The One about A Time To….

Dear friends,

I think my last post was somewhat depressing, but after watching so much horrible things happening in Iraq, how can one not be depressed?

I think it would help us to keep in mind that God is in control of the world’s situation. God is All-Knowing, and Wise, and so there has to be a Master Plan that God has in His hands right now. We may not be able to understand why the world has changed so much, but God does! I never imagined that I would get to see four wars in my life (Gulf War, War in Yugoslavia, War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq). Keep in mind that one of the signs of the End of the World is the increase in wars. I would love to know when I am face to face with God why He allowed to let so many innocent people die?

I was browsing through my sister’s Chicken Soup for the Teenage soul, and I found a passage, which I thought perfectly captured my frame of mind. There is a time for everything in this world!

“To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get and a time to lose,

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war and a time of peace.”

— Eccles. 3:1-8

Surely, if we are going through a time of war now, we will also go through a time of peace.

Warmly,

Mansur

The One about the Reality of War

Hi all,

I just read a passage in the book I am currently reading, and it made me realize the terrrifying reality of what war is like. Sitting here in my home, watching the Iraq war unfold on the television set, I am not able to comprehend what it is like to be in a war-like situation. It is only through other people I get to know the reality of the situation. I do not believe the media broadcasters a whole lot anymore, from Fox News to Al-Jazeera. Embedded journalists are asked to mention fewer number of casualties than the actual number. Friends in Iraq tell us that a higher number of coalition forces are being killed, but the Western media is downplaying the numbers. Iraqis are going through a lot right now, which I cannot comprehend. I think the following passage gave me a good insight of what it would be like to be in war!

Here is the passage from the book Travelling with Djinns by Jamal Mahjoub, who refers to the Gulf War in 1990 in the book, and could very well apply to the present war in Iraq:

“The war began on television [...]. The picture on the screen was quite hypnotic. Necklaces of dotted light arched slowly upwards into the Baghdad sky. It was like a fireworks display, only more serene, as though it were all happening underwater. It was hard to believe that those graceful sprites were burning-hot pieces of sharp metal, tracer shells capable of killing and maiming. [...]. During the bombing, he said, it was like being in a dream from which you could never wake. Light travels faster than sound. You saw the explosion before you heard or felt it. Buildings, cars, walls, people would vanish in front of your eyes in a flash of light and smoke, and then the shock wave would hit you. He said horror was a physical thing. It gripped your entire body; some people froze, others could not stop moving. Gradually you got used to it, the air raids became part of life, like powercuts, he said. He lost his five-year-old daughter one night when the ceiling of their flat caved in.”

Sincerely,

Mansur

The One about the Saudi Elections

Dear friends,

I have been following intensely the elections procedure held here in Saudi Arabia. These elections are historic, and for the first time, people could nominate themselves, and vote. However, the one glaring obvious thing is that women are not allowed to vote.

The official policy had to change “citizens can vote” to “men can vote” to steer clear of the confusion if women could vote or not. What was even more devastating was when the government announced that the “male prisoners” can also vote! I was outraged.

Many countries don’t even allow for prisoners to vote, because they see prisoners as people who have lost some of their rights as citizens for the crime they committed. Yet, here in Saudi Arabia, male prisoners are given the right to vote. If I were a Saudi women, I would have been terribly upset. Society upholds male prisoners on a higher pedestal than women here. And they talk about women’s equality and the better treatment they give to women than they do in the West!

Of recent there have been two journalists here in Arab News who have been discussing the pros and cons of women voting. One of them, Raid Qusti, was dead against women voting, citing that the country is not ready to have women vote (his reasons are illogical and dumb)! The other journalist, Abeer Mishkhas, writes more sensibly, and poses some great questions, and mentions the pros of having women voters. She was also upset at the fact that the male prisoners have been given the privilege to vote, whereas women have been barred.

I can only hope and pray that the women in this country get their chance to do all that the male population have been doing for so long is vote, drive and work in businesses!

Take care,

Mansur

PS if interested, check out www.arabnews.com for regular news on Saudi Arabia

The One with the Scene at the Death-bed

Hi all,

I was recently reminded of a scene from a movie that I have seen several times. The movie is caled Kal Ho Na Ho (loosely trasnslated to Tomorrow May or May Not Come– if you think you can come up with a better translation, please let me know!)

The particular scene that I am reminded of often is the final scene, where the main character, Aman, is on the hospital bed, knowing that his heart condition will cause him to die. He knows he is going to die soon. However, the beauty of the scene is that the people who matter to him the most are all there in the hospital with him- right from his uncle to his neigbors down to his best friend and the girl he fell in love with. It sure is hard to see someone so close to death. All you want to do is grab hold of the person and bring back to this world.

What got me thinking was: How many people will come to my funeral? I think about how many people will show up when I am dead? How many people will remember me when I am gone? ALthough I am only 27 now, and I will get to know more and more people, like my future in-laws and will hopefully have kids of my own, but how many people will really come to my funeral? Will I get a chance to meet everyone before I die? Will the people who matter to me most be present at my bed side to see me off to my death?

I do not know the answers, but I do know that I am honored to have a small gruop of friends, who I know for sure will be there for me. I can envision the same scene from the movie, with me on the hospital bed, and my friends standing there. I think far too often, people always praise the deceased person after their death: “Oh, he was such a nice man,” “She was very loving and always kind,” and so on. What good does that do? The person is dead! I think it is important to let people know how you feel about them while they are still alive!

All right, I am off to bed, I mean work! Take care you all!

Mansur

The One with the Mineral Water Bottle Warning

(Click on the ‘bottle’ to open on new page to read the text!)

Doing my part to warn you of the dangers of re-using mineral water bottles! Which means I have to throw out those amazing Evian water bottles, with a hook on top! I used to be an environmental freak, and am still environmentally conscious today!

Here’s hoping you do your part to preserve the environment,

Throwing-away-old-Evian-bottles,

Mansur