The Kunafa 'year end talk'

The Kunafa

Here I am again, opening a new white blank page. Trying to fill it with what happened in the past 365 days. It is hard to picture all the memories in a white page.

I remember back in January when I was in Jordan. It was freezing and I was shivering. My colleague Rashid Al Zayani whom I was with on a business trip turned to me and said "I know where to take you right now!". We had a walk in Ammans cold alleys until we reached a place called Habiba Sweets. Inside the shop they served Kunafa, freshly baked out of the oven. It was very sweet, it was very warm, it was perfect for the weather. As we continued to eat the Kunafa outside the shop I started to say this silent wish "I wish that this year will be as sweet as the Kunafa I am eating"

Coming back to reality, of course my year was not as sweet as the Kunafa I had in Amman. But I really can't complain about a year that made me walk with two of my best friends Shuaib Al Ali & Ahmed Al Ansari in Portobello Market in London in a busy Sunday morning, having a black forest cupcake and a late' from Hummingbirds.

I also can't complain about a year that made me walk with my very dear brother Nawaf Saif in the La Croisette in Cannes. A year that made me lead 12 smart high school students and be their mentor in a memorable trip to France & Monaco.

How can I ever complain about a year that made it possible for me to reach Makkah and do an Umrah to God?

I really can't complain about a year that made it possible for more than 150 youths from all around the world to visit my country and be our guests for nearly a week in the Global Assembly of the Ship for World Youth.

Will not complain about a year that made me listen again to the Formula1 engines in the Bahrain International Circuit, feeling the power of the engines. The engines that not only started Formula1 cars, but engines that started the hope that our Bahrain can stand on its feet again.

God kept my family and friends.. God kept me healthy.. God gave me safety and security.. So no matter what drawbacks happened in the past 365 days.. I must be thankful.

I have set some goals that I did not achieve, mainly because I was unfocused. I have a problem; I get distracted with small things and lose focus. I will try to focus more this year on the goals I set so maybe 365 days later I might tell a better story.

Another lesson I learnt the hard way is that people will judge your actions and won't care about your intentions no matter how long did they know you for. It just made me feel that some people will wait for you to slip so they start attacking you. I wish that people would wear my shoes and live my intentions. I wish that people would come and ask instead of sit and judge. But you can't always get what you wish for, and I really don’t care anymore because I got tired trying to explain my intentions.

Before wishing you all a happy new year, I have to stand up in respect for one of my best friends who took the fight with cancer to a whole new level. A person whose weapon was a smile and laughter, she made cancer look like flu. Mneera, I am sure that you will return to Bahrain stronger than before. And Cancer, you really messed up with the wrong person.

Well.. Happy New Year To You All.. Be good, Be grateful to God for what you have, Be nice to people even if they are not, Keep your family and your friends close, Love the people who loves you. And I wish that you all have a 2013 as sweet as the Kunafa I had.

 A ;)

Ahmed

31/12/2012

سفراء الوطن.. جنود الوطن..

سفراء الوطن.. جنود الوطن

هم ليسوا دبلوماسيون ممن يحملون الجوازات الخضراء ويتمتعون بالحصانة الدبلوماسية.. وهم ليسوا ممن يسافرون على مقاعد درجات رجال الأعمال.. وهم ليسوا ممن يعقدون اجتماعاتهم في بهو فنادق الخمس نجوم ويحتسون أفضل فناجين القهوة..

هم ليسوا عسكريين ممن يحملون الرتب العسكرية من نجوم وتيجان.. وهم ليسوا ممن تؤدى إليهم التحية من بقية العسكر..

هم لا يعملون لدى الدولة.. ولا يتقاضون أجراً منها.. هم لا ينتظرون أجراً أصلا.. وهل يعقل أن يتقاضى أحد أجراً لاعتناءه بأمه ؟

إذاً من هم هؤلاء السفراء ؟ من هم هؤلاء الجنود ؟ إنهم المنظمون من أعضاء جمعية سفينة شباب العالم البحرينية الذين نجحوا في تنظيم التجمع العالمي السادس لبرنامج سفينة شباب العالم والذي أقيم على أرض البحرين في بداية شهر أكتوبر 2012 والذي حضره أكثر من 120 شاب وشابة من مختلف أنحاء العالم.

قام هؤلاء السفراء بتمثيل وطنهم داخل وطنهم في أبهى حلة وأظهروا أهم ما يتميز به أهل هذه الجزيرة الصغيرة، ألا وهي حسن الضيافة والكرم وحسن الخلق. لن أنسى اللوحات الفنية التي رسمت على وجوه المشاركين من لوحات السعادة ولوحات الابتسامة ولوحات الارتياح والانبهار لما قدمه هؤلاء السفراء لهم من خلال تعاملهم الراقي مع المشاركين الضيوف حيث قاموا بتوفير كل ما استطاعوا لهم طواعيةً من أنفسهم لا يريدون شيئاً مقابل هذا سوى حب الوطن وأن يكونوا خير سفراء له.

قام هؤلاء الجنود بحماية وطنهم من خلال تعريف الضيوف على معالم هذا البلد وترسيخ النقاط الأساسية التي تعكس التطور الحضاري لبلدنا الغالية. والذود والدفاع عن كل المغالطات التي من شأنها أن تعكس صورة سلبية عن البلد.

عندما يرحل الاسترالي والياباني والكيني والأسباني والكندي والبرازيلي والمكسيكي وغيرهم كثير عن البحرين بعد أن قضوا فيها ما يقارب الأسبوع وهم منبهرين لا يعرفون ولا يستطيعون أن يعبروا عن مدى شكرهم وسعادتهم لما تم تقديمه لهم في هذه الفترة ولما رأوه من محاسن البلد وأهل البلد وتاريخ البلد.. عندما يرحلون والدموع تغرق أعينهم.. عندما يرحل ممثلوا الجهات الرسمية اليابانية وهم يقولون للمنظمين "لقد أتعبتم من بعدكم"..فاعلموا أنكم قد أبهرتم شعوب العالم وحزتم على رضاهم ومثلتم بلادكم ودينكم خير تمثيل.. فهنيئاً لكم.

لقد حزتم على ثقة قادة البلد، وكنتم حق لها، فهذا لتجمع لم يكن بالأمر الهين أو السهل، وإن كان البعض يعتقد أنه كان تجمعاً عادياً كغيره. ولكم أن تتخيلوا ماذا كان سيحصل لو حصل مكروه لأحد أو بعض المشاركين أو مشكلة كبيرة في التنظيم خلال تواجدهم في البحرين؟ لكان سيسبب حرجاً للمسئولين وكان سيؤثر على سمعة البحرين خارجياً. ولكنكم برهنتم للجميع بأنكم كنتم خير السفراء وخير الجنود وخير شباب الوطن ممن يؤتمنون على مهام كبيرة لها وزنها داخلياً وخارجياً. وما كان حضور سمو الشيخ ناصر بن حمد لإلقاء كلمة أمام هذا الجمع إلا دليل هذه الثقة.

120 شاب وشابة، تركوا البحرين بانطباع جميل عنها.. وهذا الانطباع ينتقل عبر اللسان بشكل كبير. وبمعادلة حسابية بسيطة نرى هذا التأثير، فلنفرض أن كل مشارك سيتحدث إلى 15 من الأصدقاء والأهل بشكل تفصيلي على الأقل، فيزيد عدد الانطباع الجيد إلى 1800 شخص، واللذين بدورهم سينقلون الأخبار إلى 5 أشخاص اللذين سينقلون الأخبار إلى شخص واحد، ليصل عدد الأشخاص اللذين حصلوا على انطباع جيد عن البحرين إلى 15 ألف شخص على أقل تقدير. نعم.. 15 ألف شخص على الأقل سمعوا عن حسن ضيافتكم وعن كرمكم وعن أخلاقكم وعن بلدكم وعن شبابكم الطموح. وهنا لم نأخذ في الحسبان انتقال الأخبار والصور من خلال شبكات التواصل الإجتماعي، فهنيئاً أنتم للبحرين على انجازكم.

هناك من يريدون الاصطياد في الماء العكر وسيرددون إن لم يكونوا قد رددوها "كيف تقومون بتنظيم مثل هذا التجمع والبحرين تمر بأزمة؟" نقول لهم نعم! تمر البحرين بأزمة ولا ننكر هذا، ولكن لا ولن يمنعنا أي شئ في أن نكون عند حسن ضيافتنا، فمن يأتي إلينا نمد له أذرعنا احتضاناً، لأنه من شيمنا ومن عاداتنا أن نحسن ضيافة وفودنا حتى وإن كانت في أوقات صعبة تمر بنا، وهي أوقات صعبة نعلم من يريد لها أن تستمر. وما عملنا إلا لإظهار صورة حسنة وطيبة عن بلدنا وديننا وشعبنا. إننا نقوم بإعادة بناء ما قام بهدمه البعض الآخر وهذا أقل ما نستطيع أن نعمله لتراب وطننا.

سفراء الوطن.. جنود الوطن.. أعضاء الجمعية.. جميعكم كنتم جزءاً من هذا التنظيم الرائع، بعضكم بدأ العمل قبل سنة تقريباً لهذا التجمع، البعض الآخر لم يأخذ قسطاً من الراحة في أيام التجمع، والبعض ابتسم في وجوه الضيوف. لا تستصغروا أي عمل قمتم به، فكل ما قمتم به قد كان جزءاً من بصمة النجاح لهذا التجمع.

لن ننسى أن نشكر الله على توفيقه لنا في اجتياز هذا العمل الرائع، فله كل الحمد والمنه.

المؤسسة العامة للشباب والرياضة.. لولا دعمهم اللامحدود لما استطعنا اخراج التجمع بهذه الحلة، وليس هذا بالجديد عليهم، فهم سباقين في دعم الشباب.. نعجز عن شكرهم..

كثير من المواقف لها أن تذكر.. كثير من الأسماء لها أن تشكر.. لن نذكر المواقف ولن نشكر الأسماء.. لأننا سنسى الكثير.. وبالنسيان سنظلم الآخرين..

ودمتم خير السفراء.. خير الجنود.. خير الإخوان.. خير الأخوات.. معرفتكم شرف لي..

أحمد

15 أكتوبر 2012

The Turbulence Benefits

The Turbulence Benefits

I start writing this post as I am now in a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to Dubai. We are landing now and the flight is bumpy due to some turbulence mostly caused by the bad weather condition.

Some people who know me well already know what I am about to say, but here is a confession to all of you… flying in planes is the biggest fear I face in my life.

I have so many friends who are pilots (both commercial and military), engineers & friends who are interested in Aviation in general. They always explain to me with the scientific proofs how safe and advanced Aviation is nowadays. Myself as well, spend some times reading about the Aviation Industry.

After all, there is something that scares the hell out of everyone. For me, it is what I am experiencing right now at this moment. No matter how many times I fly, I still feel the same! Maybe worse!

Well, it can't be all bad after all I guess… as there must be a benefit to me from all this unnecessary fear. And yes, there is…

This fear particularly reminds me of death, and with death my whole thinking and actions change.

Every time I travel I remember death and I remember that myself and you are living this life only for a short period then we will eventually move on to the next life. So before each flight I become… lets say… better.

I take the most of the day with the people who matters and with duties and stuff that adds value to my life and others. Most important thing of all is that I become a bit closer to God.

So, flying to me is like a station that cuts my ignorant life into pieces so that I stop at each station and review what I've done, what I'm doing and what I am about to do in life. It reminds me of how weak we are humans and how easy for us to be broken when compared to other aspects in this life.

It's good to have these stations. I'm sure that many people already have these stations in their own perspective. For some people, it might be visiting funerals, for others it might be natural disasters or wars. Or just maybe they share the same station with me. Flying.

Ahmed Abdullatif

17^th February 2012

جلالة الملك.. الأمور مو طيبة.. والديرة كلش مو بخير..

جلالة الملك.. سابقاً، كنت أقضي أغلب أوقات فراغي في شارع البديع لما يتميز به هذا الشارع من سهولة الوصول إليه وقربه من جميع الشوارع الرئيسية في المملكة والمناطق الحيوية. ولما يوجد به من تعدد كبير لجميع أنواع الاحتياجات من مطاعم ومقاهي وصيدليات ومجمعات مصرفية ونوادي صحية إلى آخره. وفي سنة واحدة تغير الحال.. لقد مررت في إحدى هذه الليالي من يوم الجمعة في هذا الشارع وما رأيته فيه جعل الدمعة تحتبس في عيني وأنا أرى هذا الشارع الحيوي سابقاً ميتاً اليوم. كان كئيباً خالياً من الناس، مليئاً بالحجارة الملقاة، كثير الكتابات على الجدران، مدججاً بالشرطة والأفراد، ولا يسمع فيه إلا طلقاً للمسيل أو صفارة تحذير جيب النيسان. أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. يقوم العديد من الخارجين عن القانون يومياً بإغلاق الشوارع ومضايقة رجال الأمن مما يسفر عن تدخل رجال الأمن العزل بإلقاء مسيل الدموع والقنابل الصوتية لتوقيفهم. فإذا هم يلقون أنفسهم في وسط النار بين مُلق للأسياخ وآخر مُلق لزجاجات المولوتوف الحارقة. كل هذا يؤدي إلى استخدام أكبر لمسيلات الدموع لتفريق المتظاهرين مما يجعل معظم قرى البحرين يومياً كمدينة الضباب لندن! إلا أن الضباب ليس سوى مسيل دموع يفتك بالقرى وبأهل القرى حتى وإن كان أكثر أهل هذه القرى ضد ما تقوم به الفئة القليلة من الشغب والتكسير. هذا الضباب ينتقل ليصل إلى معظم مناطق البحرين قاطبة! فلا يسلم منها من يزور المجمعات في ضاحية السيف ولا من يسكن أم الحصم والعدلية ومدينة عيسى وسند وحتى الرفاع والمحرق لم تسلم من هذه المسيلات. هذا الروتين اليومي يؤدي إلى وقوع الإصابات البليغة لرجال الأمن العزل ويؤدي إلى وقوع إصابات و وفيات لأبناء الوطن المراهقين المغرر بهم. أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. تقوم بعض الجمعيات باعتصامات في الشوارع الرئيسية مما يؤدي الى تعطيل مصالح الناس، فتقوم وزارة الداخلية بغلق كل الشوارع الرئيسية مما يؤدي على تعطيل أكبر للمصالح! وفي نهاية اليوم لا تكون هناك أي محاسبة لهؤلاء الجمعيات. أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. شكرا على تقرير بسيوني. ولكن ما فائدته إذا أخذ كل طرف ما يعجبه وترك مالا يعجبه؟ ما فائدته إذا لم يحاسب من عذب أبناء الوطن في السجون بصورة لا يرضاه ديننا الحنيف حتى على اليهودي؟ وما فائدته عندما يقوم سياسي بتكذيب حوادث كحادثة قطع لسان المؤذن وهي موثقة في هذا التقرير؟ أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. هناك اهدار للأراضي والمال العام، الأموال تبعثر هنا وهناك، والرشاوي حدث ولا حرج. بينما يقبع كثير من المواطنين في أردى الحالات الاجتماعية التي لا تليق بالمواطن البحريني. هناك فرق بين الفقر وبين العيش بكرامة. لا يعترض أحد على الفقر على قدر الاعتراض على العيش بدون كرامة. أما آن الأوان ليحصل جميع المواطنين على زيادة ترتقي بهم وببحرينيتهم بدون النظر إلى كونهم من القطاع العام أو الخاص أو المتقاعدين ؟ أما آن الأوان ليحصل المواطن على بيت اسكان في شبابه وبداية زواجه وليس بعد انتظار عشرات السنين؟ أترضاها على أبنائك؟

جلالة الملك.. تفشى العهر، وزاد المجون، واصبح الوصول إلى كأس الخمر الحرام سهل! أوقفو الخمور في الفنادق الرخيصة واجعلوه بعيداً عن أيدي القصر والمراهقين، وأبعدو تجارة العهر عن هذه البلاد. أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. الطائفية وصلت إلى حد الجنون.. فالكل يكره الآخر. وللأسف فإن رجال الدين يزيدون النار اشتعالاً. فذاك يتعذر بالدفاع عن العرض وينادي بالسحق وهو الذي بكلمة واحده يستطيع أن يحقن دماء الشباب القصر! والآخر يكفر فئة بأكملها ويصفها بالمجوس ولا يستخدم الكلمات التي ترقى برجل دين. وقاطعت الناس بعضها وبضائعها ووصلت إلى التعدي على الممتلكات العامة والخاصة وتكسير للمحلات والتعدي على المنازل. أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. الحكومة استهلكت، وكثير من الوزراء قد أكل عليهم الدهر، وهناك رجالات أقوياء وأمناء في هذا البلد يستطيعون أن ينجزون ما لم ينجزه هؤلاء الوزراء في سنين. فقد آن الأوان للتغيير والضخ بالدماء الجديدة. فيا أكثرها من وزارات لم تنجز وتوقفت منذ سنين وأصبحت في خبر كان. أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. أما آن الأوان للقصاص؟ فالقصاص هو حد من حدود الله لا يجوز العبث به. أما آن للقاتل أن يقتل؟ وأما آن الأوان للسارق أن تقطع يده؟ نناشدك يا جلالة الملك بالقصاص العادل. فإن هذا حق شهداء الواجب ويجب أن لا يضيع. ليس هم فقط، ولكن حتى من يثبت عليه تهمة قتل أي مواطن تحت التعذيب فلزاماً عليه أن يقتص له. أترضاها على حدود الله؟

جلالة الملك.. متى ستفعل القوانين؟ على الجميع وبدون استثناء؟ لا نريد عبثا في البلاد ولا نريد عفوا يطال من لا يستحق. ومتى سيتم محاسبة الناعقين الذين لا يريدون خيرا لهذه البلاد؟ فقد سئمنا نعقهم. فهل يعقل أن يهان المواطن عندما يستوقفه شرطي المرور بسبب سرعة قليلة أو حاجب رؤية وبينما لا يحاسب من يتَنتِن تتن ؟ أترضاها على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. كم أحلم باليوم الذي تزور فيه سترة مرة أخرى ويتم استقبالك بالورود والقبلات كالعقد الذي مضى، كم أحلم بيوم أشعر فيه بأن جميع الشعب يثق بك حتى وان طعنت فيك أيادي الخارج. أحلم باليوم الذي عندما أكون في الدراز وكأنني في البديع! أهي صعبة على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. أعلم أن باب اصلاحك مفتوح للجميع، فأدخل فيه من يريد التطوير لهذا البلد، وأغلق هذا الباب في وجه من لا يريد الخير لهذه البلاد وأبعده خائباً بلا رجعه. أهي صعبة على بحرينك؟

جلالة الملك.. أعلم بأن بعض ما قلته لا تستطيع أن تغيره بيدك ويحتاج إلى تكاتف جميع أطياف الشعب، ولكن هناك حلول وقرارات سريعة سيكون لها الأثر الكبير. اعذرني، فإن ما يعصف بقلبي وعقلي جعلني ألجأ إلى حضنك وسعة صدرك الكبيرة. فأنت الوالد القائد.

جلالة الملك.. ستأتي ذكرى الأحداث قريباً، وحالنا لن يأتي بسحر يغير الأوضاع إلى الأحسن. لأنه وبكل بساطة "الديرة مو بخير والأمور كلش مو طيبة" ولكنني على ثقة بأن "الأيام الجميلة لم نعشها بعد" وسنعيشها في ضل قيادتك إن شاء الله.

اللهم سخر لحمد بن عيسى البطانة الصالحة وأعنه على خير البلاد والعباد، و أبعد عنه بطانة السوء والمتسلقين والمطبلين. إنك سميع عليم.

وصل اللهم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

أحمد

 30 يناير 2012

Happy New Year

"I am going to stay in Bahrain for two days and then I am going to fly to Jordan, to continue my trip around the world which I started last year from Australia" Those were the words of an American pilot, in his 60s on New Years Eve of 2011. This American man was sitting in a tent in Bahrain on 31^st December 2010 celebrating New Year with Bahraini youth who he was meeting for the first time. This American man is an adventurous pilot who took the challenge and decided to fly his private old plane from Australia to the USA in an around the world experience. One thing I asked him after midnight, "Did you ever imagine that one day you will be celebrating new years with some Arabic youth, in the desert of a tiny island in the Middle East?" his answer was "Never! But you must know that life will always surprise you in a way that you will never expect" And here I am, 12 months later, chilling at Durrat Al Bahrain… listening to Marilyn Manson's 'Coma White'… wearing my Juventus jacket... drinking Lemon juice... thinking about what he said and looking back at how this roller coaster year of 2011 proved to all of us how life can be different from whatever we expected or planned for.

Although many people complaint a lot about 2011 and how they can't wait for the year to end, for me it is quite different. 2011 was one of the best years to remember, the amount of positive things happened are way more than the negatives. Anyways, it depends on how we take and digest events and then put them in good or bad criteria.

2011 was the year of travel. I have been to 10 countries (Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Australia and Vanuatu). I have learnt and remembered at least something from each country I visited.

§  You can never get tired of walking through down town of Beirut, thinking of how this down town changed through history from a dead place to a live cheerful one. I also attended the first come back of Fairoz concert  ( I fell asleep in one of her songs)

§   Dubai will always amaze me and inspire me to develop our Bahrain more. Every time I land in Dubai is like landing there for the first time, discovering new things and places there.

§   In Makkah, being a guest of God during Hajj carries out tremendous thoughts that can be written in tons of posts.

§   The beautiful scenes in Phuket gets into you, but the publicity of prostitution there makes you think twice before going there again.

§  Bali was a place where I learnt how to surf. In addition, the people of Bali know how to host guests and they are always friendly, no matter how many times Bali was targeted by terrorist's bombings. They stand up, build and work again towards living a better life.

§   Tokyo was amazing in a way where you can see everything organized. Walking through the temples in Japan with the beautiful nature and architect flies your mind to a Hollywood movie.

§   Brisbane taught me how people can overcome disasters. They had a big flood, which made them lose a lot. Yet they rise up and rebuild their city like nothing happened. The behavior of the People of Brisbane and the way they dealt with the floods must be taught in books.

§  The beach which I spent a full day at in the Solomon Islands was a magical beach that until today I question whether I was really there or not. Crystal clear water, with white rocks and gorgeous nature.

§  The village which I visited in Fiji will stay in my heart forever. I will never forget how the people of that village hosted us, despite their very poor condition. They lived in huts, but the warmth of their welcome made me feel like walking inside a castle. They were happy and grateful to god for what they have. At that point I remembered how people I know complain about everything and never thank god for what he gives them.

§  Vanuatu was a paradise on Earth. No matter how much I talk about the beautiful scenes I saw, I won't be able to picture one second of what my eyes saw especially that I traveled between those countries by ship [Japan, Solomons, Fiji, Australia, Vanuatu]

2011 was the year that made us all wake up from our bubbles and widen our eyes of what is going around us and within us.

2011 was the year that we sadly saw our country shatter into pieces. But it is our task now to take our Bahrain and put it back together like it was and even better.

2011 was a difficult financial and political year, but somehow we survived it.

2011 was a challenging year for Chelsea football club; they keep going on reverse...

2011 was a historical year for Juventus football club. They have their own stadium now (the first of its kind in Italy); they ended the year without a defeat after a disastrous last season. But I don’t know if I can ever forgive Andrea Agnelli on what he is doing to the king Allesandro Del Piero.

And finally 2011 was a year of keeping your good friends, making new great friends (Especially those international friends I have made through my experience on the ship), and getting in touch with old ones.

One thing I will never forget is the American pilot's words when he said "But you must know that life will always surprise you in a way that you will never expect"

So buckle your seatbelts and be ready for what 2012 is hiding for us! Happy New Year.

 Below is a memory from every country

 But there is nothing nicer than this

Dubai - their National Day, ours and our way forward

This Thursday I am here… last Thursday I was in Dubai. I saw both nations interact with their national days; I saw both countries interacting with their nations. In Dubai it was like a wedding, everyone was happy. People enjoyed celebrating their national day. Here, some people enjoyed celebrating this day, while others did not. In Riffa for example happy people are carrying the Bahraini flag, celebrating and enjoying the day and expressing their love to the country. In Diraz, people are carrying the same flag, but they are engaging into fights with riot police, throwing Molotov's at the police and receiving tear gas back.  Another part is worried about the future of this country and decided to celebrate this day by gathering at al Fateh mosque to pass their anger to the Government.

Dubai or the UAE in general walked towards the right steps until they reached where they are today. UAE leaders cared first about the people of the country, invested in the people and then invested in the infrastructure. With those solid steps, they will reach a day when they become the world's number one country. So what can we do today to be on the same path as our neighbor Dubai?

Today, our situation is unfortunately misty. We do not know where we are heading. The country is moving "3ala el Baraka" as we can describe it. How much did we lose in the last 10 months? How much money (just imagine how much did MOI utilized in the past 10 months which should’ve been used for housing for example)? How much effort? How much strength wasted which could’ve been used in something better? A lot… So, again I will raise this question… what can we do today to be on the same path as our neighbor Dubai or even better.

Political reform? Elected government? Use more security forces? More power to the Parliament? No, these are all shallow solutions and will only pause problems and make them worse.

 Six major steps we must take in order to become a better nation. Start from the inside, move to the family, civil chill, law enforcement, cut the corruption and give the people their rights.

Start from the inside

It is known from the very old days that change begins from the inside, most or all influential people around the world say this. Even the holy Qur'an stated this when God said ((إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ)) "Allah does not change a people´s lot unless they change what is in their hearts". It is simple to understand, challenging to implement. When we start to become better people from the inside, when we begin to thank God, respect others and be better people in doing everything from being dedicated at our jobs, expanding our knowledge, being punctual, doing things with conscious, adding to the society and helping others then we will be able to see the real change in the society. So before we start marching the streets for our rights, we have to know and do our obligations toward others.   

Move to the family

When we start correctly from the inside, then we will automatically start influencing the people we interact with directly, our families. If the father and mother teach their children the principals which I have mentioned in step number one and teach them how to accept and respect others, then we will end up having better families, leading to better neighborhood and a better country. When children learn that it is okay to have people around us who are different from us, it is okay that other people don’t believe in what we believe in (as long as they respect us). We can live with them and we can also be their best friends (and they are neither traitors nor infidels).  When the father teaches his children that a book (not a Molotov) is the weapon and dialogue is the way forward (not roads blocking or garbage dumping in the streets). When the father is the first protector of his wife and children, protecting them by not letting them to be in the wrong places at the wrong times. Then we can say that we have better families and move to the next level.

Civil Chill

History has always taught us lessons to learn from, and one who reads the way Imam Ali (R&P) wanted to deal with the incident of killing of khalifa Othman bin Affan (R) and how he didn’t want to cause more tension between Muslims themselves. But the reason why he failed to stop a Muslim-war between them is the act of Mu'aweya bin Abi Sufyan (R) who insisted on escalating the situation and takes justice from whoever killed Othman without waiting and overseeing the whole situation. Although Imam Ali and Mu,aweya agreed that they won't go to war and that they will work together to bring out whoever killed Othman to justice. But the act that Mu,aweya did (coming to Madinah with his troops) was enough for the people who didn’t want unity to Muslims (Munafeqeen) to make their move and make sure that the war starts between the two. We must learn from history that we must not give any chances for the people who want Bahrain to be separated, the people who wants to see Bahrain destroyed (Our version of Munafeqeen). We must learn that we all have to be the Imam Ali of the nation and to be wise, and always put the unity of the nation ahead of us.

 There is one thing that everybody must remember, we live all together in this country and we have no other solution other than to live together or else start a civil war where all parties will lose. This is very important; this goes to all political societies, all religion scholars, and all the figures that are heard in this society. This is the time that we MUST forget everything. Forget your demands, forget what you want, and forget your political reform point of view. Focus on one thing; focus on how to bring the people back to one again. Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge that there is a very big sectarian tension in this country is either blind or pretending to be blind. Bahrain has always been known for the kindness and hospitality of its people, and losing this today means losing Bahrain. What is the point of all political reform if we have two sects that hate each other? The first step as I see it toward ending this tension is to bring back the faith between the two sects. This only can happen when both sects admits what mistakes they have done and apologizes to the other, only then people can turn the page and start a new chapter. But if we only see escalations, if we only see that people are carrying the BICI report and extracting what they like from it and ignore whatever wrong doings happened from their side, if we see that societies are only talking about the reaction and ignoring the action, then how can we pass this tension zone? Political societies must take responsibility for the wrong events that happened from their sect and apologize. We do not need excuses or explanation, the people only need acknowledgment and an apology to the nation. Religious figures must also meet together, sit and show people that they are together. How do you expect people to get back together if their leaders and ideal figures are fighting between themselves every other day?

Law enforcement

Dear Government, this goes to you. Dear Government, this is simple! Enforce the law! This is a country, this is not a playground where you apply the law on some and ignore the law on others. We need to see that law is enforced on the whole nation, and not excluding any. It is simple! When someone is innocent, release him! When someone is guilty, don’t release him! When someone steals, cut his hand! When someone kills another, he must be sentenced to death! Yet, you do not have the right to torture anyone! This is what our religion taught us. Some laws are applied on the Shiite's but not the Sunnis while other laws are applied on the Sunnis but not the Shiite's, we want the rules to be applied on everyone. It is simple! Enforce the law, don’t differentiate between people, and restore security and safety to people.

Cut the corruption

Our country is drowning with corruption, and no one is doing anything about it. All corrupted figures are left without judgment. The country's wealth is being cut into pieces since a long period of time. Millions and millions throughout the years are disappearing, at the same time some figures are getting richer, richer and richer. The Government must take a very serious investigation and stops every corrupted person or mafias and take them to court. This is the nation's wealth, and all this wealth must go back to its people. We need a proper investigation with steep sentences for all those who are corrupted and stole from this nation; so that all who will come next will think a million time before they touch a small tiny part of our peoples wealth.

Give the people their right

Every Bahraini wants a descent living. A respective home that he can get once he's married, and not wait for 30 years until he gets one. A descent job with a descent salary that will make him cope with today's prices of goods. Every Bahraini wants to be proud of being a Bahraini.  Every Bahraini wants to be able to enjoy full facilities provided by the country such as proper public parks and beaches. Every Bahraini wants to grow up in a healthy environment. Every Bahraini wants to raise his children and not worrying about their future.

When we achieve achieving the previous six steps, then we might move to the next phase and start talking about political reform, democracy or whatever. And then only we can be like our neighbor Dubai or even better.

Makkah

Remember remember the fifth of November

Prayer in Arafa, it was hot...

I see no reason why this Arafa season

Should ever be forgot…

After all, it was the season where God chose me to be one of his guests to attend and perform the Pilgrim. I still don’t know why God was so grateful with me, to choose me among the millions of Muslims who are dying to go to Hajj. I can only think of one reason "the mercifulness of God".

To explain the level of soul comfort that I was in is impossible to address with a pen and paper because only God knows the way I felt back there. Add to that the total shift in time and history of my soul and body throughout the trip. When I did my Tawaf around the Ka'aba, it was like me with the Prophet when he did his Tawaf and destroyed the idols surrounding the Ka'aba the day he entered Makkah. When I prayed in the Haram, it was like me watching Prophet Ibrahim putting the bricks and building the Ka'aba. When I drank Zamzam water, it was like me watching Abu Taleb digging Zamzam after years of it being missed. When I did the Sa'ai between Alsafa and Almarwa mountains, it was like me running with Prophet Ibrahim's wife Hajar searching for water for Baby Prophet Ismail. When I cut my hair, it was like me watching the prophet the first time he cut his hair when he was not allowed to enter Makkah to do his Omrah. Going to Mina camps, Spending the day in Arafa and heading to Muzdalifa, it all made me feel like I was part of Hujjat al Wada'a which was performed by the Prophet Mohammed (P). When I threw the stones in the Jamarat, it gave me this feeling that I was throwing a bad habit with each stone I threw. This was a small translation of the feelings that hit me during my visit to Makkah.

But I'm not here to write about this. I'm here to trigger a far more important issue, an issue that vanished from the minds of millions of people who performed Hajj this year and in the earlier years, wishing that this might wake up other people for the next years. This issue is raised with a question "Why did we go to Hajj?"

The amount of situations from people I've seen in Hajj that saddened me were much more compared to the situations which made me smile. Some are listed below.

Complaining: People complaining all the time about everything, anything, no matter how stupid or serious it's about. Traffic jam, little food, hot water, Hot weather, AC not working, the room is small, the bed is not comfortable, the bus is old, the pillow is not soft and you can name many others.

Respectful LESS: People tend to forget where they are and start acting with a negative attitude. They shout at each other, they push each other, they swear at each other. No matter where they are, even if they were near the Ka'aba.

Personal Hygiene: I don’t think this needs any further clarifications!

General Hygiene: I went to Arafa after the waqfa day and I was shocked! This holy place which is mentioned in the holy Qur'an was literally a big Garbage tank. The roads were full with garbage, litter, remaining of food, etc. The smell of the place was awful. Not only in Arafa, but the same situation was exactly in Mina camps.

After all what I saw, I go and remember my visit to Japan earlier this year and compare it to my Hajj visit and remember a quote said by a dear friend "In Japan they dont have Muslims but they have Islam… and we have Muslims but we don’t have Islam". We are supposed to be the Nation of Kindness, Respect and Hygiene. But unfortunately when comparing ourselves to most of the nations today, we are the worst. Don’t blame it on the Saudis, they are doing a great job in the organizations; also don’t blame it on the level of education of people because those are simple basic Islamic principles. Every country must educate, teach their people the basic rules and principles before sending them to the test, to Hajj, because Hajj is a test.

I go back to the question I raised, "Why did we go to Hajj?" what is it really about? Is it about going to pray and cross another pillar of Islam off the list? Maybe yes.

But if we want to know the real reason, the real meaning behind it we shall just read the first two verses of Surat Al Hajj

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ َ يوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ

Translation: Oh mankind! Fear your lord and be dutiful to him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (the judgment day) is a terrible thing. The day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursing, and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you will see mankind as drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the torment of God.

This is it! This is the bottom line! Hajj is just a preparation for what is coming, for the real Hajj. When you only wear a white piece of cloth, when you are standing with millions of other people, this is all a preparation for the day where you will be standing with the whole mankind in front of God, in a very long day (50,000), where the sun will only be a mile away from your head!

People who go to Hajj MUST imagine and live that they are standing in the judgment day! They should not complain, they should not be negative; they should not be controversial and they should stop all acts of depravity.

People tend to forget that they are the guests of God, that he chose them among millions of others, that he wants to forgive all their sins, and that he wants to prepare them for the bigger Hajj. If you are going to Hajj, please do not forget this and be a better Muslim.

And for me, it surely was a fifth of November that I will never ever forget.

 Ahmed

13th November 2011