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A Year in Learning

December 28, 2011 in Change, Discourse, Ideas, Politics & Governments, Published, Self by Zain

Article for my column in The Star published today. Was requested to write a retrospective piece on 2011. Well done again to UndiMsia (not just for making the pic article) and Teach For Malaysia. I love you two, for the very ground up development that you’ve had to work through and for.

I think this piece could have been better written. So to emphasize my point/theme here, look at the bigger picture. Some people can see that better if they’re educated with the knowledge, and perspective (though I’m not sure how to begin with the latter, but I assume engagement and discussion is a good start).

*Credit to The Star and Star R.age team. Happy new year to you, and special thanks to my editors and such: Ivy Soon, Niki Cheong and Melody Goh.

A Year in Learning

THE common thread running through 2011 for me was education. That’s my takeout when I look through the various chapters of 2011. I took part in initiatives such as the campaign to encourage people to vote UndiMsia, discussions on the teaching of Maths and Science in English (PPSMI), and the Bersih 2.0 rally for clean and fair elections. I was also involved in projects like Teach For Malaysia and permaculture.

UndiMsia (www.undimsia.com) is a voter education campaign started by a random group of Malaysians, and their numbers have grown by tenfold, at least. They’re active and have an open concept for others who are interested to participate by joining their meetings every Saturday at 11am in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

UndiMsia is a non-partisan youth citizen movement. 

Besides educating people to vote for the right reasons – meaning to vote issues and not politicking – it called for a more participatory democracy by the rakyat, beyond voting. Generally, UndiMsia focuses on three issues: Food and housing, freedom of expression and the education segment of the national Budget.

As I became more active in society, I was more aware of things that are part and parcel of my private and public life. Politics – partisan or not, institutional or not – was something inevitable that I had to take an interest in. So, when the Bersih 2.0 chapter took off, I got involved.

It was enlightening for me to discuss why clean and fair elections were necessary and how it benefited Malaysians beyond politics and government.

I was also active in public discussions on the Government’s decision not to teach Maths and Science in English. I might not be a teacher but I did home tutoring for SPM candidates in Maths, for six years.

Initially, I was supporting the call for Maths and Science to be taught in English, but I have since changed my stand. It’s because I believe teaching these subjects in English would widen the polarity in Malaysia. Everyone deserves equal access to education, and teaching Maths and Science in English could render these subjects inaccessible to some students.

In 2011, two of my friends – Keeran Sivarajan and Dzameer Dzulkifli – started Teach For Malaysia (TFM), an initiative to improve the quality of teaching in schools. They are recruiting university graduates to work for two years as teachers before going on to whatever career path they choose.

It’s an amazing platform for Malaysians to build themselves but more importantly to focus on helping poor performing schools. Their mission for education equity for all is truly inspiring.

To close the 2011 book, I explored permaculture, which the all-knowing Wikipedia defines as “an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modelled on the relationships found in nature.”

I started having plants at home in the middle this year to test if I had a greenthumb or not. I’m not sure if I do but I am recognising the impact of living around elements of nature. I’ve been looking to adapt my home to not just include planting my own greens, but also to be environmentally conscious beyond using recyclable bags and reducing water wastage.

This year has only been a piece of the puzzle. Likewise, don’t look at these issues and initiatives in isolation. Let’s look at how they are part of a bigger picture, so we can piece together our next move in 2012.

Zain HD writes occasionally at ZainHD.com and tweets excessively at twitter.com/ZainHD.

[Video] Not Enough to Question Authority, Speak with It Too

December 21, 2011 in Art, Change, People, Video by Zain

In relation to my previous post, I find this poem most apt by Taylor Mali. But it has more to do with a few of the inconclusive discussions I’ve initiated with friends recently.

That is this,

When somebody speaks loudly of what they have, they do, they know, it seems that the only category that person could belong to, is a negative. Boastful, arrogant, showoff, and other siblings of such verbs.

As oppose to, when somebody is asked, a question like, ‘how are things?’ or ‘how is business?’ there’s a cultural obligation to say something that negates reality, to the point that it becomes a negative, if not be quiet about it.

The point here is the conclusiveness of summarizing a display of character, that has led to people taking it one way, and no other way. Even if it is accepted as that, for example the question of ‘how is business?’ and it is replied with confident (not positivity but) good truth, the person asking will at some level get cheesed off. Either because of the response, or the non-conforming answer the other person gave in the context of how everyone else would usually say it.

Secondly, what I find is more alarming, is that such a widely accepted cultural practice, etiquette to some extent, leads to the imposition of not just not telling the truth, but giving a response that is the opposite.

But yet in a modern society where human values become more and more absent, (where a little gesture of kindness is celebrated beyond reciprocity by virtue of absence by others, disproportionate,) and the society that is more participatory in personal PR through channels like social media, that we demand sincerity more than before, the issue I raise above still looms like a never ending monsoon cloud.

I look forward to the drought, where though the air is dry, the sun is shining.

Against Maths & Science in English (PPSMI)

November 29, 2011 in Change, Discourse, Ideas, Published, Self by Zain

Some weeks ago I was actively arguing why I was/am against teaching maths and science in English in Malaysian schools.

Below is the article published in my column in The Star on the matter. A similar (unedited) one in BM published in Sinar Harian today, a personal milestone for me as this is my first time my writing got published in a Bahasa Malaysia publication.

Also here are two pieces from friends of mine who wrote on the same matter. One by Shahril Hamdan, and the other by Najmie Noordin. I highly recommend you to read both as they touched on angles I did not include in my piece.http://zainhd.cm/2011/11/ppsmi-maths-science-in-english/

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The Star:


Many people find it surprising that I am against the education policy of teaching maths and science in English (PPSMI). This is considering that I am far more fluent in English than I am in Bahasa Malaysia, and went to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) where everything was taught in English to students who were largely not proficient in the language.

Throughout law school, I was a maths and advance maths private home tutor to students who were sitting for their SPM and PMR exams. Sometimes, I would teach in two different languages as not all the students could understand English well.

I was once a supporter of PPSMI, but have changed my stand since. I’ve come to learn that there’s a huge difference between making a decision and making an informed decision. I changed my mind about PPSMI when I understood the bigger picture.

It started when I saw a draft copy of a World Bank report that looked into the education sector in Malaysia, which is currently being vetted by the Ministry of Education.

In the country’s GDP, we spend 60% more than comparable countries and twice the Asean average for the expenditure of basic education. This is a pattern that covers at least 30 years. Using international comparison, the report finds little or no evidence of a relationship between spending and learning outcomes.

My take from this information and the report as a whole is best illustrated like this: Our education system is like a factory that is heavily invested, well funded, overstaffed and sufficiently supported by stakeholders from the people to their leaders.

Yet its products, the Malaysian students, are not noteworthy.

There is a fundamental problem here. The core objective of this system, which is to educate Malaysians, is not doing what it is meant to do. To implement PPSMI, assuming you think the policy is a good idea, will not be wise. Why ask for a lightweight tyre, when the core structure of your bicycle is falling apart?

If we are going to work on fixing these problems, then we have to be focused.?Implementing something like PPSMI would mean a dillution of energy, time and money towards making the overall system work.

PPSMI has yet to be proven to have significant correlation towards comprehension or results for tertiary science subjects. According to the World Education Ranking conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that measures competency in “Reading, Maths and Science”, the top scorers are Shanghai (China), Korea, Finland and Hong Kong (China). United States ranked 17th, behind Poland and Switzerland.

Here’s another interesting point, assuming that the idea is to make the transition into English tertiary science-based education easier for Malaysian students: Of the approximate 400,000 students who enter Year 1, only 100,000 of them go on to complete their university education. Of that, number, how many of them are actually in the scientific field of study?

Now imagine having PPSMI across Malaysia of which has relevance to a small segment of students.

Imagine the disparity we’re harvesting between the educated, and the non-educated, the employability between the science students and the non-science students. Considering the disparity, caused by the benefit enjoyed by a “selective” segment of our students, can this be good for Malaysia?

If having better standards of English is good for those studying in university and also the country, then improve English as a whole. Japan is ranked 8th in the OECD study and yet, I’m confident that by percentage our population is more exposed to English and understand the language better than the Japanese. Meanwhile, people in Netherlands, ranked 10th, are fluent in Dutch, English and French, too.

Both countries have their education system in their local language.

Education is a national issue that all Malaysians have equity in it. A small school in a rural area where kids live as far as a three-day walk, will not have enough students to make a separate class specially for PPSMI, assuming they even have a teacher who can manage it (well).

Therefore, even if it’s an option, that option is an illusion. They now don’t have access to a portion of our education system, simply because of where they are born. Is that fair?

We have to understand things by tracing back the philosophy of a national education system. Is it meant to give selective special education where the smart will become smarter, and then figure out what to do with those who lack the exposure and opportunities? Is it meant to enable all Malaysians as much as possible to this basic human right? Or, is it purely to produce a workforce or to build a nation of people who are smart and able to articulate?

There’s been a good amount of intelligent people in this world throughout history, who don’t even know English and yet have their knowledge and work transcend beyond their own borders. Let’s work towards a solution for Malaysia. A smart one.

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Sinar Harian:


Sudah lepas masa yang cukup, saya rasa, setelah Timbalan Perdana Menteri serangkap Menteri Pendidikan membuat keputusan tentang Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) yang membolehkan kita membincang akan isu ini dengan lebih asas dan objektif.

Ramai yang terkejut apabila mendengar yang saya merupakan antara mereka yang menentang dasar PPSMI. Lebih – lebih lagi saya lebih fasih berbahasa Inggeris berbanding Bahasa Melayu, dan menerima pendidikan lanjut di UiTM di mana semua pelajaran diajarkan dalam Bahasa Inggeris kepada pelajar – pelajar yang majoritinya malah tidak fasih dalam bahasa tersebut.

Sepanjang pengajian saya di Fakulti Undang-Undang UiTM, saya menjadi tutor Matematik dan Matematik Tambahan bagi pelajar – pelajar yang mengambil peperiksaan SPM dan PMR. Acapkali saya terpaksa mengajar dalam dua bahasa kerana tidak semua boleh memahami apa yang diajarkan dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Sebelum ini saya merupakan penyokong PPSMI, tetapi saya telah mengubah pendirian saya. Saya sedar bahawa terdapat jurang yang besar dalam mengambil satu keputusan dan mengambil satu keputusan termaklum. Saya telah mengubah pendirian tentang PPSMI setelah memahami situasi ini dengan lebih jelas.

Ia bermula apabila saya terbaca satu salinan draf penyata yang dikeluarkan World Bank berhubung sektor pendidikan di Malaysia, yang pada masa ini sedang diteliti Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

Berdasarkan data Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) Malaysia, kita membelanjakan lebih 60% berbanding negara-negara yang sebanding dengan kita dan dua kali ganda lebih banyak daripada purata negara – negara Asean dalam peruntukan pendidikan. Ini telah berjalan sekurang-kurangnya selama 30 tahun. Dibandingkan dengan negara – negara lain, penyata tersebut gagal merincikan sebarang pertalian antara perbelanjaan  dan natijah pendidkan.

Apa yang saya perhatikan daripada penyata ini dapat disimpulkan seperti berikut: “sistem pendidikan kita bagaikan sebuah kilang yang telah menerima banyak pelaburan, mempunyai dana yang mencukupi, tenga kerja yang ramai, dan disokong sepenuhnya oleh pihak – pihak berkepentingan baik dari masyarakat awam ke para pemimpin. “

Namun demikian, hasilnya, iaitu pelajar – pelajar kita, tidak berdaya saing.

Di sini kelihatan wujudnya satu masalah yang mendasar. Objektif utama sistem ini, iaitu mendidik rakyat Malaysia, tidak tercapai. Untuk melaksanakan PPSMI, andaikata dasar ini merupakan satu idea yang baik, adalah tidak bijak sama sekali. Berdasarkan analogi sebuah basikal, kenapa kita ingin menukar tayar sedangkan rangka basikal itu sendiri tidak kukuh?

Jika kita ingin memperbaiki sistem ini, kita mesti memfokuskan usaha kita. Pelaksanaan PPSMI akan mencairkan usaha, dana dan masa hanya untuk memastikan seluruh sistem ini dapat berjalan.

PPSMI sendiri masih belum berjaya dibuktikan mempunyai pertalian yang signifikan terhadap pemahaman mahupun keputusan subjek – subjek sains di peringkat tertiari. Menurut World Education Ranking yang dikeluarkan oleh Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) yang mengukur kemampuan dalam “Pembacaan, Sains dan Matematik,” yang mencatat markah tertinggi adalah Shanghai – China, Korea, Finland dan Hong Kong – China. Amerika Syarikat berada di tempat ke-17, di belakang Poland dan Switzerland.

Satu lagi fakta menarik, andaikata idea kita adalah untuk memudahkan peralihan kepada Bahasa Inggeris sebagai medium pengajaran sains di peringkat tertiari bagi pelajar-pelajar Malaysia: Daripada kira-kira 400,000 yang memulakan pengajian di Tahun 1, hanya kira-kira 100,000 yang berjaya menyelesaikan pengajian mereka. Daripada jumlah itu, berapa ramai yang merupakan graduan daripada bidang sains?

Dan sekarang bayangkan pelaksanaan PPSMI yang hanya memberikan manfaat buat segelintir pelajar di seluruh Malaysia.

Bayangkan jurang yang kita wujudkan di antara mereka yang berpendidikan dan mereka yang tidak, kebolehpasaran (employability) antara pelajar aliran sains dan bukan sains. Apabila kita renungkan jurang ini, yang disebabkan oleh manfaat yang hanya boleh dirasai oleh segelintir masyarakat, adakah ini sesuatu yang baik buat Malaysia?

Jika mempunyai standard Bahasa Inggeris yang lebih baik itu menguntungkan pelajar-pelajar kita di universiti dan juga negara, maka apa yang perlu kita lakukan adalah meningkatkan kualiti pengajaran Bahasa Inggeris itu sendiri! Jepun berada di tangga ke-8 dalam laporan OECD yang sama, tetapi saya yakin yang secara keseluruhan, populasi Malaysia jauh lebih terdedah kepada Bahasa Inggeris daripada Jepun. Manakala masyarakat Belanda, di tempat ke-10, fasih berbahasa Belanda dan Inggeris.

Kedua-dua negara ini mengggunakan bahsa ibunda masing-masing sebagai bahasa pengantar pendidikan mereka.

Pendidikan merupakan satu isu nasional di mana setiap rakyat Malaysia mempunyai ekuiti di dalamnya. Sekolah-sekolah kecil di kawasan luar bandar,  tidak akan mempunyai pelajar yang cukup untuk melaksanakan kelas PPSMI secara berasingan, itu pun dengan andaian yang mereka mempunyai guru yang terlatih.

Oleh itu, biarpun PPSMI merupakan satu pilihan, ia lebih merupakan satu ilusi. Pilihan ini akan menyebabkan anak-anak di luar bandar ini akan terpinggir daripada pendidikan kita hanya kerana mereka lahir di luar bandar. Adakah ini akan membawa keadilan sosial?

Untuk itu, dalam usaha kita memahami situasi ini, kita perlu menelusuri kembali falsafah pendidikan negara kita. Adakah ia digubal untuk menyediakan satu siri pendidikan khas supaya mereka yang cerdik akan bertambah cerdik dan kemudiannya cuba memberikan penyelesaian kepada mereka yang kurang bernasib baik? Adakah ia digubal untuk menjamin hak setiap rakyat Malaysia untuk diberi peluang menerima pendidikan yang bermutu? Adakah  ia digubal hanya untuk menghasilkan tenaga kerja? Atau adakah ia digubal untuk melahirkan generasi pembina negara dan masyarakat yang berwawasan?

Melihat kembali sejarah manusia,  telah lahir banyak cendikiawan di dunia ini yang tidak mahir berbahasa Inggeris tetapi berilmu tinggi dan menghasilkan pelbagai karya yang merentasi batas-batas sosiobudaya. Untuk itu, marilah kita berusaha bersama-sama dalam mencari penyelesaian (yang bijaksana) buat Malaysia.

 

TED: Why Zain doesn’t call in domestic help

November 28, 2011 in Change, Ideas, Individuals, Self, Video by Zain

Since I moved out of my parents place late 2009, I’ve made it a point to avoid (almost completely), to call in extra help to clean y own place. It is imperative, I believe, that for as much as a person can be and remain independent and/or self-sufficient, he should.

Yes, there is the consideration of practicality and productivity, such as our expensive skilled time better invested elsewhere for better impact, if looked at in isolation. But that should not be veiled against formed complacency and harvested incompetency.

*Disclaimer: I too, struggle to schedule even random cleaning operations at home.

A reason why I take issue on this is two clear examples that are evident to me, the idea that:

  1. a middle class home today cannot function without a domestic worker doing the house certain, most or all chores,
  2. a child is expected to be primarily educated (in an encompassing context), by school teachers, and not the able adults in his reach.

Those two are only an example of what it brings us to. What is between the lines in essence, that makes it damaging, is the distorted outlook and paradigm that we have upon everything beyond ourselves, and worst still, upon ourselves, without actually realizing it. And then, the self-believe that it could be otherwise.

The video is an area of my recent interest. But that aside, at two parts it relates to my point above. What she calls inner-dependancy, and following that the consumerist mindset (for me, that which affects our lives overall, and not just materially).

*Thanks Yasmin for sharing this video with me. A pot of earl gray with some darjeeling, is owed.

- click to watch video http://zainhd.com/2011/11/ted-why-zain-doesnt-call-in-domestic-help

Trailer: Living Without Money

August 21, 2011 in Change, Ideas, Video by Zain

 

I don’t think so that the (real) objective of this concept is to get everyone in the world to do this. It won’t happen, but it doesn’t discount the idea that a segment of society could live this way, and assist others who don’t, with their lives in way the couldn’t have done. Think of how the corporate entity supports a social worker with money in order for them to work on social issues. Something to that effect. Watch the video, see the bigger picture. Not just for this, but for all things in life.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/08/trailer-living-without-money/

An Intro to Soup Kitchen

May 31, 2011 in Change, Ideas, People by Zain | 4 comments

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*This post was originally written/published on 24th September 2010. I’ve reposted here for your reference, since this is the topic of my column in The Star, on 1st June 2011 (click here). If you’re interested to join, just go turn up at the locations I mentioned below. There’s nothing wrong about turning up alone. Don’t let questions or excuses get in the way of you participating. Enough of thinking and talking, now is for doing.

Thanks to (somewhat relentless) invitations from Amin Rahman and later Juliana Tang, on Wednesday night I went to the Pertiwi Soup Kitchen and did live updates on Facebook and Twitter as it was going on. Many would like to know more so I’ll share here. In a nutshell, it’s a group of volunteers who go out to two specific locations in Kuala Lumpur city, four nights a week and give out food.

From my understanding, Pertiwi (Muslim Women’s Action Association) is the coordinator. They get funding and donation from various sources. With that money, they buy packs of food from a caterer whom I’ve been told, that sells at cost price.

Two core groups of volunteer organizers run the preparations and on-ground operations. One covers Monday and Friday nights, and the other Wednesday and Sunday nights. These two groups then go out and recruit volunteers to come and assist their group for the nights they cover.

The volunteers are made of Muslims and non-Muslims, locals and foreigners of random ages. They are either independent individuals or representative of the organisations that are also supporters of this project. To roll out, there must be seven people involved total, fifteen would make it comfortable and to have twenty is a fun night out.

Everyone gathers at 142, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar. At about 8.45pm and then the car-pool convoy, including the small lorry donated by Rotary Club that carries the food, leaves for the first location which is behind Tune Hotel (map) on Jalan Sultan Ismail. Once that’s done, then it’s Kotaraya (map). The whole exercise should be done by 10.30pm, if not earlier. After which, most of them would congregate somewhere for supper.

I’ve only done this once and will abstain from sharing my views in entirety. But should you be interested, there are two imperative points to note. Firstly, at no point was I or the recipients of this aid were approached by the organizers, speaking about Islam or anything to that effect. From my observation, everyone, organizers and otherwise were there to get the work done.

Second point is, should you participate, please be mindful that a segment of the recipients of the food you give out to are either jobless and/or homeless people. Don’t be aloof and take for granted by assuming they think and see things the same way you do. They can be edgy and/or temperamental (let’s be fair, we all can be like that when hungry), though I must say that 98% of them were both courteous and thankful to the volunteers.

 

http://zainhd.com/2010/09/an-intro-to-soup-kitchen/


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Children See, Children Do

May 29, 2011 in Ad, Art, Change, Ideas, Individuals, Video by Zain

I thought about this a while ago, especially in the context of religious knowledge and teachings.

It’s not confined to this issue of course, but a parent can’t wonder why the school teacher doesn’t educate their child to say, not pray 5 times a day, if that child did not grow up in a household where he saw his parents doing similar.

Other similar examples are the typical negative act of littering, or on the other end, the positive act of saying hello how are you to a neighbour.

Additionally, I think the public discussion about how we are not a thinking society, or a say, a racist one, can be addressed by simply how adults take lead in their own homes to set examples. Clear examples.

Thanks Vu for sharing this.

Watch the video.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/05/children-see-children-do/

Forecasting Depth

April 16, 2011 in Change, Ideas, Video by Zain

Thanks Nini Marini for the picture, and hospitality.

Yesterday, I was at a studio as a guest judge to shoot for a TV show, where people pitch their ideas to get (partial) funding for them to make it happen. Their project must be in view of for the betterment of Malaysia, or  society. Besides that, the standard measurement were whether that idea was scalable and sustainable. I self-questioned the notion 2 months ago when I first received this TV invitation with a post, read here.

It’s been something on my head for a while as (if you’ve been following this blog), you’d notice how I’ve always highlighted Ory Okolloh’s quick story (watch here, at 12 minutes 40 seconds) about the people she was supporting back home. At the same time, some of the best ideas we are witnessing and living today, look around you, have no element or vision of its scale or sustenance upon its inception or early days.

Sure, that is not to say there’s should be an open ended subjective way to decide upon support, within or beyond funding, for any idea that. Beyond the context of just Sejuta Impian show, there indeed can be perimeters to decide. Just don’t forget that most great living ideas, were often beyond the grasp of comprehension.

Watch the video. Because sometimes, the idea is not the thought but the person.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/04/forecasting-depth/

The Blind Scale

February 20, 2011 in Change, Ideas, Video by Zain | 3 comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf2z38u2djA

For some reason, I took to great liking Ory Okolloh’s talk from TED Africa. Probably because it had a lot to do with perception, an issue I’ve always taken to discussion, debate and argument, more so since I started working in communications. But I just saw a video (above), that relates to another point Ory made, which is scalability. (See her talk here)

This hit me a little bit stronger because I’ve been recently asked to be a guest judge on national television for a show where people propose their own ideas (in view of something indirectly bigger) and then money is granted to the winners. And along with the cliche word sustainability, scalability is one of the first few requisites that popped in my head when the invitation was extended to me should the show go through.

Scalability is often something that is tangible and measurable, in respect to what is being done. Relation to it, is often required to be direct, and somewhat immediate. However, somethings require a great more foresight for you to visualize how far can it actually go and I believe this is a view that many not neglect, but fail.

Funny Video, Passionate Email

February 19, 2011 in Change, Individuals, Middle East, Politics & Governments, Travel by Zain | 3 comments

With President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Aden, Yemen Dec '01

 

A lot of Asians, get annoyed with foreigners categorize us as one, when the region is both too vast and too diverse. Similarly with South East Asians, and then Malaysians – who are very aware that by the regions within the country alone, we can be quite diverse, let alone on other aspects. But the same has been the case for us towards the other parts of the world. A case in point is the Arab world (a chunk of which is in Asia).

I’ve been to the Middle East now maybe 8 times and still trying to understand the cultural demographics and political dynamics. But even with something closer to the surface than that, there are stark differences. So even if you have come across a sufficient number of them either in or out of their land, it’s not a representation of the mass, and perhaps an inaccurate generalization, albeit sometimes necessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqJDuZIcQ34

Besides being in frequent contact with people there, online and offline, my last visit to that side of the world was to Yemen in last December. And it further highlighted the point in my view, that overall things there need a shakeup, and one that I had no hope for until Tunisia. The above video (lyrics here) is a lighter note of things, and below is an email I received recently from a man I had dinner with in KL last year. I vividly remember after him looking at me carefully and asking where I’m from, he replied, ana min Tunis (I am from Tunisia).

I’m not at liberty to share his name nor the nature of how I met him, but he is one that is very familiar with the political climate (public and underground), among other things, of that spot on the globe we call the Arab world. I share this email here to put out to you that what happened was very real, and it started along time ago. More importantly, it involves our brother and sister human beings.

 

‘Everything is ok for my family in Tunisia and I’m really proud of being Tunisian, one of the sons of a great people. Our martyrs, including my eldest brother killed in the 1961 war against France, were not dead for nothing and the honour of our dear  country belongs to them. The struggle against despotism, in all its forms, will guarantee to the Arab peoples the dignity they deserve and the bell is tolling for the dictators and their lackeys.’
http://zainhd.com/2011/02/funny-video-passionate-email/

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