Liberal Bahraini Author Expresses Amazing Views
Author: Esra'a (Bahrain) - March 31, 2007
Finally, the voice of reason is heard! Watch this video and learn what needs to be known to other Arabs, our leaders in particular.
Excellent advice for Arab youth - get engaged, read, be tolerant of other views, and learn! Unless you want to be lumped with the 70 million (!) illiterate adults in the Arab world.
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[…] it almost makes me want to cry. I’m loving this guy. You simply have to watch this video. Please watch it, pretty please with a cherry on top. I’m in complete agreement! If only we had more of him […]
A brilliant mind…
So when do they kill him or jail him?
Howie, why are you so bitter? We don’t do that to ALL activists. Don’t get the wrong picture. This guy firstly is from Bahrain where it isn’t half as bad as let’s say, Yemen or Egypt. Secondly he’s talking about society, not local poliitcs or anything like that.
So no, he will be neither killed nor jailed.
Oh my god! WOW!
What is this guy’s name?
Howie-
Well…I sure would like to take him out for a couple of beers…
Whoops
Ah..pipes or ah falafels?
Layal, his name is Dhiyaa Al-Musawi. And he makes us Bahrainis proud that such a mind is amongst us.
Esra’a he is also talking about politics. In this video. Not too long, but he also mentions the homeland and a more liberal interpretation of Islam. The first may be a hint towards engagedment in your nation. The latter seems to me as a hint to the individual relation of God and man. This is highly political in the question of sovereignty and how should govern.
But I won’t judge him only after a couple of minutes of a video. So my question is: Are there some works of him available in English? Finanlly I’d like to say that I second his humanitarian aspect.
His political implications are his own business, and is not what he is encouraging or preaching here.
What he said is very true about Arabs and their lack of creativity and intellectual substance. That is not to say that Arabs are not creative or intellectual, because we are, but the restrictions forced upon us in society stops us from moving forward as a civilization. Everything slightly intellectual written is banned, every person who questions religion is an “infidel” who gets attacked for his views, much like Mahfouz.
Secondly what he said about our portrayed of “the other” is very accurate - one only needs to look at how we treat Israelis, Americans, and others in our media outlets. We refer to Israelis as pigs, etc. Now this is not to say that we are all guilty of this, because we’re definitely not, but this culture of hatred is growing and it’s pretty threatning. Every protest I’ve been involved with in the region preaches a lot of hatred, and those opposing it are mocked and threatened, and then people wonder where these liberal voices are? They are silenced.
Education and knowledge is something he - and the Koran - speaks highly of. And education is not something highly looked upon in our Arab societies, because we block people from thinking. We imprison journalists, we refer to others as infidels and haters and we come up with absurd conspiracy theories involving Zionists and Americans, and by “we” I don’t mean most of us, I mean many of us (and certainly not ALL of us.)
This guy is promoting knowledge, constructive dialogue, tolerance, and understanding in the Arab world, which is apparently home to at least 70 million illiterate adults (very threatning!)
He’s not enforcing anything - he is saying loosen the rope and let people talk and create a civilization, something we seem to be banned from doing.
“He’s not enforcing anything - he is saying loosen the rope and let people talk and create a civilization, something we seem to be banned from doing.” With this claims he is absolutely right. Thus I share his opinion. Due to never have been to the Middle East I can’t say anything about the actual condition of the societies or the “general attitude” (Zeitgeist) of the people. I only made my post above in order to point out that those claims are political in the last consequence and nothing more.
Point taken.
Marten I think you are the first German to comment here. Welcome.
Nice post! I definitely second his thoughts! I just wish we have more like him. Thanks for sharing this clip.
Well, I asked around about this guy, and it turns out that at first he was more of an anti-government activist who was with the people and what not, but then the government sort of bribed him with money and stuff and he joined it.
He right now works with/for the government and he proved that what he was telling people before about equality and bla bla bla was just a lie. He just wanted to gain attention, specifically young people’s attention, and he did. But it turns out he is a fake. So I sort of unadmire him now.
I mean, he might have had some good ideas, but he was not loyal to the people of his country, and that just ruins all the brilliantness in him.
Hm – Layal your:
How trustful are these sources you were asking around? – It may be true – it may be not – as soon as people speak out unwelcome truths not in line with main stream opinion, theres always a lot of opposition, a lot of misunderstanding, interpretations etc. later on accumulating to all kind of rumours giving on & on. –
But even it it is like you say,
But even if it turns out he is a fake.-Twas healthy & refreshing true words he said in this interview (& wasn’t it from January this year?)
Googlin for “Dhiyaa Al-Musawi†I found this link to memri were he’s member of a tv debate about Jihad of March 2007
here
[…] Mideast Youth - Thinking AheadArticle: Liberal Bahraini Author Expresses Amazing ViewsOriginaly Posted On: 2007-03-31 […]
Hello guys..I can’t believe this. I was really delighted for his courage and open minded. It seems our young generation is still proud to have such intellectual figures like Al-musawi. So congratulations to Esra’a and hopefuly the rest of your people in Bahrain will support him.
In Peace.
M. Yahya.
Esra’a- “This guy firstly is from Bahrain where it isn’t half as bad as let’s say, Yemen or Egypt.”
That’s a very misleading statement. Egypt is by far the “Arab” country most friendly to intellectuals, which is why it gave birth to Naguib Mahfouz, Taha Hussein, Ahmed Zewail, etc. Its situation is certainly not comparable to Yemen. Intellectuals in Egypt are treated with respect and are promoted. Egypt has always been receptive to views from different cultures and educational traditions.
There is no doubt in my mind that educated Egyptians are more progressive and liberal than their Gulf counterparts.
I’m honestly very confused that you alleged the situation for intellectuals in Bahrain is far superior to that in Egypt. I think that’s very far from the truth. What this guy is saying is very normal sentiment among educated Egyptians, and Egyptian TV features many people who think like him. The most prominent “Arab” authors, professors, and political scientists/analysts, as well as religious thinkers are Egyptian. It is a society that to this day has taken pride in its intellectuals’ accomplishments. When has this ever not been the case in Egypt? When have intellectuals ever been oppressed?
Patrick,
I agree with you, so don’t get me wrong.
When I said that, my clarification is that Egypt IS, currently, one of the worst countries in the Arab world in terms of speaking your mind and facing harsh consequences for it. That was my point - and this, by now, is a well established fact. There is no intellectual freedom in certain fields - religion and politics, for example. So what you said is all true, but you still can’t deny that this is happening at a large scale in Egypt.
And from what I know, and from my own experience with Egypt…
Yes, it’s one of the worst in the Arab world in terms of this. No question about it. Kareem serves as a solid example of this sad reality. Journalists, activists and bloggers are being harassed and threatened (or even jailed) for speaking their minds, and this is true for Bahrain to a certain extent but certainly not to the extent of Egypt. What does this say about the state of the country, when speaking your mind lands you behind bars? How much space does that leave for intellectual growth?!
Anf if you want another example of this, consider the history of Al-Azhar, how many books were burned, how many professors and students were threatened and fired or expelled merely for speaking their minds. Intellectualism is clearly not welcome there, in one of the strongest institutions of the country. So why are you claiming that certain intellectuals aren’t being silenced when they are? You wouldn’t dare to speak up politically and religiously in Egypt and you know it, unless you aren’t in “opposition.” And that’s not intellectualism. That’s not having the freedom to speak your mind. That’s intellectual death.
I’m talking about intellectual freedom, not intellectual development or the history of intellectuals in Egypt. I know that the best literature comes from there, some of the strongest minds of the Arab world resides there, but that doesn’t change the facts - Egypt is putting the minds of their citizens in chains by turning the country into a police state. We aren’t talking about history and the historical facts of Egyptian writers and all that, I am talking about now and today, where Egypt is listed as one of the harshest countries when it comes to any sort of “opposition.” And I’m sorry, but even while Bahrain is bad, it pales in comparison to Egypt.