The Wars of Today

As I listened to the radio this morning to a 90 year old veteran of WWII, I had nothing but respect for the bravery he must have had as a 25 year old fighting on the front lines in Normandy. A thought crossed my mind as he went on describing the gory details he had to witness, are we going to reflect back on the soldiers of today the same way we reflect on the ones who died in the two world wars?

The whole nature of war has changed so dramatically in the past few years, that it is even hard to classify any of the violence across the world as a ‘real’ war. We have seen the rise of a type of war where a professional army faces scattered groups of rebels united by a set of beliefs. We have a seen wars (massacres would perhaps be a better description) where multi-million dollar jets drop multi-million dollar weapons on mud houses, refugee camps, and weddings. These wars are fought

by thousands of troops brainwashed to believe that they’re bringing freedom, and justice. These are the “vets” of today. Troops fighting behind thick armour, equipped with advanced weaponry, and armed with falsified facts and fabricated objectives. Behind them is a media machine pumping Orwellian messages into air waves. We hear war, justice, and freedom in the same sentence, and we see family vans and SUV’s with “Support our Troops” ribbons stuck to the back.

Fifty years from now, I wondered, which wars will we reflect back on? And are we going to be honest with ourselves and remind ourselves of the mistakes we have committed during those wars?

Asking for a Settlement Freeze is Hard in the Midst of Global Warming

If Hillary Clinton’s current visit to the region proved anything, it’s that Obama’s message of change was nothing but a load of crap. “Yes we can” continue our ways of standing on the side of the oppressor against the oppressed is the message I have been hearing lately. In his attempt at justifying his premature Noble Peace prize win, Obama is settling for the easy way out, putting pressure on Palestinians in a time when their international representation is in complete disarray.

It is naive for anyone to think a US president can truly bring about change in Middle East policy. But in a time of unprecedented life loss, oppression, one can only hope and perhaps dream a little. Obama went from asking for “a stop to settlements. Not some

settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions”, to allowing “natural growth”, to asking for an Israeli intention to stop settlements, to asking Palestinians to turn a blind eye to land theft. Natenyahu strengthened by Obama’s demands has asked Palestinians plainly to “get a grip” and drop their ridiculous demands of asking for their land back. In fact, Clinton went as far as saying that settlements are essential for Israel’s security!! On the same token should we start seeing American settlements in Canada to enhance American security?

So what are settlements such a big issue?

International law sees any land gained through war as illegal (see Finklestein below for a more thorough explanation). The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Since the occupation started, Israel has systematically confiscated Palestinian land, destroyed homes, and built settlements in way that would introduce a status quo rendering any fair peace deal impossible. The settlements are connected by a vast network of roads for settler use only. Palestinians are denied access to these roads built on their land. At the same time Palestinian roads are littered with checkpoints, operated by soldiers who chose who can pass and who can’t based on their mood. Women have given birth at checkpoints while waiting to go to hospitals. Ambulances are often kept at checkpoints for hours. School children have to wake up at 3 AM to make their morning classes on time. Palestinians are denied a normal life, while illegal settlers enjoy a safe, luxurious lifestyle. Add to that a 9 meter high “separation wall”, or “security fence” as the Israeli’s like to call it, which serpentines through the West Bank confiscating even more Palestinian land, splitting villages in half, and creating yet another barrier for a just peace.

I would like to see Clinton live under the same conditions as Palestinians in the West Bank for a week, and see if she still thinks Palestinians should stop whining about a settlement freeze. But that would assume she was an honest person, not just another politicians seeking re-election.

Giving Equality to Women - The Muslim Canadian Way

Let’s recap. The Supreme Council of Al Azhar in Egypt approved a ban on wearing the niqab in their schools. A few days later, the Muslim Canadian Congress made a call to the federal government to prohibit women from wearing niqabs and burkas in public. Ironically the reasoning for their call is “covering one’s face has no place in a society that supports gender equality.” Because as we all know, a bunch of men deciding what a woman is allowed and not allowed to wear is a sure way of creating equality.

Now I’m not sure what the real motive was behind their idiotic call. Maybe it was an attempt at disassociating themselves from the extremist image that the media has so cleverly imprinted in our minds. Perhaps it was the other reason they stated for their call: the Quran doesn’t call for a woman to dress in a niqab or burka. But why should a woman dress according to the Quran anyway? I’m not an expert on the Quran, but I don’t think the holy book calls for men to grow beards, especially long, unkempt ones. If we’re making rules here, then we should keep the ball rolling and introduce some rules for men, such as trimming their beard every once in a while. Quite frankly I think Bin Ladin style beards are so 2003. Muslim men should project a more modern look.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the burka, niqab, or hijab even, in the same way that I don’t like earrings on men. So What? One of the beautiful things about society is that people are different. How dull would the world be if we were al identical. I’m not oblivious to the fact that some women are forced to wear burkas or niqabs, but does enforcing a ban on such things really solve the problem? What about the women who actually like to wear burkas? Why should we have the right to ban them from wearing something that makes them feel comfortable?

Society or government should never enforce rules on what people should dress like. A person should dress and present themselves however they like to. We start with banning the niqab and who knows what comes next. In a country that prides itself in its freedom multiculturalism there is no place for such rules. By expressing such a ridiculous call, the Muslim Canadian Congress has reinforced the same stereotypes they were trying to get rid themselves of.

It's not as easy as some make it look

I have been eager to get back into blogging again after the trip, but I just didn’t know where to start or what to say. Maybe because I don’t think my writing can do justice to some of the places I came across, and maybe it’s because writing about it makes me reminisce on a really good time, leading to nostalgia, and then reflectance, and then a whole bunch of day dreaming. I’m sure as winter hits and I begin to go into hibernation mode, I will look for warmth in the beautiful alleys of Porto, La Rambla in Barcelona, and in the morning walks along the Seine in Paris, and memories will materialize into words, just as they have for Granada.

It was really nice pushing the pause button on life, even for such a brief period. Maybe in the future I can change the tape, press play, and live life to a different tune.

Bringing Summer to an End

I’m counting down the seconds. The plan was conceived as an idea thrown around while sitting around at a cafe. “What if we visited Europe at the end of summer?” I asked her, her reply was “I’m not sure if I can afford it.” A few weeks after the conversation, and in the way all good ideas materialize into reality, the seed grew in her head thoughts of the trip invaded her thoughts. She would day dream about it, and later tally up her funds to see if the trip could become reality. All the sudden she couldn’I wasn’t expecting the idea to materialize, but one day while on the phone she said we should look into flights, and that we did. Within a few days I had worked out an itinerary, and the bookings were finalized.

Ever since I got back from backpacking trip last summer, there isn’t a day goes by where I don’t remember an incident, a conversation, or a beautiful sight from the few months I spent in Europe. My ideal trip back to Europe would have been in concentrated on southern Spain, but she had always dreamed about seeing Paris, and Barcelona, and I couldn’t blame her. I only scratched the surface last time in Paris, and would not mind another trip to the elegant capital. Being an avid architecture admirer, how could I say no to Barcelona, home to Gaudi’s best works. In fact my only regret from my previous trip is not visiting every major Gaudi work in the city. But surely, since we’re making our way to the beautiful continent I had to visit something new, and the answer to my craving was in Portugal. She had me at Port Wine. The simple, picturesque city of Porto will be our second stop and our place of rest and relaxation of the trip. My argument for the visit... any city that has a wine named after it is worth a visit.

Departure is on Friday evening, and the duration is a mere 9 days. We land in Paris, spend a few days and from there fly to Porto. We spend two nights in Porto and finish the trip off in Barca. A proper trip would have been at least two weeks long, but the realities of working life creates limitations. For now I can get back to my day dreaming, and perhaps make some calls to Perimeter Institute to see if they had come up with a way to pause time.

Reminiscing Ramadan

So here I am jumping on the Ramadan post bandwagon, like any good blogger would do. In the few years I have been blogging I don’t think I ever posted something longer than a Happy Ramadan post. I think it’s because I’m never really that excited about the month, except for the odd Syrian drama that I look forward to.

My memories of Ramadan are from the time I lived back in Syria. Ramadan then came during the winter time, and this is the only way I can picture it. I remember going to school early in the morning with my friends, in the school yard we would all ask each other if we were fasting or not. The litmus test, if you will, to determine whether someone was lying is in the colour of their tongue. If it was white than you passed the test, otherwise you were taunted. Although there was always one annoying kid who related the white tongue to eating labneh (dried yogurt) in the morning.

At the time my grandparents lived one floor above us, and we would often join them along with my aunts and uncles to break the fast. We would have salads, soup, and all kind of delicacies just waiting to be devoured. The TV would be set to Syria Channel 1, and we would wait for the official call of prayer from the Omayad Mosque, and at that very moment you could hear the call of prayer from the myriad of mosques dotting Damascus. Usually my grandmother would be still busy in the kitchen even after the iftar, working on every last detail of the meal. On occasion, when I got back from school, I would be sent to the neighbourhood grocer, or produce shop to buy this or that. I would ride my bike, fully knowing that I’m going to have a few kilos hanging on each side of the handle bar. On the way I would see tens of other boys, and men running around from shop to another arranging those last minute details.

After Iftar the family would gather to watch a musalsal (Syrian drama), accompanied of course with a cup of hot tea, and any number of great deserts like knafeh, mshabbak, or bakalawa. The streets after Iftar are usually busy with people, some there simply to get out, others to shop for Eid. The atmosphere is more festive than I have ever experienced.

At night, about an hour before the break of dawn, I would get a call from my grandfather to go upstairs and join them for suhoor, the meal that’s supposed to give you that last push for the tough day ahead. On our street one man had stuck to old tradition and went through the alleys of the neighbourhood at night, repeating traditional phrases, while knocking on people’s doors, trying to wake them up for the all too important meal. Ramadan to me was the best time of the year, as I’m sure it is for most people in Syria.

Here in Canada the story is different as you can imagine. Celebrating Ramadan in Canada is like celebrating Christmas in Qatar. You might find people who follow traditions, people who are excited about the month, but the one thing you will never find is the atmosphere. I think this is why I love Christmas time so much. In a way it’s a replacement of the atmosphere I miss.

But I’m excited. Next year Ramadan will creep even closer into summer, and in a few years I will be able to experience the great atmosphere all over again during summer vacation. I will be experience Ramadan during the summer for the first time, and hopefully create great memories of a brand new Ramadan.

Summer finally started!

I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder in the sky. I am not the type who is scared by thunder, but today was a little different. I was certain the lightning bolts were arcing within a kilometre radius from my house. The sound was louder than I have ever heard. I got up, went through my morning routine and went back to video tape mother nature’s fine work. By then it had calmed down a bit, but as you can see it was still raining heavily.

Within an hour of what you saw above, the weather took a 180 degree turn as it often does. Summer has been greatly missed this year. The temperature barely made it above 25, and we were bombarded with rain weekly. As far as I‘m concerned today was the first day of summer, despite the little misbehaviour this morning. After it rained humidity soared to a 100%, the sun shined, and all the neighbours commenced working on their weekend projects. Having no weekend project to work on, the only logical alternative was a barbeque outside. Upon announcing the plan my mother worked quickly in preparing many delights including chicken breasts marinated with her secret marinate (let me know you if you’re interested), grilled vegetables dipped in an olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil and garlic concoction, and Marina. Marina uses the same beef/onion/parsely/spices mixture used in Kebab but instead of cooking on a skewer it’s cooked inside a pita. And what better way to cool you down in this hot, humid weather than a cool Hoegaren.

While barbequing all of you guys really came to mind. How I wished we could all share the first day of summer together with good food, good drinks, and great weather. The best I could do is share a few visuals.

A better look at our attempt at making Marina

It was so humid the camera lense fogged up as soon as I stepped out

A healthy flame cooking the chicken