za3tar

I have to apologize for not submitting a post for the Blog About Jordan Day on time. The truth is that i have been extremely swamped for the past few weeks. In any regards, i think better late than never to submit. What follows is my post for BAJD which is really a reflection of a recent conversation i had with a friend of mine.

It is no surprise that the world is facing a huge economic crisis. Jordan, and indeed the rest of the Arab world, has not been spared from this crisis. As we all scramble to recover, it is worth noting that we face additional challenges. Although Jordan has shown many good development projects that aim to expand the potential of students and entrepreneurs, we should observe that that this development has not been uniformly distributed across the different areas of the country. Most of these initiatives have concentrating on the capitol Amman, which makes sense since it is the biggest city in the country. However it is just as important to provide good opportunities to residents of the other places of Jordan. This will dampen the disparity between Amman and most of the rest of the country.

One way this could happen is by expanding infrastructure projects to the rest of the country. Infrastructure projects are great because they employ a large group of people to build and provide benefit a large group of people for a long time after they are built. Infrastructure projects include upgrading schools, hospitals, waterworks, electricity, roads, ..etc. As great as these projects can be, we have to realize that the government’s has a limited amount of financial resources (specially in this global crisis).

So what can we do ? This is a perfect opportunity for citizens to contribute to the well being of their future, their children’s futures, and the country as a whole. For example, many people these days prefer to buy land and keep it until it gets expensive and then sell it. All this time the land sits underutilized. Why not grow something on it for example ? This would require working hands, but there are many people who are out of work and would be available to do this job. Plus the land’s produce can either increase the export of the country or at least feed a few more hungry families.

I think the road to a bright future for Jordan, and many other Arab countries, is through citizens trying to utilize the limited set or resources that we already have. When i compare our situation to that of people from other emerging developing countries (like China and India) i notice that what we lack is a grand vision of how should we move forward as a unit as a country. No doubt that Jordanians and Arabs are skillful people, so imagine what we can do if we put our hands together and look forward ?

I was surfing online aimlessly when i stumbled upon this:

Isn’t it awesome ?!!

I have seen towns in the USA called Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Lebanon, Palestine, Damascus, Tyre, and Alexandria .. but these are all old biblical names and/or their corresponding cities in the Middle East are very old (from the greeko-roman times) unlike Ramallah.

And for my Jordanian readers, wala eyhimkom .. here is Amman Road in Edison New Jersey:

MSNBC, one of America’s three major news networks, apparently can’t tell the difference between Amman and Baghdad. Here is the news anchor with Amman’s signature monument, the King Abdullah Mosque, right behind her in the background, yet they are convinced she is in Baghdad .. come on

.. the title’s meaning will become more evident as you read this article.

Although i didn’t grow up in Jordan, i did get the opportunity to live (and work) for a considerable time in Jordan over the past year. And since i am not a Jordanian citizen, let me start out by commenting on what i admire about Jordan and its people.

Realizing the lack of big-money-generating natural resources (oil), Jordan and Jordanians are commended for bootstrapping their country (almost literally) in an effort to create a sustainable economy based on tourism, services, some manufacturing, and an evidently exploding technology sector. They have also tried to create a stable economy in a restless region of this world.

One can also never forget Jordanians for being the gracious hosts of many of their distressed Arab brethren. Palestinians, Iraqis, and Lebanese have all escaped the gruesome horrors of war to find a safe haven in Jordan. Yes there have been some clashes in the past (manifested in black september), but overall (despite some minor glitches), nowadays Jordan is a relaxing melting-pot for many Arab nationals.

Let me also be the first to offer some brotherly criticism from a citizen of one Arab nation (in the making) to another. Truly, we all have to realize our problems before we fix them. Since i have spent most of my time in Amman, my comments below are mostly applicable there.

The first issue i would like to bring up is that of air pollution. Simply put, you can not walk the streets of Amman without nearly suffocating. Yes Amman is a bustling metropolis, but somebody must regulate the car exhaust gases, and enforce that regulation! You can actually see all the black, dense, suffocating emissions spew out of pick-up trucks, mini busses, and cars of all sizes, makes, and models. Why can’t police personnel consistently issue tickets and fines for those who are caught with faulty exhausts? Why do pedestrians have to suffer? If you add up these tiny toxic deposits from all the millions of cars that navigate Amman’s streets and corners, you’ll end up with a hefty amount of toxic waste that is inhaled regularly by pedestrians and residents of this great city. “Sorry, i made a conscious decision to avoid toxic fumes by not to smoke cigarettes, and i do not want cars forcing their toxic waste down my lungs whether i like it or not“.

Speaking of smoking, when are we to realize that it is our natural right to breathe pure, smokeless air? Most restaurant, coffee shops, malls, shops, offices … you name it, are filled with smokers. I am not saying ban indoor smoking entirely (one has to set realistic goals first), but at least dedicate specific smoking and nonsmoking sections.

If you approach any smoker with a request to consider his nonsmoking fellows, you almost always get the same answer, as if it was taught and rehearsed in a secretive smokers club seminar “Smoking is my right, i am not trespassing on your right. If you don’t like it, stay away. Turn your head and don’t breathe this air”. Argh, i can not over stress how aggravating this answer is. Most people don’t come out of their mothers’ wombs with a cigarette in their hand, thus it is the unnatural thing to do, and smokers have acknowledge the right of nonsmokers to clean air. If you want to smoke, fine; it is your right. But, please do not force me to second hand smoke with you.

Another growing bad Ammanite phenomena is showmanship and one-ups-manship. In a city suffering from a growing gap between rich and poor, and the slow vanishing of middle class, many still find it necessary to indulge in extravagant arabian-gulf-like unnecessities (with no disrespect). Somebody explain this to me please; how is it necessary spend tens of THOUSANDS of Dinars on “special” car license plates while your average fresh college graduate only earns about 150 JDs per month? People used to criticize the people of the gulf for their extravaganza, and now some of us are doing the same.

“Not only do you have to buy the ungodly, gas-guzzling car that is the Hummer, but you have to buy it with a Jordanian two-digit license plate to show the rest that you are #1″. For god’s sake, that car is only a cube, at least get something with a nice shape to amuse our eyes.

I hope my criticism was not taken as blind hatred or prejudice. I know we suffer many of these problems in Palestine and in many of our Arab countries. Yet, we can not solve these issues by not talking, and acting upon them.

Finally, if you are still wondering about the title. Well, good titles must encourage the audience to read the given article, and if you have reached this point, then my bizzare title has done its job

Thanks Qwaider for your initiative.

It is obtrusive. It is ubiquitous. It is simple and (forcibly) memorable. It is annoying. It is on almost every wall and corner … and soon it will be on your shirt! …

.. Introducing … the لتشييك مزارعكم t-shirt…