The Other Side of Me

You know how we always say that hope helps people get through their lives? We say it gives strength, it doubles our energy, it makes us never give up... I don't know about you, but I always say that. Being a very optimistic person, I have always relied on hope. But then recently I feel confused, I don't know what to think anymore, when to have hope. On January 24th, 2011 I was filled with hope that a revolution would start the next day. And even though this hope was based on reasonable thoughts, now it feels like I only convinced myself with what I wanted to happen. Because this was a kind of hope that I don't have a control over; it wasn't about me it was about other people deciding to take the streets. So now this hope that I had only feels like a wish that came true. Because, isn't hope a lot bigger than that? I feel confused about when having hope helps and when it harms, because it does, right? What if I keep hoping for something that I can never control a...

Born a daughter instead of a son, what a shame! Who's going to carry the father's name? Who's going to make it eternal? Have more kids, more daughters, some more, even more, it's finally a son. How can all those kids live a humane life with their father's salary? Not possible! No need to educate the girls, they'll get married and have husbands to feed them anyway, only educate the son. She goes out, she gets sexually harassed, almost raped. She can't tell, everyone will blame her. The criminal will never be punished, because if she tells, what would people say? She'll live with that secrete forever, it will stay deep in her, and will remain only there. No one should ever know about it, nothing has changed anyway. The first man who asks for her hand, she will marry. Her father has a huge load, he has to give her away to the first man who knocks his door to decrease his awful load. She gets married, the man doesn't earn enough money, she has to wo...

We're all slaves, except a few. Slaves to our obsessions, the ones we can't live without. A car, a villa your favorite football team winning, a lover, lots of friends, shopping, food. They all enslave you, control you, eat up inside, suck the breath out of you. You can't live without your obsessions, you lose control when around them. How can you call yourself a free soul when you're under the slavery of your obsessions? How can you say you're in control when some things leave you uncontrollable? Anything you enjoy can turn into an obsession, that's when the problem begins. Imagine how you'd feel if you had to live without one of those attachments, what would happen to you? It will shake you, maybe even break you. Like if you're holding on to ropes tied to the ground, with every rope cutting you'll bend to one side. Until at some point, all ropes might break, and that's when you'll fall, and maybe never get back up. You can only be free ...

Remember that house we used to draw together? One door, two windows with a red roof and white walls. Who would have thought we'd bring it to life? Remember how you always chased me to steal my jam sandwich? Who would have thought I'd spend my whole life making you one every weekend? A homemade jam sandwich, done with love. Remember the garden we fell in love with the minute we saw? Who would have thought that this would be our everyday view. Remember how I always took your jacket by force when the night fell? Who would have thought you'd spend your whole life giving me tiny gifts every week? Remember that playful smile you had? Who would have thought our boy would the same exact smile? Remember the first time you've held my hand? Who would have thought it would be forever? Remember how my heart jumped when you told me that you loved me? Who would have thought it would jump with happiness everyday? Remember our first fight after that day? Who would have thought it w...

A few years ago, back when I was a college student, I was talking about Palestine and Israel with some colleagues and a colleague, who's had most of his school education in a gulf country, says: "but Israel has always been there. Tel Aviv has always been part of Israel, not Palestine!" It's been just a bit over 60 years and many of us have forgotten. What would happen 20 years later? No one will know what Palestine is? I keep wondering how the Arabs of that time let this disaster happen, but then I remember that we were nothing but colonized countries. And whether I want to believe it or not, regretting will get us nowhere. The truth is that now, there's no country called Palestine on many maps; It's either Gaza and West Bank or Palestinian territories at best. I don't see Palestine being free anytime soon with all their political groups fighting and the people not finding a leader. But I know for sure that we shall never forget Palestine, no matter h...

You know what's our biggest problem right now? It's that we all think we know everything about everything. And the point is that if you think you know everything, then you probably know nothing. We oppose all opinions because other people know nothing! And in case you're wondering, I'm not talking about the fights between MB and revolutionaries. I'm not even talking about the politicians who come out on us everyday on TV to talk, and talk and talk some more telling us that we understand absolutely nothing, that we have to agree with them. And I'm not talking about the activists who have been working in politics for so long that they've learned everything there is to learn, and so they know everything and everyone else is not only dumb and know nothing, but sometimes even a traitor.  I'm talking about us, the people who have suddenly turned into scholars in everything. It started with politics after the revolution, then it has spread to everything el...

I don't know if the news about a court rule banning porn websites is true, but this will eventually happen someday pretty soon seeing who rules right now! You'd think this is not important, but it is! This of course is a step in banning lots of other things; Naguib Mahfouz's Literature, political websites, religious websites that say an opinion that is different from the one the rulers say, maybe even chatrooms or social networks if it goes that far. But although this is a disaster that shouldn't be happening under any circumstance, and will definitely solve NOTHING, this is not what this post is about. So what happens if they ban porn websites? Will the horny boys stop being horny? NO! They'll either open the damn websites using proxy servers, or go find more girls to sexually harass, or even rape in the street for that matter! So who loses from that law? Women, it's always women.... I'm so sick and tired of living in this very "only for men" s...