Holiday Sunrise
Good morning, Kuwait, and a beautiful day it is going to be:
No, that isn’t an attack helicopter in the photo, it is a bird, and I didn’t even see him until I uploaded the photo. The sun is coming up around 0615 in the morning, and mornings are still cool and comfortable.
It’s a quiet morning, as people sleep in; today is a holiday – the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.
Honored Guest
In every country where I have lived, we have felt like honored guests. This week, I have been truly honored, my blogging friend Hilaliya has asked me to be an occasional guest blogger on his revamped blog, now featuring a Kuwait Blogging Diwaniya. Pretty cool, huh? I have to admit it, I have a smile from ear to ear.
The revered blogger Don Veto led the way with an article yesterday, and I jumped in today.
In honor of my ear-to-ear smile, it’s called Smile for me Baby – Let Me See Your Grill but fair warning – it’s political polemic, about parliamentary gridlock, so you will see a grittier side of Intlxpatr.
Wild Blue Yonder
Today was the Kuwait show of military might. No sandstorm, thanks be to God. Somehow, I had thought yesterday was Wednesday and thought how sad it was it would have had to be cancelled. When I woke up today and realized it was Wednesday, I could hardly wait.
Just the sound of the roaring jets gives me a grin. I once lived near a huge airbase, and we lived with the sound day and night. It never bothered me. I always knew these were men and women who sacrificed their lives to serve their country in a profession that looks a lot more glamorous than it is. Flying can be exciting, but it can also be very tedious. You are away from your family for long hours. It gets old. They persevere.
The young men and women chosen to fly these fighter planes have to have superior physical condition and reflexes. Think about you and the car your daddy gave you – it may be expensive, but it didn’t cost billions. These planes do. It’s an amazing responsibility, a privilege and an honor to be selected.
Bu Yousef, tell your friend he was supposed to waggle his wings when he flew by so I would know which one he was! 😉
Macaholic, it was a little hazy, but the attack helicopters are for you. 🙂
The Most Dangerous Job in Kuwait
From today’s Al Watan:
KUWAIT: The operations room received a call informing them that an Asian domestic maid tried to commit suicide by stabbing herself while at her sponsor”s house in the Salmiya area. Police officers and medical teams rushed to the scene where paramedics administered emergency medical aid and rushed her to Mubarak Hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit. However, on interrogating her, she alleged that she did not attempt suicide but that she had been stabbed. Investigations are underway to ascertain the authenticity of the statement.
OK. Stop and think about it. How do you stab yourself? I can imagine, if I were wanting to commit suicide, a hundred ways easier than trying to stab oneself. Don’t you think the police would have been suspicious from the very beginning?
Every time I read about another domestic committing suicide, I wonder. I have heard many many things.
I wonder how many women commit suicide by “jumping” off the balcony? Those who survive often say they were thrown, or pushed, by “the madam.”
One girl told me that every maid brought into the household where she works immediately has to have her hair cut very short (and unflattering) and to wear voluminous and ugly uniforms, because “the madam” is afraid her husband and sons will be attracted to the maids.
I wonder how many slaps, how much screaming, how many humiliations, how many approaches or attacks from male members of the household one endures before absconding?
Think about it. You’re from a really really poor country, and you leave behind family, even your own children, for the hope of earning enough money so that the children can go to school, and have a better life, so that maybe you can build your own little bungalow one day, not fancy, just a roof over your head. People who come here to earn a living have a lot of incentive to make it work. They will endure a great deal before seeking a way out.
I have so many friends who treat their household help like members of the family, teaching them new skills, helping them earn extra money, giving them food and clothing. I believe they are in the majority, the kind employers.
But so many stories of domestics being abused! Even if it is a mere, say 5%, what options does the domestic have? The brave ones, the self-confident ones, might go to the police, only to have her employers state that she stole something, and she finds herself under arrest, or quickly deported. Many cannot even leave the house, and have no telephone with which to call a friend in an emergency situation.
Will the new labor law have anything to say about protecting these very vulnerable family helpers from a dangerous or abusive employer? What effect does it have on children to see their parents treating employees like mere possessions? How does it impact our souls and our entrance into paradise when we don’t (as the Quran instructs) pay our employees their promised salary at the agreed upon time?
What will happen to this poor woman, stabbed, in a strange hospital, whose employers claim she stabbed herself?
“Praying on land not owned by the mosque is legally invalid”
From today’s Al Watan:
Furor over mosque demolition a ”political ploy”
Staff Writer
KUWAIT: The newest attempt to demolish a mosque located on stateÙ€owned property gave raise to several concerns from the populace.
Prominent Shiite cleric in Kuwait Mohammed Baqir AlÙ€Mahri stated that praying on land not owned by the mosque is legally invalid.
He also condemned demands for the prosecution of the Chairman of the State Property Violation Committee, Mohammed AlÙ€Bader, who, he said, “must be honored for honoring the law and meeting the request of the Ministry of Awqaf for the removal of all mosques in violation.”
He went on to state that all the turmoil surrounding the removal of the mosque was “a ploy to gain votes,” in case of the dissolution of the council.
Member of the Municipal Council and the Chairman of the Development and Reform Commission Khalifa AlÙ€Khorafi agreed with AlÙ€Mahri”s views and stated that Kuwait is suffering from a major crisis that reeks of a general lack of confidence and faith in most matters that concern the state.
He warned against hasty decisions and explained that the mosque was not a heritage monument and that it was mainly used as a storage space.
He pointed out that before the demolition of the mosque the council had ensured the availability of another mosque in the same area and that the permission of many preachers and scholars was taken long before the attempt to demolish the holy structure. He went on to state that all had agreed that it was illegal to pray in the mosque, a fact agreed to by Dr. Ajil AlÙ€Nashmi.
Meanwhile, lawyer Nawaf Sari praised the act of MPs against the demolition of the mosque and referred to it as a “glorious stand.” He said that there was no justification for the elimination of the mosque and that people should protect Islamic and religious beliefs whenever possible. He also demanded the persecution of Mohammed AlÙ€Bader and blamed him for the deterioration of the political system in the country.
I don’t understand. How can this be an issue? An old, run-down mosque was erected – illegally – on public property. Before the mosque was demolished, authorities informed and had consensus from the local clerics, and the mosque was only used for storage? What is furor about? Why is tearing down an old mosque an attack on Islamic beliefs? I see mosques torn down around Kuwait all the time – usually just before a newer, bigger mosque takes its place. In this case, they insured sufficient mosques were available before they demolished this one.
Seattle-like Sunrise
Good morning, Kuwait!
(How many different blues can you count in this photo? This is a RICH photo in the blue-grey spectrum, one of my favorites.)
When I saw the skies this morning, all cloudy and gloomy, I thought for a minute I was back in Seattle. If I were in Seattle, the temperatures would be much much lower – it is already getting hot in Kuwait, and this Friday we will hit a huge high:
But something is goofy with Zanzibar, on my WeatherUnderground favorites:
How can that be right? Highs almost in the 90’s, lows almost freezing?
It just might rain a little out there, my Kuwait friends. Be careful on the roads and remember:
Don’t Call Until You Reach Your Destination!
Red Sky at Morning . . .
The Qatteri Cat had me up early this morning, and as I made the coffee, I glanced out the window – WOW. Beautiful sky, very red sky, and I wonder if here “red sky at morning, sailors take warning” holds true? It looks like a beautiful day – again – and the water is smooth as glass.
The Qatteri Cat has gone back to sleep.
Kuwait Celebrates Women with Massive FlyBy
Be still my little heart! This morning, I was, by the grace of God, in the right place at the right time. Did not have the right camera, but I did have a camera as Kuwait honored International Women’s Day with a massive fly-by. At one point, twenty jet planes roared over the Gulf in a humungous group. I’ve seen a lot of air shows, but I cannot remember ever having seen twenty jets flyby in one movement.
WOOO HOOO Kuwait! You really know how to honor women!
They even had three cargo planes fly over the Gulf as a unit . . .
Wooo HOOOO! My heart is still fluttering! Adrenelin high! I am guessing the cost of aviation fuel is so much less in Kuwait that the Air Force can go out and have a little fun occasionally. You made my day.
(It MIGHT not have been in honor of International Women’s Day. If anyone knows why this enormous display took place, please sign in now!)
Kuwait to Provide Assistance in Dharfur
From today’s Arab Times:
Kuwait Red Crescent ready to fill aid agencies gap in Darfur
KUWAIT CITY, March 7, (KUNA): Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) said Saturday it was ready to fill the aid agencies gap caused by the withdrawal of a number of humanitarian organizations from Darfur.
KRCS Chairman Barjas Al-Barjas said in a letter he sent to Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Bekele Geleta, that KRCS believed the federation should cover the needs caused by the withdrawal of 16 non-governmental organizations from Darfur due to bad security conditions. He called IFRC to urge all humanitarian and charitable bodies, national societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to contribute to ending the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Darfur. Al-Barjas said KRCS was ready to provide aid, as it always did to the needy around the world.
Meanwhile, the Arab League Council has decided to send an Arab-Afro delegation to the UN Security Council (UNSC) to defer the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. The council, meeting urgently at the foreign ministers’ level to discuss ICC arrest warrant, expressed dismay for the ICC decision and said it did not consider justice, stability and peace in Sudan. The council voiced solidarity with Sudan against any plans undermining the sovereignty, unity and independence of Sudan.
The foreign ministers underlined in a statement importance of the independence of the Sudanese judiciary. They refused any attempt to politicize the principles of the international justice which would jeopardize the unity, sovereignty and independence of countries around the world. They regretted the fact that article 16 of the Rome statute of the ICC was not provoked thus delay the arrest warrant for 12 months. They asserted that heads of state enjoy immunity in accordance with the 1961 Vienna agreement.
The arrest warrant does not consider the implementation of the peace agreement in Southern Sudan and preparation for the general elections in the second half of this year, said the ministers. The Arab foreign ministers urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to live up its responsibility to preserving peace and stability in Sudan. They called on regional and international parties to provide suitable atmosphere for the political settlement between the Sudanese government and rebel groups in Darfur.
May God bless the work of their hands and their hearts.
Molten Silver Sunrise
OK, OK, I admit it, this is not exactly sunrise, it is a little bit later, but I just couldn’t resist the flat glassy calm of the Gulf this morning going all molten silver. Knocked my socks off.
There is a thin cloud covering this morning, but it looks like another very warm day. Have a great Sunday/ Yom al-Ahad, Kuwait!
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