Driven by Curiosity…

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }

Hania and Zuzuz, originally uploaded by madas.

Omar, my little brother always had a thing to bother Hania our eldest sister. He would tickle her, push her, jump in front of her without notice, or make a bee sound near her ear… ya3ni a typical man! when we were younger she used to complain to dad and dad used to rescue his little girl… and explain to Omar that Hania is petite and delicate and can’t handle his big tifish hands! Omar would always look shocked and say to dad but how could hania not be able to handle him when she is OLDER?!

Dad finally understood that Omar had no concept of size… so he told him
“Ya Omar ya habiby.. How big is a small elephant?” And Omar indicated a big elephant with his hands…
“Tayeb how big is a big bird?” And Omar showed dad how small a big bird is
“Bravo 3aleik ya habiby! See that a big bird is smaller than a small elephant even if it is older in age. Consider yourself a small elephant and Hania a big bird!!!” dad told Omar who finally said ahhhhhh!

I remembered this story, because I called them yesterday, and I heard little Nizar shouting at Omar who still gets the urge to bother her even after he became a big elephant Nizar was saying “mama halam!” Nizar is Hania’s little man; he is the one who jumps to her rescue these days

Comments(19)

I picked up a book called koolaids, in my drive to read for Arab writers, even if the books are written in English. Rabih Alameddine reflects on the Lebanese Civil War and immigration to the United States. The plots are non-linear and fragmentary, reflecting on the war and the shattered lives of the characters. Very interesting indeed. What I thought is courageous is that Rabih does not shy away from the core issue in the story which is homosexuality. Koolaids goes into the lifestyle of gays, how they lead their lives, how they face their choices, how they deal with HIV and watching their friends and loved ones dying. It is really touching, sad, shocking, amusing, honest and very human.

I was discussing the book with a friend of mine, and she surprised me by saying that HIV is a divine punishment for gays! I was disturbed by the idea of sickness, suffering and death as a divine punishment… because if this is true then every single gay person on earth through history should be HIV+ which is not the case…Obviously and everyone who is HIV+ should be gay?!! And finally it implies that all sick people on earth are sick as a punishment?!

How about the millions of African families who suffer from HIV with/without being gay? How about the millions upon millions who die of cancer every year? Is this a Divine punishment too? How about the millions of innocent children who die in war every hour not too far away? or who die a slow death because of lack of food?! or of other sicknesses.. heart attacks or diabetes..oe whatever is it that is killing people… And if it is really a Divine punishment…what is it that all these people are doing to deserve this punishment… maybe we could avoid doing it.. ya3ni just in case.. …

In short I thought that this idea absurd, is based on ignorance and is very hypocritical…. And regardless of what we believe or not believe… I do not think any of us should give a judgment on God’s behalf… because no human being is capable of knowing how God is, or how He judges or how He thinks… and as we all know God is Merciful and Forgiving… and as Christ said, ” he who does not have mistakes, should throw the first stone…” so if this person believes being gay is a mistake that should be … divinly punished should throw the first stone if she is perfect…!

Comments(11)