Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark

Bahraini protesters were abandoned by many Arabs, especially the ones from the Arab Gulf, because the majority of Bahrainis happen to be of a different sect. Unlike other Arab countries which are dominated by Sunni Muslims, Bahrain is dominated by Shi'a Muslims. And out of  ignorance, many Arabs assumed Bahraini protests were to back the Iranian Shi'a influence in the Middle East.

It's really sad to know that people can be denied their God-given rights because they are of a different religious background, and it's a shameful fact that the Bahraini movement for freedom and justice was crushed by people in the Arab Gulf.

This is a must-see documentary on forgotten Bahraini protests.

Vittorio Arrigoni, Staying Human

Some people risk their lives for strangers because they see these strangers as fellow human beings. They follow their conscience and sense of humanity to fight with others for justice, freedom, and equality.

Vittorio Arrigoni gave his life for Palestinians. He left his comfortable life in Italy to join Palestinians in their fight for freedom and justice, and despite difficulties and obstacles he faced , he kept going on till he was killed for what he believed in. It is tragic when the world loses someone like him. He was a hero, and a hero's death is painful.

This is a film about him made before his death. I watched it today, and thought of sharing it here.

Words by Mohammad Asad

I just finished reading an abridged biography of Mohammad Asad (formerly Leopold Weiss) , and I intend to get his book " The Road to Makkah", inshaAllah. 
Some of his words quoted in the book made me feel sad about the state we Muslims are in.

'How has it come about that you Muslims have lost your self-confidence - that self confidence which once enabled you to spread your faith, in less than a hundred years, from Arabia westward as far as the Atlantic and eastward deep into China - and now surrender yourselves so easily, so weakly, to the thoughts and customs of the West? Why can't you, whose forefathers illumined the world with science and art a time when Europe lay in deep barbarism and ignorance, summon forth the courage to go back to your own progressive, radiant faith? How is it that Attaturk, that petty masquerader who denies all value to Islam, has become to you Muslims a symbol of "Muslim revival"?
'Tell me - how has it come about that the faith of your Prophet and all its clearness and simplicity has been buried beneath a rubble of sterile speculation and the hair-splitting of your scholastics? How has it happened that your princes and great land-owners revel in wealth and luxury while so many of their Muslim brethren subsist in unspeakable poverty and squalor - although your Prophet taught that No one may call himself a Faithful who eats his fill while his neighbor remains hungry? Can you make me understand why you have brushed women into the background of your lives - although the women around the Prophet and his Companions took part in so grand a manner in the life of their men? How has it come about that so many of you Muslims are ignorant and so few can even read and write - although your Prophet declared that Striving after knowledge is a most sacred duty for every Muslim man and woman and that The superiority of the learned man over the mere pious is like the superiority of the moon when it is full over all other stars?" Mohammad Asad

If you don't know who Mohammad Asad was , click here

الشعب الليبي يختار الحرية

ذكر علي عزت بيجوفيتش في احد كتبه ان " جوهر الروح هو الحرية" والإنسان ليس جسد بل هو روح , لذا نراه يتعذب و يختار أن تترك روحه جسده عندما تسلب حريته.هذا ما اختاره الشعب الليبي اليوم , إما الموت أو الحرية و الكرامة الإنسانية

.

 هذا فقط ما يفعله الأبطال لكن موت الأبطال مؤلم , وهذا ما أحس به لا اجل هذه الأرواح البريئة التي قتلها و لا يزال يقتل فيها هذا المجرم القذافي . لكن شئ واحد اعرفه أن ذكرى هذه الأرواح الشجاعة ستبقى ذكرى خالدة في التاريخ الإنساني كما بقيت ذكرى المجاهد الليبي المسلم عمر المختار , ذكرى مشرفة و بطولية للشعب الليبي

انني اؤمن بحقي في الحرية، وحق بلادي في الحياة، وهذا الايمان اقوى من كل سلاح، وحينما يقاتل المرء لكي يغتصب وينهب، قد يتوقف عن القتال اذا امتلأت جعبته، أو أنهكت قواه، ولكنه حين يحارب من أجل وطنه يمضي في حربه الى النهاية. ان الظلم يجعل من المظلوم بطلا، وأما الجريمة فلا بد من أن يرتجف قلب صاحبها مهما حاول التظاهر بالكبرياء. عمر المختار

To the Tyrants of the World

Ela Tughat Al Aalam (To the Tyrants of the World ) is an old Arabic poem written by Tunisian poet Abdul Qasim Alshabi. It's what Arab protesters in Tunisia and Egypt have been using as their slogans and chants. It's powerful and beautiful.

إلى طغاة العالم

ألاّ أيّهــــا الظـــالمُ المســـتبِدُّ حــبيبُ الظــلامِ, عــدوّ الحيــاه

ســخرتَ بأنّــات شـعبٍ ضعيـفٍ وكــفُّك مخضوبــةٌ مــن دمــاه

وســرتَ تُشــوِّه سِــحْرَ الوجـودِ وتبــذرُ شــوكَ الأسـى فـي رُبـاهْ

رُوَيـــدَك! لا يخــدعنْك الــربيعُ وصحـوُ الفضـاء, وضـوءُ الصبـاحْ

ففـي الأفُـقِ الرحـبِ هـولُ الظـلام وقصـفُ الرعـودِ, وعصـفُ الريـاحْ

حــذارِ! فتحــت الرمــادِ اللهيـبُ ومـن يبـذرِ الشـوك يجـنِ الجـراحْ

تــأمل! هنــالك.. أنّــى حـصدتَ رؤوسَ الــوَرَى, وزهــورَ الأمـلْ

ورويَّــت بــالدمِ قلــبَ الــترابِ وأشْــربتَه الــدمعَ, حــتى ثمِــلْ

ســيجرفُكَ الســيلُ, سـيلُ الدمـاءِ ويـــأكلُك العـــاصفُ المشــتعِلْ

 

 

To the Tyrants of the World

Unjust tyrant , lover of the darkness , enemy of life
You have mocked the wounds of the weak people

Your palm is stained with their blood
You distorted the charm of existence

And planted the seeds of sorrow in the fields

Wait, don't let the spring, the clearness of the sky

and the morning light fool you
For on the horizon lies the horror of darkness

rumble of thunder and blowing of winds

Beware, underneath the ash there is fire

And he who sows thorns reaps wounds

Look there, for I have harvested the heads of mankind
and the flowers of hope

And I watered with blood the heart of the earth

I drenched it with tears until it was drunk

The river of blood will sweep you
And the burning storm will devour you

The War You Don't See

The War You Don't See is a must-see film by award-winning journalist and film maker John Pilger.
In this film, John Pilger draws attention to the sad and shameful reality of our world. He exposes how the media manipulates the public by investigating its role in war, and its relationship with corrupt governments.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7

Viva Palestina

It brought tears to my eyes, watching on TV yesterday those beautiful men and women from different countries entering Gaza to help their brothers in humanity. It was beautiful!

Those pro-Palestinian activists, and among them were survivors from the Israeli attack on the Turkish aid ship on May 31 , arrived in Gaza yesterday in more than 100 cars and lorries carrying aid worth nearly $5m.

This convoy, Viva Palestina, was organized by George Galloway, a British politician . However, George Galloway was not with those activists  yesterday because he was banned from Egypt by the Egyptian authorities.

George Galloway will always remain a great man, an inspiration to us all. And those pro-Palestinian activists did a GREAT job.