Hope Anyone ??

Pakistanis have no foreign oppressor, only our very own politicians who we have elected through a "semi" democratic process or who have come into power by force with the support of the general public. Yet, this system has served only to oppress us, to deprive us of our basic rights and dignity and to severely retard the progress of our nation. Many able men and women of our country have shirked this duty, claiming that politics is corrupt and they want no part of it. These men and women are cowards and hypocrites, for politics is corrupt only because of their absence. Ultimately it is they who have failed their country, and not the criminals who have become our politicians and leaders.

Rumi - Rubayat

The Tomb of Rumi in Konya, Turkey.

Though every way I try
His whim to satisfy,
His every answering word
Is a pointed sword.

See how the blood drips
From His finger-tips;
Why does He find it good
To wash in my blood?

Israeli / Palestinian Phenomenon

As every one is blogging about the whole middle east issue and that is the topic of choice these days I figured I'd share the following article I read in Dawn. This is a very good opinion piece pretaining to history of the region and the wider world, the interactions between Muslims and Jews etc. If you have not read it its a good piece.

‘Awkward’ truths about Palestine

By Muhammad Ali Siddiqi

THERE are two very awkward facts about the Israeli-Palestinian phenomenon — awkward for those who today adopt, or pretend to adopt, a high moral ground on the issue. The first awkwardness is the historical truth that it was only during Muslim rule that Palestine enjoyed uninterrupted peace and harmony among Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Religious conflict began the moment Europeans set their feet on the holy land. No history book says anything to the contrary.

Until the first Crusade came to Palestine, there is no record of any conflict between Muslims, Christians and Jews in the holy land. Slaughters began the day Muslim rule ended. The first taste of European rule came during the closing stages of the 11th century, for when the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem (1099), they massacred not only Muslims but all Jews.

Eighty-eight years later Saladin took Jerusalem (1187). His humanism, universally recognised, need not be retold. He brought the Jews back to the holy city. They lived in peace, enjoyed access to Jewish holy places, and had full freedom to practise their religion. This fact is admitted by all western scholars — but not by Israel’s first line of defence, the western media.

Turkish rule did not begin with the Ottoman conquest (1516). The pre-Ottoman era, too, was Turkish. Saladin’s soldiery was 100 per cent Turkish, and the Ayubites, his successors, relied on Turkish soldiers. Baybers, who defeated the Mongols at Ainul Jalut (1260), was a Kipchaq Turk from Ukraine, and it was he who finally wound up the remnants of the Crusader states. There is no evidence that Jews or Christians were harmed in any way under his rule, or there was any conflict between the Jews, Muslims and Christians of Palestine.

Under Ottoman rule, which ended in 1917 when Gen Edmund Allenby took Jerusalem, all the three Palestinian communities had lived in peace. The moment European rule began, religious conflict, marked this time by the eviction of local Arabs (Muslim and Christian), began in earnest with the full might of the British empire at the disposal of the Zionist settlers. There is no historical evidence that during the 11 centuries of Muslim rule, the Jewish community was ever persecuted, evicted from its ancestral homes and farms and forced to leave Palestine.

Incidentally, Jewish settlements had begun even before the British conquest, because the Ottoman empire and Germany enjoyed friendly relations and the sultan agreed to the settlement of German Jews on a modest scale in Palestine. However, because of corruption and misrule towards the fag end of the Ottoman empire, more Jewish families settled than were authorised by Constantinople. Thus, the first riot between Palestinians and European settlers took place in the village of Petach-Teva in 1886, when Palestine was still under Ottoman rule. What caused the riot was the arrival of Europeans in the holy land.

The Balfour declaration, paved the way for the second arrival of Europeans into the holy land. Since then, Palestine has not had a moment of peace and has been suffering nothing but mass evictions, religious persecution, slaughters and a Nazi-style attempt to achieve a demographic change by the deployment of the most despicable means — permanent occupation of Arab lands, diversion of water resources from Arab orchards and villages to Jewish kibbutzim, felling olive and citrus trees to rob the Palestinians of their sources of livelihood, destruction of Arab farms by acquiring land for Jewish settlements and buildings highways and roads that ploughed through Arab villages and farms.

The second “awkwardness” concerns not just the Jews in Palestine but the Jewish community worldwide. Throughout Muslim lands, the Jews lived in peace and freedom in sharp contrast to the Christian world’s unabashed persecution of the Jewish minority for 2,000 years.

In fact, even the most biased of western writers have not come up with allegations of Muslim persecution of Jews during the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Seljuk or Ottoman rule. (The expulsion of Jews from the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century was in battle conditions during Islam’s early wars, and concerned less than one per cent of the world’s Jewish community, for the majority of Jews were then in Europe, and what today are the states of Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Morocco.)

The most brilliant period of Muslim-Jewish coexistence was Arab Spain, which, as history records, turned out to be the most fertile soil for the cultural flowering of the Jewish genius, which produced outstanding philosophers, grammarians, mathematicians, biblical scholars and poets. It is not just that the greatest of Jewish thinkers, Maimonides, who was born in Spain, was a doctor at Saladin’s court; Jews were co-sharers of the peace, prosperity and cultural and scientific brilliance that Muslim Spain was.

When the end came and Frederick completed the ‘Reconquista’, Jews were slaughtered as much as Muslims. Thousands of those who had converted to Christianity were burnt at the stakes for secretly observing Judaic rituals, and a mass burning of Jewish books took place (circa 1498). As the Jews fled, they found refuge in Islamic lands, for it was the Ottoman empire which offered asylum to the Jews fleeing persecution in Christian Spain. Israel and Turkey officially observed the 500th anniversary of this event when Israeli President Ezer Weizmann went to Turkey to celebrate the occasion.

As against this, there was nothing but misery, persecution and ghettoes for the Jews of Europe. Long before Hitler, King Edward I of England (ruled 1272-1307) asked the Jews to wear the Star of David on their dress, and throughout the Crusades, which raged for two centuries, it was accepted by rulers and people of Europe alike that Crusaders would rob and plunder Jewish homes and shops for providing for their journey to the holy land. The fate of the Jews in Germany and eastern Europe in mediaeval times is a story unto itself. The Zionist movement basically emerged as a reaction to the persecution of Jews in Russia and eastern Europe.

The point to note is that this Jew-baiting was not something specific to the mediaeval times — as western apologists would have us believe; this persecution continued well into the 20th century, for it was again in the thirties and forties in modern and “civilised” Europe that six million Jews were put to death in gas chambers and their bodies burnt in Krupps’ ovens. Muslims can raise their heads with pride: they have done no such evil deed.

Deir Yassin, Sabra-Chatilla, Jenin and now whatever is going on in the occupied territories and Lebanon make us ask: is this the way in which the Jews must express their appreciation to the Muslim world for giving them a thousand years of peace and happiness in their lands?

TAILPIECE: Somehow, the European religious psyche is simply incapable of accepting religious plurality for Palestine. This is astonishing. What is going on in Europe today, because of immigrations, is a slow development of religious pluralism. If the Europeans had gone into Palestine in the 11th century and later in the 20th century with such a background perhaps there would have been fewer slaughters.

A Hidden Gem

Today while browsing the web I came upon a website that opened a floodgate of memories. I remember clearly about 14 years back on a Eid day when we had gone for a private viewing of the most amazing treasures I have ever set my eyes upon. The place was a private antique collection known as the Fakir Khana Museum. We had all day to see the amazing collection and get a very personal tour by the trustees of the Museum. Not many people get a chance to see such a lovely collection all in one place. I recommend anyone who has not been to the Fakir Khana Museum to go visit it and be mesmerized. The following is taken from their website which I discovered today.

The Fakir Khana E-Museum is a one of its kind project.

Fakir Khana Museum "the largest antiques collection in south Asia" is the honor, pocessions and pride of the well known Fakir Family whose vibrant history can be amazingly traced back hundreds of years. This museum is basically inside an early 20th century house carrying a kaleidoscope of unimaginable pieces. From gems & stones, portraits & miniatures to original manuscripts of holy Quran and Relics of Islam including the relics of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). It is a place full of history, memories and treasures.

Every single artifact at Fakir Khana Museum has a story to tell. Entering the arches of the Fakir Khana museum you truly get to know that not only this family is the proud bearer of the relics and the antiques collection but it’s also a part of an eventful history. The sixth generation of the Fakir Khana today can trace their family back to 18th century when their ancestors came from “BUKHARA” to “UCH-SHARIEF”. They were the ones who served in the court of Maharaja Rangit Singh as the prime minister and Royal Physician. Fakir Sayyed Noor Uddin was amongst the favorites of Maharaja Rangit Singh as he cured an acute eye disease which was spoiling his good eye. Fakir Sayyed Noor uddin. Later made the largest hospital for the poor know known as “MAYO” hospital today. Fakir Sayyed Aziz uddin was very much respected as he was not only the prime minister but also an interpreter for Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Being the ruler at the time Maharaja Rangit Singh more often received gifts from official visitors which he passed on to the Fakir Brothers along with most of other treasures from his predecessors. One of the most talked about gifts of that time is the huge portrait of Queen Victoria presented by Lord Auckland which is framed in gold and set in real turquoise. Later generations traveled the world and collected Chinese & Japanese paintings, miniatures imari bowls, coins, Buddhist stone carvings, ancient pottery & silver & what not. From antiques weapons to a stone poison filter (recently tested by a drug company & guaranteed to work, this place won’t stop amazing you. Each of these 30,000 pieces spell bind visitors once they enter the arches of Fakir Khana. This is the time when they highly comprehend the passion and obsession of the Fakir family collection.

Here are a few Pictures Taken from their website.

A Handwritten Quran

A Piece Of Ghandara.

A Miniature Painting.


A Piece of Chinese Pottery.



A Mughal Era Painting.

A couple more

Lake Mahodand

Lake Mahodand:
About 30 km north of Kalam on an unbelievebly bad Track lies a beauty, Lake Mahodand. Maho means "fish" in the local language and the lake is trully brimming with fish! The lake is very large and is the headquarters of the Swat River. It is located in a huge green field which is surrounded by very high mountains and has a small forest right in the middle.

Template Changes

I'v made some template chages, made the blog three column as the right column was getting clustured - added a media player which might be irritating and added a Title Image instead of the standard blogger title. Let me know whats good and whats bad so I can work on that.

Digital Photography ? ? ? ?

Can anyone please tell me of a photo blog with the camera settings for each picture, I think I had seen a very nice blog with pictures and camera settings for each picture but i cant seem to find it. Also does anyone of you readers know of a good site for self learning, haven't really found a good one.

Sex Change - Sounds Fishy

The daily Mirror Reports.

A third of male fish in English rivers are changing sex due to 'gender-bending' pollution, alarming research shows.

Experts say female hormones from the contraceptive pill and HRT are being washed into our rivers and causing male fish to produce eggs.

The problem - which is country-wide - has raised fears that the pollutants could also be contaminating our drinking water - and even be affecting the fertility of men.

Is this really possible, I guess thats whats called survival of the fittest. Apparently no more male fish in the British rivers. Read the compelete story here.

Amazing

Its amazing how politicians try to clean up their and the childrens pasts in Pakistan and probably everywhere in the world. Evidence is removed so that no one can point fingers at the holy leaders. But it is becoming difficult to hide ones shady past or ones mistakes even though they might have been very old and innocent. The internet now has records of everything. But apparently the Pakistani Regime has been successful in getting information removed from a news source about "someone's" son, the url just gives a blank page where the news item should have been - although google has it cached wonder when that will be removed.

*NOTE TO SELF - Google everything about yourself that might be incriminating before you run for any public office.

Exceptional Bush

This is probably a blatant copyright infringement. So sue me.

Tagged By Cractuary

Cractuary Tagged me and it took some time for me to get the time to fill this up. Its by far the lognest tag I have seen. Here goes.


Best, Worst, Last, First, Today, Tomorrow, Favorites, Currently, and True & False

BEST:
1. Male friend: Usman, Ali.
2. Female friend: Can't think of one.
3. Vacation: Road trip and camping to Estes Park and Rocky mountain National Park Colorado.

WORST:
1. Time of day: Waking up early when I just went to sleep 2 hours ago, Yes I'm insomniac.
2. Day of the week: Saturday (First workday of the week in the UAE.)
3. Color crayon: Black.

LAST:
1. Person you talked to that goes to your school: Rijju.
2. Talked to on the phone: An Employee.
3. Text: Danny Brigganza
4. Person who Instant Messaged: UsiManoo.

TODAY:
1. What are you doing now:Smoking and Filling this - it feels like HW
2. Wearing: Jeans no shirt

TOMORROW:
1. Is: Last day of the week
2. Got any plans: Ya lots of work
3. Goal: Try and get off early.
4. Dislikes about tomorrow: Have a lot of Govt Dept. work, lots of time waste.

FAVORITE
1. Number: 3.
2. Song: U2 Knocking on heavens door, and good Ghazals.
3. Color: Blue

CURRENTLY:
1. Missing Someone: No
2. Mood: Bored.
3. Wanting: Sleep.

TRUE/FALSE:
I am a cuddler: True.
I am a morning person: False, False, False, False.
I am a perfectionist: False.
I am an only child: False.
I am currently in my pajamas: Nope.
I am currently pregnant: That's a false, Even though you might think otherwise
I am currently suffering from a broken heart: False
I am left handed: False.
I am addicted to Blogging: False.
I am online 24/7: True.
I am very shy around the opposite gender: True.
I can be paranoid at times: False.
I currently have a crush on someone: False.
I currently regret something that I have done: True.
I enjoy country music: Flase
I enjoy smoothies: True.
I enjoy talking on the phone: False, I hate the phone.
I have a hard time paying attention at school/work: False.
I have a hidden talent: False.
I have a lot to learn: True.
I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal: True.

ANGER
1. Are you currently mad at someone? Myself.
2. Which of your friends has the worst temper? Myself.
3. Have you ever thrown something at anyone? Yes. It's better not to piss me off.
4. Ever had something thrown at you? A chair(plastic) among other things.
5. When you’re mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell and scream? Neither, I use my fists.

EXCITEMENT
1. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party for you? Yes.
2. Are you easily excited? Not really.
3. What you’re most excited about? Politics.
4. If you won a million dollars what would be your first thought? Not Possible
5. If you could have anything right now what would it be? Island

SELF-DISCOVERY
1. Name: D'Rebel
2. Where were you born? Punjab, Pakistan.
3. What’s your main goal in life? To buy an Island and spend the rest of my life on it.
4. How do you want to die? Walking Talking.

OPINIONS
1. Sex before marriage? Don't Care.
2. Gay Marriage? Not for it.
3. Lower the Drinking age? No.
4. Recycling? Yes.

DREAMS
1. What was your latest dream? Very Scary war and not conventional.
2. Have any of your dreams come true? Don't Remember
3. What was the weirdest dream you’ve ever had? They are usually always weird, but I long time ago I used to have a recurring dream about swimming(not floating) in the air.

1. Straight, Gay, Bi? Straight.
2. Do you have a bf/gf? No.
3. Do you have a crush? No.

Q: How many beds did you lay in yesterday?
A: 1
Q: What color shirt are you wearing?
A: Not wearing one
Q: Name one thing that you do everyday?
A: Check e-mail several times a day.
Q: What color are your walls?
A: White- they were awfull pink when I moved in a couple of weeks back I painted over them.
Q: How much cash do you have on you right now?
A: AED 1400.
Q: I can’t wait till…?
A: My first step on my Island - lol yes I'm obsessed.
Q: When was the last time you saw your dad?
A: About 2 Months back.
Q: What did you have for dinner last night?
A: Mashed Potatoes and stir fried chicken.
Q: What’s the last piece of clothing you borrowed from someone?
A: Shalwar Kameez.
Q: What website(s) do you visit the most during the day?
A: Gmail, & Drudge Report.
Q: Does anything hurt on your body right now?
A: Everything.

HAVE YOU EVER.
1. Have you ever failed a class? Yes Urdu Several times.
2. Have you ever sung in front of a crowd? Yes Lake Shore Drive Chicago- for a bet.
3. Have you ever not taken a shower for 3 days? Not possible
4. Have you ever slept with a night light? Yes.
5. Have you ever danced in the rain? Definately.
6. Have you ever lied? Of course.
7. Have you ever had contacts? Yes - but did'nt like them Never wore them again.
8. Have you ever tripped over something stupid? Yes.

PICK ONE.
1. Samosa, Pakora, Kebab: Samosa.
2. Bollywood, Lollywood, Hollywood: Hollywood.
3. Love marriage, Arranged marriage: Love.
4. Honeymoon, no moon: I'd rather go to the Moon.
5. How many kids would u like 1,2, 3+ : 3 definately -3+ maybe
6. Kulfi, Ice cream : Kulfi lots of Pista.
7. Shah ruk khan, Orlando Bloom : Don't care.
8. Meenar-e-Pakistan, Eiffel Tower : Really dont care.
9. Lahore, Khi, Islmbad :LAHORE!

lets see - Its a long one- Who do I tag???

IZAK
Opinionated in Jerzee
Tainted in UAE
Shaykhspeara
Buj Al Arab.

I know its a long one take your time.

In The Middle East Too Long ?

You know you have lived in the Middle East too long when.

• You're not surprised to see a goat in the passenger seat
• You think the uncut version of "Little House on the Prairie" is provocative
• You serve coffee in a thimble
• You understand that everyone's first name isn't Al
• Your need a sweater when it's 80 degrees in the shade
• You understand "no problem" means "essential you follow up"
• You think a picnic means pulling over on the side of the road with your TV and live goat.
• You believe that speed limits are only advisory
• You know whether you are within missile range of Iraq
• You think black is appropriate daytime wear and that men should go to work in dresses and lacy hats
• You expect to go to jail when a local national hits the back of your car at a stop sign
• You expect your home office to call you on Fridays
• Your wear a jacket inside and take it off when you go out
• You can judge a perfect "10" by the ankle
• You know which end of a shwarma to unwrap first
• You think the further you inch into the middle of the crossroads, the faster the light will turn green
• You carry an umbrella and it isn't raining
• You believe that the definition of a nanosecond is the time interval between the time the light turns green and the time that the guy behind you begins to blow his horn
• You give directions by landmarks instead of road names
• You can receive every television station except the local station
• You get used to using the cold water tap to get hot water during summer
• You can't buy anything without asking for a discount
• You understand that "wadi bashing" isn't a criminal act
• You make left turns from the far right lane
• You think Pepsi begins with a "B"
• You measure time by prayer calls
• You fax friends your map instead of your address
• Your think tissue boxes belong on the dinner table
• You except the confirmation of your airline reservation to be "inshallah"
• You think only men should hold hands in Public.

Got this in a mail forward thought I'd share since I can't think of anything else to share.

Israel / Lebanon Situation

Bush: Israel has 'right to defend herself'.

All I care to say right now is, what about the rights of others you ASS-HOLE. When it interests you your intervene and when it doesn't its ok for numerous civilians and children to die. When the Israelis cant rein in Hizbollah in its own territory how do you expect the lebanese to rein them in. By the end of it that is if it ever ends thousands of innocent people will be dead on both sides who is responsible for that. I'm too pissed off right now. More when I'm in a better state of mind.
Israel kills 52 civilians, including more than 15 children, in Lebanon

Israel bombards Beirut amid spiraling attacks

Israel using 'excessive, pointless' force

World leaders urge restraint after deadly Middle East flare-up

Niccolò Machiavelli

"How praiseworthy it is for a prince to keep his word and live with integrity rather than by craftiness, everyone understands; yet we see from recent experience that those princes have accomplished most who paid little heed to keeping their promises, but who knew how to manipulate the minds of men craftily. In the end, they won out over those who tried to act honestly."

Niccolò Machiavelli
3rd May 1469-21st June 1527

Things don't change much, do they ?

Bobos "R" Us

Bobo is a term derived from two terms bourgeois and bohemian. These people are the information age generation and they are thriving in this information age. These are the people you see everywhere on streets, in offices, expensive restaurants and coffee shops. These are what you might call the spoilt rich people, your neighbor, parent, and kid or for that matter you, yourself could be classified as a Bobo. Now lets see the characteristics of a typical Bobo. A typical Bobo has studied at a “prestigious well known” school, not because the education is great but because every one knows the school, has gone on to a high paying job, where he/she wants to associate with people of their own “class” and discuss topics of intellectual interest. You will also notice that the Bobos drive a nice Land Rover Force 10, for which they have no use because they live in a city with a good road system. They wear expensive designer clothes because they want to be unique and sip on coffee from shops that thrive on the notion of making coffee with high-class “Arabian beans”. In the olden days you could differentiate a bourgeois from a bohemian but now the old categories have smashed together, the bourgeois were the straight suburban types, they went to church and worked for corporations, and the bohemian were the arty, free spirited rebels. But if you look at the situation now you see that they have mixed together and thus have become “Bobos”.

Fridays In The UAE

Friday is a holiday in the UAE and man would I suggest you stay in the house and not bother leaving because it is probably worse than hell on the streets. I usually stay indoors on Fridays but today after a long time I had to leave the sanctity of my house to buy some stuff. The traffic conditions were awfull, the shopping center was as crowded as a stadium, I mean literally I was feeling claustrophobic in the mall. There were people everywhere, I though maybe I had landed in China by mistake.

In other news Titled "Study shows why diplomats won't pay up" surprisingly UAE diplomats seem to be among the best/most disciplined in the world the story states that "Twenty-two countries averaged zero unpaid tickets per year, according to the study, including Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates." Is it because they follow the rules or is it because they seldom leave their mansions to pursue official duties.

Internet Up and Running

Yellow there ya'all the internet's working so I should be back posting tomorrow.