Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
I know, I know: I'm not supposed to get back now, but today is my birthday and I wanted to share it here with you. The picture below was taken by my friend Mahmood at the wedding of Haifaa al-Mansour in Dhahran last week. It was a great wedding party, btw, and I'd like to congratulate my friends Haifaa and Brad and wish them a lifetime of never-ending joy and happiness.
As for my birthday, there will be no party: Just me and mybeer coke, working on some unfinished projects and getting ready for the tough finals. I won't lie to you: I have actually written a few posts during the past two weeks, but they are pending and will be published later in June. Till then, have fun and wish me luck :-) # »
As for my birthday, there will be no party: Just me and my
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Today marks the third anniversary of Saudi Jeans. Three years is probably not such a very long time of blogging. Dave Winer has been doing it for the past 10 years; Jason Kottke for 9. But for someone who has started blogging as a “fun experiment” I honestly did not expect myself to keep on doing that for this long. Surprisingly, I still enjoy writing on this blog and I truly believe this is the main reason why I keep on maintaining it. Of course, it is not always fun and games in Saudi blogland, and the blogosphere can be a tough, horrible place sometimes, but overall I can say that I'm somewhat satisfied with the experience so far.
Similar to last year, as my finals approach, I will be taking a break from the blog to focus more on my studies. I should be back in 3-4 weeks. I believe some more bloggers might also take similar breaks, though unannounced, so you can expect the local blogosphere to be queit for a while. Until then, you can dig in the archives at the end of this page to follow the evolution of Saudi Jeans over the years. I want to thank you all my dear readers, and I want also to thank anyone who helped me with my endeavors on the web. # »
Similar to last year, as my finals approach, I will be taking a break from the blog to focus more on my studies. I should be back in 3-4 weeks. I believe some more bloggers might also take similar breaks, though unannounced, so you can expect the local blogosphere to be queit for a while. Until then, you can dig in the archives at the end of this page to follow the evolution of Saudi Jeans over the years. I want to thank you all my dear readers, and I want also to thank anyone who helped me with my endeavors on the web. # »
Monday, May 07, 2007
It wasn't unexpected at all, at least not to me: several members of the Shoura Council decided to use the religion card against a proposal to change the Kingdom’s official Thursday-Friday weekend to Friday and Saturday. It is truly a pity how some people in this country would shove religion in everything even when it has nothing to do with it. The weak arguments raised by these right honorable members of our esteemed council are “baseless,” just like one of them described the economic reasons cited for the change.
Frustrated, although absolutely not surprised, I find myself repeating what Tariq al-Maeena has said earlier this week: “Are they trying to frustrate efforts toward a more progressive and productive society? It seems to have worked in the past on other issues such as the liberalization of laws relating to women.” It seems to me that this is exactly the case: when you can't find a reason to halt the change, hey, you can use religion. But you know what I'm eagerly waiting for now? A fatwa by the religious establishment here declaring that changing the weekend is going to make this nation go to hell in a handbasket. # »
Frustrated, although absolutely not surprised, I find myself repeating what Tariq al-Maeena has said earlier this week: “Are they trying to frustrate efforts toward a more progressive and productive society? It seems to have worked in the past on other issues such as the liberalization of laws relating to women.” It seems to me that this is exactly the case: when you can't find a reason to halt the change, hey, you can use religion. But you know what I'm eagerly waiting for now? A fatwa by the religious establishment here declaring that changing the weekend is going to make this nation go to hell in a handbasket. # »
Saturday, May 05, 2007
If everything goes as planned, I should be on TV tonight sometime around 9:30 (6:30 PM GMT). Naif Abu-Saida has invited me to talk about blogging in the IT segment of the daily magazine show Min Al-Riyadh (From Riyadh) on Al-Yaum channel, a part of Orbit network. Since many people, myself included, don't have a subscription to Orbit in their houses, it would be nice if someone (wink wink!) who has could recored the interview and upload it to YouTube.
I'm definitely not the first blogger to appear on the show: Herbaz and Milyani have done it before, and Naif himself is a fellow blogger, though his blog is strictly poetic. I'm nervous about this, but I guess it is understandable that live TV can be intimidating. Wish me luck.
UPDATE: Just left Orbit studios. I don't know about the interview, I think I have had a hard time trying to put my ideas in sequence, but hey, it's my first time. If you have watched it, please let me know what you think. # »
I'm definitely not the first blogger to appear on the show: Herbaz and Milyani have done it before, and Naif himself is a fellow blogger, though his blog is strictly poetic. I'm nervous about this, but I guess it is understandable that live TV can be intimidating. Wish me luck.
UPDATE: Just left Orbit studios. I don't know about the interview, I think I have had a hard time trying to put my ideas in sequence, but hey, it's my first time. If you have watched it, please let me know what you think. # »
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Secularism on the ethical side means chaos and mocking religion and virtue (...) Democracy is the political expression of secularism i.e. secularism is the origin and democracy is its branch in the political domain (...) The democratic system contradicts in its origin and essence the Islamic system
One of the courses I'm taking this semester is 104 SLM aka Political System in Islam. The textbook of this course has been revised several times over the years, and the latest edition in our hands today was authored by no less than six faculty members of the Islamic Studies department at KSU. Unfortunately, however, when start reading it, it falls miserably short as you would think this is some political party manifesto, not a textbook that is supposed to be fair and unbiased. The mentioned above quotes are just few examples of the gems that fill the textbook of choice for a mandatory course that all students in KSU, males and females, must pass in order to graduate. So much for raising political awareness in the youth. # »
While preparing to write one of the previous posts I had come across many images of the new projects under development in Saudi Arabia. I collected these images in this Ikbis album for your viewing pleasure. If one picture worth a thousand words, and if these pictures are any indication, then we are actually experiencing a new boom. Let's just hope to come out of it with minimum damage. # »The local blogosphere is abuzz with the news of blocking Mohammed Milyani's blog by the much dreaded ISU. Herbaz says this looks like a mistake so maybe we should wait a little bit while this thing unfolds. Don't worry Mohammed. We are with you, and we will work it out. # »
Thursday, April 26, 2007
I watched Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum on television announcing the new national strategy for the United Arab Emirates last week. He was confident and direct, and not afraid to say the truth no matter how painful or embarrassing it could be. The way he talked about the ministry of justice for example was just unbelievable.
Few months ago, Mohammed bin Rashid, a true visionary, has locked the members of his new cabinet in a fancy resort in Dubai and told them they won't leave the place until they come up with a clear strategy of the country for the coming years. Obviously, after making Dubai the miracle that it is today, he now wants to take the rest of the emirate with him to the future. Is there any doubt he would do it? I, for one, have no doubt. All the best to our brothers in the UAE.
Now moving to our magic kingdom, I guess I wasn't the only one to be disappointed that the king's speech to the Shoura Council carried no major announcements. The major news came later last week was launching a number of new projects worth US$31.5 bn in Riyadh. Amazing. That was my immediate reaction while watching the presentations on television. However, this also made me wonder about the "balanced development" agenda that many people were hailing the government for promoting last year.
Just last year, the media was abuzz with the news about the King's visits to different corners of the country to launch new megaprojects in regions that were admittedly neglected and underdeveloped, including six economic cities that are expected to change the face of Saudi Arabia.
But probably our Najdi brothers got jealous seeing other parts of the country getting a little share of the development cake and decided to do something about it. I bet the rest do not envy the central region; I bet they are genuinely happy for their counterparts there; and I bet this leaves them wondering: was balanced development a true promise or merely a temporary slogan? # »
Few months ago, Mohammed bin Rashid, a true visionary, has locked the members of his new cabinet in a fancy resort in Dubai and told them they won't leave the place until they come up with a clear strategy of the country for the coming years. Obviously, after making Dubai the miracle that it is today, he now wants to take the rest of the emirate with him to the future. Is there any doubt he would do it? I, for one, have no doubt. All the best to our brothers in the UAE.
Now moving to our magic kingdom, I guess I wasn't the only one to be disappointed that the king's speech to the Shoura Council carried no major announcements. The major news came later last week was launching a number of new projects worth US$31.5 bn in Riyadh. Amazing. That was my immediate reaction while watching the presentations on television. However, this also made me wonder about the "balanced development" agenda that many people were hailing the government for promoting last year.
Just last year, the media was abuzz with the news about the King's visits to different corners of the country to launch new megaprojects in regions that were admittedly neglected and underdeveloped, including six economic cities that are expected to change the face of Saudi Arabia.
But probably our Najdi brothers got jealous seeing other parts of the country getting a little share of the development cake and decided to do something about it. I bet the rest do not envy the central region; I bet they are genuinely happy for their counterparts there; and I bet this leaves them wondering: was balanced development a true promise or merely a temporary slogan? # »
Mrs. Lobat Asadi who teaches English at Al-Yamamah College in Riyadh has sent me a link to her project website that is used as a part of the course she is giving there. I know this practice might be common elsewhere, but I think this is interesting because I've never come across anything like this happening here in Saudi Arabia. Mrs. Asadi also provides links (check out the left sidebar) to blogs by her students. She thinks many people will enjoy reading the thoughts of these young Saudi women, and that "they are much more intelligent than people give them credit for." I agree with her that many people underestimate the capabilities of our women, and I'm glad that blogs are offering opportunities to change the conventional thoughts. # »
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Following my latest post, Khaled has written that although we have plenty of good blogs, we are still far behind our counterparts in countries like Egypt and Kuwait when it comes to using blogs as tools for stimulating political and social change. I agree with him, but I think this is not surprising, and I have written about it on previous occasions.
There are, imho, two main reasons behind this. First, the process of making decision in our country has always been restricted to an exclusive circle. Normal people hardly have any history of political participation, and our first, and only so far, democratic experience took place two years ago when we voted to elect half the members of municipal councils that we yet to see their effect on improving the quality of our everyday life. Second, I think that we as a society, as I perviously wrote here, lack the concept of collective action, even in fields that might be considered much less sensitive and dangerous than politics.
However, this is changing. The past few years have witnessed a notable increase in political awareness, and thanks to the revolution of communication and new media, people now have greater access to information and more outlets for free expression, and they are more willing to voice their opinions and discuss issues that used to be taboos. Just look at our blogosphere today and you would see a new rising generation of young tech- and political-savvy Saudis who consider reforming their country a noble cause that is worth fighting for and should not be let go, and are more than determined to make the change they dream of a reality everyone can touch. They are the hope of this nation, and we cannot afford to lose this hope. # »
There are, imho, two main reasons behind this. First, the process of making decision in our country has always been restricted to an exclusive circle. Normal people hardly have any history of political participation, and our first, and only so far, democratic experience took place two years ago when we voted to elect half the members of municipal councils that we yet to see their effect on improving the quality of our everyday life. Second, I think that we as a society, as I perviously wrote here, lack the concept of collective action, even in fields that might be considered much less sensitive and dangerous than politics.
However, this is changing. The past few years have witnessed a notable increase in political awareness, and thanks to the revolution of communication and new media, people now have greater access to information and more outlets for free expression, and they are more willing to voice their opinions and discuss issues that used to be taboos. Just look at our blogosphere today and you would see a new rising generation of young tech- and political-savvy Saudis who consider reforming their country a noble cause that is worth fighting for and should not be let go, and are more than determined to make the change they dream of a reality everyone can touch. They are the hope of this nation, and we cannot afford to lose this hope. # »
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Here is a list of ten blogs that I think one should read in order to get a sense of the Saudi blogosphere and feel the real pulse of streets in the country. This is strictly my opinion; if you think there are other blogs that should have been included in the list please do leave a comment or, even better, you can make up your own list and post it on your blog. Note: blogs from 1-5 are in Arabic, while those from 6-10 are in English, however, the list is absolutely in no particular order.
1. Heaven's Steps: Hadeel al-Hodhaif is one of the few (the only?) Saudi female bloggers to use her real name online. Her blog was mentioned on several big websites such as BBC Arabic, and she was interviewed on Al Jazeera. Earlier this year, Hadeel was invited to speak at a media conference in Oman, where she talked about her experience in the Saudi blogosphere.
2. Mashi97: Khaled al-Nassir's frankness and courage have gained him popularity in a short time, but also cost him a temporary brief absence after writing some fierce posts a few weeks ago. Fortunately, he is back now, with a much cooler head :-)
3. A Tribe Called Sarah: This blog, written by a student studying in Bahrain, is a homogeneous mixture of love, poetry, and humor. Many readers feels that Sarah's memoir-style blog is some kind of a novel in the making.
4. MagicKingdom: Mohammed's blog does not only ask good questions and start interesting conversations, but also offers a much needed view on the scene of culture and arts in the country.
5. Entropy.MAX: Entropy has been blogging for only few months, but over that short time she has proved what an outspoken, articulate blogger she is. It is not only about the issues she touches on, but also in the way she explores the different sides of these issues.
6. SaudiSphere: Aya is a young Saudi woman blogging from New York City, and her critical, angry blog is one of most interesting blogs written by Saudis who live abroad. One thing you would find on this blog that you can't find anywhere else in the local blogosphere is Aya's occasional selections of cartoons from newspapers all around the world.
7. Annals of a Space Cowboy: The name says it all? Nah! In this blog, Fahad al-Butairi, aka Fedo, a student at the University of Texas, comments on news and posts some interesting YouTube videos. He is also a contributer to Global Voices, covering the Saudi blogosphere on semi-weekly basis.
8. An Englishman in Saudi Arabia: I wrote about this blog for the first time in last December, and now he is back after some hiatus. This British blogger moved to Riyadh a while ago, and started this blog to record his adventures with tailgaters on our streets and ninjas in our shopping malls. Quite amusing.
9. Crossroads Arabia: It is not the only Saudi blog written by non-Saudi, but definitely the best one in this category. Blogger John Burgess is a former US foreign service officer who has had two tours in Saudi Arabia. He describes his work as an effort to put the country into context, and his experience makes this blog one of the invaluable sources about Saudi Arabia on the web.
10. Rasheed's World: Rasheed Abul-Samh is a Saudi-American journalist. He is a senior editor at Arab News, and also reports for Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times. His ability to bring us the-story-behind-the-story is what makes his blog stands out.
Honorable mentions: There is alsoa few many Saudi blogs that I consider worth reading. Here's some of them. In English: American_Bedu, S as in Saudi, and Kingdom of Lunacy. In Arabic: Bandar, OS X Arabia, Arab Tech Channel vlog!, and Prometheus. # »
1. Heaven's Steps: Hadeel al-Hodhaif is one of the few (the only?) Saudi female bloggers to use her real name online. Her blog was mentioned on several big websites such as BBC Arabic, and she was interviewed on Al Jazeera. Earlier this year, Hadeel was invited to speak at a media conference in Oman, where she talked about her experience in the Saudi blogosphere.
2. Mashi97: Khaled al-Nassir's frankness and courage have gained him popularity in a short time, but also cost him a temporary brief absence after writing some fierce posts a few weeks ago. Fortunately, he is back now, with a much cooler head :-)
3. A Tribe Called Sarah: This blog, written by a student studying in Bahrain, is a homogeneous mixture of love, poetry, and humor. Many readers feels that Sarah's memoir-style blog is some kind of a novel in the making.
4. MagicKingdom: Mohammed's blog does not only ask good questions and start interesting conversations, but also offers a much needed view on the scene of culture and arts in the country.
5. Entropy.MAX: Entropy has been blogging for only few months, but over that short time she has proved what an outspoken, articulate blogger she is. It is not only about the issues she touches on, but also in the way she explores the different sides of these issues.
6. SaudiSphere: Aya is a young Saudi woman blogging from New York City, and her critical, angry blog is one of most interesting blogs written by Saudis who live abroad. One thing you would find on this blog that you can't find anywhere else in the local blogosphere is Aya's occasional selections of cartoons from newspapers all around the world.
7. Annals of a Space Cowboy: The name says it all? Nah! In this blog, Fahad al-Butairi, aka Fedo, a student at the University of Texas, comments on news and posts some interesting YouTube videos. He is also a contributer to Global Voices, covering the Saudi blogosphere on semi-weekly basis.
8. An Englishman in Saudi Arabia: I wrote about this blog for the first time in last December, and now he is back after some hiatus. This British blogger moved to Riyadh a while ago, and started this blog to record his adventures with tailgaters on our streets and ninjas in our shopping malls. Quite amusing.
9. Crossroads Arabia: It is not the only Saudi blog written by non-Saudi, but definitely the best one in this category. Blogger John Burgess is a former US foreign service officer who has had two tours in Saudi Arabia. He describes his work as an effort to put the country into context, and his experience makes this blog one of the invaluable sources about Saudi Arabia on the web.
10. Rasheed's World: Rasheed Abul-Samh is a Saudi-American journalist. He is a senior editor at Arab News, and also reports for Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times. His ability to bring us the-story-behind-the-story is what makes his blog stands out.
Honorable mentions: There is also
Sunday, April 08, 2007
I did not see that coming. I mean: I really, really did not see that coming. On the opening day of the fourth Saudi Media Forum organized by SAMC here in Riyadh, the minister of interior has made some bold statements:
Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday urged the Saudi community not to endorse the culture of segregation between men and women. The remarks were met with applause from members of the audience where the prince was speaking.Don't get too excited, though. Arab News have emphasized on these statements and decided to use them as one of the main stories on their front page today, but unfortunately they failed to mention this: these statements were made as a response to a question on the need for a Saudi women's media forum. Of course we will read all kinds of (mis)interpretations of these few words by our pundits over the coming few days, but, and before what is going to be a media hoopla, I believe there is only thing I should say here: I'm not holding my breath. # »
“Segregation of men and women is not correct,” Naif told an audience consisting of officials, academics and media persons, who were attending an annual communication forum organized by the Saudi Association for Media and Communication here.
