Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Congratulations on Eid Al Adha Updated

Dear All,

I'm interrupting my now fabled itinerary to find the perfect laptop ( for my pocket and dreams) to wish you Eid Mabrouk to you and your families and loved ones.

Along with choosing a laptop which is a long process I am also working on my promised Highlander Award on which there is no voting but only my personal choice of who gets the award based on meritocracy, style, originality and a lot of other criteria but always remember that you are all unique.

For those of you who have just tuned in to my blog here is a summary about Eid Al-Adha which I posted a few years ago. Thankfully this year no one is being executed either so we shall be spared the spectacle.

Salam and enjoy the break

عيدكم مبروك

Highlander

Update 25/12/07 I tried to make the round of all Libyan blogs and wish fellow blogs Happy if I missed anyone then it was not intentional but mashallah you are now so many !

22 comments:

PH said...

Eid Mubarak to you and your family HIghlander and I hope you have a joyous holiday :).

salaam

Khalid said...

wish you all a happy eid
may u spend it between your loved ones
and enjoy it to the max :D

ibeebarbie said...

Salam Highlander,
Eid Mubarak - May Allah bless you and your family always.

Anglo-Libyan said...

Eid Mubarak to you and your family

and good luck :o)

Hiba said...

Happpppppppppy Eid

I m`out of my family serves now loOol.
That desont` mean i am lazy,Nohhh
But i was in the serves From Yeastrday till today..but now 5:00 Am..this is my Free Time..

I m` feeling so tried and Sleepy,the weather was so suny + Cold and became lovely after 12 Am,it is cool to get out for BBQ.

Please forgive me my friend if i Hurts You.wallhi i have good Hearted for everyone..Just Dont` Drive me to get NERVES>.

Enjoy ur Eid Times With Family Or With Ur Friends.

غازي القبلاوي Ghazi Gheblawi said...

wish you a happy Eid.. كل عام وانت والاسرة بخير

Ghazi

a_akak said...

EID MUBARIK and may allah accpet our prayers and forgive us,

Can you please please check you RSS Feed as I didnt know you had updated for a while anyway follow this:

go to: http://www.blogger.com/home
Then: Settings
Then: site Feed
Then Allow Blog Feeds to be "FULL"


Fe Aman allah

Akram said...

wish you happy and Mubarak Eid, enjoy Eid with family & friends.
May allah bless you and give you happiness and barakah in your life and make the coming days much better than the past ones aameen.

Omar Gheriani said...

Happy and blessed Eid to you and your family.

Benghazi Citizen said...

Happy Eid
May Allah Almighty grant you and your family peace of mind and well being
Regards
Benghazi Citizen

duniazad said...

كل عام وأنتم بخير وعيد سعيد على الجميع ان شاء الله

programmer craig said...

Greetings, everyone! I apologize for my long absense. I'll take this oppoprtunity to hijack this comment section to reply to what was said in another of H's posts, since there's not much fro me to reply to here :)

http://lonehighlander.blogspot.com/2007/11/patriot-and-racist-tale-of-two-citizens_03.html

Maya,

Imaging somebody speaking German in a US bus in 1944. Would you expect people to welcome this?

Of course not, but that's not the whole story, it's only part of it. The US has a Western culture. It's always been popular (and encouraged) for kids in America to learn the other major Western languages. Spanish, German, French, maybe Italian (but probably not Greek for some reason!) - these are the languages offerred the most frequently in American schools. Always been that way. How imprtant is it for an American to learn German? Not very. Cantonese/Mandarin, Arabic and Japanese would be much more practical choices. Yet, people are considered a bit "weird" in the US if they learn any language other than a traditional Western one. I can't explain it - it's just the way it ius, and probably the way it will always be. And despite comments others have made, I don't agree that Europeans are any "better" about learning non-Western languages than American are. I've met a lot of Europeans who take great pride in being multi-lingual but in most cases their language skills are multiple EUROPEAN (Including Eastern European) languages.

To get back to Highlander's post... H, I'm unclear about why you think it's so much more important for American to learn Arabic for THIS war, than it's been for Americans to learn foreign languages for other wars. The Cold War lasted for some 40 years and I don't recall a lot of people in the Marines who could speak Russian when I was in the service. Our Battalion Intel officer claimed he could speak Russian, but it was never verified! He actually was Russian, so he probably did. He used to like to joke about how if we ever ended up in Russia he'd put me in a Russian Guards uniform (we actually had some) and pass me off as a russian. I don't know why he thought that would work, nobody ever told me in my whole life that I looked Russian, but he used to accuse me of looking Russian all the time. Anyway... there again, there would have been a minor problem in that I don't speak a word of Russian, eh?

I thought that the passenger who expressed security concerns was an Israeli, but I've just read the source and I didn't see any information of this kind. So why the reference to Israel?

Good catch :)

Adam,

American soldiers need to learn a bit of humbleness even more than this or that dialect of Arabic. The Brits in Basra were (well, at least initially) doing a lot better than the US troops further north; They were on much better terms with the local population.

A Boyscout troop would have done pretty well in Basra back in 2004 and 2005, Adam. There was NO insurgency in the Shia areas of Ira in the first couple of years.

Who will say this was because of language skills? I reply humble attitude.

And I reply: evidence of either? I don't know about you, but I worked pretty extensively with British Royal Marines and I wouldn't exactly call them "humble"! And this, from a former US Marine - the branch of military most known in the US for having an arrogantly condescending attitude!

As long as the US troops approach the place with the attitude that “we are the best in the world” and “everyone is a threat” they will have trouble in gaining popularity.

It's a popularity contest now, is it!? :D

Adam, I went to a loit of places in teh world when I was in the US military. We were absolutley ADORED in a few. We were well liked in most. We were disliked pretty intensely in a few. Our attitudes and behvaiors ddn't change in one place or another. I don't think it's so simple as yopu portray it to be. I will say that in every place I went, we (US Marines) were liked quite a lot better than American tourists were. That's soem evidence that the behavior of military prsonnel does effect the attitudes of a local population (as does the behavior of tourists, no doubt) - but how much of a difference is something that can't be quantified.

How would you suggest American troops behave, in order to gain the respect of Iraqis, Adam? I'm not Iraqi, but if I was I think I'd want them to be hard and uncompromising. Maybe even a bit ruthless. I wouldn't much care about how friendly and "humble" they were. Security would be my one and only concern.

Let me tell you a true story. A friend of mine was doing relief/construction work in Afghanistan. He does not look one bit Arabic, and is not particularly pro-Arabic. Yet when I asked him about dangers what he feared most, guess what the answer was. Those bearded dudes in black and long beards sitting on the back of pickup trucks? Nope. Those all-Caucasian dudes in US uniforms sitting in their jeeps? Yes! Why? Because they were (1) really scared, (2) trigger happy.

Interesting story, but I'm not sure how credible it is. Chances are if your friend ever ventured out into the wilderness on his own, we'd have seena videotape of him on the internet by now, so I'm guessing he was always with the "trigger happy and scared" guys in US military uniforms, eh? :P

I do not blame those kids on the ground BTW. They have been ripped from secure lives back home and thrown into the lion’s mouth.

Well, Adam.

A) US military is 100% volunteer.

B) 90% of the people in the military today joined AFTER the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

So, It's not clear to me why you feel that US military personnel have treated unfairly by the powers that be in Washington. I joined the Marines during peacetime, and yet found myself in a war zone several times. Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to go! It's so unfair! Then again, I suppose if I was unwilling to go to war zones, I wouldn't have joined the military - especially not the Marines, eh? Marines have been the tip of the spear for the US military since day one. I'd even hazard a guess that repuation for being "first to fight" is one of the Marine Corps' biggest recruiting tools. I doubt you'll find many Marines whining and crying about how they didn't know what they were getting into, but I'm sure there must be a few.

Those “four-star-clowns in Washington” * seem totally unaware of the practical post-war problems. “Terminate the enemy” is their only goal, but they have no concept of securing peace. I am talking about gaining the trust of the civilian population. So how can the kids have any concept of that, when their generals do not?

Iraqis don't even trust eachother, Adam. However, my understanding is that Iraqis trust the US military fr more than they trust their own government officials, let alone their own military and police. What else can the US do to gain trust in an environment where everyone suspects their own friends and neighbors? The US is already the most trusted player on the playing field.

continuing....

programmer craig said...

Nomad, I thought you were vacating this blog!?

my impression since I go everywhere on the blogosphere ; the americans are seriouly thinking of the necessity to learn "arab" and "french" for military purposes ; they developped recently a PC program for soldiers who are involved in ME and North Africa.

Well, with your impression and a two dollars, I can buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks...

The best way for the US military to add language skills is to add native speakers of the language needed to the ranks. It's worked in every other conflict. That is one of the great advantages of the US military. America is such a diverse country. The military has access to native speakers of every language on the planet, in fairly substantial numbers. They just need to increase the vigor with which they try to recruit the people they need. Arabic may be problematic because the majority of native Arabic speakers are Muslims, and that brings up a host of other issues. Maybe the US military should try to recruit Christians from the region who are fluent in Arabic. We have many Lebanese and Egyptian Christians in the US. If we aren't getting enough for them into the US military, that's an issue that should be addressed if possible. I know it's probably bigotry on my part, but I think the US would be best served by NOT trying to recruit Muslims at this point in time. Too much potential problems with mixed loyalties for a Muslim member of the US armed services.

It would be more accurate if the people would think about learning "chinese", because in the next years, this country is going to lead the world

Probably. But how would learning Chinese help anyone? China is unlikely to try to export it's culture like the Western powers have. China is also unlikely to ever welcome immigrants, the way Western countries have - they are already grossly over-populated. China has a very insular culture, and if/when they become an economic super-power it's unclear how much interest they will have in "globalization". Globalization seems to be a largely Western invention. I don't see how it would be to China's benefit. Why can't they do business the old fashioned way? Local hires for employees other than managers, managers (who speak the local languages) from China? The Chinese are the undisputed MASTERS of international business. They INVENTED the concept, thousands of years ago. It's quite unlikely that they would drop what they've been doing all these years, and try to be like the West has been.

LouLou, Hi! You made the best comment, in my opinion :)

Blogger Benghazi Citizen,

This subject is of vital importance...Some americans may argue that(it's easier for Arabs to learn English ( or any other language ) than for Anglophones to learn Arabic. "),,Yes,that's right,but not because of the mentioned reasons..Many had comments about the american pride,and i must add my voice to them..No language is difficult to study,British Empire soldiers through out their dominance were quite skilled in this field,they knew their empire survival depended on their attitude ,They learnt local customs and languages in all provinces of the empire,that caused them to survive for quite some time..

More comments about British superiority, eh? :P

Remember, the US used to be a collection of British colonies. As far as I know, this is the only colony the British ever lost by force of Arms. So I guess their methods weren't *always* successful?

America(Or as some rigt wingers call it EMPIRE) is so proud ,so self concerned,it took years to convence them to get into WW2 ,and yet they do that after pearl harbour..

It's always something, isn't it? Why doesn't anyone ever complain about how long it took the Russians to get involved in World War II? And even then, it was only after the Germans invaded Russia....

(Weren't the Russians on the same side as the Germans before that?)

Speaking of which, why don't you criticize the Arabs for being on the wrong side in World War II? And the Iranians, didn't they support the Germans as well? Didn't Muslims in general support the Germans? How come everyone is such a big fan of US involvement in World War II, now, but they weren't way back then? :O

Adam

if you read this please take note. Whilst I most of the time disagree with your opinions I do appreciate the sharpness and intelligence of your comments. We miss you.

Thanks! I think :)

Nope, it wasn't the main reason. It was the main pretext. Saddam was a bad guy, no doubt, but he hated al Qaeda as much as we do. Anyone with a any clue on the Sunni/Shiite conflict will understand this.

Adam, I didn't support the invasion of Iraq. I've stated that before. I think the US should have dealt with Iran (one way or another), immediately after Afghanistan.

But it's my belief that the powers that be in Washington decided they had to kick some Arab muslim asses someplace, and it may as well be in Iraq since we already had some outstanding issues with Saddam. Afghans aren't Arabs. Iranians aren't Arabs. A message had to be sent to Arabs. Yes, I think it really is that simple, and that "racist". Wars are very emotional things. The impact of Saddam's overthrow on the Arab world can't be measured, but it's certain that the fall of Tehran would not have delivered the same result.

Maya,

Adam, I am surprised and delighted that you miss PC! So do I, of course. By the way, does anyone know what happened to NBA? It must have been centuries since he posted last.

Thanks to you, too! I miss NBA too. Hope he's doing well.

continuing....

programmer craig said...

Nomad,

BEWOLF, the movie

You know, Beowulf was a traditional pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon name, same as Athelstane, Coenwulf, Ethelred, and so many others. That means it's an inherently ENGLISH name. In fact, it's virtually impossible for any name to BE more prototypically English than "Beowulf". The name doesn't exist in any other language (except some of the related Scandinavian dialects) which means your various alternate spellings are all incorrect.

By the way, the Etymology of "Beowulf" is most likely "Beo" (Bee/Honey) "Wulf" (Wolf) - Bee/Honey Wolf. A Bee-Wolf is a bear.

Beorn (Björn in Swedish and Bjørn in Norse) and Beowulf are both names that mean "Bear" (or Warrior)in the Anglo-Saxon dialect. So, your past claim that Beowulf was a poem about Bear Wolf was incorrect (and weird) as well.

Just spell English names in English and I won't have to get all nitpicky on you in the future :P

hey, can you bring back that middle-age poem of Bewolf ?

I don't think Beowulf was middle aged, and the poem dates well into the Dark Ages (about 5th century AD, right?) so you must not mean "Middle Ages" either?

See, only half the problem I have understanding you is language.

there were no avered "arabs" in the gang who killed Ilian Halimi, the murderer is Ivoirian, his complices are white young surburbans from different EU origins... not pointing out your generalities in other subjects

Nonsense. And we've been through it all before. There WERE a few Arabs in that gang, and the girl who lured him into the trap was Iranian. The one thing they had in common was Islam. You've been corrected on this so many times, it seems rather pointless to continue to make the effort. You obviously don't believe the facts in this case because you simply don't WANT to.

Lastly, H... so sorry for hijacking your post to reply to some old comments, but I really wanted to speak my peace on that one and I was worried nobody would read it. Happy Eid Al Adha :)

Anonymous said...

Eid Mubarek

MusicLover

www.tinariwen.com/
www.youtube.com/user/tinariwen
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCkSX6Kl3ig

Lebeeya said...

Eid Mubarak Highlander!! Good luck choosing the laptop :)

DaMoon said...

kul sana o inte taiba dear sister :o)

> said...

Eid Mubarak to you and your family as well HIghlander.

Salaamz

Anonymous said...

Wishing you a blessed Eid, sorry for the late wish!

ZonaNet said...

السلام عليكم
كل سنة و الجميع بخير بمناسبة عيد الاضحي المبارك

Highlander said...

PH, Braveheart, CnnLibya, Ibeebarbie, AngloLibyan, Lovelyh, Ghazi, A_Akak, A.Adam,Gheriani,Benghazi Citizen, Duniazad, Programmer_Craig, Musiclover,Lebeeya, Damoon, The Lost Libyano, Red and Zonanet :

Thank you for all your wishes :) it is so lovely of you.

A_Akak :) I still have not been able to solve the problem with the RSS feed.

LW :) it is sooooooo wonderful to see that you are well you are missed you know !

Programmer_Craig :) Welcome back.

Maya M said...

Programmer Craig, I am happy to see you back!
"I'm unclear about why you think it's so much more important for American to learn Arabic for THIS war, than it's been for Americans to learn foreign languages for other wars."
I suppose Highlander thinks so because of the specificity of this war - that, unlike WWII and the Cold War, here we actually have no states declaring war. Oh yes, they have filled their public education system with textbook calling us names and accusing us for everything, but otherwise these governments pose themselves as our friends, so our soldiers have to fight "unofficial" combatants hiding among the civilians.
However, I also doubt that it is so important to learn the enemy's language. Our real trouble is the erosion of our culture from within, which makes our countries easy prey for Islamists and undermines our decisiveness. As far as I know, the first war when this factor was important was the Vietnam War, and this was why it was lost. We need to re-assert our values. For this, no Arabic or Farsi is needed. Just the native language plus English or, in the Anglo-Saxon world, English alone.
"I know it's probably bigotry on my part, but I think the US would be best served by NOT trying to recruit Muslims at this point in time."
From what I know about Islam, I think that if a Muslim is a true believing Muslim, he will stand at the enemy side. I don't think it's bigotry to call the enemy an enemy. It is not an offense but rather a technical term denoting where another person/state/culture stands in relation to us during a war. I have mentioned before the unwillingness of Westerners in this war to name the enemy and I have wondered, what is the chance to win a war, that is, to defeat the enemy if you don't dare even to call him what he is?
Recently, I took part in a Web debate with some (mainly Christian) Americans. I expressed amazement how Americans can seriously consider electing Obama and compared it to electing in the midst of World War II a US president of German of Japanese origin who hasn't even renounced the ideology of his ancestral country. The reply was, "Why would it be bad or unwise to elect a Japanese-American president during WWII?" I have had only 2 weeks of military training in my life but I suspect that you don't win wars if your top priority is not to win but to be perceived as nice by bystanders and by the enemy!
"More comments about British superiority, eh?"
Yes, and I have the feeling that the British weren't quite so popular when they were strong. Which makes me think that despite all my pessimistic thoughts, we are still far from defeat. We have to worry when/if we begin to hear nice words about the Americans!
"How come everyone is such a big fan of US involvement in World War II, now, but they weren't way back then?"
I also mentioned Benghazi Citizen's opinion that America was bad for not intervening earlier in WWII, as it is bad today for intervening. Which shows, again, that whatever you do, you cannot appease those who stand at the other side, so better follow your agenda instead of theirs!
"But it's my belief that the powers that be in Washington decided they had to kick some Arab muslim asses..."
I don't think this was the case. I've read (can't find the source now) the following reasoning of the war: replacing Saddam with a more pro-Western government would decrease the importance of Saudi Arabia as an "ally" and would free the soldiers who in Saddam's time guarded the Kurds to prevent another genocide. Also, I think it mattered that from all the Muslim world, only for Iraq the war could find some justification in UN resolutions (which unfortunately backfired when no WMDs were found).
I agree that it would probably be better to attack Iran. There has been opposition to Islam throughout the country's history and the local support perhaps would be higher. Of course I may be wrong. I expected local support for the Americans in Iraq, too; and the fact that there was little of it changed my views. Somebody has said that education reform is similar to moving a graveyard - you cannot rely on any support from within. The same seems to be true for the current war :).