The Dawn of Islam

This is an image that I love so much. Took it in sixth of October. Friends on facebook will know that it’s my profile picture. Believe me, when I took it, I didn’t know that I’ll love it so much.

But look at the mosque in the shade. The current darkness we feel. But the sun behind tells of a sunrise to come. It is strongly there at the background. And the mosque despite being dark, its minaret stands tall. To me, this is the current state of Islam. It stands tall despite the dark ages in which Muslims live.

Autumn in… Alexandria!

Alexandria, in October at 7 am, by the sea. No one is around except old people exercising, few people jogging, one cycler and a few cars every now and then on the street.

Oh, I love Alex in Autumn. Always have always will. It is warm, sunny sometimes raining yet so warm.

I thought it was just one time that I did love Alex, but looking out that window I’m back to my first love. The wide open sky and sea, no boundaries no apartment blocks, no pollution.

I could leave everything behind now. No worries, no man, no work. Wonderful! I need this silence every once in a while. Need the world to leave me alone and to stay away from the hassle.

Take one step in the street and you’re in the heart of the city/ Go to the beach and you forget the world. That’s the unique thing about Alex. This dichotomy. It is not like Sharm el Sheikh with its mega shopping, beach and nightlife. And although Sharm is great in the winter too, I like Alex better.

And it had a surprise for me this time. Wild pigeons. I love pigeons, and it was always a shame that you never see them flying or on the streets in Cairo. I always used to see them close in footage of Mecca and Italy and dream that I could be that close. It was amazing, their greenish grey was beautiful. I wish I had the cam with me, didn't occur to me to use the phone cam either. It was just wonderful being around them.

It was just the weekend, but a perfect one. Weather was great, met nice people - it was a group trip, was able to separate myself and work when I needed to, Costa Coffee was 5 minutes away and so internet available – I definitely wasn’t gonna pay 77 LE per hour at the hotel! –, I was staying alone in a room – also great for a person like me who likes to be left alone sometimes.

This was a short-lived yet much needed break.

بحب

بحب...

بحب اللون الأزرق – مش عشان هو لون مشترك دايما فى لوحات الموزايك : ) – لكن عشان فعلا باتعايش معاه فى كل أحوالى. زعلانة يبقى أزرق غامق ، رايقة و هادية يبقى أزرق سماوى مجنونة يبقى أزرق زهرى منور!

بحب الجينز اليوزد و الباجى من زمان قوى من قبل ما يبقى موضة. و لسه بحبه مع انها مش حاجة مناسبة أبدا فى الأوساط المتدينة – أو بمعنى أصح الصورة المرسومة للشخص المتدين. مش عارفة هو أنا اللى نص متدينة و لا هما اللى مزودينها.

بمناسبة الأوساط المتدينة – بحب الإسلام أكتر مما يتصور الناس. الإسلام بجد - مش اللى سيطر عليه مجموعات من الناس و افتكروا انهم ملكوا الدين و بعدين بدأوا يعادوا بعض و يشتموا بعض و يكفروا بعض عشان السلطة و الزعامة جوه البلد و براها .

بس بحب مصر كمان قوى. و دى حاجة كان ممكن أبقى مكسوفة أقولها زمان. أصل الموضة السب فى البلد اليومين دول. الحقيقة انه اللى يسمع الأخبار صعب يقول انه بيحب البلد. و أنا من أول الناس اللى دايما يتريقوا على حاجات فى المصريين. بس أنا اكتشفت من كام سنة ان أنا فعلا بحبها. و شايفة فى ناسها حاجات أحسن من البلاوى اللى بتطلع منهم. و مبسوطة انى هنا مش فى أى مكان تانى.

لكن بحبها من غير تعصب. و من غير وهم انها أحلى مكان فى الكون و المصريين أحسن ناس. هى أحلى مكان بالنسبة لى و فيها ميزات و عيوب زى أى مكان تانى. و أنا أكيد عاوزاها تبقى أحسن.

أنا حبيت أقول الكلمتين دول فى أول المدونة عشان كان نفسى أصلا أسميها حاجة عن مصر لولا انى ناوية أكتب فيها عن حاجات كتير. و عشان مش معنى انى متدينة انى أشتم فى البلد و أكرهها.

و الكلمتين دول اللى قالهم منير – بغض النظر عن انهم كانوا بمناسبة تمثيلية الانتخابات – بيعجبونى

يا حبيبتى يا أم الدنيا يا أغلى الأوطان
مين ده اللى يقدر يوصل بيكى لبر أمان
و يعدى بيكى على بكرة غير الشجعان

و أنا بقى مستنية بكرة ده و هحاول أبقى من الشجعان...

Viva A7matia!

My brother’s birthday was yesterday. We met in the morning and I was so consumed in my plans that I totally forgot that it’s his birthday. Well, I have to admit that – being the Islamist that I’ve become – I don’t really celebrate birthdays now. But, well, I should still be a considerate Islamist, I could have at least said happy birthday, given him a small wish. Eventually I was overwhelmed with shame when he came home late at night with the cake!!! Gush!

So as a tribute to my brother, I’m gonna say a couple of words that I had on my mind for some time. My relationship with my brother has gone through different stages. When we fought we usually had the worst fight, yet we were mostly friends. We were always partners in crime – from tricks on the family to his smoking experiments as a young kid, and his sneaking out of school some days and his traveling in college. As you can see, the secrets were mostly his, and I was mostly the silent collaborator.

And you know what, years later now, it is mostly the same. I’m way different from before, and we have very different lifestyles. But still so close and so much the same, as I see it. He’d still come and tell me all his stories about his travels, the fun, the fights, even some of his 'classified' information. And I’d still listen all the same. Few times I play the wise one, but most of the times I just enjoy the amusement of new stories.

I’ll even tell you a secret. Half the books I read, it was him who recommended them. It’s true that I end up studying them so well, and he just flips through them quickly but I still owe him a lot. I owe him a lot more than that actually. He has always been my window to the world – sometimes the crime world but it doesn’t matter : ) . He’d always see things from a side that I never saw.

I’m a big girl in the world now with big stuff in my head, but, hey, A7matia, thought I might tell you, great having you around, man!

موزايك

الحياة موزايك. فسيفساء من حاجات صغيرة قوى. قطع منسية و مرمية استحالة تفكر انها ممكن تعمل صورة. بس حطهم جنب بعض يطلعلك أجمل منظر.

المدونة دى هتبقى موزايك. حاجات بحبها و أفكار بفكر فيها.

حياتى هى كمان موزايك. تجارب و أوقات مش مفهومة بس مش عارفة ازاى أنا حاسة انى فاهماها. لما أبُصّلهم جنب بعض أحس انى مبسوطة الحمد لله. ده ما يمنعش من شوية أجزاء مكسرة لكن الصورة أحلى بيها. من غيرها تبقى مش حياتى و مش أنا.

شخصيتى أكيد موزايك. جوانب ما تركبش مع بعض. لكن شايفاهم شغالين مع الناس و مش عارفة أشوفهم فى أى ترتيبة تانية.

و هى دى الدنيا مع كل الناس. فهنحب الأجزاء اللى ماحدش شايفها و هنحب قلب الرسمة و هنحب الصور اللى فى حياتنا بتفانينها الرائعة و خرابيشها الصغيرة. و هنحب بعض.

Mosaic Girl

Some people don’t like mosaics, but I do. They remind me of life. These small pieces that make up a big work of art. They seem so irrelevant and meaningless on their own. Place them side by side, and they paint a wonderful picture.

I mean this blog to be a mosaic. My different interests and thoughts and readings.

My life is also a mosaic. Tiny incidents and experiences that by some strange miracle make sense to me. They gather together and make up a picture that Alhamdulillah – thank God – I’m satisfied with. Regardless of the broken pieces, I love the picture and my life.

My character is definitely a mosaic. Different sides that seem at odds, hard to place together. But they seem to work for people. And I know my small pieces couldn’t be in a better arrangement.

And it is that way for everyone, so love your small hidden pieces, your central pieces, the lovely picture that you make up, and the pictures that make up life with all the masterpieces and the flawed pieces. And love all.

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P.S. I will make postings in Arabic and English insha`Allah. The ‘central pieces’ I plan to post in both Arabic and English. But I make no promise that they will be copies of each other. I give myself the freedom to change and give you the freedom to follow the one you like.