Hello friends,
I am finally back from the Hajj, and I must tell what an amazing journey it has been for me. A very intense spiritual journey one for me. Right from the evening I left Jeddah for Mina, I have had huge emotional moments, which is still ringing in my soul. I have so much to share with you all; the effect of Hajj has been so profound on me, so much so, my mind is still in Mina/ Arafat/ Makkah. I have had moments of joy and moments where I wept. I have had moments of sheer exhilaration witnessing the mass gathering of so many Muslims in one city all doing the same thing with me, to moments of getting goosebumps all over hearing large groups of people saying the same verse from the Quran over and over. The fact that my parents and I were two hours away from being caught in the stampede in Mina which killed 400+ people made me realize that maybe God has given me a new lease of life.
If God has been so kind to give me the world's most amazing opportunity to do the Hajj, what am I willing to do for God?
That is what I will be pondering over for the next few days. I am just so touched spiritually by the whole journey, I feel I want to do it all over again, right now!
I just have so many experiences to share with you(including making friends with two guys who could potentially be my life-long friends) so if you can bear with me, I will need a couple of days to organize my journal and pictures and soon have them posted up here. (Thank God Flickr is up and working so you all can see my pictures!)
See you in a few days!
Mansur
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Off to Hajj!
Hello friends,
Tonight, the 7th of January, at 9pm, my parents and I are setting out with a group of 50 people on a bus to Mina. This will mark the beginning of our Hajj this year. I will be gone for the whole week performing my Hajj. I am blessed with an amazing opportunity to perform Hajj this year, given the fact my parents leave the Kingdom this year for good. I shall come back on Thursday, inshallah. I feel like taking on a role of a CNN reporter and blogging everything from there too, which I may do so later next week. Right now, I am much excited to embark on this pilgrimage which celebrates unity in diversity with such grandeur and amazement!
Take care you all! (don't miss me too much :-) )
Mansur
Tonight, the 7th of January, at 9pm, my parents and I are setting out with a group of 50 people on a bus to Mina. This will mark the beginning of our Hajj this year. I will be gone for the whole week performing my Hajj. I am blessed with an amazing opportunity to perform Hajj this year, given the fact my parents leave the Kingdom this year for good. I shall come back on Thursday, inshallah. I feel like taking on a role of a CNN reporter and blogging everything from there too, which I may do so later next week. Right now, I am much excited to embark on this pilgrimage which celebrates unity in diversity with such grandeur and amazement!
Take care you all! (don't miss me too much :-) )
Mansur
Thursday, January 05, 2006
10,000 Visitors!
Hey all,
I finally made it to the first 10,000 visitors. I am very proud of the achievment I made by having 10,000 "unique" visitors visit my blog. It may have taken me more than a year to get this target, but nevertheless, a HUGE thank you to all who have contributed to this figure. (I know there are other blogs out there who get 10,000 visitors daily, so my blog doesn't seem that amazing). But to know that there are people out there who are willing to listen to what Life of Mansur is all about, I think is very impressive.
Mansur
Summary
Daily Unique:
Today 17 / 05 Jan, Thu, 2006
Yesterday 23 / 04 Jan, Wed, 2006
Average 43 Visitors per Day
Highest Day 136 / 20 Jul, Wed, 2005
Totals:
Unique Visitors 10014 - 85.58%
Visits incl. Reloads 11701
Reloads 1687 - 14.42%
Visitors via Referrers 5565 - 55.57%
Weekly Unique:
Current Week 97 / Wk 01
Last Week 190 / Wk 52
Average 294 Visitors per Week
I finally made it to the first 10,000 visitors. I am very proud of the achievment I made by having 10,000 "unique" visitors visit my blog. It may have taken me more than a year to get this target, but nevertheless, a HUGE thank you to all who have contributed to this figure. (I know there are other blogs out there who get 10,000 visitors daily, so my blog doesn't seem that amazing). But to know that there are people out there who are willing to listen to what Life of Mansur is all about, I think is very impressive.
Mansur
Summary
Daily Unique:
Today 17 / 05 Jan, Thu, 2006
Yesterday 23 / 04 Jan, Wed, 2006
Average 43 Visitors per Day
Highest Day 136 / 20 Jul, Wed, 2005
Totals:
Unique Visitors 10014 - 85.58%
Visits incl. Reloads 11701
Reloads 1687 - 14.42%
Visitors via Referrers 5565 - 55.57%
Weekly Unique:
Current Week 97 / Wk 01
Last Week 190 / Wk 52
Average 294 Visitors per Week
Monday, January 02, 2006
2005: Life of Mansur in Review
Hello friends,
Since everyone was doing a New Year's resolution thing, I decided to take that concept and do something else with it. I usually don't do this on such a world-wide platform like my blog, but I decided to do it anyway. What I am going to share with you are the most important things that I feel have impacted me in all ways. These things include something as minor as the iPod to major experiences like the earthquake in Pakistan. Without further ado, here are some of the the more important things/ experiences than countless others for me in the year 2005.
---------------------------------------------
Sudoku
I don't think there is anyone here who doesn't know what this is. It's been a tradition in my house that my mom and I would collectively do the crosswords, especially the ones by Thomas Joseph. However, my mom and brother got involved in Sudoku last summers in the UK, and about three weeks ago, I got hooked on to them, so much so, I have to do one daily. It is a Japanese game, which has swept the world over. What you have to do is fill in the missing numbers in a grid of 9x9, which in itself consists of 9 grids of 3x3. Each 3x3 grid has to have 1-9 and each row and column in the 9x9 grid has to have 1-9, with no repeptition. It's very stimulating and gets my brain to think. (I have always been bad with numbers, which is why I feel very rewarded when I solve a Sudoku game!)
Blogging
For most of 2005 I spent a large amount of my time dedicated to my blog. I made huge efforts to update it daily. Blogging has been on the whole a very rewarding experience for me, and I hope it will continue to be. I got connected with people out there in cyberspace, people who I have never met, seen nor talked to, yet feel connected because we share similar ideas. There have been few times when I have had skirmishes with certain people out there, but those moments only caused me to be more stronger and take in criticism more positively. On another note, I met my fellow blogger friend in Riyadh two days ago, which has been very fulfilling! It's always great to see you Xena!
Since everyone was doing a New Year's resolution thing, I decided to take that concept and do something else with it. I usually don't do this on such a world-wide platform like my blog, but I decided to do it anyway. What I am going to share with you are the most important things that I feel have impacted me in all ways. These things include something as minor as the iPod to major experiences like the earthquake in Pakistan. Without further ado, here are some of the the more important things/ experiences than countless others for me in the year 2005.
---------------------------------------------
Sudoku
I don't think there is anyone here who doesn't know what this is. It's been a tradition in my house that my mom and I would collectively do the crosswords, especially the ones by Thomas Joseph. However, my mom and brother got involved in Sudoku last summers in the UK, and about three weeks ago, I got hooked on to them, so much so, I have to do one daily. It is a Japanese game, which has swept the world over. What you have to do is fill in the missing numbers in a grid of 9x9, which in itself consists of 9 grids of 3x3. Each 3x3 grid has to have 1-9 and each row and column in the 9x9 grid has to have 1-9, with no repeptition. It's very stimulating and gets my brain to think. (I have always been bad with numbers, which is why I feel very rewarded when I solve a Sudoku game!)
Blogging
For most of 2005 I spent a large amount of my time dedicated to my blog. I made huge efforts to update it daily. Blogging has been on the whole a very rewarding experience for me, and I hope it will continue to be. I got connected with people out there in cyberspace, people who I have never met, seen nor talked to, yet feel connected because we share similar ideas. There have been few times when I have had skirmishes with certain people out there, but those moments only caused me to be more stronger and take in criticism more positively. On another note, I met my fellow blogger friend in Riyadh two days ago, which has been very fulfilling! It's always great to see you Xena!
My Own Flat
Right at the beginning of 2005, I got my very own flat. It seemed like a huge accomplishment to be able to get the furniture and pay for the rent out of my own pocket. I had total creative freedom to decorate my house my own way. Learnt to do cooking, pay bills on time, budget myself, and clean toilets! :)
Right at the beginning of 2005, I got my very own flat. It seemed like a huge accomplishment to be able to get the furniture and pay for the rent out of my own pocket. I had total creative freedom to decorate my house my own way. Learnt to do cooking, pay bills on time, budget myself, and clean toilets! :)
iPod and 80s
The iPod has been a constant companion for me the entire year. Wherever I went, it went with me. No other piece of technology has been so meaningful to me than the iPod. Forget my Sony Walkman, or my Macintosh laptop, the iPod beats them all down. The greatest thing however is that I managed to get all my favorite songs from the 1980s onto my iPod! In addition to this, I am very much intrigued my Blackberry, the latest must-have. Blackberry are the latest devices which is shaped like a small organizer, and basically lets you email, make calls, and organize your diary (calendar, appointments etc). I am setting my next purchase on a Blackberry.
My Birthday
My birthday in year 2005 was one of the best. To have my birthday fall on a weekend, going bowling with my friends, and coming back to do all the cooking proved to be an awesome time for us all as we spent another evening strengthening our friendships.
Medical Mayhems
Three major medical mishaps occurred in 2005. (a)My cornea got scratched! (b)I got severely dehydrated, leading me to endure eight bottles of drips and three days and nights in hospital with no food, losing 7kgs over four days, and (c) finally my surgery in Pakistan (sorry no details there!) These medical mayhems reminded me of how vulnerable my body is. I was reminded over and over how death could strike anytime. These experiences only made me re-evaluate my life and my aspirations and goals, and my focus on God.
Natural Disasters
2005 started off with the devastation caused by the tsunami. Hurricane Katrina damaged southern United States. Bomb attacks took place in the UK in July. While I somewhat identified with these incidents, nothing prepared me for the immense earthquake that struck Northern Pakistan. For weeks, I would be glue to the TV, watching every update and realizing how fast the death toll was escalating. My trip to the earthquake inflicted areas has got to be one of the most important experiences for me as a personal human being. To see my own countrymen, and children especially, broke my heart and rendered my helpless. Thankfully, I did my part to help as much as I could have.
Birth and Death
My nephew Zaeem was born on the 19th August. It was a moment of pure jubilation as we celebrated the arrival of a son in my brother's family. Sadly enough, just three months later, my grandfather passed away. Sometimes it is difficult to accept death of a loved one, but the birth of Zaeem and the death of my Baba only reminded me that God is the one who creates life and takes away life, and it gives me comfort in knowing that He has everything under His control.
Growing, Maturing and Being Wiser
The iPod has been a constant companion for me the entire year. Wherever I went, it went with me. No other piece of technology has been so meaningful to me than the iPod. Forget my Sony Walkman, or my Macintosh laptop, the iPod beats them all down. The greatest thing however is that I managed to get all my favorite songs from the 1980s onto my iPod! In addition to this, I am very much intrigued my Blackberry, the latest must-have. Blackberry are the latest devices which is shaped like a small organizer, and basically lets you email, make calls, and organize your diary (calendar, appointments etc). I am setting my next purchase on a Blackberry.
My Birthday
My birthday in year 2005 was one of the best. To have my birthday fall on a weekend, going bowling with my friends, and coming back to do all the cooking proved to be an awesome time for us all as we spent another evening strengthening our friendships.
Medical Mayhems
Three major medical mishaps occurred in 2005. (a)My cornea got scratched! (b)I got severely dehydrated, leading me to endure eight bottles of drips and three days and nights in hospital with no food, losing 7kgs over four days, and (c) finally my surgery in Pakistan (sorry no details there!) These medical mayhems reminded me of how vulnerable my body is. I was reminded over and over how death could strike anytime. These experiences only made me re-evaluate my life and my aspirations and goals, and my focus on God.
Natural Disasters
2005 started off with the devastation caused by the tsunami. Hurricane Katrina damaged southern United States. Bomb attacks took place in the UK in July. While I somewhat identified with these incidents, nothing prepared me for the immense earthquake that struck Northern Pakistan. For weeks, I would be glue to the TV, watching every update and realizing how fast the death toll was escalating. My trip to the earthquake inflicted areas has got to be one of the most important experiences for me as a personal human being. To see my own countrymen, and children especially, broke my heart and rendered my helpless. Thankfully, I did my part to help as much as I could have.
Birth and Death
My nephew Zaeem was born on the 19th August. It was a moment of pure jubilation as we celebrated the arrival of a son in my brother's family. Sadly enough, just three months later, my grandfather passed away. Sometimes it is difficult to accept death of a loved one, but the birth of Zaeem and the death of my Baba only reminded me that God is the one who creates life and takes away life, and it gives me comfort in knowing that He has everything under His control.
Growing, Maturing and Being Wiser
The greatest experience I have had in the year has been the experience of growing and becoming wiser. From all the above experiences, as well as many more, I have challenged who I am as a person. Do I still hold the same values and ideals? Have these experiences reinforced my beliefs or challenged me? Has anything made me stronger, or weaker? How did I deal with the death of my Baba? All these and more forced me to accept and deal with the challenges as they came hurtling in my path. In the midst of all this, I changed, and I consider myself more wiser than I was at the beginning of the year 2005. Education doesn't stop in school or university; in fact, my whole life is an education for me. I am learning new things each day, and I am being challenged daily, thus making me stronger and wiser.
Happy 2006 to you all!
Mansur
Happy 2006 to you all!
Mansur
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards
Hello friends,
Imagine if you were a school girl in a school here in Saudi Arabia, anxious to have that new gymnasium built on your campus, as you realize you and your friends would soon have sports to play, exercise machines to use or simply to have a class called Physical Education. Well, guess what? Tough luck! Because Saudi Arabia has not given permission to the schools to build gymnasiums in any of the girl's schools in the Kingdom. No Physical Education for Schoolgirls! What a blow to the young school girls! I mean, come on, being in an all girls' schools, playing sports in an enclosed building, what does that have to do with violating the religious laws here. "Two days ago the Ministry of Education stated that it “would not introduce physical education in girls’ schools” and requested that the media “respect religious, literary and national responsibility.” I mean, come on, give me a break!
Ironically enough, on the same front page of Arab News, there was news of a Saudi woman making waves because she was elected to be a member on the 10-member board of the Saudi Engineers Council. To read this piece of news seemed so funny because on one hand we see the immense progess women are making in various fields of social life in the Kingdom, which is in stark contrast to know that young schoolgirls will not get the opportunity to even participate in sports. An anonymous spokesperson from the Education Administration in Makkah said, “Religious men have a great influence on our education and the ministry listens only to those with certain views about women and their role and place in society."
It may be one step forward for this particular woman to be elected to the board, but it's two steps backwards for the schoolgirls of this nation! (I cannot help but think of the schoolgirls who were killed in the school fire in the city of Makkah, as the Religious barred them from leaving because they feared the physical contact between the girls and the firemen would be akin to a huge sin!)
Mansur
Imagine if you were a school girl in a school here in Saudi Arabia, anxious to have that new gymnasium built on your campus, as you realize you and your friends would soon have sports to play, exercise machines to use or simply to have a class called Physical Education. Well, guess what? Tough luck! Because Saudi Arabia has not given permission to the schools to build gymnasiums in any of the girl's schools in the Kingdom. No Physical Education for Schoolgirls! What a blow to the young school girls! I mean, come on, being in an all girls' schools, playing sports in an enclosed building, what does that have to do with violating the religious laws here. "Two days ago the Ministry of Education stated that it “would not introduce physical education in girls’ schools” and requested that the media “respect religious, literary and national responsibility.” I mean, come on, give me a break!
Ironically enough, on the same front page of Arab News, there was news of a Saudi woman making waves because she was elected to be a member on the 10-member board of the Saudi Engineers Council. To read this piece of news seemed so funny because on one hand we see the immense progess women are making in various fields of social life in the Kingdom, which is in stark contrast to know that young schoolgirls will not get the opportunity to even participate in sports. An anonymous spokesperson from the Education Administration in Makkah said, “Religious men have a great influence on our education and the ministry listens only to those with certain views about women and their role and place in society."
It may be one step forward for this particular woman to be elected to the board, but it's two steps backwards for the schoolgirls of this nation! (I cannot help but think of the schoolgirls who were killed in the school fire in the city of Makkah, as the Religious barred them from leaving because they feared the physical contact between the girls and the firemen would be akin to a huge sin!)
Mansur
Photos Blocked!
Hello friends,
I am totally deprived of posting my pictures up here on my blog. Flickr.com is blocked. I tried posting pictures through Blogger, and the pictures are blocked. I tried using Photoucket and that is also blocked here. Does anyone out there know how to get my pictures up here on my blog? I have seen some bloggers with profile pictures that can be seen, and some pictures on their blog posts which are not blocked. What's your secret?
Anyone out there who has bypassed this photo blocking thing? Help me!
Thanks a million!
Mansur
I am totally deprived of posting my pictures up here on my blog. Flickr.com is blocked. I tried posting pictures through Blogger, and the pictures are blocked. I tried using Photoucket and that is also blocked here. Does anyone out there know how to get my pictures up here on my blog? I have seen some bloggers with profile pictures that can be seen, and some pictures on their blog posts which are not blocked. What's your secret?
Anyone out there who has bypassed this photo blocking thing? Help me!
Thanks a million!
Mansur
Monday, December 26, 2005
A Dead Cat and a Happy Christmas!
Hey everyone,
As I was driving down the road, coming back from Kanz Obhur-- which by the way is an amazing place to have fresh fish on the Red Sea, on the coast of Jeddah-- I was thinking about the two extremely cute kittens that were sitting next to our table, waiting for us to give them some of our fish. Well, lo and behold, as I was driving 80kpm, my sister and I both shrieked in horror as we saw a white cat darting across the road. A huge bump was felt within a millisecond, as we both realized I had driven over the cat! Our screams got my dad at the back to shout "what happened?" to which my sister replied, "Mansur just drove over the cat and killed it!"
I felt so bad for killing the cat, but I was helpless. Driving at 80kpm, I was below the 100kpm speed limit, and the cat had just decided to cross the road right when I came up to her. If I had braked hard, we would have definitely made a worse mess of ourselves. I felt really bad too because I am always so meticulous when driving, taking extreme care of the way I drive. Then I get a situation where I helplessly drive over a cat. This is not my first time though...I have driven over a cat once before too!
So anyway, today was Christmas. All the television channels are broadcasting their Merry Christmas to their viewers. One particular difference I am noticing on the Pakistani channels is the coverage they are giving to the Pakistani Christians celebrating Christmas in Pakistan. We have soap/ drama based on Christian characters. I remember reading an article in Saudi gazette, talking about how while Saudi Arabia doesn't sell Christmas trees or other specific decorations for Christmas, there are shops selling other items which could be substituted for the trees and other decor. Dubai is in full bloom for Christmas, as malls are heavily decorated with Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Reindeers and in one mall, a band singing Christmas songs. The Dubai Duty Free at the airport had a huge Christmas complete with presents wrapped placed under the tree. These pictures here will reveal to you the full extent of Christmas decorations in Dubai malls.
Living in a Muslim dominated society, how far is too far? How tolerant should we be of allowing people of other faith celebrate their special occasions? I would not mind wishing someone "happy Christmas" because wishing someone else on their special day is a way to keep relations with them well. After all, other non-Muslims wish me happy Eid. If one has given me an Eid gift, then I would reciprocate their gesture on their their holiday. But I would not go as far as participating in church services or singing songs with them. I also personally don't have a problem with a country like UAE celebrating Christmas, but I wonder why the same spirit and festivities are not there when it's Eid? Why aren't the malls decorated as heavily as they are during Christmas? Are the shopping malls so cash-hungry they will go to this lengths to attract customers?
In today's time, Christmas is becoming more and more secular worldwide, as it has been turned into a very commercial venture. Shopping and eating has rid the true meaning of Christmas. Ask some Christians out there, and they don't even know what Christmas is. They truly are surprised when I tell them "Christ"mas is birth of Jesus Christ. Dah! It's the same case in Dubai and elsewhere in the Middle East: Christmas is a secular holiday celebrated with shopping, eating, drinking and partying.
However, there are still some people who celebrate Christmas with it's true meaning. I know churches in Dubai have full fledge services as I remember getting caught up in traffic one time and realized the traffic jam was of huge wave of people going to church. So, to those who do celebrate Christmas for what it should be celebrated with, I wish you a Happy Christmas!
Mansur
As I was driving down the road, coming back from Kanz Obhur-- which by the way is an amazing place to have fresh fish on the Red Sea, on the coast of Jeddah-- I was thinking about the two extremely cute kittens that were sitting next to our table, waiting for us to give them some of our fish. Well, lo and behold, as I was driving 80kpm, my sister and I both shrieked in horror as we saw a white cat darting across the road. A huge bump was felt within a millisecond, as we both realized I had driven over the cat! Our screams got my dad at the back to shout "what happened?" to which my sister replied, "Mansur just drove over the cat and killed it!"
I felt so bad for killing the cat, but I was helpless. Driving at 80kpm, I was below the 100kpm speed limit, and the cat had just decided to cross the road right when I came up to her. If I had braked hard, we would have definitely made a worse mess of ourselves. I felt really bad too because I am always so meticulous when driving, taking extreme care of the way I drive. Then I get a situation where I helplessly drive over a cat. This is not my first time though...I have driven over a cat once before too!
So anyway, today was Christmas. All the television channels are broadcasting their Merry Christmas to their viewers. One particular difference I am noticing on the Pakistani channels is the coverage they are giving to the Pakistani Christians celebrating Christmas in Pakistan. We have soap/ drama based on Christian characters. I remember reading an article in Saudi gazette, talking about how while Saudi Arabia doesn't sell Christmas trees or other specific decorations for Christmas, there are shops selling other items which could be substituted for the trees and other decor. Dubai is in full bloom for Christmas, as malls are heavily decorated with Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Reindeers and in one mall, a band singing Christmas songs. The Dubai Duty Free at the airport had a huge Christmas complete with presents wrapped placed under the tree. These pictures here will reveal to you the full extent of Christmas decorations in Dubai malls.
Living in a Muslim dominated society, how far is too far? How tolerant should we be of allowing people of other faith celebrate their special occasions? I would not mind wishing someone "happy Christmas" because wishing someone else on their special day is a way to keep relations with them well. After all, other non-Muslims wish me happy Eid. If one has given me an Eid gift, then I would reciprocate their gesture on their their holiday. But I would not go as far as participating in church services or singing songs with them. I also personally don't have a problem with a country like UAE celebrating Christmas, but I wonder why the same spirit and festivities are not there when it's Eid? Why aren't the malls decorated as heavily as they are during Christmas? Are the shopping malls so cash-hungry they will go to this lengths to attract customers?
In today's time, Christmas is becoming more and more secular worldwide, as it has been turned into a very commercial venture. Shopping and eating has rid the true meaning of Christmas. Ask some Christians out there, and they don't even know what Christmas is. They truly are surprised when I tell them "Christ"mas is birth of Jesus Christ. Dah! It's the same case in Dubai and elsewhere in the Middle East: Christmas is a secular holiday celebrated with shopping, eating, drinking and partying.
However, there are still some people who celebrate Christmas with it's true meaning. I know churches in Dubai have full fledge services as I remember getting caught up in traffic one time and realized the traffic jam was of huge wave of people going to church. So, to those who do celebrate Christmas for what it should be celebrated with, I wish you a Happy Christmas!
Mansur
Monday, December 19, 2005
Weight Loss
Hey you all,
When I was sick recently due to extreme dehydration, during which I had not eaten for almost five days and had to take in eight bottles of saline solution, I lost a lot of weight. I used to weigh 92kgs and....now I am down to 85kgs. That's a loss of about 7 kgs. Within five days I lost 7kgs. I see this experience as an opportunity to keep my weight down. I am trying hard to maintain it, bt God, those chocolates....I just got to have them.
Mansur
When I was sick recently due to extreme dehydration, during which I had not eaten for almost five days and had to take in eight bottles of saline solution, I lost a lot of weight. I used to weigh 92kgs and....now I am down to 85kgs. That's a loss of about 7 kgs. Within five days I lost 7kgs. I see this experience as an opportunity to keep my weight down. I am trying hard to maintain it, bt God, those chocolates....I just got to have them.
Mansur
Going to Jeddah, and Leaving Jeddah....
Hello friends,
Guess what? I am going back to Jeddah today!! I am so excited, I can barely contain my excitement. Everytime I leave Saudi Arabia I have to re-enter within six months in order to keep my residence visa. So, I had left on the 30th of June 2005, which means I have to get back to Saudi Arabia by the 30th of December 2005. But somehow, according to the Islamic dates, the days get less, so that means I have to get earlier than the 30th of December.
This trip will be somewhat a bit sad, because it cold very well be my last trip to Jeddah. You see my father is about retire soon and move back to Pakistan. That means, we will have to leave our home in Jeddah. I cannot even begin to comprehend this yet. I was a baby when I came to Jeddah, and I can clearly remember going to the kindergarten, the Arabic school, and the the two different British schools. I practically grew up here, and when I am outside of Saudi Arabia, I tell people I want to go back home, and I mean Jeddah. Although I am from Pakistan, my childhood was spent in Jeddah, and in effect, I get to have two homes!
It will be a very emotional moment for me, and for everyone of us in the family, because we have been there for 28 years now! Talking to my mom earlier, she said that we have a lot of sorting out to do in our house. What do we take? What do we throw? What do give away?
But for now, I am going to live every single day in Jeddah as if they are my last days. I just cannot imagine knowing that there will come a time when I know I will not get to go back "home" for my parents will not be there.
Mansur
Guess what? I am going back to Jeddah today!! I am so excited, I can barely contain my excitement. Everytime I leave Saudi Arabia I have to re-enter within six months in order to keep my residence visa. So, I had left on the 30th of June 2005, which means I have to get back to Saudi Arabia by the 30th of December 2005. But somehow, according to the Islamic dates, the days get less, so that means I have to get earlier than the 30th of December.
This trip will be somewhat a bit sad, because it cold very well be my last trip to Jeddah. You see my father is about retire soon and move back to Pakistan. That means, we will have to leave our home in Jeddah. I cannot even begin to comprehend this yet. I was a baby when I came to Jeddah, and I can clearly remember going to the kindergarten, the Arabic school, and the the two different British schools. I practically grew up here, and when I am outside of Saudi Arabia, I tell people I want to go back home, and I mean Jeddah. Although I am from Pakistan, my childhood was spent in Jeddah, and in effect, I get to have two homes!
It will be a very emotional moment for me, and for everyone of us in the family, because we have been there for 28 years now! Talking to my mom earlier, she said that we have a lot of sorting out to do in our house. What do we take? What do we throw? What do give away?
But for now, I am going to live every single day in Jeddah as if they are my last days. I just cannot imagine knowing that there will come a time when I know I will not get to go back "home" for my parents will not be there.
Mansur
Friday, December 16, 2005
Gay Wedding- Part 2
Hello friends,
I am about to pick up another hot, and apparently very popular topic, "Homosexuality." I was browsing through my tracker on the side bar, and realized that a lot of people are searching for "gay" in search engine, and my article on "gay wedding in Saudi Arabia" shows up as one of the result. Homosexuality is still a social stigma, which is why it is not fully understood and discussed, hence no attempts are made to address the situation to deal with it.
Imagine my surprise when upon my return from Pakistan, I heard about an apparent "gay wedding" taking place in Abu Dhabi. I was so shocked, although I knew gays existed here in Dubai, as there were reports last year of a nightclub closing down because it had arranged for a wild gay party, complete with flyers being distributed and drag queens taking coming in from the UK. Khaleej Times had a front page article on the arrest of gay men at the hotel.
Now, a lot of people could argue that homosexuality is a Western influence and only the expatriates take part in such things, but this gay wedding was a shocker for me. Why? Because it involved local Emiratis! Isn't that a shocker?
To cut a long story short, here is what happened:
"More than two dozen gay men arrested at what police called a mass homosexual wedding. Police raided a hotel chalet earlier this month and arrested 26 men as they celebrated the mass wedding ceremony- one of a string of recent group arrests of homosexuals in the emirates. They found a dozen men dressed as female brides and a dozen others in male Arab dress, apparently preparing for a ceremony that would join them as husbands and wives. 'It was a real party with balloons and champagne.' The 26 men arrested include those from the Emirates as well as an Indian disc jockey and three men froneighboringng Arab states. One of the arrested was to perform the wedding ceremony.
Last year, police made mass arrests at an apparent gay wedding in Sharjah and at the Khor Fakkan beach resort in Fujairah."
Now, what's the solution the government has proposed to cure these men? They wall basically "treat them with male hormones," which means injecting them with hormones, testosteronees. Have they ever thought about how such male hormones will make them more manly and attractive to one another? I guess not.
Also, there have been recent "complaints of gay behavior were emerging from the country's schools and myriad shopping malls." Times are changing, and while one group may project the blame on the huge influx of westerners to be a cause of increase in homosexuality, I would say there would be other reasons too that is leading for men to behave this way. The internet has been a huge platform which has allowed homosexualsals to meet up. According to this Khaleej Times report, there are "UAE gay groups who can easily get hooked to people with similar interest in other cities. There are also UAE-based gay couples meet up groups on the net. The Dubai Gay Meet Group, one active cyber group with 14 members, announced through its board that the next meeting scheduled for December 8 has been cancelled."
Well, so there you go. Another report of gay wedding. When we see countries like the UK and Netherlands give permission for same-sex marriages, we are witnessing attempts at gay marriages in the Middle East. There is no denying homosexuality exists here, and something needs to be done about it. To those who are wondering where I stand with this issue, you can read my previous post.
Till I see you next time, take care,
Mansur
I am about to pick up another hot, and apparently very popular topic, "Homosexuality." I was browsing through my tracker on the side bar, and realized that a lot of people are searching for "gay" in search engine, and my article on "gay wedding in Saudi Arabia" shows up as one of the result. Homosexuality is still a social stigma, which is why it is not fully understood and discussed, hence no attempts are made to address the situation to deal with it.
Imagine my surprise when upon my return from Pakistan, I heard about an apparent "gay wedding" taking place in Abu Dhabi. I was so shocked, although I knew gays existed here in Dubai, as there were reports last year of a nightclub closing down because it had arranged for a wild gay party, complete with flyers being distributed and drag queens taking coming in from the UK. Khaleej Times had a front page article on the arrest of gay men at the hotel.
Now, a lot of people could argue that homosexuality is a Western influence and only the expatriates take part in such things, but this gay wedding was a shocker for me. Why? Because it involved local Emiratis! Isn't that a shocker?
To cut a long story short, here is what happened:
"More than two dozen gay men arrested at what police called a mass homosexual wedding. Police raided a hotel chalet earlier this month and arrested 26 men as they celebrated the mass wedding ceremony- one of a string of recent group arrests of homosexuals in the emirates. They found a dozen men dressed as female brides and a dozen others in male Arab dress, apparently preparing for a ceremony that would join them as husbands and wives. 'It was a real party with balloons and champagne.' The 26 men arrested include those from the Emirates as well as an Indian disc jockey and three men froneighboringng Arab states. One of the arrested was to perform the wedding ceremony.
Last year, police made mass arrests at an apparent gay wedding in Sharjah and at the Khor Fakkan beach resort in Fujairah."
Now, what's the solution the government has proposed to cure these men? They wall basically "treat them with male hormones," which means injecting them with hormones, testosteronees. Have they ever thought about how such male hormones will make them more manly and attractive to one another? I guess not.
Also, there have been recent "complaints of gay behavior were emerging from the country's schools and myriad shopping malls." Times are changing, and while one group may project the blame on the huge influx of westerners to be a cause of increase in homosexuality, I would say there would be other reasons too that is leading for men to behave this way. The internet has been a huge platform which has allowed homosexualsals to meet up. According to this Khaleej Times report, there are "UAE gay groups who can easily get hooked to people with similar interest in other cities. There are also UAE-based gay couples meet up groups on the net. The Dubai Gay Meet Group, one active cyber group with 14 members, announced through its board that the next meeting scheduled for December 8 has been cancelled."
Well, so there you go. Another report of gay wedding. When we see countries like the UK and Netherlands give permission for same-sex marriages, we are witnessing attempts at gay marriages in the Middle East. There is no denying homosexuality exists here, and something needs to be done about it. To those who are wondering where I stand with this issue, you can read my previous post.
Till I see you next time, take care,
Mansur
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
