Archive for
April 23rd, 2009
Stories
Kuwait: Blackberry Lunches, Arab Sex Talk and Election Responsibility Plea
From the censorship of video games to discussions about Kuwait's upcoming parliamentary elections on May 16, the Kuwaiti blogosphere offers a mixed bag this week.
Kuwait's Ministry of Information’s censorship is also extending to video games now, according to Mark’s Ministry of Video Games post from 248.am:
“I just found out that there are three people (2 guys 1 girl) at the ministry who’s job is to test video games all day. They play every game that needs to be brought into Kuwait to make sure they don’t contain anything illegal like nudity”.
The upcoming May 16 Kuwaiti elections are on everyone's mind as well, and Aggz The Agressor makes an impassioned plea for collective responsibility in a post entitled “A Vote For Responsibility” at Hilaliya:
Vote wisely. It's not just about improving government services; it's ensuring that these services continue to survive after the economy shrinks from complete oil dependence in sixty or seventy years time; according to recent estimates (some reports claim a maximum of forty years). I have a 2 year old daughter, by the time she's a mother, her children will face Kuwait's hardest economic situation ever-a country without oil to fuel the state's expenditures and services. In other words, what I as a parent decide today will affect my grandchildren's future wellbeing. By selecting the right MP, we as voters set the standards for a better future, it's not about voting for someone who would be able to help me grab a government-built house quicker than the rest, or someone who would be able to process my papers with his influence or some other short-term personal gain.
Moving on to technology with Z District’s Marzouq; in a post entitled ‘The Blackberry Lunch’ talks about how efficient and addictive the Blackberry’s BBM chat service and how archaic SMS’s are compared to it.
“BBM group chat - this is damn addicting and you can notice others who are addicted to it. The one time Zains’ blackberry service went down, I was really really annoyed that I had to use sms to communicate with people, it felt so archaic and slow in comparison with BBM which gives you answer right away, and it so damn satisfying. I even get annoyed with those that don’t answer right away or are too slow to type. I think that BBM is an excellent feature, but sometimes you just have to put it down and enjoy what ever you are doing.”
Eshda3wa in a post called ‘Sex Talk’ criticizes Arab women for talking openly about sex in public places or amongst each other.
“I'm sure all of you noticed, Arab women love talking about sex. Once you’re married, or they deem you old enough, there are no boundaries to what they say in front of you. I HATE that. Sometimes even women you barely know will start talking about their sex life and all I wanna say is what the freaky deaky F is wrong with you. For example, a few days ago while at work, I was having my morning coffee and talking with one of the nurses about laser eye surgery. I always wear my glasses. She wears contacts, and apparently is blind as a bat without them. Then she goes on to say she has to wear them even during sex. Because if she can’t see her husband she can never be satisfied, and it takes her way too long to reach a climax. MY GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE. Did i need to know that? Did I?”
Lastly, LOFT965 talks about Arab feminism and how it features “a correlation between a culture’s treatment of women and its own brand of linguistics” but that it was time now to be more politically correct and remove gender specific words from our language.
LOFT965 also posts the following video from ‘The Hariri Foundation‘ concerning the ‘Women Empowerment Program':
“This has prevailed on for way too far and even as the Arabic language is one of the most eloquent languages in the world there seems to be no way around using gender non-specific words. It’s time we removed gender from the vocabulary. That’s the only way to progress. You know, gender is an illusion”.
Kazakhstan: Cadres decide everything
“Cadres decide everything” - this expression of Josef Stalin is widely quoted by the Kazakhstanis when they discuss new appointments in the government, which usually doesn't feature much new faces, coming down to “reshuffling” of the old “deck”. Megakhuimyak notes [ru]:
[Russia's president] Medvedev replaces governors and creates his own cadres reserve of 1,000 individuals. In Kazakhstan the “bench of reservists” for the governorship is positions is as short as for a dozen of people. The general reserve for higher positions hardly amounts to 50 or even less. Although it is becessary to change people, and do it quickly…
Neruad comments on a substandard HR decision [ru]:
I wonder what was the reaction of the politicians in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Vatican and UN, when [president] Nazarbayev appointed ambassador to these countries and subjects of international law as the director of external intelligence agency.
Alim-atenbek writes about a humanitarian crisis that took place this winter in the industrial town of Stepnogorsk in the northern Kazakhstan - for nearly a week, people there had been cut out of heating, water supply and suffered repeated electricity blackouts [ru]:
It is a pity to read such things about the once prosperous town. Instead of investing in reconstruction of the obsolete infrastructure, we had been building glazing skyscrapers in [the new capital of Kazakhstan] Astana, which are now standing empty. Seemingly, after the funancial crisis, the infrastructure crisis is looming - and, eventually, the political one.
Slavasay is indgnant at arbitrary interpretation of the Olympic regulations by the Kazakhstani authorities. The Asian Games, which were to be held in [the former capital] Almaty in 2011, are being partially moved to Astana. The possibility of reduction of sports program - and even full move of the Games to Astana - is being considered [ru]:
Most likely, the decision has been already made, and the decision is, frankly speaking, is a silly one. It was Almaty who had won the right to host the Games - and the Kazakh authorities' decision does not only question the adequacy of the government in the eyes of the global sports community, but also hurts the residents of Almaty. Personally I would be very upset and definitely won't go to Astana to see the competitions.
Also posted on neweurasia.
Indian Elections ‘09: Where The Shoe Pinches
When Muntadhar al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at the then US President George Bush, little did he know that his method of getting a point across would soon become viral across continents.
In India too, the trend seems to have caught on. For indeed, the humble footwear has become the preferred weapon of choice among a section of Indians who wish to voice their resentment and be heard over the din of political platitudes being mouthed by leaders in the face of the Assembly Elections.
First, Jarnail Singh (photo here), a journalist, hurled one of his sneakers at the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram. He was upset at the CBI giving a clean chit to Jagdish Tytler, one of the key accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Tytler had by then already been nominated as the Congress candidate from North-East Delhi, a step that had angered the Sikh community that had been waiting for over 25years for some kind of closure.
Rajeev Chandrashekhar wrote in his blog:
Jarnail Singh and his shoe have woken us all from our slumber and reminded us of the crimes committed 25 years ago, in our Nations Capital against the Sikh community – at a time when there was no Television coverage and media as we know it today - a crime for which in Chidambaram’s words “not enough people have been punished”.
The shoe missed it's mark, but the protest registered. It triggered off a larger expression of anti-Congress sentiments among the Sikh populace, a sentiment that soon gained momentum. Finally, the Congress bowed to public pressure and withdrew the candidatures of Tytler and another similarly accused, Sajjan Kumar, in an attempt to pacify the community's anger.
Sharique wrote about this fall-out in his blog:
Thanks to Muntadar al-Zaidi, the citizen of this world have a new way to vent out their anger. Even though it came very late for George Bush, it came at an appropriate time for the Congress. Jarnail Singh’s act of throwing his Reebok shoes and the subsequent protest from the sikh community has forced the Congress to pull back the candidature of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.
However, the shoe did not stop there. Soon shoe-throwing incidents became common fare. Politicians and electoral candidates such as Navin Jindal and BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, L. K. Advani, each received their share of shoe-ing.
Subhasis C, wrote in his blog:
Zaidi has inspired a new generation of Indians and has taught them how simple and benign shoes can be used against the State power.
[…]
Bear in mind that Indian political class’ culture, integrity, commitment is on the wane and worst victims are the millions of countrymen. They have hardly any right to speak against existent discriminations, exploitations, repressions, corruptions and harassments. What can they do except hurling shoes? Recently Congress MP Naveen Jindal and BJP’s projected prime ministerial candidate LK Advani had the taste of same in election meetings. It is said more are on the cards and the politicians are getting nervous witnessing this latest expression of fury. It may be some of protesters are efficient in targeting. What will happen then? Is the Indian mass getting more conscious?
That the act of shoe-throwing had become a symbol of people's expression of frustration with their political leaders was also reflect by Youth ki Awaaz, which said:
At press conferences and political campaigns, throwing shoe has emerged as a sign of being aware yet neglected.
However, discussions also veered towards the rights and wrongs of the political system and also of the action itself.
Speak India Blog opined:
Had Jarnail Singh or another frustrated individual gone the wrong way a bullet would have been in the place of Shoe. Is the current government converting humane people like Jarnail into frustrated individuals who are ready to resort to violence ? I think more than the government it is the polluted politics.
The answers to justice may not lie in throwing shoes but lies in coherent action and action(or initiative) has been taken by Jarnail Singh. Right or Wrong is up to you to decide.
Youth ki Awaaz had this to say:
Flinging shoes at known and senior politicians is certainly unethical and must be dealt with seriously. Being against someone or protesting is not bad, but the way the protest is carried out must be kept in mind. One must never cross the limits. Their are a number of ways through which we can address a person, but certainly not by throwing a shoe.
This act must be done away with.
Politicians have now become wary of the very people they are supposed to be representatives/leaders of. Fearing a shoe-attack, they are taking preventive measures at their meetings and rallies. According to Kamla Bhatt:
Bewildered politicians are scrambling to find effective solutions to protect themselves. According to various reports Indian politicians are seeking security measure to help them from these flying weapons of mass destruction dubbed as Shoegate by Indian media.
Perhaps, it is a wake-up call that the masses are no longer willing to be passive and detached but wish to be heard loud and clear. However, as this tweeter message points out,
Sudeshp: What's up (with) the shoe throwing in India??? People if you are so dissatisfied go out and vote for the right candidate in the elections.
This post is part of the Global Voices special coverage on Indian Elections 2009
Jordan: Beyond Stereotypes
Last Thursday, I attended an event organised by the Danish Embassy in Jordan and hosted at Al-Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman. The event creatively tackled the issue of stereotypes between Denmark and the Arab world. It featured a variety of activities such as a stand-up comedy gig by Danish-Egyptian comedian Omar Marzouk, who showed the audience clips from a Danish puppet film about Muslims, and an Egyptian film called The Danish Experiment. The event also featured Danish director Georg Larsen and Lebanese film maker Ahmad Ghosien, who showed clips from their film “an Arab come to Town“, which sheds the light on the lives of Arab immigrants in neighbourhoods of Copenhagen, and talked about their experience producing it. The event then concluded with a panel discussion that featured the Danish Ambassador to Jordan H.E. Thomas F. Lund-Sørensen, blogger Mariam Abu- Adas from 7iberdotCom, Larsen and Ghosien, journalist Adam Hannestad from the Danish newspaper Politiken, and Marzouk. The panelists engaged in a question and answer session with the audience, and the issues raised ranged between how to get past stereotypes and the future of the relationship between Denmark and the Arab and Muslim worlds.
Courtesy of 7iberdotCom
Ambassador Lund-Sørensen announced the event on 7iberdotCom:
Beyond Stereotypes – as the event is called – will put spotlight on stereotypes.
I suppose most of us would like to be looked upon as individuals and not as belonging to one big bulk or group of individuals that can be put into a box defined by one culture, one nationality, one linguistic group and/or one religion. I also suppose that most of us have tried at one point or the other to be stereotyped into one of these boxes and felt that we did not belong there at all – although we did share some similarities with the others in that same box?
In many ways we are lucky. Globalisation, satellite TV and the internet has given us opportunities that the majority of the generation before us had not even imagined would be possible. Opportunities not only to watch – but also an opportunity to interact.
These media are very powerful tools when it comes to creating stereotypes, transmitting them – or breaking them down. On Thursday 16th we are inviting you to meet a stand-up comedian, a journalist, a blogger, two filmmakers and an actor who will put spotlight on media and stereotypes. I hope that you will join us in a constructive reflection and debate over perceived stereotypes and how the media can help breaking down stereotypes – not building them up. To get the debate going I challenge you to start blogging about your thoughts right here and now and then we will follow up on the 16th.
Following the event, the Ambassador wrote some thoughts about the evening on his personal blog:
Thank you very much for your participation in the “Beyond Stereotype” event last night. It got nicely crowded and a little bit to warm in the theatre. The feedback I got in the lounge afterwards was very positive.
I didn’t get the possibility to comment on a sceptical remark from the audience about the lack of Danish negative stereotypes on the net. I do not claim scientific value to my research but I actually didn’t manage to find some really negative Danish stereotypes through Wiki or Google (only in English). Maybe it is because we are just a very small population of 5.5 million (like Jordan) or simply not interesting enough as an ethnic group. Even searching for Scandinavian negative stereotypes didn’t yield much. Didn’t look for specific Jordanian stereotypes - but I guess it will be difficult as well. These three links were the best I could find for Danish stereotypes.
Where can you watch the full version of “An Arab comes to Town”? I was told that it will be released on DVD soon - in the meantime the Embassy together with the Royal Film Commission are planning an open-air screening at the Film Commission late May early June - probably in connection with a workshop with the participation of the Directors Georg Larsen and Ahmad Ghosien. We will announce the screening in the same way as we did with the “Beyond Stereotype” - through the Royal Film Commission and 7iber.com
He also encouraged Jordanians to continue discussing the topic on different forums:
The discussion can continue - either on this site, on 7iber.com or on some of the other bloggers site as on Roba’s which have drawn a large number of comments (some aggressive) on Arab stereotyping. Unfortunately I didn’t notice this until today
On the same day of the event, blogger Roba Al-Assi, posted a video clip of a song by Lebanese Pop singer Jad Shwery, in which he tackles stereotypes about Arabs in his own way:
Roba wrote:
This song is the funniest […] ever.
Really funny. Wonder if it manages to break stereotypes anywhere.
I love the disclaimer in the beginning “Every individual that has participated in the following video is an Arab.” Wow.
The post spurred an interesting debate about how one should or should not tackle these stereotypes. Here are a few of the comments that were left on the post:
tarik
April 16, 2009 @ 2:15 pmUmmmm…. interesting? (and you know what I mean when I say interesting, Roba)
So in his (sad) attempt to remove labels off Arabs, this dude has actually used every stereotype in the book and applied them to Arabs?!
So the west will accept us more when they see that we do botox and drugs?
And if being an Arab is such a big deal, then why isn’t he singing this in Arabic?
It’s so sad it’s hilarious!
Revelation
April 16, 2009 @ 3:27 pmBloody rocks! love it…. he made a point that dude…. i know quite few who live like that :) …. as the Americans say “Good Job!”… now need to wait for the arab - metallica =)
Cheers for sharin…
Ne3mat
April 16, 2009 @ 7:06 pmCute! But how come the Iranians do not resort to having TV orgies to prove their worth to the world? This video is another proof of westernized Arabs retardation. Instead of making our point through democracy and science and technology and culture, we show the world we we can get naked on camera. We have a totally screwed up priorities. NO wonder Arab youth seem to look up more and more to Iran. and that scares […] Arab regimes. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against this video, but separate from the other tracks, it proves we are not just a bunch of fanatics, but the rest are simply sleazy when we are not running around yelling Allahu Akbar [God is Great]. I really miss substance and moderation, something we seem to be awfully lacking.
Hareega
April 16, 2009 @ 5:13 pmit’s not going to breal the popular sterotype that whoever is named JAd Shwairi is mentally retarded.
But the clip is well-made, and will be well-received
Guatemala: Collaborative Publishing of the Book TRANS 2.0
In celebration of World Book Day, Guatemalan author and blogger Julio Serrano [es] asked 50 of his friends and readers to publish different parts of his book TRANS 2.0 on their blogs. This new publishing project brings together enthusiasts of literature from all over the world to participate in this open license initiative. The book's site [es], which still has a temporary design, contains links to all of the participating bloggers.
Serrano, who also directs another open book project called Libros Minimos [es], received collaboration from other well-known authors like Javier Payeras of El Intruso [es] and Denise P.P. of La Maleta [es]. Many of the bloggers included photographs or illustrations that they felt best complemented the text included on their sites.
Other fragments of the book can be found on blogs such as Notas Poco Rigurosas [es], which is hosting a poem called “The Center of America is a long asphalt road”, while Fe de Rata [es] shares with his readers “Marta Julia is the name of the Cascabel snake at the park” and is accompanied by a handmade drawing. The blog Noticias para Dios [es] is hosting a poem about a taxicab and prefers to illustrate it using a photograph of a woman sleeping in a car. Diario Paranoico [es] offers his space to publish “No, life is not this” adding music in the form of a Sui Generis video.
Photo from the public domain
Guatemalan bloggers, who participated in the project include Utopía del Pensamiento [es], El Pepian [es], Brevediario [es], CinesobreTodo, Matilisguate [es], The Magical and Curious world of Lissy [es], La Filistea [es] and AcheAche [es].
Australians divided by Durban II boycott
The decision by the Rudd government to boycott the United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban was a controversial one:
Australia remains undecided about whether it will attend a controversial United Nations conference, which begins in a fortnight.
There are fears the Durban Review Conference, to be held in Geneva from April 20-24, could become a repeat of the original South African event in 2001, which was marred by claims of anti-Semitism.
The decision was only taken at the last minute:
AUSTRALIA will not take part in a controversial United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva this week.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said the Geneva meeting reaffirms the 2001 outcomes, singling out Israel and the Middle East.
“Regrettably, we cannot be confident that the review conference will not again be used as a platform to air offensive views, including anti-Semitic views,” Mr Smith said.
Many Australian bloggers took the opposite view.
Duckpond argued:
Sometimes the truth needs to be told, and it can be unpleasant and discomforting. So was President Admadinejad doing that?
Ahmadinejad is not saying anything here in these extracts that is extraordinary. Anybody who even half follows events knows what he is saying is accurate. So why all the drama?
At group blog Larvatus Prodeo, Paul Norton explained his position on the Middle East:
I support Israel’s right to exist and a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, and I am a critic of unbalanced, inflammatory and obsessive criticism of Israel. However, I am also critical of unbalanced, inflammatory and obsessive idealisation of Israel, of the kind that is rife in the polities of various Western countries including Australia and the United States.
He then addressed his concern about the boycotting countries:
One wonders how the countries participating in the Conference (including all of Africa, Russia, Asia (except for Israel), South and Central America and the Vatican) will interpret a boycott confined exclusively to the wealthy white men’s club. How might they respond to the fact that nations such as the US and Australia consider a purported slight on Israel’s good name to be of greater moment than many other issues on which agreement and cooperation is possible with countries of the global South and global East, and sufficient grounds to refuse to attend a forum to discuss such cooperation?
What if they held a conference on racism and all the whiteys stayed away?
Jason Soon, a supprter of the boycott, began an open forum at catallaxyfiles:
… devoted solely to the recent UN talkfest which for once has made Kevin Rudd do the right thing and boycott. So fire away. A little fuel for the fire
here.
On the other hand Gary Sauer-Thompson at Public Opinion decried the Rudd government's lack of courage:
I wasn't surprised that Australia didn't have the courage to attend the UN conference on racism (known as the Durban review) and then debate the views of those it disagreed with, namely President Ahmadinejad's interpretation of Zionist history. They just stayed away, rather than making the arguments that need to be made against Ahmadinejad and his followers.
Zionism does need to be questioned because this form of nationalism rationalizes conquest and colonization as “redemption” of Jewish territory on behalf of the world’s Jews. It treats the Palestinians only as an obstacle and threat to its own purposes, not as people with the same rights as Jews and with legitimate claim to the land on which they were born.
Dan Goldberg, national editor of the Australian Jewish News from 2002-2007, put the case against the Conference in the strongest terms at New Matilda.
The UN's conference against racism opened yesterday. But Dan Goldberg writes that the meeting is a sham which reminds him of some other low-points in the history of hate:
Remarkably, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was welcomed into the bosom of Europe at a conference intended to deal with racism. It's a perverse irony at best; an utter abomination at worst. And all this on April 20 — the anniversary of Hitler's birthday.
Unsurprisingly, the tyrant of Tehran launched his invective at the Jewish state, accusing it of being the “racist perpetrators of genocide”. The bulk of the Arab delegates applauded. The 23 representatives of the European Union walked out. On the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, the United Nations, which has long been a bastion for Israel-bashing, hosted a dyed-in-the-wool Holocaust denier. Ahmadinejad didn't refer to the Holocaust by name, but left little doubt of his support for a second Holocaust against “the most cruel and repressive, racist regime in Palestine”.
Author of the My Israel Question and The Blogging Revolution, Antony Loewenstein, is a well known and controversial commentator on the Middle East and critic of Zionism.
As a Jew who writes extensively about Israel/Palestine, I have no desire for Iran to speak for me on human rights (and my recent book, The Blogging Revolution, details the woeful record of the Islamic Republic.) But the fierce resistence to even examine the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and its well documented recent abuses in Gaza is shameful. These are not actions of a civilised nation. It is the behaviour that we would condemn if done by a relatively unknown Third World nation, but Israel is seemingly untouchable.
A final word comes from the mass media. Tim Blair who blogs for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph made his opinion of Iran's President Ahmadinejad quite clear:
Civilisation declined to attend the UN’s anti-Israel festival. Other representatives left once they realised what kind of atrocity they’d blundered into.
They can’t say they weren’t warned.
The Middle East continues to divide Australians and the world.
Links for Thu, 2009-04
Arnab of Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind comments on the fake IPL blogger, who has created a lot more buzz in India than the original IPL (Indian Cricket Premier League) itself.
If Vladimir Voronin, Moldova's president, had a Twitter account… - by Cezar Maroti: “[…] Change Moldova @Voronin I'm glad u read my tweet. Why don't you see that people don't want you? You should retire now, before you cause more damage! […]”
Pakistani blogger Marvi Sirmed visits Bangladesh and comments: “One thing that I could not miss in Dhaka was, women engaged with all aspects of life. Economic activity, intellectual discourse or arts, women are everywhere. Gender segregation practically does not exist. Music is a pet of every household.”
Will ANC lose its two thirds majority in South Africa? : South Africans are headings to the polls this wednesday, in elections that the ruling African National Congress is expected to win in a landslide. Polls indicate that the ANC might lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Read Khaya's traumatic voting experience in South Africa: I walk into the voting station and a surge of emotion overcomes me, maybe it’s adrenaline or my mind is beginning to realise what I’m about to do, I don’t know, I’m not a shrink.
Indi.ca criticizes the international media coverage of the civil war in Sri Lanka: “the ‘International Community’ and international media are far too quick to offer solutions without looking at the situation.” The blogger opines that “the best thing the international community could do is call on the LTTE to surrender and lay down it’s arms.”
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