sorry
sorry guys but things were crazy the past couple of weeks… i will fix things as soon as possible.. yet i want some ideas from you….
to all those who visit this blog the first time, try to read my April and May issues, yet the lst couple issues
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
ppl who grew up in the 90s
Grew up in Amman in 80’s and 90’s and can relate to the following:
>> >> - You watched Al Manahel everytime it’s on, and you know what does
“Aqwa men al Shadda, Ahda2 men Al Sukoon” means!
>> >> - You can recite the theme songs of Jongar, Grendizer, Al Rajol El Hadidi, Lady Lady, Sally, Adnan Wa Lina, Al Haddaf
>> >> - You watched: Captain Majed, Sandy Bell (even if you’re a boy), Judy Abbott, Bell wa Sebastian, Al 7oot El Abyad, Lady Oscar (bass balash lady, abu el shabaab), Labeeba (who we never tend to know she got hair for hands or hands for hair), Sonbol, Tamtamm, Jazeerat El Kanz, Maymouna, Al Ra7alou El Sa3′eer, Flona, Sindibad, Tom Sawyer
>> >> - You watched Eftah Ya Semsem, and later on in your life found out it’s the Arabic version of Sesame Street.
>> >> - You know the two flavours of ‘Shokalatet Moody’. Yellow and Pink
>> >> - You bought from Dukkaneh: Dam3a, Zaki, Double Wheel, Tootoo (Tweety), Raas El 3abed, SB 3elket Ma5addat, Roco, Tiger Chocolate, Shebs Ringo, Askimo, Shukala 3ammar, 3elket Mentaad, Halawani Shebs, Baskoat Marie, Katakeet, Mr Shebs (not CHIPS, SHEBS - haha), Petra Ice Cream (the ‘expensive’ one with double layers), the red ULKER chocolate with the cubes.
>> >> - You know the tune the Cotton candy man does (Sha3r El Banat)
>> >> - You played Ghommayeh, 6ummayeh or whatever you call it and when you touch the ‘place’ you say “Kummesteir” and ’til now you don’t know what the hell it means!
>> >> - You know “Al 7ezam El Azraq” and you own at least one VHS or Betamax (â) by them. WWF wrestling matches
>> >> - You had a crush on 3aroob Sobo7 (if you’re a boy) with her show “Waqt El Mara7″ and if you’re a girl, you had a crush on the always-wearing-a-cap goalkeeper in Captain Haddaf.
>> >> - You sang “Happy Nation” and “All That She Wants” and thought you’re dead-on cool!
>> >> - You drew Fido Dido at a certain phase of your life
>> >> - You had a pair of big white sneakers, and most of you had Reebok Pump.
>> >> - Atta-Ali and Jabri were the best restaurants in town.
>> >> - You ate “7alaqaat El Basal” (onion rings) in Funny Bunny
>> >> - You had a SAKHR AX170 Keyboard and you played on it night and day. “Masafa” was written next to “Space”.
>> >> - You had an Atari, and somewhere in your house you still have that Joystick somewhere in the house.
>> >> - You know Abu Yousef, and you can at least sing one of the three songs of his
>> >> - In the back of your mind there’s a song called “Tgool Ahwak” by an ancient Jordanian band called Mirage
>> >> - You know that Atta Ali has 46 Ice Cream flavours! Beat that Baskin Robins!
>> >> - You attended weddings in Jabri, at Knafeh from Jabri, ate actual food from Jabri and ate the Nestle-Lion-Imitation Tiger Chocolate (by Jabri bardo!)
>> >> - You know the tune of “Fares El 7alqa” from Yes3ed Saba7ak, every
Friday morning on Jordan TV.
>> >> - You thought that “Ya Ayoha El Maleko El Ajal” by that Sofia woman was the new Anthem for Jordan, haha
>> >> - You remember the bookshops in Amman celebrating “Al 3awda Ela El Madares” with you buying stationery.
>> >> - Your family had a workshop in the house, laminating your books’ covers with what is called “Tajleed Contact”
>> >> - You took ages to pick the ’suitable’ name labels for your books
>> >> - After laminating the books, you go to school with some having bubbles in them. And you know what you did in class with these
>> >> - You never called the Jordanian sole channel Jordan TV, it was always “Amman”; and you watched American movies on “3amman El Tanyeh”
>> >> - “Yahya El Thakaa2!”
>> >> - You know three bees: Zeina, Nahool and Sewar el Asal.
>> >> - “Ayaseeeedi, Romo Yalla Hat”
>> >> - “Bestek Bestek Bestek NAW, Shukalata Jersey makla el GAW”
>> >> - You Had nightmares about Abu Shakoosh
>> >> - You wore “Boat Amigo Bedwi w Betfi”, and walked proudly in the Jordanian streets
>> >> - You know “Go Ninja, Go Ninja Go, Go Go Go Go”, Ferkat Sala7ef El Neenja fee Mat3am Garfields.
>> >> - You actually saw a Monkey in “7adiqat al Tuyoor”
>> - You know the song “The Final Countdown” as the theme for Dehanaat National (National Paints)
>> >> - You actually called Abu El Dahab center “El Dobb” cause there’s a big Panda there
>> >> - You consumed Zeit and Za3tar sandwiches in school that could feed 50 families for 10 years
>> >> - Your local Disney Land was Mujamma3 Bank El Iskan
>> >> - Your other Disney Land was Luna Park
>> >> - You cut your classes in school to go buy Falafel sandwiches from the restaurant next to the school.
>> >> - You had (and may still have) “Kharabeesh 13, 14, 15 and 16″ cassettes.
>> >> - Your third Disney Land was Da3saan Lel Tarfeeh
>> >> - Shebs Disco, colored fingers. And Shebs Bitza, rings for your fingers
>> >> - You watched the Quran in the morning, just waiting for it to finish so you’d watch morning cartoons.
>> >> - You watched “Sameed” before school, and wondered how tyres actually taste like!
Share this with ur friends 
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Open Your Eyes: There are two sides to every story!
will publish my answer soon
A stereotype is a preconceived or oversimplified generalization about an entire group of people without regard for individual differences. Even when stereotypes are positive, they always have a negative impact and can lead to discrimination. Using the word “ARAB” is used to describe various individuals in the Middle East , despite their countries, diverse cultures, variety or religion and backgrounds. I believe the word “Arabs” reduces individuals and countries to a distinct target, open to stereotypes and bias.
The Media is a very powerful took in all aspects in the Middle East all the way from Television to the Internet; and in my opinion the western media project individual’s often Arab descent in a negative manner. Arabs are seen as murderers due to the way the media manage to label us; after all; the words terrorists, extremists and fanatics are now almost alternatives to saying the world Arab.
One of the best examples on the media linking Arabs with terrorism was about a decade ago in 1995; the Oklahoma city bombings. Within minutes news reporters sent the message that this was a terrorist attach, which raised unpopular stereotypes of Arabs, allowing the American public to developed ides and images of Arab terrorists destroying and vandalizing American property. To add fuel to the fire; a terrorist expert Steve Emerson told viewers on CNN “not to believe Islamic groups when they denied their involvement”; it wasn’t until later when an American was arrested for the bombings in Oklahoma city that the American public realized that they were manipulated by the mass media to follow a certain philosophy.
While newspapers and television news play a major role in the way we perceive individuals, it is often the characterization of these individuals that shape our stereotypes. As a favorite pastime, the average American watches anywhere from three to five hours of television per day. Television has the ability to enlighten and enrich the lives of all the people it touches, however, it also has the ability to achieve and create stereotypes. In an analysis of television shows, Shaheen (1984) has formulated the four basic myths pertaining to stereotypes of Arabs. “They are all fabulously wealthy, they are barbarians and uncultured, they are sex maniacs with a penchant for white slavery, and they revel in acts of terrorism.”
In March of 2006 a total of 1000 randomly selected Americans were included in a Post-ABC News Poll on American Attitudes Towards Islam; The poll found that nearly half of Americans — 46 percent — have a negative view of Islam, seven percentage points higher than in the tense months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, when Muslims were often targeted for violence.
Negative stereotypes about Arabs by the media are all over textbooks used in American schools and taught in the educational system. Building such a stereotype is unhealthy, un-educational and plain prejudice because any student who experiences a visit in the Middle East can start forming new idea’s that perhaps they have gotten the wrong idea in the first place.
Soon after 9/11, hate crimes were on the rise, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment was common to read on websites and to watch on TV. Somehow no one stopped to think that an Arab does not translate into a terrorist and a Muslim does not translate into a terrorist either.
An Arab can be Christian, Muslim and some Jews also identify themselves as Arabs. Arabs span across 22 countries and have emerged from countries with different histories. In sum, they are a diverse community with different backgrounds, but also hold a strong sense of unity and solidarity with each other, regardless of the differences.
Muslims on the other hand, are not necessarily only Arab. A Muslim can be Indonesian, Indian, Arab or Albanian–in sum, there is no one definition of what comprises a Muslim. Like Christianity transgresses beyond national borders and has a following of billions, Islam, has a following of roughly 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. And clearly, 1.2 billion Muslims cannot be all terrorists.
What needs to be understood is that ignorance is not really bliss when it comes to labeling and stigmatizing communities, because it does not help multiculturalism and it isolates a community that is trying to integrate and find its spot in many western societies.
For all that’s worth a change in the Mass Media should be made, the image of Arabs is portrayed as a menace to society and degenerates from an uncivilized culture. The negative images of Arabs are creating myths and stereotypes which encourage judgments and perceptions by individuals.
Lara Abdulhadi
