Wikipedia Masry?

If you are a prominent Arabic Wikipedia user, I am sure you have seen this before — an Egyptian Arabic Wikipedia, Masry.

Masry (more accurately, misry) is Arabic for the Egyptian dialect of the Arabic language. Yes, a dialect only. This means that it is spoken only (which means never written) because it is just an accent used only in Egypt.

I have to say I was shocked to see such usage of the Arabic language. I do understand the proposer's aim for such a project. I agree, it is a good way to make the Arabic language easier for those with simple education. But my question is — how many people with simple education actually own a computer and have access to the internet?

In addition to this, Masry is a transformation of the Arabic language that has tons of errors. It does not have an official status in Egypt and thus cannot be used in written form. As a native Arabic speaker, I am ashamed to see my precious language written in such form. It is very degrading and it hardly does fulfill its purpose (of offering easier education).

I agree that the education in Egypt is a failure, and illiteracy is a problem. But the solution to this problem for those with weak Arabic skills is to read Arabic, not to read a tremendously faulty version, which I believe only scratches the surface of the Arabic language with all its glory.

Last I checked there is no Texan accent Wikipedia, am I right? And please don't compare Masry Wikipedia with Simple English Wikipedia, a dialect is different from a simplified written form. Will we see a Lebanese Arabic Wikipedia, a Syrian Arabic Wikipedia, a Saudi Arabian Arabic Wikipedia, a place-an-Arabic-subdialect-here Wikipedia?

P.S. What the hell is arz?

Credit Crisis Visualized

Another great video I caught on Vimeo! This explains the global economic recession in plain English (and graphics, too) so those with no knowledge whatsoever can get in the know.

Apart from the educational purpose, I'm trying to show some people how perfect the liberal capitalist system is. I've seen people cheering liberalism and capitalism in Egypt, without actually knowing how faulty this system is. I guess all those huge corporations in America have learned their lesson in extreme capitalism, but it seems we just follow them blindly without ever researching.

Credit Crisis Visualized

We Will Not Go Down in Gaza Tonight, by Michael Heart

I found this song on Youtube and I really recommend people to listen to it and share it. It is very touching. We all know that the Arab-Israeli conflict does not need a song to awaken people, but this is especially for the hard-hearted... those who cannot realize the mass of this issue, and the pain of the Palestinian women and children.
We Will Not Go Down performed by Michael Hearts

Is this the only way we wake up?

No, not the war. War must be in blood, but what I'm saying is that do you we only wake up when a massacre like that happens? By the time we start shouting for human rights, hundreds of innocents die, and the amount of destruction is just out of control. No wonder why we remain weak and voiceless.

I must say this is not the only time this happens. We never break out of silence until a major dilemma happens. I also notice that some people never have one particular, firm stand. It's always just an on-the-spot reaction that fades away later. It just wears out - people forget the issue and go on with their lives. The same way we took a stand against the Danish insulting caricatures we stand for every issue. We boycott the Danish products for a few months, if not weeks, and then we go back to the normal state. It could've made a strong effect if all these huge numbers of consumers boycott the Danish products for six more months, but we never finish. It was also the case when we stood against exporting natural gas to Israel.

Back to the matter in hand, I think we should be more serious, and take stronger positions and have a firm stand against complications. Palestine has been occupied since 1948, but we never notice it until people die. I think a very easy solution to this is that every single one of us should "program" himself/herself to a certain lifestyle that will suit the cause we fight for.

Combo of the Day - Gaza Massacre and Arab Silence

It's December 27th, the day Palestinians are given a nice New Year's present, and Arabs remain voiceless. For this, Israel shows it really knows how to party. With 120 slain and over 200 injured, it is very clear who is the terrorist. You can't call natives terrorists. You can't call resistance terrorism. But when America and Israel are involved, even the laws of physics can mold.

I'm not going to elaborate on what happened this morning because it is well-covered, and I'm not going to add any extra value. It is clear who is the opressor and who is the victim. I just want you to compare the amount of media coverage and public voices, on an international scale, of the massacre today and that of the 9/11 attacks back in 2001, knowing that the magnitude of the Arab-Israeli conflict is a much larger (and older) issue than the 9/11 attacks.

What about the Arab silence? Who is there for the blame? I believe the attitude of (spontaneously) pointing the finger to the leaders is wrong. The leaders are to blame for our weakness, partially. The people are also weak. No matter how many protests we make, no matter how many miles we walk the streets with patriot signs, we will not become stronger. We can scream as loud as we can, but sound vanishes into thin air. Although we find it easier to do this, but tracing the problem to find its one reason is not possible. There are many reasons why we're weak, including lacking education, lacking independence and most importantly, lacking faith in Allah.

Independence? Yes! It is one major reason behind this problem. We depend on America greatly on food supplies, weaponry, etc. Our economy is also dependent on America. With that being known, we can conclude that our leaders are unable to act. One small step in the wrong direction (that America doesn't want) will screw us up.

The solution is in our bare hands. We could solve this issue, regardless of our leaders. We, the Arabs, are shattered. This is making us a very easy target for our enemy. Just look at any argument in any Arabic forum or Youtube video, the argument easily becomes an "Egyptian vs. Saudi" or "Lebanese vs. Syrian" argument. We must unite. The Arabs have ruled the world before, and we can do it again. It's the positive and winners' attitude we need. It's the faith in Allah we should have, ultimately. We have already seen, and still see, small but ambitious steps taken into the right direction. They are fed by the minor, yet bright trait called hope. For the sake of the Gazans, and the Arab nations as a whole, we must unite!