Two days ago one of the key speakers at the Salalah demonstrations, Mr. Amer Hardan (see his photo here) was arrested by the ROP. This may seem like huge news to all you Dhofaris out there since no one has been arrested or harmed since the protests started ten weeks ago. No, before you get excited and tribal about this, the reason for his arrest is rather amusing. He tossed his cup of tea (his supporters say it was an 'accident') at the governor of Dhofar's head of security. Anyway, he was arrested on Saturday after the head of security filed a complaint. Yesterday, protesters headed to the prosecuter's headquarters and set up yet another sit-in. They refused to leave until Amer was freed. He was finally released in the afternoon. The End.
.On another note, I have mixed feelings about the whole Bin Laden thing this morning. President Obama announced to the world that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a mansion outside of Islamabad. Ok, so they've been looking for him for ten EFFIN years, and they caught him. Bravo. However, did CNN just HAVE to include in its announcement that Americans were outside the While House cheering and singing? Did they? I know he was a bad guy and he killed tons of people, but I don't know how any decent human can celebrate the death of another. No matter how bad he was, I have faith that God will handle his punishment. Most people around the world are relieved that he was caught. But to celebrate? There's something wrong about it. Ugh.
.A total of 37 drops of rain fell onto my windshield this morning. Yes, that was it. It rained for approximately 5 seconds. Torture. The heat is killing me. Dear Monsoon, please be early this year.
Faithfully yours, Dhofari Gucci
Faithfully yours, Dhofari Gucci
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.~
All those people cheering outside the White House....sounds like the celebrations over here after 9/11. Sauce for the goose I say.
ReplyDelete".........killed in a mansion outside of Islamabad." Abbotabad is 100KM from Islamabad. Thats like saying the Sohar protests were going on my backyard in Muscat!
ReplyDeleteYes. Just want to let you know that not all Americans are dancing in the streets. Some of us are perhaps relieved, but we are embarrassed by our countrymen and women's behavior and also wish it was not broadcast worldwide. No one was dancing or celebrating in my neighborhood. We also are not sure this makes much difference in US foreign policy, and are nervous about retaliation.
ReplyDeleteWishing you rain :)
I wouldn't call it a celebration so much as a catharsis or an outburst of pent up anger, sadness, and frustration on the part of Americans. Even though the "war on terror" has moved way beyond him, bin Laden has always been the lightning rod for average Americans, many of whom are still very emotional about 9/11. While I wouldn't have gone so far as to file out on to the streets to cheer his death, my initial reaction to the news this morning was a big grin, followed by, "Wow, the mother f----r is actually dead." It's not his death I'm reacting to--because at this point he's less a man than a symbol--but the end of a chapter for the U.S.
ReplyDelete"I don't know how any decent human can celebrate the death of another"
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but did you expect people to shed a tear? This guy was responsible for the deaths of thousands. It is no different than celebrating the death of a tyrant.
Would you hold it against the people of Libya if they celebrated the death of Gaddafi?
There is no difference.
I agree with you on the Bin Laden reaction, Nadia.
ReplyDeleteI was in Kuwait on 9/11 and the Americans came into work the next day all in black and were loudly appalled that anyone could show any anti-American reactions.
Move on and it seems to be fine to celebrate a death.
Osama Bin Laden was a great man who had fought against the world largest power America...
ReplyDeleteItz America had done right thing to Osama Dead body??? i dont think so... In Islam the body should be buried in land not in sea.
A person who died in land cant be thrown to sea in view of Islam, So America had done a big crime to Osama Bin Laden body...
Osama is terrorist/not but after his death they should give some respect to body... Itz the part of War
Love the quote.
ReplyDeleteI had a shock of the news AND the reaction worldwide, even amongst arabs, it is very far from noble. and it just made me dislike americans more. there are many who dissaprove the reaction, still I think the image we recieved was of those who celeperated. Bad.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that one can in any way equate people who praised the murder of thousands of innocent civilians with those celebrating the death of OBL, a self confessed mass muderer who if left alive would probably have killed even more...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post on this subject Nadia.
ReplyDeleteCelebrating the death of a human is a sad indictment on humanity. I am sorry to say however, that I am pleased to have seen (in a roundabout way) the footage of Americans drinking, dancing and chanting in the streets celebrating the death of OBL. History will record this sad lack of humanity. It reminds me of the cell phone footage of Saddam Hussein being hanged. The crowd of Iraqi men in the execution chamber seemed to be drunk with madness; cheering and chanting.
In my opinion, the death of such people should be marked in a similar fashion to Anzac day or Remembrance Day, in that we remember in solemnity the victims of such terrible events in human history.
Celebrating human death does nothing for the advancement of humanity or civilization. It reveals the bloody-thirsty nature of the human condition. It's a scar on us all.
Lest we forget.
Peace.
Well said PD.
ReplyDelete