Author: Mohamed Marwen Meddah

Mohamed Marwen Meddah is a Tunisian-Canadian, web aficionado, software engineering leader, blogger, and amateur photographer.

Vatican Lists 7 New Modern Day Sins

The Catholic Church has come out with a list of seven new modern day sins – 1,500 years after announcing the original Seven Deadly Sins.

The new sins outlined in the Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, include:

1. Genetic modification
2. Human experimentations
3. Polluting the environment
4. Social injustice
5. Causing poverty
6. Financial gluttony
7. Taking drugs

According to the Catholic Church, a person who commits a mortal sin risks burning in hell unless it’s absolved through confession and penitence.

[Source: wbztv.com]

The World’s Top 20 Richest People

After 13 years on top of the list of the world’s richest people, Forbes says that Bill Gates has slipped down in the list. The honor now belongs to Warren Buffett.

The list of the top 20 richest people in the world goes as follows now:

1. Warren Buffett
2. Carlos Slim Helu
3. William Gates III
4. Lakshmi Mittal
5. Mukesh Ambani
6. Anil Ambani
7. Ingvar Kamprad
8. KP Singh
9. Oleg Deripaska
10. Karl Albrecht 		11. Li Ka-shing
12. Sheldon Adelson
13. Bernard Arnault
14. Lawrence Ellison
15. Roman Abramovich
16. Theo Albrecht
17. Liliane Bettencourt
18. Alexei Mordashov
19. Prince Alwaleed
20. Mikhail Fridman

For the complete list and details about each person: The World’s Billionaires (Forbes).

Harvard Gives Muslim Women Gym Hours

Interesting bit of news from Harvard…

In a test of Harvard’s famed open-mindedness, the university has banned men from one of its gyms for a few hours a week to accommodate Muslim women who say it offends their sense of modesty to exercise in front of the opposite sex. The policy is already unpopular with many on campus, including some women who consider it sexist.[…] 

No men are allowed in the gym between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays, and between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Even the staff during those times is all women.

The special hours allow the Muslim women, who adhere to traditional dress codes by covering their hair and most of their skin while in public, to dress more appropriately for exercising, said Susan Marine, director of the women’s center.

[Source: Yahoo News]

I understand how some people might find it a bit inconvenient at first, but I think it’s an interesting and good move towards mutual respect and trying to find a compromise so that everyone can use the campus facilities comfortably.

Paris Book Fair Controversy

Came across this bit of news on BBC News today.

A book fair in Paris has become the subject of controversy with several Muslim countries announcing boycotts because the guest of honour is Israel.

Saudi Arabia has become the latest to withdraw, following Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) has also urged its 50 members to pull out from the fair, which starts on 14 March.

[…]

The organisers of the book fair have said their aim is to honour literature and promote dialogue between cultures.

… the Paris book fair is honouring 39 writers from Israel including well-known figures like David Grossman and Amos Oz.

What do you think?

Personally, I think boundaries and conflicts don’t apply to literature or art in general, they transcend origin, nationality, race, conflicts and everything to another level where we connect and appreciate each other and our works on the human level.

Still, I understand how it is viewed in another way especially when the organizers themselves add the origin factor into it all, and that the origin is Israel, in a time such as this, with tensions and problems at their highest, and peace at its farthest.

If it were up to me, I think it’s a time to be present rather than a time to boycott; in every situation: you can’t present your side of the story and defend it if you’re not there in the first place.
The problem is that we Muslims and Arabs are passive in the exact times we should be more present and proactive.

Barack Obama And The US Relationship With The Muslim World

In response to written questions by the Washington Post, Barack Obama talks about a major speech, within his first 100 days of office, at a major Islamic forum, in which he’d redefine the US struggle and their relationship with the Muslim world:

“As president of the United States, I will directly address the people of the Muslim world to make it clear that the United States is not at war with Islam, that our enemy is al-Qaeda and its tactical and ideological affiliates, and that our struggle is shared. In this speech, I will make it clear that the United States rejects torture — without equivocation, and will close Guantanamo. I will make it clear that the United States stands ready to support those who reject violence with closer security cooperation; an agenda of hope — backed by increased foreign assistance — to support justice, development and democracy in the Muslim world; and a new program of outreach to strengthen ties between the American people and people in Muslim countries.”

[Source: Washington Post]

Arab World To Fight Software Piracy

Just came across this bit of news from the Arab world:

The Arab League is to step up the fight against intellectual property (IP) theft, piracy and counterfeiting, which costs the Arab world up to $50 billion each year.[…] 

In many countries across the region, over half of all software in use is believed to be counterfeit, and local attitudes to the concept of IP are said to contribute to the growing problem, with piracy still viewed by some as a harmless crime.

‘Arab World Protect 2008: The First Arab Consumer and Brand Protection Forum’, to be held in Jeddah in October, hopes to raise awareness of the economic ramifications, social costs and health and safety risks posed by piracy, and develop strategies to combat the problem.

[…]

According to the Business Software Alliance, software piracy rates in 2006 reached 84% in Algeria, 79% in Tunisia, 73% in Lebanon, 66% in Morocco, 63% in Egypt and 61% in Jordan.

In GCC countries, the rates stood at 64% for Kuwait, 62% for Oman, 60% for Bahrain, 58% for Qatar, and 52% for Saudi Arabia.

The UAE at 35% is the only country in the region at the average global piracy rate, and the only Arab country in a world list of 20 countries for the lowest piracy rates for 2006.

[Source: ArabianBusiness]

It’s true software piracy is a big problem in the Arab world, with many people viewing it as normal, mostly not even qualifying it as a crime, and even those who do think it’s a harmless one.

Still, words and condemnation are not enough, not even laws are enough, you can’t tell people not to buy pirated software and that they’ll be punished for it when they have no other way to get the software at an accessible price, especially if their jobs depend on it.

Governments in developing countries should negotiate lower software prices for businesses and individuals, free student licenses, and maybe encourage more use of free and open source software.

In short, people should be given reasonable options, and then if they leave them and keep going to piracy and breaking the law, they can be punished for it.

93% of Muslims Worldwide Condemn 9/11 Attacks

Interesting Gallup Poll results from Islamic World:

– 93% of Muslims Worldwide Condemn 9/11 Attacks; and most said the biggest obstacle to better relations with the West was the latter’s lack of respect for Islam.

– 0% Approve of Attacks on Religious Grounds. Among the seven percent who viewed the Sep 11 attacks as justified, not one gave religious justification for their views, instead expressing their fear of US plans for occupation and domination of the Muslim world.

– Substantial majorities in all Muslim countries said they supported bringing democratic principles to their own countries and admired the US primarily for its technological innovation and liberal democracy, but less than 50 percent believed the US was serious about bringing that democracy to the Islamic world.

Politics, not piety, differentiate moderates from radicals. Terrorism sympathisers don’t hate our freedom, they want our freedom.

— Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim studies

[Via: Pensito Review, Two Circles]

What Defines A Person?

What defines a person?

A person is what he thinks? Not necessarily, a lot of people think things they don’t apply in real life. Plus you don’t always know what they really think.

A person is what he believes? Even more than the previous point, a lot of people don’t really live by what they believe.

A person is his religion? Nobody follows their religion with 100% accuracy, and even if they think they do, they more or less follow their own understanding of it, which makes it pretty undefinable.

A person is what he says? Ever heard of lying, diplomacy, plain old hypocrisy…etc? All that tells us we can’t use what a person says to accurately define them.

A person is what he does? I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I personally think this is the closest to the truth of what a person really is: what he actually does.

Of course, nobody should judge people solely on what they do, everything has to be taken into consideration, and context is very important always, but in the end: what a person does, given what you know about him (thinking, beliefs, religion, what they say about theirself) is what really defines that person.

So if we look at it using numbers, I’d say what a person does accounts for 60-70% of what they are, with the other elements taking up 30-40%

Oil, Food, Control And The Arab World

Just came across this interesting quote by Henry Kissinger in the mid 1970’s:

“Control the oil and you control entire nations; control the food and you control the people.”

~ Henry Kissinger

Rings very true, even if in a conspiracy theory kind of way, but yet if we look at the Arab world; we control most of the oil in the world, and we produce a lot of the food in the world, and have the potential to produce even more, yet there isn’t an area of the world that has less control, even over its own future.
What does that tell us?