bethlehem - The Chronikler

When Muslims make merry at Christmas

For Western Muslims, Christmas is just outside their doorsteps. For some, Christmas even skips merrily in from the cold and crosses the threshold into their homes

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

A theory is a rational form of abstract thinking. A 'conspiracy theory' is, by its nature, irrational, hence it cannot be a theory. We need a new term for the phenomenon, like 'conspiracy illusion' or 'conspiracy delusion'.

17:12 · January 29, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

Beyond the preserving effects of Egypt's dry climate, the sheer concentration of archaeological sites and artifacts is largely down to the mindboggling longevity of Ancient Egyptian civilisation. I explored the reasons for this longevity here: chronikler.com/middle-east/eg…

16:01 · January 27, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

It sometimes seems that you can't go far in Egypt without stumbling on major new archaeological finds. Although a Roman-era city would be considered ancient in most places, this 1,800-year-old town is closer to our times than to the age of the pyramids. newarab.com/news/egypt-arc…

08:01 · January 27, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

'Mass consumerism' is not the correct term because it mistakes cause with effect. Instead, we should refer to it as 'mass productionism' because people overconsume mainly because the economy overproduces, and if people consumed radically less our current system would collapse.

08:46 · January 26, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

Today an even more brutal tyrant lords it over a ruined country brought to its knees by a corrupt and incompetent regime. The dreams evoked by the revolution may be in a state of shocked paralysis and suspended animation but they will never die. #Jan25 #25january

17:17 · January 25, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

In an exercise of supreme hope and ultimate despair, Egyptians rose up against a corrupt dictator and toppled the tyrant but not the military junta behind him. A dozen years and a tsunami of state violence and repression later, these hopes lie in tatters. #Jan25 #25january

17:16 · January 25, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

You mean like the Belgian prime minister who famously thought the Marseillaise was the Belgian national anthem? Plenty of native-born citizens are ignorant of their country's history and reject the values taught in these courses. Why are they exempt from "integration"? twitter.com/gandrade80/sta…

20:20 · January 24, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

The Flemish Christian Democrats CD&V want to slap a 'nationality test' on top of the 'integration' one that already exists. One was bad but having two is vindictive. Born citizens don't need to prove a thing, so why should immigrants? This is not about integration but exclusion.

07:56 · January 24, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

Farha means Joy in Arabic, yet the main character in the Netflix film of the same name experiences little of it. By presenting the Nakba from the perspective of an ordinary girl caught up in extraordinary circumstances, the film succeeds in humanising this collective trauma.

22:17 · January 23, 2023

Khaled Diab

@DiabolicalIdea

The 17-th century Dutch experimenter who first viewed sperm under a microscope not only did not understand his discovery but was so grossed out that he wished his findings would be destroyed. Moral: This is what happens when a person comes too soon @Salon salon.com/2023/01/02/the…

20:12 · January 22, 2023

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