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Syria Planet (8 unread)

July 25, 2008
7:35
Maysaloon:
» ‎ Syria Planet

For the Americans, the Bush era has been an unmitigated disaster. Economically, politically and militarily they have been made aware of their weakness in a way that hasn't been known since the British burnt down the White House. What I find amazing is how many people, temporarily startled from their slavish devotion to the United States, now lap up Barack Obama as some promised saviour, the one to return them to their dream. America is trying to sell us Barack Obama as some saviour of the American dream [nightmare] and the solution for all the worlds problems. In his speech to thousands of ecstatic Germans, Obama said, "No one nation, no matter how large or how powerful, can defeat such challenges alone.". Apparently this was extremely well received by the public, ostensibly marking the end of American unilateralism. For those not born in Europe and North America, it means they can now expect a more unified and effective neo-colonial gang rape to come their way. At least with Bush people saw America for what it is.

I've been thinking about the circus surrounding Obama's alleged links to Islam. It has ranged from things outrageous as asking women with Hejabs to stay out of camera range during his campaign, to banning the wearing of green while visiting occupied Palestine. I suppose he'll be scheduled to eat a bacon sandwich on network TV at some stage.
3:36
Mohammad Online: مدوّنون ضد السرطان !
» ‎ Syria Planet

السلام عليكم .. مرض السرطان أو الذي يسمى أحياناً ( هداك المرض ) للخوف من مجرد ذكر اسمه ، زاد انتشاره كثيرا في الآونة الاخيره و لا تكاد تخلو عائلة من إصابة أحد أفرادها به، و لا يكاد أحدنا لا يجد له قريب أو صديق إلا و هذا المرض قد فتك به . الذي جعلني حقيقة أهتم [...]
0:30
Mr. Blond Blog: مناهج التعليب في سوريا !!!
» ‎ Syria Planet

الكثيرون يعتقدون أن مناهج التعليم السورية هي من أفضل المناهج العربية ، بل وأن خريجي الكليات السورية يتفوقون على أقرانهم من الخريجين العرب في سوق العمل وفي مجالات الحياة ولا سيما في الخارج ، وهذا ما كنت مقتنع به شخصياً ولفترة طويلة ولكنني الآن أعتقد بوجود بعض المبالغة في هذا القول .. لنكن واقعيين .. هناك طريقتان في التعليم :

طريقة تعتمد على غزارة المعلومات وضخامتها وتعدد مصادرها مما يؤدي في أغلب الأحيان إلى السطحية الفكرية وهذا شأن المناهج السورية ، وهناك طريقة تعتمد على معلومات محددة قليلة بسيطة قد تؤدي في النهاية إلى الفقر والضحالة في التعلم وهذا شأن بعض المناهج الغربية التجارية المستوردة ، أما عن سبب السطحية الفكرية رغم الكم الكبير والهائل من المعلومات فهذا مرده إلى طبيعة العقل البشري الذي يستوعب كم محدد ومنطقي من العلوم والتي من المفترض أن تكون واقعية مستمدة من التجربة ليسهل حينئذٍ حفظها وتذكرها ..

بعد هذا الشرح البسيط أود أن أسأل أي شخص سوري ما الذي تعلمه من جميع المناهج التي درسها أو على الأصح ما الذي يتذكره من كل ما تعلم ؟؟
القراءة ، الكتابة ، بعض العمليات الحسابية البسيطة ، معلومات جغرافية وتاريخية عامة ، في أفضل الأحوال بعض الأحاديث والآيات القرآنية .. أليس من الأفضل في هذه الحالة لو أننا بقينا على طريقة التعليم في المساجد التي تدعى “الكتاتيب” والتي كانت منتشرة لأكثر من أربعة عقود خلال الإحتلال العثماني .. هل هناك فرق بينها وبين طريقة التعليم الحالية؟؟ أو لأكون واضحاً هل هناك فرق في النتائج بين كلا الحالتين !!؟

في طريقة الكتاتيب كانت العصا من أهم أدوات وركائز التعليم ، الآن تعددت الأدوات ” الكل يتكتف، يالله لشوف ” ولكن بقي الهدف ذاته والمتمثل في إرهاب الطلاب من قوة المدرس .. في السابق كان التركيز على طريقة التلقين وعلى تجنب النقاش والحوار وعلى تغييب التطبيقات والمعارف العملية والمشاريع الإنتاجية وفرق العمل ، حالياً ما الذي تغير ؟؟
إذاً ما الفائدة من علم لا ينتج عملاً ، ما الفائدة إذا درس الطالب 16 سنة على الأقل من حياته ثم خرج بعدها إلى سوق العمل ليجد أن الشهادة قد تفيده مبدئياً في الوصول إلى الوظيفة ولكنها لن تفيده كثيراً في النجاح أو البقاء فيها لإفتقاده إلى الخبرة والمران .. هكذا شخص لن يستطيع العمل في المجالات التي تعتمد على طريقة تفكير رب العمل في الغرب والتي تقول: ” لو كنت تملك أعلى شهادة وجدت في العالم ولكنك لا تستطع أن تنجز لي ما أريد .. سأتركك وأبحث عن غيرك ولو كان أمياً ” ..

إذاً ما الفائدة من دراسة طالب الحقوق لقوانين قديمة ومعدلة وحتى لاغية وهو يعرف أنه لن يستخدمها طوال حياته بالوقت الذي يتجاهل واضعو المقرر مجرد الإشارة إلى القوانين الحديثة أو المعدلة على الأقل ..
ما الفائدة من دراسة طالب الإقتصاد لنظريات إقتصادية أكل عليها الزمن وشرب ، بالوقت الذي تتغير فيه المنهاج الغربية المتعلقة بالإقتصاد وإدارة الأعمال كل سنتين تقريباً ، ما الفائدة إذا كان طالب الإقتصاد هذا نفسه لا يستطيع العمل كمحاسب ما لم يتقن البرامج الحسابية المتداولة مهنياً وهو لم يتعرف عليها طوال فترة دراسته ..
ما الفائدة من دراسة طالب المعلوماتية لتاريخ ومراحل نشوء الكمبيوتر أو لغات البرمجة المخترعة منذ الأزل والمنسقة من الأزل ، بالوقت الذي يستطيع فيه “أولاد” في الغرب تكوين فيروس ونشره وتهديد أمن بلادهم القومي ..
حتى طالب الطب والصيدلة يشتكي كثيراً من المصطلحات الطبية المعربة بطريقة تفرض عليه أن يعدل شهادته السورية إذا ما أراد إستكمال دراسته خارجاً ..

لنتعمق أكثر : إذا كان ديكارت قال “أنا أفكر إذاً أنا أشك”، فالنظام التعليمي في سورية قائم في كثير من مفاصله على منع الشك واعتباره “تهمة” ، فالتاريخ العربي هو التاريخ المشرق الذي ورد في الكتب المدرسية، أما تاريخ سورية الحديث فهو يختصر بعدة صفحات تملؤها الأدلجة، وأبيات الشعر يحفظ شرحها صماً معها ولا يترك مجال للتأويل الآخر ، ولمسائل الرياضيات حل واحد هو ما يكتبه الأستاذ على السبورة ، فالتلميذ المجد ليس من يطرح الأسئلة الملائمة، بل الذي يعطي الأجوبة الصحيحة، هذا إن كان هناك وقت للأسئلة والحوار والمناقشة النقدية، فالمناهج السورية تمتاز بكتبها ذات الوزن الثقيل، وهي لا تترك فرصة للمعلم إلا أن يلقي الدرس ويكتب بضع كلمات على اللوح، ثم يسأل طلابه إن كان أحد لم يفهم أو لديه سؤال وغالباً لا يجد أي إصبع مرفوع ..

ولذلك فقد وصف أحد المدرسين نظام التعليم التقليدي بأنه يسجن عقل المتعلم في حذاء صيني ضيق يمنعه من الانطلاق والانتشار والشمول ، وبهذا تلعب المدرسة وحتى الجامعة دور إيديولوجي في إعادة إنتاج علاقات القوة والسيطرة وإنتاج قيم الطاعة والخضوع ليترافق محو أمية الطالب مع محو شخصيته…. هل أبالغ ؟؟
July 24, 2008
21:20
SyriaComment.com: Samir al-Taki’s talk at the Brookings Institute in Washington DC
» ‎ Syria Planet

Samir al-Taki's talk at the Brookings Institute in Washington DC, July 23, 2008
Summarized by Joshua Landis

The three-man delegation of Syrians which is visiting Washington spoke at the Brookings Institute today. They are Dr. Sami Moubayed (Academic, jounalist), Samir Saifan (Economist, businessman), and Samir al-Taki ([Taqi] medical doctor and head of Syria's leading think tank). They have a busy schedule of meetings and talks with congressmen and other Washington types this week. Their meeting with the U.S. State Department on Wednesday was canceled. So was a meeting with leaders of AIPAC. Here is how the State Dept. explained the cancelation:

"Representatives from the State Department will not meet with this group from Syria," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos told reporters. "Upon review of their program, and changes in schedules, ultimately, (it) did not work out."

Here are a few of the main points made by Dr. al-Taqi who gave a prepared comment of only 10 minutes before opening the floor to questions:

From 2001 until UN Resolution 1559 was issued in the fall of 2004, Israel and the US tried to end the Arab-Israeli confrontation by means of a unilateral peace. Sharon had decided to impose a peace pleasing to it on the Palestinians. Syria gambled that such a peace was impossible — "You cannot close the Arab-Israeli conflict without dealing with the core problems. There cannot be a unilateral peace," said Samir al-Taki.

We now have about eight collapsing states in the region. This means more asymmetrical conflict in the region. The regional problems are getting worse and are more over-lapping. The US and Israeli decision to use force to impose unilateral solutions on the area has failed. It has made the region more dangerous and the problems more intractable.

Only dialogue, negotiations and compromise will solve regional problems and attenuate the violence that threatens us all.

This was the gist of Dr. Taki's prepared remarks. I was unable to take proper notes on the questions. I will try to summarize some of the main categories of questions and give an inexact and highly condensed summary of the responses.

Question: What was the reason for resuming negotiations with Israel?

Answer: Because Ariel Sharon was given carte blanche to destroy the PLO and Palestinian leadership, he opened the way in front of all kinds of extremists. Syria needed to stop this trend. Only dialogue and mutual solutions can solve our problems and open a way forward for all states in the region.

Question: Compare Iran and Turkey as allies of Syria.

Answer: Syria has a right and obligation to seek out regional allies. When Syria thinks about allies in the region, it thinks of Iran. When it thinks of opportunities, it thinks of Turkey.

Question: What does Syria want from the US?

Answer: We need the US. We can discuss bilateral problems with Israel, but we need the US to discuss regional problems. The US is our neighbor now. In some ways, Fallujah is closer to Washington than New Orleans is. If Syria wants good relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other states of the region, Washington is an important part of the equation.

Question: Hizbullah. Will Syria shut down Hizbullah if there is peace with Israel?

Answer: Asymmetrical warfare is what is going on in the region. Hizbullah and non-state actors can make their enemies bleed, but what is the endgame of violence? It is to bring one's opponent to the negotiating table. Non-state actors cannot win or bring opponents to the table. For that you must have states and recognized governments.

As for whether Syria will "shut down" or "disarm" Hizbullah, Syria has left Lebanon. Hizbullah is Lebanon's problem now. We are not in Lebanon. Under the present circumstances, Syria must use all its options in its struggle to regain the Golan and secure its security and national interests in the region. Only when we are headed toward peace and assured of a real change in regional dynamics, will Syria choose between allies and make such difficult decisions, but Syria is ready to move — hopefully the need to make decisions will come sooner than later.

Question: Will Syria really support disarming Hizbullah and stopping its rearmament?

Answer: When the Lebanese as a society and one people are ready to integrate Hizbullah's militia into the army or to disarm it, Syria will be ready to support that decision.

Question: What is your advice for the next US president?

Answer: Appoint a US ambassador in Damascus. Put your considerable muscle behind land for peace - that is what we are looking for, land for peace.Iraq: Lebanon is no longer number one on Syria's agenda; Iraq is. The biggest danger for Syria is to have a weak confessional federation, like Lebanon, on our eastern border. This is our biggest concern and looming danger. Angry confessionalism and religious and ethnic violence have a way of spreading.

Question: Congressman Stephen J. Solarz explained that when he visited Syria and spoke to Foreign Minister Mu`alem, he asked the FM what Syria needed in order to give up riparian rights to the Sea of Galilee should Israel concede the northern strip of land along the lake to Syria? Mu`alem had told Solarz that Syria wanted:

1) more water from Turkey.
2) A water desalinization plant on the coast.
3) Syrian farmers on the Golan to be able to use water from some of the streams that feed Lake Tiberius.

Solarz asked Dr. Taki if these demands were still on Syria's list.

Answer: Taqi smiled and said that whatever Mu'alem had told the congressman was undoubtedly true as Mu`alem is the source.

Then in a more serious vein, Taki insisted that the larger principle of getting all the land of the 1967 border was a separate question from the technical issues of what guarantees would be needed to achieve it. He insisted that most of the technical issues had been worked out and that remaining problems could be dealt with. He insisted that the principle of returning to the 1967 border was the important point in it all.During the last 10 minutes of the meeting, Sami Moubayed and Samir Saifan spoke.

Dr. Moubayed insisted that Syria is ready to be helpful and part of the solution to regional problems. He went through a number of examples of how and when Syria had used its influence and authority in the region to help solve problems in the recent past. He said that Washington needs to recognize this assistance and work with Syria. Syria is not looking for praise, he insisted. All Syria wants from the US is for it to halt its campaign to vilify and demonize Syria. "The US should not expect cooperation from Syria so long as it abuses Syria and seeks to demonize it," he explained.

Mr. Saifan explained that Syria wants peace in the region and wants to move ahead with its plans for a better and richer future. Negotiations and peace will benefit all sides. He thanked the leaders of "The Search for Common Ground," who had organized their trip to Washington and who had gotten them meetings with congressmen and leaders in Washington. He explained that the Syrian team had not expected such a warm welcome and such interest. They thanked Martin Indik, the head of the Saban Center, for hosting the Brookings talk.
21:18
Maysaloon: Channel 4's "The Qur'an"
» ‎ Syria Planet

A few days ago I had the opportunity to watch a documentary called "The Qur'an" by Anthony Thomas on Channel 4. I can't say I had high expectations for it, but I felt whatever hopes I had for it were dashed the further the program progressed. I think the subject matter was handled with enormous respect, and for a Western program which is trying to promote a better understanding of the Qur'an, it is a remarkably good effort. Still, I felt he could have done much better with the people he had been interviewing. I don't remember the name of the Egyptian woman and human rights activist he interviewed, but I do remember that there was absolutely nothing of value in anything she said. She might be an expert in something, but to just say that 30 years ago she had never seen a single Hejab in Cairo verges on the ridiculous. What does that mean exactly? The hejab did no exist? Did she mean that things were better then because it was not? Things are worse now? The way she spoke, emphasising drama over detail, reminded me more of women like Ayan Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan and Irshad Manji and throughout the program I felt she did not belong at all. Still, the part on the position of women was one of the better ones.

Anthony interviewed some remarkable women who had chosen to wear different forms of the hejab and their arguments were very convincing. I don't personally think the hejab is necessary at all but I understand the views they gave and they were extremely intelligent and articulate. I remember that he was interviewing a woman who had been a lawyer but given it up to wear a full hejab and look after her family. He had gently tried to trip her up by asking loaded questions such as how she felt about giving that all up and whether it was worth it. I was most impressed with her answers and the English subtitles just didn't convey the amusement she had with his condescending questions, perhaps he didn't think that female Arab lawyers were as good as those on Boston Legal? For myself I don't agree that she had to stop her job or that she should cover her hair and face but I've learnt not to play verbal chess with lawyers! If she finds a good reason for doing that then I commend her on her choice.

Overall, at a time when Islam and Muslims are under attack throughout the world, I think it is good to tackle and clarify the areas which are being concentrated on. The Hejab was one common argument but female circumcision is also frequently used to attack Islam, mistakenly. I was horrified with the video and the terror in the girls voice shook me, but there is no religious sanction whatsoever for this practice. I can grant that some think it desirable if they are from a culture which practices it, even women who have had it done to themselves, but the horrific way it is carried out is absolutely shocking and inexcusable.

I think the final part was concerned with ways of interpreting the Quran and I found that it was the part which annoyed me the most. Firstly they had a man who belonged to some interfaith dialogue group in America. He had the alacrity to say that the Qur'an has something in it for everyone, likening it to a supermarket!?! Nothing he said later in the program registered with me as I knew then that he was a total buffoon. The Sufi Sheikh they had put on was also remarkably naive and ignorant in what he said, one point he made amongst many is basically that the children of Abraham are all one and that we worship the same God. There comes a point in any religion when the distinction between you and those who do not believe in the same thing becomes clear. At the most, people of different religious convictions can come to terms with coexisting with one another, but certainly not to the point of acknowledging the complete truth in the others belief. In doing so, they would undermine their own faith, which they truly do believe in and that offers them answers to their place in the world and their relationship to their deity. I say this generally about the different faiths but basically a Jew does not accept Jesus as the Messiah, Christians think Jesus is God and Muslims do genuinely believe that the Jews are those "Allah is angry with" and that the Christians are those who have "strayed". It will always be like this, deal with it.

Thomas paid a lot of attention to the ridiculous section on the discovery of Qur'ans in an old Mosque in Yemen. I get the impression he was trying to stick in an Islamic style Da Vinci code debate about the nature of the Quran, complete with masked identity for author of a 'dangerous' text which made the claim that if one interprets the Qur'an in a Syriac or Aramaic (can't remember which) language, we get very different interpretations. I won't deny or confirm these as I don't know enough, but to make such a claim but then not back it up during the program was poor taste indeed. Also, he seemed to think it was big news that old Arabic did not have dots or any markings to distinguish the letters yet it has always been common knowledge that this was the case so I don't understand why he presented this as something new. In particular, he said that words can have up to thirty different meanings and this might impact how we understand the Qur'an, yet he did not give us one example of where this would be the case. We are expected to take what he said for granted. I for one would have been curious to see which verses would have been radically changed if a dot was erased or added and where it still appears like a possibly valid reading.

Overall, the documentary reinforced, perhaps unwittingly, the now common misconception that the Qur'an was an extremely difficult text to read or interpret, when it is not. What we do suffer from is an overall degradation of the level of Arabic in the Arab world which has become more accute since the seventies and this is what makes many susceptible to not only the rantings of lunatics, but also to Europeans and Americans who would rather we read books written by them than read this very very dangerous and empowering text that has changed the world. The Qur'an is there for those who want its message.
19:28
Razaneyyat: رزان
» ‎ Syria Planet

عندما يأتي ذاك “العلمانيّ” ويدعو الفتاة المسلمة المتحجّبة بال”خالْصة” عند رفضها أن تسلّم باليد, ويأتي ويعرّف عن نفسه “بالليبراليّ” وصاحب الفكر “الحرّ” كونه يسلّم على الجميع باليد- علماً أنّه يفعل ذلك تطبيقاً لمعتقداته كذلك- فذاك يدلّ على شيئين اثنين: أوّلهما: ربط العلمانيّة بكلماتٍ متجرّدة صنع لها معنىً إيجابيّ كـ”الحرية” والـ”تحرر” والـ”انفتاح” رغم أنّ انزعاج هذا [...]
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18:51
MQabbani: Thank you
» ‎ Syria Planet

Thank you all ..

Many sent me Emails and sms asking and checking up on me

I just want to thank you all; it’s nice to see all this from you

To be frank, things are not OK between me and my self. I have been here for 8 days and I didn’t see my Lady well :( , I got very busy with work and I am feeling guilty about it. Then something happed related to her family which made things more complicated for me. They got busy with her aunt ( a very serious health problem ) so she’s with her mum or with her aunt or she’s on-call so that if any thing happens she goes fast. It’s hard for me to see my lady or going out, plus her final exam is on Monday and I cant push much on her

My family is in Damas right now + my Sister with her 3 kids, so I also have some commitments and things to take care of.

WHY DON’T I HAVE BROTHERS

It’s a very bad feeling when you really need this person to be close to you, and simply things go out of control and you can’t do nothing ! :(

It’s summer time , every one wants to invite every one …
The invitation came for me and my financee , she can’t go , I don’t feel well to go too , they will get mad if I don’t come. I don’t want to be there alone :(

arrrrrrrrrrghhh , I guess am going back Amman , I will SMS all when I am on the way telling them am back to Amman , its better to be far than being close and feel far.
15:33
Arab Democracy: Why the ‘Sand Niggers’ should vote for Obama
» ‎ Syria Planet

By Joseph El-Khoury

Out of all derogatory terms used for Arabs in the Anglo-Saxon world 'Sand Niggers' is the one that best describes their present situation at the ethnic group everyone loves to hate. For other colourful expressions I would refer you to the Urban Dictionary available on the web. Similar to the way Black people were perceived as lacking in morals, naturally violent, immune to any cultural sense, lazy and unreliable in a pre-civil rights movements America, anti-Arab prejudice is mainstream post 9/11.

As mentioned by various Arab media outlets, both candidates to the US presidency have made very little attempts to attract the vote of approximately 1.5millions Arab-Americans, who in some states (Michigan, Ohio) make a significant minority. These might even prove more crucial if the race is tight. While McCain seems at all uninterested in this community, Barack Obama went out of his way to distance himself from any display of Muslim support for his campaign, even asking young veiled women to step out from a camera shot during a rally. This is hardly surprising for the son of a Kenyan Muslim who spent his early years in Indonesia. His advisors know that while Christian America might forgive him for being Black, it will not allow him any flirtation with the ’Evil Religion’.

To be fair to Senator Obama and his opponent, the Arab-American community is neither homogeneous nor united. It is split down many religious, socio-economical and cultural fault lines that go beyond the generational gap common to every immigrant community. In general terms, Lebanese (also Syrian and Iraqi to a lesser extent) Americans of Christian extraction form a distinct sizeable group who maintain strong links to their motherland but are keen to show themselves as ‘faith cousins’ fully integrated to the American dream. Coptic Egyptians are a smaller but well organised group with a militant Christian streak. They are socially conservative on issues such as abortion, gay rights and the death penalty and feel comfortable in enlightened republican circles. Many Muslim Arabs of various origins are as socially conservative but find it harder to show their American credentials due to a heavier religious and cultural load. In some cases this extends to public expressions of faith (The veil) which for the insulated average American belong to the enemy. Their Arab identity is emphasised in relation to other Muslims but more recently the two groups have grown closer as a consequence of wholesale prejudice against them and the Islamisation of the Palestinian struggle. US intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan only served to confirm their beliefs in a conspiracy targeting the existence of their religion.

The issue or Israel remains essential to understanding the relation between Arab-Americans and their adopted country. The US has been unwavering in its support for the Zionist entity since its creation in 1948 providing it consistently with the financial, technological, military means to dominate the Middle East and wreck the hopes of one Arab generation after the other. This is unlikely to change regardless of who takes over the White House come November. But two factors Arab voters should consider while casting their votes. The first factor is that An Obama administration will not be motivated by ideology in its position vis-a-vis Israel while remnants of the neo-conservative and evangelical Christian agenda will persist in a Bush-McCain transition. Pragmatic policies might still be detrimental to the Palestinians but are easier to debate and challenge than those backed by divine intervention. The second factor is that the election of a Liberal modern Black man to the highest office will be good for America, whatever foreign policy he adopts. This is a revolution in the making and as all astute immigrants know it is by joining hands with the locals for the common good that you gain acceptance. As the American poet Gil Scott-Heron cynically puts it: ‘The revolution will not be televised...’ but the election certainly will!