Manal – The bold and the beautiful Moroccan blogger
Do you remember Jyllandsposten? The newspaper that published cartoons of the prophet (PBUH)? Representatives of the paper refused to meet with the BBC, CNN or the Danish TV, but agreed to meet Manal!!
Yes, Manal is a student-doctor who blogs and wants to make a difference. Her blog Manal Carpe Diem (fr) is a very special one with original posts that show authenticity but also boldness. I was curious to know more about her trip to Denmark (fr), so I asked her some questions. Her answers were so simple yet so inspiring that I decided to share this interview with you.
I read in your blog that you went to Denmark to make a difference, tell me more about it..
I went to Denmark to participate in a week of dialogue between Muslim and Danish youth. I wanted to give them an other image about Islam rather than burned flags and embassies, because this is not Islam. Unfortunately, the image conveyed by the media is totally wrong, and I’m happy that I could change some of the prejudices about my religion and I could prove to the Danes that Islam calls for peace and tolerance, calls for respect and freedom not for violence and terrorism. Thanks to God, I could read in the eyes of many of them a lot of amazement and surprise, and I’m sure that they won’t be influenced anymore by the wrong ideas spread about Islam.
Was it a personal initiative ?
Well, the week in Denmark was an initiative taken by Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke , to deepen the relationships between Danes and The Muslim world. The program was a combination of cultural meetings and exchanges of views with politicians, media and opinion makers. There were about 42 young Muslims from different countries, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Kenya, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Palestine… The experience was really great, and the Danes showed a real will to mend this big wound that is still bleeding, and to repair this big mistake. Of course, no official apologies have been made, but all of those who were with our group, politicians and the average Joe citizens were sorry about what happened. They were all preaching the freedom of speech but they also realized that publishing such cartoons was a big mistake. I believe that respect should be a rule if we really want to live peacefully.
What about the visit you paid to Jyllandsposten?
One of the most important steps of the week was the visit to Jyllandsposten, the newspaper that published the cartoons. They refused to see the BBC, the CNN, the Danish TV, but they agreed to meet us. It was a good point, even if we had a unilateral dialogue. The media convey some of the truth but not the whole truth. The media didn’t show to the Muslim world that there are some Danes who protested against the publication of the cartoons, and they showed to Danes that Muslims only burned flags and embassies… this is not the whole truth…
Fortunately, they’re some Danes who took some concrete initiatives like creating a website anotherdenmark or inviting some young people to get to know more about the Danish culture and promote dialogue, I believe that misunderstanding is the result of ignorance.
Now, let's try to know more about you. Why do you blog?
My blog is a space where I can express myself freely and spontaneously. It’s a great experience since it allows youto meet people from different backgrounds. It also gives you the opportunity to talk about many issues and share your opinions with the whole world without censorship and with only “a click”. I don’t like to share my intimate life with the others, I prefer to talk more about my daily life in the hospital or about my different experiences with NGO’s but from time to time I do post about private matters.
What do you think about the Moroccan blogosphere?
I see it as an extraordinary melting pot, exactly the way the Moroccan society is. Every day, we “witness the birth” of more and more , from different backgrounds and fields. Each space is unique and each blog brings a fresh air to the blogosphere. I had the opportunity to meet many bloggers and I was really amazed, some became very close friends…
How do you explain the fact that most of the Moroccan blogs are in French instead of Arabic or Moroccan dialect?
Most of the Moroccan bloggers have a high educational level, there are a lot of university students. The Moroccan universities teach in French, then the majority find it easier to express themselves in this language. One other reason that can explain this fact, is that we blog to transmit a message, and the choice of the language shouldn't really be an issue, it is only a tool! The most important thing is that my readers get my messages..
What do you “hope” from your blogging experience?
Learn more and more, meet new people and enjoy the experience of sharing…
Who reads your blog?
Lots of people (laughing) bloggers and non bloggers. Actually many readers send me e-mails to encourage me and congratulate me for the choice of my subjects, or sometimes to express their disagreement. I know trough the statistics that a lot of visitors come to see me…
—–
Well, I do know that I am a regular visitor of “Carpe Diem”, and she amazes me everyday for the choice of her subjects, and many times, for her boldness. So good luck Manal and thank you.
That's it for today. See you next Wednesday, Inshallah.
28 comments
Shufiyan Shukur>> thank you so much for your words, I’m so touched to hear such encouraging words from far away…hope to hear from you soon.
Ahmed (Blafrancia) >> deal ;-), I hope then you will come to read my Arabic posts…
Thanks for answering my comment. Keep up struggling ;-)
Very good interview Manal.
For the one who saw that islam presh violence, I ask him to do some research on the internet rather than say what tv remain all the time.
So Islam is a religion of peace!
Thanks for this ;)
Muslim
f/U on john’s comment post 3:
Hey John! I think your comment deserves a rebottle! Allow me take a shot at it without spelling the beans and get edited out. If U can read French better than you can read Koran check a post of mine in a Moroccan Blog here http://weblog.lejournal-hebdo.com/index.php?2006/04/10/57-gold-vision#c3804 U may pick up a pearl or 2.
U said-> “I can take the Quran and prove to you that Islam calls for war and oppression, teaches hate and anger,
Moh-> I may just take U up on that one! Why don’t U to tell us where-how and when? That’ll enlighten all of us for at least we’d understand where the muslims got it all wrong and maybe we all can do something to fix it! Are U sure you are not reading from some OBL manifesto? Or just another fellow abducted by the propaganda crap with an agenda and a media who can’t stand it if it can’t or won’t bleed just because the more we bleed, the more we panic and more money they make!
U said-> “.. promotes violence and terrorism. Of course, I have current events on my side, so I guess my understanding is the more accepted.”
Moh-> Well U may just have to take another guess John!
To stay current as U said, (no further than 50-60 years ago) I’d like to remind U of all those Muslim Nazis who killed so many Jews among others, There sure have been lots of killings going on throughout the last half century all because of Koran teachings! all those Muslim bombs which nuked the living yolk out the Japs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.. all the machete chopping in Rwanda by the millions for the last 12 years and all of the killers were Muslims! Kosovo.. How about all the bombs which are still blowing the manor out the Afghans, the Irakis, the Palestinian kids, by tens in not hundreds of thousands, with no end insight. Of course anyone who says that the invasion of Iraq was a war crime or Afghanistan is occupied, will probably be dismissed as a member of the loony «Radical islamism».
While we are at it why don’t we blame the Koran and the Muslims for the melting poles, the green house emissions and the ozone depletions all because of the so much farting going on by a billion plus Muslims who just happen to read the Koran and understand it just like you do john!
In your opinion, how many genocidal wars were initiated by Muslims for the last 50 years before you were born John? Who’s killing who and what does Koran has to do with all the crap?
U said-> Furthermore, I can take the hadiths and show you that Islam’s great prophet did so many vile and dispicable things.
Moh-> Really! Tell us about that too! Any idea what “Hadith” means?
U said-> Things will not get better (if ever) until Muslims take a good hard look at their faith. They cannot continue to make excuses and blame others.
Moh->Are U looking at the mirror John? As I understand you already subscribed to the them/us, good/evil with/against evangelical illuminates and alikes who succeeded in polarizing our world to the brink of disintegration just because they can no longer wait for their bloody Armageddon and can not pass on the opportunity of finally owning the White House with all the power and the nukes that come with it!.. Welcome to the club.. “club 700” that is.
U said-> If there is a “gap” in understanding, it is on the Muslim side.
Moh-> Right!
U said-> Would not it be better if Muslims learned “respect” and “tolerance” from the West instead of the West having to learn to “understand” Muslim sensitivities?
Moh-> God bless the respectful and tolerant “west” their Muslims excluded. The hell with all these dumb stupid and hopeless Muslims.. Every single one of the billion plus of them.. No need to blush John!
U said-> “How dare Muslims demand … but you can be sure that I know what I am talking about”.
Moh->I’m sure U do John! Pat Robertson too.
U said-> Think about that.
Moh->U 2 John! As U said.. Bad times are coming.. so said Pat
U said-> “I wish I could have written something nicer.. but somebody has to be honest about these things.
Moh->Me too John.. However honesty is no substitute for knowledge!
John Kactuz nice meeting U.
Surat “Arrahman” easy reading and relaxing anyway you chose understand it. Try it. :)
Moh
Manal tu m’épatera toujours!!! bosse ta médecine daba…
c’était vraiment top!!
je suis vraiment fiére d’être représentée,en tant que marocaine, musulmane et medecin, par notre adorable manal.
tu as bien defendu notre religion,avec des arguments objectifs!o ne peut pas critiquer une religio alors qu’on ne connait même pas les bases sur lesquelles elle est fondée!!
le fait qu’il n’y ait pas eu d’excuses officielles importe peu,le plus important c’est les danois qui vous ont écouté, et qui ont changé d’avis a propos de l’islam,qui fait l’objet d’acharnement et d’attaques médiatiques incessantes.
il est de notre devoir,a tous,de repondre à ces attaques, en éclairant le monde sur la réalité de l’islam:paix et tolérance,comme le dis notre prophéte.
pour clore,je m’adresse a manal, restes comme tu es, notre petite fée, adorable,serviable,dévouée…y a trop de choses a dire, je ne finirai pas, bref ne changes surtout pas, car on t’aime comme cà!!
mimi
vraiment manal, tu ne m’as pas deçue!
je suis trés fiére,en tant que marocaine,musulmane et médecin, d’être représentée par quelqu’un comme toi
tu as trés bien défendu notre religion,qui fait l’objet ces derniéres années,d’un acharnement médiatique sans précedent.ces caricatures obsénes de notre prophéte démontrent une profonde méconnaissance de l’islam,et de ses principes fondamentaux que le prophéte a longuement préché dans ses discours:”paix et tolérance”.
nous devons combattre cette mauvaise image que les médiats esayent e véhiculer,comme le fait si bien manal;nous pouvons y arriver si chacun d’entre nous essaie d’expliquer le vrai islam, l’islam de du grand coeur,de la générosité,de la tolérance,de l’entraide,de l’amour de l’autre, ne dit-on pas que “Dieu est amour”? alors comment peut-on commettre des actes terroristes au nom de dieu? je voudrais quand même préciser que les actions militantes de la résistance des peuples face à un occupant ne doivent pas être considérées comme du térrorisme,ce sont des réactions normales des peuples vis à vis d’une réaction d’agression extérieure!
bref, je suis trés contente de savoir qu’il y a des danois qui ne sont pas tombés dans le paneau de la manipulation médiatique, et ceci en grande partie, grâce au DIALOGUE!!c’est le maître-mot de cette interview.
pour clore, je m’adresse a manal, notre petite fée adorable,belle,douce,qui fait beaucoup d’effort en silence pour faire bouger les choses, qui est toujours là pour les autres,et qui en plus de toutes ces qualités,est super marrante! restes comme tu es , manal, ne changes surtout pas, car on t’adore comme cà!
mimi
Ayhaaaaaaay::: Bravo manal!!! Good luck!!
Excellent, tous simplement excellent
This is John Kactuz… Its been a while and I see that my honesty knowledge of Islam has been challenged. Oh well. So I don’t know anything, do I? Well, I am not the smartest guy on earth, but I do understand most of what I read – which may be more than most of you.
The facts are simple. The Quran and hadiths are fill of hate and anger. Mohammad, Islam’s great prophet and the man that Musklims admire so much, did many vile, evil things. Who says so? Islam’s own sacred writings!
As a non-Muslim, I am offended by the hate and anger towards unbelievers in the Quran. I am offended by verses like “So, fight them till all opposition ends and the only religion is Islam” (8:39) and Koran “Muhammad is the apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are merciful to one another, but ruthless to unbelievers” (48:29) or even the famous “kill them wherever you find them I am offended by the constant denials and arguments that these passages are poorly translated or out of context (So you are saying the Allah doesn’t know how to write clear , simple verses?)
I am deeply offended that Muslims admire a man that did so many vile things. I am offended that Muslims call me a liar a racist when I tell them what is in their own scriptures, so not to have to face the ugly reality of their religion (or, “way of life,” as they are so fond of saying!)
Well, let’s take a look at a few Islamic sources…
Quote: Mohammed says… “Why is it, O ‘A’isha (his 9 year old wife!) that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story)… He struck me on the chest which caused me pain……. ,” Muslim 4:2127.
(http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/004.smt.html#004.2127)
Quote: Then the Prophet was informed by a shouter for help, he sent some men in their pursuit, and before the sun rose high, they were brought, and he had their hands and feet cut off. Then he ordered for nails which were heated and passed over their eyes, and whey were left in the Harra. They asked for water, and nobody provided them with water till they died…” (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/052.sbt.html)
Read verse 261 Yes, they were murderers and thieves, but….
Quote: “The women asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?” He said, “Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn’t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.” Bukhari Volume 1, Book 6, Number 301. (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/006.sbt.html#001.006.301)
Not to mention the verse that says most people in hell are women…
Quote : “The military expeditions (Ghazawat, literally raid) in which the Messenger personally participated were twenty-six. Some say there were twenty-seven.” Tabari IX:118 “The armies and raiding parties sent by the Messenger of Allah between the time he came to Medina and his death (ten years) was forty-eight.” Tabari IX:115. The accounts tell of the plunder and taking slaves, of giving captured women to the Prophet’s men. The writer was especially proud of the raids where the caravans and villages were taken by surprise.
Quote: “And all married women are forbidden unto you save those captives whom your right hand possess (your slaves). It is a decree of Allah for you.” (The Koran, Muslim 4:24) Can anybody justify this?
Consider the cases of Raihana Bint Amr and Safiya / Safiyyah, slave women taken by Mohammed. I don’t know about you, but taking women to his bed after just killing their husbands might be considered rape. What do you think? Also don’t the traditions say that Mohammed had also killed Safiya’s father and brother? How about the guard that was worried about Mohammed’s safety with his new ‘bride’?
There are dozens of verses that tell of unprovoked attacks, horrible torture (like building a fire on a man’s chest, for example), wife beatings, slavery, rape of married women, disrespect for women, murders for petty reasons and so on.. The list goes on and on. Notice the references and the links to Islamic sites. This is the man Muslims consider to be a “great” example.
Please do not pretend that the Hadiths are not accepted as sacred by almost all Muslims: May I quote: “Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them (Quran and Sunnah). Bukhari’s collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet…” (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/sbtintro.html)
“This thorough authentication process ensures that these accounts (the Hadiths) are real, validated narrations of the sayings, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad.
(http://thetruereligion.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=106)
The Shareeah, which is embodied (in) the Quran and Sunnah, are the proclamations of Allah and His Messenger (…) …it is obligatory for every Muslim to obey any command that he hears from Allah or His Messenger (…), even if the command should go against his own desires, opinion or against popular opinion. (http://www.iisca.org/articles/document.jsp?id=65)
From the start to finish, from the Quran to the hadiths, Islamic writings are full of hate, anger, oppression, and murder. From Ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari to Bukhari and Ibn Hisham the early stories of Muhammad and Islam are full of vile, evil events. It is not one, two or ten verses, or one or two sources. It is hundreds of verses and many different writers, including Islam’s most respected authors. In fact, Ibn Hisham wrote in his biograpgy of Mohammud that that he “omitted things which are disgraceful to discuss and matters which would distress certain people.” (Ishaq: 691).
Am I really uninformed? Finally, please consider this incident: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/abudawud/038.sat.html#038.4348.
Note that it is from a Muslim site at the University of California. I really don’t need to comment on the content of the link. Read it! And you say that a cartoon is offensive?
Muslims have a big problem and it is not the people who criticize their religion. Islam always attempts to silence its critics. Note this source that proudly lists the people killed by Islam’s prophet: http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/alshifa/pt4ch1sec1.htm. Their crime? Criticizing murder and oppression – for this they were killed.
Note that I have selected sources from Muslim sites, with easy links. Please check them out. Better yet, read all the hadiths and put yourself in the place of the victims, or pretend that the man that did these things was named ‘Joe.’ From these traditions we find that Mohammud and his followers were haters, murderers, torturers, slavers, wife-beaters and so on… Was Joe a good person?
My experience is that Muslims are characterized by: a. hate and anger, and/or b. denial. The hate and anger occurs at different levels, often it is subconscious and a product of a deep internal frustration and resentment. Because, by definition, Islam is perfect, they must place the blame elsewhere, and so, it is the Crusaders fault, the imperialists, Israel,. The Jews, America, Bush, Feminism, Liberalism, democracy, the corrupting influence of Western society, Hollywood, Bugs Bunny, racism, Christianity, and so on. You may not know it, but these all are waging war on Islam. Everybody is at fault but hardly ever Muslims and never Islam. On another level the hate is open; it is preached in the Quran, Hadiths, in Islamic literature, and by Imams in the Mosques.
The teachings of Islam provide the intellectual and moral basis for the hate and alienation found in Muslims, which lead to events of intolerance and violence that are characteristic of Islam.
As I have pointed out so often, Muslims cannot be honest about their religion and their dear prophet. To get along with Muslims and “respect” them, you must also be dishonest about these things. You must ignore the hate and anger in their writings and you must ignore the many vile acts and often vulgar life of Mohammed.
To get along with Muslims you must be willing to apply different (inferior) standards to their speech and conduct; and pretend that their faith, laws, customs and practices (particularly in Muslim dominated countries) are admirable and deserving of respect. You must be willing to make excuses and accept generalized, gross violations of human rights as minor aberrations by a few insignificant individuals. You must be willing to accept words and actions that, if practiced by individuals of western culture, would be resoundingly condemned in a minute. This is a form of cultural racism in a way – a bigotry of low expectations and double standards if you wish.
Manal, Ahmed, Moh, – all of you. Understand that I am not saying that all Muslims are good, bad or even worse then other people. I am saying that there is an evil aspect in Islam that has to be recognized and resolved. But Muslims are in denial, and so things will not change, but get worse. Innocent blood will flow. Morrocos is, of course, a “moderate” Islamic country, but it too is changing. Like all Islamic countries, it is becoming less tolerant. The radicals will become stronger, because they understand Islam much better the moderates do. Sorry, that is the way it is.
The only important question now is: Are these things true or not?
So there you have it. Will this make any difference? Will things change? Can Muslims be honest? Will Muslims consider the implications of these words? I am pessimistic, I think bad times are coming. There is nothing any of us can do to stop it. You people think about these things and take care.
John
well done Manal…i also hope you willm reply soon to mr. john.
keep it up. May Allah bless all humanity.