Dusty Wyndow Blog

Disclaimer: This post is to shed some light on the way animals are offered, slaughtered during Eid for Muslims and in many occasions for other religions and sects too. This is by far not concerned in discussing anything related to the righteousness, the history, the source or the validity of the mentioned ritual. Photo posted originally by Khaled Merheb I had always been traumatized by the way muslims slaughter poor animals on holy occasions, like Eid Al Adha for instance, under the sole excuse that it’s an Islamic ritual, a praised act by which god would accept your good deeds and wipe away your notorious ones. The simple fact that the tiny goat or that weakly sheep is held down really hard by two, sometimes up to four, strong men mainly holding it by the horn, raising their Allahu Akbar’s and slitting its throat, was just another painful, disgusting, mini-horror movie, every single time. Children’s screams and other people’s loathing makes it all come to sense: something serio...

Sine Wave "When you reach to your very source of being, where you are completely in the mood of the spring, and the flowers are showering on you, you suddenly feel a gratitude not directed to anybody, just like a fragrance arising out of you, just as incense brings ripples of smokes and fragrance, moving towards the unknown sky and disappearing" Left the taxi heading back home, it was only a couple 100s of meters and was totally worth the walk, yet all of a sudden I get this instant urge to be thankful.  And there I was, foolishly singing my thankfulness along all while not being able to resist smiling and waving my hands up in the air. Weird eh? I’d definitely point at me by calling myself a lunatic if I ever bumped into me, but I was happy, who cares then? "A sine wave is predefined, pre-programmed and pre-destined. It's the symbolism for life, ups and downs. And it is found to be the base harmonic for literally everything in life. And we, humans, are no diffe...

I still remember that day, I was a bit shy at the beginning, shy in terms of never had the chance to wear the official Hajj clothing ever before. I was browsing through the old emails in my outlook inbox, when all of a sudden an email with the title "photos" from my old friend Adnan was showing there, it took me instantly back to the day he told me he was going to visit me and Sam again in our apartment in Jeddah, back in the days. Well, Adnan was first our flatmate, until he resigned and moved to Riyadh; he had wanted that day to come to Jeddah for a sleepover and a trip to Meccah. It sure wasn't my first, but was surely my first attempt to do the renowned muslim Omrah. Sam, my wonderful flatmate had given me his clothes, all washed and cleaned, and showed me a guide on how to wear them, and all the regulations and rules to go with the Omrah. I have to admit though, such an occasion having its own formalities and structure had definitely added to the glam of it. I re...

What happened with me this morning was another proof to me personally that the renowned Orthodox Electoral Law was nothing but an obvious manifestation of the local mentality most of the Lebanese are still holding on to, unknowingly, especially the previous generation, the ones that were my age during civil war. In the course of looking for a housing in Beirut, I came across an online advertisement for a small apartment in Ashrafiyeh with two bedrooms, which is generally my preference since that would cheapen the rent and of course I'd enjoy the company. That phone call left me traumatized for a while after I hung up: the weight of the shock was actually insurmountable, especially after all the reforms people I know are trying to make, and of course after all the positive energy me myself and other activists are trying to spread. I just couldn't stand that someone, that naive, would actually ask me such a question. I leave you with the discussion: "Me: Hello, I just f...

Source:  Original Article The Last Confession was the straw that broke the camel's back: What I started on my previous post  was phenomenal, it was pretty obvious that I had to document it. If you're still unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, check the Anonymous Confessions blog post; I had announced I want to play a game, based on the work of an american artist. Source:  Anonymous Confessions The thread of confessions started out with the following: "I still love her" "İt hurts not to see him" "I do care about what people think of me" Several anonymous persons decided to join later on, upon seeing the first feedback, and thought it might be a good idea to throw in their own confession, since, in the end, everything was totally anonymous. The majority spoke of relationships, parents, self esteem, aspirations, and unfinished love stories. Until the last guest posted their comment : "Confession 1: I wish I can help everyone who...

Ever wondered what the bunch of great people that came to knowing and carved their names in history would've felt like during the course of their days? What was Einstein's bath like? Did he just plunge his body inside the hot-water-filled tub and leave his thoughts for time to dismantle while he soaks? Were he concerned if he ever forgot the towel? Or was he the type of people to overjoy about the bits and pieces in absurd reality trying to give it some essence while waiting for some achievement to kick in? Einstein How did Jesus's face feel like? Did he ever trim his beard? Ever cut his hair? How? What was seeing him from afar like? Did he ever cough? How did he smell like? Was he of a deep toned voice or slightly thinner? Would he rather skip around of joy or hide the feeling for the sake of his divine emblem? Didn't he ever pick a rose to smell? Did he ever have a deja-vu? How was it like? What would Muhammad have done if he ever stepped in poop? How would he ...

Let's play a game, shall we? Apparently there's been an exhibition, a public art project for the american artist  Candy Chang  who thought it would be interesting to open up a space where people can anonymously project their confessions, their deepest secrets, and enjoy the reaction of whoever reads it. Source: Original Article "By the end of the exhibition, over 1500 confessions were displayed on the walls. It’s about sex, love, or fears of dying alone. By collecting the confessions of the hotel’s visitors, this project seeks to create a cathartic sanctuary for this temporary community and help us see we are not alone in our quirks, experiences, and struggles as we try to lead fulfilling lives." Source: Original Article Source: Original Article This post is written for the benefit of the public. I invite you everyone to do the same, let's share our secrets. Hint : Post your confession in the comment field below while choosing the " ...

To begin with, I need to point out that the title is not of my creation. It's been stuck in my memory, and I always wondered when would I ever use it. I guess this is it. more photos here  In order to keep myself aware of how much bad the human being can do, or to simply highlight to my own self that I can be of nuisance, I need to constantly check myself, to gratify it when it does good, and punish it when it messes up with the morals I go by. What triggered this post now was something I read over Facebook. A page that broadcasts news about the Syrian war has just announced a breaking news, the death of a Jaylani Cheikh in Syria upon invading his house by the "Forth Squad". For a split second, a feeling of gloating just found its way through my veins. To all those who don't know what Jaylani is, a jaylani way (belief) is one that has taken its own road far away from the basics of Islam. Jaylanis believe fondly in their "Cheikh" or master, a person who...

I think you'd love to hear what happened before the free hugs, much more than the flashmob itself. Taken by Talha It was Saturday, the day that the factory works only half a day, and thus we finished work at 2:00 PM, went back to the hotel and headed directly to a nearby mall for a quick meal. Meanwhile, I had had sent a msg to my Turkish friend Talha to see whether he has some free time for the afternoon or no. It was a confirmation indeed. Fast forward to 5:30PM, I met him outside the hotel and he automatically notices my camera, asking me about my photography chances in Eskisehir, I replied with "none so far". He was kind enough to withstand my blabbing, my on-going sudden stops in the middle of the crowd only to get a photo I needed to take. Honestly, if it weren't to Talha's tour yesterday, I might've left Eskisehir without visiting anything but the hotel and its surrounding. The town's history is one more marvelous thing added to my experienc...

This morning was one of the (recently) so many mornings filled with emotional insights and an uprising reaction for the world I just began to realize (apparently), with all its controversies, with its negativeness, its prejudices, its ongoing tyranny and the escalating amount of tears I have to hide inside right after reading any article that surfaces the defective infrastructure our society's been growing onto, and the infamous face being slowly uncovered, to my eyes at least. Photo by  Houssam Mchaiemch  / Legal Agenda What's been happening around me by the minute has given me by far the most insurmountable degree of suffocation to the point that I literally feel asphyxiated, by noon maximum, not being able to enjoy anything, and simply leaving me in shock, in what seems a personal corner, that I used to seek whenever I needed a sanctuary. The only difference was that, by the time I needed that refuge in the past, the whole mess already was infutile,...

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you. (Read more about the  30-day Challenge ) To start with today's challenge, let's try to define the character that shall give inspiration to the person I am today: he (supposedly it's a he) must be of an enormous value, an indescribable presence and an irreplaceable impact in his surrounding. He must possess the highest levels of morals there is, an incomparable amount of intelligence and wisdom, an utter height of compassion and the absolutely least portion of anger and hatred. He shall not be weak, never pessimist nor downbringing. He is a leader, a father and a husband. He is the true image of a man we all dream of. He holds the most exalted title of wits and intellect, while at the same time never condone his soft side. He must be a romantic person, a fair player in the field of husbandry and a role model to both his wife and his children. I bet most of my personal friends already know where I'm heading, and to al...

So I stayed the whole night awake knowing that the slightest nap would take away the chance to visit the cemetery with my mother on Eid Al Fitr's morning, just like any other Muslim Family's tradition on this occasion. Regardless of my personal beliefs and projections on such "habits", it was nevertheless an occasion not-to-be-missed for me to spend with my dear mother especially after the distance between us she was telling me about in the last period of time. Camera in hand? check; and now we've hit the road. Can you Imagine what I kept thinking all the time we spent there? I kept constantly monitoring all the mental thoughts "rivering" inside my head making all that noise that almost covered the loud chatters of the surrounding; thoughts that mostly were the child of the observations I made at the time, part of my recent on-going constellation of questions about our social behavior. It was time to take out my camera, which to my surprise, was...

Photo credit:  http://tuneoftheday.blogspot.com   I have no clue what effort have I put to deserve such superficial birthday wishes from people who supposedly share a place for me in their hearts. It was time for a change, a simple change that reflects both my utmost satiation with the ongoing blind reaction most of us get on their birthday, and at the same time providing people that mean to me a chance to arise from a constant numbness that cursed our social interaction. It was time for us to realize that "Wishing" is not enough, the first step begins in action. Surely I wasn't asking anything for ME, I begged people to go do something for themselves, consider my birthday as a sign from god that this day, just like any other day when it's surely someone else's birthday, is a day to embrace happiness, not smiling-all-the-time happiness, I'm talking here about inner peace. Do What You Love.. Here's what I posted  on my  Facebook Profile  just tonight:...

Chanting Boy, credit goes to: deZein art " dezeinart.blogspot.com " A man took his 4yr old child to the mosque to introduce him to the religious ethics at a young age. The child began to get bored really quickly of the dull sit down, the loud tone of the sheikh and the repetitive echo coming from the walls. The father was not pleased at all from his son's behavior. Thinking he was such an open minded 20th century father, he took him to the church. The child soon began to look at the ceiling wondering what's the purpose of sitting there listening to preaching just like in the mosque. He asked his father " why do we have to sit here and say such hard words?" The father replied " this is praying for god, each of us has their own way ". The next morning, the father couldn't find his son. Looking in the backyard he followed his tiny voice and spotted him underneath a tree crossing legs and chanting the alphabet in a loud musical tone. The father...