I’m overwhelmed by your support. Thank you very much for that.
Now that the King has pardoned Al-Khawajah of the remaining period of his sentence, rather than his infractions, there is hope for me.
I will continue this blog but only if you promise that should I land in hot water that YOU will create such a raucous that I too will enjoy some of the King’s benevolence in my time of need.
But if that should not be forthcoming for any reason, I need some souls to keep me company, so this is an invitation to the regulars to contribute their thoughts and articles as well as continue commenting. Please email me offline and I’ll set up your permissions so that you too can post articles under your own name/pseudonym.
Thank you once again for your support. I am truly humbled.
Comments
Thank you
Mahmood winners never quitt and quitters never win, my Karate instructor told me this as he was beating my stomach during a brown belt promotion 20 years ago. We laughed at the people today at work who said go to the streets and raise hell. Uh hello chanad give me a break do you actually reallize that as a non-Bahraini incititing mayhem is pretty bad, and yes I hate to say it but you are not a Bahraini no matter how much you like to think you are that post you made blew that chance believe me any non Bahraini telling people to go to the streets and wreak havoc in the words of my Bahraini co-workers can go to hell, sorry but this was the consensous. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of things but be realistic Mahmood is and please chanad dont be such an ars kiss*r and have your on opinion nobody likes a brown noser.
Re: Thank you
Kapton,
I see you decided to follow Chan’ad over here to raise the ugly head of Bahraini racism/nationalism. Thankfully, I have never actually met any “real Bahrainis” like you. Take a cue from Mahmood, young man — ugly isolationism will get you NOWHERE.
Salaam,
PM
Thank you
Thank you sir! I appreciate your taking the risk to continue this blog…you have made a difference in many lives by opening up to many different people and showing us that we truly aren’t that different inside ourselves. Stay safe and happy….
You have an open invitation to vacation in the wilds of Texas if ya ever want to…
Hugzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thank you
I never thought you were serious. You can’t give this up. It’s like oxygen for you now.
Steve
Thank you
Thank God you’re back. I 100% agree with Chan’ad! I started my blog after reading yours!
So glad you’re back… yay! *does a little dance*
Girl, Interrupted (aka http://www.lulwa.blogspot.com)
Re: Thank you
you might have been reponding to BonsaiMark rather than Chan’ad. BonsaiMark is posting from Boston, and he was the one who suggested that he’ll raise hell in my support!
Chan’ad doesn’t deserve the description you have given him though Kapton, he is a true gentleman and deserves the Bahraini nationality as much if not more than many of the ones who already have it. His love for this country is undisputed.
Back off!
I’m not even going to bother arguing with you, you’ve decided what you want to decide and you have concensus behind you.
But I will stand behind Mahmood, I will stand behind Chan’ad. They’ve done far more for Bahrain than you have sitting on your thumb and waiting for “concensus”
Re: Thank you
I was deadly serious. Ask Frances.
But you’re right, when I did decide to let it go, I felt withdrawal pangs even more than those associated with smoking cessation!
One has to make a conscious decison however, and I hope that I have. Time will tell.
Re: Thank you
You’re funny Kapton. I just want to make it perfectly clear that at no point have I ever suggested that anyone should take to the streets to “raise hell”, “incite mayhem”, or “wreak havoc” as you have implied. If you have been following my blog then you will know that I am strongly against the use of any violence at the demonstrations. I have however voiced my support for the peaceful protests that have taken place on the street.
Please feel free to insult me, or call me whatever names you like. But don’t invent lies about me.
Thank you
I guess you are right peacefulmuslimah please bring a sunni bangdledeshi over to my block in Jid ali tommorow and we will start a rally for police employees to get a bonus and let se about isolationisn do you think this will be supported , you are not realistic there is us and them Mahmood knows this please he was helped to get tickets to the drag race by a Shaik, Bring chanad to the same Shaik and let him say lets go have an anti-goverment rally what will he say. You are in a fantasy world my friend. One thing about Mahmood he is not stupid, All I can say is let chanad go before a memeber of the Royal family and say lets go to the streets and protest like he did in his post, if people would not try and be hero’s life would be less complicated.
Re: Thank you
I just read that post and couldn’t fault Chan’ad for saying what he said though Kapton. And I can understand why, and that is because Chan’ad rightly regards himself as a Bahraini. Wouldn’t you if you have arrived here at the age of one month?
And just to put anyone elses prejudices to rest, his parents are NOT policemen nor are they involved in other less savoury jobs. They are professionals and have contributed to Bahrain and its economy for the decades they have been living here. I cannot see the whole family as imposters or scroungers in any way. They are in fact the kind of family that the Bahraini authorities should encourage to stay, and give them passports with its thanks.
Even without all of this and without the issue of nationality, what Chan’ad is advocating is okay. The majority of readers of this blog at one time or another probably found themselves in a demonstration at a foreign country, or at least attended a political rally even if that was only at Hyde Park Corner, so there is no harm in Chan’ad peacefully advocating championing human rights.
Let’s move on now shall we?
Thank you
THANK YOU MAHMOOD for keeping on with your blog 🙂 …
Thank you
Ha! Now this has really cheered me up!
If you ever fall into that hot water, I for one will definitely be as raucous as an eighty foot chicken with a loudhailer on your behalf.
Thank you
Mahmood,
Keep up the good work! Mahmood, saying the truth may be a one-way road, but u are not alone. It is no longer the road less taken because people are fed up lying and double statndards.
With Bahrain’s traditional media so outdated and corrupt, what u and other bloggers are going is the only way forward.
News/information cannot be censored anymore.
Ur blog is a voice of reason and i hope u continue providing the great service u have so far!
U also know where to turn to for support!
Thank you
We should thank you. Whatever help you need I will try to give it. But more than anything the international support you have recieved and the support your fellow blogger, The Secret Policeman, has received in his silence must make you feel that there are thousands listening to you. You represent the face of reasonable arabs, of which there are millions, not the few fanatics who we all know are not supported by ordinary people.
Keep up the good work
Re(1): Thank you
If I ask Frances, do I get a cookie and some turkey? To be blunt, this time of year I’m all about the food.
Steve
Re: Thank you
Kapton.
May I point out a few things?
1. There are members of the Royal Family who are anti government and have called for wreaking havoc in the streets. (One of them is in Gitmo at the moment).
2. There are non Bahrainis who have done a SIGNIFICANT amount for this country. (The thousands of laborers who are building your roads and your buildings).
3. The US and Them mentality does not just apply to Bahraini -non Bahraini. If can apply to Moslem/Christian. It can apply to Sunni/Shia. It can apply to Persian/Arab. It can apply to Male/Female. It can apply to blue eyes/ brown eyes. You get the picture?
We all live on this island, and we all have a stake in determining what kind of a society and a future we have. And if my kids ever turned to me and told me that a kid in class doesn’t have a right to speak because s/he aint Bahraini, I would consider that cause for punishment .
Kapton, people like Chan-ad have more Bahraini soul in them than alot of other people who are armchair poltical scientists. His blog, observations, comments are the BIGGEST proof of what Bahrain used to be in terms of tolerance than anything that people like you produce…
I am sorry – but as a Bahraini myself, if I were to judge who qualified for the nationality based on commitment and passion alone, Chan-ad would be one of the first. Quite frankly,I am not so sure where you would be.
Today you would disqualify Chanad from speaking out, tomorrow you would ask me to step down as a woman, the day after, you would go after either the Shia or the Sunni .. (depending on your learnings) .. and voila .. long live the Bahraini chapter of the Taliban.
Re(2): Thank you
Actually Steve, there is a Thanksgiving Committee who determines the criteria for cookie eligibility. And, in terms of those who have been naughty or nice this year, I am afraid that you have definitely been classified as not worthy of the choclate chip cookie. (Unless, of course, you would like to ask the Saudis for some … they have some extra ones left over after Eid. But -you would have to ask very very nicely … the cookies go down very well with humble pie … and some good ole Texas bbq sauce … 😉
Re: Thank you
oops! Double post!
Salaam,
PM
[Modified by: peacefulmuslimah (peacefulmuslimah) on November 23, 2004 10:00 AM]
Re: Thank you
Gee Kapton —
So you are both anti-Sunni and anti-Bangladesh. My My! It must be wonderful to be so smug and think your sh*t don’t stink….
But truthfully, I can smell it all the way over here in Qatar. 🙁
Salaam,
PM
PS: Maybe an ex-pat can teach you some punctuation. Chan’ad writes beautifully. Maybe you can hire him as a tutor. 😉
Thank you
I was really worried that you were going to pull this blog down. Your thoughts and information are truely an important part in the growing knowledge and lives of so many people….people that you may never meet face to face, but your words travel the distance into their minds. And it’s not only the idea that so many of us would be denied this exclusive access….it’s the thought that a government could silence a person whose writings only help to make people stronger in mind and spirit. The information and ideas that you put out there make people open their eyes and minds (whether they agree or agree to disagree). How can that be bad? You are only a threat to the complacent close-minded individuals that wallow in their stupidity. Thoughtful minds can NEVER be silenced.
Thank you
Glad to hear it Mahmood!
And don’t worry, I’ve always got your back 🙂
Salaam,
PM
Re(3): Thank you
No cookie for Steve? Mahmood, Mahmood, Mahmood. After all the work I’ve done to help build this blog up into the beacon of free speech it is today! Do you have any idea what vast labor is required for me to have an opinion on every subject under the sun, including the ones I know nothing about? I’m not just blowing bubbles here. It’s work! I give and I give and I give and yet there is no cookie for Steve.
And what about the obnoxious way I make my points? Do you think that comes easy? Oh sure, I could pour honey on all my many opinions and we could have one big love fest here on Mahmood TV but then would anyone get agitated and just HAVE to post? No, I think not. Without me, it would be so boring here, everyone getting along and agreeing with each other, with nobody but nobody to mix things up. People would be falling asleep as they posted here. The posts would look something like this:
Mahmood,
I was glad to see everyone agreed on the ouoj kddda doap;oaja zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
They would wake up in mid-post, their faces planted firmly in their keyboards. Yes, I’ve been naughty, Mahmood. Of course, I’ve been naughty. That’s the whole point, Mahmood. I spurned popularity to build up the dialogue on your blog. I did it for you, Mahmood. And yet, when the cookies are handed out, I have none. They all go to those who took the easy way out.
Mahmood, such ingratitude would make even the Saudis weep with the injustice of it all.
Shocked, Simply Shocked,
Steve
Thank you
I’m very glad to see you back online Mahmood. As everyone else has said, you are the godfather of Bahraini blogging. I started my blog only after seeing the huge positive effect that you were making. So it’s needless for me to say that you have my support whenever you need it.
Keep blogging my friend!
Thank you
[quote]I will continue this blog but only if you promise that should I land in hot water that YOU will create such a raucous that I too will enjoy some of the King’s benevolence in my time of need.
[/quote]
Mahmood,
Consider it done. Let us hope it will never be needed.
ciao!
m
Thank you
So glad you changed your mind! This has become way more than just a blog. It’s become a hub of discussion, debate and information so needed in our time. Its closing would have been a huge loss. I’m relieved you decided to stay. Welcome back, Mahmood.
Cookie Monster
Yes Steve, you do make things interesting and you do stir the pot quite a bit. I’m sure it’s on our list of things to be thankful for this turkey season, I’m just not sure where….
I’d be careful that someone enterprising enough won’t make your cookie “interesting” or whether or not they’ve stirred anything into the dough. Just in case, be wary of any packages bearing “Barid Mumtaz” on it 😉
Thank you
:D… maybe the GDN staff should have a blog dedicated to them -somewhere where they can freely report online.. yet no one knows who they are in the GDN yet we all all get the inside info 😛 – something like what Les Horton has done with is naked truth blog, apart from the fact that he writes in it then and now……
🙂
RE: Thank you
I’m happy that you’ve returned. I understand why you wanted to back off, and I empathise. It was being practical.
But we need contributors like yourself so that the truth is heard. Because the truth needs to be heard.
Again, good to see you return.
Keep writing, blogging, informing and inspiring.
Re(5): Thank you
That reminds me, I need to find that Acme Home Anthrax Testing Kit I got last Christmas. I think it’s in the back of the closet.
Steve
Re(5): Thank you
Just as long as I know you care, Jasra, it will all be alright.
It looks like a slow day here in America. Not only am I running out of work to do, I’m running out of ideas how to screw off. The day before Thanksgiving is traditionally the day when everyone slips out the back door of the office after lunch to get a head start on Turkey Day. The train was only half full coming in. The shops and malls will have one more day to catch their breath before the Christmas Onslaught begins. Then it’s just a matter of time before The Big Red Fella comes.
Steve
Re(4): Thank you
Awwww .. Steve .. you are breaking my heart … the world’s last violin playing the world’s last theme song to the world’s last cookie eater ..
But, I am sure that you are going to get over it in your own resilient way .. with or without reinforcement from Desert Island Boy’s Bareed Mumtaz super deluxe choclate chip cookie mix .. 😉
Re(4): Thank you
Take no heed my friend, a boxful of cookies is winging its way to you via Barid Mumtaz, don’t get put out with the thin white powder-like coating, it is icing sugar, I promise you!