The New Slaves of The Gulf

Qusay World 1 Comment

Art should invoke emotion, positive or negative, as long as an emotion is stirred within you, then art has done its job.

I came across this series of pictures, which is something I wanted to do, once I get enough courage to photograph people, or train myself to run fast while carrying my camera, which does not seem like it will happen anytime soon.

The pictures are of the Asian workers in the gulf, I hated them being labeled as slaves, I wished they would’ve showed them for who and what they are, strong responsible people trying to make a decent living to support the families that they have in their homelands while going through whatever it is that they have to go through.

I dislike the way they are treated and their living conditions, again, I will not get into that, as I have gotten into that before, but I wish the pictures celebrated them and the work they do instead of demeaning them more.

I met many of them throughout my career, I still do, each has his own story, which is different yet similar to all our stories. The job they had, offered them the opportunity to give a better life to their families, to send their kids to school, to be able to pay for a parent’s medication, or to save enough for them to start a life of their own, somehow someway, the same as the those who work two jobs or commute for hours in each direction to be able to provide for themselves or their loved ones… to most of this world, having a career is a farfetched dream when you cannot have a roof over your head and don’t know where your next meal will come from.

Asia has been exploited for centuries, the American railroads built my Chinese workers yet never being acknowledged for their contribution nor even getting their pictures taken at a railway opening, or even in Australia where they were taxed heavily (more than others) when working in gold mines, I am not saying it is the Gulf’s turn, I wish it wasn’t so, I am just saying whatever conditions that have kept it like that, has been going on for centuries.

Free Hajj

Qusay World 23 Comments

Hajj Sponsorship, I’ve been getting a few emails asking if I can help with Hajj Sponsorship, this post is the help I can provide at the moment.

Performing Hajj is a dream to many muslims around the world, many save up for it and perform it at their later stages in life, some can easily afford it, and to many it seems like a dream that might never come true.

Fortunately for those who cannot afford to perform Hajj, many wealthy muslims provide for travel and living expenses for those that might be eligible for sponsorship, for a list of the official organizations or to register, I was told that one should contact the Saudi Arabian Embassy or Consulate in their country, here is a list of Saudi Embassies and Consulates around the world and the contact info.

I am not sure what or how they determine eligibility, and the numbers are usually not made public, but I am sure the numbers are large enough.

I have only performed Hajj once, and it was a good experience, you literally see the world go by around you, people from all walks of life and almost all nationalities.

I hope I helped those who are seeking the information find what they need.

All Muslims…

Qusay World 8 Comments

My friend Mohammed Shedou, posted this on his facebook page, with “google instant” the search results are now quick as can be, and with google’s secret algorithm that predicts what people might want based on the most searched, it is no surprise of course that in the current wave of Islamophobia, that these would be the most searched.

Of course not all people believe that, the former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA, Graham E. Fuller, wrote a book (A World Without Islam) that delivers a brilliant and provocative thought-experiment that imagines a world in which Islam has never existed.

What if Islam never existed?

“To some, it’s a comforting thought: no clash of civilizations, no holy wars, no terrorists. But what if that weren’t the case at all? In A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM, Graham E. Fuller guides us along an illuminating journey through history, geopolitics, and religion to investigate whether or not Islam is indeed the cause of some of today’s most emotional and important international crises. Fuller takes us from the birth of Islam to the fall of Rome to the rise and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He examines and analyzes the roots of terrorism, the conflict in Israel, and the role of Islam in supporting and energizing the anti-imperial struggle. Provocatively, he finds that contrary to the claims of many politicians, thinkers, theologians, and soldiers, a world without Islam might not look vastly different from what we know today.”

This is a 24 minute video in which the author is interviewed and mostly summarizes his book, worth the watch in my opinion.

Pakistan Needs our Help

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Twenty million people in Pakistan are in dire need of help.

Thanks to Raed AlSaeed for making this video

Man Rape

Qusay World 3 Comments

You know how, when you read something in the news, and… well… OK, let me start again.

A Saudi man, 28 years old, has been accused of raping a 69 year old man in New York (NY times source), which I have to say goes against my preconceived notions of the older rapes the younger. In court they 28 year old said it was consensual and that he was a “, and to each him own… but what I do not understand is why the Saudi government wanted to bail him out, when in Saudi they put a guy in Jail and sentence him to 1000 lashes for More