What I lack in freedom of expression, I make up on this blog.

Previous Posts

• Letter to Abdullah
• Bahraini blogger and activist arrested
• Why we are in a gloomy mood...
• Arab generosity
• A source tells me there is a field in thepassport/...
• (Not online, excerpt from magazine) Interviewer: W...
• My mother's cooking. A very useful site for this t...
• Julia Botros (Intasara Loubnan)
• Boycott Israel Medical Association
• Has anyone invented telepathic blogging yet? Let ...

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Archives

• October 2004
• November 2004
• December 2004
• January 2005
• February 2005
• March 2005
• April 2005
• May 2005
• June 2005
• October 2006
• November 2006
• December 2006
• January 2007
• February 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007
• August 2007
• September 2007
• January 2008
• May 2008

Good articles on Bahrain:

Bahrain's Sectarian Challenge in The International Crisis Group

Bahrain: the royals rule in Le Monde Diplomatique

Royal Flush in The Wall Street Journal

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Friday, December 31, 2004

Happy New Year

Will be offline for a while. Happy New Year.
Bahrania (celebrating new year in Parisian style, can't think of anything worse either, damn french!)

Au voir

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Bahrain Blog Awards 2004

Homer over in Bahraini blog, thought he'd stir up a bit of controversy, and launch the first ever Bahrain Blog Awards 2004. In the spirit of things, get over there and start ticking the boxes. Up for grabs is a Tree of Life Award for best overall blog, Bahrain fort award for the best political blog, Ain Adhari Award for best daily blog, Alja7eth award for funniest blog, and Most notable commenter. Like Keith Barrat says, its just a bit of fun.

Here's my pitch (tongue in cheek); Bahrania's predictions for things that WON'T happen in 2005 :

• Chan'ad missing out on any action by staying at home and avoiding arrest
• Strav winning the lottery, ending his penny-pinching ways and getting some English lessons
• Homer getting any applicants for his desperately needed vacancy
• Mahmood repenting and joining any islamic society
• Scorpio getting prosecuted on charges of stalking Bahrania
• cracks forming in DIB's nicer than nice persona
• Sume's muslim feminist movement ceasing
• Bahrania's sense of humour getting any worse

If gambling wasn't haram I would've put money down on it.

Group hug everyone...luv ya really ;)

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

"Never belittle any good deed"

Meanwhile, Japan had pledged to provide around $30m (£15.5) in aid, the United States has promised $15m in immediate aid and has said more will follow, the European Union has pledged $40.5m, and the UK has given £400,000 ($773,000) through the EU to a Red Cross appeal and is providing about £50,000 ($96,000) to the World Health Organization- tight or what?!?

Friday, December 24, 2004

Bahraini proverbs

I have to say, Bahraini proverbs/clichés/sayings/idioms (I will use these terms interchangeably, whats the difference, someone please elaborate?!? ) have to be the funniest around, compared to English ones anyway. I can't compare across all languages, but being familiar with other Arabic dialects, Egyptian, Syrian, Saudi etc, Bahraini clichés have me in stitches . I thought I’d start by listing a few of them here, since i'm no expert, I called on my mother for some input on this. Now my mother having been trained at the hands of my grandmother, who is the doyenne of Bahraini proverbs (i'm sure she even makes some up!!), this list kept getting longer and longer. This will be hard, but I won't attempt to translate them all, as it loses the gist and jive completely, especially the rhyme. For example , we have a saying "a monkey in his mother’s eye is a gazelle" which has the same meaning as my great-aunt’s favourite saying ‘reegik fi boozik 7ilo’, ie ‘your saliva tastes nice in your own mouth’, implying you always think one of your own is better than anybody else. Now obviously, you need to put these sayings/clichés in a cultural, historical context to fully understand their meaning and see the humour in them. But believe me, I was cracking up in laughter as I was typing this post. I’m so impressed at this ‘art’ of saying meaningful things in such a blunt and banal way, that I sometimes jot them down in my diary whenever I hear a particularly funny one. My favourite one is صبري يا حريقة سار الى ان يجيش الماي من لحنينية : oh fire in Saar, you're going to have to wait for the water to come from hininiya. In the old days, the only way to put out fires was to get water from a water well in hinaniya, so if there was a fire in Saar (pretty far), it took a long time to get the water there. So this is where this saying comes from, which you use whenever anyone is late or when things take ages to get done. Im not exaggerating, the following sayings are so common that not a conversation passes without hearing at least one or two of them.



Oh yes and how can I forget to add 'mish boozuk' (wipe your mouth) the most common saying of all, which means 'don't even think about it'! If anyone wants to have a bash at translating or adding any more proverbs, be my guest!!

Thursday, December 23, 2004

End of year blues...

Step off the plane
im walking past your street again
past your door
i guess u don't live there anymore

miss you since you've been there
& now u've disappeared somewhere
like out of space
you've found some better place...

Sunday, December 19, 2004

سبعة عشر رجلا ماتوا من أجل صندوق

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

بلادى وان جارت علىّ عزيزة

17 ديسمبر ذكرى يوم الشهداء
الذكرى العاشرة لسقوط الشهديين الهانيين
إننا عبر هذه المسيرة نؤكد إنتمائنا لهذا الوطن. هذه المسيرة لم تأت لتعكر احتفالات العيد الوطني للمملكة، بل إن الاحتفاء بذكرى الشهداء هو أفضل عمل وطني نقوم به ووفاء للذين قدموا أرواحهم من أجل حريته ونيل حقوق المواطنين. كما إن اختيار هذا اليوم هو تنديد جماهيري بالجرم الكبير بحق شعب البحرين الأبي حيث تم انتهاك حرمته لأول مرة منذ الاستقلال بقتل أثنين من المواطنين في 17 ديسمبر بالرصاص الحي الموجه نحو المسيرات الشعبية السلمية المطالبة بالحرية والعدل والبرلمان.
والسؤال الصحيح ينبغي أن يوجه لقوات الأمن التي اغتالت الشهيدين هاني خميس وهاني الوسطي في مثل هذا اليوم، لماذا اخترتم هذا اليوم بالذات رغم علمكم أنه اليوم الثاني للعيد الوطني؟. هذا السؤال يجب أن يوجه للجهات الأمنية، فهي التي اختارت هذا اليوم منتهكة بذلك حرمة الوطن وحرمة عيده الوطني.

I spent along time thinking about how I should go about talking on this issue, though I felt it important to raise it in my blog. The fact that people are torn even on an occasion like a national day-a happy or sad occasion, a time of rejoice or a time of rememberance, carries with it deeper national symbolism. Mahmood's piece written at this time last year, in poignant prose sums up this feeling. It doesnt help that history has led to the bad timing of things. On the one hand, 16th December is the day Isa bin Salman came into power in 1961, and his successor Hamad bin Issa then also chose what I would prefer to call '3eed iljuloos' or Accession Day to be on 17th December 1998. For some reason 16th December is referred to as Independence Day, although it is common knoweledge that the British 'officially' left the islands on 15 August 1971. Which some ppl still contend should be the official National Day.

On the other hand, on 17th December 1994, two young men were shot dead in cold blood, sparking the biggest uprising Bahrain has ever witnessed. A young man just married, and another about to graduate, both coincidentally called Hani, were the first to fall, in a long string of brutal killings, in one of the worst chapters of Bahrain's modern history. What didn't stop government forces killing them then-a day after 'national day', doesnt stop the people from remembering them now-a day after 'national day'. Fireworks on one day, and graveyard visits the next. Ten years on, 17th December is still an UNOFFICIAL day of mourning and remembrance, for a large part of Bahrainis, who feel the martyrs are the national symbol of sacrifice and to them we should thankful. As the celebrations commence for some, mourning just begins for others.

As a personal experience, I can remember, even as a kid, the moment news would break that a new lamb was taken to the slaughter. Probably, the one that affected me the most was Saeed Aliskaafi, slightly older than me at the time, 15 or 16, we knew his family. When he went missing, reportadly arrested, no one began to imagine the horror that his father would receive when he went to the police station to collect him only to be given a body bag with a son so severely tortured inside, it seemed death was mercy for him. I saw his photos in the mortuary then as they were plastered everywhere, and they haunt me till now, how can anybody do that, and how can they get away with it? Many events are being organised all around the country to mark their remembrance, and gif's like the following are circulating all around the net:



There is even an entire online forum dedicated to the martyrs of Bahrain, documenting outlining the events surrounding each death. It is clear, a large part of marginilised Bahrain, will not be celebrating tomorrow. In fact, other than visiting graves, there will be a march of remembrance on the 17th.

Bahrain is not unique in this practice; all nations celebrate their martyred heroes. The memorial weekend celebrated in the United States dedicated to remembering the fallen heroes of past wars and the pomp and ceremony which marks it as a solemn occasion exists in practically all nations. What makes Bahrain’s Martyrs Day special is primarily the fact that it all happened so recently that every Bahraini above twenty has a distinct memory of it. Moreover, the history of ancestral struggle and the background of tyranny on which the struggle was grounded gives Martyrs Day a particular poignancy.

An occasion like the celebration of Martyrs Day should be used to remember fallen heroes not only as brothers, fathers, husbands that are missed dearly, but above all to remember the cause for which they died. The demands for the return of the 1973 constitution for which the martyrs fell was also the quest for democracy, social justice and the rule of law. It was a struggle of a people to live meaningful lives in freedom, peace and harmony, pursuing their chosen goals and fulfilling it within a system of law and justice equally available to all.

Their memory belongs to the Bahraini nation and it is important to keep their memory alive, as a reminder of the reason for their sacrifice, and to send a message to the murderers who still walk through Bahraini streets freely and with impunity under royal Decree 56.


I wouldn't want to be so crass as to start a blaming game. What has happened in the past has happened. Nothing can change that. But what is clear in the irony of the different perceptions the days to come will offer, is that further national reconciliation is needed on both sides. Wounds are still open, and a healing process can only begin when torturers are punished, compensation is given to families, and an official apology is received. Maybe then will people begin to feel a part of government celebrations.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

ريح الشمال الذكي

Sunday, December 12, 2004

just a thought...

As I pull up at the pump in Saar petrol station, wind the window down, switch the engine off, a young Bahraini man in his early twenties approaches the window. “5 dinar jayyid lo sama7t” I say. He nods, wiping the pouring sweat from around his face, he looks like he is about to faint. I want to ask him if he is ok, but decide not to.He removes the cover, places the pump in the tank, tabs in a few numbers and moves to the next customer in the car pulling up behind. I close the window to keep the heat out. Its an awkward few minutes as the car starts heating up inside, “its hot enough in here now, how must they be able to bear standing in the heat outside, breathing these fumes all day long”, I think to myself.

Toxic gases plus soaring temperatures don't make the best working environments around. A pang of pity, then guilt, rush through me. I give him the money, I want to tip him or tell him to keep the change, but I’m too afraid he will take offence. I switch the engine on, and zoom out of there as the AC slowly cools the car down again. Surely, this isn’t healthy, those fumes are probably carcinogenic. Could this be private sector exploitation?

They tell me Bahrainis are too arrogant to take menial jobs, are lazy, and the 30,000 unemployed are just bums waiting for a public sector job.

Friday, December 10, 2004

Shoulder no longer available?

There must be an invisible label on my forehead saying “agony aunt”. Ever since I can remember I have been the shoulder that everyone comes to cry on. Now I don’t know what qualifies me to have this social responsibility imposed on me by no free will of my own. In fact, I’ve reached the stage where I’d prefer everyone to keep their problems to themselves instead of burdening me with them. No, I don’t have the answers. In fact, I would actually prefer not to know what your husband gets up to on Thursday night in the Sheraton, or why you’re wife is unbearable. I don’t know whether you should get a divorce, or how your kids will cope. I would have preferred not to know your uncle is having an affair and wants to marry a second wife- I actually respected him once upon a time. It’s a shame that your husband is a drunk and totally neglects you at home. I know life is lonely being single, its hard meeting a nice person, don’t worry you’ll meet them one day. I know its tough working at a difficult marriage, things didn’t turn out as you expected. Its hard when your children disappoint you, im sure drug-addiction wasn’t the career-path you’d hope your son would take. I’ve had to endure conversations of heart-spilling that have lasted so long, that on a few occasions, I end up getting locked in a building after every single person has left to go home. How can you tell someone who is having a breakdown, ‘its getting late?’. So now i'm inadvertently avoiding the moaners and groaners of the world, and have become good in picking 'happy-go-lucky' people as friends.

Its been like this since I was a teenager. Always the goody goody in class that everyone can trust. Idle-gossip? Hardly. You need a psychiatrist, a marriage counsellor, an occupational therapist and a lawyer...not me!! What makes ppl think that they can trust me? Trust me, I wouldn’t trust me, if I wasn’t me. I haven't signed any confidentiality clauses.

My school-friends, teachers, bosses, professors, relatives, family friends, actually my entire social circle. I can tell you about their private lives, their secrets, their problems, each and every one. Sometimes I’d sit there thinking to myself, ‘you’re a middle aged man/woman, why the hell are you confiding in a kid like me, I shouldn’t know this stuff’. They weren’t looking for an answer from me, I was in fact the only person they thought they could trust outside the complex adult world that’s a social web of lies and deceit-they saw the substitute for the daughter or the sister they never had. This explains the uncanny relationships I have with middle-aged men I meet all the time. At university, one of my professors would keep me in his office for 3 hours or more as he shows me every single document which serves as evidence in the war raging between him and the provost and how emotionally unstable he is because of it. At work, my bosses would call me into the office and confide in me about what they think of each and everyone of his employees, who he is thinking of sacking and who he wants to promote and somehow I’m the only one that gets invited to out of office dinner excursions, as if it’s a special treat. I would have preferred not to know who was on coke, or who was screwing who. My guy friends, would come to me as the first port of call, when they’re thinking of asking a girl out, what do I think of her...how should he do it. My girlfriends who in a sleepover decide to disclose all their illicit escapades. Damn, I wish I hadn't known that!! Why was I perceived to be trustworthy and wise. It certainly isn’t age, as everyone is older most of the time.

Now I can conclude, that this is certainly a burden on me. I grew up a lot quicker. It shattered my own idealistic outlook on society…social problems, divorce, drugs, drink, adultery are a norm not an exception, not something you can brush under the carpet, every single family suffers. Everything has ceased to surprise me. Don’t get me wrong, I come from a household that’s the Bahraini version of the “Waltons”, and if there was a “Praire” in Bahrain our very own little house would be on it. But I realise this is unique and I actually don’t want to leave it. Being single, you grow up thinking everyone lives happily ever after when they get married, you just have to join the hunt for a decent guy. I now realise that’s when all the problems actually start. Marriage is a funny thing, liberation for some, and incarceration for others. Right now I tend to verge on the latter view- it entraps you and can hinder your free spirit, yet maybe having children, is a process that transfers your free spirit through giving birth, love is just another emotion that comes and goes. Rich or poor, young or old, I rarely look at anyone with envy anymore, as I am sure they are suffering quietly. Its just human nature. But one observation I can make is that the poorer you are the less complex life gets. Moral decadence and selfishness increases the higher up the social ladder and happiness is also inversely correlated.

My smile has turned into a fake one, my interest is no longer there. How misleading is the façade of things. I know you are suffering, just tell me how I can help you, I will do it, I don’t need to know the painful details.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

بيان " هي قصتي "

أنا اكبر منها بـثمانية عشر شهراً، هي حلم حياتي الذي أسعى إليه منذ سنين عديدة.بيتها أقرب بيت لنا، عرفتها عندما كانت صغيرة، لا أذكر متى رأيتها و وقعت عيني عليها، ولكن بكل تأكيد كان عمرها لم يتجاوز الأسبوع الأول.دائماً كنت اسمع أمي و أمها و هما تتحدثان " بيان " لـ " إستبرق " فكنت سعيداً بذلك " بيان " ستكون لي ألعب معها متى ما أشاء، و امشي معها في ممرات قريتنا، و سآخذها معي إلى حيث اذهب، لأنها " ملكي " .مرت السنين في اثر السنين، ازداد ارتباطي بـ " بيان " و ازداد ارتباطها بي و بالكاد كنا نفترق، وإذا افترقنا فعلى أمل اللقاء في اليوم التالي.بلغتُ السادسة من عمري، و بدأت معها أول أيامي الدراسية، كم كانت تلك الأيام بغيضة بالنسبة لي، فهناك خمسُ ساعات يومياً اقضيها خلف أسوار المدرسة بعيدا عن " بيان " و ضحكتها .. و تليها ساعات أخرى اقضيها في أداء الواجبات و الاستذكار، وما كنت استذكر غير وجهها و ابتسامتها، لم أرها طوال الأسبوعين الأولين من الدراسة.بعد أسبوعين تغير الحال، وباتت المدرسة اجمل ما في حياتي و اسعد الساعات هي تلك التي اقضيها وأنا أقوم بحل الواجبات، فعندما دق جرس الانصراف من المدرسة .. خرجت راكضا في طريقي إلى البيت، فكانت أمامي " بيان " تبتسم لي، و على ظهرها حقيبة كحقيبتي، عدنا إلى بيتنا و أصرت أن اعلمها كل ما أتعلمه في المدرسة .. و هي السبب الأول و دافعي الأكبر في التعلم، حتى انقل لها ما أتعلمه بعد انتهاء اليوم الدراسي.و في هذه الفترة أيضاً بدأنا في تعلم الصلاة أنا و أولاد القرية في الطابق الأرضي وهي والبنات في الطابق الأول، ومن يعلمنا الصلاة – نحن الأولاد - شقيق من تعلم البنات الصلاة.قبل أن ينادي المؤذن للصلاة تتوجه " بيان " إلى منزلها لترتدي رداء الصلاة ( الملفع ) ثم اذهب لها و أضع يدي في يدها و نذهب معا لتعلم الصلاة.جمالها و فتنتها تزداد يوما بعد يوم، شعرها البني الداكن المسدل على كتفيها، عينها السوداء المتألقة، بشرتها البيضاء المشربة بالحمرة، شفتاها الخمريتين و ابتسامتها الساحرة ونقش الحناء بكفيها الصغيرتين كل هذه الفتنة يزينها رداء العفة - الملفع - عندما نذهب لتعلم الصلاة.لبست الحجاب و الملاءة السوداء لأول مرة عندما كانت في الثامنة من العمر .. كنـت أقصد معها شاطئ البحر " السِيف " يومياً قبل دقائق قليلة من دخول وقت الصلاة أو صباحاً في أيام الإجازة، ونجلس على تلك الصخرة و نداعب بأرجلنا موج البحر .. ينظر لنا رواد " السِيف " من كبار و صغار بنظرات متفاوتة بين ذهول و استغراب من هذه العلاقة التي تزداد التحاما يوما بعد يوم وبين نظرات الغيرة في أعين من هم في مثل عمرنا .غدا يوم الجمعة ولم يبقى الكثير لامتحانات منتصف الفصل الدراسي الأول " أواسط نوفمبر " و عقدنا العزم على أن تقوم " بيان " بمساعدتي في الاستذكار " كنت حينها في الصف الخامس الابتدائي و هي في الصف الثالث الابتدائي" لأنها تحفظ جيدا كل ما دَرسته و دَرَّستهُ لها.أوصلتها لمنزلها عند العاشرة مساءً تقريبا بعد أن انتهت القراءة الحسينية التي تعود أبي إقامتها في منزلنا كل ليلة جمعة من كل أسبوع، وبعد أن انتهت من مساعدة والدتي في شؤون التنظيف و إعادة ترتيب المنزل.و عند باب منزلها و دعتُها على أمل اللقاء غدا صباحا كما اتفقنا .. إلى المنزل عدت متعبا فقصدت الفراش طلبا للراحة .. وكان نومي ثقيلا على خلاف العادة .. و لم استيقظ إلا على صوت رنين المنبه عند الثامنة صباحاً .. و معنى هذا أن صوت أذان الصبح لم يفلح في إيقاظي، و كذلك والدتي لم توقظني لأداء الصلاة في وقتها و ذلك أمر غريب وغير معتاد.بداية غير طيبه لهذا اليوم .. أسرعت لقضاء الصلاة الفائتة، و لم انتبه لهدوء البيت، فرغت من الصلاة، جهزت نفسي و كتبي للاستذكار و انتظرت وصول " بيان " لنفطر سويا قبل أن نستذكر، لكنها لم تصل في الوقت المحدد، وكذلك والدتي لم تدخل غرفتي إلى هذا الوقت و هي التي اعتادت أن تدخل الغرفة كل بضع دقائق مبتسمة لي ثم تخرج .. حاولت أن اشغل تفكيري بأي شيء أخر لأقضي على ملل الانتظار .. ولم أوفق في ذلك.خرجت من غرفتي، وانتبهت الآن فقط إلى خلو البيت من سكانه، اتجهت فورا إلى بيت " بيان " دقـقت الباب مـرة و مرتـين وثـلاث .. ولم يفـتـح لي الباب، دقـقت الباب بقوة اكـبر و ناديـتها " بيان " " بيان " " بيان " … ولم يصلني آي جواب من داخل البيت.أطرقت برأسي و أسندت ظهري إلى حائط البيت القريب سمعت صوت بابٍ يفتح، تسارعت نبضاتي رفعت رأسي لأنظر ربما تكون " بيان " .. ولم تكن هي " بيان " بل كانت جارتنا الأخرى العجوز رباب أو كما يسميها الجميع " ربابي " .. نادتني إستبرق تعال، أريد أن أحدثك قليلا.ذهبت لـ " ربابي " .. و أدخلتني معها المنزل، وجهزت لي إفطارا، لم آكل منه أيَّة لقمة، رغم إصرارها الشديد و حلفها بالأيمان المغلظة أن أمد يدي و آكل من إفطارها .. إلى أن وصل بها الأمر أن تقول " وحق ما يحويه قلبك لبيان " .. رفعت رأسي في اتجاه " ربابي " أين هي " بيان " و أهلها وأين هم أهلي أيضا؟.أطرقت " ربابي " و صمتت عن الحديث، وسالت بعض الدموع من عينها، ثم بدأت في الحديث .. لقد داهمت الشرطة منزلهم يوم أمس بعد منتصف الليل و أخذوهم جميعا إلى حيث لا نعلم، ثم عادت الشرطة من جديد قبل صلاة الفجر و معها والد " بيان " ليأخذ بعض المتعلقات من المنزل فلقد صدر قرار بإبعادهم جميعا و ذهب أبوك و أمك مع الشرطة و والد " بيان " ليقوموا بتوديعهم الوداع الأخير.ماذا تقصدين بالإبعاد؟.اقصد أن عائلة " بيان " قد تم طردها و عليها أن تبحث عن وطنِ آخر، دُقَّ بابُ منزل " ربابي " فقمت بفتحه نيابة عنها كانت أمي هي الطارق، ارتميت على صدرها ابكي و هي تبكي معي ... لم استطع أن أتكلم أو أن اطرح أي سؤال على والدتي فلقد ألجمني البكاء و عدنا إلى منزلنا.لم أرَّ أبي في حالة تشبه حالته هذا اليوم، ولم أره يتحامل على حزنه كما هو الآن، ولم أره شارد التفكير كما هي حاله ... طلب مني الجلوس في مواجهته، و قد امسك في يده اليمنى ورقة صغيرة يقلبها من حين لآخر .و قال : و لدي إستبرق لقد بلغت مبلغ الرجال، وعلى الرجال الأشداء أن يثبتوا و أن لا يثنيهم عن عزمهم أي ظرف مهما كان قاسيا و صعبا.. أَعلمُ كم هو مؤلم أن تفقد حلمك الذي سعيت له، ولكن الحياة هي الحياة و فيها الكثير مما يجب أن نتعلمه.سألته، ما معنى الإبعاد؟ ولماذا أبعدوهم؟ و إلى أين؟ و هل يمكننا اللحاق بهم؟أجابني: على رسلك يا ولدي وخفف من انفعالك حتى تعي ما أقوله لك، الإبعاد: هو أن تقوم بطرد الشخص من الوطن الذي يحيا فيه سواء كان حاملا لجنسيته أو لا.قاطعته: و ما هي الجنسية؟أجاب : صبرك يا ولدي حتى أتمكن من إجابتك، الجنسية: هي وثيقة ورقية تثبت انتماء الشخص إلى الأرض التي يقيم عليها وليس كل من يملك الجنسية يملك الانتماء الحقيقي للوطن وليس كل من لا يملكها لا ينتمي لهذا الوطن، واقرب مثال لذلك " نحن ". " أنت و أمك وأنا " لا نملك جنسية هذه الدولة وكذلك لا نعرف لنا وطن غيرها .. وكل ما اعرفه عن أصلنا بان جدي الذي توفي قبل خمسة عشرة سنة عن عـمرٍ فاق التسعين عام ، ولد هنا على هذه الأرض وبين أحضانها.وبسبب عدم امتلاكنا لأوراق الجنسية فرضت علينا الإقامة المؤبدة داخل البلاد وعدم مغادرتها و لهذا لن نتمكن من اللحاق بـ " بيان " و أهلها، إما " بيان " و عائلتها فهم من من يمتلكون الجنسية، ولهم امتداد ضارب في تاريخ هذه الدولة على مدى خمس قرون سابقة، و لكنهم ابعدوا و طردوا من أرضهم و لا نعلم سبب لذلك، و لا نعلم متى سيعودون، قصدوا إحدى الدول القريبة، حتى يختاروا الدولة التي يرغبون العيش فيها مستقبلا، فهم الآن يبحثون عن وطن.لا اعلم أن كنت تفهم ما اعنيه أو لا، ولكن الشيء الذي أريد أن أوصله لك هو أن " بيان " و عائلتها لن تعود قريبا و ربما لن تعود بتاتا و نحن لا نستطيع أن نذهب لهم.أعطاني أبي الورقة التي كانت بيده .. وهو يقول خذ هذه الورقة فهي لك من " بيان " ... ثم خرج عني.فتحت الورقة بسرعة و قرأتها ... دمعت عيني و لكنني ابتسمت بعدها.مضت عشرون سنه و لم تنقطع مراسلاتي مع " بيان " فلقد أصبحت زوجتي أمام الله و الناس، ولم يبقى إلا أن يتحقق أملنا.و الورقة التي كتبتها لي قبل أن ترحل أصبحت توقيعنا المشترك في الرسائل أو المكالمات المتبادلة بيننا .. احتفظ بهذه الورقة في جيبي دائما و لا أًّمِلُ من تكرار قراءتها ففي حروفها تنطبع صورة " بيان "

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

حب الوطن مو بس كلام

Monday, December 06, 2004

A taste of hermit life

Having finished an entire carton of Pringles today whilst sitting in front of the screen for 6 hours, and having done absolutely no work, I am truly disgusted with myself. What a waste of a life. Im turning into a vegetable - a genetically modified cabbotato (cabbage+potato). I can remain glued to the chair and not see the light of day for months on end, hell, I even tried to do my grocery shopping online. This is not good.

Google, email, messenger, Ebay, Amazon, Blogger.com, I really can’t imagine life without these things now *sigh*, they've become my soulmates, life companions! Mortal souls come and go but the spirit of these live on...

Ok ok, I here you say, enough melodrama...

Well, there's no point to this post other than that I have stumbled on something useful at last on my online escapades- something called "e-learning"... "e" and "learning". What is this..eleutheromania-learning (exactly what I need), effortless-learning? maybe, no actually its electronic-learning..I thought these two words were mutually exclusive, I havent learnt anything online, unless you include my dad's forwarded email on how to not piss your parents off. That did come in useful.

Ok I didn’t believe in this E-learning thing till I sat my arse down and tried one of Columbia University’s e-seminars. They require 100% attention which seems to be better than actually going to university and listening to the droning voice of the lecturer as your eyelids get heavier and heavier. Now I feel like doing every single one but there are over a hundered of them, which take 3-5 hours each! Which means at the rate of twice a week I can get them all done in 6 months… wana bet I can do them in a week?

My favourite ones:
Art and Politics: Cultural Criticism in a Democracy— The Origins of Modern Criticism
America and the Muslim World
Nonviolent Power in Action—Gandhi
Oil in the Arab-Persian Gulf
Iran— Islam, Revolution, and the Modern State


Another unwanted distraction... im looking for the 'self-control' seminar right now, but I can't find it.

Sunday, December 05, 2004

Winking ;)

I've noticed an increase in this phenomenon recently-winking. It is really starting to irritate me, and I actually pause for thought for a moment everytime someone winks. What does he actually mean? Is it just a form of greeting? Is it a social habit? Or is it just playful flirtation? It actually takes a conscious effort to wink, so that means he is sending a subconscious signal, but what is this signal exactly? Not everyone actually pulls off a wink, some ppl actually look like they are having an epileptic fit. Sometimes it just sends a shiver down my spine, "creep" I think to myself. Other times, "oh my!" it must be my lucky day.

To me I see it as a symbol of over-confidence, sometimes it is flattering, other times it is demeaning. But most of the time I can't figure out what is going through the person's head. In my small sub-sample, the guys that do it are your archetypal casanova's. Good-looking, well-off, flirtatious, and if they see that you are quite shy, they start playing on your coyness by using such insinuations, winking, whispering in your ear when no one is looking, and thinking that you'll fall for it.

A woman winking, now that is UNNERVING. Only Ann Robinson in the Weakest Link can pull that one off.

Saturday, December 04, 2004

عصابة القناع الأسود

Friday, December 03, 2004

المديح كالظل يجعل الإنسان إما كبيرا أو صغيرا

عيون البحرين

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Student movement in Bahrain

I wrote the following piece a couple of years ago when the political situation in Bahrain was changing. Back then there were attempts by some students to get themselves organised and form some sort of coalition or union. They did not succeed due to both internal and external factors, however speaking to the older generation about their student years, I got interested in researching the history of the Bahraini student movement, basically due to the apathy I face with the student movement today. I would conclude that its not that active students are any less in number than they were before, actually the opposite is true, the student population both inside and outside Bahrain is bigger than any time before with tens of thousands, whereas up until they eighties they were in the hundreds. Looking at student activity is important in civil society as the university often acts as a microcosm of wider setting, universities being the “playground of politics”.

I couldn’t find any documentation whatsoever on what is to follow. It is based purely on people’s historical accounts. Any mistakes are purely my own, but any corrections are highly appreciated. The study doesn’t go too deep rather it is just a simple chronology. I may consider the post-mithaq student situation sometime in the future but for now I will leave you with what I wrote in 2001.




Student organized groups were never formally registered, nor were their activities openly conducted before 2000 in Bahrain. The government of Bahrain did not in any way support any kind of extra-curricular voluntary student activity, in fact the opposite was true, the government’s policy centred on preventing mass gatherings in general including any student gatherings. This encouraged covert student activity which limited their activities to holding closed and private meetings for the expression of their views and working undercover.

The links between Bahrain and the UK are strong and deep-rooted. There is a long tradition of Bahraini students studying in the UK with funding provided by the Government of Bahrain or private companies. English is recognised as essential for Bahrain’s economic development. In addition, many Bahraini students whose education is privately funded often chose UK institutions for their higher education.

As early as the 1950s there is evidence of student activity in the UK, the main example being that of Hussein Baharna, a student at Cambridge who helped lobby MPs to put question to the House of Commons about the situation in Bahrain, concerned with the uprising of 1954-1956.

Generally in the 1960s, global student movements were very dynamic and highly politicised in the wake of the Vietnam War. In 1968 a handful of Bahraini students took part in anti-Vietnam demonstrations in London. Nationalist and leftist tendencies generally dominated the student movement. Following the 1967 war, islamic tendency increased due to the recriminatory attitudes to the pre-1967 political and ideological situation in the Middle East.

During the 1970s, Bahraini student numbers in the UK reached at least 100, (and around 8 were active in pan-Islamic groups). The four main sponsors of students were BAPCO, Cable and Wireless, ALBA and the Ministry of Education, with only a handful being self-sponsored.

At that time, the National Union of Bahraini Students (NUBS) was established and held its first annual conference in the mid 70s. This organisation was marked by its liberal and leftist views, with strong anti-government and pro-Palestine sentiment, issuing statements on many occasions. It had links with groups in Cairo and Baghdad. By the end of the 1970s, NUBS gradually became ineffective as Islamic sentiment grew. It failed in its attempt to transfer the centre of the union to Bahrain and remained an external force. Its past members do not consider the demise of NUBS to be a failure on their behalf rather it was due to the declining number of students that studied abroad. Others argue, that the collapse of NUBS was due to the domination of political tendencies on the union’s agenda and its inability to adapt to the ideological shift at the time. But probably the main cause of the failure to domesticate the activities in Bahrain, was the ruthless and repressive measures taken by the Government in the late seventies and early eighties which led to the weakening of the union. Most of the union’s members in Kuwait, Cairo, Syria and London were arrested, their passports confiscated and many were banned from leaving the country. Those actions were taken as a consequence of the repercussions of the Islamic revolution in Iran and the continuous involvement of the union in the political affairs.

On the other hand, students in the UK at the time, with Islamic tendency were active in pan-Islamic organisations such as the Muslim Youth Association (MYA). A clear polarisation in the student movement emerged in this period with left-wing and right-wing tendencies. However, a stark example of student collaboration in this period was on 15 August 1971 in which Cable and Wireless students in Cornwall boycotted their college in celebration of the independence of Bahrain.

After 1975, (dissolution of Parliament and the introduction of State Security Law) the government of Bahrain took unprecedented steps in attempting to curtail student movements by introducing special one year passports for students, subject to annual renewal upon the return of the student in the summer. This policy continued until the late 80s.

In the 1980s, the massive crackdown on Bahraini students inside and outside of Bahrain, witnessed a sharp decline in all forms of student activity because of fear of persecution if suspected of being associated let alone involved in the participation in or organisation of any form of student activity. All active students that may have been targeted by the government were especially vulnerable with the one-year passports. Many students abroad did not return home. There was a rise in underground political activity and overt activity was non existent.

In the UK, religiously orientated Bahraini students organised themselves with other Gulf students and worked within the Gulf Student Union and other Islamic organisations in the 80s. Regular meetings, seminars, conferences were organised throughout the UK. This was done discreetly with the least possible exposure amidst fears of persecution and retribution upon return to Bahrain.

The pattern of activity gradually changed following the Gulf War of 1991 in an atmosphere of relative openness. When unrest in Bahrain erupted in 1994, life became more difficult for everyone in Bahrain generally, but even more so for those studying in the UK, who would be unfairly accused of being associated with politically active opposition groups in the there. During this period, the number of Bahraini students sent to the UK on scholarship were cut drastically.

In that year, the total number of Bahraini students was 600 (to the nearest hundred) of which 400 were male and 200 were female. Out of the 600, 100 were postgraduates, 100 were undergraduates and 400 were in further education. (Source: Education Statistics for the UK, DfEE, 1996).

This was the situation up until 2000. The new millennium and the relative openness granted after the mithaq however has not rejuvenated the student movement, and institutionalising student activity has not materialised in the form of a new student union. This is subject of another topic insha’allah.

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