“Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about.”
- Mark Twain
April 30, 2009
Look! It’s an update!
So turns out it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I actually forgot my password to this thing. Not good, eh? Well, honestly I didn’t know I wasn’t going to be blogging for this long, it just…happened, so I didn’t prepare any excuses for the flaky blogging, but I do know exactly why I haven’t been blogging. The reason my dear readers, is that for the past month, I’ve stuck my tongue out at pretty much everything in my life that was not fun. What? This blog isn’t fun? Damn right it is, but it wasn’t for the past period, because I was blogging about stupid assholes that happen to head my country and every country surrounding it. I honestly remember when I was reading news re: the Arab League Summit, I got this deeply pessimistic feeling about the future of the Arab World…it was so sickening to read about all the leaders’ antics and immaturity. The one thing that was even more freighting/depressing to me was realizing that everyone seems to be hibernating. How in the world are there no repetitive, systematic, and daily coups across the Arab world to get rid of these dim wits? Hey Libyans, put down the bazeen and the camel meat pizza for a second and kick that Gaddafi of yours to the curb. All other nationalities, please do as the Libyans have done, and repeat the process as necessary. The only country exempt from this is Qatar. You Qatari’s are great, keep doing what you do best…(or umm, hire foreigners to do it for you.)
Anyway, the other underlying reason for this absence is that I’ve entered a phase. It’s a pensive phase that made me highly receptive but also rather reticent. For the past few weeks, I was so engrossed in observing people, and so intrigued by everyone’s actions/reactions around me. I’ve also come to realize that there’s such a thing as a thinking curve. I believe that sometimes you could get fully lost in your thoughts, that you reach a threshold where you begin to be so inquisitive, so introspective, that you become less inclined to share your thoughts with others–for various reasons. The world is an interesting place my friends, and sometimes one needs to stand still, engage in deep thought, listen, and attempt to absorb it all. All that, and I also had a 120+ page project (due tonight) that I’ve been working on all month, and it has sucked the bone marrow out of me.
So, I’m coming out of my shell for a while to say hello, I’ve enjoyed analyzing the crap out of everyone around me. As a responsible citizen of the blogosphere, I apologize for hogging all my thoughts, I will share them with you sooner rather than later. After all, the voices in my head unanimously voted that my thoughts are extraordinarily fascinating and thus must be shared with all.
I’m glad you agree. Blogging resumes and the first thing I’ll be discussing is…my identity. As soon I submit my teratoma of a project, I’ll start writing again. Get excited!
March 27, 2009
Reuters List of Best Websites About Sudan
If you’re like me and you are always hungry for more news about Sudan and constantly crave different views and news on Sudan, then be sure to check out the Reuters AlertNet list.
I am very thankful and humbled that Reuters included my blog as one of the best websites discussing Sudanese issues. I encourage my readers to check out every single other link on the list because they all offer great insights and news about Sudan that you will not find in mainstream media.
Here is the full Reuters AlertNet list of links and a little bit of information on what each one is about:
Sudan: Humanitarian snapshot map – ReliefWeb graphic
Making Sense of Darfur – Alex de Waal and others blog about the ICC ruling
Sudanese Optimist – a Sudanese citizen’s view plus lots of links to other bloggers in the “Sudanosphere”
Humanitarian Relief – former aid worker Michael Kleinman provides his take
Thirsty Palmetto – an aid worker’s view from south Sudan
Rob Crilly – freelance journalist writing about Sudan
Sudan Watch – frequently updated with news from a wide range of sources
Enough Project – blogs about Sudan and the ICC from anti-genocide group
Twitter updates from Andrew Heavens – Thomson Reuters journalist in Khartoum
And I second Ingrid Jones, author of Sudan Watch, “thank goodness they’ve not pointed their readers to American warmongers Eric Reeves and Nicholas Kristof.”
In addition to this great list, I highly recommend checking out all the other fantastic Sudanese bloggers for their take on Sudanese news and issues– a list can be found in my blogroll.
If you know of any other great blogs about Sudan, let me know and I will be glad to link to them.
March 25, 2009
Exclusive Interview with the Sudanese Ambassador to the United States
Fellow Sudanese blogger Drima and I were fortunate enough to get a chance to interview Dr. Akec Khoc, the Sudanese Ambassador to the United States. Dr. Akec Khoc is a former exiled physician who was has spent years treating refugees in camps in Ethiopia and has a long record in health care advocacy for the displaced and marginalized peoples of Southern Sudan.
The interview is currently exclusively available on Drima’s blog, ‘The Sudanese Thinker’. Click here to listen to it.
We encourage the mainstream media to use this interview, provided that they appropriately credit Sudanese Optimist and The Sudanese Thinker as their source.
March 23, 2009
Guess Who’s Not In Sudan?
Al-Bashir. The recently indicted president made his first trip outside Sudan to travel to Eritrea.
Ouch. The ICC’s feelings must really be hurt.
March 20, 2009
What’s Islam Got to Do With It?
It is no secret that the recent ICC indictment of president Al-Bashir has undermined the stability and possibly even sovereignty of Sudan. Regardless of many Sudanese officials declaring their disregard of the indictment, and many Arab countries’ demonstrating solidarity with Al-Bashir, deep down inside everyone is well aware that this will, sooner or later, have grave consequences for Sudan and its people.
However, despite the grim and ominous mood, some are fortunately still maintaining a refreshing sense of humor about the ICC ruling. Suawiya Khader Al-Amin, an attorney and lecturer in shari’a and law could now add ‘comedian’ to his resume. According to a recent report by the London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Mr. Al-Amin has demanded of Sudan’s Islamic Fiqh Council that it issue a fatwa permitting the killing of International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, following his decision to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir.
His justification for his not at all ridiculous demand is that Ocampo’s decision would lead to civil war among the Muslims in Sudan.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is what I call irony at its purest and finest form.
March 9, 2009
Quote of the Day
“We hope that the State of Qatar declines to receive [President] Al-Bashir to attend the Arab Summit; if not we would be forced to reconsider our position on the peace process.”
JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim
March 7, 2009
Oh The Irony!
In an interesting turn of events, Palestinians are now out on the streets in support of none other than Sudan’s Al Bashir. What in the world? Never thought I’d see this day!
So I’ve been known to wear a kiffeyeh once in a while–should I expect to see little Palestinian munchkins wearing a 3imma soon?
Ironic humor aside, thanks for your concern Palestinian citizens! As for Hamas’ support of Omar Al-Bashir, uh, thanks but no thanks!
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March 5, 2009
On the ICC Arrest Warrant
Every media outlet is giving a voice to a plethora of self appointed political pundits, common-sense-loathing activists, and confused citizens of the earth, all trying to make sense of the International Criminal Court’s issuance of a warrant for the arrest of Omar Al-Bashir. However, the one voice that seems to have been muffled by the pandemonium surrounding the issue is that of the Sudanese citizen. I ask: what about me Luis Ocampo? What about the millions of Sudanese citizens that have clearly demonstrated their opposition to your request to arrest our president? Is it justice when an outsider intervenes in my country’s affairs? Whatever happened to democracy? I might just agree with presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail who described the move as ‘neo-colonization.’
The ICC has shown its lackadaisical disregard for concerns of erosion of North Sudanese unity with the semi-autonomous South, and completely ignored the pan-Arab solidarity with the Sudanese President to protect the sovereignty of Sudan-all in the name of elusive justice.
The human in me is cheering for even the mere symbolic attainment of justice for the thousands of lives that perished as a result of the Darfur conflict. The president should be held responsible for inhumane actions committed by him, his army, and/or the paramilitary activities conducted under his watch. I would be hard-pressed to find a person who believes Omar Al-Bashir is an entirely innocent man. He is not innocent, but what is he guilty of? Well apparently everything but genocide– the very label that fueled the debate on whether or not to indict the Sudanese president.
On the other hand, the pragmatist in me is questioning the effectiveness of the ICC’s decision, and the extent of ‘justice’ it will provide for the victims of the Darfur conflict. It could be too early for the man on the street to speculate, but I sincerely hope that Luis Ocampo and the ICC have a follow-up plan to assuage the commotion caused by the indictment of a sitting head of state. Does the ICC consider this the end result, or a starting point in the quest of peace and justice in Sudan? This question remains unanswered.
I regret that the inappropriately overzealous Luis Ocampo and the ICC exploited the conflict in Darfur to flex their muscles and show that the newly formed court is a judicial institution with teeth. More than two hundred thousand people have been killed– I regret that the ICC chose to react after the fact. Most of all, I regret that the ICC has deprived Sudanese citizens of the chance to determine the fate of their own country’s president through democratic means.
Regardless of Omar Hassan Al-Bashir’s innocence or culpability, as a concerned Sudanese citizen I am worried that Sudan might be left without a leader with enough political reach or gravitas to keep the nation in one piece–literally.
