Language

I was browsing through ethnologue.com, a fabulous world languages website and I came across the following entries under Languages of Bahrain:

ARABIC, BAHARNA, SPOKEN: a language of Bahrain

Population: 300,000 (1995)
Region: Also spoken in Oman
Alternate names: BAHRAINI SHI’ITE ARABIC, BAHARNAH, BAHARNA
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic.
Comments: Bilingualism in Gulf Spoken Arabic. Their dialect is stigmatized. Shi'a Muslim.

ARABIC, GULF SPOKEN (KHALIGI)

Population: 100,000 (1995)
Region: In and around Zubair and on the Fau Peninsula. Also spoken in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen.
Alternate names: Khaligi, Gulf Arabic
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic.
Comments: Sunni Muslim.

At first, I was surprised to find those dialects listed on the website, but after skimming through the list of thousands and thousands of languages and their colloquial forms, I thought it was only normal to have the Bahraini variations included.

Now, if the population of Bahrain is 500,000 and we are to base our allocation on ethnologue’s statistics, we’ll have the Bahraini population divided as following: 300,000 speaking “Baharna”, 100,000 speaking Gulf Arabic (Khaligi), and the remaining 100,000 divided between those who speak Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, etc. This might not be a completely accurate allocation, but a fairly sufficient one perhaps.

Anyway, what really caught my attention though was this statement: “Their dialect is stigmatized,” which is a true, but an unfair statement at the same time, because technically, all local dialects across the Arab world are considered stigmatized in relation to the classical language and they become more so when spoken in a certain manner or by a particular group of people. But perhaps the reason for the inferiority of the Bahraani dialect is either because it has been associated with the poor uneducated class of villagers for so long or because it is spoken by the Shiite Arabs who are a minority in the Sunni Arab world. No matter what the reason is, what’s interesting is that while the Khaligi dialect is used in local soap operas, songs, and traditional/nabati poetry, the Bahraani dialect is not used in anything other than informal communication and perhaps in Azza and some religious songs. It is very unlikely to hear a song or watch a television series based entirely on the Bahraani dialect. I really find that fascinating... how different dialects, which are equally flawed and distant from the original classical language, end up having a varying level of significance due to past (and even present) societal hierarchies.

You may want to read about what I think of the Arabic language and local dialects in a previous post I wrote here.

Fortunately, I should say, the widespread use of dialects did not significantly (not yet, at least) affect the original classical form of the language and I don't think it will as long as the Quran is held in high esteem. At one point, I was convinced that dialectal Arabic could no way influence any other language linked to or influenced by Arabic in one way or another, and when I say influence I mean have an influence on the official/formal language of a particular country, not its dialectal lexicon. But anyway, I was wrong. The Maltese language is almost entirely derived from informal dialectal Arabic (particularly North African), which makes me wonder why Malta is a special case? Is it because it’s Roman Catholic and perfecting the language of the Quran is not of prime importance? Or is it because the “Arab invaders” were Berber and not Arabs? Interesting topic to research.

For now, let me teach you some Maltese ;-)

English: Maltese: Arabic

Book: ktieb: kitab
Dog: kelb: kalb
Sugar: zokkor: sukkar
Cat: qattus: qutta
Door: bieb: baab
Death: mewt: mawt
Money: flus: flus/floos (informal)
Lemon: lumija (pronounced as loo-mee-ya) Not very different from how it is pronounced in the aforementioned Bahraani dialect ;-)

The following Maltese proverbs are other strong indications of how Maltese is derived from dialectal Arabic:

Il-mara bhall-lumija taghsarha u tarmiha.
A woman is like a lemon; you squeeze her and throw her away.

Gebel ma gebel ma jiltaqa', izda wicc ma wicc jiltaqa'.
Mountain does not meet mountain, but a face meets another face.

Il-flus ghandhom il-gwienah.
Money has wings.

Bil-flus taghmel triq il-bahar.
With money you can make a road in the sea.

Mara ghandha sebat erwieh.
A woman has got seven souls.

I am almost certain that those dimwitted proverbs are not the most accurate representation of the Maltese language and so I decided to go into a more credible source, the government of Malta website, to see how much I can understand from the Maltese written over there! I randomly clicked on the Health section and voila:

Saħħa

Din il-ġabra toffri links għal sptarijiet u servizzi farmaċewtiċi u wkoll links għal servizzi provduti minn aġenziji oħra. Issib ukoll informazzjoni biex tgħinek tgħix ħajja b'saħħitha, u fatti nteressanti u statistika dwar is-saħħa. Hemm ukoll taqsima speċjali għall-Prattikanti tal-Mediċina.

Health

This cluster offers links to hospitals and pharmaceutical services and also links to services provided by other agencies. Information to help you lead a healthy lifestyle and interesting health facts and statistics are also available here. There is also a special section for Medical Practitioners.

Obviously, this excerpt looks more sophisticated than the previous funny proverbs; it is also more difficult to understand for a native-Arabic speaker, however, there are certain phrases that can be easily understood by just relying on our Arabic knowledge and they are the following:

minn aġenziji oħra: by other agencies
ħajja b'saħħitha: healthy lifestyle
is-saħħa: the health
taqsima speċjali: special section

and then by relying on our knowledge of any Indo-European language we speak: English, French, Italian, etc. and some common sense, we should be able to understand another good chunk of it: farmaċewtiċi, servizzi, statistika, etc..

Apparently, the Maltese language is written using Latin alphabets, therefore, while an Arabic-speaking person would be able to understand some Maltese, the average Maltese speaker will not be able to read Arabic. It is also important to note here that both Maltese and English are the official languages of Malta. In fact, English is almost spoken by everyone that many people believe learning Maltese is virtually useless. If I remember correctly, one of the English teachers at my school back in Bahrain was Maltese! On the other hand, there are many people like this passionate guy, who believes that the Maltese language should be protected and cherished as a national heritage. He says:

It is true that English is also our official language. But we have only one national language that distinguishes us from all other people in the world, and that is Maltese.

If for no other reason we have to protect Maltese as part of our national heritage, of which every Maltese worth his name should be proud. English is an official working language for us, inherited through our colonial history. It could have been Italian, Spanish or French or any other used by colonisers. But what identifies us as Maltese is the Maltese language.

Hmmm. But wasn't the Muslim conquest of Malta a form of colonialism and the impact it had on the Maltese language, an unfavorable consequence of colonialism? *Ponders*

Learn some marketing skills

I was searching through my files for some interesting photos to share and I cam across the following pictures which were taken during a trip to Iran.

We were in the car when those stacks of red shining pomegranate (rumman in Arabic) caught our attention and so we stopped to have some.


As we came closer to the street vendor, we realized that there were only few boxes of rumman and the rest were only red painted balls!


Let me zoom in a bit more so you can have a better picture


Smart trick, isn’t it?

I haven’t seen it in Bahrain yet, so maybe someone could spread the word :-)

ALLAH MADE ME FUNNY

I watched some segments of the show on TV and I found it hilarious!

“Can you imagine…we still have kings and kingdoms in the Muslim world! Are we still in the 15th century or waht? Yeah we are, according to the Muslim calendar!”

That was one of the jokes I can recall right now.

note: 2004 is the year 1425 according to the lunar Islamic calendar, which begins on the year the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) emigrated to Madina. So the Muslim world is both literally and metaphorically in the 15th century :-)

THE QUESTION has always been where can Muslims and non-Muslims go for social growth, and entertainment by us, for us, and about us? The answer? "Allah Made Me Funny : The Official Muslim Comedy Tour."

“The concept of this tour is to make a comprehensive effort to provide effective, significant, and appropriate comedy with an Islamic perspective, which is both mainstream and cross-cultural. The idea is to provide a venue whereby Muslims and non-Muslims can feel safe, relevant, and inclusive of an experience where humor is used to bridge gaps of bias, intolerance, and other social ills that are pre and post 9/11 relevant,” allahmademefunny.com

There are jokes about the “super-hijabies” (i.e. women covered up head to toe with only their eyes showing) and about the dreams of a young American Muslim boy being shattered because he cannot be a pilot anymore..

All the jokes were clean, yet funny… (well, at least the ones i've heard so far)

With an open mind… and an open heart… they should not offend anyone.

Comedy is good for you :)

Sign

While biking today, I came across this sign:

Pick up and take away your animal’s waste
Emportez les excréments de votre animal

and there is a little drawing to show you how to do it in case your intelligence betrays you :)

I've actually seen people picking up and taking away the waste of their dogs. I was very impressed! I can't even imagine seeing that happening in the Middle East. Dogs and horses' excrement on sidewalks and roadsides are left behind until a poor Indian worker who wakes up at 4.00 am in the morning picks it up as part of his daily routine.

Why are Canadians obliged to clean after their animals and if they don't, they get penalized, while we, Arabs, don't even consider it as an option?

Documentaries

Below are some of the documentaries I have recently watched. Some are touching, others are appalling, but all are worth watching.

In The Name of God: Scenes from the Extreme: A glimpse into extreme fundamentalist communities in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine

Easy Prey: Inside the Child Sex Trade: Child prostitution and trafficking in Romania

Garden: Life of gay Arab teenagers in the red light district of Tel Aviv, aka "the Garden"

My Flesh and Blood: Story of a single mother and her 11 adopted special needs children.

Why did they Kill their Neighbours?: A story of a man who murdered his own family memebers in the 1994 genocide in Rawanda

Bowling for Columbine: About the roots of gun violence in America.

Dying to be Apart: The story of Ladan and Laleh Bijani - the conjoined iranian twins.

Muhammad Ali - Through the Eyes of the World

Arna's Children

A Devout Beggar

"Jesus loves you, whether you're white or brown or whatever. Can you spare me some change?"

"Do you mind if I take a photo?"



An assurance that Jesus loves me and a pose for a photo for one buck, good deal!

Travel

تغرب عن الأوطان في طلب العلا و سافر ففي الأسفار خمس فوائـد
تفرج هم واكتســــاب معيشة و علم وآداب وصحبة مـــاجد
فإن قيل في الأسفار هم وكربـة و تشتيت شمل وارتكاب الشدائـد
فموت الفتى خير له من حياتـه بدار هوان بين واش وحــاسد

الإمام علي كرم الله وجهه-

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes to this world was mom and dad’s face staring at their newborn baby, and the next thing was probably a world map! There were maps all over the house, in the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Physical, political, and all sorts of thematic maps were framed and hung on the wall or tucked under glass tabletops. The plastic ball we used to play with and the lamp on the comodino beside my bed were in the shape of a globe, and even the jigsaw puzzle I enjoyed putting together was of a world map. For some reason, world geography became an integral part of the house.

As kids, my siblings and I would enjoy sitting around and quizzing each other with geography questions. We used to memorize the entire capitals of the world and know the colors and symbols that each flag consists of. Maps, flags, and prime political figures were our passion. In no time we were experts. My parents, aunts, and uncles would sometimes refer to us for specific information, and if we knew the answer, the widest smile of self-esteem would be drawn on our faces and if we didn’t, the desire to enhance our knowledge would be greater than ever.

I remember my geography teacher asked the class once to draw the map of the world without looking at it. Of course, I already knew it by heart and I also had the advantage of being good at drawing. So, in a matter of few minutes, I’ve drawn a fairly accurate map with all the oceans, continents and major cities of the world labeled. The teacher sure was surprised and the students filled the classroom with their oohhs and aahhs. Similar tour de forces would be achieved until I got quite blasé about it.

As a kid, so naive and unreflective, I wasn’t quite aware of the importance and benefits of travel. As I grew older, however, I became to realize that traveling is more than making a journey over a long distance. It’s a way of stretching your mind and embracing everything that’s new and different. It is about stepping past the borders you grew up in to submerse yourself in a new lifestyle.

The person who doesn’t knead with the people of the country he is visiting. If he doesn’t intermingle with the new sights, smells, and sounds. If the traveler goes to Egypt and doesn't master the art of bargaining or goes to Agra and doesn't feel jealous of Mumtaz Mahal; if he goes to Arabia and doesn't get touched by the calls to prayer, or goes to Brazil and doesn’t get the itch to dance the Samba; if the traveler doesn’t experience firsthand how others do things differently and returns from a place exactly the same way he entered it, then he sure did something wrong and have missed the whole purpose of being there!

Islam: My Humble Opinion

Islam needs to be safeguarded from Muslims themselves before anyone else.

In our part of the world, it’s easy to fall prey for intellectual and ideological monopolists who literally monopolize certain subjects namely, religion, and end up making it their own intellectual property. They’re the only ones who are allowed to explain it, to defend it, to preach about it, to beautify it, to disfigure it, and to mold it between their hands into what pleases them. While the rest of the world encourages individualism, they encourage you to follow them blindly. It is considered a sign of devotion and unshaken faith to do so because you are putting your trust on people of knowledge and intellect. And many people do. They follow the conscious of others rather than their own. Some end up in safe hands but others end up between the clutches of those who encourage Sept.11, Al-Khobar attacks, and the bombings of innocent civilians, or I beg your pardon “corrupt infidels.”

In a time when religion is being ripped apart by both its opponents and defendants, normal adherents, like you and I, end up being lost in the middle, confused on the reality of our own faith, we become cursed if we do what they say and even more cursed when we don’t. No wonder why people are turning away from religion whether consciously or unconsciously. Religion has become such an unattractive alternative.

My point here is that learning by example is an important form of learning. It is reinforcement for the knowledge we obtain. Unfortunately, this good example is absent from our Islamic world. One does not have to look hard to realize that the reality of Islam on the ground is very different from the ideals of love, peace, tolerance, unity, modesty, etc that not only Islam but all religions teach.

Extremism, intolerance, spendthrift, slander, backbiting, imbalance, disunity, vulgarity, you name it, are all behaviors that have been repeatedly condemned and prohibited in the Holy Quran. Unfortunately, however, these activities are not rare in the Islamic world; in fact they are very common, to the point of becoming habits and norms, both on an individual and society level. That’s very saddening. It’s a shame when the Quran says “be not divided among yourselves” and we see Shiites and Sunnis disqualifying each other and disintegrating. It’s a shame when the Quran says “fight against those who fight against you, but do not transgress limits” and we see Islamic militias exceeding all plausible limits in their acts of violence. It’s a shame, when the Quran says, “squander not your wealth in the manner of spendthrift” and we see Muslims doing just the opposite. It’s a shame when the Quran says “do not commit excess in your religion” and we see Muslims in ALL sects exaggerating in the manifestation of their belief. I can go on and on and the point remains that we make no effort whatsoever in obeying the word of God whom we worship, yet we keep emphasizing our Muslim identity and many people take it even a step further by doing what they do in the Name of Islam and for the Love of God. It’s ironic.

I have to mention here that certain verses in the Quran, when read literally, ahistorically, and out of context can end up justifying certain acts of violence that Muslim fundamentalists commit. Those verses are offered as textual references to the violence carried out against innocent civilians. This is not Islam. One has to realize that when ignorance, arrogance, and belligerency come together, you have the perfect recipe for violence. That is true not only in religion, but in any doctrine or ideology that is approached in a similar manner, and Islam, evidently, is no exception.

Anyway, below is a subtitled list of my favorite Quranic verses that illustrate this discrepancy between Islam and Muslims, all Muslims, from the average person in the streets of Riyadh, Manama, and Amman to the terrorist in the caves of Tora Bora.

Note: The following verses are by no means the only ones related to the following topics. These are only some of the verses I came across through my reading of the Quran (English/Arabic)

Balance and Moderation

“O people of the book commit no excess in your religion” (4:171) another translation of the same verse reads: “O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion”

"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight against you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors." (2:190)

The servants of God are those “who when they spend, are neither extravagant nor parsimonious, and (keep) between these the just mean.” (25:67)

“Squander not your wealth in the manner of a spendthrift” (17:26)

"Eat of the good things We have provided for your sustenance but commit no excess therein" (20:81)

Religions, Tolerance and Freedom of Belief

“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error” (2:256)

“Say: O ye that reject Faith! I worship not that which ye worship, Nor will ye worship that which I worship…To you be your Way, and to me mine” (109: 1,2,6)

“If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!” (10:99)

“Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and doeth right, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (2:62)

“Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And unto Him we have surrendered.” (2:136)

“Say: O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with him” (3: 64)

“And dispute ye not with the People of the Book except by what is best, but say, "We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is one; and to Him we submit” (29:46)

Unity

“O ye who believe! (…) hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren (…) Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong (…) Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving Clear Signs: For them is a dreadful penalty” (3: 102-105)

"As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did." (6:159)

Speech and Manners

“And tell my servants that they should speak in a most kindly manner.” (17:53)

“Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious” (16:125)

“And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!" (25:63)

"O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames.” (49: 11)

Understanding the Quran

“He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.” (2:7)

Those Who Reject Faith

“They deny what their knowledge does not encompass” (10:39)

“As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.” (2:6)

“Those who reject faith... the loss is their own.” (2:121)

Relationships

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.” (49:13)

“He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He ordained between you love and mercy.” (30:21)

Beauty and Enjoyment

“Say: Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has brought forth for His creatures, and the good things from among the means of sustenance? Say: They are (lawful) in the life of this world unto all who have attained to faith -- to be theirs alone on the Day of Judgment.” (7:32)

“O children of Adam! Beautify yourselves for every act of worship, and eat and drink freely, but do not waste: verily He does not love the wasteful.” (7:31)

Martyrs

And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not. (2:154)

Doubt? Reassurance?

When Abraham said: "Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, " He replied: "Have you no faith?" He said "Yes, but just to reassure my heart."

Status of Parents

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, "my Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." (7:23-24)

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth." (46:15)

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; but if they strive (to force) thee to join with Me anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not." (29:8)

“And we have enjoined upon man to be careful of his parents, His mother bears him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years, so give thanks to Me and to your parents, for unto Me is the journeying. But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not, but deal with them nicely in the world and follow the path of him who repents to Me." (31:14-15)

The Soul

"Nor do I (joseph) absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil (…) but surely my Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." (12:53)

“And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.” (2:281)

“On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns” (2:286)

“By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it…and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right” (91:7-8)

Miscellaneous

“O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another.” (49:12)

"O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with a news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful to what you have done." (6:49)

“If you give alms openly, it is well, and if you hide it and give it to the poor, it is better for you” (2:271)

They say: "Trade is like usury," but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. (2:275)

“If the debtor is in a difficulty, grant him time till it is easy for him to repay. But if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if ye only knew.” (2:280)

“Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere” (2:155)

“When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.” (2:186)

“It is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you.” (2:216)

“They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." (2:219)

“For Allah is full of bounty to mankind, but Most of them are ungrateful.” (2:243)

Worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and practice regular charity (2:83)

Whoever submits His whole self to Allah and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:112)