are allergic to positivity. Well of course, isn’t surrendering to laziness, failure, misery and moaning about it, the easier option? Doesn’t it take less effort to maintain the status quo than to make a constructive change?

And although it is entirely up to people to choose to be happy or not, no one has the right to destructively walk around spreading bad energy, reeking of negativity, blurting out spears of insensitive words left and right.

As human beings, we are all entitled to low times every now and then, as long as it doesn’t turn into a habit. Negative people are annoying, lazy, selfish naggers, who suck the life out of everyone and everything around them. Yes, even animals and plants can sense that –and they die.

When you’re positive, not only does it keep your body and mind fresh and healthy, not only does it touch the hearts of everyone around you, but it also makes you a happy, stable, successful person.

So unfrown those eyebrows. Shake the stress away. Spread that beautiful smile. Lighten up. Shine onto the world. You’re beautiful!


For more on positivity from my entaifah click here.

..أحيك أحلامي..

أحيك أحلامي فوق غيمةٍ فضية.. أتزحلق فوقها و أرسم أغنية ً لحنها شفتيك و كلماتها عينيك.. مسكنها حديقة ياسمين بين قلبينا.. مطرها لهفةً لا تعرف السبات.. تسقي طفلاً لا أراه إلا بين أهدابك.. يشبهك و يشبهني.. ينطق كلمات تعلمها منك و يحدق فيك كما أحدق أنا فيك..

أحيك أحلامي فوق غيمةٍ فضية..
......

So many people will cry tonight

So many people will cry tonight. Families will cry tonight. Not necessarily because they are incompetent, not necessarily because they didn’t invest in their chances wisely, nor because they have sinned.

They will cry because the greedy capitalist machine knows no human soul. They will cry because “corporate citizens” only know one word; profit. They will cry because in the eyes of the world’s bloody handed monsters they are merely a number. Nothing more than a number. Nothing less than a number. A number that equals time equals money.

Their names do not matter. Their families are fictional. The fires of hell they are about to be thrown into are of no concern. The dreams they had built, their aspirations, their trust are but rosy fantasies.

So many people will cry tonight. So many people will cry tomorrow. So many tears will shed, and so many households will be wrecked until the corporate machine is dismantled and crushed.

..زيارة..

نذهب لنتلقي مرسيل
أو محمود
أو ريم
لنحتسي عندهم فنجان قهوة
و لنذّوب في فمنا كسرة خبز و زعتر و زيتون
و لترتدي كوفيةُ و زنّار
و لنقطف تيناً
و لنتمشى في سوق القدس قليلاً
و لنبكي كثيراً
و لنغضب
و لنسرج الفرس و نمتطيها
و لنبزق في وجه الصهاينة و الخونة
و لنموت لبرهة


لعلنا نكون شهداء..