I’m extremely disgusted and horrified by the assassination of Rafiq al-Harrii in Beirut this morning. I just called my very good Lebanese friend Amal and she is shattered. This could herald a civil-war style conflict in Lebanon. It really is bad news.
My thoughts go with all the Lebanese people right now. May God give them strength, patience and tolerance in these very difficult times. And above all may the Almighty protect their beautiful country.
I’m so sick of this whole region. Mere words cannot convey my frustration. It is endless chaos.
Ameen,
First off, do not call me darling. You are using it in a condescending way, and as a feminist, (yeah I am a feminist) it grosses me out.
Second, part of creating social change is recognizing the bad from the good, and knowing that a better day will come, thus, this is why I said stay positive or don’t give up hope. When you stated this, “I don’t think I’ll be coming back to the Arab world to live for a while, I can’t stand the thought of having to deal with closed minds and closed spirits right now,” it made me sad, because it is people like you who can actually make a difference there. Okay, now that I got that point out of the way…
When I mentioned some of the bad things happening where I live, I was in no way trying to compare that to those who are dealing with occupation and war. And the last I remembered, Qatar was not going through that (that is a hint for someone). I was just trying to prove to someone that I do not live in a little safe world. I have to watch out where ever I go, because you never know. Two of my friends were attacked and rapped close to my campus which is in the heart of the valley. I was freaked out about that. But I don’t hide and complain. I did something about that. I took the Rape Aggression Defense class for women, then I started to promote the program on campus by various marketing campaigns through my public relations internship, that increased the amount of women taking the class.
Again, in no way am I comparing this to anything that goes on there in the Middle East, but someone decided to get personal with me, so I gave them personal.
I have enjoyed this discussion very much, and at the end of it all, I think we all want the same thing: peace and prosperity for all in the Middle East.
Linda darling, all you told us to do was be positive. You suggested no course of action. So I ask you, what if women in the early 1900s had said “Just be positive.” Would they have gotten anywhere? No. They congregated (spelling) and collectively said “This sucks” and then moved from there. Exactly what we are trying to do. If a man (you in this little analogy) walked in and said “Guys, just be positive!” They would have mocked him. Even if he was gay.
And the 818 ain’t all that bad. Tucson was named the number one city for violent crime. I still go out. The analogy to crime is moot.
Your parents don’t let you go out because you have crime, what would they do if there was a chance a trip to Pasadena included an explosion? Would they remain positive?