When it comes to writing, one of the most common ailments talked about is the dreaded writer’s block, where a writer stares at a blank screen/sheet, unable to write anything. Writing coaches often recommend creativity exercises to spark inspiration. For many years I’ve struggled to publish any articles online (except for the rare blog post […]
Author Archives: Haider
Hezbollah and Syria and Iran (Oh My!)
My Twitter feed has been bleeding news and commentary about the conflict in Syria recently, and I see tweets from both camps: in support of the armed opposition and in support of Assad’s regime. But for every ounce of valuable insight about the conflict I read, I endure a pound of ignorance and idiocy. Contributing […]
Not All Change Is Progress
My friend Hamad Mufleh recently wrote an article about the stance of the liberals in Kuwait towards the Kuwaiti opposition, and presented the argument that liberals should support the opposition, regardless of the conservative and Islamist elements within it. Before I offer my own views on the matter, I would like to point out something you’ve probably […]
Hasan Is Wrong – Religion Is Not Rational
In a recent online group discussion, an atheist friend of mine accused “religion” of being irrational. I made an attempt to explain that while world religions may not be consistently rational, there are religious individuals and denominations who value reason and science. A Muslim friend responded with a link to an article Mehdi Hasan, a […]
Democracy As A Stepping Stone To Dictatorship
In a recent article in The Guardian, former Kuwaiti MP Musallam Al-Barrak talked of the threat Kuwait’s democracy is facing given the autocratic decrees of Kuwait’s Emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Al-Barrak’s article seems to suggest that he’s a champion of democracy and hopes to see power in the hands of the people. I couldn’t help but think that half […]
How Motivational Quotes Work
A couple of days ago I posted my first comic on 9gag. I’m happy to say that it managed to reach the 9gag Hot page (now with over 26,800 likes, and counting). Link. For those not familiar with 9gag, I didn’t draw the comic myself, but wrote the text of the comic. A lot of […]
Poem For A Geek Friend
I wrote the poem below for a geek friend a long, long time ago in the comments section of another friend’s blog. He was celebrating the single geek life through poetry, so I thought I’d respond with a poem. I see you have your way with words, That will sure pay handsome rewards. And earn […]
The Muslim Dark Ages
Yesterday, the Kuwaiti Parliament approved tougher blasphemy laws in Kuwait, calling for the execution of Muslims who insult God, the Koran, the prophets, as well as the wives of Prophet Muhammad. It also calls for the execution of those claiming to be prophets or messengers from God. There’s a lot to say about how ridiculous […]
Flying Elephants
Apologies in advance for the lame joke that follows. But there’s a lesson behind the lameness. I promise. Under the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein, a science teacher was teaching her 1st grade class about animals. Student: “Miss, I was told that elephants fly.” Teacher: “No, elephants don’t fly. Who’s the idiot that told you […]
Pointless Pronouns
Here’s an exercise for you. A group in the United States wants to organize a protest in support of the Palestinian people. However, they weren’t given permission to hold their protest. Someone comments: “Let them hold their protest. Otherwise they might fly planes into buildings.” What does the comment mean? Who and what is it […]