This is to wish all the people in the world, Muslims and others, a splendid New 1427 Hijri Year. May it bring peace of mind to the people, and may it usher in some light into the the great heart of Mankind.

This may sound redundant at first glance, yet the need to clarify a number of things is explicit enough to make this entry come to life. Much has been said of late about some cartoons depicting the Prophet of Islam, Mohammad, in ways that offended the Islamic psyche worldwide.

Prophet Mohammad to Muslims is the guide that ushered light into their lives, by delivering the message of Divinity to peoples of all races and times. Understanding the reverence and respect Muslims have for their Prophet is essential in untangling this web of reactions. In addition to that, Muslims believe in all God’s messengers, therefore, to them, insulting one messenger means insulting all without exclusion. This leads to a sane deduction that, by transgressing over most Muslims’ sentiments with regards to their Prophet, the cartoons have the same impact as if they were depicting Jesus, or any other God-sent messenger - Jesus cited due to popularity, in offensive situations of your choice. While this may not stir difference in many people’s lives,denial can hardly be in place that it offends the religious.

This view, with what weight it possesses, should not be made light of. The manner in which Muslims and the Denmark or even the EU are reacting to this so-dubbed war of Free Speech vs. Religion, is debatable and arguments about it could go for hours on end. This is not my interest in this entry, you may wish to look elsewhere for this sort of argument.

The story, or the bits of it that have made it to my brain, has it that a Danish newspaper published the caricatures, which was a step that stirred a torrent of reactions by Danish Muslims. Some time later, a Norwegian newspaper published the same, or so I read, cartoons. This time, the torrent grew larger: Muslims around the world pledged to boycott Danish products, governments condemned the sacrilege and retrieved ambassadors, the Danish people -in polls- urged their leaders not to apologize, and just recently the EU took up the matter and made a not-so-subliminal economic threat to all countries who enact the boycott.

The issue at hand, if we are to dissect it, could boil down to a few questions: How far can one go with one’s right of Free Speech?. Rationality is in favor of Free Speech, but does it support it all the way? Are there no red lines that one ought to respect such as, say, the Holocaust, or Prophet Mohammad wearing a bomb-turban?

Stepping on either one of the two “odds” is dangerous. One is bound to get a decent amount of reactions, some wise, and most unwise, if one limits people’s freedom or if one lets it off the leash. I find it most amusing how most current trends, and so-dubbed-liberals-in-their-own-words, and kindly do not mistake this for an attack targeting a certain group of individuals (for any such a notion is a false claim), think it appropriate to mock the outrage that is taking the Muslim awareness by storm, and yet to overlook the simplicity of the situation that the caricatures did, in actual fact, insult someone respected by “some” people who happen to have a lot of family.

This sort of stand is severely insensitive and biased, for a simple and obvious reason, yet one that seems to allude a large number of the “liberals”. Should one claim to be liberal, then one acknowledges the rights of all people to express their differences, and one respects that. One ought not to bash some, those regarded as the retarded glitch in the face of civilization by one’s views, and spare their allegedly more-refined brethren.

If I were to look at matters from a personal point of view, I seem to find it difficult to digest to insult what a loner in Australia believes in. I may not know the person, and I may not be interested in learning much about the culture, but insulting beliefs that I know are thought very highly of is uncalled-for. This sort of conduct strikes me as being absolutely unprovoked and tremendously provocative.

Taken from Nas’ entry on the subject, this is one interesting bit of information.

” Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.
�So now what are we going to do? � Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?� he said at an economic conference in the Qatari capital of Doha.
�In Europe, most of the struggles we�ve had in the past 50 years have been to fight prejudices against Jews, to fight against anti-Semitism,� he said.
Clinton described as �appalling� the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world.
�None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions � there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark � these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam,� he said.”

A little statement with enormous impact. This is what Leen, my niece, had to say on her fourth birthday, which corresponded with the date of January 29th, 2006.

“I think I want to marry a man when I grow up, but what am I gonna name him?”.

You see, marriage, too, does not have to be complicated.

a woman hungry and
dry asks a
stranger with a camera
pointed at her to
put it down
please
help me find my children
it has been five days

-Suheir Hammad

Link

I resolved to launch a new blog under the title United Tololy News. A step I thought I would not undertake, yet need spoke louder than any decisions.

United Tololy News is authored by my evil twin, and it is, in a nutshell, ” A new sort of media”, as opposed to Tololy’s Box which adhers to rationality most of the time.

Scrolling further down may expose some people to a shocking image. Do not scroll down unless you have a virtually high level of pain tolerance. If seeing extreme piercings offends, or appals you, kindly take care not to check the image at the tail of this post. My conscience is clear, do not sue.

Body Art is a fascinating play over the human body, pushing imagination to the very extremes, and mocking pain. A great deal of patience and effort are the minimum requirements for any person considering, or willing to, undergo any form of bodmod (Body Modification). Piercing, tattooing, scarring, branding, suspension, and many another form of art sum up this fascinating world.

A touching side to the story of, widely, anyone who dares modify their body in unusual ways, is the social labels glued to them by force. The rigid manner in which most social circles receive body modifiers is unwise, but it should be expected, seeing as most people do not agree that this indeed is a form of Art. Tags such as “cries for attention”, or “cult practices”, and verdicts of the genre, could annihilate and overshadow the artistic quality of the body in question.

It may well be true that some body modifiers are expressing a need for attention, or, in other cases, belonging to a certain sect or group. A large number of body modifiers, mainly piercees and tattooed persons, frequent the studios because of a need to “belong” to a group; caused by peer pressure. To judge all as being “utter freakshows” is an error.

Following is a picture of a beautiful piece of Art, with a capital A. This is a Corset Piercing, and the image has been taken from this site. Clipping was necessary, refer to the link for further details and images. This sort of body modification represents the apex of human beauty and patience, a masterpiece.

Khalidah was so nice as to tag me. Here are my answers:

Declare 5 facts about yourself:

1- Butterflies terrify me.
2- I bite my fingers and they usually bleed because of that. Sharp teeth.
3- I do not like Jilbab or Abaya.
4- I love jet black and blood red nail polish.
5- I adore longhaired bad boys, tattoos, piercings, the works.

State 3 things you like in others:

1- Being intelligent enough not to try to change me or convince me of every point they make.
2- Laughing at my old nasty jokes.
3- Saying “Thank you” when the need calls for it.

State 3 things you don�t like in others:

1- Irrelevance and/or stupidity.
2- Believing that every single debate has to end with a “triumph”.
3- Being slow or confused pedestrians.

Tag four bloggers and comment on their blogs that they have been tagged and direct them to your post: I would like to pass the joy on to Malhas, Dusty, Lulu, and Wael.

Aeschylus’ The Suppliants. Chorus of the Danaids addressing King Pelasgus, ruler of Argos.