Allahu Yarhamuhu Ya Abu Meteb

With the news of King Abdulla's demise, there has been many negative comments coming through about him being a bad person supporting a Zionist movement etc. Whilst Muslims from other parts of the world may say good riddance, he was undoubtedly a peoples king. The Saudi people loved their King especially the women. During his reign he did a lot for women's rights and female education in the Kingdom. He was in support of women driving in the Kingdom considering that his own daughters knew how to drive. He wanted to bring about more reform but there is a fine line between liberalism and a culture of tribal rule. My fondest memories of him was watching him being wheeled into the hospital when he got ill a few years ago. I will never forget that night. My colleague and good friend was the night manager on duty. He got a call from the Royal clinic stating that the King is on his way to the hospital. My colleague rushed down to the pharmacy basement asking me to assist him with looking for the Kings bed which was stashed away in a store room. We searched for the bed from one store room to the other eventually finding it just in time for the Kings arrival. When he arrived at the hospital, he greeted the staff with a smile on his face. He was a grandfatherly figure to everyone around him. The Saudi staff waited in line to greet him. Whilst his face never really gave away his age, he was old and I am sure that he would have loved to do more for his people but age was of course against him. To the Saudi people he was regarded as their father. He was given that respect and status by his people and whilst he may have made bad decisions with regards to supporting a zionist regime at the end of it all we are no one to judge him as a person. I recall a story that a colleague of mine related to me. He told me that many years ago the King had a maid from Eritrea and her duty was only to make him a morning cup of tea. She worked at the palace for many years until one day she informed King Abdulla that she needed to leave as her mom was very ill and required medical attention. He gave her two bags of money. When she stepped out of the palace the guards on duty were under the impression that she had stolen the money. After liaising with the King she was allowed to leave. In Eritrea, the maid put her mom in a private medical facility and also managed to buy out a small hotel whereby she could earn a decent living and provide for her family.
I got a call in the early hours of this morning from his nephew who told me that there is sadness within the Kingdom. He stated that whilst some people out there may have been unhappy with his uncles views concerning foreign policies , his uncle passed away on a Friday as a Muslim. May Allah grant him the highest stages of Jannah.

I find it shocking that there are Muslims out there who are posting ridiculous comments on other forums with regards to Abu Meteb's death,
" He does not deserve to get a Friday."
" He does not deserve to be buried in Mecca..Astaghfirullah."
" How come he got a Friday for his wrongdoings."

How can we judge another human being. He might have been a bad person to the world but in Allah's eyes he may have been a good human being. I can not handle the shallow way of thinking of some of our narrow minded South African Muslims. We enjoy division rather than unity. We enjoy judging others yet we fail to ponder over our own wrongdoings. As a Muslim and a fellow human being, I say Allahu yar7amuhu Abu Meteb... May Allah grant you the highest stages of jannah and sabr jameel to your family.......

THE SEAT BESIDE ME

I wrote this article almost a year ago. I totally forgot to post it on my blog..

                         http://retirement-rocks.blogspot.com/2009/07/first-class-travel.html - Picture

One of the best things I love about being able to travel frequently is having the opportunity of coming into contact with people from all walks of life and socio-political backgrounds. Whenever, I need to travel I try my best to be at the airport well in advance so that I have a stress free, smooth sailing journey. Naturally I would also be one of the first people to board the flight when the boarding gates open. I would take my allocated seat in the plane and then eagerly anticipate the arrival of the passenger next to me. Of course on some flights I came across really friendly individuals who gave me a brief insight into their own lives, and there were times that I wished that the plane landed quickly so that I could escape from the annoying passenger next to me. On my return flight to the Kingdom a few weeks ago accompanied with a family friend of ours who resides in Medina, we landed up sitting next to a young woman from Cape Town who was accompanying her grand mother and uncle on a two week Umra trip. What surprised me about her was the fact that she conversed with the air hostesses in fluent Arabic. At first I was under the impression that she was a Saudi girl until I discovered that she was in fact a South african girl that was born and resided in the Kingdom for the first ten years of her life. Her father is a professor and lectures at one of the universities in the Kingdom. Returning to the Kingdom brought back a few painful memories for her as her parents divorced due to her fathers infidelity. She had caught her father having a few illicit relationships with female students from the university and naturally told her mother. Eventually the truth came out and her family fell apart. What I admired about this young woman though was the fact that she had such a positive, bright outlook towards life. She aspires to complete her university degree and stand on her own two feet. Her biggest wish in life is to see her mother getting married again and leading a life of happiness that she failed to acquire during her initial marriage. Sitting next to this vibrant and energetic young woman made the entire flying process quite a pleasant experience and the flight even seemed shorter than normal. I guess time always flies when you having fun. During my connecting flight from Jeddah to Riyadh, I landed up sitting next to the CEO of a company here in Saudi Arabia. Seeing me all veiled, he was under the impression that I was a Saudi woman and was initially reluctant to sit next to me. Since there was no other seats available he was forced to sit next to me. Ofcourse I eased his tension by informing him that I am not a Saudi woman and that I have no issue if he does sit next to me. Suddenly I witnessed a huge smile on his face and he breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally, during the trip we engaged in a meaningful conversation. He enlightened me about his family life and roots and of course he was equally fascinated with my origins and history. Whilst we had lots to talk about during the short flight, as soon as the plane landed he got up and left speedily. As per the customs and traditions of the country he would not want to be caught chatting away to a female on the airport premises.What really surprised me though was the fact that he tracked me down and called me the next day. He managed to get hold of my mobile number through a friend of his who works at the airport. It was quite a fantastic gesture on his part to invite me over to his family home and date farm situated outside of Riyadh city. His family were kind and pleasant and they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their home. They shared family photo albums with me and gave me an indepth insight into Saudi culture and customs. Naturally I will never forget them due to their sheer kindness and hospitality. It is individuals like these that build countries and nations. They are the ambassadors of their country by promoting their country and customs in a positive manner. Two weeks ago I was on a flight from Riyadh to Jeddah and as always the plane always takes off late due to the fact that all the passengers need to be rearranged on the flight to prevent unwanted males and females from sitting next to each other. The seat next to me was allocated to a religious Saudi man who refused to sit next to me. He asked me to stand up and move to another seat. I refused telling him that there are no other seats available and that if he is uncomfortable sitting next to me then he should leave. After his short performance with the air hostesses, he eventually returned to the seat next to me. But what really made me laugh about him was the fact that he sat in the extreme left corner of the seat, took his shemagh (red and white chequered scarf) and covered his face with it. It was as though he was sitting next to a poisoned ivy lololol. For the entire one hour flight he never moved or said a word and neither did he partake of the onboard snacks and refreshments. During my trip to Dubai last year I recall being sandwiched inbetween two obese gentleman. It was the most horrific flight I ever had as I could not move. Both gentleman hogged the chair armrests and I was unable to pass to utilize the bathroom. I felt suffocated. But the passengers who took the cake for me was a Chinese couple my family and I encountered during a trip to Dubai from South Africa. Mom's younger sister sat to my left and on my right was a Chinese gentleman who was seated next to his wife. Correct me if I'm wrong but I am yet to encounter Chinese people who are friendly and approachable. Any way, there was no real interaction with the couple, that is until the gentleman started drinking like a fish. He became rowdy and started arguing with his wife. His wife moved over to another seat so he then decided to start an argument with mom's sister and I..." You talker talker.....talk, talk talk, talking too much...." he said whilst pointing his fingers at us. I fail to understand why do airlines serve alcohol onboard a flight. It turns a sweet, quiet, meek individual into a monster.The person becomes an absolute nuisance to other passengers on board. The UAE always prides itself in believing that it is a Muslim country, yet their is nothing Islamic about the country, its policies or its airlines. Having encountered numerous issues with Emirates over the years I have stopped using the airlines. Well folks these are just a few of the colourful characters that I have encountered whilst traveling. As Ralph Crawshaw once said, "Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way." Having said that I do look forward to my next trip and who knows the seat beside me could be yours!!

FORBIDDEN LOVE

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN SOME TIME BACK WHILST STILL RESIDING IN SAUDI....

                             http://viewmixed.com/10-everyday-things-banned-in-saudi-arabia

So yesterday morning I started my day on quite a bright and bubbly note as I encountered or heard one funny story after the other. As soon as the clock struck 7 am I grabbed my bag and dashed down the corridor making my way to the laundry to pick up my lab coats. I was one of the first people to have arrived and hence when I stepped inside I greeted the Sudanese gentleman at the counter. ' Sabahal khair.....Good morning.".....In quite an excited tone he replied " Sabahan noor....Good morning..' There was a slight pause and then he said ' I love you" I found this statement to be most odd and naturally the facial expression on my face changed. As I got closer to the counter I then realized that the man greeted me whilst being in the middle of a telephonic conversation as well. The problem is that I just didn't notice the tiny ear piece that made its way down into his trouser pocket naturally connected to his mobile phone. I had this huge grin on my face and left the laundry building with inner giggles. Then I made my way home. But first I needed to pass by the compound guard to give him water and a few other goodies. He started relating a few funny stories that he had encountered over the past few days. Apparently a gentleman was caught entering the female compound whilst clad in a full abaya and niqaab. The poor soul passed the first security guard with flying colours but his shoes gave up the game. The second guard on duty caught him and naturally he was sent packing out of Saudi. Then there was a gentleman who has been fooling the guards for quite some time now by entering the female compound premises on numerous occasions. He wore the abaya and niqaab to perfection and completed the get up with a perfect pair of lady's high heel shoes. So how did he manage to get caught.Well, he and his girlfriend were trying to brew home made alcohol and in the process started up a small fire in the kitchen. The smoke detectors went off and voila the security guards arrived on the scene within minutes and he was caught. Naturally he was also given his marching orders. Then we have the case of the two Saudi employees who chose to shower their love and affection for each other at the back of my apartment building. A free 'Basic Instinct' show with unlimited seating lol. With the security cameras having picked up their 'odd' activities, naturally our compound guard was asked to investigate. They were so embroiled in their own 'lovey dovey' world that they didn't notice the guard approaching the car. He knocked at the window. Within seconds the girl jumped out of the car and put on her niqaab and abaya. As for her flame, he sped off from the compound premises faster than bugs bunny. I was laughing myself into stitches as I observed the scene from my lounge window. The girl started crying, then she opened up her handbag and removed money that she was desperately trying to give to the guard. Then she suggested that she will buy him clothes, perfumes and send his meals everyday provided that he does not report their activities. Of course he refused to accept her bribes and she was reported for her actions. In the afternoon I made my way back to the hospital and bumped into my colleagues who related to me a few other hilarious stories. The cameras apparently picked up two western nurses smooching in the ward and hence the executive on duty was asked to deal with the situation. As he was relating the story to me he was simply laughing and said that he had more serious issues to deal with than disciplining two people who are definitely in love....So he sat them down in his office, gave them each a cold glass of water and said....." Drink this and cool off.....Its great to love but please keep it out of the hospital premises." He is way too soft a human being to terminate or fire someone from their job. Then another colleague of mine related his hilarious story to me. He was waiting near the elevator to meet up with one his friends from another department. He noticed the lift going up and down and each time the door opened the same two people were in it. A male messenger and a female security guard. They chose to spend their private escapade in the elevator. So they simply went up and down until my colleague decided to step inside the lift. Both of them apparently froze to the point that the poor messenger did n't even recognize the first floor despite working on that floor everyday. My colleague apparently exited the lift with a huge smile on his face and a wink. Now in any other country or society, people would socialize in a mall or a restaurant. In Saudi Arabia, the hospital is the main center of socializing as it is an open environment where males and females are allowed to interact with each other. I have come across patients who have no medical issues at all and simply frequent the emergency department to interact with medical professionals of the opposite sex. Take note that for some Saudi males and females it is the first time that they have interacted with members of the opposite sex when they start working within a hospital environment. When you have young males and females that have been brought up in a repressed manner, " there will be high levels of love in the air and so anything can be expected." according to my Nigerian counterpart. Some friendly advise to the western expats out there, bear in mind that when you are coming to Saudi Arabia to work here, that you need to adhere and abide to the laws of the country in the same way that other nationalities would have to respect your country's laws and regulations.Before you choose to make a complete fool out of yourself in the public arena, remember that Big brother is watching!!!

The Drug Epidemic - Part 1

Drug trafficking in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a serious criminal offence whereby drug traffickers are punished by death. Despite this harsh sentence as per Islamic Shariah law, many individuals still take a chance with trafficking drugs into the country due to the high profits and money involved with drug trafficking. The sale of illegal drugs throughout the world is a very lucrative business and unfortunately drug awareness campaigns have failed miserably with alleviating the drug epidemic that has spread across the globe and is not only a problem that the South African government is currently facing. Earlier this year according to the Saudi Gazette, border guard security patrols detained six smugglers with 64 kilograms of hashish. Customs officers at the Hudaitha border checkpoint also thwarted an attempt to smuggle 51,293 narcotic pills into the country. The pills were hidden inside oranges and lemons in two plastic boxes in a passenger’s luggage. Many drug traffickers would actually go through great lengths in order to smuggle the drugs into the country. In quite a bizarre incident reported by the Alriyadh newspaper earlier this year, customs officers at Prince Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Airport in Yanbu Governorate foiled an attempt to smuggle 2,440 narcotic pills of type TEDOLX-225 into the country.The Governorate's Customs Director General Saad Al-Baqmi pointed out that a female passenger hid the narcotic pills in her handbag and inside 4 frozen ducks. In an even more bizarre story that made headlines two days ago, a Russian surgeon who helped himself to a bag of drugs he removed from a patient's stomach faces up to 15 years in prison for theft and possession.The doctor, who was high when police arrested him, had been asked to remove containers of heroin from the stomach of a suspected drug mule in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk. A spokesman for Ministry of the Interior said the 32-year-old who worked in the small city of Bogotol had helped himself to capsules of the drug after removing it from the man's stomach in a bid to save his life. Whilst the sentences for drug smuggling is harsh in other countries, I personally believe that South Africa is way behind in terms of imposing stringent laws and regulations with regards to drug trafficking as well as being in the possession of illegal banned drugs as a user. Whilst doing a locum at a pharmacy a few weeks ago I was quite astonished at the fact that almost everyday the police were arresting individuals found to be in the possession of drugs. The pharmacists on duty were asked to identify and weigh out the drugs so that the suspect could be charged appropriately. However, what really perturbed me was the fact that I found repeat offenders getting arrested. In other words, these individuals get arrested, go to jail for a night or two and then come out scot free after being granted bail. In many instances the police have also been involved with stealing the drugs and then either utilizing it themselves or selling it on the street in order to make more money. When we look at the drug issue globally, the focus should not only be on hardcore drugs such as heroin or ecstasy but there is also an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs. I was under the impression that prescription drug abuse was only prevalent within the rich affluent Saudi societies, but returning to South Africa I found that almost every second prescription I dispensed was for a tranquilizer type drug, a narcotic analgesic or a sleeping tablet. In part two I will discuss in detail some of my own experiences I encountered during my career....On a more lighter side to this topic whilst doing a locum at a pharmacy here in Johannesburg I encountered a Malay Afrikaans speaking patient. I found it strange that she kept on staring at me whilst I was dispensing her medication. Obviously it made me feel really uncomfortable. I was thinking to myself, is there something on my face..is there a pimple on my nose. After a considerable amount of time passed, she simply said, " Ooooo yarre...maar jy het groot oë." .. You have big eyes. I am sure that you abusing the drugs from the counter behind you." I simply started laughing and replied. "Madam, all the better to see you my dear."

POLYGAMY- A LIFE OF MARITAL BLISS OR DESPAIR

This article was written some time back....

Polygamy is very much condoned within the Islamic faith provided that each wife is taken care off equally in all spheres of life. However, in most instances the man is often more accommodating to the needs of the newest wife as she is probably younger and more beautiful than the other wives and in most cases the man forgets about his responsibilities towards his first or second wife thereby causing tension and arguments within the household. A few weeks a go a middle aged woman arrived at the hospital suffering from severe anxiety and virtually on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Her husband of thirty years brought home a second wife who is the same age as her eldest daughter. She was use to living in a mansion with her family without having to share the house with another woman. Her husband instructed her to vacate her belongings from the first floor to make space for the second wife. This whole situation was a bitter pill for her to swallow and hence she landed up in the emergency department.
I am not a big fan of polygamous relationships and I guess this stems from the fact that I am the only daughter and was brought up in a manner where I never shared anything with anyone. I am also very possessive of my dad. Within my immediate family there is only one case of a polygamous marriage and hence when news of this relationship went viral it was pretty much a shock for the family and only with time did everyone come to accept the situation.

Whilst many people out there are under the impression that all Saudi women are for polygamous relationships the truth is a woman is a woman any where in the world. In general no woman who loves her husband can swallow the idea of him sharing a bed with another woman. In some cases, the jealousy is so great that the first wife goes through extreme measures to prevent her husband from taking on a second wife. A few weeks ago a Saudi man was deprived his right to a second honeymoon after the judge sentenced him to nine months in jail along with a hundred lashes after his wife reported his pre-marital illicit relationships to the police. The frustrated and hurt woman wanted to take revenge on her husband after he informed her that he would be traveling to a neighbouring Arab country to acquire a new second wife. Unable to bare the torment of his actions the woman handed over DVD's and sex tapes to the police depicting her husband engaging in sexual activities with various other women prior to his marriage to her.
The most gruesome story of revenge occurred a few years ago in Kuwait when a jealous first wife set the wedding tent on fire that was packed with revellers celebrating her husband's marriage to a second wife. 57 people were burnt to death in this incident and the court ruling demanded that the woman be sentenced to death as well for her merciless action. Many western women who land up marrying a Saudi men make sure that a marriage contract is drawn up with a clause that prevents the husband from taking on a second wife. These women become extremely possessive of their husbands to the point where one blogger within the Saudi blogosphere wrote a post " A letter to Saudi women- Please leave my husband alone" . I wonder if her husband is a Tom Cruise or Shah Rukh Khan look alike for women to be ogling at her husband. I always believe that it takes two to tango.

On the flip side of things, I came across an article in a local newspaper with the title ' Sharing is caring- why many Saudi women don't mind polygamy". The article brings to the fore a serious issue within the Kingdom and that is spinsterhood. There are approximately two million unmarried Saudi women thus far and this number is most likely to increase in the future. Many of these spinsters apparently do not mind being in a polygamous relationship out of fear of being alone without kids for the rest of their lives. With an evident shortage of unmarried men, there are some Saudi women who have considered polygamy as an option. I have come across women that are quite happy to be in polygamous marriages. A colleague of mine is married to two women and they all live together in one house. They look after each others kids and also travel together. A few months ago I seen a Saudi man arriving at a hotel in a bus with his four wives and 26 children. The wives were quite happy to be in each others company and took turns to oversee the children.
I have also come across Saudi women who do not mind if their husbands take on a second wife and will actually go through great lengths in finding a suitable second wife for him . Usually the second wife is someone that is closely acquainted to the first wife, most probably a cousin or a close friend. I guess its a case of 'rather the devil I know, than the devil I don't know'.

Whilst there is always two sides to a coin, I am personally not comfortable with the idea of being in a polygamous relationship with anyone. No matter how wealthy or powerful the man could be, I can not be the cause of breaking up someone else's home. I have had proposals from many Saudi men asking me to be a second wife and my answer has always been the same. NO..NEVER....To the women out there, how would you react if your husband rocked up with a new, younger, sexy woman on his arm and asked you to vacate the first floor of your home in order to make space for her? If there are any men out there who are in a polygamous marriage situation, I would like to know your thoughts and opinions with regards to this subject matter.

Source:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/09/27/240384.html

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-man-caught-with-sex-videos-of-himself-sentenced-1.1077065

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/woman-who-set-fire-to-wedding-tent-killing-57-has-death-penalty-upheld-in-kuwait

Pic -uso- The first Photo Booth Rental service in Saudi

"Exhibitions, Corporate Events, Company or Private parties in Saudi Arabia now can enjoy a new and fun addition to their event with PIC-USO, the first Photo Booth Rental Service in Saudi.

The Digital Photo Booth has been taking the world by storm due to its offering an amazing group fun experience and also as its use as an advertising tool for companies. 

The Booth Allows you to add branding to your pictures through customized background and even foreground pictures. Through latest technology, you can upload your pics immediately to Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Since launching in Riyadh in April, we have had weekly orders and the booth has proved to be more popular than expected. While based in Riyadh, we do deliveries to Jeddah and the Eastern Province as well. Please make sure to make your booking ahead of time."

email: info@pic-uso.com
tel: 0546199369

Our Links: 
Website: http://www.pic-uso.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/picusoriyadh
Twitter: @picusosaudi
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcph1lxbC2d1hjnq1Y37z7w?feature=watch
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/picuso/
Google Hangout: https://plus.google.com/communities/112624436490332069761
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pic_uso/

Iirosa Interfaith dialogue and conference held in Umhlanga, South Africa

The International Islamic Relief Organization from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held an interfaith dialogue and conference in Umhlanga, South Africa a few weeks ago. My good friend Mr. Gopaul Angappan was present at the event. This is what he wrote to me:

"The solution to problems worldwide can only be solved by a united effort of religious organizations.
On the first day of the conference there were about twenty of us at Iirosa to meet and welcome the guests from the Kingdom. I requested Dr Al-Noah to talk on the Al Mahdi and to my astonishment he stated that was his mission. Dr Al -Noah who is a descendant of the Prophet (pbuh) stated he had a dream of the Al Mahdi and the time is near for him and Jesus to come down to earth. On the second day he gave a detailed account on the life of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).On numerous occasions we exchanged greetings and shook hands with his delegation from Saudi Arabia .I also attended lunch time prayers conducted by him. To me it was a divine journey in my spiritual life."

                               Fatima Princess of Morocco who was registering and assisting guests .
                               Most elegant full of love and confidence. I was blessed to receive the
                               Holy Quraan from her

                                                            Lunch at Casablanca Durban

Dr.Mohammed Mukthar Tilib Al-Noah with Mr. Saud  the Ambassador addressing interfaith gathering at Coastlands Gateway Durban.

           Azaan Call for Prayer at the Conference of Iirosa held at Coastlands Gateway. 

Dr Suleman from Egypt.

An encounter with a God-fearing Christian

Saudi Gazette
Tariq A. Al-Maeena

I spent a pleasant afternoon on a warm sunny day in southern California in the company of a God-fearing Christian who was concerned about what he perceived to be the evils of Islamic ideology. It was evident that he considered the religious movement as one that would threaten his world and existence.

That is hardly unusual as there are perhaps many with similar sentiments. In the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001 with the bombings of the World Trade Center towers in New York, many could have been forgiven for considering that such a threat was indeed credible.

Such sentiments were cemented when the President of the United States, at the time, George W. Bush declared a crusade against the perpetrators, invoking a disturbing scenario of an impending clash of civilizations. In creating the "good versus evil" and "you’re with us or against us" doctrine, Mr. Bush further solidified his stance when he used the term "Islamic fascists".

My companion that afternoon had done his research. He had read many books on the Hadith and Fiqh, and translations of the Holy Qur'an. His argument was that Islam is inherently violent and on a collision course with other religions. He quoted examples of verses or incidents in religious scripture to back his suspicions.

Eight years of Mr. Bush spouting in the same vein and a highly unpopular war in Iraq did not help foster closer understanding. Just the opposite was true. Muslims were quickly portrayed to be the bad guys in the Western media, who had sinister intentions against a peace-loving Western world. Every act of terrorism committed by some nut calling himself a soldier of Allah or a jihadist was considered a well-planned and deeply covert operation sanctioned by the more than 1.3 billion Muslims on the planet.

I tried to explain to him that the West faces no threat from Islam. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, and not by force but by acceptance of its values and message, and it really is a religion of peace. Islam forbids forced conversions. More significantly, it is a religion that focuses on the individual and his salvation.

It is also a universal religion that ignores nationality, race, rank and color. To become a Muslim, one must believe in one God, acknowledge Muhammad as his Prophet, recognize the Holy Qur'an as the word of God, pray five times a day, provide for the poor through the payment of zakat and, if possible, make a journey once in a lifetime to Makkah to perform the grand pilgrimage or Haj. The God Muslims worship is the same God Christians and Jews worship.

Islam’s tolerance toward other faiths has been well documented. The oldest Christian communities in the world are all in Muslim countries. There have always been Christian and Jewish communities in the Muslim world. The disputes the West considers as clashes of ideologies in today’s Middle East are not religious; they are actually about secular matters, with the principle element being the unresolved Israeli occupation of Arab lands.

Why then were there not voices of opposition to the acts of terrorism, no public condemnation or outrage, my companion demanded? If the truth be told, there have been countless such acts of censure by various religious or government figures across the Muslim world. Media personnel across the Middle East have been relentlessly attacking such cowardly acts as well. Unfortunately, such words of condemnation do not grab the headlines. The demonization of Muslims is good for business. It sells a lot of print. There has to be a bad guy, with a multitude of other evil plotters lurking in the shadowy background.

I would not deny that terrorism exists. But it exists among Muslims, Christians and Jews. For the guilty Muslims, it is their 15-minute moment of fame as they hold their heads high proclaiming themselves to be jihadists and the Western media loves it. Their twisted and immoral acts dominate prime time TV or print space. But they do not and will not be representative of the billion plus peace-loving Muslims living in many countries of the world.

I suggested to my companion that the way to better understand Muslims and Islam is to reach out to them and not necessarily just in the United States. Go visit some of the Islamic countries, I said. The way to combat the fanaticism and improve inter-faith understanding is to extend the hand of friendship to ordinary Muslims. He would find that their primary concern is with their existence and making a living just as anyone else in other parts of the world. They are not spending their free moments engrossed in grand designs to destroy the West or other cultures and faiths. To slander and libel Muslims and Islam as such is grave injustice. It smacks of bigotry.

And to make up one’s mind on the basis of information garnered through translated versions of religious transcripts leaves one often at the mercy of the interpretation which can be deceptive.

It is best for one to witness with his eyes and mind what the other part of the world sees in him. Over a cup of coffee, that is what I recommended to my companion as a first step toward better understanding.

Five men arrested for gay marriage party in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s religious police raided a gay marriage party in Mecca, arresting five men
BY DAN LITTAUER

Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (religious police) raided a gay marriage party with over 80 participants in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, arresting five men.

The religious police backed by policemen and detectives, stormed a house in Mecca that was said to have held a gay marriage ceremony, yesterday (12 June), reported Al-Saudeh daily.

Five men were detained while the rest managed to flee to nearby mountains.

According to the report, party participants were said to be aged between 18 and 20 year-old men ‘wearing women’s dresses and make up on their faces.

‘They were dancing to disco music at a noisy party held to mark the wedding of two men to each other…police are hunting down those who escaped.’

Generally speaking punishment range from imprisonment and/or flogging to the death penalty.

Conviction and severity of punishments depends on the social class, religion and citizenship of the accused, whereby non-western migrant workers receive usually harsher treatment than upper class Saudi citizens.

The religious police encourage reporting of any ‘deviant’ behavior and deliberately entrap people for being gay via the Internet and other technologies.

Last year the religious police arrested five gay men during a raid on a health club in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh following a tip-off.

Entrapment by the religious police does not necessarily lead to prosecution, but often results in life-long financial and/or sexual blackmail.

Ali, a 31 year-old gay law student in Jeddah told Gay Star News: ‘I really hope the other men have managed to escape safely and will not be caught.

‘As for the five men who are detained, even if the would be released without facing court action their suffering will not end.

‘Once the Hay’ah [religious police] have your identity on record for being gay, you are very likely to face financial and even sexual blackmail.

‘If families hear that a member is gay it is not unheard of that they would attempt to kill the person in order to avoid being "shamed".

‘If word spreads to employer or the wider community, then not only the person is likely to loose his job but become a social pariah.’

Gay Star News has not yet been able to verify the case independently.

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/five-men-arrested-gay-marriage-party-saudi-arabia130613#sthash.3UVfTSRG.dpuf

Saudi prince denies kidnapping, killing woman

Saudi Prince, Khaled bin Saad has denied kidnapping and killing a young woman in Jeddah as claimed on social networking sites.

Local daily Sabq reported that the body of the 25-year old woman was found naked in a street on Saturday morning after she had been allegedly forced into a car near a mall in Jeddah around midnight on Friday.

According to social media networks, the Prince had tried to talk to the woman inside the mall but the young lady had screwed up a paper that the Prince had written his phone number in and thrown it away.

Based on claims by witnesses present in the mall, the prince’s security guards were seen grabbing the woman and forcing her into a car. However, the Prince has denied any involvement in the crime.

SOURCE:
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-prince-denies-kidnapping-killing-woman-501142.html

Saudi man dies at 120

                                                                    Image Credit: Sabq

A Saudi, believed to be the oldest man in the country, has died, his family said.
Shaikh Awadh Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saifi, 120, was born in 1893 and lived in three different centuries, the 19th, 20th and 21st, local news site Gulf news reported.
He is survived by 24 sons and daughters and had 447 grandchildren and great grand-children.His oldest son is 98 years old while the youngest is 22. His oldest grandson is 65 years old. Earlier on this year,a Saudi man who was dubbed “the dean of centenarians” died in the Kingdom at the age of 154 years. Nearly four years ago his name was listed in the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living man in the world, Arab news reported. Mohammed bin Zarei died of old age at a hospital in the small village of Sadr Ayad near the southern town of Nammas, leaving behind more than 180 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He had 10 wives and the age of 150, he told a local TV station that he was looking for a new wife after all his wives died. “Bin Zarei (…) had seen all the kings that ruled Saudi Arabia,” one newspaper said. Bin Zarei hit headlines when the Saudi satellite TV news channel Alarabiya broadcast a film about him a few years ago, during which he said he was in a good health.The program presenter, Saud Al-Khalaf, called him “the dean of centenarians.” 

                                                                    Mohammed bin Zarei

This story reminds me of a patient of mine who use to frequent the hospital on a monthly basis. He is 112 years old and doesn't really have any medical history apart from pain in the joints. I use to always tell him that he is a walking, talking history book. I use to spend hours conversing with him. He related stories to me about the Ottoman empire and also the fascination he experienced at seeing a car in the city of Makkah driven by the founding king, King Abdulaziz al Saud. In fact it was the first car that Saudi Arabia ever had and not only him, but everyone in Makkah were astonished at the sight of the vehicle. He mentioned to me that the Saudi military in the past wore thobes along with shemagh and iqals ( the black double rings worn on top of the checkered scarf), the only difference being that their iqals were broad and huge. This is what differentiated them from the general public. He also told me about King Abdulaziz's generosity. During the month of ramadhaan, he was sitting in the company of King Abdulaziz in the haram area in Makkah. Just before the sunset, the king took out money from his thobe and sent him to buy food to break the fast with. He also insisted that the food should be distributed to as many poor people as possible. The king broke his fast with zam zam water and dates and only after everyone around him ate to their hearts content did he partake of the food. I miss this patient of mine dearly as I use to look forward to his monthly visits to the hospital. His knowledge and experience in life is priceless and I feel blessed and honoured to have been a part of his life. May Allah give him an even longer life of good health and bless him with the highest stages of Jannah. Ameen.

The newly developed and revamped Jeddah Corniche

This latest development project in Jeddah was inaugurated by the governor of Makkah, Prince Khalid Al Faisal a few weeks ago, with a smaller inauguration ceremony held on Wednesday night in what was said to be a glitterati event. Close friends of ours residing in Jeddah attended the event and also made their way to the Corniche yesterday afternoon to get a glimpse of the area during the day.Jeddah has always been my favourite city in the Kingdom and I certainly can not wait to hop onto a flight and see this latest Saudi development project and of course meet all my friends who are near and dear to me especially my best friend Faraz and the Najdi family.

The Boston Marathon Bombings - An Inside Job

So I guess I am not the only one who sees a different picture with regards to the Boston Marathon bombings. Thanks Muhammed Bikhoo for sharing this video with me. It highlights many of the issues that I have discussed on Ismail Mahomed's facebook page earlier this morning.

I believe that the Boston marathon was a staged terror attack carried out by the American government, the CIA and FBI. There are just too many coincidences and reports that don't make any sense. Strange that CNN, SKY and BBC reported a Saudi national as the initial suspect less than two hours after the blast..They have utilized the very same tactics as the 9/11 attacks which has now been proven through hundreds of books and video publications as being a staged terror attack carried out by the American government..The ruthless American regime will stop at nothing to achieve their goals to further enhance their Islamophobic agenda and secure oil wealth..However, what they fail to understand is that it is not America who is in charge of this universe, it is God Almighty and hence with time the truth always prevails and good always triumphs over evil..

So at first they blamed a Saudi national, a poor student who was in the country to learn English. He was basically at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they have shifted the blame to two American citizens of Chechnyan Muslim descent and have linked their activities to Islamic Militant groups in Chechnya. I am hundred percent sure that the two brothers were either set up by the FBI, were working as spies or were informants within the CIA just like Mr. Bin Laden who miraculously disappeared and is of course now sitting in the tummy of a fish. They dropped his body at sea remember... What rubbish. Do the Americans honestly believe that the world will believe their crap blindly...

As the journalist in the video states, " The American government will murder innocent civilians, Barack Obama and his administration, the Bushes before him, they will murder you; they will murder Americans, they will murder men, women and children to achieve their political objectives. Take a look at what they have been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past decade. Look at the invasion in Iraq. Remember September 11th, it was supposedly Saudi nationals who flew those planes into the world trade center. If you believe that official/unofficial story or propaganda. Yet we didn't invade Saudi Arabia, one of our allies; No, we invaded Iran on a false pretense, lie, a premise that Iran had weapons of mass destruction."

Saudi Arabia's crazy religious police - My personal encounters with them

                                                                              Picture - www.abna.ir

It seems to me that the Saudi religious police are becoming crazier with each passing year at the annual Janadriya festival held on the outskirts of Riyadh city. Last year they were up in arms that the festival was opened to families instead of females and males frequenting the event on totally different days. This year a member of the feared religious police went into the UAE stand to protest some of its contents but was forced to leave by national guards who are in charge of security at the week-long festivities. As he was chased out of the event hundreds of people cheered and applauded especially the women present at the event. A more bizarre incident has taken place at the festival this year when three Emirati men were forced out of the event on the grounds that they are extremely handsome, and will cause the young women at the event to fall for them. LOLOLOL. Absolutely crazy in my opinion. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder so how can anyone justify that a person is way too handsome or beautiful to be present at a  public event. I had a request from brother Fuaad, who asked me to write a personal account on my experiences with the hai'a, (aka the mutawwa) or the religious police. In total I had around four altercations with them during my stay in the Kingdom. The first time I encountered them was during a trip to the Diera Souq to collect some clothes that I had purchased. The headquarters for the religious police is located down the road from the Diera Souq and hence they are always doing their rounds at the souq harassing customers and shop owners, in particular the abaya shop keepers who sell beautifully embellished, embroidered and bejeweled abayas. As soon as the mutawwa enter the souq area, the abaya shops close and the owners runaway. According to the religious police an abaya should be plain black with no beads or fancy cut work. Nevertheless whenever I frequented the souq I always came across the most stunning abayas with a variety of styles, designs and patterns to choose from. Getting back to my first altercation, the two robed gentlemen came up behind me whilst in the store. They greeted me and then said " Gatty wajhak" which means cover your face. I replied by saying that I am not a Saudi woman but rather a South African woman to which the one gentleman replied that I am a liar. He assumed that my father was Saudi and my mother was of another nationality. Then I took out my Iqama that had all my details and after both of them scrutinized the information on the iqama card closely, they simply walked away. My second altercation with the religious police was at the Janadriya festival whilst I was accompanied by my mom. As we walked through the main gate of the festival area, two members of the hai'a walked beside us and asked us to cover our faces. We pretended that we did not understand what they saying and simply continued walking on. Eventually they couldn't follow us any longer and thus disappeared. During a shopping trip to Hayat Mall we were approached by a group of religious police who insisted that I cover my face. Once again mom and I pretended that we did not understand what they are saying and continued doing our shopping. An hour or so later we bumped into them again in an accessory shop. We thought they came into the store to harass us again however, they came into the store to harass the Filipino gentleman who works in the store. They asked the man to close his top most shirt button as his chest hair is slightly exposed and will cause females to be attracted to him...What nonsense... Absolute rubbish in my opinion. When the robed men left the store the friendly Filipino man told us that almost everyday he was being harassed by the same group of religious police. The owner of the store has apparently filed many complaints with the management of the mall but no action has been taken thus far.

On another occasion I was in the Viss store in Hayat mall doing shoe shopping prior to my vacation abroad. I was the only female  in the store along with the shop manager who I knew on a personal level. Suddenly I heard a man saying " Assalamu3alaykum". The shop manager replied. I was too engrossed in choosing my perfect pair of shoes and I never thought  that the man was actually speaking to me. Again I heard a man saying " Assalamu3alaykum" in a louder or harsher tone of voice. So naturally I turned around and there they were , two tall bearded and robed gentlemen accompanied with a member of the police force. I greeted them and then the man started yelling at me, saying that I should cover my eyes completely by pulling my scarf over it as my eyes are an attraction for men to stare at me. He was also highly upset that my head scarf had a pink beaded border. Take note that on this occasion I was fully veiled from head to toe with the exception of just my eyes showing. The younger of the two gentlemen spoke perfect English. So I switched from Arabic to English and yelled back at him saying the following," In which hadith is it written that I should be covering my eyes completely. How do you expect me to see where I'm walking. Also I am fully clothed and no where is it written that I can not wear a pink bordered scarf.  I am a Muslim woman doing my shopping in peace and you have no business to follow me around the mall. Why are you staring into my eyes in the first place. Lower your gaze." He then instructed the policeman to take me down town to the police station. I said," I am not afraid to go down town to the police station. Come lets go." Then I called up the head of the security department at the hospital I worked at and handed over the phone to the policeman. Within a few seconds, all three gentleman simply disappeared. A friend of mine residing in Jeddah related a story to me about  the hai'a who always harassed his friend at his shop during salaah. Sometimes whilst the call for prayer is being announced customers are still paying for their belongings as they do not wish to wait as all shops in the Kingdom close during the times of prayer. A member of the religious police would then go to this shop to threaten the man with jail for not closing the shop promptly. So one day the shop owner was friendly towards the religious police and asked him if he had a wife and daughter to which the man replied in the affirmative. The shop owner gave the bearded man a dress for his wife and daughter and after that all the harassment and threatening stopped. However, whenever there was a function and the wife and daughter required a new dress, the bearded man would miraculously pop up again to get free clothing from the shopkeeper. The hospital environment I worked in was of course a normal western orientated facility where the hai'a were not allowed to carry out their bizarre behavioural activities. Having said that on a few occasions I had patients that were members of the religious police and they refused to take any help from me. They would stand on the side of the window where I could not see them and they would insist that I call a male pharmacist to assist them. There were many occasions where there were no male staff present on the shift. I always adorn the headscarf, but many of these men would preach to me urging me to cover my face completely. One man said that I should not wear nail polish. As a Muslim I know that nail polish is not a part of my culture from a religious perspective. I always adorn henna. So I then landed up arguing with the man for a good few minutes explaining to him  that I am wearing henna and not nail polish. Personally I do not agree with the concept of the religious police in Saudi. Many of them are uneducated and clueless with regards to an Islamic way of life. There were also numerous reports that I came across stating that many members of the religious police are in actual fact ex prisoners or men who were convicted of some crime during  their life time. The Prophet Muhammed (saw) never forced people into Islam. He advised them but not badgered and harassed them. Religion is purely individualistic. Your level of faith and belief is solely between you and your Creator.Forcing someone to do anything produces no results. Guidance comes from God Almighty and when a person wishes to change themselves from within voluntarily then only can change be brought about. Whilst it is valuable to have lectures and talks on Islamic literature, it is downright ridiculous to have a group of men controlling the way society, dresses, thinks and functions in totality. It is equally bizarre to implement a set of rules that has no basis in Islam in the first place.