A lot has been written and debated about the tragic and inexcusable events in Mecca which has claimed close to one thousand souls with many more injured. We don’t know what the final tally is, because currently the Saudi official sources have stopped reporting the numbers. Hajj, of course is one of the five pillars of Islam and is demanded of every Muslim to perform once in their lifetime if they are capable to do so. …
By mahmood 
When news is published, it’s just the beginning of the conversation, not its end. This is what “news” is today. It’s necessarily a live conversation that informs, educates and empowers people to make better decisions. Whether you like it or not, printed newspapers, and magazines are dead. I believe that they’re uselessly clinging to life through rusty and leaky support machines. If publications want to get off their sick beds and actually thrive, they need to …
By mahmood 
Ever wonder how the minds of disruptive innovators tick? How their companies work and how they not only breed disruptive ideas but also find ways to bring those disruptive innovations to life with products that change the world? I have. I confess that I do sometimes with envy, but more often with a lot of reverence and admiration. Celebrating those ideas and successes hold incredible amounts of inspiration for me which help me to continue to …
By mahmood 
Once again, a riot breaks out by Muslims outraged at the tearing and disrespecting the Holy Quran. Not for the first time, and I daresay not the last either. I’m used to these outrageous riots in both Pakistan and Afghanistan especially, for some unknown reason. These riots don’t tend to happen in the Gulf or most of the other Arab countries. The most intense riots and demonstrations – other than those in Pakistan or Afghanistan – …
By mahmood 
How sectarian are you, is a question that I’ve often thought of and produced a few traits that might indicate the level of sectarianism in a person. A recent article by Ghanim Alnajjar in Alwasat newspaper; however, has written a good comprehensive list which could be used to judge the level of a person’s sectarianism much better than my attempts. Here’s my translation. Feel free to take the test and indicate your score in the comments. …
By mahmood 
There’s nothing more sacred than giving one’s life up to serve one’s country, to protect it and repel its enemies. Those are the courageous heroes. The few amongst the many. Who sacrifice their lives such. My condolences to the families and friends of the martyred soldiers and to Bahrain. I remember that I proposed the creation of a National Edifice during the first National Dialogue to commemorate and remember our martyrs. Wether they be from the …
By mahmood 
So much unnecessary loss of life. At the root of it, one group believes they and only they are right. The others are worthless creatures who should be exterminated. Those people, who I believe fueled war and strife in Syria and elsewhese will not be moved by the horrible images and their conscience one single iota, that is, if their conscience existed in the first place. In fact, they’ll find a way to justify the exodus, …
By mahmood 
After a recent visit, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, declared: “Yemen after five months looks like Syria after five years.” – BBC What started as hope for change for the better, hope for a better future, hope for democracy and human rights, soon descended into calculated chaos. None of the countries afflicted by that spark have faired well. None. Heavy handedness in dealing with popular demands, deep mistrust …
By mahmood 
Did we have more taste then than we have now? Life was more colourful then, as this beautifully simple currency shows. It harkens back to a time when things appeared easier. And as far as I can remember, even the weather was a much better! I still remember the smells of those balmy summer nights as we watched the stars in a dark, unpolluted sky as we dozed off to sleep on mats on the roof. …
By mahmood 
Over the last few months a change has descended on me. A restlessness that is not quenched just by going to work, making money and paying the bills. I most certainly came to the realisation a long time ago that I did not want such a life. That was, in fact, the primary reason why I left a secure and well paying career to embark on the much more difficult entrepreneurial journey. I believed that entrepreneurship …
By mahmood