From the monthly archives:

July 2006

SaveDarfur.org Pushing For UN Troops

by Drima on July 31, 2006

Okay so previously I’ve talked about how I appreciate Save Darfur’s great job in bringing Darfur to the attention of the American public and the world but NOW I don’t really think I like THIS. They’re organizing a concert with the aim of pushing for UN troops to be sent to Darfur. I’ve explained before in a simple and straight forward way why I believe the UN troops won’t improve the situation. There is strong opposition to UN troops in Sudan and it’s growing more by the day. Even Darfur tribal leaders are opposed to UN troops. I’ll say it again only with some updates.
Darfur previously = Disaster
Darfur now = STILL a disaster but to a lesser extent
Darfur + UN troops = Bigger disaster
Darfur + AU troops reinforced by UN & NATO = HUGE improvements.
Darfur + UN troops + Al Qaeda = One big ass GIGANTIC Disaster !!!
People, pleeeeeeeeeeease tell me you get it. How can I make it simpler than this to understand? Pleeeeeeeease tell me you understand when I say that UN troops will NOT make things more humanitarian for the people of Darfur.
You know what? With every passing day, I believe less and less that this whole thing is about a humanitarian effort. I’m starting to believe more and more that this is about hitting 2 birds with one stone.
1- Protecting civilians (which means making their lives more miserable)…
2- Destabalizing and toppling the curent Sudanese regime.
I’m all for #2… Yes indeed I am all the way baby! However I certainly am NOT for #1…
Here’s the dillema. In order for #2 to occur #1 has to happen first. Is that the price we the Sudanese are willing to pay?
I would not mind the UN troops if
1- there was no local opposition to them
2- I was sure Al-Qaeda isn’t serious
However that’s not the case… SO… For the MILLIONTH time… Reinforce the damn AU troops and keep your freaking UN troops AWAY! That’s the BEST solution. Thank you for your kind/”kind” intentions but UN troops will just contribute more to the damn problem. As for the Sudanese government… Well, Sudanese people all over the world… It’s time to start a freaking revolution! Foreign meddling NOT welcome. It just complicates things. Shias VS Sunnis in Iraq anyone?
Grrr… I’m seriously thinking about starting a campaign or a petition to convince people UN troops are not a good idea but that reinforcing the AU troops with NATO and UN is. I REALLY REALLY AM!!!

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ENOUGH!! Qana Was NOT Nice!

by Drima on July 31, 2006

Enough IDF! ENOUGH! Either aim properly or don’t aim at all. I still still still don’t get the damn logic in the IDF’s strategy. First they destroy Lebanon’s infrastructure and send it 20 years back and then they start bombing northern targets. Now THIS Qana crap happens. 56 innocent civilians?!! 27 poor children DEAD?!! Shouldn’t Israeli military intelligence check if there are civilians there first? Israel, you’re guilty of what Hezbollah does too. You fire rockets indiscriminately. This is your fault more than it is Hezbollah’s! I’m pissed. This is terrorism. Yes this is STATE SPONSERED TERRORISM. I don’t care what the definition of terrorism to you is. To me this IS terrorism. Great evaluations IDF. Bleh!
Oh ya and Hezbollah, GREAT JOB FIRING FROM CIVILIAN PLACES!!!
UPDATE: Okay so I’ve calmed down now but please oh please tell me how I cannot be mad at this???!!! (WARNING: Graphic images) HOW? I just received it by email…
On one hand terrorist attacks by Muslims tarnish the image of Islam and make it seem like an evil religion and on the other THIS just adds more fire to the anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism already deeply felt in the world. This makes Zionism appear like one hell of an evil ideology I tell ya…
I need to chill for a while… A nice shower and strumming a little guitar will do… God have mercy!

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Where I Was Before & Where I Am Today

by Drima on July 29, 2006

About 6 months ago before I stumbled upon the blogosphere, I was super anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist. Now after spending time engaging in productive discussions my opinions have been refined and balanced. The reason I was super anti-Israel was because of what I believed. I believed that Israel’s goal is to expand and take away all of Jerusalem. I assumed that the Jews in Israel want to demolish Al-Aqsa mosque so that they can rebuild their ancient holy temple again. That would be to the benefit of Christians since only then will the second coming of Christ be possible. As such the Judeo-Christian alliance. Such beliefs are not so strong anymore. Instead I now believe that Jewish fundamentalists are the only ones supporting ideas like that. Same goes for Christian fundamentalists in US too. I now also believe that the majority of Jews follow Zionism simply because it’s a movement founded on their longing for Jerusalem. They simply want a home where they can be safe. Jews obviously deserve to worship and live in Jerusalem as it’s their religious right but they must keep in mind it’s the 3rd holiest site for all Muslims too. Moreover they must keep in mind Israel’s brutality in war only contributes to more negative perceptions about Zionism.
My opinion of the PLO, Fatah and Hamas has also changed. I now realize they too are responsible for the hardships of Palestinians and that the blame shouldn’t solely fall on Israel. If you’re reading this right now and you think Yasser Arafat was a hero, think again. He wasn’t. He was corrupted as hell and kept millions of dollars to himself while at the same time blamed Israel for the hardships of Palestinians and so on. Also Hamas’s attitude with ceasfire, what Arab countries did in the past etc. I could go on talking and talking about how my opinions changed and refined but I’m kinda sleepy right now so I’m going to buzz off and sleep. Anyways, I hope you get the general idea of this post. Sometimes we think we know it well when in fact we don’t really. God bless the internet and blogging. It’s certainly better learning about Israel and Judaism from Israelis and Jews themselves rather than from al-Jazeera. Before making up one’s, a chance should be first given to the other party to explain their case and defend it. Only then will you have the different relevant perspectives that certainly help contribute to a better and more balanced opinion. Washing my brain and cleaning it from stupid propaganda is fun. *Yawn… Goodnite/morning depending on whatever timezon you’re in… Peace… Sweet dreams to me…

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When Will This “Pride” Stop?

by Drima on July 29, 2006

I just saw this comment which was left by a reader on Sandmonkey’s blog. I simply had to post it here.

When will the Arab-Muslim world stop getting its “pride” from fighting Israel and start getting it from constructing a society that others would envy, an economy others would respect, and inventions and medical breakthroughs from which others would benefit?

The above is so very true. It’s one of the main things my political beliefs are based on and why I’m against the non-constructive attitude of venting out anger at USA and Israel. Contrary to belief in the Arab street, I don’t think there’s “pride” in what Hezbollah has been doing. So many Arab-Muslims are cheering Hezbollah for standing up to Israel. To them Hezbollah is giving us “pride” by standing up to the Zionist enemy even when faced with high tech weapons. Sigh, “Pride” my foot! Our own countries are so screwed and yet we still have time to be “proud”. Until the day I die, I’ll always believe that “the pen is mightier than the sword”. Education and science all the way baby. Down with ignorance and oppression.

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Update On the Rebel Situation

by Drima on July 29, 2006

Okay so just to make things clear. Initially before the signing of the Abuja Peace Agreement there were mainly 2 rebel groups in Darfur. One is called Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the other is called Justice & Equality Movement (JEM). A faction within SLM/A led by Minnawi later signed the Abuja Peace Agreement. Another faction of SLM/A led by Abdelwahid Nur held out. JEM didn’t sign too. Pressure was then applied on Abdul Wahid and JEM to sign. They didn’t sign the peace agreement itself but gave a declaration of commitment to peace in Darfur. I misunderstood the commitment to peace as a signature previously. I was wrong. They didn’t sign any agreement but only gave a commitment to peace in Darfur… a commitment which hasn’t been fulfilled by them. As a result Bashir is now trying to eliminate the JEM.

I also learned from this post on Jan Pronk’s blog that 2 new rebel groups have been formed.

Intra SLA fighting has not stopped. Two new movements have emerged. One is called the G19… G19 received more and more support amongst those who disagreed with the outcome of the talks…

A second new group is the New Redemption Front (NRF). They seem to have their base in the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which had participated in the Abuja talks.

Damn, I have a headache. Keeping track of all those splits is tough. Combine with that the task of microanalysing to get an understanding of which tribes are involved and which the rebel groups are dominated by. Rebel alliances are changing and shifting from time to time. I don’t really care much what alliances the rebels make. I’m just interested in the end result which is PEACE PLEASE!

This post might not be 100% accurate so just keep that in mind. I will be posting a proper post soon on the new rebels and new alliances.

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Bashir: Darfur Would Be UN Troops’ Graveyard

by Drima on July 29, 2006

So the opposition naturally still continues. Bashir’s regime strongly believes there’s a conspiracy to get rid of him and so he won’t risk anything threatening his power. He also mentioned 2 interesting things.

“If they [UN] really want to protect the people of Darfur, what are they doing about the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and Palestine and the killing of women, children and innocents there?”

Bashir cited Iraq, where despite the presence of foreign forces there is “destruction, damage and sedition between the Sunnis and Shiites instigated by Western intelligence, in addition to the torture and killing of inmates in Abu Ghraib and other prisons.”

He’s cleverly rallying more opposition to UN troops by playin the Israel card as usual. Sigh! If the UN wants to freaking help then they should just reinforce the AU troops. Why is it so difficult for them to understand that? Maybe they really do envision a long term solution ie. getting rid of Bashir.

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Does Israel Understand the Psycodynamics of the Arab World?

by Drima on July 29, 2006

I really wonder if Israel has any clue to the psychological dynamics of the Arab and Muslim worlds. With each passing day the IDF continues bombing its enemies in Lebanon, it actually creates more in the process. The images being broadcasted to millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world only reinforce what has been said to them by previous generations. They reinforce the belief that Israel is indeed an evil enemy which must be destroyed. Where is the logic in the IDF’s strategy? If Israel is showing off its strength to thwart its enemies, it sure is doing a “wonderful” job. As Big Pharaoh stated, Hezbollah has managed to do what no other Arab army could do previously. It managed to strike towns deep within Israel. That alone should make the Arab and Muslim worlds believe that Israel is weakening which would encourage more attacks and support for Israel’s destruction. Combine that with the anger the broadcasted images produce and you get a deadly recipe that provides enough motivation and justification for continuing the aggression towards Israel for many years to come.

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Sudanese Opinion On Mid-East Crisis

by Drima on July 28, 2006

Here is a really great discussion about the Mid-East crisis. It’s from a Sudanese forum. It’s quite representative of the opinion on the Sudanese street. Check it out below and read it ALL! My favourite is the last comment by Ferfer.
NubianQ
Was’nt that just the cherry ontop of everything.. Saudi Arabia ‘Blaming’ Lebanon, as if smacking a disobedient child, and shaking a finger hissing ‘ I told you so!!’. What can you expect from a state that is a ( Censored ) to the U.S. (as all Gulf States)… The Middle East is an embarassment, huffing and puffing in their useless Arab League, demanding the destruction of ‘The Zionist Entity’ but when shit hit the fan…. they sit and twiddle their thumbs.
Miss D
Yup,that’s what we Arabs excel at: blaming,criticizing & philosophizing behind closed doors.Ha,Israel mustve been planning this for long n was waiting for a pretext(abductions in this case) to start a war in the name of ” Defense Against Terrorists”
7
You know,I feel starngely detached from it all. Truth is I don’t really relate in terms of conflicts with Arab nations,just as they don’t relate to ours. Which is sad really. But hey,we have our own problems.
Miss D
Heck,Im just happy someone took a shot at Israel (…) or should I advocate the cowardice & silence of the Arabs n the West’s(US & Israel in particular) ongoing imperialism & dominance in order to attain peace of mind cuz messin with the bigger fish is hell on earth?
Hoodlum
FOX News is sickly managed by Jews and republicans, same views [all I keep hearing, 8 Israeli soldiers down, 2 abducted]; they got what they deserve. How many Lebanese civilians are dead due to bombing?
Ferfer
Arabs countries and especially Lebanon never gave a damn about Sudan when the civil war was revolving, we had millions of people died in the civil war, probably more than what the Palestine’s have had throughout their prolonged war with Israeli. From my point of view, Sudanese people have unjustified sympathy toward Arabs, I just wanted to remained people that Lebanon stood strongly against the application of Sudan to join the Arabian union and their prime minister said bluntly that Sudanese are not Arabs and therefore shouldn’t be a member in the Arabian union. So why do care about people who never care about us. To be honest, I don’t care neither about Palestine nor Lebanon, further more I wish that Israel will manage to wipe out those Islamic terrorists such as Hamas & Jihad and more important Hizb Alah. But on the other hand, killing civilians is totally unacceptable, Israelis should direct their attacks toward Hamas & Hizib allah bases.
Miss D
Ferfer,you do have a point and with all due respect to Lebanon, I am not a fan of the Lebanese ppl either.
7
(Quotes Ferfer first) You know what, I could care less about Lebanon or Lebanese. Like I said,I feel detached. But.. This is another indicator of where the world is heading. Geo-politics. It’s not about Hizbullah,or Hamas or terrorists. I know folks detained in prisons on cahrges of terrorism right now , who have never touched a Quran in their lives. It’s about land,religion,oil and troubelsome regions. So while I don’t think we should chip in,I do think we should sleep with one eye open. Sudan is on the list. Not beacuse of the ‘Islamic’ goverment. But beacuse of our location,resources and again location. It’s the gateway to and from the Arab world and ‘Black’ Africa.
Deena
Its not so much about sudanese, lebanese or tibetens.. its a humanitarian concern.
Miss D
7,we are definitely on the “Most Wanted” list.I agree with you but,heck,this is colonialism all over again the only country I have respect for in the Arab/Muslim world albeit its fundamentalism & radicalism is Iran for sticking to its nuclear program n not succumbing to the West’s pressure.
Sum-won
Ferfer, how is Hamas a terrorist organization??? Because they are the only line of defense for Palestine against the Zionists? How is Israel not a terrorist nation?? HUH?
Dinoz
to me, Hamas is a terrosit group because its managing to hurt innocent civilians in israel, even though people might not be a big fan of israel but the Israeli people are still humanbeings, and some innocent israelis are being hurt in the process, Israel’s goverment (not the people) to me are also terrosists because they are also hurting innocent civilians.
Ferfer
Ill tell why I tend to label Hamas as a terrorist group, first of all Hamas has always been barrier to the peace process, they don’t attack the Israeli Military bases, instead they bomb civilians in the market, killing innocent people. Furthermore, whenever the Palestinian government and the Israeli government make a pact to ceasefire, Hamas comes to spoil everything and violate treaties. Anyone who kills civilians should be named a terrorist, including Israel, Hamas & Jihad, there is absolutely no difference, Israel is ruled by Jewish fundamentalists who seek to expand their state, and Hamas & Jihad are basically Islamic monsters. The only losers are Civilians, I personally hold Hizb Allah responsible of what is going on in Lebanon, it was totally irresponsible act to abduct the two soldiers, now all the innocent people are suffering while Hizib Allah and its fighters are hiding them selves. It’s always the innocent people who pay the cost, Islamic & Jewish fundamentalists are fighting and calling for holy way and each party claims to be the army of God.
Miss D
Ferfer, excellent point.Nevertheless, I disagree that what is happening in Lebanon is solely the responsibility of Hizbullah.Frankly,Israel’s reaction to the abductions was/is extreme.Abductions are not uncommon in the world and the way Israel handled the whole matter is uncalled for.According to Al Jazeera channel’s statistics,there are approximately 500,000 Arab prisoners in Israeli prisons who have been convicted without a trial.
NubianQ
Like Miss. D said, this ‘invasion’ of Lebanon has been pre-planned, Isreal is trying everything to Get the U.S. to attack Syria and Iran, and with the way this predicament is unfolding… it’s most probable they’ll get their wish.
Ferfer
I totally agree that what is going on in Lebanon isn’t entirely Hizab Allh fault, and I also agree that Israeli are overreacting and apparently they have been looking for an excuse to carry out atrocities, and Hizab Allah foolishly enough has gave them what they have been looking for. So it is Hizib Allah fault in the first place, what Hizb Allah has done led the whole area into merciless war which its only victims would neither be Hizb Allah fighters nor the Israeli soldiers, it will only shed the blood of civilians. Hizb Allah has done is completely irresponsible provided that Israel had been in a state of peace with Lebanon. It is true that many Arabs are kept in the Israeli detentions without being charged but do you know that many more Arabs (probably more than those who are detained in Israel) are kept likewise in their own countries and without being charged, only because they have expressed their opposition to the governments of the Arab worlds!! People vent their anger on Israel and protest against USA but they remain silent when they see their government persecute its political opponents and oppress their fellow citizens, they remain silent when they see corruption in every public institute. (Drima: clap clap) Read the history and extract lessons, read about Martin Luther King & Ghandi, those people stood for their rights and struggled against oppression, racism and occupation using peaceful means and finally they have achieved what they sought for. Violence breed violence my dear, peaceful struggle is the way of people who have a genuine cause. Do you know what pisses me off? It is us, the Sudaneses, what we got to do with all this for god sake!! We have many internal problems which should make us occupied by thinking of how to solve them, people are dying every minute in Darfur, we have The Lord Resistance army wandering in our South and a potential rebellion in the east of Sudan. Have all our problems gone away? Are we too relaxed to pay our sympathy for Arabs? Please someone must answer these questions because Sudanese are driving me crazy.
Incase you’re wondering Ferfer is a secular Muslim Sudanese and so is Dinoz. My opinion is similar to that of Ferfer’s even though I don’t really consider myself to be secular. I still have mixed feelings about secularism. I think cultural sensitivity should be taken into account. Regarding the point about the Lebanese, it’s true. There’s a great belief amongst the Sudanese that the Lebanese are the most racist people in the Arab world. That’s a generalization off course. However I have defintely met my fair share of racist and stuck up Lebanese and it’s all due to my dark skin. Yay to “Arab nationalism”! Even we northern Sudanese can’t agree amongst ourselves if we are Arabs or Africans. Some are Arab oriented and others African oriented. The truth is we’re both.

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New Darfur Rebel Groups Formed: G19 & NRF

by Drima on July 27, 2006

After the signing of the Abuja Peace Agreement, tensions within groups that signed arose. There has been continuing disagreement about the agrement between rebels and leadership within the groups involved. This has lead to splits. As a result it’s my great displeasure to announce to you that new rebel groups have been formed. Here is a long post on Jan Pronk’s blog. He’s Kofi Anan’s UN representative in Sudan. Also SLM’s Abdel Wahid al Nur declared that his aim is to become president of Sudan. Lovely! The violence will continue for sure. Why don’t we have any political parties or movements who are actually good people? All I see is a bunch of ex-rebel/rebel murderers who want to control the country for their own personal benefits or those of their own tribal/ethnic group. This kind of mentality is tribal. Tribalism is still engrained into the way these people think. It’s especially disgusting and dangerous when combined with religious fundementalism. In my opinion secular parties made up of individuals who have studied abroad are the best hope we have as tribal loyalties don’t mean much to them. They care for everybody and anybody who is Sudanese regardless of religion or ethnicity. That’s a good thing. I must admit that Sudan is indeed a very difficult country to control and govern as it’s enormous in size and made up of hundreds of tribes. Sigh! I somtimes wonder who will the UN troops defend and side with if/when they come into Darfur?

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Bla Bla Bla

by Drima on July 24, 2006

Security Council –> bla bla bla… Israel & Lebanon ceasefire… bla bla bla… Boom… American veto in your face! Gee what a waste of time!
Omar al-Bashir –> bla bla bla… Israel is an evil enemy… We must defeat it… bla bla bla… We support the Lebanese people… bla bla bla… Gee guess what? My heart is with the Lebanese people too but dude pleeease! We’ve got bigger problems to worry about in our own backyard first… problems you’re utlimately responsible for… Remember?
Bush –> bla bla bla… Israel has the right to defend herself… Well like no freaking duh! So does the Lebanon but no wait… Lebanon’s army is too weak to defend the country but Hezbollah’s is much stronger… Meanwhile Hezbollah’s rockets are being fired from the south while Israel bombs northern targets… Gee how smart! I do the same… When my balls itch, I scratch my nose!
Arab street –> bla bla bla… We support Hezbollah… Yaaay Hezbollah all the way baby! Sure thing support them all you want… Easy for you to say… It’s not your country being bombarded or your civilian corpses piling up on top of each other is it? Shouldn’t we let the Lebanese people decide if Hezbollah should be supported? I mean hey it’s their country which is in sweet ruins now and not yours right?
Israel –> bla bla bla… We will not stop firing until our 2 soldiers are returned home safely… bla bla bla… Gee how sweet TWO soldiers huh? What about the thousands of Palestinians in your jails… Oh no wait I forgot… They’re all terrorists right? Even the women and children… I mean hey, forget the men they can rot for all I care but what about the women and children… Aren’t you going to cut them some slack… Yes? no? Not even a little? They’re women and children for God’s sake! Oh no wait they’ll be released and probably end up being terrorists. Sweet!
Al-Jazeera –> bla bla bla… The Zionist enemy has killed innocents again… bla bla bla… Gee when are we going to stop playing the victims… If only all the anger and hatred we had for Israel was put into something constructive… I swear we would probably end up challenging Japan’s economy… Gee sweet!
Random Jewish articles –> bla bla bla… Those who are against Israel’s attacks against “terrorist targets” in Lebanon are anti-Semitic… Wow how amazing? So if I don’t support Israel’s military strategy in Lebanon then I’m anti-Semitic huh… Sweet! You’re going to decide if I’m racist or not now aren’t you? Lovely indeed…
BLA BLA BLA! Sickening. I need to puke!

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Jet Lagged Like a Stoned Baboon!

by Drima on July 24, 2006

Hey there. I arrived safe and sound… not to mention being super jet lagged. I slept again from 3pm to 11pm (Malaysian time) only to wake up and find everyone in the house asleep except for my little sister who’s watching wrestling on TV. My head hurts and the thought of traveling 4 hours back to my university campus after 2 days makes it even hurt more. My campus is the most boring place on earth. It’s 4 hours out of Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia) and is in a rural area which is very conservative… SO… “fun” is not a word used very much there… The idea of fun in most universities here in Malaysia is very different from “western fun” (which I miss by the way). Don’t get the wrong idea though. Kuala Lumpur is an exciting place with lots of FUN… Not as fun as New York (which I miss too by the way) but you know it’s still fun… Talk about an extreme transition! From traveling all over the US, to Japan, to now back home and soon back to my boring campus in 2 days. Speaking of Japan… It was fun. I didn’t go downtown Tokyo which would be tall buildings and all that. Instead I decided to do something different so I made use of my time by going to the ancient 1000 year old Shinshoji Temple in Narita. It’s a huge Buddist temple with extensive grounds and receives up to 12 million worshippers a year. Check out over 300 pictures of it here on Flickr. The best part about touring the temple and the surrounding town was doing it with this other American dude. We left the hotel and decided to go together. It was a cool experience hanging out with him. He is Jewish, in his 60′s, and of Polish decent. He’s from New York, lives in Manhattan, has a cousin who is a Jewish Rabbi and is a Professor of literature specializing in Shakespeare (I know how cool is that right?). So ya you can imagine the amount of interesting things we talked about. He believes the solution to the political problems of the world are embedded in Shakespeare’s work and he meant it when he said it. You could easily see how passionate he is when it comes to Shakespeare. Maybe Hamas and Hezbollah can read some Shakespeare… Yes, no? Okay FINE! Anyways, it was cool chilling with him indeed. We got along pretty damn well. Can’t Israel and its enemies do the same? Gee… Whatever! Me go make some cornflakes. Too bad bagels suck badly here and are way too expensive. By the way, sorry for not being able to contact all those who gave me their numbers. I got way too busy in the last few days… Anyways great vacation. Now time to get back and hit the books. Sigh!

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Thank You America

by Drima on July 21, 2006

Thank you America for giving me such a good time. I’m glad my visa was approved and that it gave me the chance to witness this great country for myself. I truly loved and enjoyed my stay here. A big thank you too to all the wonderfull people I’ve met for being so hospitable and friendly. Please be sure that I’m not saying this for “sucking up” purposes. I really do mean what I say. You people really aren’t bad at all and you certainly don’t deserve the “infidel” label. Thanks again and peace out. I leave back to Malaysia today.

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Introducing Hipster

by Drima on July 20, 2006

It’s my great pleasure to introduce to you the latest Sudanese blogger to join the blogosphere. Here she is the one and only Hipster who blogs at Sudanese Truth Seeker. She’s a Muslim Sudanese girl who’s born and raised in the UAE. I’m currently working on getting other Sudanese bloggers who are isolated from each other to come together. They’re not very active bloggers but I hope they’ll get more active as we all start interacting. I predict that the birth of a Sudanese blogosphere is near. Let’s hope I’m right. I’m really dying to see the interest of blogging grow amongst the Sudanese youth.

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When Culture Or the Lack of it Gets You Into Trouble

by Drima on July 20, 2006

A Sudanese who is a friend of a friend recently moved to America after receiving his Green Card. After arriving and staying for a while in the country, this guy whom we shall all call Abbas took up a part-time job as an ice-cream man. While working, Abbas would drive his van around neighbourhoods selling all the ice-cream he can. One day while bored, resting and waiting for a customer, he got startled with a loud bang. When he looked out of the window, he realized it was a little girl who accidently hit Abbas’s parked van with her bicycle. Abbas yelled at her. She started crying. He got out of the van with great regret and tried to calm her down. The only problem is that he tried calming her Sudanese style. Abbas wiped the scared little girl’s tears, hugged her, swayed her gently from side to side and started tickling her to make her laugh. From a distance away the little girl’s mother witnessed the “disturbing scene”. She immediately called 911 since an evil black man was sexually molesting her little baby daughter. Abbas is now in jail. Sigh! He only had the best intentions.

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Pretty Damn Busy

by Drima on July 20, 2006

Sorry for the delays. Expect a few more this whole coming week. I’m leaving America this Friday and I’m busy doing last minute shopping and other stuff too. Apologies. I’ll do my best to update as soon as possible. I have many posts that I want to get off my head… mostly comparisons of Sudanese culture and American culture. I’ve heard a lot of funny and some sad stories about the Sudanese people who migrate here to America and I want to share them with you… Anyways I have to run now.

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