The caravan is in motion and the dogs are barking

Sometimes, privilege given goes to the head and unfortunately the meandering brainfarts get believed by their perpetrators to be gems of wisdom. They even convince themselves that they are the only people – the chosen ones – who heard the person in authority right and everyone else is wrong. Given the benefit of the doubt, that position could just be a case of mistaken interpretation; however, if that person or group then take it upon themselves to not only steadfastly refuse to believe reality but change it forcefully into what they believe their superiors actually require of them, then they have lost the compass completely and are just wandering listlessly in their own private thought-inhibiting deserts.

The shame of course is that those people have been placed in the highest chamber in the land to do good for and by the people. But what they actually do is just contribute to the noxious gases in that chamber. Gases which seem to have addled their brains but never touched their conscience. Like others before them in history, the pain of survivors is not their concern.

They might be masochists and enjoy such conditions, which is fine, it is their right to choose the manner in which they will be ultimately remembered, but when those people deter a whole country and people from finding the path to salvation, the path to ameliorate feelings of pain, destitution, subjugation and torture and incarceration and gross disregards for human dignity and rights, then it is plain that they are part of the continuing problem.

So out of 38 they get one representative, copiously living in privilege unashamedly uncaring of an adopted society which welcomed them with open arms, perpetuating a private dream that the translation of a leader’s perceived wishes is what constitutes the modus operandi of human rights work; while an other, a co-conspirator, transcribes uninformed and idiotic plans to derail the efforts of those who choose to protect the sanctity and honour of this society and heal its wounds.

They get rewarded, of course, by seats they could never fulfill, yet think that they will never vacate. Hence, they have never had the reason to put forward any germane idea or wish to better the society which embraced them, but continue to solely pad their nests by ascribing to their own perception of a noble goal: that of subservience to a master on which their fervent hopes and aspirations is to be noticed in order to bask in his largess.

All for a handful of silver.

As if that shiny metal is going to rub away the tattooed numbers, the missing fathers, the raped mothers and daughters, the tortured and wronged.

My dear cousin, this is our holocaust. We need to deal with it so we can move forward.

Will you be kind enough to move aside so the caravan can pass, or would you rather be trampled and thrown to the rubbish heaps of history as you so richly deserve?

Comments

  1. B Arstool

    ..wow… Can we read into this post as much as we want?

    just what I was thinking. Now that’s the kind of deep post that would be difficult to action upon in a libel court! Bravo!

  2. Capt. Arab

    القافلة تسير والكلاب تنبحوا
    exactly what it means..

  3. mr

    “They get rewarded, of course, by seats they could never fulfill, yet think that they will never vacate.” ..how elequent…

    I could understand the others doing it for the silver. But them? With all their stached forex & other gold? I thought they have weightier more sensible heads to remain out if not above the goyim fray.

  4. News reader

    Did you really write this? It is in class far above your previous posts.

  5. News reader

    uuh, deep? More like a mix of big words and ludicrous generalizations. Kindly stick to turning over soil and leave such matters to those who experience life on the island first-hand, not via newspapers and computer monitors.

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  7. Cannot agree more

    Kindly stick to turning over soil and leave such matters to those who experience life on the island first-hand, not via newspapers and computer monitors

    Yet hY answers: –

    ah yes… the dogs continue to bark!

    forgeting that hY is one.

  8. Yvonne Dettwyler

    Most perfect description what goes on in Egypt. Les folies de la grandeure. London news, house prices increase daily by 5o Pound Sterling!!

    What about your water resources? Have your poor access to plenty water?

    Why not invest heavily in education the best the country can get and afford, better than creating Manhatten in the Arab world.

  9. Manhal

    Dude! I’m really disappointed in you, never thought you would write such a bigoted article. Since when did you join the ranks of the narrow minded, shallow thinkers that you yourself jest about throughout your blog.

    Whether a Muslim Shi’i or Sunni, Christian or Jew or any other religious group we are all Bahrainis! I contributed the Bracelets to your campaign of “Not Shi’i Not Sun’ni, Just Bahraini” in order to combat a rising devide between 2 sects of the same religion. Now you turn around and attack a religious minority which has a right to represent itself, in a society that is trying to be as democratic as can be with our current situation…Don’t lose the plot Mahmood, don’t let your ego be your “Puppet Master”. You are a better man than that, we both have close friends from this religious minority in our country and at least have respect for them.

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    mahmood

    Manhal you know me much better than that.

    Read it again; I was drawing parallels, not attacking a minority in any way, shape or form. But drawing attention to shared destiny that was ignored.

    I am glad though that what I have written resonated, but unfortunately at a different frequency than I expected!

  11. Manhal

    Mahmood,

    Your last lines are far from a parallel, it was an outright insult to a specefic person.Call a spade a spade, I voiced my opinion and do not wish to continue discussing this matter any further on this blog. Peace to you all.

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  13. Manhal

    You should not say sorry about the way I feel, we’re all grown men capable of drawing our own opinions about how certain Innuendos would be interpreted.

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    mahmood

    Manhal, you seem to be interpreting this in a way which is completely – or almost completely – away from what I intended to say. That’s fine, the article is written in a way as to illicit thought, comment and contemplation on several levels.

    I really do not want to dissect it here, it is left to stand on its own merit and that of my own personal history, convictions and beliefs – all of which you more than anyone else know intimately. Nor do I want this or any other article to come in between our friendship which I value far too much.

    As this is one of very few times that you commented on something I have written directly, I understand that it has touched you. The unfortunate thing is that we seem to have differing interpretations of the events it discusses and that I believe should be addressed to see each other’s point of view.

    Those views could be resolved faster face to face, if I may suggest?

  15. Peter

    This may not be any of my business. But the way I read the text, it represents free thinking against authorities. So to those who disagree: Why dont you prove him wrong instead of walking away?

  16. Long-term expat

    I take it we are talking about Huda Idafar (Nonoo) and Faisal Fulad. Why so mealy-mouthed?
    You really aren’t happy about people disagreeing with you, are you? Not that you will care but I am with your ex-acolyte Manhal.
    You are really very clever in the way you deal with disagreements: change the subject, attack the messenger (rather than the message) and then blithely continue on, sure as ever that you are right and everyone who doesn’t agree with you is wrong. Never mind … it is of course your blog. Why should you have to listen to people who don’t follow the Mahmood line?

    All for a handful of silver.

    As if that shiny metal is going to rub away the tattooed numbers, the missing fathers, the raped mothers and daughters, the tortured and wronged.

    Just remind me … they are in it for the money, aren’t they?

    Maybe you could organise a march – from your office to the US Ambassador’s house perhaps – where we could all chant JUDEN RAUS and burn the Star of David.

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    mahmood

    Well you obviously didn’t get the message and I’m not going to explain it to you. You are as far away from the subject matter than could be, but go ahead and pander to your ego, it’s not skin off my nose.

  18. Ibn

    You really aren’t happy about people disagreeing with you, are you?

    Ok unless I am missing some previous context, it appears that YOU are the one who is all about the personal attacks. As a personal vouch, I have found Mahmood to be one of the most open minded individuals.

    You are berating him over something you think he implied in that post, and its pretty clear you are waaaaay off the mark. Why not just say what in the hell you think he means and be direct instead of flinging insults his way? We arent playing sharades!

    -Ibn

  19. La suni La Shi3i wala Yahoodi! Bas Bahraini

    I don’t care what the article was about but I can sure understand when someone is insulting another religion, sect, blah blah. I find your article extremely hypocritical Mahmood.

    “you rather be trampled and thrown to the rubbish heaps of history as you so richly deserve?”

    I think hypocrites deserve the above line..

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    mahmood

    I sure am missing something here. Rereading what I have written, it seems that a lot of people imply that I am against Jews, not so. I am completely WITH Jews as they more than anyone else know what subjugation and persecution due to creed is.

    Now with that going into skulls, I suggest people re-read what I have written and come to a conclusion; here are some points to help you along that path:

    1. Is Human Rights work contingent on transliterating an authoritarian’s points of view?

    2. If wrongs are committed against a community or an individual, should those people not be consulted before arbitrarily deciding that reparations and reconciliation has already been done?

    3. If a truth and reconciliation commission is to be formed by various societies and organisations, shouldn’t those supposedly concerned with human rights be at the forefront in demanding that they be effected, rather than fight against such a thing?

    4. Should Government Operated/Organised Non-Government Organisations be supported? Especially if they are supposed to deal with human rights?

    5. If individuals/societies/NGOs/GONGOs or whomever stand in the path of NATIONAL RECONCILIATION, what are you supposed to do?

    If you think that this article is an attack against Bahraini Jews, you are sorely mistaken. It is not. It IS; however, against INDIVIDUALS who should bloody well know better than to offer themselves who because of their demonstrated and reported actions – regardless of their personal ideologies – have at best erred, and I hope that this reaction as well as what has already been written and will continue to be written in the papers will come as a wake up call to their conscience.

    Now, due to their actions, I personally do not hold them in high regard.

    If you have a problem with my position on this matter, then that’s your prerogative, but don’t turn this into a bigoted argument that I am against Jews or any other persons.

    It is a personal and political position.

    Now grow up and deal with the issues.

  21. long-term expat

    Ibn (and Mahmood),

    I apologise if what I said has been taken as a personal attack. It wasn’t supposed to be read that way. I made the point that it was your blog and you should be free to use it as you wish.

    Th point that I tries to make (clearly unsuccessfully) was that this blog entry can clearly be read by different people to mean different things. I took it as an attack on two people who I vaguely know; it also seemed that one of the people was being attacked because of her religion. I am absolutely delighted to have been told by Mahmood that I am as far from being right as I could be – could I just ask for a little clarification as to who you were talking about and what the referencs to religion meant?

    Once again, I apologise unreservedly for what was seen by Ibn as a personal attack – I actually thought it was far more restrained than the original article.

  22. Cradle of Humanity

    Alright I read the post itself twice, then all the comments.

    Since people seem to be misunderstanding the post and/or reading too much into it, how about another, more straight-forward version of it for those of us who are confused or unsure, to save us reading between the lines and interpreting it as we please?

    I don’t know if it’s just me but that was not an easy read at all. Half way through the sentence I lost track of what the sentence is talking about, and started again. Like sitting as passive audience in an Adonis modern poetry recital I had to fill in the spaces and make the missing link to justify the leap from one sentence to another.

  23. OIC

    Mahmood is being a wimp and dancing around the subject. why don’t you get straight to the point? it’s sad when only with your last reply I got where you are going with this.

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    mahmood

    The really sad thing is, OIC, is your incomprehension, and that – my friend, you can’t blame me for!

    Cradle, no. I will leave it as it is and read in it what you will. A little brain exercise won’t do anyone any harm.

  25. Cradle of Humanity

    A little brain exercise won’t do anyone any harm.

    A little more manners won’t do bloggers any harm either. In my comment I did not attack or call anyone stupid, I don’t see why in reply I would be portrayed as that.

    Oh, I forgot, you never really called anyone stupid.

  26. OIC

    My incomprehension comes from your inability to express yourself clearly. so yes, I can blame you for it.

    and ITA Cradle. Mahmood’s predictable replies to people who don’t agree with him is getting kind of old. How about a real argument for a change.

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  28. jasra jedi

    Hmmm.

    I think that everyone needs to take a deep breath and calm down.

    The one thing that is crystal clear in this post (and comments) is the level of frustration and debate around minorities in Bahrain and what their rights are (in a practical sense) and how they fit into the fabric of society; from a legal, political and societal aspect.

    This is not Bahrain specific. People in Iraq are struggling with this as we speak. Kurdish? Shia or Sunni? And within each sect, there are also differences. Shia ala the Iranian theocracy? Or ala Sistani? Sunni ala strict Wahabbism? Or ala a more tolerant strain? Kurdish ala which of the two parties? Just look at Lebanon; another country torn apart internally by issues of minority involvement in politics.

    So, before we all expect Mahmood to both frame the issue, and come up with a foolproof concrete answer, perhaps we should accept that sometimes, all he will be able to do is strike a chord and make people think.

    Democracy and Capitalism may not be the best systems out there, but they are the only ones that work. And, they are by no means perfect.

    We have to acknowledge that we, in Bahrain, are subject to geo-political forces around us, and we are, at this current point in time, STRUGGLING to preserve what we consider being a Bahraini against the threats that are both imported, homegrown and regional.

    Jewish, Christian, Shia, Sunni .. we all exist in Bahrain. Male and female too. But, we need as strcture that guarantees all of our rights. And, truth be told, we fall short. Whether you are looking at religious minority issues or immigration issues or gender issues …

    So, before we absorb all these challenges and react by bashing each other, lets all just take a step back, take a deep breath .. and remember, that we are all invested in and are trying to work for a better Bahrain.

  29. Doubter

    Jewish, Christian, Shia, Sunni .. we all exist in Bahrain. Male and female too. But, we need as strcture that guarantees all of our rights.

    And, truth be told, we fall short. Whether you are looking at religious minority issues or immigration issues or gender issues …

    So, before we absorb all these challenges and react by bashing each other, lets all just take a step back, take a deep breath .. and remember, that we are all invested in and are trying to work for a better Bahrain.

    You are also forgetting the “Doubters” (see the Discordant Voices post) ….. we all have the basic human right to choose what religion we want and to change our minds as many times as we like.

  30. No Doubter

    I fail, as usual, to see the case for all this fanfair. Very simply, this is yet another ass-shit from Mahmood without shame. Nothing more, nothing less.

  31. news

    Apparently Ms Nonoo has now been appointed the Bahraini Ambassador for the USA and will be moving to Washington to represent Bahrain.

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