This is the latest poem by the great "Ahmed Foad Najm" who writes poems and thoughts opposing the Egyptian Government. I will paste it in Arabic, then try my best to translate into English:
طاطي راسك طاطي طــــاطي
انت ف وطن ديمقراطـــــــي
انت بتنـــعــــم بالحــــــــــرية
بس بشرط تكون مطاطــــــي
لما تكون شغــال بذمــــــــــة
خايف على مصــلحة الأمــة
شغلك يطلع من غير لازمــة
علشان مبيعلاش غير واطي
طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي
انت ف وطن ديمـــــقراطي
لما حاميها يكون حراميــها
وبلاده ورا ضهره رامـيـها
طالع نازل واكل فيـــــــــها
مسنود بالبدلة الظباطــــي
طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي
انت ف وطن ديمـــــقراطي
لما شــقاك يصــبح مش ليك
فقرك سد السكة علــــــــــيك
تتلفّت تلــــقى حـــوالـــــــيك
إما حرامي و إما عقــــاطي
طاطي راسك طاطي طاطــــي
انت ف وطن ديمقراطـــــــي
لماتلاقي بـــــلاد الـدنـيـــــــا
فيها البني آدم حــــاجة تانية
وانت في الطبقات الـــــــدنيا
قرد مسلسل أو وطواطــــي
طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي
انت ف وطن ديمقراطــــــي
لما الجهلة يبــــــقوا أمــامــك
أو فوقك ماسكــين ف زمامك
ويسوقك ع الهــلكة إمامك
تشرب م السم السقـــــراطي
طاطي راسك طاطــــي طاطي
انت ف وطن ديمقـــــــراطي
لمــــا الكلـــمة تكون بتدينـك
لما تخبي ف قلـــــــبك دينــك
لما الذل أشوفه ف عيـــــــنك
هات إحباطك على إحباطــــي
طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي
انت ف وطن ديمقراطــــــي
انت ف وطن ديمقراطـــــــي
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
You are blessed with freedom
in the condition that you are made of rubber
When you work with dignity
And you are looking out for the good of the country
Then your work is worthless
Because those who rise are the dirty people
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
When the protectors are the thieves
And they throw their country behind their backs
Eating it up with every chance
Supported by those who wear uniforms
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
When your hard earned is not yours
Poverty has blocked your ways
You look around to only find
a thief or a crook
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
When you find in other countries
The human is something else
And you are down below
Like a chained monkey or a bat
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
When the illiterate are in front of you
Or above you holding your leash
And they guide you to your doom
Drinking from the Socratic poison
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
When the word convicts you
When you hide your religion in your heart
When I see the servility in your eyes
Join your frustration with mine
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country...
59 arrested after Egypt clashes
Published: Sunday, 13 May, 2007, 09:04 AM Doha Time
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CAIRO: Egyptian security forces have arrested 59 Muslims who took part in clashes with Coptic Christians over church construction in a village south of Cairo, security sources said yesterday.
They said prosecutors ordered the arrests after taking the testimony of 10 Christians who were hurt in the clashes on Friday in which hundreds of villagers from both faiths fought with sticks and hurled bricks and firebombs at one another.
The sources said at least 10 Christian houses and five shops were gutted by fire during the clashes in the village of Behma, about 60km from the capital. Egyptian authorities were still assessing the damage.
Relations between Muslims and minority Coptic Christians in Egypt are generally peaceful despite sporadic violence, but restrictions on building churches have been one of the main grievances of Egypt’s mainly Coptic Christian community.
Christians comprise up to 10% of Egypt’s roughly 75mn people, with the remainder being primarily Sunni Muslim.
Security sources said rumours that village Christians did not have a permit for church construction had sparked anger among Muslims that turned to violence after Friday prayers when about 300 Muslims clashed with a group of about 200 Christians.
Security sources said Christians had told authorities that the Friday sermon at a village mosque had discussed ongoing church construction, sparking anger among worshippers who emerged from the mosque in a large group and then moved to the church, where clashes erupted.
Police intervened to stop the clashes and sealed off the village, initially detaining 17 people of both faiths, the sources said. They could not immediately say if any Christians remained in police custody.
A spokesman for Egypt’s interior ministry confirmed that around 500 Muslims had gathered after Friday prayers, and that the entrances to three homes had been set on fire. He said three people were hurt in the commotion but declined to characterise it as a clash. – Reuters
No I am not dedicating a post to this amazing song by Metallica... but actually to share something that happened in my office 2 days ago, which made me realize that what was worrying about the last week or more just isn't worth it...
An old Yemeni man stepped into my office, he looked tired and his clothes were dirty and torn... At first I thought he was going to ask for charity, especially when he handed me a piece of paper which I thought was going to contain some medical condition or plead... He gently asked me if I can dial the number that was written on this small piece of paper... I asked him to have a seat and dialed the number and entered the extension... once, twice, three times, no one was picking up... I told him we will give it one more try, and then the other party picked up the phone and I handed it back to the old man...
I turned away to my PC screen and left him to take his time talking... But my ear couldn't help but hear what he was saying as he was just a few steps away... It seems he called a secretary for a prince or maybe a high society VIP man... he was asking him for the rest of the money which the VIP had promised to help him with... It appears this man's daughter was in the hospital and suffering from kidney failure... she had an operation which cost around US$ 8000 and still needs another operation which will cost US$ 5000.... and to make matters worst, it seems this man and his family will be evicted soon from their home because he is late in paying his rent...
The man was close to tears as he was telling all this to the man on the other side of the phone line... I myself felt myself close to tears as I imagined myself in his shoes... You flesh and blood lying in the hospital in need of care, you are about to be sleeping in the streets cause you don't have rent money... At this point I felt all my problems and all my worries are just a grain of sand compared to what this guy is going through...
I felt I don't care about my problems at work (at least I have work, and it pays well) , I felt I don't care if some people misjudge me or don't accept me (at least I have a family and friends to care for me in time of troubles), I felt it doesn't matter if I don't have enough money to buy something I want or go out (at least I have a roof over my head and a warm bed to lay in), I felt I don't care if the medication I was taking for the past 6 months didn't give the proper results and I may not have children of my own (at least I am in perfect health and can enjoy life) ...
We always seem to get wrapped up in our own world, and forget to actually look at what we have, and just focus on what we don't have... If we just take a moment to remember those who are less fortunate, I think everyone will not feel depressed or down... We have a saying in Arabic, which roughly translates to: "He who sees the problems of others will feel that his problem is bearable"... That is so true...
As a member of
Deviant Art, you occasionally get these weird "tag" posts where you have to answer several questions or state a few facts about yourself or others. Well there is this tag where you have to say 6 weird facts about yourself! I got tagged by several people and every time I had to think of more weird stuff to write! Anyway I decided to share all the weird facts that I have gathered.. and please, no more tags about weird facts, lol....
1- I once kissed a live snake on the mouth as a bet 2- Back in college I used to have a Christian girlfriend, and I also went out for a while with a girl 6 years older than I am! 3- If I saw a nightmare, I would shout or scream out loud in reality and everyone in the house would hear me 4- I broke one of my front teeth in school and had it crowned, you cant tell its not real! 5- I was in jail once 6- My legs are a bit curved inwards below the knees, but nothing that needs surgery thank God. 7-I dont feel comfortable sleeping alone in the house, not that I get scared, but I am just not comfortable about it.. I hate too much silence... Reminds me of death and loneliness... 8- I am usually very protective of my stuff... And my space... But if I like the person and/or trust them then I dont even mind giving my car keys to them! 9- I forgive and forget very easily... You can be an asshole/bitch to me and then I will forget all about it after one or 2 days.. Too bad some people dont act the same way... 10- I never had a steady hobby or interest in my childhood and early youth.. which drove my parents crazy.. I would ask for a telescope cause I got interested in astronomy, then ask for a microscope and slides cause I liked Biology, then suddenly change to stamp collecting, marine life and sharks, then to Karate (I got a blue belt by the way!)... it was annoying to them I am sure, but it helped me to gather alot of info about various things in life... thanks mom and dad!
11- I was told I have some unnatural strength.. my mom noticed that when I was a kid, I was much stronger than other kids my age... once a vase fell on my head from several feet up and it cracked into peices and I didnt even get hurt or cry... another time in high school, my aunts GMC house-van (a bit smaller than an RV) ran out of gas in the middle of the road, I told my cousin to take over the wheel and I went down and pushed the van (plus 7 people with their luggage inside) till we managed to find a spot to stop the car.. people actually slowed down to see what the f*ck is that guy doin! (Mashallah, lool) 12- I appreciate good food, not just anything... For example I dont eat chocolate except if its GOOD chocolate... I am a very picky food critique, my friends always take my advise about the good places to eat... In Cairo I never went to the same place twice cause I wanted to try diff stuff, and in Malaysia I always liked to try things that I dont have back here in Saudi Arabia... 13- I can immitate lots of accents either in Arabic (Saudi, Egyptian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Syrian, etc.) or non-English speakers speaking English (like French, Italian, Texas style, Indian, etc.) 14- I fall asleep REAL fast! Just put my head on the pillow or lay on the couch and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... something lots of people envy me for (including my wife! ) 15- I get dizzy at the site of blood Thats why I never wanted to be a doctor! LooL 16- I am very VERY stubborn... in order to convince me of something I dont agree with or beleive in, you have to try REALLY hard! 17- I am a "clean freak" ... kinda like Jack Nichelson in "As Good as it gets".
18- I can tell alot about the personality of people just by hearing their voice or seeing their picture, even if I never met them in person
19- I hate colored contact lenses on girls, and I always dissagree with the Mrs. whenever she wants to wear them... I like how God created us
20- I am a bit "old fashioned" when it comes to some things in marriage and family... like taking permission before going out, etc. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways
21- I am a SUPER jealous person
22- I never kissed a girl till I was 20! (yeah some consider that weird!) I guess I gotta blame life in Saudi Arabia for that...!
Feel free if you want to tag yourself and write 6 or more weird facts about yourself... But please, don't tag me back...!
Its been almost a month since I last blogged... Its not that there isnt much that happened, on the contrary, my life these past days was a major roller coaster ride...
First about work, I still have no idea whats going on.. Things have stabilized a bit and we got our March salary on time... Even though my dad (and several others) got letters that the head office is moving to Riyadh, and who doesn't wana move will have to quit... My dad has been a wreck for the past 10 days and sometimes I discover he didn't even go to work... Its hard when you are 53 years old and with all this experiance to find yourself job hunting again... Especially in a country where Saudiazation, racism, and who referred you (wasta) come in top 3 places...
I turned down that offer by Al-Khayyala cause I felt the guy was trying to abuse the fact that I was desperate to leave my current company. He offered me a position in corporate (which I hate) and a salary which is SR. 600 less (US$ 160) than what I get now... I kinda felt relieved that I turned it down cause he was putting major stress on me to accept and start right away without even giving the usual 1 month notice to my current company...
I went to Cyprus for 5 days last week by invitation from Cyprus Airways, all expenses paid.. it was an amazing chance to discover this amazing island which I have not visited since 10 years back. It was also a good chance for me to kick back and relax, and think straight about what I am gonna do with my life... I had loads of fun, massages, discovered new stuff (we even hit a strip club!) and saw real snow for the first time in my life in Trodos Mountains... The Greek food was to die for! And the weather overall was amazing, and the people oh so friendly.. I really have to take the Mrs. and visit this amazing island soon.
I attended this meeting which was called "Jeddah Urban Artists" where I displayed 3 of my photography. The place was so crowded and full of smoke that I decided to stick around for only 15 minutes. That and also the fact that there were some people there who we don't actually "get along" together quiet well, I got the icy cold look on several occasions which made me feel even more uncomfortable... The ironic thing is that I decided to mend things with lots of people after that meet, but alas it seems alot of people have black hearts, and even sometimes no heart at all, but at least I tried and I know God knows that... Anyway no more JUA meets for me... I think its better this way...
I got in touch with people from a major local company and I am now doing some freelance photography for them. Just yesterday we wrapped up shooting over 50 delicious looking pastries and goods for their new menu. And I have to say I am very happy with the results of the photos. In addition to the pay, they even told me that my name will go into the menu (no they wont name a dish after me, lol). So that means more exposure and (God willing) more freelancing to help pay the rent and put bread on the table.
I guess that just wraps it up, I just realized that simply writing whatever comes to mind is more easier and fun than organizing the thoughts in your head first. I guess being unorganized does come in handy sometimes...
