Palestine Will Be Free - Maher Zain

A sweet animation depicting the Palestinian struggle.

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Muhammad in the Bible

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Obama's interfaith Advisor to Visit Kuwait

This should be an interesting event...

Dalia Mogahed, appointed by President Obama to serve on the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will be visiting Kuwait on an invitation from Kuwait Awqaf.
Dalia Mogahed, an American Muslim scholar of Egyptian origin, advises US President on various issues about the opinions, values, perceptions, and attitudes of the Muslim world.

Apart from her other engagements in Kuwait, she will be addressing a public gathering on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 7:00pm at the International Islamic Charitable Society Auditorium located in South Surra (near PACI office) on the subject 'Religion Vs Radicalism'. The public gathering has been arranged by Indian Muslim Association in coordination with AWARE Center under the patronage of Kuwait Awqaf. The public lecture is open to all irrespective of their nationality and religion.

Prior to her appointment to a White House advisory position, Dalia Mogahed most recently served as a Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. In this role, she organized global research surveys to examine Muslims' beliefs regarding education, religion, democracy, culture, financial prosperity, and the media. She also has directed the Muslim-West Facts Initiative, a partnership between Gallup and the Coexist Foundation to share findings of the Gallup World Poll with leaders in the Muslim World and the West.

Dalia Mogahed in her works deals extensively on the importance of shared values for developing guidelines for the positive interaction between the west and Muslim world. In her writings she illustrates how common values can form the foundation of a mapped vision. Moreover, she stresses on the importance of not ignoring differences in values as well as opportunities for cross-cultural learning and understanding, the unique assets of different communities.

Along with John Esposito, she co-authored the book on Muslims and Islam based on six years of research and more than 50,000 interviews. Her analysis has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy magazine, the Harvard International Review, the Middle East Policy journal, and many other academic and popular journals.

Dalia Mogahed earned her Master's degree in Business Administration with emphasis on strategy from the University of Pittsburgh. She received her undergraduate degree from one of the top schools in chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For any further information, regarding the public lecture kindly contact 97578300, 99060891 and 97228482.
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Sister from another mister: Twins born to different dads

Ew... busted. She was bound to get caught someday.

A woman in northern Poland gave birth to twins -- a boy and a girl -- who were fathered by two different men: her husband and the man she was having an affair with. It's rare, but it can happen when a woman produces two eggs and has sex with more than one partner while she's ovulating.



Source: MSNBC
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All Aboard the Mavi Marmara

David Rovics, an American activist, tells the story of the Flotillas, that broke the Israeli siege on Gaza in 2010, through his song All Aboard the Mavi Marmara.

David Rovics website [link]

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Look Into My Eyes - Outlandish

Outlandish brings the transgressions the Palestinian people face in their daily lives through the eyes of a little girl in their interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood.


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World's most expensive Christmas tree

Really Sad.....

UAE hotel erects 11-million-dollar Christmas tree. The 11-million-dollar Christmas tree, standing at 13 metres tall and decorated with necklaces, watches and bracelets with more than 180 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones, stands in the lobby of the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi December 16, 2010. The Emirates Palace, a high-end hotel in the United Arab Emirates, has issued an apology for its over-the-top bejeweled conifer just a few days after it was boasting about having the world's most expensive Christmas tree. Picture taken December 16, 2010.

Sources: Yahoo   Xinhuanet 
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People Inspired by Muhammad

An awesome social awareness campaign was launched in the UK recently. The Inspired by Muhammad campaign is designed to improve the public understanding of Islam and Muslims. It showcases Britons demonstrating how Muhammad inspires them to contribute to society, with a focus on women’s rights, social justice and the environment.

The campaign coincided with a national poll in the UK conducted by YOUGOV to gauge people's perceptions on Islam. The poll shows that:

Knowledge of Islam

60% say they don’t know very much about Islam

17% say they know nothing at all

33% would like to know more about Islam

Sources of information on Islam

57% obtain most of their information about Islam from the TV news

41% obtain their information about Islam from newspapers

Just 3% get most of their information on Islam from Muslim organisations

31% feel that information about Islam is not very accessible

5% say that information is not accessible at all

Perception of Islam

58% associate Islam with extremism

50% associate Islam with terrorism

Just 13% associate Islam with peace

6% associate Islam with justice

Only 16% think that Islam promotes fairness and equality

Only 6% believe that Islam promotes active measures to protect the environment

41% disagree or strongly disagree that Muslims have a positive impact on British society

69% believe that Islam encourages the repression of women

http://www.inspiredbymuhammad.com/

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How to Get out of the Rat Race

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad explains the effects of the US's printing of currency. He recommends investing as a means to break free of the rat race and claim financial freedom. He recommends Silver and Gold as a good investment in times when the world is competing on currency devaluation.

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An Agnostic Jew attempts to explain the Quran

An agnostic Jew explores the Quran from a different perspective than most Westerners are used to. She attempts to explain the true essence of the Quran. A very interesting video...





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5 Most Satisfying Things in Life

Some of the best things in life are for free. Here's a countdown of life's top 5 spiciest things...


5. When its a scorching hot day out, and your mouth is cracking because its so dry. You've been fantasizing about something cold to quench your thirst. Then you find it. You chug a nice ice cold glass of water.

4. When an unreachable spot on your back is itching. You use the edge of the door to scratch it, but you keep missing the spot. You grow more desperate and the spot grows itchier. Then that dear someone comes along to relieve you with the perfect scratch that hits the spot. Makes your eyes roll right up.


3. When you've been holding it all day long. Your bladder is about to explode. You finally get home, sprint to the toilet, and dive onto the seat. You let it rip. You experience 3 levels of euphoria. Your eyes roll.


2. When your kids do something real cute. You zoom onto them and forget about everything else going on. It's just you and them for a few moments and you feel like you want to eat them up because they're so scrumptious.


1. When your deep in prayer. You've managed to get full concentration. You live every word as you say it, and your body is filled with a serenity. You feel connected to Allah at that moment. Your heart is about to take off heaven-ward. You never want this moment to end!

Feel free to add to the list...

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A Eid Your Kids Will Never Forget

Deeply ingrained in most kids' minds is a Party that is far more superior than any other party in existence. A Party so amazing that it makes all other parties bow in respect. At this Party kids are dressed up, balloons are hung all around, and party games are played. Most exciting is the infamous cake, the plentiful candy, the stacks of presents, and the songs in the air. It's no wonder that kids consider this party to be the Ultimate Party. If you haven't guessed it by now, the mystery party is a Birthday Party.

While celebrating another year in existence has become common in most cultures, I think it's important to be as passionate about celeberating more important occasions such as Eid. So why hasn't Eid been the subject of exhilaration to the extent Birthday parties have been? I think its a matter of focus. We simply need to shift our focus to Eid.

So this year, let's all push to revolutionize Eid. Let's serve our kid's with the most delicious Eid their little minds can think of. Let's make Eid that gem that kids dream of and patiently wait for all year round. Let's turn Eid into the ultimate extravaganza. Let's scrap birthday parties and turn our kid’s attention towards Eid.

For the 2nd year standing, my wife and I have thrown Eid parties for our daughters. On the 3rd day of Eid we invite all of their friends. The girls get dressed up in their tiaras and tutus. We go all out with the party decorations. We have games, songs, and fun activities going on. We get a giant cake shaped to their favorite cartoon character. Everyone gets presents. Everyone is flooded with candy and treats.

The goal: To make kids drool when they hear that Eid is coming.

As Muslims, we need to embody the Islamic cultural within our kids. We need to get our kids excited about Islamic tradition. We need to provide our kids with an alternative to christmas, new years, independence day, and halloween parties. We need to create a fun, exciting alternative that our kids can be proud of and look forward to. We need to boost their Muslim pride and strengthen their sense of belonging. The Eid initiative is one step in that direction.
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Why Some Old People Are Still in Mint Mental Condition, While Others Are Not?

The other day I read an article about the oldest virgin alive. She's a 107 year old Chinese woman. After a lifetime, she has finally decided to get married. She decided to look for a husband because she feels that she is becoming a burden to her nieces and nephews - the youngest is 60. 'My problem is that I can't get about like I used to,' Miss Guiying said. 'I broke my leg when I was 102 and I had to stop doing the chores like washing my clothes.'I'm 107 and I'm still not married. What will happen if I don't hurry up and find a husband?' She accepts that her husband will have to be younger than her, mainly because she can't find anyone older. So the ideal candidate will be somewhere in his 90s!

Really?

When most people start to age, they slowly begin to lose their mind. They begin to forget, their thoughts becomes clouded. They are no longer able to solving problems or tackle complex issues. By the age of 70 their mental capacity enters a downward tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, the cognitive capacity of an infant awaits. Soon they become a bedridden corpse.

On the other hand, other people, like the 107 year old Virgin, remain very sharp as they age. They are still observant, are able to build an argument, debate it, and logically counter argue. Their ability to critically think and solve problems remains intact. In very rare cases, they are even physically capable to care for themselves.

So what is it that polarizes the elderly? What is it that makes some sharp and others lose their mind? Some of my thoughts are as follows:

At first I thought the main reason was exercise. Exercise keeps your body lean and fit. Most doctors point to exercise as a main reason of longevity. Hand in hand with a exercise comes a good healthy balanced diet. Doctors say exercise can add up to 3 years to your life, while not-smoking can add up to 14 years. As the expression goes: A sound mind, is in a sound body. However, I have seen people that were in peak physical shape throughout their lives, but their mind deteriorated nonetheless. So that can't be the key. There must be something else.

Then, I thought that the key is a belief or a purpose that gives meaning to life. People who keep themselves busy with a certain project when they get old, they continue to have a purpose. They spend their time plotting and moving towards an ultimate goal. They feel fulfilled, look forward to the future, and hope for success. Often positive thinking also accompanies belief and a purpose, which doctors say can add upto 7 years to your life. One with strong aspirations spends his mental capacity planning. He spends his time studying. He also spends his time in a social circle discussing intellectual topics and debating. A belief and purpose is not doubt an important factor in longevity. However I've also seen religious people, as well as business men and leaders lose their mind towards the end of their life too. So what is it then?

After some reflection and conversation, I've drawn the conclusion that the single most important thing that mentally fit elderly people share is a constant practice of critical thinking. It is the continuous working out of the brain muscle that keeps it intact when one gets old. Just like exercise keeps your body fit, working out your brain with stimulus keeps your mind in mint condition.

There are many ways to give your brain a good work out. Some old people say a good exercise is to randomly memorize phone numbers and recite them from memory. Others do simple math calculations, such as multiplying the first 2 numbers and last 2 numbers of a phone number. Reading also keeps the brain challenged with new ideas. Engaging a social group in which one can debate and learn strengthens mental capacity. There are also plenty of brain games available, such as puzzles and riddles. 

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19 Angels

When I was younger I learned that there will be 19 angels guarding the gates of hell. My little brain couldn't imagine such a torturous place, overflowing with evil, with a mere 19 angels guarding it. It seemed like a small arsenal to contain such sheer volumes of evil. My brain wandered. What if the people of hell ganged up on an angel, say 1000 against 1. What would the outcome be? I ran a quick battle between the biggest baddest dudes I could imagine headed by Abu Jahl, against one angel. The bad guys won.

But what I didn't understand back then was the true strength of an angel. Effortlessly, an angel could lift an entire city on the tip of his wing and pile drive it into the ground. The size of an angel is beyond comprehension. His presence would simply engulf you. For the distance between an angel's ear-lobes and his shoulders is equivalent to a seven-hundred year journey.

The question becomes. if angels are so mighty, Why 19? In reply, the Quran states, "We have not made their number but as a trial for those who disbelieve." Surat Al Mudathir Simply put, it is God's Will. "Praise be to God, Who created the heavens and the earth, Who created the angel messengers with wings - two, or three, or four (pairs) and adds to His Creation as He pleases: for God has power over all things." Surat Fatir
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Kuwait's Financial Crisis - Past and Present

Souk Al Manakh: How to resolve past mistakes

Souk Al Manakh has the honor of being the worst bubble in the history of the world. The bubble was so severe, that when the market crashed in 1982 it left the economy of Kuwait devastated and crippled for 9 years to come. The lingering effect was partly due to the government’s ineffective remedy. Today, there is a real risk of the same economic paralysis taking place again unless there is a serious joint effort taken by both the private and public sector to tackle the issue.

Souk Al Manakh

The large oil revenues that flooded the Middle East during the 1970’s left a huge cash surplus in the pockets of Kuwaitis. They sought an outlet to invest their wealth and finding a bear market in the US they turned to local investing. At the time, the official stock market only had a handful of listed companies which were seemingly uninteresting. This gave birth to an unofficial market dubbed Souk Al Manakh in 1981. The market was an over-the-counter market which specialized in unregulated non-Kuwaiti companies like those incorporated in Bahrain and UAE. The market quickly became a hotbed for speculators, reaching a market cap of USD 100 billion, becoming the 3rd largest stock market in the World after only the US and Japan, and ahead of France and the UK.

In Kuwait it was customary at the time for investors to use post-dated checks. A bank balance was not necessarily required to issue the checks, but the hope was that a balance would be available when the check was due. Families’ honor was the key driver of trust, making it almost unthinkable that these checks would bounce or default. However, human nature prevailed and eventually people became greedy and began to purchase stock with checks that couldn’t be paid. Billions of dollars worth of stock had been purchased using these checks causing the prices of stock at Souk Al Manakh to skyrocket increasing 61% in 1981. The market was hot and the bubble was inflating. A small prick caused the bubble to burst in 1982. One of the banks tried to process a check to find insufficient funds and a bouncing check. The bank quickly rushed to perform the same exercise with other checks to find that many checks bouncing. This triggered a domino effect across the banking sector. The process unveiled more than 6,000 investors with post-dated unsecured checks that were bouncing aggregating as much as $92 billion. It is worth mentioning that USD 86 billion or 94% of the loans were taken by only 308 investors.1 Prices spiraled into the ground, while bids virtually disappeared. To irritate the problem further, oil prices were at only a quarter of what they had been in 1980, stranding the government’s budget.

When analyzing the main causes of the crash we find that the markets were highly speculative due to the high demand on stocks of companies that investors knew very little about. Prevailing issues included:

1. Exaggerated optimism about the future of companies which reflected in inflated prices.
2. relation between company information and the buying decision
3. financing through post-dated checks
4. a lax attitude towards risk because Kuwaitis though the government would be there to bail them out incase of extreme losses.
5. Shell companies with weak / no assets
6. were investing in the market and booking unrealized profits although no profits were received.
7. No regulation

Within a few days, the crisis had gotten so bad, that it was time for the government to intervene to manage the crisis and control damage. They immediately formed the Kuwait Clearing Co, to register and process all checks involved, and established a KD 500m fund to protect and pay smaller debtors whose investors were bankrupt. In August 1983 the Government urged the settlement of debts at the market price at the time of transaction, and set a maximum premium of 25% on post dated checks. The government bore the brunt of the crisis and was forced to inject large sums into the banking system to restore liquidity. A wave of regulation swept the system restricting listing and halting establishment of new companies.

But the measure the government took wasn’t enough and the negative effect of the crash lingered until 1991.3 The economy was stagnant experiencing a cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of -30% in real terms over those 9 years. Following widespread bankruptcies, the private sector was grounded and few new companies started up. Loans dried up as the banking sector was reluctant to give out loans. The government finally decided to eliminate the cause once and for all and in late 1991, the government purchased the entire debt load directly associated with the crash, as well as the entire domestic consumer debt load. The rescue package was estimated to cost nearly USD 20 billion including USD 1 billion of consumer debt and USD 3 billion of housing debt. In unison the government addressed accountability issues on the government level and pushed to restore confidence in the market.

Financial Crisis 2008

Today’s financial crisis is not unique to Kuwait. It has been imported from the west to the east, with no one to spare. Although the onslaught may be of international effect, many similarities can nonetheless be drawn between Souk al Manakh and the financial crisis today. Fueled by surging oil prices reaching a peak of USD 140 a barrel, the Kuwaiti economy was booming. Liquidity was abundant and investors were lavish. The Kuwait Stock Exchange was buoyant, peaking at 15,600 points. The market was growing 25% to 40% annually, a great source of easy money. Company information had little correlation with speculators’ investment decisions, as was the case with Al Manakh. High levels of margin were being used to finance purchases, while financers had poor credit control. Consumer credit increased rapidly as did institutional debt. Short term debt, 80% of total debt, was being used to fund long term assets, 74% of total assets, setting up the system for failure.

As a result of the surge in stock prices, many shell companies sprung up and complicated corporate structures were employed. Transparency plunged. Investors’ attitudes were risk tolerant as they thought the government would be there to bail them out in case of a jam and they were speculating with borrowed funds. Then the unexpected occurred. The international markets crashed. Toxic assets ate away profits and confidence while subprime defaults shocked the real economy. Suddenly the capital markets were dried up, and it became near impossible to find financing. Investors realized KSE was unsustainable and prices took a nose dive. Low business confidence paralyzed the market.

At the same time, oil prices plummeted along with government revenue. The government of Kuwait’s response to the crisis lagged and was untimely. The government repeatedly announced the convening of a bailout strategy meeting but no action followed. Upon the government’s inaction, the stock market plummeted further each time. Finally, when the government acted they passed a buyout package which targeted buying up shares on the secondary market. The effect of this was minor and reversed immediately. Gulf bank was propped up, local bank deposits were guaranteed, but debt burdens and the true underlying causes were not addressed though.

Till date, the government has yet to pass the “Stablization Law”, with which they wish to stimulate the economy. The Law will target a stimulus to the banking and investment sectors. The new law will guarantee bank’s toxic assets and new loans issued. The law will also guarantee new loans to the investment sector to allow them to refinance their debt. But the package may be too late for it to be beneficial. Further the Central Bank is not equipped operationally to implement the package, because it must assume control of the governance of investment firms. Companies seeking assistance will lose freedom of governance and usage of resources thereby imposing a management burden on Central Bank.


History repeats itself.
A concern is mounting that government action is inadequate and the economic impact may hinder future economic growth. We wouldn’t like to repeat the same mistakes which caused economic turmoil following Al Manakh crash. The IMF is already expecting Kuwait’s Real GDP to shrink by 1.1% in 2009.2

Previously, it was not until the government purchased distressed debt, that the effect of Al Manakh was completely alleviated. Thus we need to recognize these lessons. We should also learn from the actions of larger economies. The US passed a USD 700 billion bailout plan to buy distressed assets, of which USD 250 billion went to the banking sector. Then in February, a USD 787 billion stimulus was signed, to stimulate the real economy through infrastructure and real projects to alleviate unemployment. Recently the US approved the Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP) worth USD 40 billion to purchase toxic RMBS and CMBS assets. Not all measures taken by the US were 100% successful or effective, but their actions have begun to stimulate the US economy, as seen by improving unemployment figures in recent days. Likewise, the government of Kuwait should learn from this experience. They should follow suite and engage the private sector in a serious effort to tackle the issue, for there is a real risk of an economic stagnation to present itself. Furthermore, the court system in Kuwait needs improvement to ensure the rights of investors, which are currently not 100% ensured.



Sources:
1 Euro Journal. http://www.eurojournals.com/9nazer.pdf
2 Markaz research report
3 Kuwait. From reconstruction to Accumulation.
http://books.google.com.kw/books?id=j1_18qB0RnoC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=souk+al+manakh+and+private+sector&source=bl&ots=Fak-NZoG7F&sig=NQgo6Xd6Dqi2GVExHOIrX7EqnLE&hl=en&ei=8O1_SrjPII3R-Qaxv_BX&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=souk%20al%20manakh&f=false
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+kw0035)
http://www.stock-market-crash.net/souk.htm
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Oa0OAAAAQAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=souk+al+manakh&ots=E18q2p6Cwl&sig=Bc7E44Yv2C_Uc6xgqzQF3vYrkrg#v=onepage&q=souk%20al%20manakh&f=false

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