September 25, 2007 – 12:21 pm
(This article was originally published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
“So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people. Greedy, barbarous, and cruel…”
The first time I heard the above quote by Peter O’ Toole, playing T. E. Lawrence in the epic film by David Lean, I was outraged at the racist tone in this sweeping denunciation of my people – filmed on my turf, in Wadi Rum, no less. How arrogant, I fumed. You see, I always believed that any generalization of whatever nature is by definition prone to mistake, the larger the subjects under judgment, the less accurate the statement is likely to be.
Indeed, any sentence that begins with “ The Arabs are this…” or “The Africans are that…” is at the outset condemned to fallacy. To think in such terms, although very tempting as a simplification of complex phenomena, is nothing short of a foolish dive into the abyss of falsehood. Not only because these pronouncements of opinion are manifestly racist in nature, and we are not supposed to be racist in this epoch of political correctness, but more so because these opinions are most likely to be plain wrong. To lump a vast group of individuals, with different characters, upbringings, abilities, tastes, minds, environments, etc., and treat them as one unit by affording them uniform descriptions and predicting for them common destinies is an invitation for error. Racism is bad not just because it is immoral, but chiefly because it is based upon gross intellectual dishonesty. Read More »
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Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in humor, islam, society
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September 21, 2007 – 11:57 am
(This article was first published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
It’s the apple season in Geneva and the neighboring cantons. Plenty of them, mouthwatering and crisp, proudly showing off their red glow alongside the more predominant acres of grapevines. Switzerland may be better known for its chocolates, watches, cheeses, enviable standards of living, and secret bank accounts.
More than anything, this trilingual confederation is most famous for that unmistakable quality about being, well, you know, Swiss. Just place the word “Swiss” before most products or industries and you’re immediately sold. No need for gimmicks or spins. This magical noun has become a descriptive adjective with a universal marketing appeal of its own, instantly implying dedication, perfection, accuracy, trust, and meticulous craftsmanship. In politics, the name spells peace, neutrality, and impenetrable stability. Rarely does the national identity of any country come pre-loaded with such a reputation for superior quality and refined living. Why is that?
In my experience, it is because the Swiss have earned it. As individuals and as a community, they have worked very hard over centuries to establish such a status among nations and preserve it. Even their troubled national airline, Swissair, when it had to declare bankruptcy in 2001 and change its corporate name, bounced back simply as Swiss. If it’s Swiss, then surely you must be in safe hands, goes the legend. Never mind that Swiss Airlines is today owned by another European populace known for their brutal efficiency (Lufthansa acquired the Swiss national carrier last year), still, the name Swiss says it all – and even ze Germans think so. Read More »
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Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in entertainment
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August 13, 2007 – 11:57 am
(This article was first published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
Before I reveal to you my ambitious proposition to end human strife and achieve world peace, allow me first to share with you an unusual personal condition from which I’ve been silently, yet painfully, suffering for at least two years now. Today, I believe the time has come to speak out and seek counsel, and perhaps even find a cure. Although I know this is not a help-line for my ailments nor is it the right venue for such private complaints, I still feel the need to blurt it out in public. Maybe, just maybe, I would feel a little better somehow by talking about it. So please excuse my selfishness if you can, but here it is, my mysterious disorder: I cannot read, hear or watch the news anymore. Read More »
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Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in entertainment, humor
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August 8, 2007 – 11:24 am
What ails the Arabs, we have all asked ourselves at one time or another? Quite a lot.
Actually, come to think of it, just about everything. Where shall I begin? A wise choice would be with a friendly warning. Lawyers call it a ‘disclaimer notice’, or an ‘exclusion of liability’ clause. In my case, it is a necessary adjustment of readers’ expectations. It is a reminder that I neither claim to have the time or space to do justice to this subject, nor do I have a clue about what sober new-year resolutions could possibly salvage our doomed Titanic. So why did I choose such a big title? To grab your attention, I guess (you’re reading this far, aren’t you?). And to write something for this issue, of course, because you have grown accustomed to my monthly rants. However, please bear in mind that you are unlikely to find any earth-shattering analysis below.
A remarkable job has already been achieved by the more learned professionals who compiled the UNDP reports cataloguing the shortcomings of the Arabs. If this article will sound like a superficial exercise in self-flagellation, then probably this is exactly what it is. Therefore if you happened to be doing something more useful before landing on this page – such as plucking your eyebrows or picking your nose – I strongly urge you to please go ahead and continue whatever it is you were doing. I assure you that you are more likely to attain fulfillment there. Otherwise, you may humor me and read on. The choice is yours. Read More »
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Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in current affairs, islam
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August 4, 2007 – 11:59 am
(This article was first published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
Mmmkkkhhh! Hhhaaaakkhht! Thfoouu! No, these are not horrendous typos you are seeing. This is my best attempt to emulate and reproduce some of the charming sights and sounds we still encounter in some of the streets of Amman. Excuse me for turning your stomachs, but I almost slipped on one of these stray missiles the other day while navigating my way in downtown Spitville.
I went there to buy a famous book of Hadeeth, or the alleged sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. You see, I had written a mini-study in Arabic some years ago, which emphatically proves that most of these sayings could never have been uttered by the most intelligent, the most compassionate and the most civilized man to have enlightened Arabia fourteen centuries ago because they directly contradict with the clear text of the Quran. I still maintain that they were falsely attributed to the prophet in a concerted effort to tarnish the great religion of Islam. Read More »
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Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in entertainment
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(This article was first published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
I’ve had it with the deceptions of the media. Perhaps my face doesn’t show it, but I am pissed-off angry. And here, for once, I’m not talking about the political side of things. I’m not talking about how docile news organizations in the West capitulated to their governments and, without a shred of resistance or an atom of intellectual integrity, accepted the barrage of blatant lies that linked Iraq to WMD’s and to Al-Qaida, thus facilitating the most unprovoked and unforgivable invasion in modern history. I’m not discussing how these misinformation organizations let their political leaders literally get away with murder of hundreds of thousands of people so that a few multinational corporations can add billions upon their trillions of ill-gotten wealth.
Let’s leave all that aside for now – along with the uncontainable mayhem coming out of the Pandora’s box that was irresponsibly opened in Iraq. In this episode of my road chronicles, I’m referring to other more mundane, yet equally irritating, aspects of the daily bombardment of lies and half-truths that I am subjected to every single day by an advertising industry gone berserk. Whether it’s when I’m out soaking up one billboard after the other, or sitting peacefully at home reading a magazine or watching TV, I am fed up with being taken for a ride. Read More »
By
Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in entertainment, iraq
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October 11, 2006 – 11:31 am
(This article was originally published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
I came, I saw, and oh my God, Jordan is changing fast. Good or bad depends from where you’re looking.
Personally, I’m not going to ride the wave of positive dreaming to the tune of merry singalongs. That’s not my job. If you want to feel good, go have a joint, or read the editorials of the oldest twin Arabic dailies. Or do both at the same time, if you want to begin to believe the latter. I describe things as I see them and call them by their names. Cup half full or half empty is not my business as long as what’s in it is drinkable – and available to all.
So apart from being blessed with the best weather in the world (that’s almost as flattering as you’re likely to squeeze out of me), I will not rewrite one of my pathetic schooldays composition pieces and paint a childish rosy picture. Back then, they used to ask us in English exams to write what we did in the summer vacation, and almost all submitted pieces across the Kingdom went like this: “I went to Aqaba. Aqaba was nice. It was sunny. The sun is good. We played in the sand because the sand is nice. The sea was also nice… etc.”. You know the ones I’m talking about. Read More »
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Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in current affairs, jordan
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August 16, 2006 – 12:01 pm
(This article was originally published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
Vroom… vroom, roared the Harley before its engine was turned off outside the pharmacy on duty in Geneva one quiet Sunday morning a few years ago in September. The six foot ‘quelque chose’ rider dismounted the daunting machine, took off his intimidating German helmet, neatly tucked it under his left arm, and walked slowly inside the drugstore.
Click…clack, he steadily thumped his way across the aisles in his huge boots and leathery attire. Elderly Sunday morning shoppers could not hide their disquiet at the site of this unusual visitor with his menacing looks, but pretended to mind their business. With the dark sunglasses carefully hiding hung-over eyes, but betraying weekend stubble, disheveled hair and an overgrown goatee, he placed his helmet on the counter. Read More »
By
Zaid NabulsiZaid Nabulsi is a lawyer. He spent many years working for the United Nations in Geneva. He has a passion for (glorious) Harley Davidson bikes.
Posted in egypt, entertainment, humor, islam
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August 9, 2006 – 12:01 pm
(This article was originally published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)
Forgive me, Ernesto, for helping myself to this undeserved title of which I am grossly unworthy. I ask permission not only because I’m so unlike you in that I cannot believe in a single earthly dogma for the salvation of mankind so as to dedicate my whole existence to fight and die for it.
This noble, but often blinding, human trait is only part of the abyss that demarcates your fearless soul from mine. What really sets us apart here is that my inconsequential motorcycle expeditions will not leave these pages, whereas your celebrated treks are already grand history. And so are you. From t-shirts to boxer shorts, your portrait is a cult image more recognizable than most Hollywood celebrities. Alas, the only portrait you’re likely to find of this author is a Swiss police mug-shot for some serious traffic violations, but we won’t get into that. So Comandante, you still rock! Read More »
November 16, 2004 – 11:37 am
(This article will be published in the December issue of Living Well magazine in Jordan)
I’m going to be very frank. Self-delusion and fear of the truth had eventually cost us too many beautiful lives on that grim Wednesday night. But unless we face the distressing facts, we should expect more terrible surprises. My patient editor always advises me that readers of Living Well magazine generally don’t expect to read about religion or politics – and to her dismay, I have since found it almost impossible to write anything not related to either facets of our lives. I think this escapist Jordanian phenomenon is symptomatic of our dangerous head-in-the-sand attitude. Very few people are actually willing to acknowledge that religion and politics are, whether we like it or not, deeply intermingled in dominating every single breath we take in every second of our existence in this plagued part of the world. Even fewer are those ready to confront the lethal outcome of mixing the two by illiterate dropouts who believe they hold, and can bestow upon others, the keys to paradise. Until our 11/9, that is. Read More »
