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In a linguistic courses I studied while at university, we learned about the development of language and words and the importance of perception in understanding language, whether that be how the speaker is perceived by listeners or how the speaker perceive his/her-self when speaking.

We learned also that words may encounter shifts in their meaning. A word that might have historically held a positive meaning might eventually become associated with negative connotations. Such a word is Jehad/Jihad or however you may want to spell it.

Jehad comes from the root “جهد”, as a noun “جهد” or “Juhd” mean effort or strain, as a verb “جاهد” or “Jaahad” means to strive or strain. Jehad and Mujahid are derivations from the verb and they refer to the act of straining and striving, and the person who strives respectively.

Due to recent world events, or some would say a residue of the days of religious conflict between Islam and Christianity, the words Jehad and Mujahid came to mean terrorism and terrorist, it carries negative connotations nowadays not only in the west but in the Muslim world as well.

If not all the International community then at least a big part of it is fighting to disarm terrorists and defeat them. But it is equally important to “disarm” the words Jehad and Mujahid as well. By disarming the words we remove the honor the terrorists attach to themselves by claiming they’re doing Jehad. The young youths who are conned into blowing themselves up among their brothers and countrymen, among innocent people or people they don’t even know are told they’re doing Jehad too, they are fed a lot of BS that is reinforced by world views, local communities, perhaps, and the media calling them Jehadist or Mujahidin.

Lets not call a spade a Mujahid, let’s call terrorists by their names “Terrorists”.

One of the most important challenges that faced last elections in Bahrain was political awareness, on many levels, and especially among young people. Many of the younger generations, my generation included, who are coming of age tend to stay away from political issues, probably out of habits developed from an early age, or fear of being associated with certain ideas that are considered dangerous and that this association may lead to being persecuted because many times, Bahraini society is not very nice to Bahrainis.

This fear, among many other reasons, lead to the fact that many young people, young students, graduate from high-school with little or no political awareness or even interest. When these students go to university or enter the labor market, they come face to face with the political and religious tension between the different political and religious parties or societies. Facing this tension, many people get confused about what causes to believe in and who or which society to follow. This confusion and lack of awareness enable many political or religious figures to use or rather abuse their social status to influence these people to push their own political agendas. The results of the last Bahraini elections clearly support this. Politicians played certain cards that tickle peoples fears, hopes and other emotions and people gave their votes accordingly.

In order to overcome the lack of political awareness, there are many measures to be taken. First, the fear of participating in political discussions and issues must be eliminated; this will encourage people to participate more, this of course needs the cooperation and help of both the government and the civil society represented by organizations and activists. The second step will be to consolidate resources from different organizations, governmental and non-governmental, to help spread political awareness and independent thinking through seminars and lectures and so forth. Political education and awareness should then be integrated into public education so that the coming generations will have political awareness and will not face this same problem.

When awareness is spread, change will be inevitable, otherwise we will face the same problems over and over, as dodgy politicians are elected because they play on people’s emotions or people, realizing they’re being played, will give up on participation entirely.

Ok. So I ended up applying to 6 schools for master’s in international relations. Got accepted in 4 so far waiting for the other 2 to give their decisions which might make my decision even harder.

Right now, between the schools I got into I’m torn between going to University of Leeds or University of Birmingham. They both seem like good schools and both programs are good and unique in their own way. I guess I still have time to decide between the 2 and do more research about the schools and professors.

Another poem of mine, it’s called Times Not Complete.

O, colored roses of this lovely site,
What a sight you are to greet!
Bathed in waves of the sun’s light
Your scent perfumes the streets.
I wait, for when the time is right,
My love and I will meet.
The sun fell from its height
And I heard not my lover’s feet.
I saw ravens Black and White,
As I prayed and took a seat,
And when day turned into night,
My prayers again I did repeat,
“Be it nothing, no harm or plight,”
Thought I, as I burned with heat.
Then came running with a lamplight
A creature with a smell so sweet,
Its beauty would have given delight,
But I am not one to cheat.
My love is gone I was told outright,
Though our times were not complete,
For death is fast and hard to fight,
And even much harder to cheat.

This is one of my favourite poems by one of my favourite writers Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door-
Only this, and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;–vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow–sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me–filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
“‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
This it is, and nothing more.”

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”–here I opened wide the door;-
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering,
fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”-
Merely this, and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice:
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;-
‘Tis the wind and nothing more.”

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and
flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed
he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door-
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no
craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning–little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered–not a feather then he fluttered-
Till I scarcely more than muttered, “other friends have flown
before-
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore-
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never–nevermore’.”

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and
door;
Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o’er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee–by these angels he
hath sent thee
Respite–respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!–prophet still, if bird or
devil!-
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by horror haunted–tell me truly, I implore-
Is there–is there balm in Gilead?–tell me–tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil–prophet still, if bird or
devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us–by that God we both adore-
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend,” I shrieked,
upstarting-
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!–quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my
door!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamplight o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the
floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted–nevermore!

I’m still thinking of which schools to apply to for my Master’s degree. I enlisted the help of my friends in the UK in deciding which schools I should apply to and that was not helpful. Half of them came up with info and opinions contradicting the other half lol.

I went to a university fair to check out a few schools, It was really helpful. I think I have narrowed it down to 8 now, I’m planning to apply to 4-5 so I will need to research more to decided which schools to choose.

I’m still waiting for my IELTS results, guess they should be out by next week.

So new year’s is over, life is back to it’s normal boring routine.

I just came back from an evening out and I’m tired already.

Guess I’ll have to go to sleep I need to wake up for my IELTS speaking test tomorrow morning.

New Year, New page

So as a part of my new year’s resolutions I decided to start blogging again.

Since I have stopped blogging for a while I opted to start over with a fresh page in the blogging world xD.

Happy New Year 2010

Happy New Year