31 May 2008
25 May 2008
2 out of 30 Million!
Tonight was a night that i wait every year. It was the night of the Eurovision Song Contest final, which was held in Belgrade this year.
This contest is never ever mentioned in the Arab media, for one specific reason, which is the participation of Israel in it every year. It is worth mentioning that Morocco participated in 1980 when the Eurovision was held in Holland, and only when Israel didn't participate. The 1980 Moroccan entry was the only Arab & African entry ever. It was sung by a singer who became one of the famous voices in the Arab World, Samira Said.
But anyways, one might wonder here how do i, a guy in Iraq, know about the Eurovision Song Contest?
Here is the answer:
A VHS video tape (do you remember them?) passed by me around the year 1989, and it was the Eurovision Song Contest of 1986 which was held in Norway. This was the first contact with the ESC. I didn't know much about it at that time, but thanks to the BBC Commentator Sir Terry Wogan on that contest, who gave valuable information about the previous contests, i managed to put together pieces of the Eurovision history. There was a long cut until the year 2003, when it was possible for the first time to own a satellite and watch the event live.
Well, this year, i watched the event along with my father, and i am absolutely sure that we were the only people watching this all across Iraq. I bet that nobody knew about it, except those who watch Spanish, Turkish, Russian, or other European channels that are not English speaking. And with the news addiction and/or localization (vs. globalization) that was and is sweeping Iraq, i really don't think that anyone have turned away from their nice NileSat, which has all the channels you'd need on a daily basis, and dug into any channel that carried the event. I assure you!
So, if the Iraqi jury (consisting of us 2) would have ever voted, then it would have strongly disagreed with the 43 countries that took part and voted, and made the Russian song that we didn't like much, win the Contest. My father picked Greece and Ukraine as second, while i picked Armenia and Spain as second.
Let's hope that a good song would make it as a winner in the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow 2009!
This contest is never ever mentioned in the Arab media, for one specific reason, which is the participation of Israel in it every year. It is worth mentioning that Morocco participated in 1980 when the Eurovision was held in Holland, and only when Israel didn't participate. The 1980 Moroccan entry was the only Arab & African entry ever. It was sung by a singer who became one of the famous voices in the Arab World, Samira Said.
But anyways, one might wonder here how do i, a guy in Iraq, know about the Eurovision Song Contest?
Here is the answer:
A VHS video tape (do you remember them?) passed by me around the year 1989, and it was the Eurovision Song Contest of 1986 which was held in Norway. This was the first contact with the ESC. I didn't know much about it at that time, but thanks to the BBC Commentator Sir Terry Wogan on that contest, who gave valuable information about the previous contests, i managed to put together pieces of the Eurovision history. There was a long cut until the year 2003, when it was possible for the first time to own a satellite and watch the event live.
Well, this year, i watched the event along with my father, and i am absolutely sure that we were the only people watching this all across Iraq. I bet that nobody knew about it, except those who watch Spanish, Turkish, Russian, or other European channels that are not English speaking. And with the news addiction and/or localization (vs. globalization) that was and is sweeping Iraq, i really don't think that anyone have turned away from their nice NileSat, which has all the channels you'd need on a daily basis, and dug into any channel that carried the event. I assure you!
So, if the Iraqi jury (consisting of us 2) would have ever voted, then it would have strongly disagreed with the 43 countries that took part and voted, and made the Russian song that we didn't like much, win the Contest. My father picked Greece and Ukraine as second, while i picked Armenia and Spain as second.
Let's hope that a good song would make it as a winner in the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow 2009!
22 May 2008
Well Done!
Watching today's regional politics could drive you to the verge of pulling your hair, but it could still be amuzing and perhaps even amazing...
The past two weeks were sad to be honest, because of the situation in Lebanon. Lebanon, is the most beautiful Arab country in so many ways. If you go and ask any Arab this question:
- "What is beautiful about Lebanon?"
The answers would come in accordance with the person's background. Some would say its poets, some would say its natural beauty, others would say its music, while others would say its apples if they didn't know anything else about Lebanon!
All in all, it is the most beautiful country in the Arab Middle East. There is no Arab who does not have a part of his or her heart with Lebanon for one or more of the above reasons; thus the sadness of what happened recently in Lebanon.
Of course, the escalation that went on for a long time (from both sides) until it reached the latest point which was about to be "the point of no return" (God forbid), had made it obvious that there were some regional interferences, despite the statements of neutrality coming from this country or that.
I don't want to discuss the past, or the present, except one point.
Someone who is neutral might have expected that countries like Saudi Arabia or Iran should have acted more maturally so to speak, and moved at their allies there to stop and escalation and do the very best in order to calm things down, but they didn't. Both countries in fact, have proven that they were totally immature, and that they wanted to do the same thing they did in Iraq, and not to do the same thing they did in Iraq at the same time! And the result was a mess.
With the situation being like this, there was a despirate need that someone should rise to the occasion and stop what was going on.
Qatar came.
Although i have many notes to make regarding Qatar, which has a strange policy (inviting Hamas leaders one day, then inviting Tzipi Livni the other day!; being home to Al-Jazeera, as well as two huge US bases right next door!!), but despite all that, I really respected Qatar for its role in Lebanon this time in difusing the bomb that might have blown up that beautiful country apart for the benefit of regional powers, and for the loss of all the Lebanese people.
Qatar had proven this time that it is a mature country despite its tiny size, while the big ones were childish.
At the end of the day, an agreement was reached, and we hope it works permanently.
And at the end of the day, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Syria came out with an ashful face. Qatar had a shining clean face. Something which makes me say: Well done, Qatar!
The past two weeks were sad to be honest, because of the situation in Lebanon. Lebanon, is the most beautiful Arab country in so many ways. If you go and ask any Arab this question:
- "What is beautiful about Lebanon?"
The answers would come in accordance with the person's background. Some would say its poets, some would say its natural beauty, others would say its music, while others would say its apples if they didn't know anything else about Lebanon!
All in all, it is the most beautiful country in the Arab Middle East. There is no Arab who does not have a part of his or her heart with Lebanon for one or more of the above reasons; thus the sadness of what happened recently in Lebanon.
Of course, the escalation that went on for a long time (from both sides) until it reached the latest point which was about to be "the point of no return" (God forbid), had made it obvious that there were some regional interferences, despite the statements of neutrality coming from this country or that.
I don't want to discuss the past, or the present, except one point.
Someone who is neutral might have expected that countries like Saudi Arabia or Iran should have acted more maturally so to speak, and moved at their allies there to stop and escalation and do the very best in order to calm things down, but they didn't. Both countries in fact, have proven that they were totally immature, and that they wanted to do the same thing they did in Iraq, and not to do the same thing they did in Iraq at the same time! And the result was a mess.
With the situation being like this, there was a despirate need that someone should rise to the occasion and stop what was going on.
Qatar came.
Although i have many notes to make regarding Qatar, which has a strange policy (inviting Hamas leaders one day, then inviting Tzipi Livni the other day!; being home to Al-Jazeera, as well as two huge US bases right next door!!), but despite all that, I really respected Qatar for its role in Lebanon this time in difusing the bomb that might have blown up that beautiful country apart for the benefit of regional powers, and for the loss of all the Lebanese people.
Qatar had proven this time that it is a mature country despite its tiny size, while the big ones were childish.
At the end of the day, an agreement was reached, and we hope it works permanently.
And at the end of the day, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Syria came out with an ashful face. Qatar had a shining clean face. Something which makes me say: Well done, Qatar!
18 May 2008
The Problem With Iraqis, Well some of them...
When i was younger, about 13 years ago, i remember going to a tribal meeting that my paternal relatives had one evening at an orchard North of Baghdad, and in that meeting i remember seeing an old man who was a tribal leader of sorts, and he was talking back then about another family from outside the tribe that was perplexed whether to connect itself to this tribe or to that tribe. To be honest, i find some Iraqis in a somewhat similar situation.
But first, there is one thing to be made clear... This may not be what the average people think. Those who think this way are either ignorant, or politicians, or -even worse- ignorant politicians!
So here's how the story goes:
You take a look at some of the Shiites, of the above-mentioned three categories, and you find them drowned in the love of the Islamic Republic of Iran! I have tried researching this myself, and was really angry. There is a website which is close to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (formerly SCIRI), and the site is Buratha News . I noticed one day that an official who was quoted on a daily basis on that website, made some comments on finding Iranian-made weapons caches in several places all over Iraq. I (the innocent one) thought that the site would quote the man like they do every time, but they didn't. I waited for a whole day, and they didn't! Other officials made similar comments, yet none of them were mentioned!! However, they never fall short from cursing anybody (especially Iraqis) who would disagree with them; however you cannot, should not, and must not criticize the Humongously Holy Islamic Republic of Iran!
Well, with all due respect, Iran is not God, and will never be anything but a theocratic dictatorship that does nothing but weep, hit its chest in vain, and enjoy the quarrels of and blast from the 7th Century AD past.
You take a look at some Sunnis, and their situations differ... Some that cry on the days of Saddam, to those who label everything in Iraq nowadays as wrong... They won't spare an effort to call the Shiites names; however you cannot, should not, and must not criticize the Dear Brotherly Syrian Arab Republic, the castle of Arabism, or the Humongously Holy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Some go to the craziest extent in defending Saudi Arabia, perhaps more than the Saudis themselves. Here's what happened with me: One day, i was trying to buy Pepsi cans, and this was like last month, which was 4/2008 AD (which was also 4/1429 AH). I found Pepsi cans at a local small shop with an expiry date of (8/1428 AH) which was 8/2007!!! I said that to the shop owner, explaining that we are now in this month in AH and AD, etc... First he said, "No problem, Saudi products live longer than their Expiry Date!" then he said, "No i think you are wrong in calculating the date! We are not in 1429 AH now, but we are in 1428 AH!" It was really as if someone is insisting that this year is 2007, and you know of course without any doubt that it's 2008!
Again, although Saudi Arabia houses the Holiest places in the World, but Saudi Arabia is not God, and it is a Monarchy dictatorship where women should do nothing other then cook, do housework and give sex to their men. If you don't believe me, check out the mbc channel commercials! However, i bow in respect to some Saudi women doctors who fought for a lifetime to reach this respectable rank under the rule of big fluffy beards.
Now let's look at some of the Turkomens. They have a different approach. When the Arabs in Kirkuk demand something, they unite with the Arabs. They raised the Iraqi flag next to their light blue flag, which was commended alright. But their Turkomen Front doesn't believe in sharing the cake of Kirkuk with Arabs and Kurds. I thought the contrary until recently, when i heard a song on Turkmeneli TV , the front's TV channel, sung by Fathullah Ahmed (AKA Fathullah Altinses) which described Kirkuk as "It's heart is Turk, It speaks Turkish". It would be like saying that Southern Switzerland is Italian, not of Italian ancestry, which is totally different. Far worse, it would be like saying that New Mexico is part of Mexico. Does it make any sense?!
That said, one must not forget the cultural and ethnic links between the Iraqi Turkomens and Turkey, but to be honest, i think that their connections are stronger to Azerbaijan than to Turkey.
When Turkey wants Kirkuk's oil it calls the Turkomen "Iraq's Turks", but when it doesn't want to deal with their problems it calls them "Iraqi Turkomens". Clever!
As for some of the Kurds, the good thing is that they would love independence, which could be considered as the lesser of two evils if we compare it with what we just mentioned. To rule yourself is better than to stick yourself to somebody else, or to praise that somebody more than your own country. No. The Kurdish authorities concentrate on Kurdistan, or that is what they say, because all of my dear friends in Iraqi Kurdistan tell me that it is just about personal political ambitions the leaders have, and the chances to pocket-in more money if Kurdistan was independent from Iraq, especially if they get Kirkuk!
But after all this, the poor, honest, average Iraqi, is the one who paid, pay, and will pay the price of this big jargon, perhaps with his or her life. He or she would not get a dime from the Iranian, Syrian, Saudi, Turkish, or Kurdish money. The fat cats would!
Smile! You are in Iraq!
But first, there is one thing to be made clear... This may not be what the average people think. Those who think this way are either ignorant, or politicians, or -even worse- ignorant politicians!
So here's how the story goes:
You take a look at some of the Shiites, of the above-mentioned three categories, and you find them drowned in the love of the Islamic Republic of Iran! I have tried researching this myself, and was really angry. There is a website which is close to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (formerly SCIRI), and the site is Buratha News . I noticed one day that an official who was quoted on a daily basis on that website, made some comments on finding Iranian-made weapons caches in several places all over Iraq. I (the innocent one) thought that the site would quote the man like they do every time, but they didn't. I waited for a whole day, and they didn't! Other officials made similar comments, yet none of them were mentioned!! However, they never fall short from cursing anybody (especially Iraqis) who would disagree with them; however you cannot, should not, and must not criticize the Humongously Holy Islamic Republic of Iran!
Well, with all due respect, Iran is not God, and will never be anything but a theocratic dictatorship that does nothing but weep, hit its chest in vain, and enjoy the quarrels of and blast from the 7th Century AD past.
You take a look at some Sunnis, and their situations differ... Some that cry on the days of Saddam, to those who label everything in Iraq nowadays as wrong... They won't spare an effort to call the Shiites names; however you cannot, should not, and must not criticize the Dear Brotherly Syrian Arab Republic, the castle of Arabism, or the Humongously Holy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Some go to the craziest extent in defending Saudi Arabia, perhaps more than the Saudis themselves. Here's what happened with me: One day, i was trying to buy Pepsi cans, and this was like last month, which was 4/2008 AD (which was also 4/1429 AH). I found Pepsi cans at a local small shop with an expiry date of (8/1428 AH) which was 8/2007!!! I said that to the shop owner, explaining that we are now in this month in AH and AD, etc... First he said, "No problem, Saudi products live longer than their Expiry Date!" then he said, "No i think you are wrong in calculating the date! We are not in 1429 AH now, but we are in 1428 AH!" It was really as if someone is insisting that this year is 2007, and you know of course without any doubt that it's 2008!
Again, although Saudi Arabia houses the Holiest places in the World, but Saudi Arabia is not God, and it is a Monarchy dictatorship where women should do nothing other then cook, do housework and give sex to their men. If you don't believe me, check out the mbc channel commercials! However, i bow in respect to some Saudi women doctors who fought for a lifetime to reach this respectable rank under the rule of big fluffy beards.
Now let's look at some of the Turkomens. They have a different approach. When the Arabs in Kirkuk demand something, they unite with the Arabs. They raised the Iraqi flag next to their light blue flag, which was commended alright. But their Turkomen Front doesn't believe in sharing the cake of Kirkuk with Arabs and Kurds. I thought the contrary until recently, when i heard a song on Turkmeneli TV , the front's TV channel, sung by Fathullah Ahmed (AKA Fathullah Altinses) which described Kirkuk as "It's heart is Turk, It speaks Turkish". It would be like saying that Southern Switzerland is Italian, not of Italian ancestry, which is totally different. Far worse, it would be like saying that New Mexico is part of Mexico. Does it make any sense?!
That said, one must not forget the cultural and ethnic links between the Iraqi Turkomens and Turkey, but to be honest, i think that their connections are stronger to Azerbaijan than to Turkey.
When Turkey wants Kirkuk's oil it calls the Turkomen "Iraq's Turks", but when it doesn't want to deal with their problems it calls them "Iraqi Turkomens". Clever!
As for some of the Kurds, the good thing is that they would love independence, which could be considered as the lesser of two evils if we compare it with what we just mentioned. To rule yourself is better than to stick yourself to somebody else, or to praise that somebody more than your own country. No. The Kurdish authorities concentrate on Kurdistan, or that is what they say, because all of my dear friends in Iraqi Kurdistan tell me that it is just about personal political ambitions the leaders have, and the chances to pocket-in more money if Kurdistan was independent from Iraq, especially if they get Kirkuk!
But after all this, the poor, honest, average Iraqi, is the one who paid, pay, and will pay the price of this big jargon, perhaps with his or her life. He or she would not get a dime from the Iranian, Syrian, Saudi, Turkish, or Kurdish money. The fat cats would!
Smile! You are in Iraq!
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