Iraq and Syria

The future of Iraq and Syria looks uncertain to me, yet both countries have much potential if the leaders can accept to nurture what their nation states actually contain, i.e. a broad spectrum of people. If a centralised state is desired, a regime needs to encourage integration (without coercion), foster equal opportunities and support statehood participation by all citizens. Since their creation, during the mandate era, this has been a challenge for both Iraq and Syria.

The beginning of Iraq’s history saw some tribal groups under-represented by the country’s successive governments. The 2003 invasion might of somewhat corrected this issue, but nowadays some feel disenfranchised by the new regime.

In Syria’s history, there has been a lack of self-rule from the beginning, especially for the majority people. It is argued that the lack of experience in democracy led the country down the path of dictatorship (since gaining independence in 1946).

At the political level, the rule of the British Empire did not manage to effectively bring together the various peoples of Iraq, and the policies of the French Empire further divided the various regions of Syria. Today, both countries are challenged with establishing stability and safety, and to reach a political consensus amongst all peoples and regions.

Intervention from the United States of America has not really helped either. In Iraq, the Bush administration was short-sighted, it relied heavily on Nouri al-Maliki. Unity in his regime was short-lived: he turned a blind eye to the excesses of some of the militias (as long as they supported him). This in turn led to the rise of ISIS QSIS (al-Qaeda Separatists in Iraq and Syria).

Losing Iraq

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “St. John of Damascus”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-of-Damascus

Marsham, Andrew. “11 Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews and Others in the Umayyad Empire”. The Umayyad Empire, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2023, pp. 257-293. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781399527392-020

Traveller’s cheques never expire

American Express (Amex) traveller’s cheques never expire. However, they are no longer widely accepted.

Back in 2009, my Amex traveller’s cheques were issued by Citibank. With the uncertainty of the financial crisis, I was unsure where I would be settling in the world and I felt a lot better carrying a cheque worth around 1000 sterling than carrying the same amount in cash.

Things did not go according to plan; my adventure turned into a business misventure, and I returned home with my traveller’s cheques, unused.

Soon after issuing my cheques, Citybank no longer issued traveller’s cheques. They also would not take them back and were silly enough to tell me that they were worthless (read on to see why they are silly).

How to cash traveller’s cheques? HSBC does, in theory, accept traveller’s cheques in the same currency, but good luck finding a cashier counter that will accept them (or knows how to). Post Office – possibly just an Internet rumour now.

Electronic foreign exchange services, such as TransferWise, rarely accept traveller’s cheques. A currency exchange shop is probably your best bet. Ask if they accept traveller’s cheques (call them after checking the Amex website). However, this option can involve high fees.

Security is perhaps the best reason to use traveller’s cheques, but as explained above, the use of traveller’s cheques has decreased significantly over the years. Apart from touristy areas such as Dubai, it may be challenging to find places that accept them. Amex is really your last option; they can redeem your traveller’s cheques.

Hizb ut-Tahrir and Communism

Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) is a political party, which started its activities in the Middle East, then spread worldwide. It was founded in the 1950s by Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani. Like their off-shoot (who use to call themselves) al-Muhajirun, HT is banned in the United Kingdom.

The name Hizb ut-Tahrir is from the Arabic language, hizb al-tahrir (حزب التحرير), and literally means party of liberation or liberation party. Hizb means ‘party’, al means ‘the’ and in a possessive construction works like ‘of’. Tahrir means ‘liberation’. Think of liberation square or square of liberation (ميدان التحرير) in Cairo, Egypt, i.e. Tahrir Square. This is the place where most protestors gathered during December 2010 (after which president Mubarak lost power).

I have found that Hizb ut-Tahrir shares a lot in common with so-called Bolshevism (early 20th century Russian Communism). Both are/were political parties/movements looking to seize political power, with the belief of restoring justice to the world.

The Hizb ut-Tahrir splinter group Muhajirun (founded by Omar Bakri) differs from HT in that they believe in establishing an Islamic State anywhere in the world; whereas HT primarily focuses on the Middle East (while recruiting elsewhere). Similarly, after Lenin’s death, the Communist Party began to have internal disagreements, the major one being between the Trotskyists (international or permanent revolution) and Stalinists (communism in one country).

When discussing democracy, Hizb ut-Tahrir will use the worst examples. Likely, they will reference the origins of the word, i.e. Athens, Ancient Greece (and not so much current day democracy in the UK). Further, HT believe that voting should be done within the party alone and not by the masses.

J. H. Arnold writes: “Democracy was born in ancient Athens, or so we like to believe; but no historian of antiquity would equate the government of that city with twentieth-century representative politics. The founders of the American Constitution spoke of ‘rights’ in universal and ‘natural’ terms (‘We hold these truths to be self-evident…’), but they did not believe that women or the poоr should have the vote, and they owned slaves. They were not complete hypocrites, but partly products of their time, and of what they took for granted in their world.”

Bolsheviks saw parliamentary democracy (around 19th/20th century) as a bourgeois democracy (representing those with wealth) and believed the later Soviet system (elected worker councils) to be the real democracy. However, in practice, real power lay with the Communist party (in front of which was a public façade of Soviet democracy) and over time the people became disillusioned with Soviet rule. Meanwhile, the petty democracies of Western Europe became more inclusive of the masses.

It is a part of the methodology of Hizb ut-Tahrir that in order to gain power in the Middle East, they would need to convince the military to carry out a coup d’état. This need not be bloody, but history shows that military coups are rarely bloodless (for instance in Syria or Iraq, etc). Likewise, the Bolsheviks also believed in taking power by force and did so in November 1917, resulting in over a dozen deaths. In addition, their lack of cooperation with others and disregard of the (elected) constituent assembly was followed by a bloody and painful civil war.

If/once the military coup is successful, HT’s plan is the setting up of a one-party state, i.e. Hizb ut-Tahrir, which would keep in check the (HT appointed) caliph/president. As explained already, alongside the Soviet democratic structure, the Bolsheviks also set-up a one-party state, which is really what governed the country.

Just as the Bolsheviks saw themselves as the vanguard of the working-class, Hizb ut-Tahrir also sees itself as the vanguard of the Muslims. There is no debate outside the party, only inside. After all, they are the true intelligentsia, or so they think.

Hizb ut-Tahrir operates in semi secrecy. They organise somewhat public lectures for their supporters and recruitment purposes, and private courses for those who aspire to become members. Before the 1917 revolution, the Bolsheviks similarly operated in a semi-underground fashion.

Hizb ut-Tahrir claims to follow classical texts from the Muslim tradition. For example, they will mention Imam Shafi’s Risala. However, they also contradict this book. For instance, they do not have faith in ahad hadith (prophetic narratives with fewer chains), yet Imam Shafi’s book includes a chapter on accepting habar al-wahid, (which includes a narrative referring to the story of Musa and Khidr). Similarly, Bolsheviks were criticised for not having the correct interpretation of Das Kapital (by Karl Marx). For example, the so-called Mensheviks believed that socialism could be achieved via a peaceful transfer of power, from the industrialists to the proletariat. Indeed, during the civil war, they (with other socialists) managed to set-up a short-lived egalitarian society (before it was absorbed by the counter-revolutionists, etc).

Hizb ut-Tahrir sometimes claims that they have a purely political focus, but in order to become a member one actually must take on their creed (aqueeda), which is not exactly Muslim orthodoxy or the majority Muslim faith. For details, ask the Sufis and the Wahhabis. Initially, the Bolsheviks were also in contrast to perhaps the majority of the social democratic movement, but since they were able to take power (for almost a century) their version of socialism is the one that became prominent in the first half of the 20th century. For instance, the authorities in 1920s Germany associated socialism locally (perhaps wrongly) with what they heard about happening within Soviet Russia.

Hizb ut-Tahrir’s notion of an Islamic State was never realised in the 20th century; despite their founder saying it would take no more than 30 years. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks were in power for over 70 years, but did not achieve socialism.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/15/islamist-group-hizb-ut-tahrir-to-be-banned-organising-uk
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bolshevik
Arnold, John H. History: A Very Short Introduction. 2000. Oxford University Press.

Tax free shopping

Dubai has gone from tax-free to tax refund.

My understanding was, for tourists at least, that you paid no tax on goods and services. This is no longer the case, except that if you are just visiting the United Arab Emirates and leave the country within 90 days, then you can claim a refund.

Dubai put a value-added-tax (VAT), of five percent, on most purchases, which applies to residents and tourists alike (for comparison, in Egypt and Jordan it is around 15%). For instance, you can no longer buy electronics tax-free at point-of-sale.

The story is that I bought a high-specification laptop, with an English and Arabic keyboard (naturally), from Virgin Megastore. They added my passport number to the Planet Tax Free system and informed me that the refund would be automatic when I pass through the electronic gate at the airport, but this did not happen.

I learned later that I was suppose to get the refund processed before check-in, at the airport, and that I might need to show the purchased item in an unused state. That last bit would of been a inconvenience for me as I wanted to test the laptop in the hotel before taking the device out of the country. Never mind.

Could be that the system will change again, i.e. it will be automatic in future. I hope so. That would make Dubai an attractive shopping destination again.

In conclusion, I missed out on a tax refund of around $70.  Oh well, at least I can continue to write using Arabic script.

Burj Khalifa

Burj Dubai Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, but is it worth visiting?

The tower is one of the newer developments and includes residential buildings, and a mall. In Arabic, Burj means tower and Khalifa is somebody’s name. Burj Khalifa literally means the tower of Khalifa.

Actually, it was originally to be named Burj Dubai and the renaming occurred during the financial crisis of 2009 when the sheikh of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, subsidised the project, thus construction was able to complete.

The view from the top is certainly interesting, but it was a crowded place (we arrived just before sunset) and I did worry about catching the Coronavirus 2019. Fortunately, I was fine. Being required to buy a ticket, I thought they would have taken a staggered approach with number of visitors, but I was wrong.

This is in contrast to my visit to Palm Island, for which the main contractor was Nakheel. Whereas for Burj Khalifa it was Emaar. However, we arrived at the Palm at around noon so a visit at non-peak hours could be the key.

With the Burj, there is a restaurant at a higher level and that could potentially be a better experience.

The tower is adjoining a shopping mall and leave this complex required a lot of patience. The queue for taxis was huge. Again, it could be timing or because of the union day celebration.

Dubai SIM card

Do buy a SIM card when you are in the United Arab Emirates (if you see a good deal). The main network operator is Etisalat, but there is also du (دو). However, if you are planning to stay less than a few days, then an e-SIM might be a better option (ask the network operator about it in your country).

If you use the free du SIM card they give you in Dubai immigration, then that might not work when you return to Dubai, (if your first arrival to Dubai was transit). If you are in Dubai for a day or two, then the du SIM card might be worth it.

When you leave Dubai via the e-gates, your free du SIM card will automatically stop working. That SIM card was registered to you when you arrived (despite it still being within its packaging).

When returning to Dubai, if you want to use the same number (that came with your free Du SIM card), then you will need to visit one of the Du company branches and it could take a while. You probably wont be able to use the same ‘free’ SIM card and may end up with a new number. There you can also buy credit (top-up), but it is only value for money for longer stays.

While in UAE, you wont be able to use WhatsApp to make calls (only texting will work). However, there are local apps that you can use for calling, e.g. Tawasal, Botim. Alternatively, a VPN would allow you call via WhatsApp.

United States of Judea

Some are mourning Israeli deaths. Others are questioning why the political leaders of the so-called Arab states did not force a somewhat diplomatic solution to the crisis.

However, could it be that Israel is doing their bidding? In recent history, the Palestinians are the few (or only) Middle Easterners that had free and fair elections. So Hamas was elected, but forced to retreat to Gaza. If the so-called Hashemite and Saudi kingdoms, and the Egyptian military junta, and others, do not get their way, then their own people will be demanding human rights and self-determination (again). Project status-quo requires a wiping out of the Gazan race (asap) while distracting the rest of the world with the words Hamas terror.

Remember Khashoggi? He was served chopped up, to the Saudi royal family, after requesting a renewal of his passport. What was his crime? Nobody knows! Apparently, back in the USA, he set-up Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). He also criticised the NEOM project.

Modern Israelis claim a heritage going back 3000 years, but we also know that most started to arrive in the British Mandate for Palestine (100 years ago), and especially after fleeing the holocaust in Europe. Also, Solomon’s Temple has not been found under Jerusalem. Nor has David’s Kingdom, except for an inscription in the north of Israel/Palestine. It also appears that the ancient Egyptians invaded and/or settled in what is today called Israel/Palestine. Inscriptions on caves attest to this. Other Mediterranean peoples might of also invaded and/or settled in Israel/Palestine.

Palestine, more or less, gets its name from the Romans (2000 years ago). No point blaming the Palestinians for that. Furthermore, making them homeless and homelandless does not improve the situation. Moreover, it has been discovered that some Jewish and Palestinian people share a common ancestry and the ancestors of some Palestinians were Jews (then converted to Christianity and/or Islam).

Perhaps the real solution is to start over. Calling the country Israel traumatises the Palestinians. Calling it Palestine scares the Israelis. Call it Judea: a federation of Israeli and Palestinian territories (like the two-state solution) where everybody is Judean and there is equality, human rights and self-determination for all peoples. Alternatively, a single state solution or a combination of both (nowadays, there is not much of a West Bank and Gaza, but numerous smaller Palestinian contiguous and non-contiguous territories).

Citibank

Silly Bank Citibank is one of the largest and most well-known banks in the world, providing a wide range of financial services and products to individuals, businesses, and governments.

To join, one had to be earning at least 30,000 or so. They used to offer a Visa debit card, which was quite rare at the time (2006).

A current account in Sterling was always free with them, but not really. Sometimes, without asking permission, they would add me to some sort of premium account. The only different being that they would charge a monthly five dollar fee thereafter. I had to call them multiple times to resolve the issue.

The main benefit for joining Citibank were the free foreign currency accounts (e.g. USD, Euro, Yen). However, ten years later they started charging a monthly fee (per account) without informing me. The exception was if the account was dormant.

Unfortunately, one day, they convinced me to make all three active, but I insisted on activating just two. My original request to was for activating the dollar account. I was going abroad. Can you imagine my horror, once I noticed on my statement that I was being charged 10 dollars a month.

I also obtained my traveller’s cheque via Citibank. 20 years later, they were silly enough to tell me they were worthless.

Tired with dealing with a silly bank, I stopped depositing my pay cheques with them. I think that was reason they decided to close my account. At first it was like an inconvenience, but then it was a burden lifted.

For traditional banking I primarily use HSBC and for foreign currency I mainly use Transferwise. No more headaches.

Some of the Worst TAFL Schools Worldwide

Listed here are some of the worst language schools for Arabic language training worldwide, i.e. the TAFL centres to avoid (from better to worse):

– Alexandria Centre for Languages (ACL). Only come here within a group organised by your university. Even then, do not have high expectations and forget what you saw in the brochure (it’s outdated) or heard in the presentation.

– SOAS Language Centre (not to be confused with the SOAS degree/diploma programmes, which are very good – perhaps the best). Choose the language centre if you want to be continually reminded that nobody speaks modern standard Arabic or if you just want to learn random vocabulary and grammar. Taught by foreign masters/PHD students (or former students) of the university (who are primarily native Arabic speakers, not teachers). However, sometimes you get lucky. May help to run a background check on the teacher before enrolling.

– Arabica Institute (Ibn Jabal). Pay them lots of money to hear why they think School of Oriental & African Studies is bad, from a teacher who almost failed his SOAS Arabic degree; who lectures by reading from a script, i.e. the useful book you can download while you are student, but can never buy as a book.

– UJLC, Jordan university. You are better off working in Dubai and learning Arabic part-time. Permanent contract teachers only get jobs here if they have a connection. Consequently, they are too lazy to teach and waste your time with a language partner scheme. Also, they are proud to be retarded.

– TAFL Center, Alexandria university. If you do not mind a premature death, then this is the place for you. This place might work for you if they consider you Egyptian or if you are from the British embassy (then, while bowing down, they will probably forget to remind you that you destroyed their country and might even celebrate your monarch’s birthday). Almost forgot to mention the racism and discrimination. For more details, read on.

In 2014, I was a complete beginner to Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, yet the director (Dr Lana Habib) put me in a higher level, explaining that I was super smart.  As a consequence, I understood next to nothing during those classes and my reservations were ignored.  Later during the term, she obliged me to attend (just myself) a conference, in Colloquial Arabic, at the French Cultural Centre, claiming that I was the most suitable student. 

During the term, one of the colloquial teachers was suppose to give me extra tuition (in order to catch up with the others), but she was probably still hung up with me having eaten at a Syrian restaurant.

In 2016, Dr Lana Habib misinformed me about what programmes and levels were available at the TAFL Center. Consequently, I wasted time considering unsuitable programmes and courses, which she had encouraged me to join.

The director tried to confuse me about my level of Arabic. Eventually, I ended up enrolling in another centre at the wrong level and being cheated out of my money.

I was insulted by a teacher during a class in the TAFL Center. She questioned my British identity and laughed at my face. Then encouraged another student to laugh with her.

There appeared to be some degree of hostility towards me, perhaps because I ate in a Syrian restaurant (at the invitation of others) or that the teacher believed Britain was responsible for the destruction of Egypt.

All in all, my time was wasted in Alexandria. When I complained to the TAFL Center, instead of resolving the issue with the teacher, the director sought to hide suitable programmes and courses that I could benefit from and annoy me until I left the centre.

Summer in Marrakech

I use to be a fan of the summer season in any part of the world, but that changed when I visited Dubai one early August. Since then, I have avoided the Gulf countries in summer and kept myself under the shade in the Middle East generally.

I wanted to get familiar with the North-West African dialects and decided to give Marrakech a try. I contacted a language centre, asking about studying the Moroccan Arabic dialect, Darija, intending for some time in October. This was during the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic and I was unsure whether any centre was teaching face-to-face these days.

The director of Study Arabic Marrakech was positive and advised me that he was expecting level one students (more or less) in September, suggesting I consider this option. Determined to end my fear of contagion and be a global citizen again, I made plans to visit Morocco. I informed the director and completed the online enrolment form.

Initially, it was really nice to visit Marrakech.  There is a lot to see and experience. There is the old city, which is the main attraction, then there is the new city where there are nice cafes, such as Cappuccino near Avenue Echouhada. Also, there is the countryside and mountains nearby.

However, due to the summer heat, I was unable to sleep. Also, I have never been a fan of air conditioning, but without it, being indoors was unbearable. Anywhere north of Marrakech would of been perfect. During the months of July, August and September, if you are planning to study, then Marrakech is better avoided.  Having said that, the city is full of tourists throughout summer and if you are unlike me, then Marrakech will probably work for you – any time of year.

At the language centre, which turned out to be very genuine, all was well except that the other beginner students had not turned up. One was said to have arrived in Marrakech, but still sorting out accommodation. There was a level 2+, but the director’s opinion was correct, it would be counter productive. After losing a couple of days, the directors suggested I could take a one to one class, but pay for group tuition. If the others arrive, then great. If not, then we carry on. Sounded like a good deal and I accepted.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a cheap and comfortable hotel near the centre, which was in the suburbs, but eventually I settled in a hotel nearer to the city centre and found, to my surprise, taking a taxi everyday to be a way easier process (civilised) compared to other locations in the Middle East. Just needed to agree a price before getting in. I must admit, I had some interesting conversations with the drivers and they spoke good modern standard Arabic, or some mixture of the former and Darija. Most importantly, I understood them and they could understand me.

Another activity one can do in Marrakech is a bicycle tour of the city. I booked this with Pikala Bikes and it was certainly the highlight of my trip. Another trip they do is an Eco lodge visit near the Sahara. This might sound more challenging, but I think it is probably safer (than cycling around ther Old City, whereas the New City is a different story). There are often tour groups organising hikes in the Moroccan deserts and the climbing of Mount Toubkal, a popular activity. Marrakech is often the starting point of such trips.

You can also enrol at Study Arabic Marrakech for the long term and they teach Modern Standard Arabic too. Alternatively, you might want to try out other language centres around the country, while exploring the rest of Morocco. By train, you can get to Casablanca in three hours.

Should one learn Arabic in Marrakech? There are a couple of language centres in this city, including one that teaches Berber, and the Study Arabic Marrakech centre is perfect if you want to study for a few days only.