For Gaza..
Rime, it is my pleasure to oblige...
Friday, January 09, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, August 08, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Speechless...
A great man passed away today...A scholar of the highest standing, and a man of principle, great integrity, and endless charm, Dr Shaker Faham will be deeply missed, not only by his family and numerous, numerous friends, but also by the educational establishment across the Arab World, particularly by Arabic Language scholars.
May God take you into His mercy, Ammo Shaker.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A Syrian Hakeem in Britain - A Declaration of Intentions
My friend Abu Kareem has recently published an interesting post, talking about his experiences as a Foreign Medical Graduate..
Reading what Abu Kareem had written made me think of my own experiences, as a Syrian Hakeem in Britain.. and I thought I will write a post about those experiences..
However, I quickly realised that these experiences are, in a large part, the product of interaction between what I faced in Britain, and a lifetime of previous experiences and events... To write just about my time in the UK would not give the full picture..
So, I am embarking on what may prove to be quite a monumental project.... an attempt to chart a course through my career in Medicine so far...
But you will have to humour me.. This is going to take some time, a commodity that I do not have in abundance...
I will be back soon.. with a post, possibly the first of several posts, about a Syrian Hakeem in Britain...
Reading what Abu Kareem had written made me think of my own experiences, as a Syrian Hakeem in Britain.. and I thought I will write a post about those experiences..
However, I quickly realised that these experiences are, in a large part, the product of interaction between what I faced in Britain, and a lifetime of previous experiences and events... To write just about my time in the UK would not give the full picture..
So, I am embarking on what may prove to be quite a monumental project.... an attempt to chart a course through my career in Medicine so far...
But you will have to humour me.. This is going to take some time, a commodity that I do not have in abundance...
I will be back soon.. with a post, possibly the first of several posts, about a Syrian Hakeem in Britain...
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Ransom Paid!...
Free!.. I am free, at last!...
Yes!..
A few months ago, I made up my mind.. I decided that I no longer want to be held at ransom..
I decided that I will pay the £ 3,000, in return for my freedom to visit MY country..
And yesterday, I got my Military Service Book from home.. and Lo and Behold.. it is all there.. It is now official.. My file has been closed...
Yes!..
A few months ago, I made up my mind.. I decided that I no longer want to be held at ransom..
I decided that I will pay the £ 3,000, in return for my freedom to visit MY country..
And yesterday, I got my Military Service Book from home.. and Lo and Behold.. it is all there.. It is now official.. My file has been closed...
Now, there is no stopping me!..
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
The Price of Subbornness.. Who's Paying ?..
In my daily scanning of the blogosphere, I invariably make a pause at my friend Abu Kareem's blog, The Levantine Dreamhouse.. For me, his passionate views, his immensely well-informed arguments, his robust and deep-rooted beliefs, are a source of inspiration and a focus of admiration..
His latest offering is no exception..
I wanted to leave a comment, but realised that I was writing too much!.. I did not want to abuse his hospitality, so I decided to put my views on his post in a separate post of my own...
Abu Kareem, with his notable courage, tried to tackle a very difficult concept.. Can a leader commit his people to a battle they cannot win?.. Should a leader pursue a venture that will bring death and destruction to his people, in the name of honour and dignity?.. Are 'principles' more important than people?.. The corollary to that question is, of course, 'whose principles?!'...
Most reasonable people would agree with the right of self-defense.. and most should accept that it applies to both parties in any dispute.
Most reasonable people would agree that it is the duty of a patriotic leader to stand up to the enemies of his Nation, and to uphold and defend its sovereignty..
However, I believe that a wise and compassionate leader will have the protection of his people as his first and foremost aim..
A wise and compassionate leader will weigh the pros and cons of his actions, in terms of what miseries they will bring and what relief they provide.. Lashing out haphazardly at a vastly superior enemy will not be in the interest of the People, as the response is likely to be disproportionate...
A wise and compassionate leader will, if he has to, work WITH his arch enemies to protect his people, until he can learn to defeat those enemies.. I am fully aware of the argument that cites Abbas's work with the Israelis as a demonstration of the failure of such strategy.. and I accept that, at face value, this example is a case against my argument.. However, I believe that the fault with this example lies in that it starts from the premise that Abbas is working for the interest of the Palestinian People, a statement I strongly disagree with.. Therefore, I do not accept this example in the first place..
A wise and compassionate leader will work with his people, all his people, to defeat their mutual enemy.. Both Hamas and Fatah are guilty of driving a wedge through the midst of the Palestinian masses.. Neither has the legitimacy to speak for the People, because each have their own hidden macabre agenda..
A wise and compassionate leader will know when to fight and when to sit back and wait.. Clearly, Hamas lack this insight.. They continue to provide Israel with excuse after excuse, in case Israel needed any, to pummel Gaza with more firepower, and inflict more misery on its besieged population..
Our modern history is awash with 'leaders' who could only see as far as their noses.. leaders whose own delusions of grandeur enticed them to take their People to the brink of the abyss.. and often beyond.. leaders whose people have paid a very high price for the leader's lack of insight, treason, stubbornness, or sheer stupidity.. leaders who are more than willing to send millions of their people to certain death, as long as they themselves are safe from harm...
Neither Hamas nor Fatah is a wise and compassionate leader...
Hamas and Fatah care only for their own interests..
And the wretched people.. the helpless children.. the unarmed men and women.. pay the price for the stubbornness and lack of foresight of their leaders...
His latest offering is no exception..
I wanted to leave a comment, but realised that I was writing too much!.. I did not want to abuse his hospitality, so I decided to put my views on his post in a separate post of my own...
Abu Kareem, with his notable courage, tried to tackle a very difficult concept.. Can a leader commit his people to a battle they cannot win?.. Should a leader pursue a venture that will bring death and destruction to his people, in the name of honour and dignity?.. Are 'principles' more important than people?.. The corollary to that question is, of course, 'whose principles?!'...
Most reasonable people would agree with the right of self-defense.. and most should accept that it applies to both parties in any dispute.
Most reasonable people would agree that it is the duty of a patriotic leader to stand up to the enemies of his Nation, and to uphold and defend its sovereignty..
However, I believe that a wise and compassionate leader will have the protection of his people as his first and foremost aim..
A wise and compassionate leader will weigh the pros and cons of his actions, in terms of what miseries they will bring and what relief they provide.. Lashing out haphazardly at a vastly superior enemy will not be in the interest of the People, as the response is likely to be disproportionate...
A wise and compassionate leader will, if he has to, work WITH his arch enemies to protect his people, until he can learn to defeat those enemies.. I am fully aware of the argument that cites Abbas's work with the Israelis as a demonstration of the failure of such strategy.. and I accept that, at face value, this example is a case against my argument.. However, I believe that the fault with this example lies in that it starts from the premise that Abbas is working for the interest of the Palestinian People, a statement I strongly disagree with.. Therefore, I do not accept this example in the first place..
A wise and compassionate leader will work with his people, all his people, to defeat their mutual enemy.. Both Hamas and Fatah are guilty of driving a wedge through the midst of the Palestinian masses.. Neither has the legitimacy to speak for the People, because each have their own hidden macabre agenda..
A wise and compassionate leader will know when to fight and when to sit back and wait.. Clearly, Hamas lack this insight.. They continue to provide Israel with excuse after excuse, in case Israel needed any, to pummel Gaza with more firepower, and inflict more misery on its besieged population..
Our modern history is awash with 'leaders' who could only see as far as their noses.. leaders whose own delusions of grandeur enticed them to take their People to the brink of the abyss.. and often beyond.. leaders whose people have paid a very high price for the leader's lack of insight, treason, stubbornness, or sheer stupidity.. leaders who are more than willing to send millions of their people to certain death, as long as they themselves are safe from harm...
Neither Hamas nor Fatah is a wise and compassionate leader...
Hamas and Fatah care only for their own interests..
And the wretched people.. the helpless children.. the unarmed men and women.. pay the price for the stubbornness and lack of foresight of their leaders...
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