Originally posted by Guardian n Protector: quote:Originally posted by NGONGE: Erm, this site is my "blog" . So true. Think it would be brilliant idea for you to transfer your stuff there. No chance of being deleted or forgotten. Bloggin is for YOU NGONGE. Done.

Personally, I want someone, when I tell her, "I dream of You and I on a White Stallion, riding across Andalusia under a crescent moon!", would know excatly what I mean, and not just knows but feels excatly how I feel! This, as romantic as it sounds might not be amorous at all if your “Dulcinea†is more read than you are, saaxib. It reminds me of the story of Don Quixote! He who used to fight windmills and view every smelly peasant girl as a princess who has been enchanted! He too was a knight who gallped around Spain on his trusted stallion “Rocinante†and with his sidekick Sanco Panza! Now, depending on the partner you have, saaxib. She’ll either would have read the story and liked all the ronaticisim in it (rather quixotim!). Or, she would not have read the story and wouldn’t know what you’re talking about! The third option is that she did read the story but didn’t get the romance in it and would take your words as an insult, who are you calling smelly and a peaseant, darling? PS “Dulcinea†was Don Quixote’s love. She was a figment of his imagination too. Would yours be a Dulcinea too I wonder! Read the entire book here

^^^ Great analysis as ever, sister. Can’t help feeling that you’re spitting against the wind here though.

^^^^ What's there to see in Dubai? :confused: Sounds like you've been reading a different thread, saaxib!

Erm, this site is my "blog"

^^^ Don’t mind Sophi, saaxib. He was angry and didn’t know what he was writing. Don’t expect much of an explanation either. Our resident “Caaqil†is weak in that area. This is his only weakness though (if we discount anger as a temporary affliction that is).

Juma, you Arab lover! What do you mean Somalis expect to have rights? We do of course, we are the best in the world and in our capacity as the best in the world, everyone should kowtow at our feet and do things our way. Or else, they’re filthy, idiotic “peasants†who do not appreciate the great gesture we bestowed on them by noticing their existence in the first place. :mad: Does this sound unreasonably bitter at all?

^^^^ Al7een enti men jad mo'9aayqa men kalaamhom? hadool ma7ad yeqdar yebadil raayhom '3eer Allah. Ana qa3id a'9ayi3 waqt fe hal mowa'9ee3 wo bas Ba3deen bi 9araa7a hada Mokalim el reyaaa7 esloobah momti3 9afeer el ree7 wo 7eyaatik

^^^ We moved to the Dubai thread, saaxib. Your wisdom is needed there. Come, come

Heh. Funny how it worked out. Looks like Liverpool have the best chance of the lot.

Originally posted by Viking: NGONGE, Muslims should help other Muslims instead of gaalo coming to our rescue. I appreaciate what the non-Muslims do, but would expect more of these oil-rich nations. The link you provided said that the UAE provided $2 million to Somalia, just compare that to the $26 million ONE Swedish organisation is donating to help children of Darfur. You live in London, just go to the Chelsea/Kensington area in the summer and see how these Sheikhs and royal families live. Do you seriously think they are doing their best to help Muslims in dire straits? UAE is the one we are talking about because this topic was about the extravagant structures they are erecting in Dubai. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain et al. should also do more. Heh. Would you want them to live in poverty as a sign of empathy with their fellow Muslims, saaxib? People are allowed to be rich, saaxib. Giving and helping is an obligation but no limit was set on how much one should give. It is left to the discretion of the giver! The fact is that they do give. They’re not as aloof and disinterested as you paint them. The $2 million was but one example (a five second google job). However, I get the feeling that even if I should fill the page with dozens of links proving that these people do indeed give, you will still have a problem with them because of the big buildings and the money some of them spend in the streets of London!

But what disgusts me and affects my country in a terrible way is their unfounded ban of Somali livestock or more importantly they are responsible of the destruction of Somalia's flora and fauna. Our precious acacia trees and animal wildlife are sold by Somalis to the rich Arabs, while Arabs themselves invest $7.000 USD per tree in their lifeless deserts. Why do Somalis sell their national heritage? Because of the import ban by the Arabs on Somali livestock. If there's something wrong with our livestock, how come there are no epidemics in Somalia due to our 'bad meat'? I can't understand it when Somalis defend the Arabs. You lads are a minority among Somalis and for a reason. They may have been the 'chosen people' by Allah swt, but like the Jews they are squandering their blessing. [/QB] Read the following link, saaxib. Might help you come up with stronger arguments Livestock ban

Originally posted by Viking: Such a gesture does indeed hurt westerners, you know why? Because if a litre of petrol costs 1 pound, they collect 75p, 75% of a pound we spend on fuel. As for Israel, they are still occupying Palestine (more of it since they built the wall) and killing an average of four Palestinians a day, displacing and making them homeless by the thousands. Most of them live below the poverty line; but hey, they should atleast be thankful for the "gesture". At the end of the day, some Muslims are trying to build the tallest building in the world, while their brethren are without shelter and eating dried grass straws. How do you justify that? What will they say when Allah SWT asks them how they spent their wealth on the Day of Reckonning? [/QB] Heh. Like I said, what the Western governments do and don’t do should not come into play when we’re discussing Muslim contributions. It really is not some kind of race, saaxib. Your argument (or at least the way it comes across to me) is that they don’t do much (or anything at all)! I set out to explain that they indeed do a lot to help their Muslim brothers. Now, the next argument might be that they don’t do enough (which is probably why you used Western statistics and contributions in your posts). How much is enough? How do you measure enough? Is the UAE government the only one expected to do it all? Why single them out? Do we accept them as our Muslim leaders then? If this was the case, then there isn’t much I could add here, it’s a difference of opinion and the way we see things I suppose. Just a quikc google Another instant google - I bet there are many more

^^^^^ You're a rude so and so

Juba! Southern again? Then again, it must have been a typing error!

With the utmost of respect saaxib, let me just say, HUMBUG! Is there an alternative to “globalisation� Would it sideline Islam in the long run? Is the faith of people that easy to brush aside? How does any of this relate to their “good will� I understand that you see something wrong here, and there probably is but what I don’t understand is the point and goal of your criticism! Everyone agrees that the Muslim world is in disarray, many argue that we should compete with the West in business and trade in order to regain our position in the world! They state that Islam is safe regardless of what we do or don’t! Others insist that we stay away from anything remotely western and follow our own Islamic ways! Most complain about the state of the Muslim world today! NOBODY gives any alternatives when criticising! So, what will it be? Should they go forward? Go back? Or, stand still? The Dubai authorities are trying to create an alternative to oil. Since most Arab countries don’t have any manufacturing industry to speak of and since Dubai don’t have the natural resources nor the huge labour to start up such a huge sector, they decided to go for the biggest industry available and accessible to them, service industry! So far, they seem to be doing a good job! If things continue in the same vain and the oil eventually dries up (or an alternative energy source is found), I dare say Dubai will still be standing and acting as the vital trade destination that it is.

قصه جميله وقصيده اجمل يا اكشن I was still waiting for a punch line though!

^^^ You counted them? What a crazy "Arab" you are!

NGONGE quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just before you try to censor me for the Arabic words, what they mean is that if the “head†of the house was busy playing the drums, it stands to reason that the rest of the family would be fond of dancing. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll stop beating the drums as of now. Consider this a one time Favour. Sorry my dear, I don’t accept one time favours. :rolleyes: You’re not going to get away with it that easy! Even the Genie of the lamp offered three wishes and you’re better looking than the Genie of the lamp (I think ). Anyway, I’m glad you decided to drop this little fight. Though, my words about the "drumbeater" were directed at Bee (she wanted to have some afternoon fun even though she’s the moderator ). Ah well, look at the bright side people, we didn’t find out who is sexy but we all know now that Bee is tune deaf.

It’s the winter of discontent on SOL these days! Viking, the UAE spends huge amounts of money every year to help Muslims all round the globe, saaxib. The Gulf countries in general do the same. I would have thought you read all the CIA reports about Gulf nations supporting “terrorism†and businesses that operate under the cloak of “charitable causesâ€! This alone, if it doesn’t explicitly reveal the number of charitable institutions originating from and run by Gulf States, will at least give a hint of the efforts being made. In the Darfur case that you’ve cited, I’d recommend that you google for the UAE Red Crescent site and read about their contributions. QL mentions the schools and mosques, but in most cases, these are not mere schools and mosques, these are regeneration projects organised by and fully funded by the UAE government. Funny that you should mention Israel. Now, though it’s pointless of course to say that America showers Israel with money and loans, ergo, Arabs should do the same to their Muslim brothers! History stands witness to the Gulf nation’s position in general. I’m sure you remember the famous Oil crisis and the stand of most of the Gulf countries! The UAE in particular decided to stop oil production and selling altogether until the demands of the Muslim against Israel were met! I’m sure most people realise how much money a day must have been lost by such a gesture. Was it just a gesture though? Now I turn my attention to Caveman. It’s true that most of those that built that country were Indians, other Arabs, some Somalis and many Westerners. However, and as you can see from the development of cities such as Dubai, the plan is to have most the strategic jobs run by Arabs and locals. The country declared its independence in December 1971! In those 34 years, they’ve managed to turn what was a barn desert into a breathtaking oasis! Half-witted people could not have done this; surely there must be some brains behind the whole thing? I personally know and am privy to two organisations that provide scholarship programs for UAE nationals. Every single year, each sends more than four hundred students to study in Western Universities. Trust me, for a nation of three million citizens (and most of those are not even UAE nationals) you’ll be surprised at the number of graduates from world famous universities and those with PhDs! Having sang the praises of the UAE (or at least appeared to do so); they’re still proud, idiotic and moody (though that’s improving with time). They still don’t apply human rights. The law is dictatorial. Foreigners, in the whole, are usually treated very badly. Indians are looked down to and treated as talking animals. In their eyes, a citizen of that country is “more†human than anyone else. Empty pride prevails. Still, all the newly educated thinkers and intellectuals are trying to tackle most of these problems. Many talk and try to address the plights of fellow Muslims and a huge number do what they can to keep the Iraqi and Palestinian struggles top of the agenda at all times.

^^^ Reminds me of the Arabic phrase: اذا كان رب الدار بالد٠لاهي Ùشيمة اهل البيت الرقص In other words, and to borrow another famous phrase: "If You Build It, They Will Come" PS Just before you try to censor me for the Arabic words, what they mean is that if the “head†of the house was busy playing the drums, it stands to reason that the rest of the family would be fond of dancing. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge) :cool:

NGONGE - You're suju coz your name sounds like a Swahili word hehe. Anyways, I know where Darfur is on the map but I just don't understand why - if these Darfurians are Arabs indeed - there are no Arab refugees? Horta do you understand this basic tenet: that the Northern Sudanese don't consider themselves to be Black per se? Their skin color might be black but they consider themselves to be ABOVE the Southern Sudanese, who include local tribes such as the much-studied Nuer. If you can't comprehend the fact that the Khartoum regime and its Northern supporters DON'T consider themselves to be "Black," then we can't understand each other! Isn't this what I've said in an earlier post? So, your whole argument is that they’re doing this because they are Arab and the others are black. This is the only reason for this entire conflict, right? Heh. Fair enough. Let us leave it here.

^^^ You should be able to read the whole book in a week. It's not that big (less than 300 pages long).

The ruling family of Dubai are trying their best in making sure that they have an alternative source of income (other than oil). They’ve turned that barn desert into a great Oasis. After an absence of 15 years, I went back to Dubai this February and was amazed by the beauty of the city and the great organisation. The photo below is of the “Palm Dubai†project. They’re planning to build houses and villas in that island that is shaped like a palm tree. Many Hollywood celebrities and famous footballers have already reserved their places (David Beckham is one). Ameenah, there are plenty of jobs going. But, the best way to find a cushy job there is to follow the tried and tested Arab custom of “waastaâ€

Heh. So you’re all in agreement that this is a rubbish topic but you don’t like G & P pointing it out? Priceless.