April 25, 2008
April 24, 2008
Is The Internet Supposed To Hurt?
I don’t understand a lot of what goes on in this blog world. I have cyber-friends who I’ve met in real life — a fair number here in Qatar — and share my social circle with. But for the most part my clogging buddies are the ones I read up on most days and who I may exchange emails with. Still others are my IM buddies and we catch up a few times a week. What I dearly love are my sisters who have done all of this with me and taken it to the next level of talking on the phone.
I am 8 to 10 hours ahead of many of my blogging sisters. That means I am not online when many of them are. We also have problems with our internet service fairly frequently here in Qatar, so I may not be able to read people’s blogs for a day or so — and in this fast-paced blogging world that means you can be out of the loop in just a 24 hour period, like I have been over the last day.
Something apparently happened with someone who I considered a dear friend in the last 24 hours that has turned her against me and caused her to write a very hurtful email to me. I suspect there is some kind of misunderstanding because this person thinks I — or a close friend — has done something to her. The problem is, I don’t know what or who she is referring to so I cannot correct my error (if I have made one) or similarly she cannot correct hers (if that is the case) since she asked that I never contact her again.
The reason I am writing this post is because I just think we should be able to disagree about things without taking it to such a personal level. I recently became aware of a disagreement between brothers in the US that was being played out with all kinds of accusations on blogs and via email. I suggested to the brothers involved that they not let their political disagreements sink to the level of character assassination. I would also ask this of my blogging sisters.
I have been accused of causing fitna all over the Internet in order to fill my “void in life”. I’m not sure exactly what that is referring to — whether it is the nature of some of my posts, my comments or my emails. I am a seriously flawed human being and have no delusions about that you can be sure. I don’t mean to be causing pain, suffering and conflict in anybody’s life or on their blog. So if you think I am doing that, please tell me so I can rectify the problem.
April 20, 2008
God IS Great!
Al hamdulillah — I just got a call from my son. He has arrived safely back home. Thank you for all your prayers, support and good wishes.
I am one happy MOMMA!!!
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April 18, 2008
April 17, 2008
April 11, 2008
Who Will Educate The Children?
Last night I was screening a number of films I am considering using in my upcoming class about filmmaking in the “non-Western” world. All of them dealt with the theme of education — in either Iran or Afghanistan. And each film showed me how far behind this part of the Muslim world — and MOST of the Muslim world — in in terms of development and the educational qualities required to become a knowledge or technology based society. In fact, these countries are not even able to sustain their own people through an agriculturally based society.
The films I watched were Samira Makhmalbaf’s The Apple (which she directed at the age of 17!) which is based on the true story of an Irani family in which the blind mother and father locked their twin daughters in their house from the ages of 2-13, never teaching them how to bathe themselves, talk or even walk properly. Their imprisonment stunted their development to the point of retardation until the neighbors called social services in Tehran. The girls eventually were adopted and are now progressing developmentally and intellectually.
After that I watched The Beauty Academy of Kabul, which is a documentary about a group of Americans (including some who fled Afghanistan in the 70s) who went to Kabul after the fall of the Taliban to offer a training program for female entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. It’s an interesting film, documenting the first class of women to attend and graduate, giving a nice historical overview of Afghanistan since the 1970s. The film is a testimony to the strength of the female spirit.
My favorite of the films I watched last night was Afghan Alphabet by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a rather short documentary (45 minutes) about the impact of the Taliban mentality on several generations of Afghanis (in this case, illegally living in Iran close to the border). With nothing but his digital camera Makhmalbaf shows us that the basis of an engrossing film is the story. This one is fascinating and challenges the reliance on memorization in Muslim societies that subverts the ability to be able to think critically. Children don’t know how to articulate who/what God is and a little girl – probably no older than 10 – refuses to uncover her face to take part in a school lesson because she says it is a great sin. She narrates a story by Mullah Omar about how the Prophet (saw) had a large box he locked his wife in and she never went out; but when he wanted to he could open the box and smell her before locking her away again.
When this precious child is sent from the classroom because she will not unveil and participate in the lesson (which is about how to spell “water” and wash one’s face), her empathetic friend leaves the classroom and tries to talk her into coming back inside and following the teacher’s instructions. She tries to ease her mind by telling her that she can repent to God for showing her face and pray 10 rakats, but her friend will not hear of it. Eventually though, after much whispering and turning their backs to the camera, the friend (smaller and probably younger) shows her how to wash her face and takes her back into the classroom. The final shot is memorable:
Each of these films raise profound questions about Islam and education in the 21st Century.
April 6, 2008
War and Peace
I went to see the film The Hunting Party over the weekend and it got me to think about the nature of war and peace. I think we will mostly agree that the nature of most conflicts between countries are universal. They are struggles over rights, power, culture clashes and borders. The solutions are usually pretty universal as well: people get tired of the killing, have to make compromises on their positions and then have to agree to try to forget — or at least accept the past.
The Hunting Party is loosely based on some real events related to the war (and peace) in Bosnia. The story follows a once revered war correspondant (Richard Gere) who dropped from the heights of success after having an on-air meltdown when reporting on one particularly brutal Serbian attack on a Bosnian village. Fast-forward 5 years after the “Peace Accord” was signed and this reporter is reunited with his cameraman (Terrence Howard) and proposes a plan to track down one of the most heinous Serbian war criminals (whose head has a $5,000,000 bounty) and bring him to justice. What unfolds is a story that highlights the question of whether any of the major players in brokering peace and policing the world’s conflict really care about justice. Just consider the fact that there is a $5,000,000 bounty on both Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic (and check out this for information about why capturing and punishing criminals like Karadzic is so complex)
And this is what got me to thinking. There are so many parallels that can be made to World War II and the massive exodus of Nazi war criminals; purveyors of genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Liberia, Israel, and Chile, to mention a few; and of course more recently, the events of 9/11, Al-Qaeda, Afghanistan and the hunt for Osama bin Laden. I was left having to face the sad reality that “peace” usually comes about by selling out justice and my own country (the USA) is one of the worst brokers in unjust peace.
Is the price of peace worth the injustice? Can we not have both?
Am I too idealistic?
OK, I know the answer to that last question 
