From the family vacation album






















My brother sent me this photo , I thought it was so good from an artistic point of view and in the context of recent world upheavals that I could not resist sharing this gem with you.

I also showed it to my dad and he suggested the ladies may need to hold a sign so that their family recognises them he is still laughing especially at the pose the gentleman is striking and so seriously trying to put them all in the same frame. I'm wondering who took this photo ? My guess this is in Downtown Beirut, and probably a Libyan guy sitting at one of the cafes there .

On another note my neighbour just returned from Umra with his mother and sisters. During his stay there he became all pro- this sort of thing under the influence of the Saudi women , for whom this dress is a way of life. I must admit that his womenfolk were all very excited too and wore these clothes before he had even shown an inclination to it .

A few days later they were shopping and he put his hand on the shoulder of one of them and asked her " Mabrouka, what do you think of this watch for your father? " Only to hear " Take your filthy hand off me you immoral young man ! what do you think you're doing , wait till I tell my husband he will make you wish you never went out of your house, ya Isma3in zawedlah !" .

Surprise it was not his sister Mabrouka ( who was two rows away), but another shopper at the same mall . When he resolved the misunderstanding with Isma3in , hee immediately suggested to his female family to 'please' take those black clothes off including the niqab, "I can't even recognise my own sister , this is too embarrassing ".

I have full respect for hijabi women and their difficult choice as the hijab needs a lot of righteousness and self-discipline to be upheld ; but THIS is ridiculous.


No comment

Tribute to Arab women

I won't be talking about their talent for the arts, politics, cooking or other professional positions, this post is simply about how Arab women in my eyes are the creme de la creme .

"The Arabic woman is known for her beauty, charm, warmth, passion, loyalty,
intelligence, self respect, and her know how when it comes to pleasing her man.
For many happiness is having an Arab wife."

Heavy hint to all of you guys out there, Libyan and others ....
In short Arab women totally rock and are absolutely hot stuff !!!! ( Hattip Pogrammer_Craig for the Arab sexy women link).

Libyan students in the US

Was lately thinking about furthering my education and while browsing for some ideas I stumbled on this interesting post: "First Libyan students arrive in the US since 1980 "

For the first time since 1980, Libyan nationals are enrolled at a US
university. Oklahoma State University welcomed 7 Libyan students after
diplomatic ties were reestablished between the US and Libya.

The bloggers also provide a link to the OSU paper , here is an excerpt :

Bahaeddin Elhmidi is the youngest of the international students. At 19 and
fresh out of high school, Elhmidi admitted he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as
the others.“I’ve been homesick since my first day,” Elhmidi said.Elhmidi left
behind several brothers and sisters in Libya, and a “special person” that
brought a smile to his face. He said everyone at OSU and in Stillwater has been
“more than nice” and so far he has enjoyed meeting all the new people the most.
[more]

Good luck to them and we are proud of you guys . I wish they could start a blog so that we follow their adventures and so that Baha's girlfriend erm... 'special person' can keep and eye on him :P

Keyword Analysis -October

If you liked last months analysis check this month what the readers have been searching for on my blog :)

muslims converting to christian morroco = > OK I know my post about conversion is overdue .
protestant reformation => hmmm no comment
libyan boy footwear photos => why only the boys ? a fetish is that you Chris in Manitoba ?
libyan traditional clothes => Yes you will know all about it
berber and black marriage => Ask Libyan Warrior for that
highlander do as i say woman => Someone is obviously into S & M

On another note, I was pleasantly surprised to have passed the 100,000 visitors landmarks in one of my statcounters. Thank you guys .

The top 3 Highlander fans are now :

(1) ''Lord " :P Programmer_ Craig
(2) NBA
(3) The US dept. of Labor .

A change from last August :P

Eid El Fitr in Libya (Updated with photos)

It's 8.10 am and it's Eid a Fitr here in Libya . Ramadan has officially ended last night and I'm joyfull that once again I have been blessed to enjoy the Eid with my parents and family. Alhamdulilah ya Rab.

So feeling so warm and fuzzy I decided to write to you a little about Eid here before I go wear my nice outdoor clothes in readiness for all the guests , but also in reply to special requests by NBA and Twosret, and for anyone missing Libya :).

First NBA who wanted to know my opinion on 'suffering' in Ramadan while waiting for the Eid as related to this post by Syrian blogger Abufares, who says "Less than a week to go before Eid Al-Fitr ushers Ramadan away. This is a 3-day celebration after the one month of fasting. Eid simply means Holiday and the word Fitr is the antonym of Seyam (Fasting). So an approximate translation is the "Holiday of the Breaking of the Fast = Holiday of Eating".Indeed many people start eating with a vengeance. There will be one feast per day for three consecutive days. ".
Abufares is such a talented blogger , go check his blog and you will enjoy his dishes and stories about Syria, he is an ex- airline pilot too.

To answer your question, NBA, no I don't particularly suffer during Ramadan, I love it! I am not impatient or antisocial like Abufares is saying many fasting people are ( those are mostly heavy coffee drinkers and smokers I would guess). I think I'm more active as I don't worry about food and my mum can't nag me to finish my plate :P .
However, Abufares did bring up an important note : "The truth of the matter is that the last week of Ramadan for all the fasting kids (and on this point I'm still a kid) goes by very slowly. Time seems to stand still."

In Libya we describe this as follows : The first 10 days flow easily , the 10 middle days are OK, and the last 10 days of Ramadan 'salalat liglub'i.e. they are torture and drag endlessly. This is my rough translation - so any input of the original in Libyan are welcome, and I guess it means that some people unlike me do suffer from fasting ;)

I hope that answered your question NBA, as for Twosret, she wished to know what we do for the Eid and if it was similar than what the Muslims experience in Egypt? (Egyptians can share with us here ).

Eid El Fitr is my favourite Muslim feast, and it is one of the most important in the Muslim calendar, on a par with Christmas, it is not an orgy of food at least not in Libya . It is more of a time to put feuds and misunderstandings aside and thank God for his blessings. It is the time to forgive and be forgiven by friends and family . In brief it is a time to start a new leaf , turn the page and clean one's heart and soul in a process which started in Ramadan with the discipline of fasting. This is the real meaning of the Eid and Ramadan and this is what I strive for. My own jihad.


In Libya , people buy new clothes, shoes and toys for the children ; check Khadijateri here same as Leilouta recalled in Tunis and all over the Muslim world. Adults also buy new clothes but it is not really a must. Clean , well pressed would do just as well. We make the halawat el Eid , or Eid sweets, such as magrud ( date filled cookies) , graiba ( butter cookies) , baklawa and ca3k ( plain cookies ) - check all recipes here.


We stock on soft drinks and sweets and chocolate too for the kids and the visitors.
Above magrud and graiba, and on the left baklawa. These are my mum's homemade Eid sweets.







I love waking in the early morning to the lilting and poweful Takbir coming from the nearby mosque:


Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,
laa ilaha illallah,
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
wa lillahil-hamd
wa subhan Allah
wa alhamdu lilah
wa la hawla wala kowata illa bilah

God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest
There is no deity but [the One] God
God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest
and to God goes all praise etc...

I love the Eid mostly for this part because of its immense effect in transplanting me to the times of the Blessed Prophet Mohamed . It reminds me of the most joyous moment, his triumphant entry in Mecca .


On entering Mecca the Takbir was recited by the Muslims, and when I hear it on the Eid I am so overwhelmed that my skin tingles and my heart squeezes and I feel the faith being renewed in my soul.

So people hear the Takbir and proceed to the mosque in the finest clothes for the Eid prayer. In Libya it is mostly the men who go to the Eid prayer. I watch them from my window ( facing the mosque) flocking from all the neighbourhood in droves , most dress in Libyan traditional clothes . But I see also many many non-Libyan and non- Arab foreigners and they all look united under one banner , Islam and thanking God. When I see that I still have hopes for our nation and I am reminded of this verse.

"When comes the Help of Allah, and victory, and thou dost see the people enter Allah's Religion in crowds, celebrate the Praises of thy Lord, and pray for His forgiveness: for His is Oft-Returning (in forgiveness). (AN-Nasr:1-3) ".

I can smell the dust and hear the sound of the horses hooves ....

The Takbir continues until it is time for prayer and as many participants have congregated .
"The Eid prayer (salah) is followed by the khutba (sermon) and then a prayer (dua') asking for forgiveness, mercy and help for the plight of Muslims across the world. It is then customary to embrace the persons sitting on either side of you as well as your relatives, friends and acquaintances.
Muslims spend the day thanking the Creator for all their blessings, as well as just having fun and enjoying themselves. Children are normally given gifts or money. Women (particularly relations) are normally given special gifts by their loved ones. Eid is also the time for reconciliations. Feuds or disputes, especially between family members, are often settled on Eid" [ref].

Children are also taken to the playground and entertainment parks and are given gifts of money too. I remember when my uncle gave me 10 Dinars 20 years ago! It was a treasure for me as 1 Dinar would have been more than enough. I ran to ask dad if I should accept this fortune or not , and he told me "it's Eid sweetie , it's ok take your uncle's gift " .We also visit friends and family and we call loved ones to wish them happy Eid.
Nowadays we also get text messages on the mobile . It is a time to strenghten the umbilical cord and rebuild the bridges that may have been burnt down. I am so sorry though that my grandmother is no longer with us , as I loved going to my granpa's house and eating the ftira with honey she would prepare in the morning for us and her unique tea. The Eid is also the time to go visit the tombs of our beloved and pray for them.

Final check ( not in any particular order)

(1) Money for the kids = yes ready
(2) bowls of sweets = yes
(3) house clean = yes
(4) clothes ready = yes
(5) drinks and tea and cakes = yes
(6) Did I kiss mum and dad = yes
(7) Prayers done = yes


I am of course most grateful for those of you Muslim and non-Muslim who made a special effort to find Eid cards and email them to me. That was so touching and I appreciate it. Because as I said Eid is very important to us Muslims and this Eid has a special meaning for me. So a big hug to each one from me here in Tripoli.

OK then let me go make myself pretty , call my friends and family and check my zillions of mobile messages !

To all Libyan and non - Libyan bloggers, friends and family
عيد مبروك علينا وعليكم و انشاء الله عايدين فايزين
EID MABROUK :)

Fulla : The Phenomenon (Updated)

These last few months toy stores and stationery shops have been flooded with the trademark pink colour of the Fulla doll . I feel like there is a take over. The marketing is powerful and aggressive and even I have fallen prey to it and bought a few things. :)To be honest the products are really cute and what every little girl would want. Fulla is the Middle-Eastern Barbie, and I think she is a success.

I'm not too pleased that some have chosen to label her as the 'Muslim' Barbie or doll. I don't think that is necesarily correct. Someone saw a niche/potential and created her. Arab kids are identifiying with her because she looks less foreign that is all.
The fact that there is an option to buy one with a hijab should not be alarming or taken as a hidden hint to encourage for doning hijab. It is simply a reflection of the realities we live in, yes there are many Muslims in the Arab world and yes many do wear a hijab. Moreover, Barbie is still available and I just bought Barbie branded watches and trainers for my nieces, but I also bought them Fulla dolls, clothes, notepads, pencils and beach accessories. Of course they adore the Fulla chewing gum :) and other products . Now there are Fulla clothes, I'm thinking if I can fit into the top I may get one for myself.

Newboy is the company manufacturing this doll, have a look on the left hand side to watch the running Fulla products ad - nothing related to Íslamic doll'. , a prayer mat does not mean the Talibans are coming , because a prayer mat is part of a Muslim household. Her advertisements are on Spacetoon a lot too. Spacetoon is a children's satellite channel with cartoons from all over the world , included are the American classics such as Tom & Jerry and Bugs Bunny and Japanese anime. My nieces love Barney and sing with him in ENGLISH even though they cannot speak the language. One of them keeps saying he has a cute *ss lol.

The above photo is that of my brand new Fulla check her clothes - quite stylish and look at the other dolls available too :) here on the right. The hijabi one is among 7 options!


Fulla may not have a bikini , but so what ? nobody minds ( plus he he he the Barbie clothes fit her anyway ).


Moral : let's stop politicising everything and let the kids play.


Update 23-10-06

Check the clothes I bought for Fulla for the Eid
& also the collection I want :P

Fifteen 'things' I love


Twosret tagged me for my 15 favourite things , she made such a good job herself that I feel embarassed that my favourite things will seem so plain in comparison .... well here we go

(1) Blogging - no comment I'm officially addicted with no remedy in site.
(2) Foyles Bookshop - everything under the sun.
(3) Belly dancing - Samia Gamal is my hero and I've seen all her movies ...
(4) Driving the car very fast - I find it therapeutic.
(5) Gold and ethnic jewelry
(6) The Ummayad Mosque in Damascus.
(7) Indian silk sari .
(8) Libyan folkloric music
(9) Guerlain 'kiss Kiss 'lisptick
(10) My boots' collection and more boots if possible - please note the hot pink ones ( yummy)
(11) Beirut ( Lebanon)- has a special place in my heart .
(12) My shebsheb :P
(13) Libyan summer nights.
(14) The Message ( best movie of all times ).
(15) Last but not least ! My laptop :P ( check the desktop challenge since October 2005 to which Sandmonkey finally replied in April 2006 LOL -better late than never )

New Avatar

Blogger and reader Nomad has drawn a rendering of how she imagines me . I am so pleased with it that I would like to thank her and post her image of Highlander and use it as my new avatar from now on (until she makes another one :P ) . If any of you are as talented and would like to make one of how you imagine I look, do email it to me please :)

Ramadan in Libya and the USA

Redenclave asked about working hours in Libya during Ramadan. Well the Labour office has set them from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm . We do no work in the evening and sleep mornings as in KSA.
I must admit I love those working hours during Ramadan. I won't make posts about the lovely dishes that Mama HL makes at home since the Libyan bloggers have joined their friends and already have a special blog for their recipes here , yummy!


This year we had some cool Libyan TV programs

Haj hamad mentioned here before , and which is a satirical figure is my favourite Libyan Ramadan show. The screenshot above shows his house and car parked out front. Typical Libyan. He has a CD player in this car and an anti -theft central lock alarm system. Notice the satellite dish on the roof ? a must in ALL Libyan homes.

This here is another Libyan society cartoon show. Apparently that's how we look :P.














I was looking for how Ramadan is celebrated in the US and found this cute and positive article so I thought I'd share it with you guys:

"Muslims in the United States face special challenges in celebrating their holy month, which this year began Sept. 23 and ends Oct. 22. While Muslims in the Islamic world revive the daily rhythms of Ramadan - streets empty at sunset, families congregating for Ramadan dinners, or iftars, and later heading to the markets to drink tea until the wee hours of the morning, comfortable in the knowledge that they can sleep late because others will, too - Muslim-Americans have to adjust Ramadan to the beat of American life."

This clearly demonstrates that Muslim Americans are fully integrated , makes me happy I guess.

Pope Benedict's real 'bird' aka goal

I mentioned in my previous post about the Pope that while he "was hitting two birds with one stone [ people] let slip the main target of his diatribe which is buried under a lot of philosophy and academic speech"
The time has come to reveal that main birdie :) I will let the neo-con's buddy, controversial author Amir Taheri clarify the idea in his own words :

Moneyshot

"Contrary to first impressions, the lecture was not aimed primarily as an attack on Islam as a faith that, divorced from reason, is violent. The Pope's principal target was Protestant Christianity in all its versions. "

So basically the Pope was taking a dig at the Protestants . How ? This is how according to Mr. Taheri.

"Throughout the lecture, Benedict juxtaposes faith and reason, creating a dialectic he uses for an attack on Protestantism that, he claims, started the process of "de-hellenisation" of Christianity with the Reformation in the 16th century.[...] Benedict's core message is an argument in favour of organised religion and a rejection of secular ethics that he sees as a fruit of the scientific revolution. "

Check the whole article here , which also states that the Pope wants to see a rallying of Europe behind the Church and reclaim Europe as a Christian identity, I think that implies he would almost make a pact with the 'devil' to achieve that :P

I would appreciate your input about whether Protestants and Catholics are/were such great enemies as I can see there were many wars between them.


Books to read : "The Old Enemies: Catholic and Protestant in Nineteenth-Century English Culture "
Interesting links:
(1) why is there animosity
(2) Comparison of Catholic and Protestan theology .
(3) The final word on the Pope heavily recommended !

Nuclear Korea (updated)

It's refreshing to check the news and not find the ME on the front page from time to time.
The media is busy with the latest 'surprise' from North Korea.
I'm not really surprised ALL these comments reflect my thoughts ( courtesy of the BBC)

" nuclear North Korea or a nuclear Iran is no more dangerous than the nuclear Pakistan where there are many terrorist organizations. A well-armed nuclear country like the US, Russia or China has no right to ask another country not to go nuclear. Iran and N. Korea are really afraid of the self-righteous and very belligerent America. Sanctions would be counter productive. Why does Bush administration refuse to talk directly to the N. Koreans?"
C.M Ramakrishna, Cherry Hill, NJ, USA

"So what if NK conducted a test? It was clear already they posessed nuclear weapons. The outcry seems a little late. And pointless as well. If the USA and UK are allowed to reign terror down on Afghans and Iraqi's, they are in no position to complain. Furthermore, they have helped push NK to this point, by establishing a precedent of pre-emptive strikes against weaker nations. This is the reason that NK and Iran feel the need to arm themselves in the first place. We would do the same."
Rory Morty, Giessen, Germany


"Now North Korea has tested nuclear weapon still US considering imposing sanctions. Iraq didnt have any WMD and US imposed a war. Its mean if Iraq had any WMD then US would have never gone to war. I think North Korea has the right to develop any technology for its security because this world is full of double standards..."
Raheel Sajjad, Karachi, Pakistan

"It seems so simple to claim that North Korea has the right to have nuclear bombs to defend itself, but is that to defend the people of North Korea or it's current leader? Given the fact that he has little regard for the life of his own people, how can you place your faith in him caring about those in other nations.Pls take off the anti-american blinkers for a second and actually look at the situation and it's effect on N.Koreans and the neighbouring region. China has realised this too late."
Barrie, London

Now if you want more intringue there is also the American ( or more precisely , the Rumsfeld connection. Fascinating this guy has his hand in every nasty pie in the world :P if this is true.

11-10-06

"Bush committed to diplomacy ...", where was it in Iraq ?

The Pope

I promised here that my next post was going to be about his Excellency the Pope, and though I got sidetracked here there shall be no more stalling. Hope the wait was worth it .

Last month I was surprised at the news that there was some sort of controversy surrounding the Pope Benedict XVI and his alleged harsh criticism of the Muslim faith. I thought to myself , please God let's not have a re-run of the Danish cartoons , we were just beginning to forget all about that sorry episode.


I will not say that he was a card carrying Nazi, because that would be unfair . The past is the past and this is comparable to the Iraqis who have been forced to become members of the Baath party in Iraq to survive ( and so many emigrated abroad); so all must be given the benefit of the doubt. Nor will I comment that he has a history of apparent untolerance to other faiths . Or that he now seems to have made his peace with the Jews according to this "[..]Jewish-Catholic relations anyway are no longer based upon our view of the past but on the nature of relations in the present, and from that perspective Benedict XVI is as good as it gets." I don't even have to talk about Jihad or about proposed Islamic reformation. I don't need to get in the debate about the academic standard or lack of it of the Pope's speech since he apparently amazingly " bases a sweeping characterization of theological doctrine on just one footnote! "

I also read comments like the following on public forums (BBC) :

(1) "The Pope quoted one of the last Byzantine emperors, beleaguered in the remnant of his empire, about to be swallowed up by the Muslim Ottomans. He was hardly objective. In that period - the 14th century - Islam was more enlightened, scientifically and morally, than the Christian world. In Muslim Spain Christians and Jews flourished. In Christian Europe the Inquisition was torturing and burning people and resisting scientific development. The Pope's statement was both foolish and rash.[sic]"
Yael L. Hairston, Givatayim Israel

(2) "The pope made two major mistakes one after another. The first mistake was when he quoted on side of a conversation between two different sides that occurred some centuries ago. Academically that's wrong. Since that conversation was brought up then the world need to know the response of the other side as well. The second one is when he disrespected all Muslims and claimed that about a quarter of the world's population mis-understood him!! Muslims are not that ignorant.[sic]"
Awnar, St. Catharines

All the above while interesting are irrelevant and stray away from the real topic. So I chose to read on the controversy before jumping to conclusions.


The Pope's speech brought out the 'worms from the woodwork' in terms of showing the true personality of many individuals. Unknowingly people blurted out without even the pretense of political correctness what was lurking at the bottom of their hearts. The only winners from this event is Emperor Paleologus who is enjoying fame and notoriety probably more than he did when he was alive, and the terrorists who have more fuel for their oven by making a moutain out of a molehill.

But I was not satisfied , media, people and bloggers were simply quoting each other. To cut the Gordian knot of speculations I decided to download Pope Benedict's lecture "Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections", dated 12th of September and print out all 7 pages. I wanted to go to the source and see for myself what he said in context (that's what we were taught at school: check both sides and the facts). After all the guy maybe falsely accused.

I read the whole document and his only remarks about Islam (in the said lecture) are contained in page 2 and mainly concentrated in two paragraphs.The remaining 7 pages do not seem connected to these remarks and as far as I could figure out in my humble opinion and limited academic jargon did not even allude to Islam.

Thus I concluded that Pope Benedict XVI is a very clever fellow, he has not reached this eminent position with nothing in his brain. The Pope was hitting two birds with one stone. That is what I call pure genius, because while the whole world was busy analysing the now infamous words of the Byzantine Emperor revived for the occasion through the Pope's lips, and were getting sidetracked about how Islam was propagated, and whether it used reason or not . And while people were foaming at the mouth about Islam and Christianity and other religions, and was the Pope bashing Muslims or not? They let slip the main target of his diatribe which is buried under a lot of philosophy and academic speech.

I stand in awe before Pope Benedict XVI , I only have total admiration for the guy if he had not taken the vow of celibacy I would even marry him regardless of everything. We need people like him in the Arab world. I would vote for him as my benevolent dictator forever , time and over again. Chapeau !

So who or what is the main 'bird' that the Pope was attacking ? the arch-enemy of his Church! and NO that is not Islam, Islam was just a diversion he threw to the spectators :) . The bones we give to the beast in the gladiator arena
I'll let someone elses more capable words explain that to you in another post.

I also had an interesting discussion with a Libyan friend of mine ( thank you for your patience and wink at him). This is the gist of it below and is not intended to be offensive to any Christian.

"We are muslims right? if we are muslim we have a way of life and thinking
that dictates us to deal with issues in whatever that manner is in Islam. The
Pope is not Muslim ( in fact he is Catholic) and does not accept Islam as a
faith i.e rejects the divine revelation of the Qur'an and the coming of Prophet
Muhammad. If that is the case what matters what he says about Islam or our
Prophet? He sees it as natural to do that and that's what his teachings are
maybe telling him to do i.e. attacking in symbolism. On the other hand this has
another face, it could show his ignorance and bigotry, or racist motivations?
That is also his RIGHT to do since he is FREE to speak his own mind.

What matters would be our reaction as Muslims and it also helps for us
Muslims to know the method that we need to learn on how to deal with people of
this charachter when they speak like this in public. The West may have the same
ideas that the Pope has Professed to be accurate. We can say a majority of the
West have the idea that Islam is a faith that was spread by the sword. So if
they decided without previous knowledge or proof that what they say is accurate,
then they can be labelled, according to the dictionaries by a label of ignorance
and bigotry. I am only responsible for them to know only if they make the clear
decision to come and ask me for information . Since there
is no compulsion in Islam, none what so ever as per what he [the Pope] said
it is his business and it is more propaganda for the average Joe in the West to
pick up the Qur'an and read it for himself. I am not going to go out of my way
to teach someone who has ulterior motives because that would be stupid on my
behalf if I am aware I know that he/she has a different aim and insincere
right ?

That's why the Creator made the statement 'shall be no compulsion in Islam,
the right is known and the false is known'.

For example , if some one comes and climbs to the biggest tower of the city and decides to unzip and urinate in front of every one. I have nothing to do but leave him alone and move on my business. He will still be on top of that tower doing what he sees is right no ? But let him do it. To make a big fuss about it is to give it
importance that it did not deserve and a waste of time.
Time is the cure for such issues. "

What he said concurs more or less with what I have been thinking all along with regards to purported hostility to the ME or alleged statements aimed at Muslims.

Summa Summarum ( picked that from our own NBA ) :
It is the right of anyone to criticise Islam if they wish.
The smart thing to do in return is to not to swallow the bait hook, line and sinker,but rather keep calm, ignore, learn more social skills and use the same right they used to criticise back next time using the same strategy if I still feel like it :)

Comments

Dear all,

I'm disturbed and saddened that my comment section seems to have deteriorated as it was the best thing about this blog ( even better than my posts ).

I will leave it up for a while but if I find that there is any foul language, harrassment, threats or bullying, I will simply close it as much as I hate to. Because the other option is to moderate which is not fun and I don't like seeing anyone insulted on this blog, be they Arab or non-Arab, Muslim, Christian, Jew etc....

So please don't let me down and help me keep the comments section alive.

Thank you.

update 4-10-06

Moderation is on - sorry it had to come to that - we shall see how it works , at least I can sleep in peace with the knowledge that no-one will get killed.