The producers of the program decided to focus the apparent contradictions in “the most ideologically influential text in the world”. How can a text that preaches tolerance and forgiveness, a text in which Jesus and Moses are revered as prophets no less than Muhammad, also be cited in justification for the jihad, the fatwa, the slaughter of the infidel? How can some Muslim countries have women as heads of state, and others insist on women being treated as chattels?
I was very impressed at how the program asked people from all walks of life as to their interpretation of the Holy Book, from Sheikhs and Ayatollahs, to peasant farmers, Hamas representatives and leading academics and thinkers such as Professor Tariq Ramadan.
Muslims believe the Koran to be the word of God as dictated to the Prophet Muhammad whilst most Christians and Jews understand their holy texts to be authored by man and inspired by God. This distinction means that critical analysis of the Holy texts which has so enlightened Christian and Jewish thinking since the 16th century becomes an extremely sensitive issue when applied to the Koran and it doesn’t help when those scholars who are making the attempt are largely western non Muslims. can their studies really shed new light on the text and its origins?
In 1972, during the restoration of the Great Mosque of Sana, Yemen, workers discovered a mash of old parchments in a loft between the inner and outer rooms. the entire load was stuffed into some twenty potato sacks, where it might have remained where it not for the arrival, seven years later, of Dr Gerhard Puin, German scholar and Koranic expert. Puin immediately grasped the significance of the find, working with a team of local assistants, he carefully prised the layers apart and fired off thousands of photographs. Four fragments immediately caught Puin’s attention, they contained the first and last chapters of the Koran and unlike any other Korans in existence they were illustrated with architectural drawings and mosques, vital clues to their origin.

Because of its drawings, because of its art historical context, you can date this Koran very precisely to the time of al-Waleed, this is the reign between 705 and 715—Dr Gerhard Puin

The oldest datable Koran in the world, created some 70 years after the death of the Prophet. From the potato sacks, Puin identified the fragments of nearly a thousand different Korans, comparisons between them and the standard Cairo text in use today are startling. These early texts are written in a kind of short hand with no vowel markings or distinguishing dots, which means that individual words can have up to thirty different meanings.

Sheer existence of so many different possible readings will suggest that this text wasn’t passed down word for word. The text isn’t as sable as it seems in the Cairo version.–Dr Gerhard Puin

There was another important discovery amongst the Sana fragments. The application of simple forensic techniques revealed earlier texts that had been washed off and over-written. Although the hidden text revealed no contradictory meanings, words had been changed, verses and whole chapters rearranged.

If his researches are correct, particularly upon dating, it suggests in fact that the Koran was not a single product, a single entity that was fixed by 650 but actually developed much much later, hence the overlaying of texts, of written materials. –Dr Patrick Sookhdeo

None of this phases Islamic scholars, past and present, they are adamant that the integrity of the text has been preserved through a strong oral tradition and if differences occurred in written versions, they say this due to regional and colloquial variations of the same words and phrases

To read the rest of this post please visit Arabista

After drowning Danny in the sea in front of Einat (as Ahmed Al-Brass, Mhanna Salim Al-Muayed, and Abdel Majeed Asslan served as look outs and backup cover for Kuntar), Kuntar turned his attention towards the 4 year-old. He took his rifle and then swung it across the toddler’s head, knocking her to the ground. Kuntar then dragged the toddler a couple of feet to the closest rock he could find and laid her head down on a rock, with the intention of crushing it with the butt of his rifle. Einat, instinctively covered her head with her arms, Kuntar struggled with the toddler until he finally managed to clear her arms out of the way. Once her arms were out of the way, Kuntar repeatedly beat her on the head with the butt of his rifle and stomping on her body, until blood rushed out of her ears and mouth. Then, to ensure she was dead, Kuntar continued beating her over the head until her skull was crushed and she was dead.

However I assumed that this may just be a gross exageration by Israeli writers and libellous accusations, so I continued my search. Google seemed to bring forth very similar results and thus I decided to turn to the Arab blogsphere. Almost all Arab blogs reached the same conclusion- Mr Quntar was a cold blooded murderer!
Lebanese Bloggers Blacksmith of Lebanon and Anecdotes from a Banana Repulic recounted a similar tale:

“Kuntar went over to Einat Haran and hit her head twice with the butt of his rifle, with the intent of killing her,” wrote the judges in their verdict. “The other defendant also struck her head forcefully. As a result of the blows, Einat suffered skull fractures and fatal brain damage, causing her death. They murdered the hostages – a helpless father and daughter, in cold blood.” They wrote in the sentence, “By these acts the defendants reached an all-time moral low… an unparalleled satanic act… the punishments we are about to impose on the defendants cannot begin to match the brutality of their actions…”

Even neutral observers such as Caledoniya seem to find it hard to put forward a decent argumet in favour of Sameer Quntar and leave it to the reader to decide. Even the likes of Robert Fisk,could only say to Al Jazeera that: “It’s regarded as being the final chapter of the 2006 war…The Israelis certainly lost that war, they did not get their prisoners back – not until now and they’re getting them back dead.”
In todays rally in South Beirut, Quntar and his four companions were greeted by Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, at a mass rally held in their honour in south Beirut.
After hugging and kissing each of the former prisoners, Nasrallah addressed the tens of thousands of people in the crowd, many of them waving the yellow and green flag of the movement, hailing the “victory”.

“This people and this nation and this country that gave a clear picture to the world … cannot be defeated”

So, pro-Quntar commentators view his release as “A victory for Arab resistance” but victory at what price? As Robert Fisk went on to say that “(During the 2006 War) more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and more than 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers, all died for absolutely nothing and that’s what today’s prisoner exchanges prove.” which is exactly what I see…whether Quntar is a hero or not, what exactly does his release do for the Arab World?

Check out my own blog Arabista

Parvez Sharma’s documentary Jihad for Love should be interesting, even if one does not agree with the views posited for he aims to show how real-life characters aren’t willing to abandon a faith they cherish and that sustains them. Instead, they struggle to reconcile their ardent belief with the innate reality of their being. The international chorus of gay and lesbian Muslims brought together by A Jihad for Love doesn’t seek to vilify or reject Islam, but rather negotiate a new relationship to it. In doing so, the film’s characters attempt to point the way for all Muslims to move beyond the hostile, war-torn present, toward a more hopeful future.
A Jihad for Love’s characters each have vastly different personal takes on Islam, some observing a rigorously orthodox regimen, others leading highly secular lifestyles while remaining spiritually devout. As the camera attentively captures their stories, the film’s gay and lesbian characters emerge in all their human complexity, giving the viewer an honest rendering of their lives while complicating assumptions about a monolithic Muslim community. Crucially, this film speaks with a Muslim voice, unlike other documentaries about sexual politics in Islam made by Western directors.

“If you work hard enough, you can get anywhere” I was told. To some extent that is true, I doubt that my forefathers would ever have believed it possible that their offspring would one day be living in the UK and studying at Oxford but then circumstances change with time and I have always said that I owe my mere existence to Nasser’s revolution.

However, looking at a friend’s engagement photos I was distinctly reminded that there is still such a thing as class. While I inspected her dress, and the lavish party and many guests, it dawned on me that as a ‘westerner’ one is allowed to transcend some divisions in the Arab social system. Living here means that one mixes freely with anyone who happens to call themselves ‘Arab’ and the massive differences in currency mean that places that would ordinarily be inaccessible to anyone other than the privileged classes, hold their doors open.

Arabs in diaspora seem to almost attain a ‘classless-ness’ because of their distance from the society. Is this why people emigrate?

I personally hold the belief that any ‘romantic love’ holds a sell-by-date, that’s to say that it may flourish for a certain duration and then wither away to expose the realities of each individual’s personality, ambitions and/ or expectations. This is certainly a very pessimistic view but I do firmly hold that a relationship that addresses the practicalities first and then allows romantic attachment to flourish must certainly be more successful than one that masks logic with immediate physical reactions.
In this sense the idea of ‘arranged marriages’ does hold a certain appeal that challenges traditional fairy tale image of boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love….or does it???
I am not suggesting that matrimony be forced on unwilling parties but what exactly is so repugnant about two individuals being introduced by family or friends who surely have a good idea of their personalities, experiences, ambitions etc? Does this not top a union initiated in a dark smokey club, where both parties’ judgement may be impaired and a decision is made on the spur of the moment rather than after careful consideration.
It is worth noting the differences between a traditional concept of arranged marriage and the one I am suggesting. For centuries the former has been popular throughout the Arab Middle East and Islamic World and was often finalized after the first meeting. The parents or matchmaker selected the pair, there was no possibility of courtship, and only limited conversation between the prospective partners was permitted (while the parents were present); then the prospective partners were expected to decide whether to proceed with the marriage. The parents may have exerted considerable pressure to encourage the potential bride or bridegroom to agree to the match.
The new version of arranged marriage in the Middle East is certainly much more appealing. Parents choose several possible candidates- assessing them on basis of their credentials such as religiosity, wealth, education and family background. The parents will then arrange a meeting with the family of the prospective mate, confining their role to responsible facilitators and well-wishers. A series of meetings are then arranged, telephone calls and email exchanges that may continue over a number of months. Less pressure to agree to the match is exerted by the parents in comparison to a traditional arranged marriage. This form of arranged marriage is not only popular in the Middle East but also rural parts of the United States, South America, India and Japan.
Clearly there are always exceptions but this way obviously holds a certain allure to more religious families, Muslim, Christian or Jewish and even to the totally secular one has to admit a certain practicality and convenience in this over the messiness of failed relationships and heartbreak. That is not to say that an arranged marriage cannot also end up in misery and breakup however the figures point to a greater success with a 0% to 7% divorce rate for arranged marriages in contrast with a 55% divorce rate for the United States.

A few guidelines to take into consideration when trying to find the ‘one’ should include

* Religiosity: If you’re religious yourself can you live with someone who isn’t and even if you aren’t practicing now, do you think you may be in the future? This also works the other way round!
* Vocation/ Education: So you have a PhD? Willing to marry someone with only a high school certificate? Remember education can impact our attitudes, not only our careers!
* Wealth: Rich or Poor? Usually it is difficult to marry someone who’s standard of living is too different from your own, whether it be richer or poorer. Imagine the embarrassment of not being able to return gifts like for like or constantly feeling that you may be showing off. Also better not marry a spend thrift if you like to save and vice versa.
* Language: It’s generally a good idea to be able to communicate in the same language fluently!
* Locality: Where do you want to live? Is he going to want to emigrate to Australia and you want to stay near Mum and Dad? Does she want to live in the big city and you prefer a more rural home?
* Children: Do you want them? How many? What is the Mr/ Miss Right’s attitude to contraception? How should they be brought up? You want to send them to a religious school, she wants a secular upbringing…
* Appearance: Do not discount this as superficial! You need to feel at least a degree of attraction for this to work! Ideally beauty, weight and height should be roughly comparable.
* Medical History: It’s always good to check out if there are any inherent diseases that may need to be dealt with later or could be passed on to the children. Also mental health is a big taboo that must be addressed- you don’t want to be surprised to find that your partner to be is schizophrenic

This list can obviously go on and on and on and even then you’ll be finding out things about one another even after the wedding and for years and years after. This website has a fairly comprehensive list but if anything does strike you then just ASK!!

Please check my new blog out at: http://arabista-arabista.blogspot.com/

Watching this on BBC Breakfast this morning, this caught my eye and imagination, it’s a project that already has been run in America and now has come to the UK.

The co-creator of the best-selling A Day in the Life and America 24/7 book series invites people all over Britain to participate in UK at Home, a nationwide photo project, 24 to 30 September, 2007. For seven days, everyone in the UK is invited to join 50 of the nation’s leading photojournalists to capture “the emotions of home.” The goal of the project is to capture the extraordinary diversity that makes up daily family life, representing a broad range of economic, geographic, racial, political, and socially diverse lifestyles.

Here’s the first assignment:

Monday 24/9- The Big tour: Show us what makes the place where you live your home. Capture the essence and emotions- the nooks and crannies, the cat curled up in its favourite place, the piles of laundry after the weekend, whatever says it all about your home!

I’d like to invite all bloggers to take part in this, wherever they are and create a post based on this sort of theme and project…it doesn’t have to be photographic, maybe just a detailed description!

“None but a noble man treats women in an honorable manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully“. Prophet Mohammed (At-Tirmithy).

According to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, the Prophet is reported to have said:”If a daughter is born to a person and he brings her up, gives her a good education and trains her in the arts of life, I shall myself stand between him and hell-fire.”

It is so depressing when reading on any of the many humanitarian sites on the internet, the kind of violations that occur to women in Islamic countries. We are inundated with headlines such as “Yemen: Women Are Being Repeatedly Assaulted by Their Husbands or Fathers” or “Iraqi Women Turn Prostitutes in Syria” or “Women and Girls Are Pulverized into the Dicer of Sex Trade in Israel ” or “Girls in Afghanistan an Item of Barter” or, or, or, or and the list goes on and on.

All the countries listed have claimed at one point or another to be modern, cosmopolitan societies and so surely such headlines contradict such claims? Who are we to believe?
Generally, I find that such claims are laughable when we’re faced with facts and harsh realities.

I wish to focus on Egypt, a country that has claimed to lead the Arab world in modernisation, portrays itself as a moderate voice in the region and generally can be seen to look down her nose at the lack of development amongst her African neighbours.
However when considering the facts, Egypt seems to be lacking with regards to her women just as pitfully as any of her African counterparts:

-Violence against women in Egypt continues to be a major issue with 35 percent of women in Egypt reported as being beaten by their husbands.
-Honour killings, whereby women who are suspected of tarnishing the family’s reputation through their sexual indiscretions are murdered by male family members, are also carried out periodically but the Egyptian government isn’t interested in researching or providing any statistics.
-Most rural women take gender-related disadvantages for granted, as they have been told from birth that their only role in life is to marry and have children. Girls’ education is seen as a luxury.

Some areas of Egypt still suffer greatly from traditional notions that are not in step with the modernising rhetoric that the government likes to feed the Western world.

-The prevalence of certain traditional notions in some communities, sometimes prevents women from going out or from mixing with men. The endurance or tolerance of violence or even its perception as such is also socially determined.
-The foul habit of female circumcision is a practice which is greatly tolerated by women who perceive it as the right thing to do and greatly rejected by women who recognize a violation in it. According to a Demographic and Health Survey carried out by USAID in 2000, 98 percent of baby girls are subjected to this procedure.

Another grave problem that afflicts Egyptian women is a lack of education, especially amongst the lower classes, where it is seen as an unnecessary luxury.The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights has revealed that nearly half of the population in the region is illiterate, with women occupying the major ratios.

The Egyptian government’s obstruction of a woman’s right to divorce demonstrates unequivocally its unwillingness to grant women legal equality. Discriminatory family, penal, and civil laws reinforce the unequal status of women in the family and in Egyptian society. Despite attempts by the government to change these laws in 1979, the decision was soon reversed after the death of Sadat under pressure of Egypt’s prevailing Islamists.

So why such cruelty, such indifference and such neglect? When God and his messenger quite clearly instruct us to treat one another with respect? Could it be returning to a primeval instinct to persecute the weaker members of the species? Just as a child will tease and torment another who is less able physically? Is society still on the level of animals, channelling its frustrations on those who cannot fight back?

Source

So what are the implications of such a conference? Well for one it would be insulting to those men and women who suffered at the hands of the Nazis and may be seen as a petty move by Tehran to infuriate the West…raising a red flag to a bull springs to mind!
However, it raises questions on our own maturity and objectivity. If we have such indestructible certainty as to the reality of the Holocaust happening, why are we so riled? Why can’t we just dismiss it as a childish bating from Iran?
Moreover, assuming we live in a world where freedom of speech is a given, then should Tehran not have the freedom to raise such a question? Just as we have the freedom to disbelieve them.
NOTE: Before I get attacked by anonymous commentators, I DO believe in the Holocaust and deeply regret the suffering of those men, women and children involved. HOWEVER I also recognise the equal suffering of millions of others around the globe since then- millions of whom are ignored by the world and media.
P.S: “The idea for the gathering was dismissed earlier this year as “shocking, ridiculous and stupid” by Tony Blair. Iran responded by inviting him to attend.” – One can’t but help laugh…the man does have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’!

The existence of the internet has made available a wealth of literature, media, music and film. The questions surrounding this freedom have been many and mainly focusing on our rights to such a wealth.

Do we have a right to the wealth of knowledge and entertainment our human race has produced? Or should we pay up for the fruits of another’s toil?

In a world that has such an abundance of knowledge, culture, wisdom and beauty, is it right to withhold access to others? Just because someone is poor, should this restrict him from educating himself?

We’ve, previously, asserted that education solves most problems and that with greater learning and life experience one can stretch his soul to the furthest breadths imaginable, surmount conflict and work towards a better world. Are we, in this case, not being counter productive, in restricting access to knowledge?

I feel that one has basic rights to information and pleasure. The situation should be that if you have money to buy a book, go ahead and buy it is much nicer to read in print. But if you don’t have money, your rights continue and you have to find a way to exercise them.

What has lead to such a reaction? What triggered such misogyny? What causes sons to hate their mothers, fathers to target their daughters and husbands to persecute their wives? Have Adam and Eve not co-existed long enough for love and mutual respect to take hold?

In this respect, we cannot say that such an attitude is particular to the Middle East, indeed, it is widespread throughout the world and even in ‘civilized’ first world. One, often, hears tales of rape, domestic violence, injustice in the workplace and was it not so long ago that; European women secured the right to vote?

The question, now, is why the Middle East is lagging behind in developing woman’s place in society?

I believe that this is simply a symptom of a vaster problem and that is the general economic, social and political problems which have afflicted the region since the fall of the colonial era. Could it be that man is expressing his frustration at the situation by mistreating his mate? The abused becoming the abuser? The stronger targeting the weaker in reaction to variables beyond his control?

This, of course, does not excuse anyone from perpetrating acts of gross violence and cruelty. Yet, it should stress the importance of addressing our catastrophic situation in a more holistic way. It is impossible to address this situation from the core.

Ha Ana Za here! I just joined the team today and as an introduction I’ll say that I’m 21, Egyptian and British mix living in the UK but born and bred in Al-Mansoura, Egypt! I’m just telling people some of what’s on my mind in the hope it will interest/ amuse/ entertain or none of the above.