Category: Here & There

Rotana’s Islamic Channel

It seems that Rotana, the largest production company in the Arab World, is putting the final touches on an Islamic channel it will be launching soon.

The channel was created upon orders from Prince Waleed Ibn Talal, and will be based in Egypt and headed by Dr. Tareq El Soweidan.

Rotana currently has a network of 6 entertainment channels for music and movies and a new radio station that will be opening soon in Jordan.
Where this new Islamic channel fits in the Rotana empire is a mystery.

As Ahmed says “From a business perspective, music sells and religion sells”, but do they really fit together?
Would it be suitable to have an Islamic channel as part of a 7 channel network, 5 of which bring us a bunch of half-naked singers and dancers?

Of course, the idea of creating a new Islamic channel is very good and truly commendable. But if it’s done it has to be done right. Religion is a respectful and sensitive issue, and throwing an Islamic channel into a bouquet of music and cinema channels just doesn’t feel right.

Maybe it shouldn’t be part of the network but more of an independent channel, also meaning that the Rotana named be dropped from it, so that it’s not associated with the other channels.

[Source: Elaph (Arabic)]
[Via: Saudi Jeans]

Ten Commandments for Peace of Mind

1. Do not interfere in others’ business unless asked
2. Forget and forgive
3. Do not crave for recognition
4. Do not be jealous
5. Change yourself according to the environment
6. Endure what cannot be cured
7. Do not bite more than you can chew
8. Meditate regularly
9. Never leave the mind vacant
10. Do not procrastinate and never regret

[Source: About]
[Via: Utopia]

Why Do You Work So Hard?

Hard work is all there is.
Work hard and the world respects you.
Work hard and you can have anything you want.
Work really extra super hard and do nothing else but work and ignore your family and spend 14 hours a day at the office, sublimate your soul to the corporate machine, and you will get into heaven.

Why Do You Work So Hard?
Is it maybe time to quit your safe job and follow your path and infuriate the establishment?

Interesting article. Read it here.

[Via: 2:48AM]

Bahrain’s Vigil: “Not In My Name”

Not in my name

A candlelight vigil was held last night in front of the British Embassy in Bahrain to show solidarity with the British people, and to express complete rejection of the terror attacks in London.

It was attended by over a hundred people and was organized by a wide range of civil societies: Islamists, Leftists and human rights groups.

For more pictures check Chan’ad Bahraini‘s post.

I think this is great, and I wish more solidarity vigils like this could be organized across the Arab world to show our solidarity with the people of London and our total condemnation of these horrible acts of terrorism.

I join my voice with the Bahrainis in saying: “Not in my name!”

A Muslim for a Month

Muslim for a month

Morgan Spurlock, the guy who made the documentary “Super Size Me”, is now delving into the lives of Muslims in America.

The experiment: Spurlock would take an ordinary American and have him live with a Muslim family, observing all their customs, for one month.

The person chosen was Dave Stacy, a 33-year-old insurance sales executive from West Virginia, a practising Christian with no knowledge of Islam.

The Muslim family was that of Shamael Haque, a first year resident in neuropsychiatry at Henry Ford hospital in Detroit.

Haque, along with his wife Sadia Shakir, who attends the Thomas Cooley Law School, put all reservations aside and opened their Dearborn, Michigan, home to this stranger from the Bible Belt.

During his 30 days, Stacy lived, ate and prayed with his Muslim hosts.
He also read the Quran, tried to learn Arabic, visited a halal slaughterhouse and prayed in a mosque.
In one very tense scene, he went out on to the street to petition Americans into signing a bill to stop the profiling of Muslim Americans.

“…a show like this is important, to get some information out there to educate people. We can’t demonise six million American Muslims. There are 270 million Americans out there and the last time I checked, Timothy McVeigh wasn’t a Muslim. So I think that we just need to preach a little tolerance.”

— Morgan Spurlock

I think the idea of this show is really great in how it aims to promote understanding and tolerance, especially because of all the difficulties and hardships Muslims in America have been facing since the events of 9/11.

Thumbs up to Morgan Spurlock for tackling these important issues. Bravo.

[More: Al Jazeera]

A Letter To The Terrorists, From London

“…If this is a message to Tony Blair, we’ve got news for you. We don’t much like our government ourselves, or what they do in our name. But, listen very clearly. We’ll deal with that ourselves. We’re London, and we’ve got our own way of doing things, and it doesn’t involve tossing bombs around where innocent people are going about their lives.

And that’s because we’re better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we’re going to go about our lives. We’re going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we’re going to work. And we’re going down the pub.

So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the fuck out of our city.”

Read the full letter: A Letter To The Terrorists, From London.

Amazon.com 10 Year Anniversary Surprise

As part of Amazon.com’s celebrations of their 10th anniversary, they’re doing something really cool…

Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that it is teaming with UPS to make special surprise deliveries to select customers over the next 10 days. Randomly selected customers across the country will open their doors to find a favorite actor, musician, athlete or author personally making “Special Deliveries” of their Amazon.com order alongside a UPS driver.

Among the celebrities scheduled to make special deliveries are actor Harrison Ford who may deliver the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” DVD, Grammy-award winning musician Moby hand-delivering his recently released CD “Hotel,” and Jason Alexander with a “Seinfeld” DVD.

I think this is a really nice idea, and a great way of involving people with their anniversary celebrations, not to mention add to their sales.

I just wish Arab and Tunisian businesses would learn from ideas like this and realize that the happier their customer is and the more they offer him, the more they will win eventually.

London Wins 2012 Olympics

London 2012

The 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London, the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has announced.

London won a two-way fight with Paris by 54 votes to 50 at the IOC meeting in Singapore, after bids from Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated.

Thousands of people in London’s Trafalgar Square cheered as they watched the announcement on giant TV screens.

London has hosted the Olympics twice already, the last time in 1948. It becomes the first city to host the Olympics three times.

[More: BBC Sport, CNN]