Lack of politics on Jordan planet

Jordanian blogger Firas recently raised a very important issue on his blog. He drew the attention to the fact that that bloggers contributing to Jordan Planet rarely talk about political issues. He has a point. Any frequent visitor to the site will notice how political issues are the topics least discussed on the site. If you compare the Jordanian blogging community to other Arab blogging communities, such as the Lebanese or Egyptians, you’ll notice a striking difference in the nature of topics discussed. While political posts dominate the majority of topics discussed among other Arab bloggers, Jordanian bloggers prefer to talk primarily about technical, social and personal issues.

What’s the reason for that I wonder? Is it because Jordan is seen as politically stable nation in comparison to other countries in the region such that politics doesn’t play a major part in the daily lives of Jordanian bloggers?

Or is it because Jordanians fear to tread into the political arena where they might criticize the government — something the majority of them fear to do? Or is it due to the fact that the majority of Jordanian bloggers reveal their identities, which has to make them think twice before discussing daring topics?

I believe the main reason is the fact that when growing up, we were never encouraged to speak up and express our opinions. Fear and self censorship will follow us wherever we go and whatever we do. Even though are we living in a fairly transparent era, making daring comments or expressing our unorthodox opinions without worrying about consequences still seems like a far-fetched notion to many. Maybe my analysis is flawed and I’m just being paranoid but really … why is politics absent from Jordan Planet?

Abu Sinno in DC

Abu SinnoThe one and only Abu Sinno (better known as Laith) made it to DC last night to showcase his acting talents in front of two Jordanian bloggers during a small-scale Jordan Planet meeting. The meeting place was a restaurant called the Peacock in the Georgetown boro of the nation’s capital.Those present included yours truly along with Beisan.

During our two-hour meeting, Abu Sinno entertained us with his jokes and impeccable imitation of key Arab figures (including both diplomats and celebrities). He also candidly shared with us his infinite passion for making movies as he talked extensively about his adventures in the City of Angels.

The 'Metro' bloggersWe had a blast! I’m looking forward to Abu Sinno’s next visit to the Metro region so that I can get my dose of Jordanian wit and wisdom! Today, Abu Sinno moved on to his next journey where he is bound to amuse and entertain yet another crowd in a different part of the globe.

I’m posting here two pictures of our meeting. The first is a photo of the animated Abu Sinno. The second is the Jordanian bloggers alongside Abu Sinno after he reverted to his more ‘normal’ appearance.

Movie Talk

Flight planSince subscribing to Netflix, our trips to the local movie theater have grown scarce, amounting to a visit a month — a huge cut from the frequent visits during our Doha days. I guess having access to a huge library of foreign, independent and mainstream movies makes you think twice before spending extra dough on a theater movie of unknown quality.

This past Sunday we made our monthly theater pilgrimage to our neighborhood Regal theater to watch the thriller Flight Plan. The primary reason for choosing this flick was Jodi Foster since both the husband and I are big fans. The movie was okay, but holes in the script made me feel it could have been better. Foster’s performance was powerful but the plot needed some tweaking.

One interesting plot point involved Foster attacking some Arab businessmen on the plane because she thought they were involved in the disappearance of her daughter. I guess in this post 9/11 era you can’t make a movie about air travel without inserting some Arab elements. Overall, the movie was not bad but I’m not sure it was worth a theater trip. I give it 6/10.

Still on the movie topic, here are some thoughts about two movies we saw recently and enjoyed:

CrashCrash: My personal take on this movie: it is simply brilliant. It tackles the issue of stereotyping and racism in the post 9/11 era. The focus is not entirely on Muslims or Arabs, but expanded to include the racism inflicted upon other US minorities like Hispanics, Asians and African Americans. It is a very well-made film with a great storyline and a powerful message. Very highly recommended. 9/10

TheseainsideThe Sea Inside (El Mar a Dentro): A top-notch film about the controversial issue of euthanasia. Based on a true story, the film explores one man’s’s desire to end his life after 26 years of living as a quadriplegic. The visuals were stunning as were the the cast’s performances. However, the movie was a downer. It depressed me to no end. This is not recommend for those with feeble hearts. 8/10

That wraps up my movie babblings for today. Stay tuned for more movie talk in the near future.

A message of tolerance

Convening an unprecedented meeting between a Muslim head of state and Jewish religious leaders, King Abdullah II of Jordan urged Jews and Muslims yesterday to ”take bold steps toward mutual forgiveness and reconciliation" to counteract extremist violence produced by distortion of religion.

Abdullah, who has taken a leading role in advocating moderation and modernization in the Arab world, quoted liberally from parallel passages of the Torah and the Koran as he told about 70 rabbis, including eight from the Boston area, that ”we must move beyond the language of mere tolerance toward true acceptance. Our common faith and shared history are [our] greatest asset."

Source: [The Boston Globe]

Kudos to His Majesty for advocating messages of tolerance and mutual understanding. In light of what many might be interpreting as a religious conflict, such initiatives are extremely essential in promoting peace and deconstructing stereotypes.

Madaba still shining

Our Madaba plate

Still on the issue of Madaba, during their respective visits here both Amal and my sister insisted we put up a picture of our car and its license plate on the blog. For some reason they thought it was quite unique. Well, I think it’s just natural.