1/1/2008- Sudan turns 52.
We should also celebrate the fact that since 1956, Sudan was at peace for about 11 years!
We should also celebrate the fact that since 1956, Sudan was at peace for about 11 years!
"Sudan is not really a country at all, but many. A composite layers, like a genetic fingerprint of memories that were once fluid, but have since crystallized out from the crucible of possibility" Jamal Mahjoub, a Sudanese novelist
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Friday, December 14, 2007
So what if you get raped?
So...when a 15-year-old Swiss-German teenager gets GANG-RAPED by three men, he gets discouraged from pressing charges against the three criminals because Dubai might charge him for HOMOSEXUALITY???!!!????
What is happening to the world?
The story continues.
Alexander Robert( the victim) and his family were forced to leave Dubai because they were afraid Alexander will get persecuted for homosexuality last summer.
He returned to testify in court, however, he was surprised to find out that one of his assailants is HIV positive (note:- there is a drug you take after you get raped, it lowers your chances of getting HIV by strengthening your Immune system),but ofcourse the police didn't bother to inform the family earlier!
Apparently, the police in Dubai can't understand that men can actually rape men. Yes, it happens guys! Get over yourselves. Let's stop being in denial and admit there is HIV in Dubai! By denying the existence of the problem, chances are it's not going to go away!
Finally, the three men are sent to prison.....for 15 years. WHAT THE HELL? Why not execute them?! What about life sentence?
Here is Veronique's website (his mother).
“We will be very lucky if turns out he does not have AIDS… but we will appeal regardless of the medical results,”Veronqiue Robert
We are content that they are declared guilty, but 15 years for (the man with HIV) is nothing,” mother Veronique Robert, a Swiss national, told Reuters after the trial.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Where is the money?
Recently, a friend of me informed me about Khartoum International Community School (KICS), a private international school in Khartoum.
Out of curiousity , I googled it. I mean if one day I lived in that crazy confusing country, I want my kids to have a Western or international education. Apparently, the staff of KICS are "westerns" and it's really hard to get a job there if you are Sudanese ( is it a rumour?).
I did manage to find their website and again ..out of curiousity.. I glanced at the tuition sheet only once. I told my mum the huge number and we sat there mentally converting it to US dollars.
Nursery School - about 8,000 US dollars
High School- 15- 17,000 US dollars.
No wonder most of the students are ehm ehm white.
what da hell ?! The overwhelming majority can't afford to pay 17,000 US dollars for high school education!!!!
Out of curiousity , I googled it. I mean if one day I lived in that crazy confusing country, I want my kids to have a Western or international education. Apparently, the staff of KICS are "westerns" and it's really hard to get a job there if you are Sudanese ( is it a rumour?).
I did manage to find their website and again ..out of curiousity.. I glanced at the tuition sheet only once. I told my mum the huge number and we sat there mentally converting it to US dollars.
Nursery School - about 8,000 US dollars
High School- 15- 17,000 US dollars.
No wonder most of the students are ehm ehm white.
what da hell ?! The overwhelming majority can't afford to pay 17,000 US dollars for high school education!!!!
In Britain:- Gibbons is safe and sound.
From the BBC
Mrs Gibbons said the incident had "all come as a huge shock to me" and that going to prison was "terrifying" although she never actually spent any time in the Omdurman women's jail.
She said: "I never imagined this would happen. I am just an ordinary primary school teacher.
"I am very sorry to leave Sudan. I had a fabulous time. It is a beautiful place and I had a chance to see some of the countryside.
"The Sudanese people I found to be extremely kind and generous and until this happened I only had a good experience."
"I wouldn't like to put anyone off going to Sudan.
"I would like to thank Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi and I would like to thank all the people who have worked so hard to secure my release and make my time more bearable."
Mrs Gibbons said she was treated the same as other Sudanese prisoners and that the Ministry of Interior sent her a bed, which was "the best present".
She is a great woman. I would love to send her a present!
Mrs Gibbons said the incident had "all come as a huge shock to me" and that going to prison was "terrifying" although she never actually spent any time in the Omdurman women's jail.
She said: "I never imagined this would happen. I am just an ordinary primary school teacher.
"I am very sorry to leave Sudan. I had a fabulous time. It is a beautiful place and I had a chance to see some of the countryside.
"The Sudanese people I found to be extremely kind and generous and until this happened I only had a good experience."
"I wouldn't like to put anyone off going to Sudan.
"I would like to thank Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi and I would like to thank all the people who have worked so hard to secure my release and make my time more bearable."
Mrs Gibbons said she was treated the same as other Sudanese prisoners and that the Ministry of Interior sent her a bed, which was "the best present".
She is a great woman. I would love to send her a present!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Because Sudan doesn't have bigger problems!
WHAT?!
A British schoolteacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
The police force doesn't have anything to go except arresting 54 year-old kind Gibbons!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7112929.stm
A British schoolteacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
The police force doesn't have anything to go except arresting 54 year-old kind Gibbons!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7112929.stm
Sunday, November 25, 2007
On the Mo Ibrahim Prize
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!
But........it's sad how no Sudanese president deserves it!
But........it's sad how no Sudanese president deserves it!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Why do we discriminate against veiled women?!!
TODAY....I went to a lecture given by an award-winning Egyptian journalist called Mona Al Tahawy about blogging and the way cyberspace gives women a space to express themselves to talk about my blogging experience !:) Anyways, a very brave veiled girl talked about her experience as a veiled woman in Egypt aka a MUSLIM country and how some people discriminate against her.
She inspired me to write this!(Thanks Norah and Mona!
Don't we Muslims love talking about the racist west and how the west discriminates against Muslims and look down on veiled women? I'm not denying the fact that some Westerns stereotype or even dislike Muslims but if I told you that some of us discriminate against Muslims too, are you going to agree with me?Are you trying to convince me that you never said something like " oh my god, how can she say that? She is veiled!The fact that the woman is veiled doesn't make her any less human and she is still a woman like the rest of us. What do we expect of veiled women?Muslims in the west are labeled "terrorists", "oppressed" "wife-beaters" or "backward-minded" barbarians by some non-Muslims. This is because there are ignorant people everywhere however, when the ignorance and discrimination comes from within, there is no excuse for it.
A lot of my veiled friends told me stories about discrimination against them by fellow Muslims. They are often considered dumb, uneducated, oppressed and to some extent, prudes. So, you must always watch what you are saying in front of them. I was once told by a friend in high school that she doesn't feel comfortable talking to veiled girls because she feels uncomfortable "swearing" in front of them and talking about the relationships she had.The outspoken "veiled" woman at the lecture said something like “traditional Egyptians are against us and secular ones are trying to "save us". They can't fully integrate in the liberal/more secular Egyptian society because some view the veil as an impediment to the development and modernization of Egypt. The traditional society doesn't exactly accept their presence too. Veiled women in Egypt are truly stuck in the grey area!
Why do we discriminate against them?
I'm Muslim. I'm not veiled but I think it's a personal choice and I respect the decision of women who choose to veil. I treat them as equals because they are and I don't censor myself while talking to them because I don't think that the veil suppresses their personality in anyway.
I went to the Marriot hotel on a school trip about three years ago and for some reason, my friends and I started a conversation with one of employees there. We sat down and talked as she kept pulling down her skirt. One of the guys asked her why she keeps doing that and her reply was simple yet shocking: I have to wear this short skirt to be able to work here, however, I feel very uncomfortable wearing a short skirts.So, hotels and "high-class" places require you to take off the veil and wear it in your "private" life. Of course, what would the western tourists say if they say a veiled woman working at the Marriot where they are staying for a week?
I'm sorry; I just understood why we discriminate against veiled woman. We are trying to be more democratic! Yes, the Muslim world is trying to be all democratic by making veiled women uncomfortable so they can take it off. I don't think that the veil hinders development. On the contrary, the veil is a choice and it should always be one. If a woman chooses to wear it, it's her right. Isn't it democratic to consider the veil an act stemming from freedom of choice and freedom of expression?
By looking down at "veiled" women, we are violating a basic human rights rule, freedom of religion.Finally, I don't believe that the veil is a backward thing. We can be modern and develop our societies without abandoning any cultural or religious values. Our religion and culture makes us unique and shapes our identity. We should uphold our values but at the same time, tolerate and accept other values. Isn't tolerance one of the teachings of the prophet?
She inspired me to write this!(Thanks Norah and Mona!
Don't we Muslims love talking about the racist west and how the west discriminates against Muslims and look down on veiled women? I'm not denying the fact that some Westerns stereotype or even dislike Muslims but if I told you that some of us discriminate against Muslims too, are you going to agree with me?Are you trying to convince me that you never said something like " oh my god, how can she say that? She is veiled!The fact that the woman is veiled doesn't make her any less human and she is still a woman like the rest of us. What do we expect of veiled women?Muslims in the west are labeled "terrorists", "oppressed" "wife-beaters" or "backward-minded" barbarians by some non-Muslims. This is because there are ignorant people everywhere however, when the ignorance and discrimination comes from within, there is no excuse for it.
A lot of my veiled friends told me stories about discrimination against them by fellow Muslims. They are often considered dumb, uneducated, oppressed and to some extent, prudes. So, you must always watch what you are saying in front of them. I was once told by a friend in high school that she doesn't feel comfortable talking to veiled girls because she feels uncomfortable "swearing" in front of them and talking about the relationships she had.The outspoken "veiled" woman at the lecture said something like “traditional Egyptians are against us and secular ones are trying to "save us". They can't fully integrate in the liberal/more secular Egyptian society because some view the veil as an impediment to the development and modernization of Egypt. The traditional society doesn't exactly accept their presence too. Veiled women in Egypt are truly stuck in the grey area!
Why do we discriminate against them?
I'm Muslim. I'm not veiled but I think it's a personal choice and I respect the decision of women who choose to veil. I treat them as equals because they are and I don't censor myself while talking to them because I don't think that the veil suppresses their personality in anyway.
I went to the Marriot hotel on a school trip about three years ago and for some reason, my friends and I started a conversation with one of employees there. We sat down and talked as she kept pulling down her skirt. One of the guys asked her why she keeps doing that and her reply was simple yet shocking: I have to wear this short skirt to be able to work here, however, I feel very uncomfortable wearing a short skirts.So, hotels and "high-class" places require you to take off the veil and wear it in your "private" life. Of course, what would the western tourists say if they say a veiled woman working at the Marriot where they are staying for a week?
I'm sorry; I just understood why we discriminate against veiled woman. We are trying to be more democratic! Yes, the Muslim world is trying to be all democratic by making veiled women uncomfortable so they can take it off. I don't think that the veil hinders development. On the contrary, the veil is a choice and it should always be one. If a woman chooses to wear it, it's her right. Isn't it democratic to consider the veil an act stemming from freedom of choice and freedom of expression?
By looking down at "veiled" women, we are violating a basic human rights rule, freedom of religion.Finally, I don't believe that the veil is a backward thing. We can be modern and develop our societies without abandoning any cultural or religious values. Our religion and culture makes us unique and shapes our identity. We should uphold our values but at the same time, tolerate and accept other values. Isn't tolerance one of the teachings of the prophet?
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