I know in the news, Facebook (FB) and Twitter is all the rage, but you know, I've learned that it takes a certain kind of person to be in it. I am not one of those special people. I love seeing my friends' cute pictures on Facebook and reading their quips on twitter, but most often people misunderstand them. It's a sort of soulless communication.
Also, there is another thing that I don't like about Facebook, it seems that once you've added someone on FB, the conversation stops there. They don't call you because they know what you are doing, or they have seen a side of you that they may not like, I am not just talking about my personal experiences, but these have become very common.
I rather meet up with folks, have a chat and a tea, you know what I'm saying?
Twitter can be fun. I sometimes find that some people are so witty and cheery and sardonic and I just love reading their stuff, but to what end?
Also, I hate spammers and they are rampant on twitter.
Next, like FB it just wastes too much time, and I really feel that I am growing duller by the day, because I am not reading books and concentrating and analyzing what I read in a deep and critical way.
So, finally I've broken away. And if any over you want to contact me, well email is always good. maryam@journalist.com
Now, if I can do the same thing for late night milk and cookies, I'd be really doing something big. :)
Most people would wrongly assume that this book is for Muslims only, but they would be missing out to do so. Enjoy Your Life has the basic feature of a self help/management book, the difference is that it uses stories and incidents that are mostly based in the Arab and Islamic world.
One of the most important elements of the book is that it offers advise for more than the usually cranky friend or obnoxious boss, and nosy neighbor. It offers advise on how to change yourself.
He begins with the classic story of the near suicidal caller who threatens to kill himself, Arifi's reply is, "Well go ahead." He shocks the caller into telling his story and convinces him to reassess his life and move on.
But this book is not just about individuals, it also discusses society problems and how individuals can help change their world around them. -to be continued
This is a short interview that I did with Selen Ozturk who plays Gulfem in Muhtesem Yuzyil. I asked her what were the life lessons that helped her throughout her life; surprisingly she has some very fresh ideas.
Selen Özturk dreamed
of becoming an actress as a teenager. This dream
came true when she won a scholarship to Hacettepe University’s Actors’ Conservatory.She currently
stars as Gülfem Haseki
Sultan, mother of Murad Şezadeand
the wife of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificentin the Turkish television series Muhtşem Yuzyil.
Child’s Play:
Never
give up your childhood instincts. This has been one of my cardinal rules. I use
my playfulness
to make me more creative, proactive and courageous in my personal as well as in
my professional life. Life
is a gift; in it we get only one childhood. Keeping the blessing of this
experience (the inner child) alive continuously keeps us pure, alive and happy.
Like a child I am not afraid to try new things, to be spontaneous or to dreams
beyond the limit. And that’s why I will never let my my inner child die.
First
Know Yourself and You’ll find Out What You Want:
It
is so important to know yourself; to be self aware and to discover new facets
of one’s personality along the way. When
I was 14, I saw a musical play and realized that I wanted to be a actor. I had
to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices to achieve this goal. Because I was
passionate and committed to follow this path, I didn’t really have much
difficulty to persuade my family to support my decision.
Afterward,
I realized that I had to study and become more aware of the world around me. I
began this journey by reading vociferously, traveling, making careful
observations and learning more about people-all these things became part of
this path I’ve chosen. I
know that these adventures, challenges and fun will continue non-stop with each
step forward. There you have it, a professional journey without a final
destination.
Let
the Music Move You:
Music
has been a big part of my life since early childhood. I sing, play the piano
and guitar. My name is Selen which means ‘’sound’’ in Turkish. And so I’m
living according to my name. I find my way by following the sound and rhythm of
life. And one day this love of music led me to acting; that’s when I decided to
spend my life pursuing both. All the theater productions I’ve performed in have
been musicals. Hopefully it will continue on this way.
Believe
In Your Dreams:
I
love to dream. Every chance I get, I let myself just drift off into these
dreams. They bring me great joy and happiness and hope. As
a child I used to imagine myself as a character in the cartoons I liked to
watch. And now I’m lending my voice to a lot of these cartoons. So you might
say that I’ve in some way achieved this dream of being one of these hilarious
characters. That’s fun, don’t you think?
Another
dream of mine was to be a character in a period piece-grand costumes,
larger-than-life sets, and a magical atmosphere. Every little girl’s dream is
to be a princess in fairy tale. And now, in Muhtesem, I am just that-a lady in
a palace, in a wonderful, historical, TV series. As you can imagine, I am
having a ball. All of this proves that
you should never ever give up on you dreams, they just might come true.
The
Power of Love:
Every
choice I make is motivated by love. Love, for me is the essence of life and
great source of power. It’s a positive kind of power that I’d like contribute
to. Every
relationship in my life is formed out of a sense of love. As is my choice of
profession–acting. Love is a divine emotion, strengthening our bond with life.
In order to be a full human being, one has to have defined, experienced and known
love. Only through discovering love, one can really truly enjoy success and
happiness.
Normally, arriving 30 minutes early for a Sharjah book fair event at the
Sharjah Expo Centre's huge conference hall would guarantee you a seat, but not
this time. Every chair except for two rows of reserved seating was taken; the
walls of the auditorium were lined with people. A few minutes and about a
hundred people later, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, the president of the Emirates
Publishing Association, presented Arundhati Roy to a standing ovation.
Earlier that day, when I spoke to Roy, we talked about her work as a writer,
her books and her experiences as an activist, championing human rights,
environment issues and the anti-globalisation movement.
Her activities have not been without controversy. Vocal in her opposition to
her country's nuclear policy, its ambitions of becoming a free market and the
issue of Kashmir (she supports its independence) have incurred the wrath of
Indian nationalists, and after she spent two months visiting the Maoist rebels
in the Indian forests in 2010, highlighting the plight of India's tribal people,
the Adivasis, she was accused of being a national traitor.
However, she dismisses the idea that she's any kind of activist.
"I don't even know what an activist is," she says. "I don't know why people
keep saying that I am an activist as if I'm walking around, carrying a banner
all the time. I write because I have a space in which I can be heard and that is
what I do. I write about my society and its issues."
Prior to meeting her, I expected the 50-year-old writer to be a fierce woman,
full of angst and anger, but instead I found that she possesses both the
infinite tenderness of a mother and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber, to
paraphrase from The God of Small Things. Wearing a burnt orange cotton
sari with an olive green blouse and long, white beads, she is a gracious woman
who seems so instantly familiar that you want to greet her with a kiss on the
cheek. And while her countenance may make you stop in your tracks, watch out:
she carries a pen filled with the ink of ire.
In her work, she is known for focusing on the uneven tug of war between
global capitalism and those under its feet. When The God of Small
Things won the Booker Prize and sent Roy's international profile
skyrocketing, she used the clout to unleash a blaze of dissent against India's
nuclear ambitions, political corruption and the marginalisation of its poor and
powerless.
The God of Small Things, which centres on the lives of twins, a boy
and a girl, growing up in Aymanam Kerala - where Roy herself grew up - is a book
that gives you butterflies in your stomach; it's filled with tastes, smells and
sounds. It brings coolness to your skin and a twinge of pain to your heart.
Remarkably, I can still conjure up these images after having read the book only
once, 14 years ago, in 1998.
Roy is the daughter of a Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali Hindu. Her
mother moved her family to Aymanam after divorcing Roy's father. It was an
experience, Roy says, that strongly influenced her writing of The God of
Small Things.
"In the Syrian Christian community, I grew up as an outsider," she recalls.
"People would say: 'Why don't you go back to your father?' Then, there was the
caste system, albeit a hidden one, but nonetheless very rigid. In retrospect, it
was the battle to understand who you are."
The caste system is an issue that's obviously close to Roy's heart. But is
there anything that can be done to change the national consciousness?
"The debate about changing the society's mindset began with Bhimrao Ramaji
Ambedkar [the architect of the Indian constitution] and [Mahatma] Gandhi. The
constitution was a compromise where caste was institutionalised. People like to
think of Gandhi as someone that was against the caste system, but this is a lie.
Gandhi himself believed in the caste system. He said that the untouchables
should remain scavengers and Brahmins should take care of the spiritual needs of
society - that every caste should remain where it is, but we should respect
them.
"There is such intellectual dishonesty going around in India concerning him
and his history. He is a fascinating figure, but he should not be someone that
we cannot question or talk about - this is wrong."
Another cause Roy is associated with is anti-globalisation, a topic which she
has written about extensively. Does she think her work, together with that of
others such as Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Howard Zinn are collectively making
a chink in the globalisation machine's armour?
"I think it's hard to say," she says. "There is a chink in the machine, but I
don't know if it is because of our work. The machine is creating such enormous
disparity, such enormous violence, that there is bound to be a blowback. How can
I take credit for that? I don't know."
The God of Small Things has yet to be followed by a second novel
but, after 14 years, she confirms that another is on its way. An attempt to
squeeze out some details is met with a sly chuckle.
"I am writing a new novel, but when I finish it, it will be as much as a
surprise to me as it is to you."
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Crafty Gemini is my new fav for learning to sew and advice on crafts.
Yes, this is a tad away from my normally, politically charged gloomy self. Yes, I do think about other things. Like sewing. Shopping is just too depressing. I went to H&M's just to have a look at the sales and found a. clothes that were too hot to wear after January and b. skirts that make better head bands because, hummm, use your imagination. So, I am making my kids clothes. A knit dress and a long shimmery gown. Pictures might be forthcoming. Anyway, I'd like to hook you on to my girl Crafty Gemini- Vanessa Wilson who is no joke. I found her when I was looking for a video on YouTube on how to make homemade soaps. I had found some other videos, but hers were clear and precise. She even has a phone app!
This is something that I wrote in 2010. Although things are a little different from back then, some things are are worst. Back then, we were just worried about impossibilities, like the entire population of America having its water supply compromised by terrorist, but now that the Muslims are asserting their right self determination along their own values, it's time to bring out the ammo. Libya was the first trial and now Mali; just when we thought the war was over. Obama, said that the war on terror was over, then he said, he got Osama, then Al Qaida was weakened. An now what is the excuse? Ya Rabb, musaidinah!
Time to move on America Maryam Ismail / 9 April
2010 People in our part of the
world love to say, ‘the Jews control everything in America… All of the US
presidents are Jews excluding Barack Obama; he has other problems’. Conspiracy
theories make me laugh. That was until I listened to the two speeches given at
this year’s annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting.
Then
the entire scenario unfolded before me like the end of the film, Ocean’s 12.
Suddenly, everything I’ve ever seen had a new meaning. It became clear, that
words like insurgent, terrorist, and militant were selectively taken from the
word wall of Zionism. Placing these words into an ultra-mediated discourse has
made them almost as ubiquitous as milk and sugar.
Israeli
Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and US Congress member Eric Cantor, took the
team teaching approach, in giving their version of Israeli history, 101 and 102.
Netanyahu played expert historian, and participant of the death-defying struggle
of his people, painting the bloody and arduous history of the Jews of the past
three millennia across a global canvas.
Next,
Cantor, gave his introduction to modern US Jewish history which recounted the
tale of 20,000 German-Jewish children on a ship who were denied entry to the US
and were sent back to Germany, because Congress refused to pass a bill granting
them entry. To make up for it, we see the end result, the state of Israel. Then
we got to the real point of their speeches: Palestine, Islam, and terror. I don’t know if it’s delusion or blindness,
when Netanyahu spoke about Israel’s attempt at peace with Palestinians while at
the same time saying that they have no right to their homes in Jerusalem. “Amen” added Cantor.
Suddenly,
Netanyahu’s geography got funky. He compared my home state of New Jersey (one of
the smallest states in the US), to Israel. Building a scenario where Iran and
Hezbollah (which he says has 60,000 missiles) were ready to pounce on this
innocent and beleaguered mouse (Israel) which is already scratched and bruised.
New Jersey is not Israel.
Trenton,
the capitol of New Jersey couldn’t defend itself against Iran or Hezbollah.
However, Israel with its endless source of conscripted military and white
phosphorus, US-made and donated technology and weaponry, could and often does,
annihilate anyone that has threatened it.
That’s
my spin on it, but it won’t be coming to a movie theatre near you any time
soon.
My
jaw dropped when Cantor laid out his 12-step media plan to keep the world
focused on the US “war on terror.” “From Yemen to Afghanistan to Pakistan,
terrorists are not going to lay down their arms against America if we abandon
Israel. We must do everything possible to hold the media accountable and empower
our communities at home with an understanding of the true nature of our shared
struggle with Israel.”
Suddenly,
that 1950’s film, the Blob came to mind. As if there isn’t enough hype and
hysteria surrounding the world of Muslims, it seems that this is just the
beginning.
First,
the story was of 19 mad men, allegedly all from the Arab world. Then they
somehow had a connection to Afghanistan. Then anthrax. Then old vials of Ricin
were found in a refrigerator in Iraq. Now there’s this talk of American wannabe
terrorists. You see how it goes from a little rock with a ball of jelly in it
into a bloodthirsty monster devouring humankind? Cantor does a remake with a mental montage of
his version of Muslim world: “The American people know who stands with us in our
fight against terrorism; we know who wept at candlelight vigils when America was
attacked on 9-11 (I shed a tear for my friends in the WTC basement) and we know
who sends teams of doctors and millions of dollars halfway around the world to
save lives in Haiti.
"In
the same way, we Americans also know who teaches their children to emulate
suicide bombers (hmmm); who danced and tossed candy around in the streets on
9-11 celebrating that horrible day (A Fox News re-mix). And we do know who names
their boulevards, schools and their public squares after terrorists," Cantor proclaimed.
Am
I the only person who believes this guy has gone off his rocker and is tired of
this spiel? It’s time to think
differently, to stop rehashing this rhetoric. We have to think of the global
common good. This constant search for bad guys is not healthy. No disrespect to
those who’ve died and are dying in this mess, but a death is a death and
everyone cries when their loved ones are gone.
In
the words of the great comedian, Bernie Mac, “America, let’s move on.” I hate to say it, but if we don’t there’ll be
no end of the Jihad Janes, Petey the Petrol throwers, and Wally Wahhabis,
because this theme is coming back home, ‘if you’re not down with the latest
theme on terror, you’ve got to be a terrorist.’
What’s going on? I’ve
noticed that in terms of the malls, there are less women praying along with their children in the Mall masjids. I also had a
similar experience during this 2012 Sharjajh International book fair where it’s claimed that there
were 70,000 visitors a day. Yet, in the past, during the prayer times, it was almost impossible especially on the women's side. Even if you when to pray up to fifteen minutes early, their was no place in the bathroom, in the masjid and even in the halls. However, this time, as I sat there waiting for the Maghrib athan, I sat
there all alone. Finally as I was leaving there were about three people coming
to pray. Even during other times there were very few people praying. The same
thing with Asr prayer yesterday in SaharaCenter. It was Friday and
the mall wasn't very crowded, but there were lots of people there and yet,
during Asr prayer there was only about 10 or 12 people praying. In the past,
during this time, you’d have to wait for enough people to stop just so you
could get out of the mosque (it’s prohibited to pass in front of someone
praying).And now, their was only one person praying behind me in the second row.
Why is this? Now, when
there are seemingly more and more Islamic classes, but less people praying.
Also, there is the problem of fajr. Perhaps it's two things, those who pray have left the malls. They have decided these are places of fitna. They are in a way, how many awful songs have I heard describing acts that would land you in jail if you talked about them in public? Then despite the signs asking people to please where respective clothing, in some cases, even though, some might think that these signs are for non-Muslims, there are some Muslims who are guilty of dressing inappropriately.
Then there is also, the factor of the 3ddy culture, where Islamic values are not held in the respect that they deserve. There's a demand for respectful clothing, but there are very few places that sell them I went to H&M to look for a shirt for my muhajjabet daughter, and found a mini skirt that would make a nice head piece for her. Yanni, that it was that small. In the past, I would see Emirati girls wearing their traditional jilbabs, they were beautiful and covering well. Now, it very rare. I am not blaming them. It's just perhaps that they feel that it's an old thing. Then they should buy they latest fashions. Allahu 3llum. The other is that there are very few options and if they have money, why shouldn't they spend it on their kids. Why shouldn't these kids dress like the ones they see on those kids on the MBC channels?
There is a slow withdrawal of the Islamic presence.
It’s been two years now that they've stopped the Fajr prayer on the loudspeakers, now we can hear only athan and
iqamah, the call to wake up and the call to stand for prayer. What does this
mean? I am no sure, what I do know is that it can not lead to any good. Perhaps
people will let it go, but as Emiratis struggle to keep their culture in tact,
but how can they when much of this culture is linked to Islam? Without Islam
what will be left of Emirati culture? Without prayer, what kind of hope will be
left for a better future? I am of the opinion that it’s taqwa of the people
that has kept UAE strong, prosperous, and thriving. It is also, the same thing
that made Turkey
rise within the past few years. Without it, it was a disaster, and without it
and/or with its decline, it has had awful results.
