Horror Killing

Patriarchy or Islam Rooted?

Lately, while reading the latest post of Fantasia , a superb one named "Honor Killings: The Shame Behind the Oxymoron ", then, reading another by the everlasting Egypt Rose under the name "Honor Killing, Female buried alive again " the inspiration had a booster dose on the inflamed subject of Iraqi women found killed, counted in Basra alone to be 40 women killed for "honor" related reasons during 2007. Then I decided to write on the subject, discussing its relation to Islam, under its stemming root, the accountability of male relatives on their female kinship deeds. During the article, I will try to resolve the oxymoron phenomenon Fantasia highlighted, when we call a murder an honorable one, this is why I chose "horror" to replace "honor", the horror killing is always intended to horrify the females who dare to drift from the herd, so let's call it "horror killing" to be more coherent morally.

Ancient Roots of Horror Killing
It is widely believed among Muslims that adult male, should be accountable to God about deeds and behavior of his female kinship. This does not mean his dependants only, it includes his sisters and even his mother in some occasions! This religious belief, I visualize as a major feeding root of what is called "Honor Crimes" or "Horror Killing" of females. However, we should understand the fact that these crimes had long existed before Islam, it might be wise to have a look on the roots before we explain how ancient patriarchal jurists applied their patriarchal culture, and linked the matter to Holy Scriptures that is entirely unrelated to it.

Horror Killing is the offspring of two major false perceptions. First, being the "Heritage Perception" of the woman in general, a perception that turns woman from a separate persona into a belonging to her man, and you shall find ancient Arabic poems talking this property language, afar in history before Islam, one of these poems is what "Emro Al-Qais" said,

For me, pregnant and nursing mothers
Forget their babies .... when I hammer

The man was proud to hold an affair with pregnant and nursing ladies! Bedouin mentality, wherein invading women body symbolized invading her tribe's pastoral zones. Whoever orientalist defends the idea of women prosperity in Arabia before Islam, can read this poem and materialize how women as well as sex itself were savagely visualized. Second, being the "Vaginal Perception" of woman, whereby, woman is summarized and focalized around her genital organ. Therefore, all her behaviors and deeds are explained by her feminine intuition. You will find this understanding manifested in the Arabic poem,

Never rely on women and never trust them
Their satisfaction comes through vaginal stem

Then, was It Only Among Arabs? No, it was more like a pan-human syndrome. Yet, it has diminished earlier from areas in the world where logic dominated over traditions and heritage. Platonic Love, in away, was an indirect expression of favoring celibacy among the ancient Greeks. However, it was a just celibacy encouraged among males and females equally. But still shows a degrading view of sexuality, claiming sex to soil the purity of supreme emotions. The famous Roman "Chastity Built", best expresses both the vaginal perception of honor, as well as the property perception of women. Whereby, the man locks-on his beloved female or wife as he travels away from home. Female Genital Mutilation, known among us as "circumcision", was a standard African behavior, until the moment, it remained standard in Sudan and Sub-Saharan Africa as the map below shows us. Also Hindus, Christian and Judaic societies have all passed eras wherein female horror killing was an honorable practice. Among ancient faith followers, only Buddhism stands clean from this shame of horror murders among its followers.

Islam and Female Accountability:
Claiming a man to be women's mentor, based on the misunderstanding of "Qiwama" verse as we explained it in "Reliberating Women" series, played a major role in the general misperception, holding men as mentors, accountable for their female deeds. However, this is proven unsupported according to the understanding we offered in that series. Another verse which is "O' you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a Hellfire whose fuel is men and stones" Banning: 6. is frequently stated as a proof of male accountability for his dependants' deeds. Variantly, we understand the verse as a call for Muslims to save themselves from banishment abiding by good deeds, and to save their dependants through educating them doing similarly. It was about educating non-adult dependants and advising to adult dependants. No obligation or cross accountability shows-up here. Needless to mention that Quran stated in several verses in different surahs, that every individual is only accountable for his own deeds. Hereunder, we shall highlight some of these verses,

1. "Every soul will be held in pledge for its deeds" The Cloaked: 38.
2. "O you who believe! Guard your own souls: If you follow right guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray." Table Spread:105.
3. "Then guard yourselves against a day when one soul shall not avail another nor shall intercession be accepted for her, nor shall compensation be taken from her, nor shall anyone be helped (from outside)." The Cow:48
4. "Then guard yourselves against a-Day when one soul shall not avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from her nor shall intercession profit her nor shall anyone be helped (from outside)." The Cow: 123. We can notice the affirmation through hammering the same meaning twice in the same Surah.
5. "And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly." The Cow: 281
6. "But how (will they fare) when we gather them together against a day about which there is no doubt, and each soul will be paid out just what it has earned, without (favor or) injustice?" The Emrans:25. It is worthy saying the verses no. 30, 145, 161 and 185 had hammered the same meaning in different statements. All relating one's destiny in afterlife to his own deeds. Not a word about the deeds of his family, dependants or female kinship.
7. "Say: Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than God, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another" Cattle: 164.
8. "There will every soul prove the fruits of the deeds it sent before" Jonah: 30.
9. "That God may requite each soul according to its deserts; and verily God is swift in calling to account." Abraham: 51.
10. "One Day every soul will come up struggling for itself, and every soul will be recompensed (fully) for all its actions, and none will be unjustly dealt with" Honeybees: 111.

Beside what we listed above, we have the holy verses in (Ta Ha: 15), (Ya Sen: 54), (Troops: 6, 56), (The Believer: 17), (Crouching: 22), (The Cleaving: 19).

Was it only about these couple of misinterpreted verses? Despite having 18 verses stating individual accountability in afterlife?

We will find some defenders claim it lawful to kill a sinner female relative, as she committed adultery that qualifies for stoning to death in Islam, and to them we have the following objections on their thrust,

1. Not every woman killed in honor killing is a fornicator
2. Death penalty is believed to be only for married fornicators.
3. Death penalty as well as all other penal code are a temporal matter, assigned to temporal government to consolidate and implement
4. Fornication qualifying to death is conditionned by 4 adult witnesses, which is impossible unless sex is practices in public park without even a blanket! It was a matter of preserving the public from non-sense.
5. Fornication verse that "was" in Quran one day is an aborgated verse, majority of jurists agreed it was valid when apostle died, however this does not alter the fact, it does not exist in the Quran as we have it today.

Beside this, we have only another hadieth with the same meaning of the 2nd verse, stating everyone among us is a caregiver, and we should bear the responsibility of our dependants, which again we understand as a call for bearing responsibility and giving more care to educate and develop our children, not to be accountable to God on their behalf. Also very lately, one of the "satellite Imams" came to us with an additional explanation of why this wrong concept prevails. In a late speech in media, "Khaled El-Jindy" explained an apostolic teaching, cursing alcoholics, ungrateful siblings and pimps, and stated the "Pimp" to be a man who allows his female kinship to go out unveiled or uncovered according to Islamic dress code! The very same "Jindy" turned the society upside down few weeks ago, stating the female slavery to be lawful until now if the man managed to get a female slave!!! So he is entitled to force her for sex and it is her duty to subordinate to his desires!

To this Imam, and many others like him, who acted on full purpose as murder mediators in female "horror killings", to them all we say: "Dayouth" in Arabic, and "Pimp" in English has always had one meaning; a man who mediates prostitution, whether employing his own female kinship or others. That "Khaled" thing, was not the 1st to claim such a meaning, many of ancient jurists did before. However, vitalizing such an explanations in media usually creates an unnecessary hassle about old interpretations that is already outdated by modern culture. How many cheese-head men were agitated hearing such a word? How many out of them tried to force their spouse on what the man called Islamic dress code? How many men slept on outrage and how many ladies slept with a wounded soul? Is this the way Islam should be preached? Claiming unveiled woman to be a whore? and her spouse to be a pimp? If humiliating honorable people is that easy for you "Khaled", considering your fatwa, enabling your Gulf masters, to abuse their female maids (the closest form we have today to slavery), and claiming it lawful in Islam. Let me tell you I find whoever facilitates extra-marital affairs in this way, to be much closer to pimping! Also encouraging USA invasion to Iraq, defending it during your licture in Kuwait, specifically Kuwait, gives an idea about who is practising "Pimping of Thoughts" where thoughts and ideologies are employes to amuse your Kuwaiti Masters. You better watch the woods in your eyes boy, before you talk about the ashes in others eyes!

Apart from this side talk, we find all the claimed proofs of cross-accountability in Islam to be shaking, based on what we have from Quran and righteous Sunnah. It is a social matter, and shall always be treated with social measures. Most importantly, degrading the act in our casual talks and educating people how shameful it is what we call "Honor". This was my last words before I fly to the states for 5 days in a business trip. Appologies in advance for the late replies on your comments. See you soon dear friends.

Disambiguation of Ashura

It is Friday, the family day for me. Today, I was visiting my sister "Rowida" and she served me a delicious "Ashura" or (Noah's Pudding), the sort of nuts’ pudding named after that day. While enjoying the taste of the delightful "Ashura", I went into a flood of thoughts about that complex day. And as I was writing two posts together, one about Egypt and another about "honor killing", being unable to finish neither, because both subjects were too rich to concise in one post, I decided to skip both-temporarily- to write about that ambiguous day of "Ashura". Yes, it is ambiguous, give me moments to explain to you why.

Ashura among Sonnet Muslims:
Sonnet Muslims fast the day of Ashura, following an apostolic tradition, stating Muhammad (pbuh) once moved to Medina, found the Jews there celebrating that day, the 10th of Muharram, asking them about the related ceremony, they replied “it is a glorious day, when God released Moses and the Israelites from slavery in Egypt”, then Apostle of God replied “We care about Moses even more than you, and we will fast it.” Sonnet references state it was a mandated fast before Ramadan, then became voluntarily after Ramadan was mandated. Moreover, some heritage books listed other occasions to be commemorated in 10th of Muharram, these are,

1. God had mercy on Adam
2. The deliverance of Noah from the flood
3. Abraham was saved from Nimrod's fire
4. Jacob's blindness was healed after Joseph's shirt was brought to him on this day
5. Job was healed from his illness
6. The Israelites were saved from Pharaoh's army

While we cannot track back the first 5 occasions, except from Torah that is not historically solid itself, we better focus on the latest, Moses exodus, following this line, we shall find some surprises, these are;

- Israelites by time of Moses must have followed one of two calendars, the Egyptian or the Hebrew. Both were lunisolar, inserting some intercalation days to adjust the calendar to solar agricultural seasons. While Islamic calendar as we know today, is a lunar calendar following moon phases only. Accordingly, to whatever date corresponded the 10th of Muharram in the year 631 AD, it is never the same in 2008. Islamic year is 11 days shorted than both Egyptian and Hebrew years.

- Judaic fasts have always been limited to a couple of major fasts, “Tisha B'Av”, commemorating destruction of Solomon Temple, and “Yom Kippur” commemorating descent of 10 commandments in Sinai. Plus 4 minor fasts were practiced, these are “Fast of Gedalia” commemorating assassination of the righteous governor of Judah, “Tenth of Tevet” commemorating the Babylonian siege, “Seventeenth of Tammuz” commemorating Jews exile from Jerusalem, and finally “Fast of Esther” commemorating Babylonian captivity. They never fast in the “Passover” day that commemorates Exodus of Moses from Egypt.

- Passover is a feast related to the rank “10th” as well, but not the tenth of Muharram, it commemorates when God passed-over the Jews houses, in the “10th” wave of plague he cursed Egyptians with. Can this be the drive of the term “Ashura’a” meaning 10th in Arabic? Is it possible that Jews in Medina used to fast it unlike other Jews? Difficult to answer

Ashura among Shiite Muslims:

Shiites do not credit the above mentioned hadieth advising a fast on the 10th of Muharram, they claim it to be an Umayyad conspiracy, faking this hadieth to let people celebrate at the very same day commemorated Hussein bin AliAli”, 2 sons of his cousin “Ja’afar” and 6 sons of a third cousin, “Aquil”. It was the sad eradication day of Muhammad’s male kinship from earth, while they were trying to rectify the Caliphate to be righteous one again after the Umayyad “Yazid” turned it into a devilish Empire. martyrdom in Karbala’a, together with 6 direct descendants of Muhammad (pbuh), 6 sons of his cousin “

However, and apart from the dark memory of Karbala, Shiites practices mourning this day, the bloody rituals they used to follow, has always represented a mischievous practice, which is hard to justify. It might only look sane to the fanatic Catholics in sects like “Opus Dei”, as they share the same body mutilation rituals, trying to feel the agony of Jesus on cross. However, it cannot look as sane to any modest or secular mind.

Ashura among Egyptians:
Ashura has a special relevance among Egyptians, who hold a very special history in matter of Islamic streams, Egyptians used to be Sonnets until Fatimids dominated Egypt and founded Cairo city in 969 AD, following their Caliph, Egyptians converted to Shiite around this time in 10th century. They used to celebrate Karbala, yet in a festival form that fitted with Fatimid life loving style, and to celebrate Apostle Birthday, with a sugar-made dolls resembling “Fatima Zahraa” as a bride with 3 halos of holiness around her, and “Hussein” as a knight over his horseback. Upon fall of the Fatimid dynasty to be succeeded by Ayyobids, Saladin, who was a Sonnet on the Shafi’i juridical school, he converted the Shiite clergy school, Al-Azhar, to be a Sonnet one, and ordered Ashura, the nuts’ pudding to be distributed in the 10th of Muharram, as a celebration opposing the Shiites mourning. Later, Egyptians did not mind much to follow the stream of their new Sultan, they only kept the habits of Shiites, represented today in many celebrations and religious festivals. Most prominently, Sonnet Egyptians use Shiite icons today, in the form of the sugar bride and knight, only without knowing it is a part of Shiite symbology!

What a rich day with mythology, confusions, memories and sweets!

Can You Hide?

On Feminine Charm

Merry Christmas to all Coptic Christians over there. For this ceremony, I shall talk today on a light subject. Knowing I was very boring lately with my low mood, I will try today being a little different. It started with the Intelligence-in-Person Fantasia, when she highlighted what I quoted about woman charm, and how the woman herself is the only one who is capable to hide it or reveal it. Fantasia added her rich comment about Haifa Wahby and her eye contact seduction. Which I surely agree with. I thought now to make a trial, to surf the net searching for some faces, those who represents the different types of female charming styles. Apart from the difficulty to convince the search engine you are not searching for porn, when you right search words like "Charming Woman"... I can say I got what I wanted. I collected some faces that represents the different charm forms of a lady. Aiming to make a point, that whoever charm, mainly relies on her facies and how she can use it. Hereunder, I shall display each, with my own perceptual comment on her face.

• Regular Charm, everyday seducing face that can work with almost 80% of men. The artificial charm used massively in advertisement, as it fits with majority of customers' taste, and accordingly achieves higher hit rates. It is fake, senseless, and depends on a regular technique of side look in the eyes, facing camera with a semi-profile, exposing a complete cheek from ear lobe to mouth angle, in order to inspire an intimate touch. Finally the essential lips element. a calculated distance between lips should be there to express a "feel at home" invitation.

• Dull Charm, despite the highly proportionate facies she has, her eyes look like a banner stating "free space for rental", where her skull is surely the meant space. However, this type of brainless beauty attracts several types of males for mating. Specifically those who can not afford the smarter types. Once a philosopher said, everyman wants his woman smart to understand him, and stupid to love him. He was very true I can say. For an average man upward, the problem of such beauty is the boredom state that has laid its egg's in the slag water of her eyes. Boredom is a destiny with this type of beauty I can say, at least this how I feel not to be generalizing.

• Confident Charm, the matured-to-perfection eye look, the random combed hair, with her easy-going smile, represents a threat to mental stability of men. She is the hilarious lady, who used to be your secondary school teacher. Even if younger than you, this type of charm always handle a man in the know-it-all teaching style. She believes she can handle the naughty schoolboy inside you. Why not to give her a chance to try?

• Medusa Charm. Yes, the legendary Medusa, once your eyes comes in contact with her neat and pure face, you are transformed into a stone statue, who does nothing but swimming in the honey lakes of her eyes, before he rests over the silky white cheeks. It is one of these memorable faces, that engraves itself boldly in one's brain. Yet, be careful, this type of charm is very short-lived one. It is a charm that capitalizes mainly on the green-age qualities, qualities of skin and subcutaneous fat balance. Once elasticity is gone by age, you will loose the silky cheeks and the neat round face. Try to imagine this type of face at the age of 55. When you build a long-term with a charm, you better know you will love it in all its current and upcoming forms of its own

• Classmate Charm. She can be your childhood neighbour girl, your primary school classmate, your student union college at university. She is everyday woman. The regular level of female charm, the level that attracts the man, yet, leave him with the power to decide. She is the very natural beauty, and the most lasting. This type of beauty stands the test of time, who possess it, usually looks in her thirties when she is approaching fifties. Her simple haircut, her vivid eyes, and lovely smile are her assets, and they will stand the test of time more than skin qualities.

• Libido Charm. The form of beauty that ladies never feel or recognize. No wonder, they do not benefit from its Latino spiced-up talents by any mean. She is the one when appears on TV screens, you find men staring in hunger, while women say to each other "How silly is their taste, it seems we were the last of their good choices" This is why they never employ such a model in goods wherein women decision is more important. Her black eyes shining contrast, her well nourished lips, her strong white teeth, and the marshmallow quality cheeks, are all among her outward assets. And she usually holds much more in her inward closets. Sadly, as none is perfect, her mind is usually as narrow as her direct joys. You will hardly find a well-educated libido styles charm. Nature is not that generous to men, and you have to make your choices dude.

• Lolita Charm, she tells you with that look "Dad, take me to the warmth of your arms and protect me from the bad boys". She calls the man and the father inside you at a time. This is a beloved charm by powerful men, who likes to see the surprised and the astonished and the freaked-out face of her teen frequently. They like to see their remarkable effect on people, this is why you will find a light headed police officer, usually seeks a girl of that type. Young aged, naive minded, and somehow stupid blond dolls are their favourite all the time. He can never impress a heavily-minded lady with his baseless arrogance.

• Provocative Charm, the one that challenges your manhood whenever she looks in your eyes. This type is the poison of Valentinos, once seeing this look in her eyes, the playboy gets mad. How can she give him that lightly-taken look? And as she never stop doing this until she gets his heart officially, we can call her the charm of destiny to playboys. She can be hilarious if her style is based on a qualitative capacity other than her looks. Otherwise she is a walking catastrophe.

• Divine Charm. The ideal form for romance fellows who seek a beauty goddess to worship more than a woman to consort with. Her eyes are lovely, but silent. Since when a goddess should talk? her lips are neat with her perfect teeth. Yet, it is not a warm kissing lips, it is more like a divine blessing one. Usually men who marries such a divine beauty, hold an affair, commonly with an ugly and low social standard woman, with whom he can feel like "back-to-earth" feeling.

• Challenging Charm, the one tells you with her look "No, you are not the one", she intentionally does, to challenge the man and the kid inside you at a time. The man will chase her, and the kid will cry for her. She is addictive when she meets the man who still has a prominent child inside his chest, and many of us do. However, she will not get her hunt forever. Once the childish man wins the challenge, and gets her, he will start finding another game. She can only blame herself, Did she know playing with kids is risky?

• Consumed Charm, her desperate eye look, and wrinkled mouth angles will appeal more to a man who is acclimated to night life and professional lovers. She will uncommonly charm other men, unless she really possess special qualities. Being blond is not always enough. This kind of consumed charm usually calls the knight nobility in the man, telling him with that look "Harbor me from the windy life O' chivalric dream"

• Motherly Charm, the kindness in the eyes, the accommodating smile, and the easy bunny tail, she is ideal for every Oedipus among us. We do have many, those who seeks mild warmth other than boiling drinks, and those who seek a quite and stable life, more than a dynamic life full of movement. She is the ideal wife for the men with missions beyond their own selves. She is ideal for apostles, authors, composers, poets....etc. She is Bilqais of Nezar. Who understood the game, and tolerated the foolishness of ten years, as Nezar quoted.

• Pandora Charm,the best of the rest. My own poison, the full of life and full of confidence lady, the smart life lover, the night sky surfer. She never subordinates to her man, and never likes subordinating men, and herein her life tragedy exists. She holds the paradoxical qualities, and seeks a man who holds the same. Unfortunately, for some reason, Pandora men and women rarely meet. Usually a Pandora woman gets attached to an average man and vice versa. As if being a gifted Pandora by itself is too much, so life never grant them the joy of coupling with a wondrous mate. Her eyes is the sweet honey and flaming fire at a time. Her look penetrates to the core of your heart as hot knife into butter. her elegant nose obliges you to respect and abide by modesty. Her exclamation styled eyebrows challenges you all the time, the "who cares to style" hair combing gives lesson in liberty. Her vivid lips reminds you of the woman in this goddess form, and finally when she looks in your eyes with love and gratitude, you feel you are the Emperor of Universe, Aren't you the elected elite by the Pandora goddess? This level of charm never goes. Its fuel is the mind and the character, manifested in the looks, not the looks on its own. Lucky man who have met a Pandora in his life once. Even for days.

Vertebrate Sexuality

Sexual Activities for Pleasure in Animal Kingdom

Only as usual, I get inspirations of my posts from my dear ones. This time from a wonderful post by Emy& Coca. A combined one written by the adventurous Emy and the sensual poet Coca. It was about sexual taboos in our community. In one of the comments, Mr. Omar talked about the sexual behavior parted from the reproduction purpose, stating it to exist only in homo-sapiens (Human) and dolphins. I agree to his proposition, as humans, dolphins and lions were believed until the end of 20th century to be the only species practising sexuality for pleasure, not merely for reproduction. However, the late decades revealed to sexology a totally different image, including almost all the vertebrate in the sex-for-sex loop. I then thought to write a light post, about the sexuality in Animal Kingdom. As understanding animal sexual behavior, shall help us in our perceptions about human sexuality too. I gathered for you a brief clues from some esteemed biologists works and articles. One of them being the wonderful amateur researcher in animal sexuality, Ross River, another group of findings by prominent biologists like those you can find in the masterpiece book of "Alan Molumby", " The Biology of Mating Systems and Parental Care" such a book that is sufficient to change the way you have always perceived the world. Anyway, here we go, exploring some facts from the world around us, as God advised in Quran "We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the truth. Does not The Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things ?" Expounded Verses: 53. Such portents that only intellectuals shall see, those God seeded in the world to teach us the everlasting truth of his divine systems. One of its corners, is sexuality, the prime recreational activity in animal kingdom, specifically among vertebrates.

N.B. Due to the scientific nature of the post, some overt expressions as well as shocking images shall be used. If you do not will to learn about animal sexuality, in the very hard way, do not go further.

Hamsters & Teen Foreplay:

Due to the very same hormonal revolution, that happens in the brain of human teenagers upon puberty, driving them to have a potent lust toward other sex. Juvenile hamsters were find to conjugate into a teen foreplay, including kissing, hugging, cuddling....etc. All what human teens do, or tend to do before their complete sexual maturation. Hereunder, an image of two juvenile hamsters in sexual foreplay. Needless to say that teen foreplay does not result in procreation. This we take as a 1st proof on sex-for-sex in animals.

The Lesbian Bonobos:

Female bonobos are usually smaller than male bonobos, yet dominant over them. As they work more efficiently. Very frequent, and for merely sexual pleasure, female bonobos conjugate into intimate encounters, of rubbing genitals, seeking to reach an orgasm. The same bonobos will have also mating with males for procreation. Such a thing we know today as bisexuality. It is also unrelated to copulation and procreation.

Sultan Harem in Elephant Seals:

It is a winner takes all system. Only 4% of males of elephant seals manage to have sex in their lifetime, as males fight bloody battles on females, the winner then takes all the harem to enjoy by himself. While losers has no warm nights at all. It is a male dominating society, that feminists will never like to live within. Though it is funny and similar to man's vanity. But we can never consider it a proof on sex-for-sex behavior. It is more likely a way of natural selection common in all primates and other species too.

The Babylonian Owl:

Yes, female owls practice sex at a price. Surly not money. Yet, the male owl must get his female some food and offer it to here, once she starts eating, this means she accepts his offering, after dinner, the game starts. Nature manifested sacred sex much earlier before pagans do I can say. Still this one too we cannot consider as a support for sexual pleasure concept.

Autoerotica & Homosexuality in Animals

Autoerotism is quite common among male horses and kangaroos. Most amazing is the behavior of female porcupine employing a stick in masturbation. It is also common among lions, bats, and all pirates, employing limbs and tails to induce genital and nipple stimulation. Among all, higher apes are well know to be the most simulating species in their masturbation activities. Autism in this way, is no doubt a proof on pleasure being an objective. Also homosexual behaviors are very common in the animal kingdom, from goats to lions, we do have homosexual practices between same sex males and females. Sometimes also bisexuality is reported in species for long was thought to be exclusively heterosexual

Who Needs Sex to Procreate?

Many species in nature, and upon isolation of its female individuals, will procreate independently, it is a well known story in invertebrates. Yet, recent studies proved it does exist in some species of fish and birds. Wherein the ova autonomously transform into a matured zygote, undergoes the whole steps of embryonic life, to produce a progeny carrying 100% of his mother's chromosomes and gene map.

So, if God wanted us to have sex only to procreate, he had other mechanisms that he could apply to us too. Yet, it was His will we do have such a recreational activity, that will support the ego feeling of humans and accordingly support the development of planet Earth. i.e. Supports man mission as a viceroy on land

When Worth Is Questioned

Assessing a Lifetime Core Value

I would like first to thank all the friends who were supporting me during my low mood episode. Admitting I am moody person, whose happiness is highly linked to his surrounds, I admit too my mood fluctuation are commonly unjustified to most of people. It is the poet deep inside me. No matter how much I try being rational, he always win with his dominant nature over the man, the warrior and the social philosopher in me.

My low wave was triggered by a discussion here, it was not about what anyone commented, the comments of one of my friends here were the trigger. A back-wave that pulled me into deep thoughts, then the thoughts was deepening and extending until sorrows prevailed. Only when I started to question a lifetime value I lived with, a very precious one, that is LOVE. Not in its narrow meaning, but in the widest one. Loving people in general, loving everyone until otherwise gets proved. The style of getting attached to people swiftly and sympathizing with them fast enough to create their doubts. I started to question the worth of this value, and when I looked back in history, I found a heritage of tragedy. The tragedy of men, who loved their nation and their country, and happened to be Egyptians, or semi-Egyptians.

Flashback 1: Cairo, 15th of April, 1517 AD

After he lost the majority of his army in "Wardan" battle, the Mameluke Sultan "Tuman Bai" decided to escape to Behira. Wherein he had a good Egyptian friend who is a local community leader in his village. The Sultan who accepted the sultanate in a very critical time, and who fought as a courageous knight in "Raydania" and "Wardan", defending Egypt against the creeping Turkish army lead by "Selim the First", decided to trust his Egyptian friend. He then escaped to Behira, where he attended to a local village leader named "Hussein Mari'e". The later welcomed him first, then sent a secret message to "Selim the First", betraying his guest, and the man who defended him and his nation. The Egyptian betrayed the foreign courageous Mameluke. How shameful!! And we all know the destiny of "Tuman Bai" hanging on Zewila gate of old Cairo.

Flashback 2: Cairo in 1835 AD. Remila Square

An old man stands tied-up to a pillar in the middle of Remila square, only before the well targeted guns of the French troops of Bonaparte. The man is "Muhammad Kurayem", the governor of Alexandria, who was a wealthy man, spent his wealth preparing to resist the French armies invasion to his city. Once Alexandria, then Cairo were captured by French armies, they brought him from Alexandria to Cairo, fake a court whereby the judge gave a death penalty to the patriot leader, only with an option to pay a small fortune as a tribute against his life. The man who spent his own fortune supporting resistance was first happy with this. He thought his people will never give-him-up, they will pay him back. Accordingly he asked to meet the nationalists' leader, Shiekh "Ahmed Mahrouky", asking him to collect the tribute required to save his life. Unsurprisingly, "Mahrouky" failed to collect the money. The poor "Kurayem" called for help for a long two weeks until the probation period granted to him was gone.

Then, he was brought to Remila square to face his destiny. And until the last moment, the poor "Kurayem" was trying with the flood of people, those who clustered to witness his execution, saying to them "Buy me O' Muslims, Buy me O' Egyptians". Sadly no one was interested to go for this deal, buying a man who paid his last penny to his nation welfare. "Kurayem" then, received 6 shots right in his chest. After it, they beheaded him, then displayed his cut-off head in Cairo streets for hours. "Kurayem" died, only because he loved this nation, spent his fortune supporting it, and saved nothing to secure his neck. If you asked a young man today, who is "Muhammad Kurayem", he will surely confuse him with that singer boy whose name is closed when written in Arabic. Right?

Flashback 3: Tall-Kebier, Sharqia, 13th of September, 1882 AD

"Ahmed Pasha Orabi". The revolution leader to whom we owe the first Egyptian Constitution and the first mango tree!! In that particular day, he was preparing his army in Tall Kebier desert of Sharqia, trying to face the invading British army. Shamefully, his Arab desert guide, "Said Tahawy" was bribed by British army, and at the promised night, he told "Orabi" that British troops were 2 nights away from him. While "Orabi" was praying his sunrise prayer, and while the Egyptian army was relaxed, the British attacked with the first light. "Orabi" was amazed, how "Sultan Pacha", the Commander of Sawari who was in advance position did not resist their flow as planned, and did not send an alarm to "Orabi" as planned also? He did not know that Sultan got 10,000 golden pounds from the British army to runaway with his troops toward north, leaving the passage to the army open. He did not realize also that "Ali Khonfis" lead the British to the entrances of his own camp valley against 2000 golden pounds! Betrayal is a constant behavior among some people in all nations, and this was not what amazed me in Orabi's case.

When Kedeve allied with British army, he got a "Fatwa" from Istanbul, stating that "Orabi" as a "Kafer" who fought against the Caliph of Apostle and against Islam army!! Oh, that old is the idolatry accusation of patriots?!! At that early time they considered British troops to be Mujahedeen while "Orabi" is an idolater? Only like when we give the title "Mujahedeen" to Afghani militias trained by CIA. And until today, some idiot mongols claim the Turks empire to be Caliphate and the Sultans to be the viceroys of Apostle!! Anyway, this was expected from Caliph and his son of a bitch Kedeve, to protect their asses. What was shameful, is having some Egyptian farmers, receiving "Orabi" after he came back from his exile in Ceylon, carrying the first mango tree, receiving him with stones!! Yes, they had thrown stones at him. Isn't he an Idolater? Other sophisticated cowards, blamed "Orabi" as his movement resulted in British occupation, they did not blame Caliph, Kedeve, or the betraying officers. They blamed the patriot who was broken. Only like we blame Nasser today for 1965, Yemen, and 1967 wars. We do not blame the Arab monarchies pimping activities, allying with the Satan himself against Nasser in these wars!!!

Flashback 4: Cairo, September 1970.

Upon death of President Nasser, "Tawfiq Hakiem" launched an initiative. He published an article in Ahram daily press, calling Egyptians to donate small trivial, every family might donate 1 pound, in order to craft a statue of the deceased national hero. To be placed in Tahrir square, or over the base of De Lesseps statue, on Suez Canal entrance from Port-Said. Ahram dedicated an account for this purpose, and Hakiem started by himself paying 50 L.E. as a donation. Later-on, 3,000,000 L.E. were donated from Egyptian families in that account to memorize the legendary hero. Later, handed from Ahram to the account of National Socialist Attorney Office. Needless to mention, the statue had never been crafted, and De Lesseps base remained empty, to witness our ungratefulness. If the couple of successors after Nasser were men enough, they would not have feared the glory of a dead man. Moreover, a decision was taken by National Assembly in October 1970, to transform Nasser's "own" house in Manshiet Bakery to a museum for him. His family did not accept to get any money for the house, they donated it. Today, where is the museum?

Catastrophically, in 2004, the government decided to sell the single statue we had for Nasser, a small one donated by "Gamal Seginy" after his death. They decided to sell it in an auction!!! Fortunately,"Riad Essa", who is a Nationalist writer bought the statue before the scandal of an auction takes place.

The Value:

I do not claim any nobility here. I do not love people because I am a "giving person by nature" or a "saving angel". Neither I am the one who you can express as "sharing and caring". Justly, I have a hobby, this hobby is people. I adore the magnificent humankind that God invented to crown his hierarchy of creatures and his universes. By loving people, I meant I love to know them, analyze them, talk to them, mingle with them and-whenever possible- help them. Again and again, I do not do this out of nobility, I do this because I enjoy it. I do it for self satisfaction, i.e. selfish deeds. OK?

I love to see people happy, because this makes me happy myself. I seek my pleasure through pleasing others. Whatever you call, it is a God damn nature I have and I can not change...so far at least. Although, whenever necessary I can be tough sometimes, I tend generally to make people around me pleased as far as possible, and enjoy being with happy ones. I try doing this at home, work, with friends, in social gatherings...etc. I do it using my words, deeds, touches and support. However, I admit on-other-hand, I turn into a wounding sword with people who loose my respect or trigger my madness.

The Confusion:

My problem with this loving attitude is very simple, it did not do me any good! Yes, I get usually a momentary happiness, but on long term, I get doubts, misunderstandings, hatred and sometimes embarrassing situations, up to spending a night in jail!! huh. I am sure some of you had experienced such situations. When you are being kind to any one. First, he wonders, why this guy is kind to me? Once he realizes you have no possible benefits, this does not resolute the matter. He starts to hate the fact you are helping him. Unconsciously, this makes him feels weak and needy. He hates this, and accordingly, hates you.

Concomitant with the discussions about Nasser here, I had some events in business, that proved to me the necessity of revising my policies in people management, those built since years over the base of trusting and empowering others. When you treat someone superbly and find him trying to stab you in the back, it gets you a hill of pain. Even if he could not complete his stab, and even if you managed to get him a strong knock-out. Before both, mental and business incidences, a dear friend, upon his marriage from a fanatic Coptic lady, he vanished away from his secular Muslim friend. I understand her motive and her way of thinking, and can never blame her. But I had never understood him, as he used to be a friend with whom I shared a wide foreground of ideology and principles. Friendship and ideology are all gone with the wind for a woman!! Most confusing, in the few times my positive feeling and attitude toward others paid-back positively, the other part were NON Egyptians !!! I thought alot about what links our society to imperfections reacting to positive attitudes, and did not find a curing and comforting explanation till now. Then, if loving a nation payback negatively, loving people gets you blames and hatred, loving friends ends in your lonliness, and loving a woman ends in pain. Then why you should insist to love others? Why not to learn enjoying yourlife alone?!! Or learn to live it apart from a society that you can not mingle with? Anyone who reads this article, will be amazed the author of it, is the same Nasserist man who was oneday very touchy when anyone criticize his country or his people. To an extent of asking a lady oneday, upon her verbal insult to Egypt, to apologize to all the Egyptians there or leave the car to the middle of Sinai desert!! To what extent can age and people change the good sides within us? I really wish to know.

Finally, I know I am generalizing and looking on the empty half allover this post. Yet, I wanted to share with you my feelings as raw as it is. Without making it up with logical limitations. I surely know there are alot of good people in our country still. But how good they are? How far they will keep being good? This is the matter.

Evolving Mind

My Friend Arabic ID asked me, whether I did change my mind before about any ideology. Knowing I did several times, I promised to reply a post about it, then crowds of life took me to forget the matter. It was today when he reminded me about it. Therefore, I apologize to him for my delay, and here we go.

Logic and Faith Battle:

I will start with theology and faith, for being on top of my research areas. I was born as a Muslim, and I was 9 years old when I started to read somewhat about Islam. Starting with the heritage books pertaining to 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries. I kept reading, until the age of 16, when my mind could not understand, what appeared to me by this time as discrepancies. Feeling confused, and seeking more knowledge about divinity, I started to read all what I can get about theology and faith. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism , Sikhism and Hinduism were all within the list. Also to a lesser degree Confucianism and Shinto. Then, being surprised by the degree of commonalities and even rituals among many religions, I was dragged backward to research the roots in old Celtic and Egyptian paganism.

Through the road, I kept reading in Islam as well. However, in a more diversified fashion from heritage books to orientalists' writings, like Philip Hitti and others. From extremists like Abu-Ala Mawdody to atheists like Abulla Qasimy. From Shiites to Sunnites to other minorities like Abhadis, Dorzy and Ismailis. It was around the age of 19 when I became bias not to believe at all. The level of discrepancies and human interactions that links the divine faiths to paganism were too much for my young mind to tolerate. On other hand, the attractions of science and logic world on the were very potent. This was the non-believing era in my life. Surprisingly, the science and logic did not give me a complete explanation by itself to the life maze.

Keeping on my readings, by time, I started to discriminate what is divine and what is human in religions, to admit the fact that religions and divinity are very true and can go with logic and science harmoniously, and complementary, only when you skeleton it from all the human elements in it. I was around 26 when I cam to this coast. Yet, with a very cloudy image. That is much more clear and distinctive now. Today, I can say, with logic, science and faith, altogether, I could answer many questions, that I had never been able to comprehend with any of these elements alone.

Life Mates:

Then, about woman and marriage. I used to believe when I was younger, in the complementary theory. That man and woman should not be identical, they should complement each other so life goes in the best way. Later on, I understood that a degree of complementing each other is important. However, the common floor must be much wider. Also, I started with an attitude rejecting polygamy, then I accepted it with conditions. Finally, I came to a belief in non-conditioned one, except knowledge and acceptance of all parties, i.e. Knowledge and acceptance of the man, his first wife, and the wife to come, all in advance surely. I still do not see it the best way for the man himself, but I believe many men will have a different perception. Each according to his case.

Political Group:
Politically, I started in Wafd party when I was 18 years old. Mainly attracted with the word "Liberalism". It was then, when I realized the liberals in Wafd treated the antiquity Pasha "Fouad Serag El-Dien" by that time, only as an idol. This is why I did not stick in it except for less than a year. Later on, when I learned how to read history, and how to extract historical truth from widely believed fictions, I became bias to Nasser as a role model, not an idol, and to scientific socialism as a road map. In my way to this, I passed by mingling with Muslim Brothers group, Egyptian nationalists, as well as Pan-Arabists.

Finally, I believe much in Imam Abu Hanifa words when he said "My opinion is the possibly-wrong truth, others' opinions are the possibly right falseness" and whenever I see a man who is very sure of anything, I feel pity for his ignorance. Whenever someone think he knows it all, he is whether a God or an insane. Being monotheistic, when I see such a man, I feel pity for his insanity. I am in this life to know, God created us to understand this life, tame it, lead it and succeed in it. He trusted the quality of his new creation when He answered angels' protest saying "And when the Lord said unto the angels: I am about to place a viceroy on earth, they said: will you place therein one who will do harm and shed blood, while we, we hymn praise and sanctify You? He said: Surely I know which you know not." Cow:30 . For this I believe, who leads a good life, helps others leading a good one, and supports the development of this planet with his works, words, deeds and wisdom, to be the one carrying out his divine mission. Whoever will perceive the responsibility of being God's vicegerent in land, will know he should be seeking truth, and nothing but truth. As a divine vicegerent cannot sleep on falsehood. It is our divine mission to know.

Veiled or Brained?

Woman Dress Code, Religion Versus Tradition

We have three major areas of debate when it comes to Islam in relation to women dress and dress codes. First being the face covering, linked to several security as well as social issues, and hereunder we will explain how unrelated it was to Islamic traditions. Then the bodily appropriate coverage, which Islam had advised-on in broad and elastic terms. Finally, we will discuss the controversial head covering.

Face Covering and Loss of Identity:

The commonly perceived to be Muslim women dress code, covering her entire body including her face, hands, and feet has nothing to do with Islam. It is a nomadic habit among Asian tribes, more related to the male domination nature of these societies, when we compare it to the African Sahara habit of covering faces of both male and female, like in the case of Tuareg tribes, where uncovered male face is a source of shame while women face covering is a voluntarily act, we shall then understand it was a matter of appropriateness to environment as well as ancient tribal tradition and not a religious tradition.

Today, this tribal habit became part of history in Turkey, at least in major cities, while it remained a living practice in Saudi, wherefrom it was exported to the whole Arabic world during 70s, 80s and 90s of the 20th century when Muslims from allover the globe were employed to build the petroleum civilization of Saudi kingdom. In Saudi, you will hear a lot about that habit. About how it encouraged adultery among women and men, due to lack of identification of woman persona. Even in Egypt, a court case I read once was about act of fornication committed by a totally covered woman, when she kept inviting her lover home, even when her husband was there, astonishingly she could make it because her lover stepped-in all time as a face-covered friend of her. It took three years until the cheated man hare a moaning from the room, to open the door and face his lifetime shocking scene!

Apart from the fragile claims of Wahabism jurists, who defend face covering as Islamic tradition, as they are all proofed false by numerous Muslim jurists, we will use one proof to show how Islam did not favor this identity-confusing nomadic tradition. When we say that God prohibited face covering during pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina, we can find-out what the real Islamic attitude toward face covering was. Until today, and due to clear commandment, everywoman must expose her face during Haj to Mecca.

Body Covering in Quran:

As a matter of fact, there is no dress code stated in Quran neither for women nor for men. Quran only advised some practices to increase the appropriateness of women appearance and to improve her perception in public. The terms used in the holy verses in this regard was intentionally broad and general to give flexibility to women dress, that should essentially change over time and with the diversity of environments and climates.

First verse being “And tell the believing ladies to cast down their eyes (upon seeing a stranger) and guard their chastity, and reveal not their charm save what is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms” Light: 31. And as we can see, the verse advises Muslim ladies to guard their chastity, and limit their charm (meant body charm) to their husbands and their 1st degree kinship, and as by this time, women dresses usually had longitudinal clefts to enable nursing mothers feeding their babies, the verse advised the ladies to use their veils (that was already used before Islam to cover part of the head by the bedouin adornment habit) to cover these clefts and accordingly ensure covering their breasts. The second verse is”O’ Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing ladies; to get well covered (meant when they go out) so it is likelier to be known (as free and regarded ladies), so they do not be subject of any harm. God is all-forgiving, all-compassionate” Allies: 59. We find the verse here giving a general command for appropriate dress that does not reflect looseness, aiming to decrease women exposure to verbal as well as physical harassments.

In both verses, we find-out the following points:

• Both used the term “tell”, so it was not “order” or “force” , which means women dress of whatever nature shall not be enforced to all women (like the case of Saudi or Afghanistan). The idea in the verses was about educating women how they should be dressed appropriately, not to force them to a nomadic black uniform.
• Both verses were directed only to the “believing women” with special emphasis on apostle’s wives and daughters in the second verse. It was not directed to other women in the Muslims state in Medina, specially knowing that Medina had a plenty of Jews and some Christians. Accordingly, whatever role Islam has in this regard, shall never be enforced and dictated on non-Muslims living in a Muslim state, which means again that Wahabism system in Saudi is baseless in this regard, only as it is baseless in many other.
• Quran commented a specific problem in the first verse, which is the breastfeeding clefts that was a necessity before buttons and zippers, and proposed an environmental solution to it which is the use of the bedouin veil, usually used by bedouins as a tool for adornment, to cover it. Also in a later part of the verse, Quran advised women to adopt a gait that supports the same impression of a serious woman, to avoid being thought-off as playful lady and subsequently lower the possibility of harassments.
• The 2nd verse gave a general recommendation, using the term “Youdnin Alihenna men Glabibhenna” which has the direct translation of “to get their dresses closer over them” that we interpreted and translated as “to be well covered” or simply appropriately covered. This is more or less related to the broad recommendation in the first verse, advising believing ladies to show only what is outward of their charm and feminine beauty. Both verses were deliberately general and broad termed, to give a room for changing time and conditions. Today, a woman can use a modern trousers and shirt during work or studying, and she will be fulfilling the recommendations as far as her dress does not reveal her charm and feminine treasures to everyone.
• In both verses, God educated women about the reason they should control their charm. It was their own welfare and safety. It had never been a matter of protecting men from seduction as the traditional jurists used to claim.
• The term “tell the believing ladies” gives an idea about the assets Quran relied on to define the broad terms in these verses. That is the “feminine intuition“. As everywoman knows by heart how she can be appropriately covered and how she can be seductive. If the woman is truly believing and convinced that God wanted her to leave the right impression, she can look in an appropriate way according to the society wherein she lives. On the other hand, she can whenever she wants look seductive even under the layers of “shadoor”. I can write a hundred pages on the difference between seductive and appropriate dressing for women, and it will be all meaningless. Only everywoman knows how to hide or reveal her charm, this is why the verse particularly relied on convincing not forcing women to adopt modesty in dressing.

Apostolic Teachings and Controversial Head Covering:

We have two oral teachings linked to apostle of God that is usually used as a reference for head covering in Islam. Both narrated by “Aisha“. In the first, she narrated: when “Asmaa bent Abi Bakr“ appeared to him in a light dress, Apostle of God said “O’ Asmaa, when the woman reaches puberty, it is not appropriate for her to reveal but this (pointed to his face) and these (pointed to his hands)”. And in the other, narrated “Aisha“: Apostle of God said, “A devout Muslim woman should not reveal after puberty but this and these (and pointed to his face and his arms) “

Supporters of head covering rely on these two hadieths, while their opponents rely on the fact that both hadieths are mono-referenced hadieths, a matter that decreases its credibility and doubts its linkage to apostle of God, claiming mono-referenced teachings to be only enough for advisory, supporting or detailing concepts supported by other scriptures, but not to establish a concept independently.

Afar from this debate, we see head covering to be a matter of personal choice to every lady to choose as she believes and comforts with. My own wife uses a veil as a head cover. I did not force her to do or not. She is a Muslim lady, she is an adult, and covering her head was her choice according to what she believes. This is the way it should always be. I think "Freedom" is the right word here. The opposition of head covering comes as an over-doing behavior in secular-societies like France once. Why should anyone be annoyed by a woman covering her own hair? As far as she does this in her own freewill? What harms secular foundations in this?

Among the three images we have here, I see the first to be wrong from security standpoint. While the 2nd and 3rd are both tolerable from social standpoint and it matters everylady only to choose what she feels comfortable with.