What is this world coming to ?

Are we Arabs still so proud of our monumental achievements ?

Our oil is drying out, our industry (whatever is left of it after the thieving scheming officials across the region get their cut) is polluting the world and our recent contribution to civilisation can be summed up by the digit ZERO.

Our youth are lazy, our social values and principles are going down the drain and respect for law and order is at an all-time low.

Where have we gone wrong ?

Aren't we the people the Quran was revealed (transmitted, broadcast, beamed, SMSed) to ?

Aren't we the ones who were thriving in a Golden Age full of harems and merry Caliphs while Europeans were cocooned in what was known as the Dark Age ?

Aren't we the ones who were blessed by oil and enjoyed a boom and a boost in the 70s, making all our Arab brothers from Morocco to wherever the oil line was drawn go green with envy ?
And then what ? What happened ? What went wrong in this fairy tale penned by the biggest Satirist of all times ?

SILENCE. No words are coming to my silly mind to describe the doldrums this part of the corrupt hypocritical world is going through.

Let's review what happened:

For years people who wanted social and political reform, change and development were rounded up and left to rot in prison cells while the religious fanatics grew and infested the whole region.

The Wahabi stream was growing on mainland Arabia and the Shia fanatics in Qom were whipping up the masses to scream in one voice "Down Down America", while the losers were dying for denim jeans and anything with the stinky smell of Uncle Sam on it.

And all this time the voices of reason who had the vision to see beyond their nose tips were either bought off by governments or have decided to pack up and go into self-exile or have gone crazy or have flipped and changed direction or sent to jail.

Faced with being punished for speaking my mind or being rewarded for shutting up - you know what I would choose?

Yes, believe it or not I would shut up.

I am not Imam Hussain bin Ali who goes to Karbala knowing that he would get killed just to stand for his belief.

I will not even aspire to get close to that.

The age of men and sacrifice and standing to our principles has gone...and there is no turning back.

Let's muzzle free thought. Let us create a society built on fear and discrimination. Let us divide and rule.

And when it eventually comes tumbling down on our very heads: Let's cry out loud "wolf wolf".
Too late... and save the crocodile tears.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It isn't that bad in the Gulf is it? True, the religious crazies are a disaster, but while the world's attention has been focussed on OBL and co. big things have been happening in the small Gulf states: Dubai is now the commercial and economic capital of the Arab world, Bahrain has now made massive strides to open up politically, and the region is the fastest growing on Earth after China (which is starting from a much lower base).

So ignore that howling wolf - if he looks mean uncle sam can be relied on to get him straight between the eyes.

Maqsood Qureshi said...

You write so well. Keep up your spirits. :-)

SillyBahrainiGirl said...

Thanks everyone..
My spirits are up, this is why I am still raving and ranting.
You should all worry and come to my rescue when I shut up ;)
Of course, there is still hope.. knowing that I am not alone.

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