Jordanian blogger Qwaider isn't impressed with the split, calling the start of Eid on two different days as ridiculous:

While almost half the Arab world celebrates Eid on Tuesday, the rest is going to have it on Wednesday! AGAIN!

(Of course this is beyond ridiculous)

It's EID in Qatar, Saudi, UAE, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine and believe it or not, Libya (who claim it's based on Astronomical calculations) [The list is growing (Arabic)]

While the Fiqh Council (FCNA) of Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) have presumptively declared Wednesday as the first day of Eid

Which means, the mosques, cities, states and neighborhoods are going to be divided… Yet again!

Qwaider even draws up a chart showing when Eid is being celebrated where.

Meanwhile, here's a snap shot of celebrations where Eid fell today:

Moroccan High Atlas Mountains News describes the occasion as follows:

For life in the Moroccan High Atlas villages, it will be a day of spending time with your family, before embarking on the start of the walnut harvest. Last year was a good year for walnuts and early indications are that this year will be good as well.

Lower down the olives are being harvested and brought to the olive press.

Sanabis (Bahrain) Daily Photo posts a picture of the mosque where he performed the Eid prayers at 6am.

And from Kuwait, Zuech.ing urges Kuwaiti abroad to make the most out of the event:

Wish all of you guys have a blast and really good time, Specially those abroad don’t waste a second cuz you are coming back to hell !! And for those who are staying in town “try” to enjoy it as I’m trying :P

Writing in Mideast Youth, Iranian Elinor hopes for peace in the region on this occasion. She draws our attention to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which is also celebrated today:

It seems like happy events in Muslim and Jewish calendars are considering a joint statement: “Make Peace and serve your creator”. Well that is how it comes to my mind. Muslims in ME and all over the world have had one month of fasting and praying, being G-d’s guest while breakfasting, this is how they feel by the sunset. Now it is time for them to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the Jewish people in ME and around the world, they are all around the tables celebrating their New Hebrew year: 5769, praising their Lord and keeping the tradition as families and friends come together to start a new year. As a Middle Eastern I would like to wish the followers of both religions a spiritual and happy time. May peace overflow and embrace the entire region soon.

The Kuwait Ministry of Communications first issued an order to local ISPs denying access to Youtube due to video content considered offensive to Muslims and Islam. Blogger later reported that the ban was lifted after YouTube removed the ‘offensive' video.

About the original ban, Ansam writes:

I think this is the dumbest decision ever made when it comes to blocking offensive sites… whats next? Blogs!!! Limewire!!!

Man this is ridiculous… no, no, no… its is ridiculously sad! Who comes up with such decisions! Isnt youtube also full of videos supporting Islam, Muslims, and Arabs! Why take the negative part?!?! Was it because of the Quranic verses read in melodic background? The video was removed for God's sake? You only need to report offensive videos and your voice will sure be heard!

I am hating this SO MUCH! Ughhhhhhhhh!

And when the ban was not implemented, Ansam exclaimed:

They canceled! Its not blocked… YAY

Another Kuwaiti blogger, Loft965, notes:

It’s the end of the world as we know it: Kuwait might block YouTube.

Bashar too is livid at the decision, suggesting that the government bans other sites while it is at it. His suggestions include:

If they still wanna move forward, despite that YouTube did really act upon the video, listned to people complains, and there isn’t really any such videos right now, then I have a list of suggestions to push our country furter forward, carefully selected from Alexa top 100 sites in Kuwait:

 

 

1. Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search: The head of search to all evil things. Block them.
2. Facebook: There are some athiest and anti-Islamic groups. Don’t try to reach them, educate them, or show your thoughts. Just leave the whole site.
3. Maktoob.com: Arabic online forums, e-marriage could be abused for dating, movies, horoscopes. This is not Islamic is it?
4. Kooora.com: All about soccer, mostly European soccer where teams show sponsored Beer and wine ads on their Shirts.
5. RapidShare: Sharing is not monitored, you can’t tell what your people are sharing. And someone might be secretly sharing offensive content. There must be some of it. Or at least, just to be on the safe side
6. Travian.ae: Obiously, why should you let your people play as Romanian soldiers in an online game, helping the Romanian empire expand it’s grounds online, when they could be fighting as Islamic ones.
7. Hi5: Friendship site.

Falantan brings news of the order to ban YouTube being reconsidered at higher levels. He writes:

Thanks to you all and the amazing response, it seems the Ministry people are realizing their blunder […]And now I got confirmation that the Minister himself has convened with his department heads and rescinded the order.
Thank you al-Jarida and thank you bloggers of Kuwait :)

Writing in Arabic, Jandeef argues:

Jordanian Moey, who visits Kuwait regularly, urges the authorities:

Why block the website? I’m not sure if any of you remember, they blocked anything +18 in Yahoo groups 2 years back, and YouTube has an option that allows users to report offensive content.

Please don’t go nuts like Syria and block YouTube and Facebook?

And Frankom rants:

Iraqi Bookish complains:

It is very hard to fast because of the hot weather in the current Ramadan. I do not feel hungry but so thirsty……Well, the worst thing is that I am losing weight.

To illustrate this, the blogger posts her weight on the scales before and after breaking her fast - where the difference is a kilogram.

Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during the month.

Shopaholic Q8eya, from Kuwait, can't wait for the month to end. She writes:

I am so ready for Ramadan to end. I want my coffee. I miss seeing our tea boy placing my XL cup of starbucks bold coffee. I want to be able to drink water while working out in the gym. I am fed up with all those Ghabqa’s [late night social gatherings and meals] yet I always have fun going to one. What’s up with everyone passing away? Just got a call and he didn’t make it. He has been in the hospital for few days now and I guess it was meant to happen..May his soul rest in peace. This is the 4th funeral since Ramadan started. I told you this month should be over very soon.

And Khadija Teri, from Libya, too is waiting for the month to end.

Ramadan is the season for beggars and pickpockets. Unfortunately, I seem to be a magnet for both. The other day when Jenna and I were out shopping we nearly had a repeat of the pickpocket experience we had before (I posted about it here). […]
Ramadan is lasting forever this year… I am ready for it to be over.

Back in Kuwait, Pearls complains about driving standards:

Driving is crazy now. Better to avoid going out unless it’s necessary. I was so close to getting into two car accidents yesterday, first wasn’t my fault. The guy in the van turned on me and I hit my breaks hard. The second one was because the car in front of me took a sudden stop and I wasn’t focusing well.

So I got away with the last two but it didn’t take me too long. Today I hit the car in front of me but my feet were off the pedal so no harm was done. Again I got away with it …

From Saudi Arabia, Stilettos in the Sand posts a similar complaint about driving. She explains:

Driving While Fasting… Dangerous. Driving in the Sandbox is scary under the best of conditions! To say that driving, here, is challenging is the understatement of the century if there ever was one - and you literally take your life in your hands the moment you step into a vehicle, whether as the driver or as a passenger. The chances of being in an accident are exponentially multiplied during Ramadan as “drivers, eager to reach their destination, throw all driving sense and caution to the wind.” Yep. ‘Tis true. Today's Saudi Gazette has an article that says, “The standards of driving are known to be erratic in the country and it only gets worse in the holy month of Ramadan.”

And while Desert Girl, from Kuwait, is full of praise for a series of advertisements celebrating the virtues of the Holy Month, Khadija Teri is polling her readers to find out what their thoughts are about Ramadan's television programming. She explains:

There are mixed feelings about the amount of TV watched  and the type of programming available in Muslim countries during Ramadan. There's even a ‘No More TV in Ramadan' campaign. And a lot written here. […]
What are your thoughts about TV in Ramadan?

At Qatar Living, the Spirit of Ramadan is being celebrated with a photography contest.

Joe was named the first winner for this photograph of children sitting on a cannon, traditionally fired to mark the end of the fasting day:

Iftar is when fasting is broken during the holy month of Ramadan. Followers of Islam, fast from Sunrise to Sunset during this month. In Qatar, a canon is fired to mark the end of the day's fast. People here, gather to near it to watch the canon being fired and then rush home where a delicious meal awaits them.

And last but not least, Teach the Masses, from Kuwait, has holidays on her mind. She writes:

The rumour mill is up and running. KSA [Saudi Arabia], Qatar and other Gulf states are giving the last 10 days of Ramadan as a holiday and will Kuwait follow suit?
So far no confirmation- some people saying yes and some maybe but no official link.

We kick off this week's round up of Kuwaiti blogs with charts and numbers, who writes a three part series on the collapse of the Kuwait Stock Exchange:

The recent collapse in the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) index this past week has not been given its proper placement in the headlines. I have found it difficult to find resources covering the details of the collapse or reasons justifying the decline. Some might hail the events as a market correction but I believe the reasons are far more complex and intertwined with recent economical events in the country.

Dahem AlQahtani, a journalist and blogger, writes [Ar] about the Minister of Information Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid, who has met with the editors-in-chief of local newspapers.

He wonders why the journalist union was not invited to the meeting:

وزير الاعلام الشيخ صباح الخالد حينما يعمل لوحده فإنه يبدع
ولكن وحينما يترك الأمور لغيره من طاقم وزارة الاعلام فأنهم
لا يهدونه إلى سبيل الصواب وإلا ما الذي يمنع الوزير من توسعة
المجال قليلا ليشمل القوى الحقيقة المؤثرة في الاعلام الكويتي ,
ولماذا لا يعمل بأبسط التقاليد المهنية ويقوم بدعوة رئيس نقابة الصحافيين
لحضور اللقاء وهي النقابة المعترف بها

The Minister of Information Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid is creative when he works on his own. However, when he depends on his team at the ministry, they don't lead him to do what is correct. Otherwise, why has prevented the minister from expanding the circle of invitees and including the real movers and shakers of the Kuwaiti media and why hasn't he respected the minimum professionalism expected and invited the president of the journalists union to attend the meeting and it is the union which is recognised.

The blogger also discusses the impact of online media and television, and wonders why they have been excluded from the gathering:

وزير الاعلام الشيخ صباح الخالد حينما يصحو من النوم يكون
أكثر تركيزا ونشاطا فيكون لحظتها وزير إعلام عصري يتابع
العصر بلغة العصر , ولكنه وحينما يمضي في يوم عمله
يصطدم بالعقليات المهنية التي عفا عليها الزمن فيتحول
إلى وزير إعلام تقليدي يختصر الاعلام الكويتي
في 14 رئيس تحرير صحيفة لا يملك معظمهم القرار في صحيفته .

When the Minister of Information Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid wakes up from his sleep, he is more focused and active. At that time he is a contemporary Minister of Information who speaks the language of the age. But as the day progresses, he collides with the professional mentalities which are old and changes into a typical traditional minister who sums up Kuwaiti media in 14 editors-in-chief, the majority of whom don't make the decisions in their papers.

Meanwhile, Bader from Moodart
creates a traditional artwork from recycled material. He describes his creation as:

ايضا من اطارات السيارات
طولها متر ونصف وعرضها نصف المتر
الوان اكريلك

Also from car tires,
One and half metres long by half a metre wide,
Acrylics

With his blog in mind, Yousef over at somecontrast, writes about ghabga he shared with 60 plus friends. A Ghabga is a late night meal in Ramadan, where friends, relatives and acquaintances are invited to socialise over traditional cuisine.

We had a Ghabga* at the Diwaniya yesterday. We took pictures of the whole thing. My brother got carried away with the camera and now i have over 350 pictures of every person of the 60+ who were there. When it was time to arrange the buffet I thought I should take as many pictures as possible, you know, good blogging material

Check out Yousef's blog for the array of food on the table.

And finally, Hellraiser writes about the purpose of Ramadan:

Contrary to popular beliefs, Ramadan, is not about eating, sleeping, Ghabkas and Sohoor [the last meal of the night before people start their fast]. Its about patience, self control to help oppress passions and temper, helping the less fortunate and Taqwa by reading the Quraan [the Muslim's Holy Book] and to strengthen one's faith

From Kuwait, intlxpatr was in for a treat when an unexpected knock on her door:

The doorbell rang.

No one rings my doorbell. The doorman always calls to let me know if a visitor has arrived.

“Who’s there?” I called out.

“It’s GIRGIAN!” a chorus of voices rang out.

Girgian is a children’s holiday, a little like Hallowe’en, about half way through the month of Ramadan, when costumed children come and ring your bell and are given sweets, sometimes money. If you are really lucky, they sing a song. My understanding is that normally the children go around to their families, like aunts and uncles and cousins, and to close neighbors.

Needless to say, intlxpatr was delighted with the surprise:

In come eight gorgeous little Kuwaitis, all English speaking, all dressed top to bottom in gorgeous finery, bright thobes and prayer caps, beautifully hand woven bisht with gilt trim, dresses with embroidery and lace and gilt skirts, golden headdresses - oh! They were gorgeous!

No one has ever come for Gergian before. I didn’t have anything prepared. Thank God AdventureMan has a sweet tooth, and thank God, they were polite and appeared delighted with handsfull of Oreo cookies and marshmallows, which were all I had.

Some days, you just never know when a blessing will appear. Those darling children made my day.

She even shares a video uploaded on YouTube of the celebration by Kuwaiti blogger Chikapappi:

The quake, which measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, struck near Bandar Abbas, while tremors registered in the UAE measured 4.8, according to news reports.

Iraqi blogger Attawie, who lives in Abu Dhabi, sets the scene:

I was checking my email yesterday around 3 PM when I felt really dizzy. For someone fasting during Ramadan this is not a good news. It means you're not having the right portion of food to keep you healthy. But I remember very well that I had biryanee (rice with biryanee spices and vegetables), roasted piece of chicken, salad and a piece of cake with dried figs for desert. I can't be hungry this soon!

With closed eyes I was still feeling dizzy. Not a good idea to stand up, I looked right and there it was. The stuffed tiger with long dangling hands and legs was swinging right and left. It can't be the AC that made it move because if it was so then the shelves he was hanging on should not move too! Oh my God! An earthquake.

I ran to the next room where my father was helping my sister to hang her new shelves. I told them that there's an earth quake and I'm feeling dizzy. So they'd better change. We have to leave the building. A moment of silence there was and I said it's true look at the chandlers, they are swinging.

The earthquake was still there, the chandlers were still going left right and left, I put some important stuff in my handbag and told dad to bring the case of our important documents.

Seabee, from Dubai, says he felt nothing.

I was in Dubai Marina at the time and felt nothing. Mrs Seabee said her office building in Knowledge Village trembled slightly, but that's only three storeys high.

Many people are relating their experience of it to the media, but not the ones I'd like to hear from - the guys in the cranes above the world's tallest building Burj Dubai.

From Kuwait, Lebanese Fonzy posts a video, which shows people on the streets after evacuating their buildings:

Fonzy further explains:

These tremors are from a 6.2 quake that hit Iran and spread to Dubai. The aftershock measured 4.8 on the Richter scale. Buildings all along Sheikh Zayed Road were evacuated after the tremor struck at around 3.00pm, with crowds of confused people flooding out into the street. Buildings were actually swaying from side to side.

And Teachthemasses's School Days asks:

Did the Earth move for you?

The UAE Community Blog also features an exchange between bloggers and their readers about what happened.

The Lady asks:

Anybody felt any mild tremors today at around 3:05pm?

And hallodubai replies:

yes i did! our building was shaking!!!

Extinct adds:

I don't know about buildings swaying but my bed definitely moved!

But for Josh of Arabia, who was in Sharjah, there was more important business to attend to:

oh yeah, i was eating in the sofa and it moves..then our windchimes made sounds too..half of the people in our building in sharjah went down fast, but i rather go ahead eating..

i got lot of calls after..