Monday, February 28, 2011

The Girl Who Smiled

The 17-year-old girl smiled as I walked into her brightly multi-colored room two weeks ago.

“When I heard you were coming I was happy,” Taylor said.

Her face had turned three shades darker than her complexion. Her cheeks were dotted with dark pimples. Her eyes were yellow. The quiet and shy girl wore a simple blue dress with a long-sleeved white shirt and white pants. She wore a blue hijab, or a headscarf.

Suddenly she got up, unplugged the chords from the wall that held tubes of saline, and slowly crept off the hospital bed. She had to use the restroom. She reappeared with a curious face when the doctor came to tell us of her diagnosis.

The doctor’s hair was short, and she spoke rapidly. Her eyes darted from one person to the other in the hospital room. There were six of us. The doctor, my parents, Taylor, her mother and I. My mother was the translator and my father and I had gone to visit.

The doctor began explaining Taylor’s illness...If Taylor received a cut it would take longer to heal than a normal person, she said.

“What does that mean?,” my mother and I wanted to know.

“It is liver failure,” the doctor said. “We are not sure what will happen. If her liver is stable we may be able to treat her as an outpatient.”

My mother and I asked her what would happen if she didn’t get better?

In worse case situation she may need a liver transplant, said the doctor, but she didn’t want to speculate. There were more blood tests to be done, and Vitamin K to be taken.

We hoped for the best.

My mother looked at me. I looked at her. “You tell them,” she said to me, indicating to Taylor and her mother who were waiting for the news. I recycled the information in my mind. I wanted to comfort the ill without lying. All we knew for certain was the liver failure.

It’s nothing…I began. She is just sick and her liver isn’t working as well as it is supposed to, I said. My eyes roamed the room and fell onto Taylor’s mother. They will keep an eye on her, make sure she’s eating healthy and continue doing blood work. Let’s pray for the best and be patient, I said.

Taylor’s mother’s face became tight. She wasn’t doing well.“I’m trying to keep it together,” she said, for her sake. My daughter (Taylor's oldest sister) called me. She kept telling me to smile and comfort Taylor. But it is hard, she said.

“When I got home the other night I saw my other two daughters waiting for news at home. Their faces were grief-stricken. I thought to myself, who should I please? Here I have one daughter in the hospital and two daughters at home longing for their sister.  To whom should I show a happy face to and where do I go with my sorrow?,” Taylor’s mother said. 

Taylor came to the U.S. about nine months ago. She is a soft-spoken person who tends to herself. She comes from a well-off family in Asia, however she is modest in her speech and her style. I have never heard her say anything bad about anyone - except to say such-and-such action is disliked in Islam and by God. 

Rather than worry about others, she worries about herself, something we all struggle with.

The last time I saw Taylor before she became ill was at our house, while we discussed techniques on time management, having patience, and ways to strengthen concentration in prayer. As far as I can remember, she has always been eager to attend haliqas, gatherings where God is mentioned, (like Sunday classes or bible study).

She is also a favorite in her high school classes, where she has been helping classmates learn the English language. She is building on her vocabulary. 

***
Last Thursday my family (cousins and parents) and I visited Taylor. Her name was hung from a large window where the sunlight seeped into the room. A spring-colored curtain hid her from view. She had been transferred to a special hospital where doctors could monitor her liver and keep a close watch on her.

Doctors had worried she might need a transplant, however her condition was slowly improving that day. She was able to eat solid foods again.

She wore a bright pink hijab, or a headscarf, and she smiled widely when she saw us. My mom handed her a bouquet of flowers.

“Thank you so much,” Taylor said.

There were almost a dozen people in the room. Researchers asked her questions about her health, while a nurse was took several tubes of blood. A social worker stopped in to tell us her insurance was finally approved. 

Alhamdulillah, thanks be to God, my father said. We should be thankful for the favors God has given us.

She smiled at the nurse, "Thank you so much," she said as her arms stretched out in a half-hug and handshake. 

We all went home.

***
The next day Taylor stopped answering her phone. Her liver was failing. One more time.
She needed a liver transplant. 

Taylor's father, who had just returned from the hospital after nearly a week with his daughter, pleaded to know what would happen next? Was there a donor? Was her name on the list? When would the surgery take place?

They didn't know. Taylor was struggling. She was fighting for her life. We supplicated. The family asked others to do the same. 

God says in the Quran, "To Him We Belong and to Him We Shall Return," something Muslims say to people when they are in troubled times, or when people pass away.

The clock ticked. Everyone was getting anxious.

And then this morning a call came from the hospital. A donor has been found. Surgery will take place in a few hours God-Willing.

Moments ago her parents and siblings went to visit her. "I am so happy to see you," she said, tending to herself. What she does best.

(Edit: The names of people in this story were changed for privacy.)

Friday, February 25, 2011

Mamma, I wanna marry a Mexican

When you move far away you learn a lot about yourself, your family and friends, and just….life. Well, at least I am. I am learning a lot; in school and every day experiences. My head is going to explode and I can’t take it anymore.

First of all, I learned a lot about my family and how I took them for granted so, so much. And a home. The word “home” means so much more to me now, then it did when I lived with my family. What makes a home? Well, more than one person---that’s for sure. My apartment truly felt like a home when my grandparents came to visit. Now they are gone and it no longer feels like a home. Its just a place where I sleep, shower, breathe and cry. I have been trying to spend as little time as I possibly can at my apartment because it just makes me feel lonely and it makes my mind wander, which is not a good thing. Thank God for the comfort of my school and library.

I guess you learn about your friends too. I’m so grateful to have people who care for me and I really learned this so much more when I moved away. Honestly, I really learned how much some people cared about me. Its nice, and it also sucks sometimes. Its nice because its comforting and it sucks realizing that some people just want to be your friend when you are visiting “home,” but not when you are far away.

Oh. I've also had my first few experiences this semester of feeling "helpless." I mean I've felt helpless before. But I am far away from "home" and there were three instances I really felt that I could've been there for my family and a friend. I hated it.

Other than that I’ve also learned a lot of things I would’ve never learned if I never moved away. People always told me I lived in a bubble and I would get so mad. But I guess it was so true. And it still is, but now it’s a bubble that’s been popped, and still in the process of deflating. I’ve met so many different types of people and I’ve learned a lot about different different cultures and lifestyles—more than I’ve learned the last four years of my life. Fo real.

And there is still so much more I wanna learn. So many things I'm curious about and so many people whose stories I want to know. Everyone has a story. Everything has a story.

Anyway. I’m really really trying to force myself to like it here. And its kind of working☺ Well, kind of. I’ve started to enjoy and adore school, so that’s a start. God willing I will soon enjoy and be grateful for everything else!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Today, Always





Seek reasons to love.
In every moment, of every day,
Find something to love.





picture BlogBooster-The most productive way for mobile blogging. BlogBooster is a multi-service blog editor for iPhone, Android, WebOs and your desktop

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Found a message on BBC's page

At 12:26pm on 20 Feb 2011, ANEK wrote:

This afternoon we received an e-mail from one of the doctoral students RE her dissertation, she is Libyan, and her husband and other family is currently in Libya. She has asked us to let
people know what is going on. Please feel free (actually, please feel
compelled) to forward this message as far and wide as possible. I have
deleted the student's name for the sake of her safety and her family's
safety.
______________________


Begin forwarded message:
>> From:
>> Date: February 19, 2011 5:45:42 PM EST
> Subject: Re: hoping that everything is well

>> Thank you so much Dr. xxx
>>
>> I have spoken to him and my family in Benghazi. They are all well.
>>
>> In Benghazi, the situation is terrible; there are massacres occurring.
>> People getting shot by helicopters and snipers; there have been reports
>> of poisoning of the city water supply and mercenaries from sub-Sahara
>> Africa and Algeria have been unleashed reportedly being paid $30,000 each
>> to kill innocent people. Please spread the word among your colleagues and
>> urge everyone you know to contact the UN, the Red Cross and Crescent, all
>> news agencies, the State Department, and the White House. Please tell
>> everyone you know; people are being massacred.
>>
>> Thank you again for checking in. Please pray for the people.
>>
>> -
>>



I saw this on BBC new's comments page. Everything in the emailed matches up to things I have read on twitter, aljazeera english accounts from anonymous witnesses in Libya and etc. So I have no qualms and doubts in posting this up.


SO What Can You Do? Just spread the word. And here's a great site: www.libyafeb17.com



On a side note. Anyone watching the All-star game? Any bidders? East? or West? Kobe fan or LeBron?



EDIT: It's monday morning, the game is over, and its highlights are going to be played over and over again for the next week on ESPN. And the most important talking point will be on how Kobe schooled LeBron.


cc, out

Friday, February 18, 2011

All I want is a Happy Ending

In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Kind

I'm not sure why I had the strong urge to start this post with one of Islam's most important phrases. Probably because I have no idea how to go about tackling this topic.

Egyptians and Tunisians, insh'Allah (God willing) fought for a better government and a better world for themselves. Like many others do daily.

But this caught people's attention, because it was some crazy world history in the making; the use of technology and the mass dedication from younger generations to demonstrate peacefully as possible.

Whether things will get better, and whether the people can patiently work on keeping up reform are things we wonder and pray about.

But in the midst of that we are forgetting about the effect taking place in the middle east.

Libya, Iran, Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, Djibouti and I don't even know where else.

And these countries aren't quite getting the same media attention or hype. Maybe because now the thought of the situation is getting scarier. Maybe because the governments and pro-goverment supporters are lashing out violently. Maybe because it was only cool the first time. Maybe the media is giving it attention, but people are sick of it. Maybe it just doesn't quite have the same MLK Jr. feel.

I don't know.

What I do know is that these protesters are encountering a much more brutal backlash than the ones in Tunisia and Egypt. There are reports coming in from journalists and doctors in Bahrain saying things around them look like battle scenes. And it only takes a quick glance at Bahrain's twitter feed to get a live insight into the situation.

But in other places like Yemen, where phone and twitter access isn't as widespread, it's more difficult to gauge the situation.

Libyan and Jordanian protesters are meeting more or less violent reprisals as those in Yemen. Protesters are dying, the army is attacking, clashes are erupting.

Just today word came in about a grenade thrown at Yemeni protestors.

Libya has blocked foreign journalists and while I don't know much about what is going on in Libya apparently the situation is very grave.

I don't know why the world isn't watching and holding it's breath like it did for Egypt.

It's a confusing and scary time for many, and I don't know if there is a happy ending.
Many of these individuals have been living under mass poverty, widespread corruption and injustices.
And regardless of whether you believe in these demonstrations, mass violence in any situation should be worthy of our attention, our voices or at least our thoughts.


AbuFnord #Libya &#Bahrain & #Yemen and #Jordan r going through #Tahrir's night of the thugs. Very little coverage, need more#journalists please...5 minutes ago via web

There were a lot of I don't know's in this post. This phenomena, situation, trend, whatever you want to call it, is giving way to a lot of different questions and is, in my opinion, generating the same response, I don't know.

EDIT: It seems in the few hours I posted this, media attention actually increased a little.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Over the (mole) Hill.

I haven’t been blogging lately because I have nothing to blog about. I do have quite a few posts in mind, but lately I’ve been lazy.

Too lazy to type. Too lazy to think. Good thing my body breathes for me or else I might have been too lazy to do that. Isn’t it sad that I’m too lazy to type? I mean, could I get any lazier? I guess I could get those things that type for you. I forgot what they’re called. But you speak into a microphone and the computer does all the typing. My dad got that yearrrrrs ago. But he got frustrated with it since it didn’t work too well. Maybe it was the accent? hah.  But his isn’t so bad.

So I am over the hill (25) and I feel kind of old, physically. My joints are giving way. I can’t work out anymore. Doing the work out video is killing my knees and my ankle joints so I’m sticking to running every other day. I’ve always had ish with my knees. Growing pains, they said. Haha. Is there such thing??

You know what I did? I did something dumb. I made a promise to God if I passed my exam I would fast for a month. Then I passed. And I was happy. And then I was like, “o crap”. So while the days are shorter I’m trying to do as many as I can. A month is a lot. I should be used to fasting since Muslims fast in Ramadan anyways, but it’s a whole different experience. I feel like God has mercy on us or something because the time FLIES by and I don’t realize I’m fasting.

I went through a vanity crisis, which could have been associated with my quarter-life crisis. Months before my birthday I realized I was turning a QUARTER OF A CENTURY old. I got sad. Then I noticed I had dark circles under my eyes. I didn’t want to use chemical junk on my skin nor did I want to conceal the circles, since I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis. I wanted them gone. I was getting sufficient sleep so I had no idea why they were there. So I stuck tea bags on my eyes. And cucumbers. and I put some vitamin cream on the area to strengthen the capillaries and skin. And then they were gone. I heard water is good to prevent these circle. But if it runs in your family, you might have a harder time with them.

Alhamdulillah I have very low maintenance skin. I don’t even use soap. So when I get a stubborn pimple or anything that doesn’t go away in 4 hours I go crazy. But my reaction was escalated due to the fact that I realized I was getting older. If people asked me how old I was I would say 24, but think 25 in my head. And then I became a quarter of a century old. And then. nothing.

It’s not so bad. I’m glad I’m old. No drama.  <3

This is a random random post. But that’s how my mind goes. And I type how I think and I can’t help it. Peace. <3

Monday, February 14, 2011

“Don’t mess with Texas”




Texas is an interesting state. The people here have a ton of pride for their country and for their state. It is also home to the most conservative cities. The funny thing is, I am from America’s number one liberal city. Being a Muslim and wearing a scarf on my head, I get a lot looks. But, the people here are also SO KIND. The term “Southern hospitality” is so so so very accurate.

Unfortunately I live in the south, in a very urban city, just like the city I come from. Every day crazy things happen. Boyfriends run over their girlfriends, husbands put their wives on fire, and you know—other totally normal things. Just kidding. I mean those things do happen, in fact those two stories were both on the news yesterday. But its not normal. Its completely crazy.

There are crazy people everywhere. Ever since I moved here I’ve felt so scared and unsafe. Yesterday my classmate’s apartment was broken into. That makes me so sad and scared, especially since he lives in a gated community.

I don’t feel safe at all where I live and the only thing that’s kept me going is the fact that I will move to a different community that is gated. But I guess that’s not even safe. So I don’t know what to do. I kind of just want to stay here because I don’t want to go through the trouble of looking for another place and starting all over. Though the community I live in is scary, I have kind of started to feel comfortable here.

I have my pepper spray in my hand and protection from God so God Willing, I will be ok. Everything will be ok.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Egyptian Revolution

"Egypt is free! Egypt is free!" Newspaper headlines, CNN breaking news, iPhone apps... Egypt is finally free, Praise be to God. The unimaginable actually happened... and within only 18 days... what a miracle.

Not really sure how to put all this momentum and energy into solid words. But the feeling is just amazing. Its not only about Mubarak stepping down... its the fact that the whole world was behind Egypt united, standing for justice, and continuously supportive. Im not Egyptian and outside of a few friends in Egypt, I dont have much of a connection to that country. But I still felt part of this revolution... I cried, I cheered, I held hope... I just couldnt physically be with the thousands on Tahrir Square day after day.

From January 25th to February 11th, 2011, Egypt is finally FREE!

As a twitter junkie, I found some inspiring tweets about Egypt from celebrities to scholars to journalists to everyday Egyptians:

ArabRevolution تباً لك ياطاغوت by NickKristof
So the Danish are the first to stand up for #Egypt. While we vilified a whole nation for some cartoons. Puts things into perspective

DawudWalid الملا داود والد
#Obama gives credit of uprising in #Egypt to young people.

andersoncooper Anderson Cooper
Mubarak's lies continue.

YasirQadhi Yasir Qadhi
Mubarak everyone!!! Mubarak has gone :)

naveensyed Naveen Syed
Congratulations, #Egypt! So amazing, inspiring, motivational. You deserve it!

jamaaldiwan Jamaal Diwan
The largest non-violent protest in world history prevails!!! Pouring out tears and prayers for those who we lost along the way...

IrshadManji IrshadManji
The ppl of #Egypt have affirmed that liberty is not a Western construct but a universally shared aspiration.

iansomerhalder ian somerhalder
Congratulating the people of Egypt- freedom is every living person's right! You deserve it! Dictators be done!

Alyssa_Milano Alyssa Milano
Happy Birthday, #Egypt!

Ghonim Wael Ghonim by LowkeyMusic1
Dear Western Governments, You've been silent for 30 years supporting the regime that was oppressing us. Please don't get involved now #Jan25

awadofgum
Spent the last couple hours giving out candy on the Diag. People's faces are hilarious when you tell them "Happy Egyptian Revolution Day!"

cwzymuslima cwzymuslima
#Egypt did for itself in 3 weeks what the US could not do for #Iraq and #Afghanistan in nearly 10 years. Peace, not war, overcomes #terror.

nilebabe
Today I'm so incredibly proud and inspired by the power that #egypt claimed back for itself. I'm proud of my family that contributed to it.

DawudWalid الملا داود والد
we bombed Iraq to replace a dictator we propped up.#Egypt, it happen without bombs. So much for the inherently violent Muslim talking point.

NickKristof Nicholas Kristof
Muslims and Christians praying together in #Tahrir. Very inspiring. Le'ts hope--and pray--that that unity persists.


**While we're in the midst of celebrating Egypts freedom, however, lets just not forget that it all started with a man in Tunisia who set himself on fire in protest to the Tunisian dictatorship. This is proof. One person can make a difference.**

-Empty Words (Guest Author)

Friday, February 11, 2011

If we Have God, we have everything.

Everyone goes through troubles and problems.

There are times when I feel troubled but I can't put my finger on the source of the problem. I feel crummy inside and I don't want to share my feelings with anyone in fear of gossiping or wasting time.

A long time ago I realized how important it is to look for the fault of problems in ourselves. Meaning, there are ways we can change a situation. As the old saying goes, if you're not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. 

I am a person who used to get sad a lot. For no reason. Or because I wouldn't get over things. Alhamdulillah, thank God, that has changed.

I am also a writer. I have sudden urges to write. At those times I scramble for paper, pencil, and start writing on anything I can find. Sometimes even napkins. If I don't I will forget what I have in my mind at that exact moment. (I wonder if poets can relate?)

It also helps with meditating, figuring out emotions and for me, often helps me think of a solution. 

So on an AT&T mailed envelope I wrote:

"Dear God, 

I need your closeness right now. I need to know that you are listening to me as I call you. I am suffering inside, a disease of sadness, grief and anxiety. We have held onto your rope but sometimes we struggle. We fight for space, meaning, understanding, as well as welfare. We sacrifice. We suffice (with what we have Alhamdulillah). We fight. We argue and we stray. But only the path of patience and perseverance is close to you. 

Only true dhikr (rememberance of God). Only true asthaghfir (repentance and asking for forgivness). How shall we be.

(We) Tell ourselves the story of Absolute.  Do we think of ourselves better than others when we were all created equal? Do we not remember the punishment of the grave and the Hereafter?...When we will be judged for our actions?...When we will be brought before our Lord the Greatest Judge who only reward the streadfast. Did the Lord not say the world would be a hard place to live. 

We would have to struggle with ourselves, our wealth, and children. Did He not grant us Prophets to follow thier example? And scholars to listen to our concerns and hardships?

Did Allah (God) not tell us to seek and you shall find the answers to your heart's desires? Surely in the Rememberance of God do hearts find rest."
 
After a while I logged onto Facebook and read my hadith, or the sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and I found this: 

1160. `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet ((sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) kept standing (in prayer) so long that the skin of his feet would crack. I asked him: "Why do you do this, while you have been forgiven of your former and latter sins?'' He said, "Should I not be a grateful slave of Allah?'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

...The deeds of a man cannot pay for even one of the many blessings of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), because even the smallest of Allah’s blessings and favors on us far outweigh the deeds a human can perform. So bear in mind the rights which Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has over us.

Trials & hardships and how to deal with pain: Navaid Aziz – He Who Has No One Has Allah: http://www.halaltube.com/navaid-aziz-he-who-has-no-one-has-allah


from the group "Ahadith per Day keeps Shaytaan away: part 2!!"

And I watched the video.

(To update later)

The Update highlights from the video

Everyone feels pain. Some small pain and others big. We will feel pain on a different spectrum, but there are two results to pain:

Blessings or wrath

Sheikh Navaid Aziz said in the video, "He Who Has No One Has Allah" that the world is full of luxuries, however happiness never last for long. Even in blessings there is a trial.

What do believers say when they fall upon a trial? 

"Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e. blessings, etc.) (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones (2:156-157)."  

Aziz said we get tested through pain and pleasures, to either get closer to God or draw away by forgetting to thank Him and ask Him for assistance. 

Six Steps to deal with trials
1. React to the Divine Will
2. Change perspective from bad to good; trials are a means for blessings 
3. If you deal with pain sooner than later it is better and easier to get close to God. When you look for people's pity, people do not understand what you're going through. Then people tend to isolate themselves (for too long) and slack in their religious duties. However, after you take your short time alone, look for noble company and gather around believing people, it will improve your faith.
4. It's not about how you live it's about how you will be raised. How we die is how we will be raised. For example, if we love music we'll be raised with music. If you love salat, Inshallah you may be raised in salat.
5. Blessings are a trial. 
If you are patient through your trial, God rewards you for your hardships.
6. This world is not a place of eternal happiness, but Paradise is. Aim for Paradise.
Remember when you struggle, "No soul shall bear a budern greater than it can bear."

Pain becomes positive when it brings you close to God, said Aziz.

He said, Those who have no one, have God. Those who have God's pleasure, have everything.

Monday, February 7, 2011

My cat kept coming after my cereal bowl, so I pushed her away using my head...literally

It was snowing really bad the other day. And my family was gone out all day, and like hell I was going to go out and shovel and give up on my newly started record of sitting on the spot that I was planted into for more than 24 hours, happily stressing about school.
Instead I did the next best thing, I sent out frantic text messages to all of them, telling them to come home asap!
And the most magical part was that I never had to move.

They came home eventually, and of course one of the cars is gonna get stuck in the snow. And they tried getting it out for Godknowshowlong. Eventually my brother C and my mom come inside and I find out about the battle going on outside.
Clueless me.

I tell C about my miraculous like ability to get out cars that are stuck. And he says, "Of course its miraculous if you can manage to do it".

(He didn't actually say that, but if he was witty like me, he would have totally thought that)

So upon my mom and C's hailing of me, (is that like idiotic english?) I unselfishly lifted myself out of the computer chair, sadly turned back to look at the chair that wasn't sat in long enough to be imprinted, and marched over..... to the bathroom.

I had to pee.

Anyways, eventually I pulled on a second layer of pants, kept my super funky and bulky prayer scarf on , and pulled on my oldest jacket with my long, completely mismatching kurta sticking out from underneath, and went out to help my family get the car unstuck from the snow. It's not like there's anyone out there other than my family.

I step outside, see our neighbor's car and at least one of my brother's friend out there helping out my dad and my brothers, and turned back around and walked straight back inside.

THE END

Not really, I ran into C who yells out "who cares!", and I say, "You're right! Who cares!"
And I go back out determined to show my ability to take out the car. I get into the driver's seat, turn the wheel completely, and yes, miraculously pulled the car out in ONE go.

Then I yelled out to C, "I TOLD YOU!"

Brother B remarks, "It could have helped that there were at least 5 guys pushing from the front," He always got stuck with the minor details.

CC, out

P.S. If you're curious about what a kurta is, look it up! It's a south asian clothing.
P.P.S. My title has nothing to do with my post. So don't focus on it. You will get confused

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Its a Revolution

Thousands of Egyptians are rallying in the streets standing up for justice and freedom, the same morals which we claim to have while sitting on our high American horses.



Personally, I think its amazing. It's history in the making! A new revamped Middle East? Who knows, maybe. All I know is that these people have been living under fear and injustice for 30 years. I remember once asking one of my teachers back in Cairo why he didn't grow his beard out, a common Muslim practice. His response: "I fear the government will kill me."

Its hard for us Americans to understand the hardships lower class Egyptians have been dealing with. There is such an insane discrepancy between the rich and the poor. The rich are living it up in their Californian houses behind gated communities while the poor are living in tiny apartments or shacks piling up families of 10 into a bedroom or two.

When I first went to Egypt several years ago one of the first things I was told was not to talk about government or religion in public or on the phone. Imagine living that of lifestyle. Couple it with not being able to get properly educated or solidify a good paying stable job.

Yea, its a revolution. And its about time.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

After Tunisia's upheaval, comes an even more dramatic one

Nooooo!

No no no! Violence was not supposed to take over!!

Besides the clashes that erupted before the army replaced the police, the protests in Egypt were going peacefully, gathering force, and gaining admiration. Just yesterday I read an article on the Associated Press that mentioned the most surprising factor was how non-violent the demonstrations were.

Volunteers in the demonstrations were assigned to prevent any individual protesters from inciting any violent acts, human chains were made up of volunteers to keep the protesters separated from any opposing forces.

So much thought put in to try and prevent any outbreaks of violence BY the protesters yelling against their poverty and their restricted freedoms!!


And that was enough to jinx it.

Come today morning, some 3000 pro-Mubarak protesters ride in on CAMELS and HORSES with whips and sticks (I'm wondering why camels and horses as well), and attacked the large demonstrating crowd, breaking its protective human chain, and Violence Erupts.

People are hurt, people are bloody, people fight back, fights are breaking out.

Some protesters begged the army (that was right there) to intervene, help, and protect, but one replied while the others took cover that they were not "ordered" to do so.

Other pro-government protesters are throwing fire bombs and stones from the rooftop of buildings on the masses of anti-Mubarak protesters.

It's a really depressing scene right now for a protest that was fighting for its people's voice, rights, and for democracy.

I hope the people of Egypt win their battle against injustices.

But I'm scared for them.

Remember how just a couple weeks ago the massacre in Arizona had stopped our nation while we heard the names of the victims and watched Congresswoman Giffords battle for her life? Now think of our entire nation undergoing a shock of many Arizona massacres happening all across the nation. They're facing a fight, I think, even scarier than that.


CC, out



P.S. Look at this really short article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12339521
It's thought provoking...

[Update 5:50 p.m. Cairo, 10:50 p.m. ET] CNN's Ivan Watson says opposition demonstrators inside Tahrir Square are surrounded by pro-Mubarak groups and fear a bloodbath after nightfall.

CNN's Ben Wedeman tweeted: "The only way out of Tahrir is thru army lines to the right of the mosque next to the Mogamaa." (The Mogamaa is a building that houses the Interior Ministry.) "People in Tahrir square begging Obama to intervene. They are terrified a bloodbath is about to occur."

Crazyy Scary tweets on the ground from CNN correspondent: http://twitter.com/IvanCNN

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Einstein


 "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." 

***picture from deviantart