Arab Media Forum 2014 Q&A

Transcript of "Do Arab papers face extinction?" 

Q1: An analyst at the Arab Media Forum 2014, being held in Dubai this week, said he believes traditional print media in the Middle East – newspapers - could be extinct within a few years. Do you think the influence of traditional print media in the Middle East is on the wane? 

• YES! The Middle East is increasingly dominated by a youth population who are turning to social media for their news. This is similar to the trend that emerged over a decade ago when the population turned away from local television channels to international satellite for their news. That being said, for now, the older generation will continue to rely on newspapers and television for news- though even with that demographic we are seeing a shift as more and more people (especially within the elite) are realising the importance of the medium- especially in engaging with the youth demographic.

Q2: Is there a perception, particular by young people, that newspapers in the region are mouthpieces of a particular country’s government and not to be trusted?

• Absolutely and with good reason- both newspapers and local television channels are increasingly polarised towards one side or another. For example, in Egypt- following the ouster of President Morsi in 2014, we have been seeing a lot of anti Muslim Brotherhood propaganda on many private satellite channels and state-owned newspapers. This is also the case with channels sympathetic towards the Muslim Brotherhood channels, operating outside of Egypt. Syrian state media is another case in point. 

Q3: A report presented at this year’s Arab Media Forum claims that in 2013, out of a total of 135 million Internet users in the Middle East, 71 million of those are active on social media, and nearly 30 per cent of those said social media was their primary source of news. Why is social media is such a big thing in the Middle East? 

• As I mentioned before, young people -who currently represent almost 25% of population-  are increasingly turning to social media for news. The controversial term the "Facebook Revolution" was coined for a reason, and that was a recognition of the impact of social media in enabling activists to mobilise with ease. Social media has also been an important platform for discussion of various issues and developments which is something very new and exciting for young people, giving them a sense of liberation particularly as this is really the first time that they have had the opportunity to be heard and engage with the larger political and social issues at stake.

Q4: Would you say the majority of news stories being shared on Facebook for example, are not from print media sources, but from so-called “citizen journalism” sources, like blogs and Twitter feeds? Or are predominantly from professional media outlets?

• I'd say a significant proportion of English language Facebook posts and Tweets are from print media sources. But there are also a lot based on "citizen journalism" sources (and this is particularly true of Arabic language social media, especially in Syria where local coordination committees relied heavily on Facebook and Twitter to publicise and track developments on the ground at the beginning of the uprising). Moreover, in the case of Syria, mainstream media has not been permitted to enter the country and thus citizen journalism has played a very important role. Unfortunately, not all of these have been reliable and are difficult to verify. There have been instances of false footage being used and even the BBC has been caught out for using old photos from Iraq in it's coverage of Syria 

Syrian rebel withdrawal from Homs

Hundreds of rebels were evacuated from their final stronghold in the central Syrian city of Homs, dubbed the capital of the revolution, on 7 May. The move came under a ceasefire deal struck last week between government forces and rebel fighters.

The overwhelming reaction amongst Syrian and foreign Twitter users was shock as photographs of the devastated city circulated online. @weddady said: “The images coming out of Homs look like the color version of Stalingrad in 1943”, hash-tagging the tweet with #BasharApocalypse. @yarooshkaa lamented that "The dream has gone" 

Opposition supporters tweeted under the Arabic hash-tag “Thank you heroes of Homs” and tried to spin the truce as a victory over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Lebanon's March the 14th alliance, which is supportive of the Syrian opposition, posted an article on their Facebook and Twitter platforms which was widely circulated. The article explained that the Free Syrian Army had achieved a symbolic victory by remaining in the besieged city for 38 months and the Assad regime had been unable to drive them out by force.

Supporters of rival opposition groups, notably those with links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), dismissed this view. @Lingers219 remarked: “First time I know that surrendering your land to the enemy and releasing its prisoners means a great victory".

Government backers, however, were quick to celebrate with the pro-regime Homs News Network posting on Facebook: "This is Homs. This is the Syrian Arab Army. Good morning freedom".

Other posts were more aggressive such as @Okeanos963 saying: "Same signs of savagery that took over my city Homs in 2011. Media in the west wants to call these savages 'Freedom fighters'."

Rebel fighters explained their position eloquently on posters on Twitter such as one circulated by @Zado00 which said: "By the God that that raised the heavens, the only reason we left is hunger, hunger, hunger. We will go to eat and then return". 

Muslim Brotherhood "not to exist" - Egyptian presidential runner Al-Sisi

In his first interview with Egyptian TV, the presidential runner, Abd-al-Fattah al-Sisi, defended the protest law and said that the Muslim Brotherhood will "not exist" during his presidency.
Al-Sisi gave the two-hour-long recorded interview to Presenters Ibrahim Isa and Lamis al-Hadidi of private ON TV and CBC TV stations respectively. A second episode will be broadcast on 6 May by the two TVs.
Al-Sisi is considered to be the front-runner in Egypt's presidential election, slated for 26 and 27 May.
He promised a "corrective policy" towards the Islamic discourse and vowed to prevent the country from collapsing.

"Not to exist"

"The country will not survive with its political, social and religious fabric if the Muslim Brotherhood's kind of thoughts rule again," Al- Sisi said.
He was answering a question about his earlier remarks that the Muslim Brotherhood should start reconciling with the society and not the other way round.
Asked on whether those who will vote for him will guarantee that Muslim Brotherhood will not exist during your presidency, Al-Sisi said: "Yes, exactly." "I cannot have any plans against God but I am responsible if I win to have real corrective policies regarding religious issues," he said.
Al-Sisi also said: "I have not ended the group. You, Egyptians did when you said: 'No' on 30 June and now. The problem of the Muslim Brotherhood lies with the Egyptian people and not me."

Salafists

On Salafists, he said that the constitution bars parties on religious basis. But he also said that anybody could run in parliamentary elections when asked about his remarks that there will be no exclusion to Islamists who are not involved in violence.
Al-Sisi also called on voters to carefully choose their president and MPs because this will influence their future.

Muslim Brotherhood

Al-Sisi also said the Muslim Brotherhood has done "much harm to Egyptians," not only during the recent eight months since Islamist president Muhammad Morsi's downfall or during his one-year, but also through ruling Egypt in accordance to their own thoughts rather than the "contract" Egyptians voted them for.
"The Muslim Brotherhood should have respected the constitution and the rule of the law and this did not happen," he explained.
Answering a question on whether he expected the violence that erupted after Morsi's downfall, Al-Sisi said that the "thoughts of the Islamist groups include the inevitability of confrontation with the society as other people were believed to be infidels by them".
"These groups think that they are superior because of religion," he said.
He said that one of their leaders, named by Al-Hadidi as Khayrat al-Shatir, "threatened" him that he will bring fighters from Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and everywhere to fight Egyptians and the army in case Morsi was deposed. "Egyptians will not be intimidated," Al-Sisi said.
He also said that the "Muslim Brotherhood are fighting behind different titles so that the mainstream members do not get accused of anything," referring to groups like the Sinai-based Jihadist Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis.

Islamic discourse

Al-Sisi complained about the kind of the present Islamic discourse in the world which "made Islam lose its humanitarian side".
"This is grave. God is being presented in a way that does not suit his great position. All of us and the rulers as well should reconsider their positions because God will question all of us in the hereafter," he said. Asked whether the ruler should be a preacher, he said: "Not a preacher. But he should be aware and accountable. I am a leader of the people. I should not see another [religious] leader speaking to the people and I am just watching. I am accountable."
Asked whether he will interfere if a preacher gives a wrong discourse, he said that during the Islamic times in history, Muslim had a civil rather than a religious state." Speaking about the Islamist state deposed president Morsi was trying to found, he said that there has to be good judgement and good practise of religion, which include the respect of the state of the law. "People cannot sabotage, destroy and kill in the name of God. This is a grave abuse of religion," he said.
"God is the one who will hold people accountable for praying or not. Islamist thought should be subject to reconsideration," he added.

Protest law

On the protest law and the imprisonment of activists, Al-Sisi said that security will not prevail amid chaos and the protest law was one of the tools to prevent chaos.
"The protest law organizes and does not ban protesting," he said.
"You have the right to protest and you will be allowed to protest, but we [officials] will not allow this country to collapse," he angrily said.
Asked whether the country will collapse because of protests, he said: "Yes. Because of the state of chaos we [Egyptians] are living in." Asked about the danger terrorism rather than protests poses, he said: "Yes, along with irresponsible [without-permit] protests."

Vision

"Stabili ty and security will be prioritized along with development," Al-Sisi said when he was asked about his vision for the country.
He said that Egyptians cannot live on 7 per cent of their area and that Egypt has debts. He also said that it is "unacceptable" to have 12 million unemployed people.
Al-Sisi promised when he wins to provide jobs, increase tourism, houses, and mining opportunities. He spoke about the development of Sinai.
On combatting terrorism, he said that this will be gradual and take time. He also said that there is keenness to make a balance between the security situation and human rights.
"Our role will be to end doubts [people have] and replace them with confidence," he said. "The presidential platform is a dream that could be achieved," he also said.

"Good example in every way"

On why he did not appear except in official occasions when he was in office and resorted to silence since he had declared running for presidency, he said: "Silence was a necessity in reality. The main reason is that if I represent for Egyptians the hope that they are longing for or the future they aspire, I will have to consider that they only see the good things in me and I should give them a good example in every way."
"When we are speaking about the state of the law, the decisions of the High Election Commission (HEC) [not to start campaigning before 3 May] become a law and I have to respect this decision to give the [good] example," he added
Al-Sisi said that after he resigned from the Defence Ministry, he had started to meet many people from various walks of lives after at a wide scale. "I met all the hues [of people], intellectuals, and scientists to speak about their visions of the future and how to push this country forward," he said.

Silence, communication

"Too much talk reduces good content," he said.
When asked by Ibrahim Isa whether he will be the "silent president," he eagerly said: "No, one of the mistakes of the previous systems is not communicating with the people. No, the people have to know and understand because if they know and understand [the situation], there will be no problems."

Denial of prior plans to take power

Al-Hadidi asked him whether he had a calculated plan to take power when he gave an ultimatum to Islamist president Muhammad to listen to the people and hold a referendum. He replied: "Let me present myself to the people in a good way. I would not respect myself if I think this way by making a plan to take power. I would not respect myself and I would have not respected the people or the will of Egyptians I am speaking about. The statement of 3 July 13 was very clear. I said the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court is the interim president of Egypt and there is a prime minister and a government without interference from my side."
On Morsi's downfall, he said that the army "did not make a conspiracy or consult any internal or external parties".
"The army did not rule then and it is not ruling now," he said. He also said that if he is elected as president, the army will "not rule," denying he is the candidate of the army.
Nevertheless, later in the interview, he said that the state has to help the police regain its capability in spreading security. And putting his hand on his chest he said: "If a demand was presented to us [the army], we will help."

Reasons behind running for president

Answering a question by Al-Hadidi why he changed his opinion and chose to run for president, he said: "There were challenges against Egypt and it was targeted in home and from abroad. This makes any patriotic person -in charge and who has the chance to take a step forward and protect this country, the people and their future- take the initiative."
"There are fears of danger and of the country's collapse. I could have never left the people. Nobody can come near [threaten] Egypt. No. There are people who can protect it against internal and external threats," he said with determination.
He also said that he was keen to comply with "the wishes of the simple Egyptians". "If we love and respect Egyptians, their orders must be enforced [by the army]. Egyptians are the higher authority of this country," he added.
"Remember the extent of concern Egyptians felt after 3 July and 14 August 13, the dire security situation and how the outer world dealt with us. Egyptians demanded an action. Please, go ahead [Egyptians' call on Al-Sisi to nominate himself] and this was clear on the day of the referendum," he also said. "The lives of millions of Egyptians are at risk," he noted. Al-Sisi explained that the army writes reports on public opinion.
He then confirmed Isa's remark that he took the decision to run on 27 February 14.
On whom he consulted before running for president, he said: "The family." "My wife told me you do not have a choice. We [Al-Sisi's family] certainly love you, but this nation will collapse," he said.
He then spoke about the awareness of Egyptian women who are afraid about the future of their children. He also praised the role of Egyptian women in the past and future phases.

Assassination attempts

Asked by Al-Hadidi whether he was concerned about his own safety when he decided to run, Al-Sisi said he accepts his destiny. "Nobody will give or take life from me. Every breath is calculated [by God]," he noted.
He also said that he was subject to two assassination attempts without giving the details.

Neighbourhood

Al- Sisi said that he was brought up as an Egyptian Muslim in Al-Jamaliyah, one of the oldest districts in Cairo, "where nobody defiled the Jewish synagogue or the Church in any way".
"There were cultural, human and civilizational diversity without any limits," he said.

Late president Abd-al-Nasir

The presidential runner spoke about his decision to join the air force school after the Egyptian air force was bombed in the 1967 War. "This is why I joined military," he said.
"I was the first in my family to enrol in the military," he also said.
"I have seen the look of pain and defeat in the eyes of Egyptians after the 1967 defeat. This look that many young Egyptians are not aware of now," he added.
He also expressed his love for late president Abd-al-Nasir and he hoped he would be like him. Comparing him to Abd-al-Nasir, he said: "This is too much. I hope I would deserve such a position."

Family

A smiling Al-Sisi said he decided to marry his wife when he was in school and married her after completing the military academy.
He praised his "kind" and "devoted" wife.
He also said that he has four children: three sons and a girl, Mahmud, who works in intelligence, Mustafa, who works in the administrative auditing authority, Hasan and, the girl, Ayah. He added that Hasan applied at the Foreign Ministry twice and did not pass its exam, saying that he is against favouritism.

Criticism

On criticism levelled and to be levelled to him, he said: "I will tolerate." He also said that excesses on the internet are a "wave that will end," but he also said that respect should prevail. He added that media together with education and religious institutions should play a role to raise ethical standards together with the law.

Source: CBC TV, Cairo, in Arabic 1900gmt 05 May 14

Algerian social media users lash out at Egypt's candidate's threats of invasion

Algerian social media users have lashed out at "invasion" comments made by Egyptian presidential candidate Abd-al-Fattah al-Sisi. 
Privately-owned mass circulation Algerian newspaper El-Khabar website reported on 30 April that during a meeting with Egyptian university chiefs, the former field marshal said: "The Egyptian army is strong and before anything happens to anyone in the west [in North Africa, west of Egypt], the army will be there. This is a warning to the Free [Egyptian] Army, if anything happens. I would be able to enter Algeria in three days if anything happened to any [Egyptian] individual."

"Not strange" of Al-Sisi to insult Algeria  

Al-Sisi' remarks, made on 30 April, were quickly picked up by Algerian media and elicited great anger among Algerian social media users.
 On Twitter, Algerian user @karimane80 tweeted in Arabic that "Al-Sisi slaughtered his people and burnt them, he sold his religion and military honour so it is not strange that he should insult Algeria. This is the greatest sign of his failure and that his end is near and his project and those that are with him and behind him". 
Another Algerian user quipped in Arabic "The pimp Al-Sisi said that he could invade Algeria in three days but it will be [popular Egyptian actresses] Ilham Shahin and Nadya Ilwi who will invade or the army that had killed children at [the Muslim Brotherhood's main protest strongholds of] Rabi'ah [al-Adawiya Mosque and Square]". 
Algerian @SpecialOne_Dz tweeted in Arabic: "To Al-Sisi… Algeria is not Rabi'ah [al-Adawiyah] square for you to invade in three days, as you are calling for, you criminal".
@SenouciAyache said in Arabic: "Poor Algeria… Even Al-Sisi is after it." (http://bit.ly/1fA1lZx), while Algerian @anwarmalek tweeted: "It is said that Al-Sisi announced his army's willingness to defend Algeria and others against 'terrorism'; I say, as an Algerian, that 'being defended by an army that slaughtered its own people is not an honour'".

"Algerians just want to fight"

Egyptians were largely dismissive of the reports, with users such as @TheSecular tweeting in Arabic: "Algerians just want to fight. Algerian newspapers have reported that Al-Sisi said he would invade Algeria because of the terrorists. What stupidity and craziness! Anyway they [the terrorists] are all in Libya.".
Al-Sisi's campaign team was quick to deny the reports, issuing a statement published in Egyptian newspaper Al-Shuruq on 2 May. According to the report, Al-Sisi had simply said that the Egyptian army was capable of defending Egypt's borders and was willing to assist other Arab countries in the fight against Islamic extremism.

A few thoughts on Revolution

Sometimes we just have to admit defeat and realise that the promise of glory was just a dream. People like us shall admit someday that we just stood back and watched others eke out a living in the dust and grime that is our country- or at least the part that we are never privy to- while we debate and hypothesise and spread our vitriol across the pages of social media, newspapers, and magazines, but this will never make a difference to the suffering of the silent majority.
What is it about people like us, so comfortable in our first world problems, that makes us believe we have the privilege to disrupt the balance of history? 

Liaisons Dangereuses

So usually I hate this kind of psycho-babble, agony aunt stuff but an article in Psychology Today caught my eye and some aspects struck me as being spot on.

Ken Page, a psychotherapist, discusses what he terms as “attractions of deprivation” and "attractions of inspiration"–  the latter did not interest me as much as the former which refers to a condition which I suspect we all experience, at some point, when we are drawn to people who embody the worst emotional characteristics of our parents. Basically, the theory explains that we are attracted to people who can wound us the same way we were wounded in our childhood, as our psyche tries to recreate the past void and save us by changing its ending.

Is it possible to change that ending or are we destined to just repeat that cycle over and over? What can we do to break that cycle?

Page explains that "Many of us believe that attractions of deprivation are real love, because they draw us in so powerfully. When these attractions let us down, we believe it's because of a lack in us, not because of a fatal flaw embedded in the attractions themselves....Most of us are wired to want the hard-to-get. People who devalue us make us want to convince them of our worth. These are our circuitries of deprivation. And, as compelling as they are, they rarely lead to happiness or lasting love."

This is very true...for some reason many people, in my experience this tends to be mainly women, prefer to blame their characters for their faults rather than admit to errors of judgement. This kind of self flagellation is extremely counter productive and merely ends in a repetition of mistakes due to the fact that the individual is hoping that 'this time things will be different', rather than acknowledging a simple miscalculation which can be corrected in future.

Life Lessons

Learning to love....now that's the hardest thing. Learning how and then who.

من انا؟

كلما طرحت السؤال على نفسي أعجز عن الإجابة و اتهرب منها...اصعب الأمور مواجهة الانسان لذاته...

من انا؟ افف! و من أين لي ان آتي بالإجابة؟ سيتطلب الامر جهدا و بحثا مضنيا و مؤلما....سيطلب الامر عمرا بأكمله....أليس أفضل و اسهل لنا ان نتجاهل السؤال؟ 

و لكن....ربما يكون هذا التفكير إفادة للبحث اكثر في أعماقي و أظن ان التشابه في البشر حاصل على غفلة منهم. 

ساطلق لأفكاري العنان...تسرح و تمرح على سجيتها... تختار صورا من الذاكرة... 

صحيح انني الحاضر و لكنني أيضاً هذا الماضي الذي لا يمضي....فلتكن إذن طريقة اخرى في لاكتشاف الذات... 

من أكون؟ 

دائماً اشعر بأنني كارثة متنقلة على رجلين....الفتاة التي تمارس الهروب الدائم....كارهة القيود....كتلة التناقضات...سطر ابيض و سطر اسود حتى ينتهي الدفتر

حلم

في بعض الأحيان يمكن أن نحلم بشخص أو شيء يمثل لنا كل آمال وأحلام ومشاعر ماضينا. عند الاستيقاظ يصبح مؤلما للغاية اننا نكتشف ان هذا الشخص او هذا الشيء اصبح مجرد ذكرى ....ذكرى خاصة تمثل لنا اهم لحظات الحياة

بندقية

هاك رجل يقصف قبر ابنه بالدموع ، بعد أن بناه بالرصاص

الطائش من رشاشه ، ها هو يستجدي الغفران بعد أن قلم الندم أظافره ، رجل هرم انتزع أحشاء ابنه ثم هضمها ثم أصابته التخمة ، فتقيأ و انكفأ على وجهه باحثا عن أشلاء عزاء ينتشله …

كان رجلا يسكن فمه السيجار الكوبي ، و لا ترحل عنه ابتسامة الاستهزاء ، بطنه كرة دائرية متقنة النفخ ، عيناه كهفان غائران تغطيهما نظارة سوداء ، أسنانه مطلية بالصفار ، مليئة بالنتوءات ، فمه ركام نفايات ، إفطاره خمس و عشرون ركلة ، و سيل من الرصاص ، و كل ثانية يزداد جوعه فيقضم من أي روح كانت ، الحياة معه نكهتها الظلم … متعته دائما و أبدا هي البطش .

شاب في السادسة و العشرين ، ينظر للحياة بعين متسائل ، يسأل و يجرب ، تحتويه الحيرة ، لم تبتلعه فجوة اللاجدوى بعد ، لم يكن قد أدركته شيبة الحزن بعد ، مقبل على حانة الواقع ، يشرب و لا يذهب عقله ، يتلذذ بالمرارة ، يتعلم ، يسقط ، ينهض ، ينهار ، و يبني نفسه ، يقرأ ، يكتب ، يسجل بصمته في الحياة ، لا يقف على الحياد ، يقود بأقصى سرعته و لا يهدأ حتى تتفرع الطرق ، يصمت برهة ثم يستعيد سرعته و ينطلق نحو عالم أوسع … إلى أن … إلى أن … ربت الموت على كتفه …

- ألا تخاف الموت ؟

(هكذا سأله صديق له مستنكرا منه فوضوية أحلامه و أدرينالينه المرتفع دائما )

- أنت كمن يقول لي هناك سيارة مسرعة ستقتلك لا محالة ، هديء من سرعتك لتربك ملاك الموت قليلا … أنا أرفض أن يقتلني الموت قبل أن تقتلني الحياة ، نحن أصلا نسكن في عالم من الأموت … 

أب و ابنه سقطا في هوة التناقض حتى أن قبض القدر قبضته عليهما ، فانتهيا معا … 

قسم شرطة ، مظاهرة صاخبة ، شباب جامح ، سلطة مكبِّلة ، أمر بإطلاق النار ، أسلحة تشتعل في حماس ، والد يصوب رشاشه في هستيرية لا مثيل لها ، و ابن يستقبل الرصاصة بصدر عار و ابتسامة بشوش .

بعد أن كان جليس بندقية ، أصبح جليس الندم …

(أماني محمد (أصداء مقطوفة

So now we find ourselves pitted against one another, with each side determined to inflict as much pain

So now we find ourselves pitted against one another, with each side determined to inflict as much pain as possible on the other, inexpiably. This thought is unbearable to me, and it poisons my days. And yet you and I, who are so alike who share the same culture and the same hopes, who have been brothers for so long, joined in the love we both feel for our country, know that we are not enemies. We know that we could live happily together on this land, which is our land—because it is ours, and because I can no more imagine it without you and your brothers than you can separate it from me and my kind.

But I know from experience that to say these things today is to venture into a no-man’s land between hostile enemies. It is to preach the folly of war as bullets fly. Bloodshed may sometimes lead to progress, but more often brings only greater barbarity and misery. He who pours his heart into such a plea can expect only laughter and the din of the battlefield in reply. And yet someone must say these things, and since you propose to try, I cannot let you take such an insane and necessary step without standing with you in fraternal solidarity.
~Open letter to Aziz Kassus by Camus

Sham of Tabriz's 40 Rules of Love

Rule 1
How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we.

Rule 2
The path to the Truth is a labour of the heart, not of the head. Make your heart your primary guide! Not your mind. Meet, challenge and ultimately prevail over your nafs with your heart. Knowing your ego will lead you to the knowledge of God.

Rule 3You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue or church. But if you are still in need of knowing where exactly His abode is, there is only one place to look for him: in the heart of a true lover.

Rule 4
Intellect and love are made of different materials. Intellect ties people in knots and risks nothing, but love dissolves all tangles and risks everything. Intellect is always cautious and advices, ‘Beware too much ecstasy’, whereas love says, ‘Oh, never mind! Take the plunge!’ Intellect does not easily break down, whereas love can effortlessly reduce itself to rubble. But treasures are hidden among ruins. A broken heart hides treasures.

Rule 5
Most of problems of the world stem from linguistic mistakes and simple misunderstanding. Don’t ever take words at face value. When you step into the zone of love, language, as we know it becomes obsolete. That which cannot be put into words can only be grasped through silence.

Rule 6
Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us, as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually it is the best to find a person who will be your mirror. Remember only in another person’s heart can you truly see yourself and the presence of God within you.

Rule 7
Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighbourhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful! It is easy to be thankful when all is well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has been given but also for all that he has been denied.

Rule 8
Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to look at the end of a process. What does patience mean? It means to look at the thorn and see the rose, to look at the night and see the dawn. Impatience means to be short-sighted as to not be able to see the outcome. The lovers of God never run out of patience, for they know that time is needed for the crescent moon to become full.

Rule 9
East, west, south, or north makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey a journey within. If you travel within, you’ll travel the whole wide world and beyond.

Rule 10The midwife knows that when there is no pain, the way for the baby cannot be opened and the mother cannot give birth. Likewise, for a new self to be born, hardship is necessary. Just as clay needs to go through intense heat to become strong, Love can only be perfected in pain.

Rule 11The quest for love changes user. There is no seeker among those who search for love who has not matured on the way. The moment you start looking for love, you start to change within and without.

Rule 12
There are more fake gurus and false teachers in this world than the number of stars in the visible universe. Don’t confuse power-driven, self-centred people with true mentors. A genuine spiritual master will not direct your attention to himself or herself and will not expect absolute obedience or utter admiration from you, but instead will help you to appreciate and admire your inner self. True mentors are as transparent as glass. They let the light of God pass through them.

Rule 13
Try not to resist the changes, which come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?

Rule 14
God is busy with the completion of your work, both outwardly and inwardly. He is fully occupied with you. Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably moving toward perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting and striving to be completed. God deals with each of us separately because humanity is fine art of skilled penmanship where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture.

Rule 15
It’s easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infallible that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human being with all their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is capable of loving. There is no wisdom without love. Unless we learn to love God’s creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God.

Rule 16
Real faith is the one inside. The rest simply washes off. There is only one type of dirt that cannot be cleansed with pure water, and that is the stain of hatred and bigotry contaminating the soul. You can purify your body through abstinence and fasting, but only love will purify your heart.

Rule 17
The whole universe is contained within a single human being-you. Everything that you see around, including the things that you might not be fond of and even the people you despise or abhor, is present within you in varying degrees. Therefore, do not look for Sheitan outside yourself either. The devil is not an extraordinary force that attacks from without. It is an ordinary voice within. If you set to know yourself fully, facing with honesty and hardness.

Rule 18
If you want to change the ways others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved. Once you achieve that stage, however, be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be showered in roses.

Rule 19
Fret not where the road will take you. Instead concentrate on the first step. That is the hardest part and that is what you are responsible for. Once you take that step let everything do what it naturally does and the rest will follow. Don’t go with the flow. Be the flow.

Rule 20
We were all created in His image, and yet we were each created different and unique. No two people are alike. No hearts beat to the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same, He would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughts on others is an amount to disrespecting God’s holy scheme.

Rule 21
When a true lover of God goes into a tavern, the tavern becomes his chamber of prayer, but when a wine bibber goes into the same chamber, it becomes his tavern. In everything we do, it is our hearts that make the difference, not our outer appearance. Sufis do not judge other people on how they look or who they are. When a Sufi stares at someone, he keeps both eyes closed instead opens a third eye – the eye that sees the inner realm.

Rule 22
Life is a temporary loan and this world is nothing but a sketchy imitation of Reality. Only children would mistake a toy for the real thing. And yet human beings either become infatuated with the toy or disrespectfully break it and throw it aside. In this life stay away from all kinds of extremities, for they will destroy your inner balance. Sufis do not go to extremes. A Sufi always remains mild and moderate.

Rule 23
The human being has a unique place among God’s creation. “I breathed into him of My Spirit,” God says. Each and every one of us without exception is designed to be God’s delegate on earth. Ask yourself, just how often do you behave like a delegate, if you ever do so? Remember, it fells upon each of us to discover the divine spirit inside and live by it.

Rule 24
Hell is in the here and now. So is heaven. Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy or fight someone we tumble straight into the fires of hell.

Rule 25
Each and every reader comprehends the Holy Qur’an on a different level of tandem with the depth of his understanding. There are four levels of insight. The first level is the outer meaning and it is the one that the majority of the people are content with. Next is the Batin – the inner level. Third, there is the inner of the inner. And the fourth level is so deep it cannot be put into words and is therefore bound to remain indescribable.

Rule 26
The universe is one being. Everything and everyone is interconnected through an invisible web of stories. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all in a silent conversation. Do no harm. Practice compassion. And do not gossip behind anyone’s back – not even a seemingly innocent remark! The words that come out of our mouths do not vanish but are perpetually stored in infinite space and they will come back to us in due time. One man’s pain will hurt us all. One man’s joy will make everyone smile.

Rule 27
Whatever you speak, good or evil, will somehow come back to you. Therefore, if there is someone who harbours ill thoughts about you, saying similarly bad things about him will only make matters worse. You will be locked in a vicious circle of malevolent energy. Instead for forty days and nights say and think nice things about that person. Everything will be different at the end of 40 days, because you will be different inside.

Rule 28
The past is an interpretation. The future is on illusion. The world does not more through time as if it were a straight line, proceeding from the past to the future. Instead time moves through and within us, in endless spirals. Eternity does not mean infinite time, but simply timelessness. If you want to experience eternal illumination, put the past and the future out of your mind and remain within the present moment.

Rule 29
Destiny doesn't mean that your life has been strictly predetermined. Therefore, to live everything to the fate and to not actively contribute to the music of the universe is a sign of sheer ignorance. The music of the universe is all pervading and it is composed on 40 different levels. Your destiny is the level where you play your tune. You might not change your instrument but how well to play is entirely in your hands.

Rule 30
The true Sufi is such that even when he is unjustly accused, attacked and condemned from all sides, he patiently endures, uttering not a sing bad word about any of his critics. A Sufi never apportions blame. How can there be opponents or rivals or even “others” when there is no “self” in the first place? How can there be anyone to blame when there is only One?

Rule 31
If you want to strengthen your faith, you will need to soften inside. For your faith to be rock solid, your heart needs to be as soft as a feather. Through an illness, accident, loss or fright, one way or another, we are all faced with incidents that teach us how to become less selfish and judgmental and more compassionate and generous. Yet some of us learn the lesson and manage to become milder, while some others end up becoming even harsher than before…

Rule 32
Nothing should stand between you and God. No imams, priests, rabbits or any other custodians of moral or religious leadership. Not spiritual masters and not even your faith. Believe in your values and your rules, but never lord them over others. If you keep breaking other people’s hearts, whatever religious duty you perform is no good. Stay away from all sorts of idolatry, for they will blur your vision. Let God and only God be your guide. Learn the Truth, my friend, but be careful not to make a fetish out of your truths.

Rule 33
While everyone in this world strives to get somewhere and become someone, only to leave it all behind after death, you aim for the supreme stage of nothingness. Live this life as light and empty as the number zero. We are no different from a pot. It is not the decorations outside but the emptiness inside that holds us straight. Just like that, it is not what we aspire to achieve but the consciousness of nothingness that keeps us going.

Rule 34
Submission does not mean being weak or passive. It leads to neither fatalism nor capitulation. Just the opposite. True power resides in submission a power that comes within. Those who submit to the divine essence of life will live in unperturbed tranquillity and peace even the whole wide world goes through turbulence after turbulence.

Rule 35
In this world, it is not similarities or regularities that take us a step forward, but blunt opposites. And all the opposites in the universe are present within each and every one of us. Therefore the believer needs to meet the unbeliever residing within. And the non-believer should get to know the silent faithful in him. Until the day one reaches the stage of Insane-I Kamil, the perfect human being, faith is a gradual process and one that necessitates its seeming opposite: disbelief.

Rule 36
This world is erected upon the principle of reciprocity. Neither a drop of kindness nor a speck of evil will remain unreciprocated. For not the plots, deceptions, or tricks of other people. If somebody is setting a trap, remember, so is God. He is the biggest plotter. Not even a leaf stirs outside God’s knowledge. Simply and fully believe in that. Whatever God does, He does it beautifully.

Rule 37
God is a meticulous dock maker. So precise is His order that everything on earth happens in its own time. Neither a minute late nor a minute early. And for everyone without exception, the clock works accurately. For each there is a time to love and a time to die.

Rule 38
It is never too late to ask yourself, “Am I ready to change the life I am living? Am I ready to change within?” Even if a single day in your life is the same as the day before, it surely is a pity. At every moment and with each new breath, one should be renewed and renewed again. There is only one-way to be born into a new life: to die before death.

Rule 39
While the part change, the whole always remains the same. For every thief who departs this world, a new one is born. And every descent person who passes away is replaced by a new one. In this way not only does nothing remain the same but also nothing ever really changes. For every Sufi who dies, another is born somewhere.

Rule 40
A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western. Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water

US Intervention in Syria: Not Kind, But Cruel

Punishing a dictator for killing his own people by killing yet more of them is not the answer. It didn't work in Iraq, and it won't work in Syria. 

As the drums of war beat once more for yet another strike on a Middle Eastern capital, one cannot help but be reminded of similar events exactly a decade ago that heralded the US invasion of Iraq. However, this time we have learnt from experience to ask the right questions and not to repeat the same mistakes... Haven't we?

Some would argue that the general public has "over-learned" the lessons from Iraq and yet, just like back then, it doesn't really matter. According to a recent poll, Just 19% of Americans support intervention in Syria and yet President Barack Obama seems determined to go ahead with his mission. The president set the wheels in motion by asking the US Congress for a mandate to strike the Syrian capital, Damascus, in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons. The resolution was approved by Congress and is now with the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, the US media has gone into overdrive, promoting all the reasons why it is in the American people's interest to intervene in Syria. The most important of which, apparently, is not concern for the suffering of the Syrian people but because failure to act "would undermine the credibility of the United States of America and of the president of the United States", in the words of one-time presidential hopeful John McCain.

Obama had stated that the use of chemical weapons was a "red line" that should not be crossed and would force a tough US response. Fair enough. But why did the slaughter of over 100,000 people, through the use of conventional weapons, not elicit a tough response? Is Mr Obama saying that providing that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not use the dreaded chemical weapons, he is free to do as he pleases? This echoes former President George W Bush's warnings about the non-existent weapons of mass destruction, the "smoking gun", that triggered the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Though previously Saddam Hussein was given even more leeway and allowed to use both conventional and chemical weapons on his people before any "red lines" were drawn, let alone crossed.

This indicates a certain inconsistency in American humanitarian policy and suggests that perhaps it is not the interests of the Syrian people that are at stake here but simply a desire to maintain the stalemate that has existed between the Syrian rebels and the regime since late 2011. Dramatic victories in Qussayr, Homs, as well as gains in the suburbs of Damascus, indicated a tipping of the balance in favour of the regime. It seems foolish, if not completely crazy, for the regime to halt that momentum by crossing the only line that the West had drawn.

Indeed, why would the regime launch a chemical attack, just days after UN inspectors arrived in Damascus and just 15km away from the hotel where they were staying, even if the experts were initially prevented from visiting the site? This is especially bewildering when you consider that those inspectors were in Damascus for the express purpose ofinvestigating whether chemical weapons had been deployed? Surely, it would have been easier for the regime to allow the inspectors to do their work, send them on their way with no evidence and then resume their bloody assault without laying themselves open to the wrath of America?

Another point worth consideration is that no one is entirely sure exactly who is using chemical weapons in Syria. There have been allegations against both the regime and the rebels. The most notable accusation against the rebels was when Carla Del Ponte, a member of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, voiced her suspicions that rebel forces had made use of Sarin nerve gas. This is in addition to Turkey's announcement that it had seized rebels on the Turkish-Syrian border carrying a 2kg cylinder of Sarin gas. Turkish newspapers also announced, back in May, that another 2kg cylinder of Sarin had been confiscated from the homes of Syrian militants in Adana.
The regime has not denied possessing chemical weapons but has it used them? It is certainly not a possibility that we should rule out. However, intervention in Syria based on shaky evidence seems ill advised. The declassified report issued by the White House provides little explanation of how the Obama administration decided that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons. Another curious point is how the figure of 1,429 dead cited by the White House does not correspond with the 355 confirmed by Médecins Sans Frontières or the 502 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates, or indeed even America'sFrench Intelligence allies who were only able to confirm 281 casualties. It seems that numbers are being thrown around with little care for what actually happened or to who it happened to.
However, the most significant factor to take into consideration is that it was Syria and Russia who asked for the UN to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Khan al-Assal and two other locations, which the Syrian government did not announce for fear of a repeat of the rebel attack on Khan al-Assal, allegedly to cover up evidence of chemical weapons use by the rebels.
Most importantly, we must question what the outcome of any strike on Syria would be. One would think it would be enough to see the carnage that this kind of adventurism inflicted on Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. A succession of "wars on terror" and operations to "bring democracy" to Afghanistan has seen the country literally razed to the ground. Libya still remains in total chaos, whilst Iraq undoubtedly represents the greatest human tragedy of our time. Estimates put the death toll at between 100,000 and one million, with some as high as 2.7 million - again a bitter war of numbers that totally disregards the suffering inflicted upon the country. One would be remiss not to mention the effects that "humanitarian intervention" had on the city of Fallujah where the "toxic legacy of the US assault" - where there is, ironically, evidence that the US used chemical weapons - was considered, by international studies, to be "worse than Hiroshima."
Of course, the pro-intervention crowd will argue that it will be different this time. But how can anyone guarantee that? Any military expert would agree that it is difficult to assess exactly how hard to strike and it's also difficult to withdraw. And after all of that, will Assad actually fall? Well, if America manages to keep to "limited" strikes, then it is unlikely that Assad will be toppled. Already he pre-emptively relocated his personnel and artillery to civilian areas - a move which assures that America will either totally miss its targets, or civilians will be hit.
Finally, America's strike on Syria would probably only serve to boost the morale of the regime, which is already receiving support from some segments of the Syrian population and other Arab countries for its perceived role as a champion fighting against another "imperialistic crusade". Obvious parallels with the intervention in Iraq 10 years ago are already being drawn and the world is getting tired of America's forays into the Middle East. Moreover, escalating matters can only be advantageous for Russia as it can now justify its backing of the Assad regime as support for a "legitimate authority under attack".
Military intervention is not the answer. Punishing a dictator for killing his own people by killing yet more of them is not the answer. Syria needs dialogue and carefully considered diplomacy - not more guns.
First appeared in Khaled Diab's The Chronikler

Should I kill myself or have a cup of coffee?

My dear,

I don’t know what to do today, help me decide.

Should I cut myself open and pour my heart on these pages? Or should I sit here and do nothing, nobody’s asking anything of me afterall.

Should I jump off the cliff that has my heart beating so and develop my wings on the way down? Or should I step back from the edge, and let the others deal with this thing called courage.

Should I stare back at the existential abyss that haunts me so and try desperately to grab from it a sense of self? Or should I keep walking half-asleep, only half-looking at it every now and then in times in which I can’t help doing anything but?

Should I kill myself or have a cup of coffee?
Falsely yours,

Albert Camus.

Waiting for the Barbarians

What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum?
The barbarians are due here today.

Why isn’t anything happening in the senate?
Why do the senators sit there without legislating?
Because the barbarians are coming today.
What laws can the senators make now?Once the barbarians are here, they’ll do the legislating.
Why did our emperor get up so early,
and why is he sitting at the city’s main gate
on his throne, in state, wearing the crown?
Because the barbarians are coming today
and the emperor is waiting to receive their leader.
He has even prepared a scroll to give him,
replete with titles, with imposing names.

Why have our two consuls and praetors come out today
wearing their embroidered, their scarlet togas?
Why have they put on bracelets with so many amethysts,
and rings sparkling with magnificent emeralds?
Why are they carrying elegant canes
beautifully worked in silver and gold?

Because the barbarians are coming today and things like that dazzle the barbarians.

Why don’t our distinguished orators come forward as usual to make their speeches, say what they have to say?

Because the barbarians are coming today and they’re bored by rhetoric and public speaking.
Why this sudden restlessness, this confusion?
(How serious people’s faces have become.)Why are the streets and squares emptying so rapidly, everyone going home so lost in thought?
Because night has fallen and the barbarians have not come.
And some who have just returned from the border say there are no barbarians any longer.

And now, what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?

They were, those people, a kind of solution.

Distorted Images

Why have Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya and most western media neglected to report on the uprisings in Bahrain? Is it true that in Syria, Alawites are fighting against Sunni Muslims? And who were the real victims of the Houla massacre? I take a look at some of the most striking flaws in reporting on the Arab Spring, two years after the uprisings began

There has been much criticism of western mainstream media coverage of the Syrian conflict. For the most part, reports have been very simplistic. The commonly touted messages of the main players have largely been reflected with clear-cut, Hollywood style 'good' and 'bad' guys. The basic storyline being: "The dictatorial Syrian government is torturing and killing unarmed protestors and civilians, including women and children and the West and the Arab League are making attempts to protect these civilians."

While it is undeniably true that innocent civilians are paying the ultimate price in their quest for freedom, and many are being killed by government forces, inevitably this is not the whole picture.

Numerous commentators have written about the lack of objective reporting on the horrifying events taking place in Syria. Known as the 'Angry Arab' columnist, As'ad Abu Khalil has written a number of criticisms of western media coverage, whilst Emirati commentator Sultan al-Qassemi recently published a particularly scathing piece for Foreign Policy magazine on Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya's biased coverage of events.

Common flaws

However, it would be naïve to believe that Syria has been singled out in this respect. Media coverage of the Arab Spring and its aftermath, as a whole, has been very poor. A few common flaws stand out.



Despite a clear code of ethics, prominently displayed on the Al-Jazeera website, the channel has patently abandoned the basic standards of journalism, failing to run even the most basic of fact checks. Both the Arabic and English channels have overwhelmingly relied on reports from anonymous callers and unverified video footage.

These, in turn, have been run on high profile channels across the world, including the BBC, which also claims a strong ethical mandate. Syria has not been unique in this respect. In fact the trend of relying on activist videos and anonymous calls was first used by CNN's iReport when covering Iran's 2009 'Green' Revolution.

In an interview with Qantara.de, Dr Thomas Pierret, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, points to the fact that "the most violent aspects of the (Egyptian) revolution were not reported … in particular, the torching of police stations and killing of many policemen in Alexandria on January 29."

Pierret also points to an exaggeration of the numbers that turned out for protests in Egypt. "Figures for the numbers of demonstrators on Tahrir Square were absurdly exaggerated, you simply can't put a million people in Tahrir Square, probably not even half of that – it's a small place. At times the camera that was filming the square from the top of one of the surrounding buildings was closing up on the crowd so as to conceal the fact that the square was half-empty."

Tribal and sectarian differences overstated

Another issue that has been overstated are the tribal and sectarian differences present in many Arab countries. This has been the case in Syria where the conflict has often been simplified into a clash between the 'Alawite dominated government and Shabiha militias' and the predominantly Sunni protesters. Brooke Anderson, a journalist based in Beirut, told qantara.de that the problem lies in overemphasising references to Alawite, Christian or Sunni neighbourhoods.

"I understand that it's sometimes necessary to bring up people's religious and ethnic backgrounds, to give context to a story – but not all the time! Such coverage makes it look like brave or fundamentalist Sunnis are fighting against the Alawite bogeymen, and meanwhile Christians are apathetic – which is unfair to all of them." The fact of the matter is that many Alawites are anti-Assad just as many Sunnis are pro.



Again, this issue is not unique to Syria's conflict but has been repeated in media coverage which has emphasised tribalism in Libya and sectarianism in Iraq. In his 'Comment is Free' article in the Guardian, Hayder al-Khoei maintains that the role of sectarianism has been overemphasised in the Iraqi conflict and that "political competition, rather than sectarianism, dominates Iraqi politics". It is not Shiites and Sunnis targeting one another but violent Jihadis targeting both.

The importance of follow-up coverage

Brooke Anderson goes on to identify an additional flaw in international media coverage of the Arab Spring. She says that little effort has been made in the follow-up to major stories, including the 'success' stories in Yemen, Tunisia and Libya. Follow-up coverage is important in order to be able to check whether newly appointed leaders have kept their promises and if the country is underway in rebuilding itself.

The lack of analytical countervailing within reports or discussion programs has been a systemic problem in the coverage of the Arab Spring and its aftermath, without exception. There has been a marked absence of pro-regime speakers across all the media outlets.

And whilst many activists and observers have welcomed this as a response to biased state-run TV channels –which even blacklisted certain members of the opposition from being mentioned in their broadcasts – this is not acceptable from professional media outlets.

The Houla massacre

Many news outlets have been guilty of reporting on events before the information is clear. This was most famously true of the Houla massacre, which was quickly reported as another regime offensive against innocent civilians. It later turned out that the situation was not quite as clear and that many news outlets, including the BBC, had relied on sources that were not checked beforehand and later turned out to have been manipulated.

BBC World News Editor, Jon Williams, issued an apology for the report, concluding that: "A healthy scepticism is one of the essential qualities of any journalist – never more so than in reporting conflict. The stakes are high – all may not always be as it seems."



Several media outlets have ignored other very important regional developments in favour of back-to-back coverage of the "cause du jour". Again, this is not a new phenomenon; Moroccan writer Hassan Masiky published a scornful critique on Morroccoboard.com of Al-Jazeera's bias, referring to the manner in which Al-Jazeera ignored and sidelined important stories, such as that of Mustapha Salama Ould Sidi Mouloud who was arrested on September 21, 2010 by Algerian authorities and that of Polisario figures who spoke out in favour of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for the Western Sahara.

Masiky concluded: "The Moroccan public, which initially endorsed Al-Jazeera, is dismayed with its obvious anti-Moroccan biases. It will take more than shouting matches and anti-Israeli rhetoric to convince some viewers of Al-Jazeera's objectivity and balance."
More recently, certain political affiliations have been made obvious by the absence of coverage of events in countries such as Bahrain. In a recent article in the British daily 'The Independent', Fatima Kanji decried the absence of media interest. "The uprisings in Bahrain have seen little media coverage and a continuation of western political allegiances with the current regime, despite widespread acknowledgement of the use of torture against detainees, violence against demonstrators and inequitable arrests and trials."
This has certainly been the case with Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, channels that have all but ignored the brutal crackdowns on Bahraini protesters in favour of maintaining favourable relations between their respective countries and not encouraging protests in their own capitals. Al-Jazeera reporter Ali Hashem resigned in March 2012 over coverage of Bahrain and Syria, along with iconic presenter Ghassan bin Jeddo who stated that Al-Jazeera had "ended a dream of professionalism and objectivity".

Like the quest for freedom and democracy, objectivity in the media is a one way street. It is not negotiable. You are either for it or, against it.

© Qantara.de 2012

الخرافة

حين كنا .. في الكتاتيب صغارا

حقنونا .. بسخيف القول ليلا ونهارا

: درسونا

"ركب المرأة عورة"

"ضحكة المرأة عورة"

"صوتها - من خلف ثقب الباب - عورة"

.. صوروا الجنس لنا

.. غولا .. بأنياب كبيرة

.. يخنق الأطفال

.. يقتات العذارى

خوفونا .. من عذاب الله إن نحن عشقنا

.. هددونا .. بالسكاكين إذا نحن حلمنا

.. فنشأنا.. كنباتات الصحاري

. نلعق الملح ، ونستا ف الغبارا

يوم كان العلم في أيامنا

.. فلقة تمسك رجلينا وشيخا.. وحصيرا

.. شوهونا

شوهوا الإحساس فينا والشعورا

.. فصلوا أجسادنا عنا

.. عصورا .. وعصورا

.. صوروا الحب لنا .. بابا خطيرا

لو فتحناه.. سقطنا ميتين

فنشأنا ساذجين

وبقينا ساذجين

نحسب المرأة .. شاه أو بعيرا

.. ونرى العالم جنسا وسريرا

--- نزار قباني

What Is Muhammad Morsi's End Game?

Since his election in June, Muhammad Morsi's presidential term has been under great scrutiny from both international observers and Egyptian citizens. For many, Morsi's performance is key to planning their next move - whether it be local businesses, currently struggling, due to the economic disaster that followed the revolution, Egyptian expats thinking about returning to Egypt or, international players considering investment in the country.

Mohammed Morsi came to the presidency with just a 51% majority, just under 50% of the population, for various reasons, voted against the Muslim Brotherhood representative, afraid that his election would take Egypt back to the dark ages. Many believed that Morsi's personality and general demeanour was simply not cosmopolitan enough and would only serve to alienate the country from the rest of the world.

Interestingly, Morsi has surprised observers with his controversial foreign policy. Egypt now seems set on restoring Cairo to the status of political and intellectual capital of the Middle East. The new president has wasted no time in letting the world know that Egypt is back and no longer content to be America's lap dog.

American President, Barack Obama, was among the first statesmen to congratulate Mohammed Morsi on his electoral victory in June, breaking protocol to phone him directly. This, in itself, is significant, indicating anxiety in Washington to continue its 'special relationship' with Egypt.

Obama, then, wrote a letter to Morsi , sending the Deputy Secretary of State, William Burns, to Cairo in order to deliver it in person. Burns was followed to Cairo by Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, again for an audience with Morsi. This was followed by a visit to Cairo by Defence Secretary Leon Panetta. All this was within just one month of Morsi's victory.

In response to America's attempts to ingratiate itself with the new administration in Cairo, Morsi promptly dispatched Washington's chief allies, the Egyptian military who had managed the transitional period, back to their barracks and dismissed Defence Minister Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi and Army Chief-of-Staff Sami Annan. He also cancelled the military-declared constitutional amendments that gave top generals extensive powers. Washington was forced swallow this bitter pill and hope that Morsi would prove as useful an ally as the military and the Mubarak regime had been.

This was followed by a most unexpected turn of events; Morsi's attendance of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran. Egypt severed relations with Iran back in 1979 and, while this may not yet signal the return of full diplomatic relations, it is certainly an earth-shattering diplomatic coup.

Coupled with his visit to China, this turn of events is particularly significant in light of the American attitude towards the Russia - China - Iran alliance over regional developments in the Middle East. Morsi also announced his intention to find a successful solution to the ongoing violence in Syria and has taken steps to forming a regional quartet - Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran - to work towards a negotiated settlement.

Unfortunately, Morsi has not been so successful on the domestic front, with rising criticism of his having made too many promises to be delivered in the unrealistic time frame of just 100 days. Even those, not directly antagonistic towards the president have been disappointed, saying that: "The people knew that Morsi's job would be difficult but the president was wrong to makes promises that he could not deliver". But, then again, what government is not guilty of making empty promises?

Moreover, the challenge that Mohammed Morsi has taken on is not an easy one. The Egyptian economy is a disaster, a vast proportion of the population live in poverty, almost 50% are illiterate, Egypt is suffering a $36 billion annual deficit and the once fertile country now imports half of its food.

Earlier in the year, Egypt applied for an IMF loan of $4.8 billion, which has so far, not been forthcoming and depends on some very unattractive structural reforms, which would include further devaluation of the Egyptian currency and a significant reduction in subsidies, which are essential to supporting (and placating) the impoverished population.

The president's efforts to garner financial support from Qatar and China have been humiliating - Qatar pledging just $2 billion and China $200 million- laughable when one considers that this is being put towards sustaining a country with such massive debts and a population of 83 million.

However, this has not been the sole purpose of the President's diplomatic mission- Qatar has pledged $18 billion in investments- Some $8 billion of which will go to establishing new electricity and LNG power plants. The remaining $10bn will go towards establishing a new tourist resort on the north coast as well as other real estate projects across Egypt.

Meanwhile, Morsi has been successful in attracting significant direct investments from China. China has roughly $500 million in existing investments in Egypt and has just signed on to build a power station, a water desalination plant and a high-speed train line between Cairo and Egypt's second city, Alexandria.

In light of the shambolic domestic situation, Morsi's foreign policies seem even bolder- especially considering that America is an important ally, which has been supporting Egypt since 1979 with an average annual income of $2 billion.

It seems clear that Mohammed Morsi realises that Egypt's reliance on handouts is not really working in the long term. The key to Egyptian development lies in encouraging trade, industry and investment- should this prove a success then Egypt will stand a chance of standing on its own feet and this is the only route to enable Egypt to regain its standing in the international arena.

Should Morsi pull this off, the Middle East will witness a resurgence of the historical giant of the Arab World. This may be the catalyst that could serve to encourage other countries in the region to regain their confidence in a better future - the social and economic disasters of the Middle East may well be on the way to a workable solution.

Appeared in the Huffington Post

اليوم انا حزينة

ليتني أملك القدرة على النسيان

وأنسى من الماضي ماكــان

فما أصعب أن تظل أسير الذكرى

مقيداً بقيود العجز , هارم القوى

مرهقة أنا

متعبة أنا

حزينة أنا ..

Mama Tutu

As children and as adults we take our parents for granted...we cultivate our neuroses, blame our quirks and hang-ups on them. Yet on their passing we realise how much they meant. We once felt that they were immortal and in their immortality we defined ourselves. 

It is a rude awakening when they pass....as though we were flying through the air on a swing and suddenly the ropes are severed and we descend into free-fall. For the first time in our lives we are truly alone without that one person who loved us unconditionally....despite our differences, cruelties, misunderstandings, arguments and bitterness.
Today I heard my father cry for the first time....