Saudi Arabia Putting a Cap on Fatwas

Article written by Qusay Fayoumi
I really enjoyed reading this article. He simply hits the nail on the head.

I have to confess, I am not much of a follower of fatwas, but more a follower of P.H.A.T.W.A  LOL...Na just kidding. However, I am happy that Abu Met3ab King Abdullah has stopped fatwas being issued from all corners of the Kingdom by certain religious clerics who have no idea what Islam is all about.This bold step taken by the octogenarian monarch is however a double-edged sword.

One of the problems I hope this decree solves is the clarification that not every word that comes out of a religious person’s mouth is a fatwa, like the so called Mickey mouse fatwa which was not a fatwa at all, or any similar ones, which are too abundant to even start mentioning. People in Saudi are guilty of hanging on to these words, as is the media that is willing to contort and run with any story.

Another problem I hope this solves is that now, the frequency we hear “Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa” saying this or that (eg.breastfeeding the driver or coworker) will now be zero, as this is now a government organized thing, and anyone who has tried to get a little paper signed at any government office anywhere around the world knows that bureaucracy is a staple of government, and so… any fatwa will take a loooooong time to be issued

I can imagine them now, going to the fatwa issuing office on the third floor, taking a number and sitting down, then when their number comes, they talk to a very uninterested employee who tell him he has to fill out form A, and get signatures from two references and put them all in a green folder, and not to forget to attach a passport size photo on top of form A without his glasses on, and include two photocopies of his national ID and university degree with the transcript all of course should be official copies of the original documents notarized by a registered notary public, and of course he should come back in two weeks and when he does come back, they tell him that his papers are still with the head of the department, please come back in another two weeks. (this paragraph is just my imagination running wild, do not take it seriously)

Now why did we not hear of all these fatwas a long time ago? well, now everyone has relatively more freedom to say what they want, including but not limited to people in the religious establishment, and since Saudi has no political parties and no celebrities (except a few soccer players and a few singers, yet it is not enough for a tabloid industry) to keep people debating or talking about this and that, the clerics have the limelight, and some know how to use it better than others.

I do not see this as a form of limiting the freedom of speech of those individuals, it is, in my opinion at least, a form of the government protecting it self from being associated with crazy fatwas that seem to be coming up more often these days then ever before.

Islam, since its early days had so many schools of thought and little branches… those debates will continue until the end of time, and people’s propensity to come up with strange laws in every culture is another never ending story

Source:

http://qusaytoday.com/en/2010/08/saudi-arabia-putting-a-cap-on-fatwas/

Cameroon’s Awful ‘Breast Ironing’ Problem

Like many nations, Cameroon has a teen pregnancy problem that isn't being adequately addressed. The solution many have turned to is utterly horrifying: In an attempt to make their daughters less desirable to boys, mothers are ironing their breasts with hot objects to prevent them from developing.
In a report on the practice that affects one in four girls in Cameroon, CNN interviews Grace Techu, a mother who began ironing her daughter's breasts before school every day when she was nine. Techu used a hot pestle heated in the fire, but others use hot stones or coconut shells to beat at girls' breasts. This is supposed to discourage the growth of breast tissue, but all it does is severly injure girls. According to a State Department human rights report, breast ironing often leaves girls with, "burns, deformities, and psychological problems."

Techu clearly sees breast ironing as a loving act. Mothers do this because they want their girls to be able to stay in school longer, rather than dropping out due to unplanned pregnancy. Girls who start developing at a young age are particularly at risk, and doctors say girls in Cameroon are starting puberty earlier thanks to improved diets.

Thankfully, several charities have launched campaigns in recent years to provide sex education and teach people that breast ironing doesn't prevent pregnancy. In addition to tackling traditional practices, activists have to fight the idea (which goes far beyond Cameroon) that efforts to control sexuality should be taken out on women's bodies.

Source:

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-27/world/cameroon.breast.ironing_1_breast-cameroonian-mothers?_s=PM:WORLD

The horrendous driving culture within the Kingdom

The video below reminds me of driving in Saudi Arabia, and some other parts of the world. Even in a world with enforced traffic rules,road rage does happen, especially during the holiday season
But this classic Disney production simply hit the nail on the head in describing the driving culture within the Kingdom.
I also wished to incorporate an excellent article written by a fellow blogger who unfortunately does not write any more. The article quite aptly describes his own driving experiences within the Kingdom.

JAYWALKER

It’s Wednesday evening.  I love Wednesday evenings.  

Most of the rest of the world is marooned on an island as far away from a weekend as it’s possible to be.  I’m lucky.  My weekend begins two days sooner than yours.  With a Wednesday evening comes my Wednesday evening ritual.  

I’m driving the fifty miles back from work.  Everyone is bombing down the highway, faster, more aggressively, more recklessly than usual.  We’re diving in, out and around each other.  You can flash your headlights all you like, my friend, because this heap of junk doesn’t even go over one-thirty.  Finally there’s a gap to my right and I ease over to let the guy whizz past.  There are 3 or 4 behind him, nose-to-tail, shum-shum-shum-shum they go.  I’m so busy looking in the mirrors, trying to get back over to the fast lane that I almost don’t see the guy right up in front of me.  I catch it just in time, and there’s nowhere else to go but lurch round his right side; the sand tails blown across the asphalt by the non-stop wind nearly whip me right off the road.  Ah screw it, it’s Wednesday.  They’re all fast lanes.

We’re all racing in to the city at the same time.  Every day there is at least one amazing sight as the traffic is squashed tighter together.  Yesterday there was an 18-wheeler on its side.  Today there was a sedan with its radiator halfway through its engine.  The remains of blowouts are everywhere.

On to the inner city highway.  Less space, more pace.  Dodging the Dodges, ducking the trucks.  I’m finally back home.  

An hour later and I’m out the door again.  I’m on the way to my favorite coffee shop.  I’m going to drink cappuccino, smoke cigarettes and catch up with friends all night long.  I feel so damn good I might even zip over the bridge early tomorrow morning and spend the day in Bahrain.  But first to my favorite sandwich shop.  I get there and bang!  The door shuts in my face.  It’s maghrib prayer time – the sun has just gone down.  Yallah, ithneen shwarma dajaj, bass…please?  

Five steps to next door, my second choice.  Click.  The door locks.

Driving through the back streets, over to the coffee shop.  Crawling through unmarked intersections every fifty meters.  At the third cross, two young boys sail right in front of me on rollerblades.  They don’t blink.  I’m shaking my head so obviously that one of them notices, does a quarter turn, and offers me a cheeky two-fingered salute from his right temple, and they carry on.  I’m even impressed.  

I park up at the coffee shop – it’s still closed for prayer.  Off with the A/C and the engine so it doesn’t overheat.  Ten minutes later I’m inside, I’ve ordered,  and I’m cooling off.  It is great.  An hour later, the bill is delivered and it’s time for the last prayer of the day.  I leave my laptop downloading and go for a drive down to the beach.  

Just before the bridge to Bahrain there’s a guy behind me flashing his lights again.  I can’t move out of his way – there’s another car to my right.  I’m not trying to slow you down, friend, but what can I do?  I know you can see the car to my right.  I’m out of his way as soon as I can be, but he’s already parallel.  As his trunk passes my hood, he swings it out a little to give me a little scare, and he’s on his way.

The beach is deserted, and anyway by the time I’m there it’s time to head back.  I’m coming up behind a guy who kindly drifts over to the middle lane.  I’m almost parallel.  I’m on his left.  We’re curving left.  Shit, has he seen me? He’s drifting back towards me!  Hit the horn!  He catches it just in time, and I’m away from him.  

At the lights we’re stopped for a while.  From nowhere an oversized teenager on an undersized BMX comes across us at speed, bangs straight over the crosswalk, around the median and disappears up the street, against the traffic, in to the darkness.  The lights change, and I’m in to the back streets again, keeping my eyes open for those two damn kids on rollerblades…

This piece isn’t about me.  It would be pretty boring if it was, wouldn’t it?  In case you didn’t notice, go back and count the number of near collisions I had in less than two hours of driving.  This isn’t even about driving standards.  It’s all been said before.

What this is about, though, is my crazy admiration for people who drive – and in many cases live – like they couldn’t care less whether they live or die.  It’s truly amazing – and I’m not even being sarcastic.  

They’re not stupid.  They know that driving at 180, chipping every car in front off the road, is lunacy.  They’ve all seen the gory consequences.  If there’s one thing that isn’t censored here, it’s blood and brawn smeared over asphalt and aluminium.  

They know that taking 3 or 4 spoons of sugar in their tea is going to give them diabetes sooner or later.

They know that chugging down 40 hardcore smokes a day is going to kill them young.  

They know that staying up all night shatters them for whatever they have to do the next day. 

I’ve said it before and I’m certain I’m going to say it again:

I like the Arabs.  I don’t understand them, but I like them.

Source:

http://shwaybass.wordpress.com/

Wait, What???Are you serious???Fake Virginity Kits

"It sounds like science fiction meets Sex and the City: A fake blood-squirting hymen. Why on earth would a woman rush to purchase this bizarre product? Because if you’re a woman in the Middle East, it might save your life. In conservative countries like Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, women are expected to save their virginity for marriage. If a groom does not find bloodstains on the bed sheets after their first physical union, it can be fatal for the bride. Punishment for a woman that fails to bleed on her wedding night could include death by stoning or slayings at the hands of the woman’s husband or relatives (sometimes called honor killings)."The groom may have had a hundred and one sexual relationships prior to marriage but of course that would not be questioned by society. After all he is a man right....WRONG!!!

Take note that the whole concept of virginity testing and bleeding on the wedding night is not a part of the Islamic faith but rather stems from a cultural and traditional perspective within Middle Eastern societies.

But just because a woman is a virgin doesn’t mean that she’ll bleed during her first intercourse experience. According to a leading gynaecologist  almost 30 % of women are born without hymens, while other women rupture their hymens long before sex by doing normal physical activities, participating in sports like swimming or horse riding or simply exploring their own bodies.Frequent tampon use also causes the hymen to stretch.

The $30 hymen kit contains a small plastic insert that sticks to the sides of a woman’s cervix. During intercourse, the pouch is punctured, releasing a red liquid designed to mimic blood. After sex the manufacturer claims that the fake hymen simply “melts inside the vagina.” 

Conservative Egyptian lawmakers have pushed for a ban on imports of the Chinese-made fake hymen kit, and one scholar has even called for the "exile" of anyone who purchases or uses it. "This product encourages illicit sexual relations. Islamic culture forbids these relations except within the confines of marriage," said prominent Egyptian scholar Abdel Moati Bayoumi. "I think this should absolutely not be allowed to be exported because it brings more harm than benefits. Whoever does it should be punished."

In the age of the artificial hymen, you can still preach and practice fidelity in my opinion. Just don't ask God Almighty to protect your sick craving for wedding-night blood. She can't and won't.Virginity fetishism is doomed boys. Give it up!!!

Source:
http://www.examiner.com/article/fake-hymens-for-sale-the-product-saving-virgin-lives

MAKKATUL MUKARRAMAH - - - THE CITY OF LIGHT

Those of you who read my blog often may have noticed that I have not posted any articles in quite a while now. I was away for a few days to the most amazing city in the whole world in my opinion and that city is none other than Makkatul Mukarrama.It is the only place in the world where I feel complete inner peace and contentment. A place where I feel so close to God Almighty. The first time I visited the city was almost ten years ago and ever since then each time I visited the city I have always had a different experience and the city itself has kept on changing with the continued expansion and development of the haram area to accommodate the millions of pilgrims who visit  the city each year.

My last trip to the Makkatul Mukarrama was rather a unique one. A friend of mine residing in Jeddah agreed to send a cab to the airport to pick me up and drive me to Makkah at a cost of SR150. The distance between Jeddah and Makkah is approximately an hour and fifteen minutes drive depending on the traffic which can be quite horrendous at times. On arriving at the hotel, Burj Al Zam Zam,the driver who had all the characteristics of a typical bedouin man decided to only take SR50 from me. Burj Al Zam Zam or Zam Zam towers is  a five star hotel situated in the newly built Abraj al Bait centre quite ideally located just opposite the haram. The hotel offers spectacular views of the Kaaba from your room window and occupants are given the advantage of listening to the azaan(call for prayer) as well as the actual prayer in the room itself.

I booked a standard deluxe room as I was alone but since I frequent the hotel very often I was instantly given a junior suite without even asking.After settling into my room and freshening up I made my way to the haram to perform my Umra. I will discuss the whole umra ritual in another article. I love performing Umra at this time of the year as the haram is closed to outside visitors with the exception of the locals and people from the other GCC countries, mainly Bahrainis and Emiratis. My friends, the Mutawwa were out in full force in the haram delivering religious sermons and advising the public. Actually they were not that bad. There were a few friendly ones and some of them even played and chatted with the many young children and kids who accompanied their parents for umra. However, the behaviour of the female security and religious police  within the female section of the haram was quite revolting as always. They have absolutely no manners or etiquette when dealing with people. 

I noticed a few funny incidents during my short trip that I'd like to share with all of you. Whilst making tawaaf or circumambulating around the kaaba, there were a group of women whose faces were not covered. As they past a member of the religious police, he dug deep into his pocket and handed them one face veil each. They took the face veil and then simply continued with their prayers.

Whilst awaiting the evening prayers I encountered quite a friendly Saudi woman from Jeddah who was sitting next to me. She had on an abaya and a scarf without a full face veil. She studied abroad and hence had a more open and liberal way of thinking. Next to her was a woman from Qassim. She was the complete opposite to the woman from Jeddah in terms of demeanour and personality. She was carrying a trendy Harrods bag and a baby bag that had the inscription 'I LOVE PARIS' written on it. Now most of the religious police come from the Qassim region. I was told that in Qassim a taxi will not stop for a woman if she is alone. She has to be in a group with a few women or male members of the family should accompany her.

So the lady from Qassim starts chatting to the young lady from Jeddah. Somewhere along the line the conversation becomes heated and almost turns into an argument. The lady from Qassim apparently questioned the young lady as to why she did not adorn the full face veil and socks.She branded the woman a hypocrite for failing to cover her body adequately. The lady from Jeddah retaliated by asking her opponent when she traveled to Britain and Paris was she adorned with a full face veil, socks, gloves and an abaya. She continued by saying that the Saudi women who are fully veiled in the Kingdom are the biggest hypocrites because when they leave the country then everything disappears to the point that many of them feel no level of discomfort adorning a bikini on the beach. It is as though God only exists in Saudi and not outside.At this point the lady from Qassim picked up her belongings and left.Whilst I agree one hundred percent with the lady from Jeddah, I think silly arguments like these should not be occurring at a place of worship. Why should anyone be worried about the attire of the next person? People have come from far and wide to attain a peace of mind, to attain spiritual enlightenment and simply ask God Almighty to fulfill their dreams, wishes and desires. Then there was this hilarious scene where I noticed a group of young Emirati men who were cornered by two mutawwa. They were told not to frequent the shopping mall and attract the young females in the mall but rather they should spend the entire day within the haram enclosure. 

After a few days I returned home and I guess somewhere along the way, God Almighty had been with me all the way as I had booked an ordinary car from the hotel to take me to the airport but landed up being chauffeur driven in a brand new GMC. On arriving at the airport my economy class ticket was upgraded to a business class ticket without even asking.I guess sometimes miracles do happen. I just wish that they always  happen to me as often as possible!!!!

AL- REEM FARM- A MEMORABLE AFTERNOON WITH THE FALCONS

Yesterday, a group of us including myself had the pleasure of visiting the Al -Reem farm situated approximately an hour and a half outside the city of Riyadh. It was a day spent hunting with the falcons. The farm belongs to a member of the Saudi Royal family in partnership with Mr. Mobarak, who is an MBA graduate from King Saud university. Mr. Mobarak resides in Riyadh city but he is undoubtedly a typical Bedouin at heart. He is a man who is very knowledgeable in the field of Falconry as he is a fifth generation falconer himself. Falconry has been a part of his ancestors lives and has been an art that has been taught and handed down from generation to generation.The farm is undoubtedly one of the biggest in Saudi Arabia expanding over a few kilometers of land. The farm caters for periodical camel racing, safaris and of course interacting with the falcons. The farm is also a home to many wild game animals like deer, antelope and cheetah to name a few. Guests who have a flare for hunting are allowed to hunt the deer within the estate as part of a culling program as the deer multiply in their thousands over a short space of time.

On arriving at the farm we were asked to disembark from the bus and step into the four by four vehicles that are conducive to the desert terrain. However, we had a really fun bus driver who was hell bent on driving the huge bus through the desert at full speed swaying from side to side to prevent the bus from getting stuck in the sand. It was like a roller coaster ride with butterflies in the tummy and fits of laughter as we drove over many sand dunes.We eventually arrived at the camp site. It was undoubtedly a breathtaking site to see. Elaborately decorated tents with clean bathroom and toilet facilities awaited us.The tents were decorated with expensive carpets , cushions and traditional Saudi furniture.

We were welcomed with traditional Arabic coffee (Qahwa), tea and an assortment of dates.Whilst having the welcome snacks we were given a brief talk on the history of falconry and how it has evolved from an art used by ancient civilizations to obtain food and was a part of their survival strategy to a fully fledged sport in today's times. We then took a walk out in the desert climbing sand dunes. The view from the top was simply magnificent. The solitude and peace that I feel whilst being in the desert is a feeling that I can not explain. Breathing in the fresh desert air with a crisp wind blowing against your skin makes you feel alive again. Whenever I'm in the desert my mind becomes flooded with hundreds of thoughts. I always imagine how it must have been at the time of the Prophet (saw).The people of that time used astronomy and the guidance of the stars to reach their desired destination and even today the Bedouins of the desert are able to decipher their direction through the science of studying the position of the stars.

After relaxing the in the desert and observing breathtaking landscapes we all gathered back at the camp to meet Khobaas (reckless) and shalwa (a mountain range in the north western frontier of Pakistan), the two beautiful falcons that Mr. Mobarak owns. A falcon can cost from anything between Sr5000 to Sr 2 million depending on the speed at which the bird hunts its prey and also depending on the type of bird in terms of species.The endangered ones are the most expensive. Khobaas is worth Sr150 000. The farm also has a program in place whereby falcon birds are rescued, trained and then rehabilitated to be set free into the wild again. Mr. Mobarak then took us further into the desert where he released the falcons and it was fascinating to see the speed at which the birds attacked their prey. Each falcon was attached to a telemetry radio wave device that allows the falconer to track down the birds and locate them in the event of the birds flying away out of reach whilst chasing its prey.Once the birds caught their prey they started devouring the kill almost immediately. Falconers use various techniques to train their birds. They would shout the bird's name repeatedly whilst it is eating and also touch the bird with various hand movements so that the bird recognizes its owner. After a few hours in the desert we returned to the camp where we watched the sun set. We then made a camp fire and whilst we all interacted around the fire Mr. Mobarak's chef prepared kabsa for us which is a traditional Saudi dish consisting of rice and chicken or rice and lamb meat. We then concluded dinner with freshly made ginger milk which is also a traditional drink that is usually drunk in the winter months. Ginger is said to be very good for chest ailments and also for individuals having pain in the knees.With the beaming moon above us and the stars shining bright we then bid our friends farewell and drove through the darkness of the night returning to the city only to be bombarded with the hustle and bustle of city life. How I wish I could experience the serenity and peace of the desert everyday.

THE HISTORY OF FALCONRY

"Falconry is the hunting of wild quarry in its natural habitat with trained birds of prey. 

No one is sure when or where falconry began. Many say it began some 4,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Some say even earlier in the Far East. Authorities in prehistoric studies suggest that man may have even robbed meals from birds of prey.

From at least the 13th century B.C. using trained birds of prey to catch wild game has been in existence. This is documented mostly by reliefs sculpted during these times and a few scattered writings from the people known as the Hittites.

The Hittites were reputed to be a war like people inhabiting much of what we now know as the Middle East. In many areas of the Middle East and North Africa, falconry is practiced today much as it was in the ancient times.

There is no evidence to suggest that either the ancient Egyptians or ancient Greeks practiced or even had knowledge of falconry. In Egypt there are thousands of relief's and statues dedicated to Horus, the Falcon god. Mummified remains of falcons have been found in tombs.

The Romans and early Etruscans practiced falconry. The Japanese were introduced to Falconry in 244A.D. From about 100 A.D. until about 450 A.D. Rome was fighting the Huns of the Steps of Asia Minor and the peoples in what is now Germany and France, as well as the inhabitants of England and falconry began to spread. It is known that one of the more famous of the Huns, Attila was fascinated with hunting hawks and falcons of all species.

About the 4th to mid 5th Century we find evidence of falconry in Western Europe. In the chronicles of the Normans in about 550 A.D., there are several references to falconry. This area of Europe has a rich and colourful history and much of the romantic myths and legends come from this time. Much is noted both in art and in writings about falconry from this period.

We now see some of the first laws and formal writings about falconry. From this point in history it appears falconry is destined to be the sport of kings. It was the nobility that passed and enforced the laws of the land at that time. The common people were subjected to rule by their feudal lords. In the 8th Century we see the laws of Howel Dha. One passage ranks the Master of the Hawks, or the master falconer as fourth in rank to the king.

In the 11th Century, the Book of Saint Albans, lists the birds of prey and the person who may possess or fly such a bird. According to the Book of Saint Albans, only a King or Emperor was allowed to possess or fly an eagle. In the 13th Century the Japanese invoked a law that prohibited the feeding of snakes or turtles to falcons. Killing a trained hawk often cost the offender his life.

De Art Venandi Cum Avibus (The Art of Hunting with Hawks) written by Frederick II, was and still is considered a masterful book about training and hunting with birds of prey. It was written in 1247 and has since been translated into English and German. Many of the illustrations are considered to be some of the finest medieval art in existence today.

One story is how a young prince by the name Temoudjin and another prince, around 1180, had just lost a battle, and were making their way through the semi-desert, without weapons or food and were dying of hunger. They had almost abandoned hope, when Temoudjin saw a wild hawk. The other Prince said. "God is sending us our food, let us chase the hawk away, seize its quarry and then we can eat"...Temoudjin said "No, we will only be given food if we are able to earn it". The two planned to catch the hawk, train it to catch food for them and share with bird. They did and it worked. They were later able (almost 2 years later) to return to their own country. Now suppose if Temoudjin had died of hunger and not trapped and trained the hawk. History would have never known the man Temoudjin was to become Genghis Khan, who traveled to war with 500 falcons and 10,000 falconers.

As with all things, there is change. For over 18 centuries falconry had been practiced in many areas of the world. It was written about, studied and participated in by lower, middle and upper classes.

With the more common use of gun powder, musket and shot in the early 17th century, falconry began to fall from favor and fade into history. Although the art of falconry has never died out, it became more of a quaint tie to the past.

People who had nothing more in common, than their love for the birds began to band together to form clubs as early as the late 1700's. Even though the original clubs no longer exist, Falconers worldwide still band together in associations and local clubs.

Still, in some parts of the world, the traditions remain. The old, time honored, ways of training and hunting prevail in parts of North Korea and Mongolia. They are as ancient as falconry itself, passed from father to son and from Master on down. The same that has been done for centuries.

Source:
http://www.peregrineinternational.com/wildlife/control/falconry/

http://www.i-a-f.org/history.html