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

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

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

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

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

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

At The Death-Bed, a Sweet Moment of Love

Hello friends,

My grandfather (baba) was taken to the hospital at 10am after his brief spell of fainting. I was out working the whole morning and afternoon and only managed to come to the hospital in the evening at 6pm. A lot of people had gathered in front of the ICU unit, and only two to three people were allowed inside the ICU.

Later on towards the night, as there were less people there, I took my grandmother on the wheelchair inside to see baba. He had a breathing tube inside his mouth, and was breathing heavily through the pipe, making gasping noises. He had an IV needle in his arm, and a pulse-reader on his finger. Will this be his last night? I could not bear to think about it. I still held on to the hope that he will hold on to his life. After sitting there for a while, my uncle suggested that I take my grandmother home since she was so exhausted being at the hospital all day long.

She was not getting up from her seat. She wanted to be by his side for as long as she could. I grabbed hold on to her arm and motioned her to let us leave. She asked for a minute alone with baba, and I let her be. From behind the screen, I saw a very powerful image of love manifested in what my grandmother did. From as early as I can remember, I never saw my grandparents show any display of emotions or love to each other in front of others. They were always reserved and maintained a certain kind of relationship in front of others, which never really displayed any signs of love. But tonight, what my grandmother did with baba broke dissipated all those memories and proved to me that love is indeed the strongest bond that can hold two people together.

She got up from her chair, and leaned over to baba, whom doctors had said has gone into a coma. She held on his arm so lovingly, and then spoke something into his ears. I don’t know what she said, but she spoke for what seemed like a long time. With her other hand, she fixed up his hair and rubbed his forehead, just in the same way a mother pats her child with love. Tears started to well up in my eyes. I had never seen my grandmother show any physical display of love to baba, and yet here, she was doing everything. After fixing his hair, she leaned over a little bit further and kissed his forehead.

“Allah-hafiz,” was all that she said.

I helped her into the wheelchair, and she said to me, “This may be the last time I see your baba alive.” So overcome with emotion, I quickly went up to my baba and kissed him on his forehead and whispered into his ears, “Baba, this is Mansur. I want you to know that I am praying for you and that I will be remembering you.”

I left the ICU unit with my grandmother. We eventually came home at midnight. For the next three hours, that one image of my grandmother leaning over to kiss my baba on his forehead was imprinted into my mind as a very powerful image of love between my grandparents, who I saw for the first time in my life as a husband and wife, and not as mere grandparents. I saw for the first time my grandparents as a couple, who were once young like us, who have feelings for each other even at this age. It was such a sweet moment for me to take in.

The phone rang at 3am. My mom jumped out of bed.

“Mansur. I have to go the hospital. It’s not good news.”

I stayed back home with my 10 year-old cousin, while my mom and grandmother went to the hospital.

3:30am, several people came home. I opened the door.

With a single eye contact from my other cousin, I knew baba was no more.

---Mansur

Earthquake! A picture diary.

Hey friends,

Here are some of the pictures from the Quake affected places in Muzzafarabad, which was very close to the epicenter.

We left Lahore for Islamabad on the Motorway, which was about 3-4 hours by car. The drive is initially boring since the landscape is flat and dry, but as soon as you progress further, you pass through the Salt Range Mountains, which makes for a very interesting drive.

I don't know why, but I found this tree very fascinating. When you see all other trees covered in leaves, this one was without any. The stark contrast made for an interesting sight.

A view from the mountain road, where one can see tents plus temporary shelters all set up. It was a sight to see from up above because one gets a clearer picture of how huge the scale of devastation is.

It's a beautiful city, complete with a river flowing through.

The Tent City where we distributed aid and relief goods. There was a near mob-riot scene as people realized we were giving out money.

The white areas on the mountains is where the debris came falling down, taking everything in its path, including houses and people.

One of the many houses that were damaged. There is nothing liveable in the city. Every single building, house, shop has been damaged.

There are bodies beneath this rubble. The thought of knowing someone may be under there was a scary one, and brought on a strong feeling of helplessness in me.

As I said, nothing is safe. Every single place has been damaged. People are living out in the tents. Even those houses that are partially damaged are empty as people still fear, and rightly so because aftershocks and tremors are still being felt.

The night before, the men stayed in this tent, where we had to endure temperatures of below 10 degrees centigrade, which in my book is way too cold. We got a very good idea of the conditions these people were in now.

I left with a strong feeling of helplessness, because I wanted to help each and every person out there, mainly the kids. More on that later.

---Mansur

Conversation with Baba

Hey friends,

When I had reached Pakistan just before Eid, I was going to see my grandfather (baba) after more than a year. The last I saw him was in September 2004. He fell really sick and was hospitalized in January 2005 and his health had been deteriorating since then.

As soon as I entered the room, the first thing that struck me was how thin he had become, almost skeletal like. His arms had no flesh; instead it looked like skin covering his bones. He had become really weak and was lying there as if he were sleeping, eyes barely open. He did recognize me when I introduced myself. I could not register the shock I experienced when I saw him, but in front of baba I had to act natural.

Over the next few days, I did spend some time with baba. He was aware that I live in Dubai and he would be asking me questions about Dubai, even though he would slur many times when speaking. He had always been an intelligent person, seeking to increase his knowledge all the time, and even now, as he was lying sick in his bed, he would ask me general knowledge questions. His mind was still sharp, but we realized as days progressed that his mind was deteriorating, and his ability to keep up with his conversatiing was fading fast.

My grandmother never left his side, but one particular evening, I asked my grandmother to go with everyone to a function while I would stay behind and look after baba. She was happy I had offered to stay behind and skip out on the function. Two of my other cousins stayed with me as well. The particular conversation I had with baba that evening will always remain with me for as long as I can remember.

Baba was in bed, and I was holding his hand, rubbing it. He would respond to my rubbing his hand by clutching tight my hand. Suddenly he spoke out.

“Mansur. I need to go to the mosque to pray.”

“Baba. It’s 10:30pm. The mosque is closed now.”

He went quiet. But after 10 minutes, he told me he absolutely has to go to the mosque to pray. I would tell him that it is late, and that the mosque is closed and that he can go to the mosque for the Friday prayer. Again, he went quiet. Then, ten minutes later, he asked me to give him the ablution (wudhu). I got a bucket of water, and washed his hands, mouth, nose, face, arms and feet.

“Ok, now I am ready to go to the mosque,” he said.

“It is almost eleven, baba, we cannot go. Why don’t you pray in your bed?”

He would not take no for an answer. He was so adamant to go to the mosque, for reasons I did not understand. Then I asked him something which helped me understand his intentions.

“Baba, how old are you?”

Without even pausing for a second, his answer came out in an instant: “75 years old.”

In reality, baba was a grand 93 years old. His mind was stuck 18 years ago. He was living his life as if he were 75 years old. Maybe there were a time when he absolutely had to go the mosque when he was 75. It was remarkable to see my baba talk like this. On another ocassion, he forced us to dress him up in formal clothes, complete with suit jacket and shoes because he had to deleiver some important documents to someone who had passed away now, but in his mind was alive.

The going-to-the-mosque conversation was the last one I had with him. It was a sweet time with him, and many times I felt like that he was holding on to his life because he wanted to see me before he let go of his life. Maybe I am wrong, but I know everyone has a personal connection with baba, and I have my own personal connection. Maybe God did not take away his life before He gave me a chance to speak with my baba one last time. I feel that very strongly.

His death was not a shock for us because we had seen him sick for so long that at the back of our minds, we all knew it was a matter of when. He passed away peacefully. The burial took the same day. It was over in a day. The realization that he had left us hit me couple of days later as I would sleep on my baba’s bed to give my grandmother company at night so she would not feel alone. The reality of the situation struck me deeply, but also knowing that we all have to go one day back to our Creator gave me peace in my heart. He has created us, and He will take away our lives. If you are comfortable with this fact, then death doesn't sound so bad after all.

Mansur

Ecstasy!

Hey friends,

If there is one moment where I am ecstatic, it's right now! I have managed to get my picture thing fixed now....haha! Now I am having the last laugh! They thought they could block Flickr and dampen my spirits to write, but they thought wrong! Now I can have any profile picture, and have regular pictures on my blog too!!! Yes! Sheer determination led me to discover and fix my blog up!

Mansur

Harry Potter!

Hello all,

Back in 2003, when I would be traveling on the underground or the buses in London, I would see so many adults reading Harry Potter books. Why would adults want to read children’s books? I mean, aren’t Harry Potter books for kids, about magic and wizardry? No doubt that Harry Potter is a worldwide phenomenon and its author J.K Rowling is given credit to revive the interest of reading books in children.

During my recent trip to Pakistan, my 10-year-old cousin was reading the Harry Potter books, and she had all six of them. Our of curiosity, I picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book, and managed to finish reading it within a week. I had no idea how involving and interesting it could be. I picked up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which is the second one, and am almost near the end.

Ever since the Harry Potter phenomenon has hit the world, there have been both praise and criticisms, and more often we hear criticisms of the books. Religious groups in the US claimed that Harry Potter is all about witchcraft and wizardry and these kinds of books shouldn’t be given to children to read. Islamic groups discouraged these books because it was about magic, which is discouraged in Islam. Other literary figures talked about how these books are not really well written and don’t stand up to the classic children books like The Chronicles of Narnia.

Personally speaking, I think Harry Potter books are fine, and they should not be read with the intention of seeking to be a wizard. These are fantasy books, where we get to see what an imaginary world of Wizardry and Witchcraft would be like if it existed. I also saw the first movie after I finished the first book, and will soon see the second movie as soon as I finish the second movie. The characters grow progressively and the books get darker and deal with more adult-like themes, namely death.

There was a huge noise about one of the principal characters getting killed in the sixth book, and these kinds of issues are not exactly children’s issues. Harry Potter is a huge publishing phenomenon, and although I have joined the bandwagon quite late, I must say I enjoy reading the books.

I am trying to finish up the second book so I can get to the third and fourth one, because they will soon be releasing the fourth movie here in the UAE.

Take care you all,

Mansur

Put a top to this madness!

hey friends,

I am seriously contemplating not writing anything on my blog for a long time. I just feel like I am losing my drive to write effectivly and consistently. I don't know when the next time it will be for me to write here. I am not closing my blog down because I dont want to give up my blogspot address. So in effect, I am basically taking a long break from blogging. I do apologize to everyone who is inadvertently affected by my decision.

Take care you all,

Mansur

When the Earth Shook...

When the earth shook, the entire mountain range shook as if "God was shaking the mountain with his own hands." The "water in the rivers resembled water when it is boiling: bubbling and shooting up in the air." The sheer impact of the earthquake shook this range of mountain so violently that all the trees, rocks, boulders, houses and people came tumbling down in seconds. The avalanche grabbed everything on its way down, revealing a clean, white surface of the mountain surface underneath.



Mansur

Recuperating

Hey everyone,

Now that I am over my initial anger over the blocking of Flickr by UAE internet company, I guess written words are still very strong and powerful. They cannot block the words, can they? Hahaha! Also because Secret Diary Dubai is Blogger based, and that blog is too well known for UAE to block blogger, so as long as blogger exists I am happy.

There have been sooo much happening I want to share with you all in one go, but I will whet your appettite by giving you a small peek into what you can expect from my writing in the near future.

1. My trip to the earthquake affected areas-- too bad I cannot share the pictures now, they were truly amazing pictures, and even more truly amazing moments spent with the people there.

2. The death of my grandfather- a very profound moment for everyone, and why the funeral resembled a wedding party.

3. The horrible food bug that I caught on my last day there, causing me to vomit from the hour before we left home for the airport (I still remember vomiting in the plane's bathroom just few seconds before take-off!) I was hospitalized when I came here to Dubai and just got out two days ago.

Of course the erthquake posts will be spread over a series of articles and not one because there are too many things to talk about, all my observations, the difference between reality and what media portrays etc.

The pen is mightier than the sword, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Oh how I wish I could get to access my flickr account and post pictures. *sigh*

Take care you all,

Mansour

WHAT THE...???

Hey everyone,

As I was ready to come back to blog regularly from today, I realized that I am not able to see any pictures of mine on my own blog, not even my own profile. So, I try to go to Flickr to sort the mess, and lo and behold, Flickr.com is BLOCKED! I am so angry right now I am thinking of giving up blogging all together. How else can I express mself fully and creatively if I cannot even use graphics and images? This is just plain pitiful. So much for "freedom of thought and express." by the government of UAE. Maybe I need to move to the Dubai Internet City to get access to the blocked sites. Why oh why do innocent peoplel like have to suffer when some miscreants choose to abuse the freedom?

Mansur

A LOSS FOR WORDS

Hey friends,

Today 16th November 2005, at 3:30am, a heart stopped beating.

My paternal grandfather passed away.

Mashallah, he was an amazing 93 years old.

My grandmother is handling the situation with a very brave face, but the real impact of his loss will happen now as we learn to live each day knowing he will not be there in his familiar place in our home.

I have so much to write about him because I share a personal, special relationship with him that was born out of my three years of stay with my grandparents when I was in school in Pakistan. I wish I could get into all the details about him right now, but I am at a mere loss of words for such a huge loss in our family.

My mind is still at the graveyard where we buried him at 5pm. 6 feet below, my grandfather is laid to rest. I was able to handle myself very bravely the whole day as we received guests who dropped by, for the prayers, and for the actual burial. It was on my ride back home alone with the driver than I broke down as I realized this would be the first time I am coming to a home where my grandfather will not be there.

On a side note, I want to apologize to everyone out there for my inability to write on a more periodic basis, but I can assure you that I have made a trip to the northern earth-quake affected areas, and I have kept a journal with pictures, which I will share with you once I am back in Dubai. That experience in itself was life-shattering for me which I must share. On another smaller note, I have had a small surgery which has kept me away from the computer. My stay in Pakistan has been extended for another week because I want to be able to support my grandmother and not let her feel that she is alone right now. She needs us all very much

Friends, apologies once again for not being more consistent writing here. I am just going through a very surreal phase with profound feelings and emotions having experienced the loss of a grandfather who I had a very special place in my heart, and who himself has told me how special I was to him.

May God rest his soul in peace and grant him a special place in Heaven. Ameen.

Mansur :-<

No More Blogging....

Hey friends,

I am not going to be blogging.

Mansur

ps. In case you panicked that I am closing down my blog, dont! I am traveling to Pakistan from the 30th October till the 10th of November, and will be extremely busy in that short period of time as I have loads of things to do on my checklist. So blogging will be really hard to do so.

pss. To those who are fasting, I hope you have a happy eid!

psss. Please pray for me as I will be also be volunteering my time for the on-going relief efforts in Pakistan.

Women Have It Easier in KSA!

Hello friends,

Too often we hear that women are deprived of their rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with issues like driving and voting at the foremost. Aren’t you sick of hearing time and again how some people claim it is difficult to live as a woman in Saudi Arabia? I know I certainly am! However, living as a single male bachelor in Jeddah, I can assure you that in the Kingdom, women have it going a lot easier than people think otherwise. Many times it is equally frustrating to be a single bachelor in the kingdom than it is to be a woman.

So, ladies and gentlemen, with the help of my friend Xena, here is a list, if not ‘the’ list of why it is easier to be a woman in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

1. Women have the freedom of being driven everywhere. No parking hassles. No driving in the crazy traffic that is in Jeddah. They can go around anywhere, everywhere, at the summon of their driver.

2. Recent news indicate that a cinema will open in Riyadh. Who gets to go first? women and children! How unfair for the men!

3. At certain fast food outlets, women have a separate queue lines, which is so much better than the regular queue line because women’s line is almost empty so their turn comes fast!

4. Shopping malls are almost entirely dedicated to women’s needs. Check out any mall: 90% of the shops are catered towards women!

5. Many of the places are families only. So if you are a single woman, you can get in anytime any place, but a single man will often be found standing outside. These places include restaurants, shopping malls, theme parks etc.

6. Women are supposed to wear the abayas, which means they can wear anything underneath and just cover themselves up. I know of some females who have worn anything from a skirt, to shorts, to tight jeans to pajamas and go out in the public in their abayas. Also, in Jeddah, head covering is not mandatory, so it’s not as restricted as people living outside of KSA make it to be.

7. Women have it easier at the shops, where the salesmen are drop everything to attend to the female customers, whereas the male customers will not have much attention paid to.

8. A woman will get more telephone numbers or blue-tooth messages from the men, and not vice versa.

9. Female students are not required to do physical sports in school. (This is controversial because as some make students will tell you, they wish to skip sports, but since obesity is on the increase, all students are required to do sports)

10. If you are out on the street driving, and come to a check-point, having a woman with you is a bonus because the police officers will never stop you. As a single man driving, they will often stop you and ask you for your documents. A woman will never be stopped.

11. Last but not least, women have the luxury to ask their husbands, fathers, brothers to do all the paperwork for them. The women can stay at home while their husbands, fathers, brothers etc have to do all the paperwork for them, whether it be at a ministry, company or a bank. How tough for the men!

So, before anyone tells me that women are deprived and oppressed, I think living there will actually show you how much easier it is for women to live there. I have lived there and I have seen how much more importance and preferential treatment women are given.

What do you all think? Do you have any more ideas to add to the list? Do you disagree? What should be removed from the list? As far as I am concerned, the number of females I have to talked to who have lived in the Kingdom, agree with me that women have it easier than the men. Whether they have it better or not is another story!

Mansur

Writer's Block

Hey friends,

I am suffering. I don't know what to write.

Mansur

Shorobat Il-Jereesh (Saudi Wheat Soup)

Hey friends,

It is with much excitement I am posting this post. It's been long over-due and I think it is fitting that I am posting this in the month of Ramadan. So Mr. Kashif, many apologies for taking ages to get back to you with the recipe, which I finally found at Soup Song, which has a section on Ramadan Soups.

According to your description, I believe the soup you are looking for is called Shorobat Il-Jereesh (Saudi Wheat Soup). To save you the time, I am posting the recipe down below.

-----From Soup Song website-----

Much better than it sounds! This soup, which traditionally breaks the fast during the month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, is stuffed with tomatoes, meat, and bulgur (which is a terrific chunky wheat grain), and is fragrant with cinnamon. Besides breaking the Ramadan fast, it's a filling and hearty soup for brisk days--a natural lunch for kids and adults alike. Serve hot to 4-6 people.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3/4 pound beef or lamb, cut into bite-size cubes
5 cups water
6 tomatoes, peeled (10 if from a can), pureed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
Garnish: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and toss in the onions.
Fry for a few minutes, then stir in the meat cubes and fry on all sides.
Pour in the 5 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender--about an hour.
Pour in the pureed tomatoes and season with cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
Add the bulgur to the soup, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the bulgur is tender.
Pour the soup into a tureen, sprinkle with cinnamon, and carry to the table.
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Have fun Mr. Kashif. If any one of you tries this out, let me know how it was.

Mansur

Quote

Hi friends,

A quote to ponder over:

Woman was made from the rib of man. She was not created from his head to top him. Nor from his feet to be stepped upon. She was made from his side to be close to him. From beneath his arm to be protected by him. Near his heart to be loved by him. --Anonymous


Mansur

Adoption?

Hello all,

The recent earthquake in Pakistan has created a situation where there are 100s of little babies and children whose parents have been killed. Although these babies are too young to comprehend the full extent of the destruction of things around them, they are indeed parent-less. Because of this situation developing, adoption has been on the increase. There are talks of babies and infants being adopted by families. That is a very good thing, because right now in the rehabilitation phase, the survivors need all the love and care they can get. They need to know that people are thinking about them and are genuinely concerned for them.

I got into a debate recently with a friend, who was saying he would never adopt any kids. He argued that if he could have his own kids biologically he would not see the need to adopt kids at all.

“Only those who cannot have children should adopt,” he told me.
“But don’t you see you the humanitarian gesture in adopting children? Don’t you see this an amazing chance to help a child out?” I asked him.
“yeah, that’s right in its own place, but I would rather have my own kids, and anyways, I can always give donations and charity to support the kids.”

Unfortunately his attitude is not an uncommon one. While there are many who jump at the opportunity to adopt a kid, there are equally as many out there who would choose not to. Adoption can be a very personal and emotional issue for the kids when they grow up. I know a family in Jeddah who have an adopted daughter. I don’t know if the daughter knows she is adopted or not, but I cannot imagine what would go through her mind when she is told she is not the parents’ biological child but an adopted one.

What would she feel? Would she feel she is not connected to her parents? Would she feel distanced knowing she is not their real offspring? Would she have a desire to find out if her real parents are still alive? Would she wonder if she has any brothers or sisters out there? This and many other questions would be at the forefront of an adopted child. But then, should an adopted be told anything at all? When is the right age?

I personally myself have already told my parents that I will adopt children. My parents were a bit hesitant about it, but I am determined to adopt a child when I am married—(the whole thing also depends on what my wife’s viewpoint will be on adoption) but having said that, I have a deep desire to adopt a child. I want to give a parent-less child out there an opportunity to have a better life than the one he/she may be leading in an orphanage.

Mansur

Missing Home!

Hey everyone,

Fellow blogger Jo says she misses home. I wrote about how I miss London months ago. Today I miss Pakistan and want to be there. Is the grass always greener on the other side? Why don't we miss the place we are away from while we are in there? Do we take it for granted while we are there?

I miss Jeddah too. Time and again, I feel like going back home in Jeddah, and just chilling out. Driving down Tahliya and Sari streets, as well on the corniche. Enjoying the relaxed pace of life. But at times it's funny that when I am in Jeddah I wish I were elsewhere, like in Dubai so I could go to the cinemas and nice restaurants. You can call me a nomad because I still don't know where I want to settle. Where is "home?" Lahore? Jeddah? Dubai? Anywhere? (Deep down I know the Earth is not my final home, but my final home will be up above with God- so I am only referring to my place in this world when I talk about settling down.)

My brother and his family is settled in London. My parents will soon be leaving Jeddah after 28 years there and move to Pakistan. I know I will going to the UK to do my Masters. So when I finish my Masters, that will be the crucial point when I know where I will settle.

I don't feel settled in Dubai. I am living here, but I don't feel like I can stay here for a longer time. I have this urge to move out, travel the world and find a place where I know I can settle in comfortably.

Mansur

I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

---Mark Twain

Earthquake in Pakistan- My Thoughts

Hello friends,

As days pass by, I get a clearer and better understanding of the scale of the devastation that the earthquake has caused to my home country of Pakistan. I watched President Musharraf's speech to the nation last night, and somehow I have a deep admiration for him now, for the way he handled the disaster and coordinated the relief efforts.

The earthquake struck Saturday morning, 8th October 2005, at 7:55am local time, with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale. It shook all the villages in the Northern Areas in Pakistan, as well as the major cities of Islamabad and Lahore. My extended fmaily members, including my grandparents live in Lahore, and thankfully everyone I know are all right. But, I feel ever so strongly for all the people who had to endure and suffer the devastating impact of the quake.

As I hear more and more stories from the survivors, my heart sinks deeper and deeper. Why them? Why did so many school children have to die? What fault was it of theirs? The latest official figure stands at 21,000 dead, and more than 50,000 injured. When I think about that figure, 21,000, I cannot fathom the sheer immensity of that number. 21,000 men, women and children. Some of the villages, that have been nested away deep into the mountainous areas have been eaten up by the earth. It's as if someone came with a bulldozer and razed everything to the ground. Some villages have lost an entire generation. There are school children buried under their school. There are tourists buried under the hotel they were staying at. There are families, parents, grandparents who were caught under the debris.

There are men crying over the deaths of their children, which I think is one of the hardest thing a parent has to bear: to bury their own children. To see bodies being wrapped in white cloths, ready for burial serves a stark reminder that death can strike anytime. I don't know if anyone else feels the same impact in their hearts, but really for the first time in my life, I feel so much of the pain and anguish all my countrymen and women are going through. I just start weeping watching all these people, caught up in the mountains, with no relief aid in sight, begging for a single drop of water. I simply wish I had the power to airlift all of these people.

According to President Musharraf, the sole reason for the delay for the aid to reach the smaller villages that were cut off were because of a shortage of helicopters, and blockages of roads due to landslides. But aid is slowly pouring in, but as everyone is saying, it's the case of Too Little, Too Late. It hurts to see people die this way. It hurts to see that more lives could have been prevented had action been taken quicker.

However, despite all the gloomy situation, the huge number of deaths, there have also been some miracles. A mother and daughter were rescued four days after the quake. Another women and her mother were rescued as well. An old man survived drinking rainwater that was trickling down through the debris. It's sheer miracles that there are still people being found alive five days after the quake. Hope is indeed a great thing, and it must be given an opportunity to float.

International aid is pouring in, and still more is needed. Money, food, blankets, medicines, tents and other materials are coming in large numbers. I am so proud to see the Pakistanis act in a unified manner, where everone has dropped their differences and are united to help one another, because deep down in our hearts, we know we are Pakistanis and there is an invisible brotherhood that links us all. The Pakistani community outside of Pakistan have performed tremendously well. Large numbers of expatriates Pakistanis have flown into the country, to volunteer and to help out with the relief work. Large numbers of doctors, nurses and psychiatrists are flying to the country. International rescue teams were there within the first 24 hours.

Having said that, the only issue they are facing now is not knowing where to channelise these people who are coming in to help out. While their action is truly commendable, there have been some problems of delegating the work, so now it has been suggested that people travel to the Northern Areas if they are registered with a governmental or a non-governmental organizations. With better organization, the efforts of the volunteers can be better utilized to the maximum efficiency. Even my reaction initially was to catch the first flight to Pakistan, but I realized that for me to just get there and not know what to do next would only add to the problem. There are loads of people there, and these people know how to do their jobs. They are trained to handle such kind of crisis situation.

The sole focus now is on Resuce and Relief. The survivors are being resuced, and others are being treated. They are being airlifted from the hill top areas to the bigger cities to be hospitalized. It is truly heart-wrenching to see young children with severe injuries and broken arms and legs. What have the children done to deserve this? The second phase involves Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, which includes the re-location of the survivors and the rebuilding of the damaged villages. It will be a long and ardous task for everyone involved.

A lot of people were initially talking about the earthquake as a message from God to the Pakistani people. Certain people are saying that the earthquake was sent as a punishment to the people to repent and turn away from their sins. I have a huge issue with this, because I want to know what the 500+ children, mothers, fathers, grandparents living in mostly conservative Muslim dominated areas had to repent for? No doubt this is a "test for the nation," and indeed our whole life is a test. This is a trying time for everyone directly and indirectly affected by the quake, because it seems incomprehensible to us. How do we make sense of an earthquake like this? How do we make sense of an earthquake targetting a part of the world that is full of conservative Muslims, including the Afghanis?

One important thing I think we need to realize is to not let our emotions get the better off us. It is very easy for us to get emotional and live in fear that God is punishing the Pakistanis. I watched the scientific and environmentalists talk and debate about this earthquake. According to the the United States Geological Survey, there are approximately 15,000 earthquakes ranging from 4 to 9 on the Richter scale each year. Scientists had also predicted that Pakistan and Indian are on a the Indo-Eurasian geographic plates that was ripe for a major quake. This quake in Pakistan was long over due. So, when we know there are 15,000 earthquakes each year, are we to assume that God is sending a message 15,000 times to the world?

I have always maintained my belief that God is control of the world, and everything that happens on this planet happens by His leave. That is very comforting to know because with God, everything is perfect. He has a plan for each one of us on this planet, and He sees the bigger scheme of things.I believe that we are experiencing these changes in the climate of this earth because of the demographics of the world: over-population, pollution in all forms, deforestation, desertification, global warming, rising ocean waters, melting ice caps and so on. We are ruining this planet that we think we own, but in reality has only been loaned to us, which we have to pass to the following generations that come after us.

May God continue to watch over the affected areas in Pakistan, continue to shower His grace, mercy and love to each of the survivor who are facing this intense test of life. May God continue to give them encouragement, and support. May the aid reaches everyone as fast as it can. May no more innocent lives be perished. May God also give strength and energy to all the people who are volunteering, who are aiding in the relief work. May God bless the nation of Pakistan.

Mansur

Absolutely Devastated!

Hey everyone,

When the Americans suffered through the tragedy of 9/11 attacks, I did relate to their feelings 100%. I sympathized, but not entirely. When the tsunami struck Indonesia and killed so many innocent people, I sympathized, but then, I did not relate to the people. Today, as I read and hear more and more about the devastation that the earthquake has created in Pakistan, I am absolutely devastated personally. The figure has risen dramatically overnight from 1000, to 20,000, and is expected rise further. The damage has been done, and now survivors are being sought.

These people who are affected my own countrymen and women. I identify with them. I identify the places and towns. I know Islamabad and Balakot, another hard hit city in the Northern areas. I sympathize with the men, women and children there because I know the conditions they live in. While I may not know and experience the extent of the damage, I can understand what they might be all doing through.

One of the most bravest scenes I witnessed was to see so many people volunteering to bring out the surviviors from the collapsed apartment towers. To see so many men form a line, working cohesively and collectively, just made me proud to be a Pakistani. To see that there is no looting or killing of innocents like there were when hurricane Katrina struck the US, I was so encouraged to see the Pakistanis help their brothers and sisters in peril. As we all know, survivors, if any, under the debris have about 72 hours to live, beyond which one is declared dead. There are miracles stories, and there have been cases of peopel suriviving beyond the 72 hours.

My heart breaks to see such devastation, yet it also rejoices to see all the men and women drop their differences and unite to help each other. The Pakistani and the Indian soldiers atthe Kashmiri border are sharing resources instead of bullets. They are reconstructing instead of damaging. I hope every one realizes in the midst of all this that wars and battles over Kashmir is insignificant, and that everyone fares better when they work together and accept and tolerate better. If everyone can unite together for the better in times of devastation, why cannot they get along otherwise?

My heart is indeed very heavy as I read about the 200 young soldiers who were killed along with their leader. I am sad when I read about school children caught inside their classroom screaming and crying for help, and in another city 250 school children who were killed instantly. Despite all the anguish and difficulties being endured by the people in Pakistan, there are some success stories of people being pulled out from the debris. There is still hope and hope is very important to maintain.

I would like to end with a short prayer for the people of Pakistan, since I feel so intensely and so deeply for them.

Dear God,

I want to lift up to You the nation of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, as the men, women and children deal with such a devastation in their lives. God, I pray that You give your support and encouragement to all the survivors as they try to make sense of what happened. I want to pray for the families who have lost their loved ones, be it one family member or entire families, God, I just pray that You give them patience to deal with such an immense loss. God, even I don't understand why such things happen where a large number of innocent people are killed, but I trust that You are in control of the world, and that there is reason for all this which we may not understand right now.

God, I want to continue to pray for the people, for their safety and that they get all the medical supplies, food and shelter to them. I am so thankful international countries have pledged assistance and monetary aids. I am thankful that channels of communicataions are being opened so aid can reach the more deeply affected areas. I am so thankful aid agencies and volunteers rushed to the scene to help out the wounded people. I am thankful all sorts of medications, food supplies and tents are being distributed. I am thankful for all this because You made it possible.

God I think about the young boy, who is carrying his 5yr old sister whose face is ripped off seeking for medical help. I pray some doctor out there reaches to him and her and treat them. I pray that the screaming children buried under the debris are rescued and that no more children are perished. I think about the mother who is wandering out there alone without a family, forced to spend the night out in the open. I think about the father whose wife and children just perished. I think about the child who just realized his parents are no more. God, I pray You touch the hearts of all these people and show them Your mercy, grace and love. I trust God you will do that.

Most of all, God, I pray that people turn to you with a renewed faith, with a revivalism of sorts in their belief in You. I pray that even those who are not in the country take this opportunity to commit deeply their faith to You. As we are in the holy month of Ramadan, God, I pray that we are more diligent in prayer and fasting, and sincere about it. I pray for patience, encouragement, mercy, grace and love to be poured out on all those who are affected, be they in the country or abroad.

Amen.

Mansur

Earthquake....!

Hey everyone,

I am sure you all caught the news of the devastating earthquake that shook three countries: Pakistan, Indian and Afghanistan, with the Pakistani-administered Kashmir region being the worst hit. It certainly is devastating, with the current figures at 806 at the time of writing, and looks set to rise into the 1000s. A series of aftershocks, including one of 6.3 magnitude and four more at 5.4 or above, shook the region, creating new panic among residents.



The quake measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, but some reports are claiming it was higher at 7.8. The epicentre was 80km (50 miles) north-east of Islamabad. My hometown of Lahore also seems to be affected, as reflected in various comments left by people in Lahore:

The tremors in the morning were really terrifying. There was again a 2 minute aftershock felt to be the same as the morning some 15 - 20 mins back. We hope people remain safe all within. Mustafa Rana, Lahore, Pakistan

I was asleep in my first floor room and woke up when I felt a swaying and shaking movement. The quake grew in intensity for a while and then started subsiding; it lasted almost 7 minutes. We are still experiencing after shocks and I can only imagine the panic they must be causing in the harder hit areas.
Amera Salman, Lahore, Pakistan

I was in the bathroom this morning in my home on the outskirts of Lahore at about 0845am when the walls and floor started to shake. My senses sharpened up and I readied myself to leap underneath a door frame if things should start to collapse. A very long thirty seconds later and the ground returned to its usual stable self. And this is in Lahore, I can only imagine what it must have been like in Kashmir.
Jude Heaton, Lahore, Pakistan



It was the worst earthquake in the history of Pak. Once in 1986 a strong earthquake came but this was the worst one. All the houses were swaying.
Hamza Sohail, Lahore, Pakistan

I remember the 1981 earthquake at Lahore to be the most dreadful, today's one was the most horrifying, if it could lasted for another 5-10 seconds, Lahore could have been wiped out.
Jamil Irshad, Lahore, Pakistan

There are loads of other eyewitnesses account. I remember when I was in Lahore back in 1993, when my siblings and I experienced a brief moment of being caught in an earthquake. It was in the afternoon, when I was on the bed, my sister on the sofa and my brother in the tv lounge. Suddenly, my bed was shaking, and I did not realize it till seconds later. My whole bed had moved inches away from the wall, the fan was swinging and the sofa had also moved away from the wall sufficiently enough. It was a scary moment, and I cannot imagine how much more scary it would have been for the people in the hardest hit areas.

Villages have been wiped out. Emergency supplies are being distributed. There are 1000s of volunteers helping the army and soldiers remove those caught under the rubble. I pray the poeple of the affected region find the patience to deal with such a gargantuan loss. Let us all be aware of the devastation Mother Nature can give to this world. Let us be more aware that there is someone much more powerful than us on this world, and that is God.



When the tsunami struck Indonesia, every jumped out of their seats claiming that God is sending a message. When Hurricane Katrina struck, everyone said it is a message to the Americans. Now, President Musharraf himself said that this earthquake is a "test for the nation." Is this quake a message to the people to stop the daily bloodshed in Kashmir? Is this a message to the Pakistanis to better themselves, especially in light of the recent "gay marriage?" I don't know. I am not sure. People will speculate on it. One of the most haunting images I saw was when a live program being telecast recorded the earthquake. The sets were swaying from side to side, all the while the host and the two guests were chanting Allah-o-akbar over and over. They were scared and it showed. Moments like these reminds us all of the One who created us all, and in times of despair we all turn to God.

However, I do want to end on the note that while the whole earthquake may seem senseless to some, who may also be asking "why bad things happen to good people," I firmly believe that God is in control of the world we are living in, and He is running it. We have to comfort in this fact: while there may seem to be disorder, God is keeping everything under His control and in order. To all the people who are affected by this natural disaster, I say to them: keep hope!

Mansur

Friday Depression....

Hey everyone,



Every Friday, I get depressed, especially in the evening. Last Friday was awesome because of the Treasure Hunt Drive, but in the evening I got depressed. It's been a habit of mine to get depressed on Fridays. No amount of hanging out with friends, eating out, watching movies, reading books will bring me out of depression. As if by magic, on Saturday morning I am perfectly well. The worse time for me during the week is Friday evening. It's horrible, horrendus and absolutely depressing.



Mansur

I Have The Secret.........

Hello everyone.

I have the secret to losing weight...well, it's not a secret anymore since I am disclosing it here. I know everyone claims to be doing one thing or another, but I have finally found something that is working for me. It is not a new diet. It is not something where you don’t eat a particular thing. I actually got inspired by this book that I saw on television called French Women Don’t Get Fat. I applied the French way of eating and it actually works. So, what is it?

There are three parts to it.

1. You need to eat only half of what you would normally eat. This is something that even my personal trainer told me when I was going to the gym last year. This really works for me. For example, if I were to eat a 1/4 Pounder, I would choose to take a small cheeseburger. If I ordered pasta, I would eat half of it and take the other half home for next day. If I made Chinese at home for one person, I would split it up into half, and eat the other half the next day.

2. You need to eat your food slowly. Eat your food as if it were your last meal. There is emphasis on chewing your food minimum three times before swallowing it. Sometimes when we are very hungry, we eat really fast, without even chewing it properly. You need to chew it as many times as you can, and then swallow. Take your time to eat your meal. COOL FACT: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full. So, whatever food you are eating, within 20 minutes you will begin to feel full. So for example, if I am having 1.5 slices instead of the usual 3 slices of pizza, and I take at least 20 minutes to eat my 1.5 slices, I will feel full- so no need for the other 1.5 slices. (Normally, I would eat 3 slices as fast as I can.)

3. Exercise is important. You don’t have to slog it out at the gym. Walk up the stairs instead of using the elevator. Thankfully I live on the 3rd floor so it’s not a bad walk. If you live on the 24th floor, get out at 20th floor and walk the four floors. Walk over to your shopping market, or restaurant if they are close to your home. Try to walk as much as you can.

In addition to this, you need to make healthy choices. I can afford to have a pizza meal for dinner, but I balance my diet by having bran flakes for breakfast. I can have chocolates for snacking, but I need to have at least one kind of fruit as well. I can drink all the diet cokes, but I also need to drink milk or juice as well. Introducing healthy foods into your diet will be beneficial.

This technique of eating doesn’t ask you to not eat anything. You can eat anything you want to, from that juicy steak to that delicious chocolate cake, but remember, eat half of what you would normally eat, and to balance your favorite foods with the more healthy ones.

I have been doing this for about two weeks, and I am telling you IT WORKS! As we are in the month of Ramadan, there is a lot of emphasis on eating for meals in the morning and evening and dinner. So one has to be responsible and sensible in what one eats, and to not over indulge into eating.

I already live on one meal a day (I cannot imagine eating two full meals a day—I will fall sick), and my issue is that I make unhealthy food choices, and then not burning it off. I become lazy. I also over indulge in chocolates and chocolate milk. But hopefully, with this new plan, I shall be able to lose my weight around my stomach!

Mansur

Absolutely Sickening...

Hey everyone ,

As I was watching Geo TV, the Pakistani news channel, there was a report on the first "gay" marriage in Pakistan. We just entered this month of Ramadan, and here is a news report that a 42 year old man married a 16 year old teenager in the remote Khyber region bordering Afghanistan. I checked out the news online, and even BBC news reported it.

'Pomp and show'

A local Urdu-language newspaper said the elder man, named as Liaquat Ali, had taken a local boy called Markeen as "his male bride".

The paper said the boy's impoverished parents accepted 40,000 rupees (£380) for their son's hand in marriage.

"The marriage was held amid usual pomp and show associated with a tribal wedding," it said.
Malik Waris Khan, a prominent local politician and former federal minister, confirmed to AFP that the marriage had taken place.

"I checked the report with people in Tirah Valley and they confirmed it," he said.

All I can say is that I am absolutely sickened by this news. The boy's parents know about it. The whole village celebrated with "pomp and show." I am sickened that people feel they compromise on such beliefs to get money.

Mansur

Accidents in Ramadan...

Hey everyone,

Remember how I warned you to stay off the streets in Dubai pre-iftar time? Well, here is what happens. According to Gulf News: Accidents rise. Police were not able to send their patrol to all the scenes of accidents. When will people learn? Always take a box of dates and a bottle of water if you think you will be stuck in the traffic! Learn to be patient, and calm, and considerate of other drivers out there!

Mansur

Blogger Blocked?

My friend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia tells me that Blogger is blocked in Saudi Arabia and that she cannot access her blog, nor visit other blogs. What's up? Does anyone know anything about this?

Mansur

Reading the Quran

Hey everyone,

Since everyone is in a religious mood because of Ramadan, I wanted to share with you about the Quran that I am reading. I have read the Quran in its entirety thrice in Arabic in the presence of an Islamic scholar. Somehow I wished I had read the translation back then too, because I was clueless each time I read it in Arabic.

There are two translations that I am reading now. Since I don't know Arabic that well, I cannot understand the Quran when I read it in Arabic. Even reading it in my mother tongue Urdu, I get lost. So I understand best when I read it in English. I have had gone through several different English versions, but not all of them appealed to me. But, there are two that are wonderful to read.

One translation is by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, published by H&G International. It is entirely in English, and reads like a novel. There is no Arabic text in this version. It is also not entirely in old English language, so none of that Doth, Thou and Thee kind of words slow you down. It actually is easy to understand and easy to grasp.

The other translation that I am reading is by Mohammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik, who has published his translation at the Institue of Islamic Knowledge in Houston, Texas. This translation is in simple English with absolute no old English langauge and uses a new revised translation. The best thing about this translation is how there is a synopsis of each chapter at the beginning. So for easy reference, you can browse through the brief summary of each chapter, and then going to the page number. Then, another cool thing is that at the beginning of each chapter there is background information, and a detailed summary. The concept is lifted off the study Bible, and I think it is a great concept. It is fun to read, easy to understand and easy to grasp. This translation is also very good for those who have never read the Quran, or for new Muslims.

Like I said, not all translations work for me. The ones I have mentioned above actually speak to me the most. I know for a fact that since 9/11 the language has been softened in the translation. I mean, in one of the earlier translations, the verse on wife-beating would say that as a last resort a man is allowed to "beat" his wife. In the newer translations, they have added a clarification, "beat (lightly)." Someone also gave me a copy of the Quran last year in Jeddah and when I checked it out, all the places where Allah is mentioned, it was in red. I knew immediately they had taken this concept of highlighting Allah in red from the Bible, where if you actually read some of the translations, Jesus' words are in red, or the word Lord is red.

So how do I read the Quran? I read it like I am doing a manuscript study. Seeing a lot of people revere the Quran to the point of wrapping it in a cloth and placing it on the highest shelf, I knew something was wrong with that. The Quran is the manual for life. It is meant to read and understood, not simply be read in Arabic and then place it away. So, I take out my highlighters and notebook, and I read one chapter, and if a chapter is too long, I break it down. I make notes. I highlight those verses that speak to me. I make notes of people, places, events and times. When I do all this, I actually understand the Quran on a deeper level as opposed to reading it in Arabic, or English, and then not doing anything about it.

Mansur

Happy Ramadan...

Hey everyone,

Happy Ramadan to you all. May this month be a meaningful and blessed month to you and your family. May God reward you for your prayers, and bless you as you fast during this month.

Daily Production Line



(Starting from Top Right corner, moving towards left then down ending at bottom right corner...
Sleeping--- Work--- Sleeping--- Breaking of Fast--- Televsion---Breakfast!)


Mansur

Height of Stubborness

Hey everyone,

As I was crossing the road in front of my house today to get to the other side, I stood on the hard shoulder. Now, we all know the cars are not supposed to be using the hard shoulder as a driving lane. I don't understand why cars use it.

So, I just stood there while there was a break in the traffic so I could cross. All the while cars coming down the hard shoulder were forced to slow down and get back into the proper driving lane. I know what I was doing was dangerous and could have gotten myself hurt or killed, but I felt like teaching a lesson to the drivers who are doing something illegal. Taxi drivers honked at me. Buses flashed lights at me. Other cars were forced to slow down, and look at me as if I were a crazy person. Only once did I take a step backwards to let a bus whiz past by me, missing me from probably inches. I was at the height of my stuborness at that particular moment.

I have my bouts of being stubborn, especially when it comes to arguments. I don't take anything at face value. If someone tells me something which is debatable, I take their statements as just a statement, and aim to seek the truth about it. I am sure you must have seen my bouts of stubborness here on my blog too when I posed the article on Islam and Music, as well as Free Will and Predestination.

I think it is very important to seek the truth out, instead of taking someting at face value. If I believe in something very strongly, I stick to it. It would take a lot to convince me otherwise. I have my sets of beliefs and values, and I stick by them. This doesn't necessarily make me inflexible or rigid. I am most flexible, and am willing to listen to all sides of the arguments, but then I form my opinion after I do some searching. That's my stubborness!

I think all Taurus are like this. They are stubborn bulls. Even my mom is a Taurus, and at times she can be stubborn about things. Are there any other Tauruses out there who are stubborn about things?



Mansur

Happy Ramadan!

Hey friends,

Once again the blessed month of Ramadan will be descending upon us. The tentative date is the 4th of October, and it all depends on the sighting of the moon. I am sure we all have our wonderful moments of Ramadan. I for one certainly miss the Ramadan we would have in Saudi Arabia.

Growing up in Jeddah, the period of Ramadan took on a whole different schedule for us kids going to school. We would get up in the morning, have our breakfast and pray the fajr prayer. School hours would be reduced, and we would be home earlier than usual. Many times my friends I would bring in "Ramadan" excuse notes for our sports class. The main gist of such notes was: please excuse my son from swimming today as he fears he will swallow water thereby canceling his fast, or, please excuse my son from participating in sports today as excessive time in the heat will make him extra-thirsty and dehydrate him. We all knew we were ok, but it was just an excuse to not play sports.

Iftar time, the breaking of the fast, would be a fun time. Dates, Samosays, Rooh Afza, Pakorays and so on. After praying the Maghreb prayer, the kids would settle in front of Channel Two, to watch Full House (which would be heavily censored, with some episodes lasting as long as 10 minutes) followed by America's Funniest Home Videos. All the shopping or going out would happen after the last prayer is finished.

Somehow, growing up over the years, these sweet moments changed. Ramadan just isn't what it used to be for us kids growing up in Jeddah. Ramadan is becoming more and more commercialized. Just like the Christians complain about how Christmas has been commercialized, I think there will come a time when the Muslims will cry out to stop commercializing Ramadan. I have observed Ramadan in Dubai since 1998, except for the year 2004, and each passing year made me see Dubai observing Ramadan more as an opportunity to make money than to observe the real tenets for fasting.

So what is Ramadan essentially? Ramadan is that time of the month which God has set for the Muslim to unite in fasting and prayer, in remembrance of those who are poor, hungry and needy. By restricting our intake of food, water, smoking and avoiding all sexual acts if married, we are supposed to experience what it is to feel like the under-privileged. Not only this, fasting has several spiritual dimensions to it. It is meant to discipline us. It is meant to help us develop a routine of prayer and meditation on the Holy Quran. It is meant to bring us into line with the Quranic teachings on developing a Muslim character and personality. It is meant to make us aware of the needy and suffering Muslims around the world. It is meant to bring us back in line with what being a Muslim is about, and encourage us to carry what we learn in Ramadan over the course of the year till the next Ramadan.

So what's happening to Ramadan? Why aren't people doing what they should be doing?

1. For starters, let's witness the pre-Ramadan rush at the supermarket. A week before Ramadan begins, we have all these supermarkets giving full page ads showing their discounted prices on all basic food stuffs. The madness that you see just days before: long lines, shouting and screaming at the cashiers, arguments between people over stuff running out and so on. All the characteristics of patience, humility, calmness, decency are vanished for a couple of days. Not only this, once Ramadan progresses, it is a bad time to be out on the streets in Dubai as the iftar time nears. No one driver will spare you. They will all be rushing like mad drivers in an attempt to get home on time to break the fast. Somehow, people think if they don't break their fast at home it will be invalid. I don't understand why they don't carry a box of dates and bottle of water if they know they will be caught in the traffic. The pre-iftar is the best time to see all those characteristics of patience, decency and seving others vanish into the air. Instead you see anger, rage, rash driving, cursing and so on.

2. Also, Dubai has a sudden boom in "Ramadan Tents," which are basically places in hotels and restaurants which serve Iftar and dinner. They are very fancy, luxurious and often expensive. Some places can cost as much as 300-400 Dirhams per head for iftar meal. There are some middle range tents as well, and often time you see families in these tents from the minute they break their fast all the way through dinner, to shisha smoking playing games, watching tv and other activities. You hear of people talking about scheduling their day around dinners. "Oh, we are commited to Intercontinental on Thursday, and on Friday we have to go to Jumeirah Beach Hotel..." Lavish iftar and dinner parties are thrown, and the pictures are splashed in the newspaper for the country to see.

3. Ramadan is also a time when the charity organizations are very active. They know people will give and donate more, so these organizations are out there in full force. Sometimes I begin to feel like that these organizations take advantage of the generosity of the fasting public. It's like as if they are thinking: hey guys, everyone is fasting, let's pitch this advertising scheme so they feel sympathetic and we get more money. It's exactly like what the hotels in Makkah do when Ramadan is here: raise the prices of the roommate obscenely high because we know the people will choose to stay no matter what.

4. Dubai, as well as Sharjah, will Ramadan Shopping Festivals, where you will find bargains galores. Dubai has late night souks, filled with stalls after stalls selling traditional items and other goods for those who go shopping late into the night. According to Time Out Dubai, most, not all, nightclubs will be closed, and alcohol will be served only after iftar. Some restaurants will have closed off sections to serve breakfast and lunch. Some may even do takeaways.

5. Office hours are reduced. Schools and Universities let the students go home early. I tell you, the people fasting in this part of the world have it a lot easier. Restaurants are closed. People are fined if they are caught eating or drinking in public. You work less hours. You sleep all afternoon. The whole environment makes it easier for you to fast because you don't see any food or drinks. I remember fasting in the States one year, and that was actually one of my best Ramadan because I was challenged. My university hours were regular timings. My friends would be having breakfast and lunch, I would see students snacking in class, all the while I would be fasting. When I fast here, I realize how much easy it is. Life slows down, people are less active, except in the evening when every is hanging out at the tents or a gathering.

6. The only "Islamic" thing I see during Ramadan here is the International Holy Quran Reading competition that Dubai holds, which is good and encouraging. But even this Holy Quran reading is a competiton, where it's mostly about the money awards. When you have one such event against 100s of Ramadan Tents, I question the perception that people of Dubai have of Ramadan.

7. The saddest thing for me is when every year I see newspapers reporting the same news: more food is consumed during Ramadan than is during the rest of the year. This is so ironic. My Christian friends would ask me: how come more food is consumed when the entire nation is fasting for most of the day. I guess, it's because people choose to fill their stomachs to the max in the morning, and then filling themselves to the max in the evening. So, they don't really feel the hunger pangs as such.

Let's be honest here. Dubai is a commercial city. It thrives on shopping and tourism. So I don't really find it strange that Dubai would choose to see Ramadan as an opportunity to make more money. There will be raffle draws and prizes being awarded in every shopping malls. That's the bottom line here: it's all about the money.

I am sure you all must be thinking why I am taking such a critical view of Ramadan. I am not. This is the reality, and while people may not speak about it, I think I am being honest about things here, instead of brushing it under the carpet. There is no denying the Ramadan is being commercialized, with all the shopping and "festival" like atmosphere in the city, what with all the lights and decor coming up like it is during the Dubai Shopping Festival.

And, oh, Happy Ramadan to you all!

Mansur

Dubai Treasure Hunt Drive!

(FYI: I have some few pictures in my previous post about the horrific race....)
-----

Hey everyone,

Having recovered sufficiently from yesterday's horrific ordeal and embarrassment, I was looking forward to the Treasure Hunt in Dubai today. "Wake up Mansur" the message shouted in my phone which my friend sent me at 7am! I got ready in 15 minutes and made my way over to her house. Anita and Ziad were waiting for me at their place, and we left Sharjah at 730, and got to the Dubai Creek Park at 8am so we could register our team and got our goodies bag. The race was to start at 10am, and the first group who made it back in the fastest time would be declared the winner.

The newspaper that we purchased in the morning had 21 clues, which we had to decipher. So that gave us an idea, and we started solving the clues. Four of the clues were such that we knew the answer and just had to fill in the space. The other clues we had to decipher, and figure out the location in Dubai, and reach and get the stamp. So, we had an hour and half to spare and over breakfast, myself, Anita, Ziad, and Anita's friend Maria with her husband Amir and their young son also joined us. We were armed with a map and started figuring what route would be best to take, where to start, what the locations are and so on. Ziad would be the driver, and Amir knew all the place. I was armed with the newspaper which I would have to take to the people who would have to stamp my newspaper as proof that I visited the place.

Come 930, about 100 or so cars are lined up at the Creek Park, and at 10am, the start off! I felt like pretty much like the contestants on The Amazing Race. Our start time was 10:07am. We decided to begin with the places which are the furthest from Dubai's city center, and work our way inwards. Our first destination was a furniture store at the other end of Dubai in Jumeirah.


(We passed this new mall, which has the skiing slope. This mall opened this past Wednesday, albeit a partial opening.)

We had already made a wrong turn somewhere and lost about 30 mins. Anita was upset. Others were calming her down. We finally got to the place, and got our stamp. There were other contestants rushing in and out of their cars. The tension began to develop. Some of us in the car became competitive. Ziad drove the car amazingly well. Amir gave perfect directions.

Soon, we were getting more and more stamps on our paper. On top of this, when we left the starting point, we were handed a clues sheet, which were extra set of things we had to answer or get. So one had to get a ticket from a weighing machine, another had to get a picture of a celebrity. As we were seeing other contestants out on the roads, we started panicking as we had one hour left, and several more stamps to get. Anita and Ziad erupted into a fight in the car. I tried pacifying them. It wasn't helping. The atmosphere in the car was one of fear, tension and such competitiveness. Some of us gave up hope, and figured we were losing. We heard on the radio one team was 15 minutes away from completion. Another were close. We felt we lost the game, but Amir gave us the encouragement. BE POSITIVE.


(Passing through Dubai Marina)

Near Dubai Museum, which is located in Downtown Dubai, complete with small interconnected roads and paths. We were looking for one of the photo developing studios. There were people running here and there, and I got out. Running in and out of the lanes, holding the clues sheet, people were asking one another where the shop was. Such level of tension made me panic, and I realized the shop was elsewhere. I left and got back in the car and it took a while for us to find the place.

Then we headed over to our last area, where three stamps were close to each other. Anita ran inside the mall to get the ticket from the weighing machine. Maria looked for the picture for the celebrity. I called up the police to ask for the answer for one of the clues. Ziad was driving like a formula racer. Finally, we made it to the park, and realized we had to run inside into the park and submit the form. We had done all this within two hours, and there was still 40 minutes for the deadline. We all sighed a huge sigh of relief. We all thought we did good.


(Creek Park, where we sat and enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon.)

It was an amazing experience for me because such times calls for team-work, team coordination and good communications. When the big fight took place in the car, we all had to keep our heads and egos on the ground level and not let the situation get the worst of us. I certainly learnt new things about my friends, as such situations exposes our characters and how we would react.

There was about an hour and half for the declaration of the final prizes. In the meantime, those who made it early were given the opportunities to participate in the smaller games they had prepared. I went up to one which called for the "hairiest leg -male." I thought I was hairy, when I saw the other boys and men expose one side of their legs...and they made my leg seem hairless. One Indian boy, probably a teenager, did not even raise his pants up to his knees, and when he did raise it a little, he had gorilla haired leg. GASP! We all just walked away knowing he would win the gift certificate!


(Games!)

Other categories included largest tattoos, longest hair, man-woman coordination games, etc.

15 mins after 3pm, they announced the winners. We were team 202, and all we had to do was keep our ears open to hear the three numbers: 2-0-2.

"The first team, in 5th place" shouted the man into his microphone, "is, 1-3-5!" Applause erupted from the audience. Ok, we still have a chance. "The fourth place goes to, wait for it, team 2....0...." We all sat up in our chairs- is it us?? "2...0...5!" Another group close to us shouted in joy and ran to get their prizes. Don't worry, we still have a chance, we told ourselves. "The third place is 2...8..3." 3rd place was gone. "The 2nd place goes to....1...8...4...." Do we have any chance...? Myself, Anita and Ziad were gripping our chairs. Is it us? Is it us? Please! Let it be 202! 202! 202!

"The team that wins the 29" television, microwave oven, watches.." the host trailed on. We don't care, is it us? Is it us? "The team that came in first is....hold your breath ladies and gentlemen, is...2......." Tension!. ".....0....." We literally gasped. We need to hear the number 2 now. Is it us? Come on! The host started laughing, and deliberately postponed the final number. I got up from my chair. "The number is, 2....0.......zerooooooo!!!!"

I sat back down. We were a little disappointed.

However, despite the brief intial disappointment, I think the experience in itself was good enough to go through. I would do anything to do something like this again. It was fun, it was exciting, it was challenging, and it was certainly much much better organized than that poorly organized hopeless 6km run by McDonalds yesterday! Dubai does it better. Even the host spoke in English to satisfy the different nationalities there. The organization was top notch. We all left with a huge sense of achievement. What would have been a lazy Friday morning otherwise, turned out to be one fun-filled, adrenaline rush, action packed treasure hunt as we dashed into and out of shops and malls, frantically filling out the clues, asking other contestants out on the streets for answers and loctions, making phone calls, searching for the stampers and raced through the Dubai roads, giving us a chance to see Dubai from a different perspective.

Mansur

HUMILIATED, INSULTED AND DEGRADED!

HEY EVERYONE,

PARDON ME FOR WRITING IN CAPS, BUT I HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED, INSULTED AND DEGRADED TODAY. I WENT TO THE "FUN DAY RACE" EVENT SPONSORED BY MCDONALDS, AND HERE IS A BLOW BY ACCOUNT OF EVERYTHING THAT WENT WRONG.

1--- THE MAP SAID THE START FOR THE 6KM WAS BEYOND THE TAWUN MALL. WHEN THE TAXI DROPPED ME THERE, I BUMPED INTO THREE FILIPINOS, WHO WERE ALSO LOOKING FOR THE START POINT. IT TURNED OUT THAT THE START POINT WAS BEFORE THE MALL AND NOT BEYOND THE MALL. WHOEVER MADE THE MAP SHOULD BE FIRED BECAUSE WE HAD TO WALK THE EXTRA KM AND GOT THERE LATE.

2--- SO WHEN WE FINALLY GET THERE, WE SEE BUS-LOADS UPON BUS-LOADS OF SCHOOL KIDS. THERE WERE ALSO FEMALE STUDENTS, COMPLETE IN HIJABS AND ABAYAS! ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU WILL RUN 6KM IN YOUR ABAYA IN THIS HEAT? I GIVE CREDIT TO THOSE WHO DID! SO, WE GO UP TO THE REFEREE, WHO UPON US PRODUCING THE PORTION OF OUR APPLICATION TO RECEIVE THE CAP AND TSHIRTS REFUSED TO TALK TO US. IN HIS THICK ARABIC ACCENT HE TOLD US "KHALAS! BAS!" I WAS INSULTED. I BEGAN LOSING MY MENTAL STATE OF MIND FOR RUNNING THE RACE.

3--- I TOOK MY PHONE OUT AND ASKED HIM FOR THE NUMBER OF THE ORGANIZER. HE REFUSED TO TALK TO ME. THE WHOLE TIME I WAS KEEPING MY COOL AND TALKING PATIENTLY WITH HIM. HE IN TURN WAS BEING RUDE AND MEAN WITH ME. I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO WAS ABLE TO TRANSLATE FOR ME, AND THIS SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT YOU CAN RUN AND AT THE DESTINATION YOU CAN GET YOUR REGISTRATION DONE AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PRIZES. I WAS SKEPTICAL BUT I DECIDED TO DO IT ANYWAY.

4--- "YALLA!! SHABAAB!! YALLA!!" THANK GOD I KNOW ENOUGH ARABIC TO UNDERSTAND IT WAS TIME, AND I TOLD THE FILIPINOS TO JOIN IN. IF THIS RACE WERE MEANT FOR THE ARAB-SPEAKING PUBLIC, THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE TOLD US.

5--- SO THERE WERE FOUR GROUPS OF PEOPLE. (A) FEMALES WHO WERE ASKED TO STAND WAY BEHIND THE MEN (TALK ABOUT UNFAIR!) (B) PEOPLE LIKE ME AND THE FILIPINO WHO CAME HERE FOR FUN. (3) SCHOOL KIDS WHO WERE HERE TO HAVE FUN AND CREATE HAVOC. I OVERHEARD A CONCERNED INDIAN DAD TELL HIS TWO STICK-THIN SONS "SONS, PLEASE BE CAREFUL. THIS CROWD WILL GET ROWDY AND PUSH YOU AROUND!" (D) THE SERIOUS MARATHON RUNNERS, COMPLETE IN THEIR RUNNING SHORTS AND ALL. SO, I WAS THINKING "IS IT A FUN DAY RACE, OR IS A COMPETITIVE MARATHON RACE?"

6--- GUNSHOT! PEOPLE RAN AS IF THEIR SHORTS WERE ON FIRE! LOL! I WAS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE. I THOUGHT I WOULD LET THESE TROUBLE MAKERS GET IN FRONT OF ME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY WORK OUT WHO IS THE WINNER. SOMEONE AT THE FRONT OF THE RACE COULD BE RUNNING, AND SOMEON AT THE BACK COULD BE RUNNING AT THE SAME PACE, BUT THE ONE IN THE FRONT GET'S THERE FIRST BECAUSE HE WAS FRONT IN LINE. UNFAIR.

7--- SO WHILE WE WERE RUNNING, SOME OF THE RUNNERS WERE CHEATING AND GETTING CAR AND BUS RIDES TO GET TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. EVEN THESE GIRLS WERE DOING IT. CHEATING! I WONDER IF THEY GOT THE FIRST PRIZE OR NOT. I MEAN, IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO DO 6KM, DON'T. WHY RUN 6KM AND CHEAT IN THE MIDDLE?

8--- ALSO, THERE WERE NO PROVISIONS FOR ANY WATER OR DRINKS AT ANY POINT OF THE RACE. THERE WERE POOR STUDENTS WERE FALLING ALL OVER, HAND SIGNALLING THE AMBULANCE AND POLICE CARS TO GIVE THEM WATER. ALL THEIR PLEASE FELL ON DEAF EARS. LUCKILY I HAD MY BOTTLE OF WATER. THE FILIPINOS EVEN HAD THEIR BANANAS.

(The ambulance that was just going up and down, ignoring the runners who were falling all over the place. You can see the Coke stand, who charged money for the drinks at the end! Totally sad!)

9--- OK, SO WHILE I WAS RUNNING, THE CAMERA CREW WAS WHIZZING UP AND DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHICH WAS A SANDY AREA. SO WHEN HE WAS DRIVING UP AND DOWN SO FAST, HE WAS THROWING SAND AND DIRT INTO MINE AND OTHER RUNNERS' FACE. I DID NOT COME HERE TO RUN TO HAVE SAND AND DIRT THROWN INTO MY FACE. TOTALLY DEGRADING.

10--- THERE WERE NO PROPER MARKED DIRECTIONS. SOON, SOME OF THE RUNNNERS WERE RUNNING ON THE OTHER ROAD, WHICH MADE IT A SMALLER RUNNING DISTANCE FOR THEM. WHERE ARE THE AUTHORITIES TO CHECK ON THE CHEATING?

11--- HALF WAY THROUGH, WHEN I HAD DONE 3KM OF RUNNING, THERE WERE TWO INSPECTORS STANDING THERE. THEY WERE MARKING THE LIST. I STOPPED TO MAKE SURE I WAS ON THERE. "MAFI MANSUR." I LOST IT THEN. I REALIZED TALKING TO THESE CLUELESS, BRAINLESS ORGANIZERS WAS LIKE TALKING TO A THICK CONCRETE WALL. THE REFEREE EARLIER WAS LIKE EVEN THICKER THAN A CONCRETE WALL.

12--- SO I WALKED THE REST OF THE WAY. SOME OF THE RUNNERS STARTED SWIMMING IN THE LAGOON. SOME STARTED TO WADE IN THE WATER. WHAT KIND OF MARATHON IS THIS? SOON, I HEARD "YALLA!! YALLA!!" FROM BEHIND ME. A RUNNER TOLD ME I HAVE TO HURRY UP AND GET TO THE END BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PLEASE THE CHIEF GUESTS SITTING AT THE DESTINATION, SO WE HAVE TO MAKE IT ON TIME THERE SO HE DOESN'T FEEL THE HEAT. WHATEVER!

13--- SO I GET TO THE END. THERE ARE ALL THESE VIPS SITTING ON THE LEFT SIDE. THERE IS A GROUP OF UAE FEDERATION OF ARMY SITTING ON MY RIGHT SIDE. THEY LATER TURNED OUT TO BE A BAND.

14--- I WALK THROUGH THE FINAL GATE. "NO, YOU DON'T GET CERTIFICATE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO NUMBER OR CAP!" BAS! I LOST ALL HOPE IN THIS PATHETICALLY ORGANIZED EVENT. I FELT INSULTED AND HUMILIATED. I RAN 3KM, WALKED BRISKLY FOR 3KM AND I AM NOT APPRECIATED FOR MY EFFORTS, WHILE ALL THESE CHEATING GUYS WERE WALKING AROUND WITH THEIR CERTIFICATES.

15--- SO DRINKS WERE THERE AT THE END. THANK GOD. WHAT? I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM!!!! FORGET IT MAN! THIS IS WHAT I GET AFTER 6KM!

16--- THE WHOLE PRIZES CEREMONY WAS HELD IN ARABIC WITH ALL THE AHMEDS AND MOHAMMADS WINNING THE PRIZES. IT WAS TOTALLY INSULTING, EVEN FOR THE FILIPINOS. THE ARABIC GUY WHO TOLD ME AT THE BEGINNING THAT I WILL GET MY THING AT THE END WAS EMBARRASSED HIMSELF.

(The prize-giving ceremony. I was told 3000 people signed up. Does this pic show 3000 people? Hardly!)

SO TO CUT IT SHORT, I FELT INSULTED, HUMILIATED AND DEGRADED IN ALL WAYS POSSIBLE. I WENT TO MCDONALDS IN THE EVENING AND TALKED TO THE REGIONAL MANAGER HIMSELF. HE APOLOGIZED AND APOLOGIZED TO ME. HE EVEN SAID HE WILL GIVE ME THE CAP AND THE TSHIRT. I TOLD HIM THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT THE CAP AND TSHIRT BUT ABOUT HOW I WAS TREATED THERE.

HE CLARIFIED TO ME THAT MCDONALDS WERE CO-SPONSORS, THE REAL SPONSORS WERE THE UAE ATHLETICS FEDERATION. I REALIZED THEN THAT I HAD TOO HIGH OF MY HOPES TO EXPECT SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE AND MEANINGFUL FROM THIS ORGANIZATION.


(If I could do ANYTHING to strangle this Ronald McDonald guy, I would! I need a gun! I need some heavy artillery machines! I need to drive something through him to make him go through what I went through!)

SURE ALL THE SCHOOL KIDS HAD THEIR SHARE OF FUN, OF CHEATING, GOING IN THE WATER, GETTING THE CERTIFICATES AND TROPHY, BUT PEOPLE LIKE ME AND THE FILIPINOS WERE FEELING TOTALLY INSULTED. IS THIS THE WAY YOU ARE TREATED, WITH IGNORANCE AND HUMILIATION?

I SHALL BE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS EVENT TO ALL THE NEWSPAPERS IN DUBAI AND SHARJAH, AND WILL PERSONALLY TALK TO MR. DAHEM OF THIS ORGANIZATION TO GET AN EXPLANATION FOR SUCH BLATANT HUMILIATION.

TO TOP IT OFF, MY TAXI RIDE HOME TOOK ME PAST THIS PLACE WHERE IT SAYS IN FLOWERS: SMILE YOU ARE IN SHARJAH!

YEAH RIGHT!


This was the only comforting thing- to reflect on nature, and be in amazement of the God who created such wonderful moments, which are more powerful than the pathetic moments I went through in the race!)

(Oh, also, just so you know, Sharjah has the Sharjah Eye, taken from the London Eye. It looks very impressive, but it isn't that popular!)

MANSUR