The Oud of "Anouar"

 Sometimes, when you discover new music, you wonder how you didn't hear it before. how it could be without it.
 This happen to me with the music of Anouar Brahem. His mellow and melancholic melodies not only tell endless stories. His music give you this illumination as if you're through a mystical experience.

 Anouar Brahem is a tunisian Oud player. He's known best and succeeded to fuse the Clasical Arabic Music with Jazz and folk music.

 - More about him here
 

What's between Islam and modern Islam

   Islam, like other religions is a local idea created for a specific time and place and according to environment's conditions.

The necessity to 'modernize' Islam and re-consider its tools and laws "Sharia", making it more fit to the spirit of the age has been observed by many Muslim scholars (such as Ibn Rushd, known in Spanish "Averroes", the Andalucian muslim philosopher who called for measuring the things with the mind and reasoning. One of his famous quotes say that " God can't give us laws or religions and in same time give us minds that cant reason them".). 

 In the nineteenth century and following the effect of the industrial revolution and science explorations along with the cultural and visions exchanges between Arabic countries and civilized Europe stimulated the minds and created doubts about the holiness of  "Sharia", Islam laws inspired by Quran and Hadith or some of Islamic laws and ideas. Like women and non muslims situation and rights or meaning of Jihad or a very important topic in its time like the crisis of finding new "Khalifa" after "M. Kemal. Ataturk" ended the theodratic regime of the Ottoman Empire. Khalifa is the Muslims ruller who's considered the representer of Allah and recommended by Sharia as an Islamic rule. 

Work by  Amjad Rasmi

 However, the attempts for creating a moderate Islam is most likely rejected by the leaders and the majority of Muslims since they believe that Islam is holy and untouchable. Any reform of its laws is forbidden or never taken seriously. Usually, they oppress these who try to revive their religion and accusing them of infidelity and blasphemy. Ibn Rushed's been considered a heretic and his works are still suspected by the public while others has been banished like "Nasr Hamed Abu Zaid" or even been killed like "Farag Fouda".

 The popularity of these cases was accompanied by the rise of the modern Islamic extremism and the terrorist attacks/ Jihad and the new-born world system, open and globalized unvieled a new different kinds of Muslim who liked to label themselves as "Moderate Muslims", with more tolernat and open opinions. Like the artistic graffettis in Cairo streets, more fashionable lables are born by day; Liberal Muslim, secular muslim or even communist Muslim.

 They're rejecting the violence and the extremism. Ironically, they blame the extremists and the Muslim fundamentalists for distortion of the real beautiful emssage of Islam and being so radical yet, they give them "repect of parents". Their "Modern/moderate Islam" is like a way to defend Islam and save it before its extinction for incompetence. They argue that Islam is moderate and a natural gentleman. Can be easily moderenized but much twist is used.

 Seems that the coninuous fight between the Traditional Islam apologists and the Modernity propagatos is a fight that won't come to an end. Propably it was a beginning for a decline of Islam itself and religions in general.

 This explains the rising and invisible numbers of atheism in Egypt, more than 2 millions estimated.  

ore doubts about whether Islam is suitable to continue or even if its presence is necessary.

Unfinished terrorism of Muslim brotherhood

The terrorist MB (Morsi Supporters) Throw 4 teens Off Building in Alexandria, killed 2 of them!

 

Your right of expression.. My duty of scorn!

 (On the unreasonable rise in "blasphemy" cases in Egypt)

Dear Sister / Dear brother,
 " There's a big difference between freedom to express your opinion and the claim to respect this opinion .. You have the right to express your opinion freely and in any way you desire as long as it doesn't assault on my own freedom or the freedom of others or assaulted on me personally or anybody else..
 I have the right to agree / disagree with your opinion but I'm not demanded at all to respect your opinion, "I respect your right to express your opinion."

 When - for example - you imagine that homosexuals are sickness and a shame, or that women are minors or incomplete in their minds and testimony, or that non-Muslims are "Kuffar" (infidels) and call them pigs and monkeys (pigs, in fact, innocent animals) or ..
Or other examples, which, unfortunately, are still a matter of debate and arguing in our world and our time..
 In fact, I do not respect those opinions, actually I'm scorning them and in the same time can't help but feel pity and compassion on their pathetic believers, same compassion I have on a child with epilepsy, yet, I can't help but accept that it's your right to express your opinion and it's my right, well my duty to reply to your opinion, criticize it before leaving you for evolution mechanism to repair what have been screwed up in you!

 In a bigger circle, you are free to worship a musty sock, you believe that the spirit of God has been embodied in it, or to believe in a "scarecrow", guarding your "corn field" from evil birds, protecting the holes of your body from bad spirits and to worship it thankful,
or to have oral sex with a black stone, as long as the both of you are satisfied and the stone doesn't complain..

 Like you like someone else who is free to dance naked on music for seeking to Zen, Yin or Yang.. This is his belief as well, but I'm not demanded ever to respect this scarecrow or to be content with this kind of sex, it is my right to consider it just a nonsense (actually it's totally bullshit)..
 The right you have from me is to respect that space of you to express what you think and practice it as you wish as long as you keep it away of my life, my existence and others lives!

 You are trying to create a big problem when you cancel your own comprehension and even your freedom, replace it with superstitious echoes that you claim you're hearing from your scarecrow or any other imaginary clown and ask me to respect them!
  Then you complicate this problem when you put this clown in my own space and freedom and ask me to salute you, do the same like you, thinking this is what freedom of expression is about?!

 Well, Think about it again because it doesn't even have a sense.. of humor!

The idiot kid is burning Egypt!

 Yesterday (Sunday) was a sad day in Egypt.
 An angry mob leaded and provoked by Slafist clerics attacked Shia Muslim house, burnt it before killing four of them in a brutal way. (Here)

Official Support!
 This brutal crime came just a few days after a rally organized by the Muslim Brotherhood
and attended by the president Morsi himself along with many of Jihadi Salafists clerics who were during the rally, insulting Shia Muslims, calling for Jihad in Syria against Shia (the second largest denomination of Islam), spread their hatred against all others who don't share them their ideology and seems the president was so satisfied with them, he didn't move a muscle during that poison rally.

- Morsi among Salafist clerics who were insulting Shia and calling for Jihad against them  during the rally -

Image source

 The organizers of the rally said it was meant to send a message of support to Syrian rebels but the timing of it (two weeks before 30 June) drew some questions whether the president and his group MB trying to show their power and to send another threaten message to those who are preparing for the huge protests on 30 June and when it didn't work, they used this utilize sectarian violence (the same way of the past regime) to distract people's attention away from their failure and crisis?!

 Apparently, MB won't leave power in an easy way at all but I'm afraid they would choose the harshest way and turn the country to a burning hell before quitting. I'm afraid this is an "earlier" beginning of series of sectarian violence, would reach Christians, atheists and every different person in Egypt.
 They started this fire it but they won't care or either be able to finish it. Eventually, it will finish them. It's only a matter of time....

- Warning: Graphic Content -

Spain.. "Muslim's lost paradise and lost sense"

Spain.. 
 More than ten years ago, I was - like any other Muslim - believing this country is a genuine part of the Islamic area, it's occupied by the Spanish people, the same case like the Palestinian territories, occupied by Israel.
 I was - among them - dreaming that "promising" day, when the sun of Great Islam would rise and shine again on its valleys and it's just a matter of time..!
I believed it, I dreamed of it, I was praying for it.. simply, I was just another deluded person among a great group living a big illusion called Islam!

 Ironically, after these ten years and tones of intellectual/ideological changes (hopefully will write about it later), just a few days after I arrived Spain, me with other virtual friends and facebookers were celebrating in January 2013, the 521 anniversary of the fall of Islamic state in Spain and the returning of Andalucia to its people, praising this good luck that survived it and saved it an ugly destruction by the Islamic monster !
 The same day Muslims were memorializing the times of Islamic/Arabic presence in Spain by sharing lots of posts, articles and videos about their "imaginary" Andalucia with their poetic promises and hopes of coming back to "Cordoba","Granada", "Toledo", "Sivilla", opening the gates of" Alhambra" and raising the black flag of Islam back again.

 - popular poster of the 521 anniversary of the fall of Andalucia-

written down: "We'll be back to Andalucia and Palestine won't be another Andalucia"

 Well.. certainly, non Muslims, in particular the Spanish people who read this now are astonished and find it too hard to believe or even to understand.. (when I'd tell this to a Spanish friend, they'd think I'm joking) as it's too hard for Muslims to understand that the Islamic presence in Spain and Portugal (Andalucia refers to Spain and Portugal in the Islamic history) was just a tiny part of the history of Spain or Portugal and it is simply an ended time of Islamic occupation. Unfortunately, This occupation is still occurring now in Egypt, Tunisia, Morroco and all the Islamic countries.

 Back to more than 1400 years ago, when the Muslims armies started to move from Mecca (the birthland of Islam and Muhammed the prophet) with their big plans and ambitions to conquest the world, spread their message of Islam and rule it by the word or Allah, they believed they were actually making the world a favor. they believed they saved that sinful nations by making them slaves and turn their lands to occupied lands..They still believe it.

 This is one big problem of religion and Islam in particular, the way it made their believers too blind to see and realize the real history or to consider the existence of other humans.
 I believe that when Muslims start to admit that their real problem with the world is the way they look to the world, when they re consider their thoughts/beliefs and try to fix it, the world would be very different, they'd be able to give peace and live in peace with the world instead of their pathetic condition now. When they realize that they're a part of this world like all the others.
 When they direct this exhausting and stressing energy in making plans to turn the world to an Islamic state and rather better their attitude and fix their beliefs, the world will be better.

Last dance of the dictator

- Morsi, a new dictator to fall soon -

 Something funny about the title of this post; the minister of culture whom Morsi has appointed decided to cancel the budget of ballet section in opera house, as he thinks, it's useless art, in the same time other salafists and clerics are calling to cancel all kind of dances and arts as they think it's against "Sharia" (the Islamic Laws)

 Anyway, It seems that the Egyptian president M. Morsi has not only lost his sense of art or either the popular base but also lost his mind; Today he has appointed a member of the terrorist "Aljamaa Al Islamia" to be the new governor of city of Luxor (among other 16 new governors, 6 of them belong to his group Muslim Brotherhood). That terrorist Islamic group was responsible for Luxor massacre in 1997; killed more than 60 people.

 What could be the point of this decision, specially when you know that Luxor, the ancient capital of Egypt is basically the most tourist city, it lives for and from tourism?!

 - Morsi leads the pray with some of well known radical clerics -

 No doubt Morsi is fearing and preparing for the big day of 30 June; massive nationwide protests planned to occur on the anniversary of his first year in power, it's even expected to be a second revolution against him and his group "Mulsim Brotherhood" which seekes to islamize the whole state so he's  just trying to take the Islamists in his side by such a decision, alley with them and perhaps use their terrorist powers to defend him against the Egyptians..

 Some think it's just a normal decision from a person who never took any good decision since he became a president !
  However, it seems that this decision wouldn't scare the protestors who are impatiently waiting for 30 June. Actually, it raises more anger against his decision and his entire ruling.

Women beating is the way how Islam honored them!

 Muslims say that Islam has honored the woman, respect her and guarantees her equality and all rights. Yet, beating women is allowed in Islam according to Quran and Hadith; 

  "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more strength than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient and guard in the husband's absence what Allah would have them to guard. As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them, refuse to share their beds, beat them ; but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means; for Allah is most High and Great. If you fear a breach between them twain, appoint arbiters, one from his family and the other from hers. If they wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation; for Allah has full knowledge and is acquainted with all things."

(Quran: An-Nisaa 34-35) 

 Down is a video about a Muslim cleric preaches women beating as it's a man's right - given by Islam - to mend her ways and attitude as long as he doesn't bruise her or hurt her sensitive body parts!
 "Islam takes in consideration woman's mentality and biological build" he says, and yet, the man has the right to beat her wife or even to rape her if she refuses to have sex with him!

 See how Islam honored the woman !!

- Click to watch the video translated to English -

Der Schrei der Islam!

- The Islamic Scream -

About the blog.. (the first knock)!

Hola!
 I'm an agnostic and secular Egyptian, who currently lives in Spain. I've been blogging in Arabic for more than five years through many blogs, which eventually faced a dramatic fate and only one survived. Now I had this idea of making this blog in English to write about my personal impressions and opinions, hoping also I can pass beyond the ordinary and common image and show a bit of the real and different image of what's happening in Egypt, how Muslims thinking of Spain and the relation between Muslims and the whole world and other topics I've seen there's a lack of blogs talking about that...

 Basically, it's going to talk about Spain, Islam, Egypt and hopefully, there will be soon a Spanish version available for it (So far, I prefer not to make a joke of me and my Spanish). and here comes the meaning of the original/first title of the blog; I was hesitated to name it an "ex Muslim" or a "secular Egyptian" for, I didn't like to define myself/my existence only in being Muslim or not, I believe the whole life and existence is much bigger and more important than summing it in dogmatic or religious beliefs in general despite all the disasters made by religion.

 Anyway I thought being "an ex Muslim who's living in Spain" is interesting enough, that paradox of the two words "Spain" and "ex Muslim" is enough as you will see in the coming posts in the blog.
 Or perhaps being a Muslim, raised and grew up physically and psychologically among radical Muslims isn't that easy to get rid of its effects, not easy to leave you even when you decide to leave it.. IDK!!

 However, As you see, the title's finally changed. My 'sole' is more satisfied.
 I hope you enjoy your stay and it'd something new or different for you...

  Saludos 

* My Arabic Blog here