Myrtus

"Reason of Being" by Moroccan Author Abel Azrali

Those of you who already have a copy of Abel Azrali's fictional novel  "Grilled Fish", this is the second edition of the same novel, which is now available at Publish America.

"Humphrey Bogart knew first hand that leaving Casablanca was not all that easy.
When you are young, inexperienced, and less fortunate, living in a shaky society, the odds of leaving are even greater.
The tale portrayed in this book tells the story of a young man born and raised in the slums of Casablanca. Through out the story, he interacts with other characters whose presence is a testimony, a reflective mirror, a living reminder to what scores of young men and women go through on a daily basis in a man-made jungle.
Like his peers, Saed had to deal with the reality of the Moroccan society imposed by a broken, corrupt system. He had to join the masses in their daily struggle. But he refused to meet a similar fate and decided to find a way out."

The Diary of Anne Frank - Free Download in Arabic

Apparently, other than in Morocco and Tunisia, most people in the Arab world have never heard of "The Diary of Anne Frank". 

This is kind of surprising to me, especially when, in most cases, the book is banned for political or ideological reasons.  You would think that's the more reason people would want to get a hold of it and pass it around, even if it's just out of curiosity, no?  Plus the fact that it's one of the most read books in the world!  I guess that's possible, but it looks like that's going to change now.

They say thousands of copies have been downloaded in Arab countries since it's been made available online free of charge by Aladdin Library about a year ago.

"Aladdin is the first multilingual, free online library in the world that offers its subscribers 24/7 access to an online collection of books translated for the first time into Arabic and Persian with the aim of enhancing mutual knowledge among peoples of different cultures and rejecting conflicts of memory, including all forms of Holocaust denial and trivialization. You can read every book cover to cover and – for the first time in an online library – you can download the entire book free of charge. The library allows subscribers to search each and every word of all of the books and articles in the collection.

The library is the result of a partnership that aims to create a network of non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental institutions and private publishers in Europe and in the Muslim world with the objective of providing a multilingual, reliable and free source of knowledge and information easily accessible on the Internet."

"Grilled Fish" ~ A fictional novel based on actual facts, played out in Morocco

Grilled Fish

by ABEL AZRALI

"Grilled Fish is a fictional novel based on actual facts. It portrays the lives of a group of young men growing up in Casablanca, Morocco, during the seventies. The story is told through the eye of Saed, a teenager who, like his peers, had to deal with the harsh reality of the Moroccan society..."

I'd like to add that yes, "Grilled Fish" does portray the lives of a group of young Moroccan men during the 70s Casablanca, but I think it's a timeless story that also gives you a deeper understanding for what drives Moroccan wannabe immigrants who sometimes would do anything, including risk their lives to cross over to Europe, hoping for a better existence.  And it also puts the spotlight on so many more who won't even dare make the attempt, simply because they're paralyzed by a draconian system that rules lives.

Incidentally, Abel is my very first online friend, from when I first joined the Internet in 1999...I was deeply honored when he asked me to write the foreword for "Grilled Fish".

Check it out, it's now available at Amazon.com

The Taqwacores - "The Catcher in the Rye" for young Muslims gives birth to Muslim punk rock

  The Taqwacores is the latest literary sensation to inspire rebellious Muslim youth across America, launching a new kind of Muslim subculture.  It's 100% American and 100% Muslim and it may be coming to a theater near you real soon.

 

 

Young Muslims build a subculture on an underground

 

Muhammad Knight was born an Irish Catholic in upstate New York and converted to Islam as a teenager. He studied at a mosque in Pakistan but became disillusioned with Islam after learning about the sectarian battles after the death of Muhammad.

He said he wrote The Taqwacores to mend the rift between his being an observant Muslim and an angry American youth. He found validation in the life of Muhammad, who instructed people to ignore their leaders, destroy their petty deities and follow only Allah.

What are YOU reading?

I was tagged by my buddies Reda and Une Marocaine at Agora to talk about the book I'm currently reading.

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Go to page 123 of the book you're currently reading.

3. Quote the fifth phrase on that page and also 3 phrases after that.

4. List the year the book was published, edition, title and author.

5. Tag 5 other bloggers to find out what they're reading.

                        ~~~~~~~    ~~~~~~~

1 - Indiquer le nom de la personne qui vous a taggué avec un lien vers son blog
2 - Prendre le livre que l'on lit actuellement à la page 123
3 - Recopier le texte de la 5ème phrase et des 3 suivantes
4 - Indiquer année de parution, édition, titre et auteur du livre
5 - Choisir 5 autres blogueurs/blogueuses pour leur demander ce qu'ils lisent.

A storyteller.

A fabulist.

A liar.

And the plea that had so moved me - tell me the truth - had been uttered by a man who was not even real.

"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield

First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition October 2007

Was #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list.

My sister Salima recommended it to me recently and now I recommend it to YOU.

Ironically it's a story about someone else's story.......it's a story about a writer and much of it takes place in a library or bookshop, but that's not nearly all.  It's a fun and intriguing tale that reads like a charm and I usually read it when I go to bed.

Now I pass on the torch to my buddies Wine Writer, Ahmed T., Speak Moroccan, La Gatita Gringa, Jillian C York.

Laila Lalami at Google

She's smart, she's quick and witty, she's eloquent, elegant and pretty.

Laila's book reading at Google:

^^5 Laila!!  I'm so proud of you girl!

Listen how Laila talks about hijab towards the end of the video.  Ironically I had an almost identical conversation about hijab with PV this morning. 

A Good Shepherd

For Christians this is Good Friday. For our Jewish brothers Purim. For the Hindus in the audience, Small Holi. In Iran they will be celebrating their New Year while others in Islam will celebrate the birth of the Prophet. And the Buddhists will be celebrating Magha Puja. All these events coinciding in this year at this time, I would classify it as a miracle.

On March 15th the Almighty called back one of His shepherds to receive his Heavenly rewards. On this miraculous Good Friday it is an opportune time to talk of this extraordinary man. Jacob DeShazer was born in 1912 and he might have remained unknown except in 1939 he joined the United States Army Air Corps. By 1941 he was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Group flying the brand new B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. It was here that DeShazer's life took a turn that would shape the rest of his life. DeShazer became one of the Doolittle Raiders. Men who were going to fly 16 B-25s off the US Navy's newest carrier USS Hornet and strike at the Japanese mainland. This mission was one for the history books. And it almost ended before a single plane left Hornet's deck when Japanese trawlers spotted the fast take force. They were 800 miles away and chances of anyone making China were slim. Still Lt. Col. Doolittle and Adm. Halsey made the bold decision to launch the B-25s. DeShazer was the bombardier for Plane #16, the last to take off. After bombing Nagoya, Lt. Farrow's plane raced for China but ran out of fuel before finding a safe landing strip. Except for York's plane landing in the USSR, none of the Doolittle B-25s made safe landings. As for the crews, most managed to land outside Japanese zones of control. Lt. Farrow's crew, including DeShazer, was not that lucky as they were captured. A total of eight Raiders were captured by the Japanese. They were brutally tortured and then, in violation of the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners, all eight were ex-post facto charged with war crimes like strafing school children under a law that was inspired by the Doolittle Raid. Three of the eight, Hallmark, Farrow, and Spatz, were executed by the Japanese while the others were sentenced, by a merciful Emperor, to life in prison. On December 1, 1943 one of the five surviving prisoners, Lt. Robert Meder, died due to beriberi.

All this time, each man was living solitary in a cell with barely any food or exercise. So they turned inward to find ways of dealing with imprisonment. In the Spire Christian Comics Attack! we learn how DeShazer felt towards the Japanese, hatred burned in his heart for all the cruelty he had witnessed being dispensed, after Meder died this hatred almost drove him insane. While this was happening DeShazer begged for a Bible and was finally allowed one. In Gline's The Doolittle Raid he recounts DeShazer would dabble in poetry and all would meditate on Bible passages they remembered. With the Bible in hand the scales fell from DeShazer's eyes as his hatred transformed into loving pity for his captors who were shackled by their own hatred. Then one day DeShazer heard the Holy Spirit command him to pray, pray hard for peace. So DeShazer prayed until two o'clock when he heard the same voice say it was enough that victory is won. That day was August 9th, 1945 and Bock's Car had dropped the second atomic weapon on Nagasaki. But it would be almost another two weeks before they learned the war was over. And then Americans showed up at the camp and all four Raiders were free at last after 40 months of hell on earth.

If you thought DeShazer's journey was over once being liberated, well thou art mistaken dear readers. DeShazer went home to the US and became a minister. Here is where Jacob did something that should have been unthinkable and for many American POWs of the Japanese it still is to this day. DeShazer went back to Japan as a missionary. During his 30 years in Japan, DeShazer helped start 28 churches and bring the Word of Christ to many. Among those who heard the Word was Mitsuo Fuchida, the man who lead the attack on Pearl Harbor and transmitted the now famous code grouping 'To ra! To ra! To ra!' When reading of Fuchida's experiences, one would be hard pressed not to see some divine hand present. From being sick with appendicitis during the Battle of Midway that prevented him from flying and lead to his evacuation when so many of his fellow pilots perished to landing at the still smoldering ruins of Hiroshima and living while the others in the team died, something or someone definitely guided him. And then Fuchida encountered DeShazer outside the courthouse in Japan where he was testifying about war crimes. Fuchida read DeShazer's story of being a prisoner and then studied the Bible himself before converting to Christianity.

Truly DeShazer was a good shepherd. One who did not stay where it was comfortable tending the 99 sheep. But the one who would brave the thickets and treacherous paths to find that one solitary sheep and bring them back to the fold. G_d speed Jacob DeShazer and thank you for all of your sacrifices.

For further reading:
PDF of Jacob DeShazer's I Was A Prisoner Of Japan.
Jacob DeShazer's page on the Doolittle Raiders site.
The Doolittle Raid by Carol V Glines, Schiffer Military History.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Capt. Ted Lawson, Random House.
Miracle at Midway by Gordon Prange, Penguin.
At Dawn We Slept by Gordon Prange, Penguin.
Attack! by Mitsuo Fuchida, Christian Spire Comics.

What book are YOU?

Via Cat in Rabat

What Book Am I?

You're Anne of Green Gables!
by L.M. Montgomery
Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash, honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters. You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Ian Buruma's Enlightened View

Finally somebody who calls it as I see it. 

There is no doubt that many Islamic societies, especially in the Middle East, are in deep trouble for many reasons: political, historical, social, economic and religious. Revolutionary Islamism is seen by a growing number of Muslims as the only answer to failed secular dictatorships and corrupt, oil-rich elites, as well as to the economic and military domination of the United States. And European Muslims, often confused and alienated, feel its fatal attraction. Hirsi Ali is quite right that this force must be resisted. Enlightened reform of religious practices that clash with liberal democratic freedoms is necessary. But much though I respect her courage, I’m not convinced that Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s absolutist view of a perfectly enlightened West at war with the demonic world of Islam offers the best perspective from which to get this done.

H/T Pieter at Peaktalk.

One thing that bugs me about Ayaan Hirsi Ali is that she's so anti-male.   When it comes to men, you will rarely hear her give credit where it's due or say anything good about men in general, let alone her own father, who seems to have passed on to her those special genes for constantly being on the run leaving a trail of havoc in the political scene wherever he goes.  I don't believe for a single minute that she's fighting on behalf of anybody's plight but her own selfish self.  She just loves being in the spotlight and she'll do anything to satisfy her constant need for attention.  Her reverse extremism really sucks!

If anything, I think she's incredibly crafty at riding the wave of popular opinion jumping from one extreme to another in the face of adversity in whichever society she happens to find herself at any given time.  With that said, I don't doubt that if she happens to find herself in an all male society sometime in the future (God forbid, but one just never knows with AHA), give her a chance and she will find ways to grow herself a penis I'm sure....I mean come on, she has already proven she's got the balls!

Update:

Another good one from Pieter.

This time it is Hitchens who takes on Buruma and Garton Ash who have relegated our good Dutch-Somali heroine to the absolutist corner and questioned her ‘enlightenment-fundamentalism’.

My response to Mr. Hitchens....

You're right, AHA is no fundamentalist, but an extremist yes!  The way I see it, fundamentalism seems to imply an ideology based on certain values (often derived from religion), regardless if those values are good or bad in the eyes of apposite extremists, they're values nevertheless. Add to that the fact that Ms Ali has publicly renounced all forms of religion, I suggest you take a step back for a minute and reevaluate your own views Mr Hitchens.  If you ask me, AHA's opinions are based on nothing other than her own experiences which only transform into value at the cash register.  People with similar experiences as Ms Ali are a dime a dozen Mr Hitchens, look around you, there are plenty of people suffering even worse fates than Ms Ali, men and women alike.  Maybe you just don't notice them as much because they're not as fortunate in finding the proper marketing strategy as she obviously has....or maybe you don't notice them because they're not looking to market themselves, they're just busy going on with their lives merely longing for peace and prosperity, while working hard, doing everything they can to ensure their own survival.

You say "She has never used or advocated violence", I say if you take a look at this video, you'll discover how she tries to pull the wool over your eyes with her carefully chosen words, but if you pay attention, you'll see that Ms. Ali clearly states that we should have whacked Saudi Arabia simply because the majority of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis.

When asked about Islam, Ms Ali says:

"It's not a religion of peace and immediately after 9/11, they should have said: it's not a religion of peace, we're up against Islam and 17 or 16 men out of 19 of the attackers came from Saudi Arabia and we have to face Saudi Arabia, but instead we went to Afghanistan!"

Don't you think that statement is a bit extreme Mr Hitchens? 

Well, no need to question her sanity, but I think that before you go on to recommending her for sainthood, please take the time to examine her motives.

I see too many contradictions in her MO.  She may not be violent, but she's certainly forceful.

She works for a conservative think tank, which in itself suggests that she upholds certain conservative values to even qualify for that position. 

My question is: What exactly are those values?

If it's anything related to capitalism, I personally don't see anything wrong with that, if it's money that makes her happy...heck, I don't care, she is certainly entitled to the pursuit of her own liberty and happiness, but she clearly states that she doesn't believe in God (therefore sending a message to anyone who actually does believe in God, but we don't have a problem with that) and she has repeatedly taken a stance against US foreign policy, she's against US military action both in Afghanistan and Iraq...she says she believes in freedom, but she does not believe in freedom of religion, especially when it comes to that of Muslims (as you can see in this same video), however, she does advocate imposing that Muslims only adhere to a certain set of beliefs from "their religion" which are compatible with democracy....OK fine, which democracy?  And it's not so much her imposing a set of rules on Muslims that I object to, it's the fact that she discards the whole entire religion of Islam saying that "it's not a religion of peace" and by doing that she rejects me personally as a "cultural Muslim" and my whole entire family for that matter, and millions of others who are practicing Muslims, who never did anything to harm anybody for the sake of their religion.

Saddam's secrets in a book

Saddam's secrets

Saddam Hussein's Iraqi lawyer said he will write a book revealing "many secrets" told to him by the executed dictator about the fall of Baghdad, his arrest and his imprisonment.

Khalil al-Dulaimi said: "The book will contain information never before revealed and many secrets about the fall of Baghdad.

"It will contain letters, poems and other texts handwritten by Saddam while the rest will be stories he revealed to me during more than 140 interviews in jail."

According to Dulaimi the book will be more than 500 pages long and "could be out in a year".