Freedom and Censorship

In my previous post I got a comment, and as I've read in numerous blogs, that they're against censorship no matter what it was. Usually I agree, but I think I've come to a different conclusion after being failed by my surroundings again and again...

One of the things I stand for is freedom; freedom of everything of everything - freedom of thought, freedom of speech, of action, etc. So naturally, I'm against censorship.

But before everything, freedom is earned. We've already been given freedom and we've insulted and abused it. "7oriyatok taqif 3ind 7oareyat alakhareen" (Your freedom stops when you step upon other people's freedom). When we insult and bash one another, in what can be only described as the most vulgar, demeaning, rude, and cheapest way to do so, we're saying we don't deserve having our freedom because we're abusing it and not allowing each other to have freedom of thought and belief because it's not what we think or believe. Hypocritical? Indeed.

When man cannot respect their fellow man, when freedom is made an insult of, freedom is not earned, freedom is not deserved! Freedom is not merely a word - it is an ideal to stand and strive for.

It is one thing to have freedom in learning, reading, in knowing about everything. It is another thing to abuse this privilege of freedom with using the ounce of knowledge you know to insult the freedom of another (such as what happened with the show lilkha6aya thaman). That is not freedom. When you stand, strive and seek for freedom, it does not mean it's freedom for yourself or your kind alone, and that's what I think we're forgetting here in the Arab world. And that's why I'm starting to believe more and more that we're not worthy of freedom.

Instead of being concerned about the censorship of insulting stupid meaningless shows (in my opinion the censorship of the stupidity and shallowness idle minds reached to - which is probably a good thing for our sake), we should be more concerned about censorship of books and knowledge; if they take away that they're taking away more than just freedom of knowledge, it's freedom of choice, of thought, of speech - the freedom to be yourself. Knowledge is power - let's fight for that instead.

"Hathy likwait 9al 3ala elneby"

During a post-vacation reunion with a couple friends over brunch today the topic of the usual T.V shows during Ramadan came up. They went on and on about how lame the shows are getting and mainly how they only show an exaggerated negative view of our society. Needless to say, all of the girls besides me and this other girl, base their daily schedules around these shows. They kept on going on and on on how the view of our society changed because of that, how it's harming society, etc, etc. I forgot how exactly the conversation went on but it was something like this:

-Me saying that they complain and yet watch these shows
-They say but there's nothing else to watch
-I saw I'll be more than glad to give them all the American T.V shows I watched which they yet haven't, betting them they wouldn't be able to finish half of them before Ramadan is over
- They defend themselves by saying that they can't not watch these shows because everyone is
talking about them

And here's how I concluded people, and a good one if I may say so myself: You really should stop complaining about this every single year it's getting old. And there's always two things to do in this situation.
1) Watch it and shut up about it. - BE A PART OF THE PROBLEM
2) Don't watch it - BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

If there are no viewers they'd stop making it. Makes sense? Obviously. Easy? Very. It's not rocket science ya know!

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If you're easily offended about religion, and/or prejudice and biases that obviously exist in this country, then you should probably skip the following part:
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The other part that got me boiling was a talk about a cancellation of a certain show. Normally, the censorship part would get me boiling. Today, it was how people reacted to that! They say there's this show that talks about the life of Shiats - their rituals and mainly "zawaj al muta'a". It was done in a way shock people I guess? I'm not sure. I'm sorry to say, my "friends" actually wanted that show to air for "6emasha purposes" and for ignorant pleasure of possibly insulting the other sect. None of the people I was with were Shi'at, and I have never been more ashamed of my friends and what have just been said!

I mean didn't you just say you didn't want shows that "insulted" our society? Doesn't this include that too? Or just because of a few different beliefs it made it alright? Hypocrisy beyond belief!

WTF! Honestly! Is this how low we sunk!!? No wonder we're an ignorant backwards country! THIS is what's supposed to be our youth, our "next generation", our future makers!? If what I witness was it, then our country is on it's way to being, excuse my French, a shit hole! We, my friends, are going to be another Lebanon when it comes to politics and religion. Being very touchy, allowing a single difference in something that's supposed to be totally personal between a man and his God, be something very public and insulting. Burn everything the older generation built to the ground because of ignorance box-like minds!

All that for what? Your religion!!!? Something of the most private matter!? What makes you so sure that the rituals you follow are the "right" one!? What's right and wrong? And who the hell are you to judge! Who the hell are you to claim that what you are is what God wants?! Last time I checked, God is unmeasurably "forgiving." You beleive in a God who created everything around us, a God who's capable of everything and anything; do you honestly believe he'll judge a person on small difference in rituals here and there!? Isn't God the only one who knows it all. What makes you play God and insist so rightfully that people who follow your religion is what's right. That goes to all sects and religions btw!

What' the difference between a few rituals here and there? Is that what truly matters!!? Isn't faith the bases of belief, the bases of following a certain "religion", the bases of what really matters?! Or maybe a person's good heart!? They way they treat you? Respect? General goodness in a person!? Which btw seems to be impossible to find these days!

Screw everyone who thinks like that. Honestly. I'm proud to say I'm not Sinni, I'm not Shi'it. I refuse to belong to people who keep on insisting that they're right without looking at the bigger picture. I refuse to belong to people who hate each other because they're different. I refuse to belong to people who are destroying a country that has the potential to be brilliant because of their ignorance, pride, and need to be right. That does not mean you are, just means you're an idiot!

I know that it's not the people who I'll be belonging to, but a faith. But, to me, faith in those people have been lost. If that's what having faith to certain "rituals" (not even religion or faith or God) does to people, then I don't want it!

And besides, doesn't "Islam" mean peace? Where is the peace?! Doesn't it frown upon ridiculing other people and not forcing others to believe in what you do? "Lakom deenakom wa ly deeny?"

Also something to think about. This may come out as a bit bold. But as far as I'm aware, this whole sect thing did not exist the time the prophet was alive. It's not stated in the Quran not the Hadeeth. In a nutshell, no one will ever know who's "right" or "better" or whatever the hell it is people compare and judge on.

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What happened to youth's dreams of a better tomorrow?
What happened to youth's ambitions of idealism!?
What happen to youth's promise not to fall into the ignorance of the older generations!?
What happened to youth's will to change for the better!?
What happened to youth's desire for a stronger united nation!?

What happened to all the hopes, dreams, and ambitions that youth are supposed to have for a better tomorrow!!?

Words cannot seem to describe how FURIOUS I was this morning. And how much more I am while writing this as the actual realization of the mind corruption of Kuwait's next generation and the hopelessness of how the situation seems.

"Society make a weakness of kindness, and an insult of freedom"