Sep 30, 2008 Announcements & Updates
I wish everybody a Happy Eid as the Islamic world celebrates Eid ElFitar (the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan)
كل عام والجميع ان شاء الله بخير
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Sep 29, 2008 Announcements & Updates
Well Patrick the host of the phileas club was nice to invite me once more to participate in his show. We were joined by Tom Merrit from Buzz Out Loud and had a blast. So please check it out and let me know what you think.
http://www.thephileasclub.com/
Popularity: 14% [?]
Sep 19, 2008 Saudi News
Sheikh Abdullah bin Jibrin
Story
A Saudi religious leader Abdullah bin Jibrin has come out on a TV show and issued a new fatwa. When asked about the slow movement to freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia where journalists and writers are now given space to question and attack Saudi religious leaders he responded by issuing a fatwa where such writers are to be jailed and lashed for such writings.
Commentary
Well we just got a new fatwa in Saudi Arabia and its a good one. Apparently religious leaders in Saudi Arabia are prophets that can not be questioned or attacked and anybody that does such a thing is a sinner that must be punished.
Somebody needs to stop these stupid fatwas that have nothing to do with religious and all to do with supporting backwordnes and fundimntalists.
Popularity: 29% [?]
Sep 17, 2008 Saudi News
Sheikh Saleh Al-Luhaidan,
Story
The head of the Saudi Judaical System issued a fatwa on a radio show declaring that the owners of TV station who broadcast material deemed inappropriate may be punished by death.
“If the evil of those who promote corruption in belief and actions cannot be held back through lesser punishments, then they can be put to death through the judicial process,” Lohaidan, head of the Supreme Judicial Council said.
The reaction to this fatwa has gained national and international reaction.
“The extremist elements will take advantage of the fatwa and start recruiting our young people to bomb the locations of such TV stations,” al-Obeikhan, who is also an adviser at the Saudi ministry of justice, was quoted as saying to the Saudi Al Jazeera newspaper.
Commentary
So this is basically old news by now but its important. Of course I followed this fatwa as it happened but decided to hold back posting it and commenting on it due to my unbalanced negative reaction to it and I didn’t want to say something that I would regret.
Plain and simple this is the most idiotic fatwa I have ever heard and a very dangerous one. I quoted part of the fatwa in the story however it might not sound as bad translated and only showing a part of it. When the fatwa in its whole and in Arabic is repeated it sounds even worse. Even though the fatwa does say that the death of the owners must be through the courts it is so open to translation that fundamentalist and terrorist organizations could use it as a support to killing and blowing up TV stations and their owners.
The truth of the matter is that the courts would never be able to prosecute any of the TV station owners let alone pass the death penalty against them as the government would never allow this. Luhidan knows this just as everybody else in Saudi Arabia knows this, so why a fatwa declaring death to TV station owners when he knows it will never happen? Clearly its a message for fundamentalist and terrorist organizations to take matters into their own hands.
Luhidan did come on TV the next day to clarify his fatwa however his explanation was complete bull s*** as it was most about how great he was and how knowledgeable and sticking to his fatwa just clarifying that it is for the Judaical system to follow it and not individuals.
Its time for Luhidan to resign and have someone with more sense take over the Judaical system.
Popularity: 32% [?]
Sep 9, 2008 Saudi News
A Screenshoot of "Funjan AlDam"
Story
Two Historical Bedouin (Arab nomad tribes) TV series were stopped from being broadcast on TV as planned during the holy moth of Ramadan. The first titled “Fingan ElDam” (Cup of Blood) was stopped
before even being broadcast. The step by the Arab TV network MBC was taken due to requests and demands from many Arab tribes to not broadcast the show as they believed it would have resulted in hatred and historical mistakes. The second show on Abu Dhabi TV “Sadon ElAuagy” was canceled by the president of the UAE after 8 episodes in response from tribal leaders and members.
Commentary
So freedom of speech is shot once more due to tribal traditions. Tribes are very proud and they think they are the best and the rest are below them. Any attempt to show otherwise is meet with resistance and could even result into a tribal war. Each tribe has its own truth and the rest are lies.
Clearly since MBC promised to show the show after reviewing it after Ramadan that MBC took a marketing response. Afraid to loss viewers during its most profitable month they decided to wait till Ramadan and show the series. This would hurt the MBC at a minimum and make it possible to recover by next Ramadan if the show received negative responces and boycots. Abu Dhabi TV however seems to have ignored the requests to stop the show and as a result were forced to stop after only 8 days by order of the UAE president after the complaints reached him.
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Sep 9, 2008 Show
Well this is the first episode of A Saudi Life that I record after my return to Saudi Arabia. This is a quick and short episode as I am busy settling in and starting the next step in my life. Also I need to get more questions from everybody out there to answer and discuss on the show. I am also hoping to have a guest or two on the next show, will post details when guests are confirmed.
As always you can get the show from iTunes, using your favorite RSS reader or from the player below, and please rate my show on iTunes.
PS: Sorry for the poor voice quality as I lost my mic in the move, hope to get a new one for the next show.
Popularity: 44% [?]
Sep 5, 2008 Saudi News
Hacked Ministry of Labor Site
Story
An unemployed Saudi citizen hacked the website for the Saudi Ministry of Labor. He did that by replacing the front page with a message saying the site was hacked and the phrase “We are bored of unemployment can you listen”
Commentary
Unemployment is becoming a serious problem in Saudi Arabia and with the current rate of inflation its just getting worse. Saudi Arabia’s main problem is a young population (50% of population is estimated to be under 15 years old) and reliance on foreign workers (about 5 million immigrant works are officially declared). But I do wounder what does hacking the site will do to solve the unemployment problem? It does show how poor the site is and after visiting it I can say I can make a better site in less than an hour.
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Sep 3, 2008 Announcements & Updates
So I arrived back home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Its was a long trip with a few minor problems but no delays. Working on settling in and adapting to the time change.
Will be back on the site slowly posting as I settel in.
Popularity: 47% [?]
Aug 20, 2008 Announcements & Updates
Well, I am flying home on September 1st and will be busy till then paking and setteling all my affairs in the USA. So as I result I could disappear as I won’t have time to spend on the site. My next post will be most likely sometime after I reach home and settle down. I will also have a podcast up during my first week at home to keep up with my new once a month show policy.
So till then, hope you all have a good time.
Saudi Arabia here I come!
Popularity: 65% [?]
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