Archive for November, 2008

House of God to get capacity upgrade

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

Its great news to hear that the grounds at Mecca are getting an upgrade in capacity! Its about time, given that despite the 900,000 capacity, during Hajj there are more people outside than in!!Given that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, they should probably build it for a 5 million capacity, the Muslims will most definitely fill the space.

In terms of an engineering project, its hugely interesting. A few features spring to mind:

  • How to facilitate the wudhu needs of the people. This of course includes the need for restroom facilities
  • Crush control structures in the common case of overcrowding
  • Some kind of water mist system / water dispensing for when it gets really hot
  • Entrance ways and exits
  • Medical attention facilities
  • Viewing platforms, for filming perhaps

These kinds of things, if properly addressed, will take more distractions away from what the people really went there for: to make pilgrimage for the sake of God, which itself is quite interesting. Like ramadhan, it is one of the pillars of Islam, and has positive effects on people. Its quite a demonstration of solidarity between people of all colours and backgrounds. Whilst everyone is dressed as humble pilgrims, there is no distinction between rich and poor, or even of where they are from. Its an oppourtunity to reflect on the origins of their faith, and to consider what that means in the 15th century AH, (21st CE) .

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An end, a pause, a beginning

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

There is a single moment that sticks in my mind about the 2008 US Presidential race. Maybe its not so significant, but if what it represents remains consistent, then the ideology executed in front of it will be far reaching in its effect. I’m talking about the moment that Barack Obama finished his election victory speech. He waited, thought about the moment, and then smiled. There is at least a 7 second gap.

His pause, before showing emotion, is very significant. Why? It signals his ability to contain himself, his ability to suppress ego (think what most men would do in his position), despite the temptation to go wobbly at the knees. This is a man who, when in front of 100,000 people, wasn’t grinning like some child whose most hated bully had been slapped in the face. He simply paused, absorbed the reaction, waited a moment and smiled.

The bit to watch out for is the last 10 seconds of the clip, although the whole clip is quite informative and worth watching.

The honeymoon will be over when the new elect President comes to tell America some truths:

  • “Iraq” is Arabic for “Vietnam”
  • Afghanistan can never be won, and Pakistan won’t be worth the effort (for the same reasons as Afghanistan)
  • Their brand of capitalism will need serious welding to fix the banking/housing crisis
  • Globalisation has permanently relieved the America economy of jobs

Click here for a high quality filming of the event and here for the script of the speech.

As for foreign policy, even Family Guy writers can’t write this stuff, they just copy and paste:

Possibly the best part of having Mr Obama as President, is that he’s going to open channels of dialogue with the Iranian Government. This can only be a good thing; as not too far in the future Iran might be nuclear capable, which is perceived to be an obstacle to international relations (even though its fine to break principles when cash is flashed).

Seeing a man who will clearly go on to be a great statesmen, I can’t help but look to the east and wonder where the great Muslim statesmen are. The leaders of Egypt, Syrian, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar fail to impress. A pity, since some of the greatest statesmen of history have passed through their lands.

May God have mercy on us all. Let us all be the change we want to see in the world. It sounds like therapy, but its what alot of people need to hear; yes, we can.

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