Category Archives: Religion

September 29, 2025 · 15:24

And for today

That is what I was thinking. I saw the news (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2617052/saudi-arabia) where I saw ‘KSrelief undertakes new food and medical initiatives in Africa’ and I was off to the races. It is mostly because the western media refuses to give us anything on what they do. They think the boobies of Kim Kardashian are much more news worthy. So as I see that they “The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has launched and concluded several major relief initiatives across Africa this week, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, KSrelief inaugurated a large-scale food security support project designed to help the country’s most vulnerable communities.” I will make space for this (especially as the news worthy media does not). And for that the “SPA reported that the program will distribute 38,900 food baskets, each weighing 40 kilograms and containing essential food items, reaching approximately 233,400 individuals across multiple regions. The initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia’s pledge to support the Lake Chad region, a commitment made during the 2024 Jeddah Donors’ Conference.”The idea that this touches over two hundred thousand people in multiple regions is nothing short if miraculous. I initially would like to think the massive amount of drivers that were needed to bring this to the people as that is my expectation, but I have no idea how many drivers this would take to these trips. And when we see in that same setting giving us “According to SPA, an 18-member volunteer medical team performed 28 open-heart surgeries, 95 cardiac catheterization procedures, and three transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) operations.” We need to see the massive amount of good that KSrelief does to the world and in this case to Africa. 

As for the other news, it is a little more questionable. Irani News (at https://www.iranintl.com/en/202509284910) gives us ‘Khamenei adviser urges joining Saudi-Pakistan defense pact’ I have issues here. It is nice that they want to sit under the Atomic Umbrella it provides, but Iran has been Thumbing the nose towards Saudi Arabia (and others) by setting channels of. Communication with terrorist organisation like Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah, making them proxy members to say the least. My personal setting is that Iran at the very least will disavow these connections and stops fueling the wars that they have been. Any settings found in the future makes them automatically no longer eligible for this Saudi-Pakistani defense pact. And with the setting of “Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi told state television on Saturday night that the agreement between Riyadh and Islamabad was positive and proposed Iran, Iraq and others also take part. “Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iraq can reach a collective defense pact,” he said, while acknowledging that US influence over Riyadh and Islamabad may limit such moves.” We should realise that there are off course stabilizing benefits to this, but the danger that Iran poses with its ‘three terrorist allies’ is no guarantee that they have the stabilizing issues that they are proclaiming that Iran could face. As I personally see it, Iran was a seat on the Muslim-majority Defense pact and it wants a bigger seat on the Islamic table and that should never be allowed before their have adjusted the points of communication they invoked through terrorism. 

The world (and in particular the Muslim setting) of a stabilizing setting with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan are much better served with Iran on the outside of that equation. Iran did this to themselves and now that Israel has had enough of the setting that Iran provided, Iran wants to hide behind a nuclear umbrella whilst it keeps on setting fires to the middle east. I don’t think it is a good thing and it should not be allowed. As I see it Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi will have to remove the coal coals it dispensed over the middle east and in a first setting needs to remove Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah channels of support from the table. 

OK, it is clear that I am no person of interest to Saudi Arabia and I do not think they would ever see me as a party of influence here, but that is what I believe. And whilst we are at it, how much support has Iran given to these three parties in the last 5 years? 

I reckon that removing these three from the ‘free oil wells’ of dollars is a absolute first in this setting and any support found from Iran will without any delay thrust them outside the Saudi-Pakistani defense pact. 

That it for today, time to enjoy a lovely coffee and perhaps a small pastry, have a a great day.

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September 13, 2025 · 12:30

The settings you never see

I got a little surprise yesterday, apparently Saudi Arabia is (at https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2025/09/11/saudi-fund-for-development-to-give-syria-165-million-barrels-of-crude-oil) handing Syria ‘Saudi Arabia to give Syria 1.65 million barrels of crude oil’ and we are given “Saudi Arabia will supply Damascus with 1.65 million barrels of crude oil to support the country’s economy and improve living conditions for its people, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.” In addition we are given ““The grant aims to enhance the operations of Syrian refineries and achieve both operational and financial sustainability. Its goals include supporting economic development, addressing economic challenges, fostering the growth of vital sectors, and contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals,” SPA reported.” I think it is a great setting that Saudi Arabia is helping its ‘neighbors’ in getting a more robust economy. It comes after we were given (at https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/09/07/saudi-arabia-launches-damascus-area-reconstruction-project- )“At an event Sunday in Damascus, the Kingdom’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) announced an aid package that includes a project to clear more than 75,000 cubic meters of rubble from the capital and its surroundings.” I took notice as KSrelief is doing a lot of good in the Arabic peninsula and Africa, news that doesn’t make it into the western press. You see, it doesn’t fuel the digital dollars of the western media. And as they think that Syria is old news, they basically don’t bother.

But this shows Saudi Arabia to be a ring neighbour and their projects would benefit those millions of barrels of oil. A setting the western media also ignores. But we are informed by Al Arabiya as is the Arabic peninsula. We are also given that “Saleh said the rubble hinders humanitarian efforts and reconstruction, and that unexploded “war remnants threaten the lives of civilians.”” Ans this is the second setting that we are given after Riyadh informed the people in July that it pledged $6.4 billion in investment and partnership deals with Syria. Good for Saudi Arabia and good for Syria. Yes, we are never informed about the cleaning operations that others cause. But the UN keep on bitching about the diluted and misinformed focal points in the world. 

In other news
Yes, this also impact Saudi Arabia, but not in a way people care to know. We were informed about a month ago that Ubisoft is adding a DLC to AC Mirage. A game I enjoyed. What I didn’t know it that this involves Saudi Arabia. We are given in several ways “Ubisoft staff raised concerns with management over the company’s alleged dealings with Saudi Arabia.” As such does it matter? Ubisoft has done plenty of Dealings with America and their transgressions into all kinds of illegal operations are ignored. And when we get to “Game File reported that a representative from Ubisoft’s social and Economic Committee (CSE) directly questioned company management about whether “seeking a contract with a person accused of crimes against humanity for ordering the assassination (including his dismemberment and dissolution in acid) of a journalist, could contribute to the Ubi-bashing the company is currently suffering?”” I now say let these idiots of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) come with actual and factual evidence. Enough is enough! So whilst we are given “While Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed a deal with the Savvy Games Group or Saudi Arabia generally, the company announced on August 23, 2025, that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will receive free DLC later this year, which will be set in ninth-century AlUla (a city in Saudi Arabia).” A setting that I presume is part of an ancient oasis city and governorate in the Medina Province of Saudi Arabia, but I am not the expert of that. This reminds me, could it be an idea to incorporate the works of Tusif Ahmad (I reported on that two days ago (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/09/10/outside-the-box-we-see/) the idea that the presumed bras or copper templates might open a setting or a door that opens a larger stage of the game. Consider that these copper shadows might be seen as the earliest Quranic verses in this case, a verse by Tafsir Surah (I hope I got that correct) and that could spark all kinds of fandoms by Islamic people. It is just an idea and I got there in less than a day. As such I say yay Ubisoft. I think it is high time that the western world gets of its seemingly high horse badgering American slogan devoid on facts or evidence. It will be some effort to leave alone AC Shadows as I am in the middle of it, but no one ignores a free DLC (only idiotic sycophants do) and lets be clear AC Mirage was a decent game, so I will like to revisit that game, but there is not doubt AC Shadows is likely the Ubisoft finest work, it is likely their sixteen chapel. (As christian expressions go). And the revisit of AC Mirage has a second effect on me. I still believe that Ubisoft with an expansion of the META Quest 3 (or equal device) might instill a global perception of languages. 

As schools are less and less able to fund their own settings. There is a setting that Ubisoft could inspire language skills and that is the next iteration of the AC games. Some tweaking is required, but at present we have

AC Mirage – Arabic
AC Brotherhood – Latin and Italian
AC Unity – French
AC Syndicate – Formal English
Watchdogs Legion – Modern English
AC Shadows – Japanese and Portuguese
AC III – American (they don’t speak English there) 

And at present there is a nagging need for linguistic skills and the larger setting that these games could in corporate linguistic skills and cultural knowledge. Take a look at the past. The Latin community (aka the Roman Empire) handed people skills through ‘Familia Romana’. So there is no real IP setting here, now translate this to all the other languages in a rosetta stone setting and now we have a new ball game. A setting that could be replicated through all manner of books that have been out there in numerous languages. Now set this to AC Mirage and suddenly all the AC fans want to learn these languages. I get that there is a need to seek reinforcements through all manner available. So why not these settings. I think Saudi Arabia does the right thing by giving people something to strive for, especially as the media is crying unsubstantiated allegations since at least February 27th 2021 when I wrote ‘That was easy’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2021/02/27/that-was-easy/) Where I blast to pieces the work of the United Nations and its essay writer Eggy Calamari. So there.

Have a great day and let that be a warning to the CSE hiding behind there ‘alleged’ and ‘accused’ parts. I reckon that they might get the limelight for impeding business though little to no founded accusations. This has been going on for 4 years and no factual evidence has ever been presented. In the mean time we can soon enjoy a new chapter in the AC Universe.

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June 27, 2025 · 18:59

Something learned

That happens, even to me. Sometimes I learn something new. Yesterday it was through a story in the Al Arabiya (at https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2025/06/26/on-islamic-new-year-saudi-arabia-unveils-new-goldembroidered-kiswa-for-kaaba) where we are given ‘On Islamic New Year, Saudi Arabia unveils new gold-embroidered Kiswa for Kaaba’ with the byline “Made from 670 kg of silk and 150 kg of gold and silver threads, the new cloth is installed in a centuries-old tradition as fragments of the old Kiswa are gifted to world leaders and preserved in archives” it gives us “Saudi Arabia unveiled the new Kiswa, the black and gold cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, on the first day of the Islamic New Year in a sacred tradition that dates back to the Prophet Mohammed.” As such this is a tradition that goes back a long time. I reckon that the event has been in place for over 1390 years and this is the first I hear of this? I know I had my mind on other things during primary school, but I was not that asleep and even after that I do not remember being told this, as such I reckon that many in the west didn’t know this. So not only were we told lies in school that the crusaders were there to fight of the saracens as they invaded to lands of Christ, now I learn that we were withheld a lot more than that? And there is a rather large setting. Consider the byline telling us “fragments of the old Kiswa are gifted to world leaders”, as such did no world leader in the west ever get this? I would imagine that Queen Elisabeth II got one, optionally Queen Juliana and/or Queen Beatrix as well. But I never heard this. So who is this event silenced? Consider that the new kiswa “The new Kiswa is made of 670 kilograms of natural black silk and 150 kilograms of gold and silver-plated thread. It features 68 Quranic verses embroidered with 24-karat gold-plated silver, all hand-stitched by skilled artisans using traditional Islamic embroidery techniques.” And I reckon that this should be shown in every newspaper on the planet, no matter if we are Christian, Buddhist  or Hindu. This is an important world event and we aren’t told this. So, when was the last time that you were intentionally kept n the dark? I get that it might not make front page news in places like Munich, Rotterdam or London. But no mention at all? I reckon that if the internet has one job, it would be to inform the people. In addition we are given “It is produced annually at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Manufacturing of the Kaaba’s Kiswa in Mecca, and its estimated cost is approximately $4.5 million (SAR 17 million).” I would state that the need for a YouTube video on this process is seemingly long overdue (that is if there is no taboo against filming the event. Not all religious tainted event welcome filmmakers. When in doubt, try to find film on the Vatican library (just saying).

And that part is now shown with “The Kiswa is replaced every year on the first day of Muharram – which falls on Thursday in the lunar calendar – in a carefully coordinated operation involving over a hundred specialized technicians. The installation is carried out using electric lifts and scaffolding to ensure that no part of the Kaaba is exposed at any time.” OK, I get that until the new year this is not shown, but after the new year. Could it be shown then? And we conclude this lesson with “To protect the Kiswa from damage during the Hajj pilgrimage, a white cotton covering known as the “Ihram of the Kaaba” is temporarily added to its lower portion. This barrier shields the cloth from being touched, torn, or stained as millions of pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba during the peak days of worship.” OK, I get that, but all of this is new to me and I reckon new to a lot of non-Muslims. So why were kept in the dark? It might be a Muslim thing, but as I see the news in Al Arabiya, I doubt there was a religious reason to keep us in the dark and this has been going on for over a thousand years (plus more then 300 years in change). 

So, if my calculus is correct, every side gets cut into 14 pieces, which makes it one massive piece each. With the caption that the photograph has “The Kaaba’s Kiswa is replaced in an intricate ceremony.” I am merely given additional questions. None of this was known to me. I feel no guilt as I am not Muslim, but these elements give us a clear showing that the media is double guilty. To leave the people out of such an event is clearly the most near criminal event I have ever been a non-witness to. Even if people could not go to Mecca (non-Muslims are not allowed there). Is it so strange that no TV channel has muslims that could do this? The event is near boggling of unbridled proportions. 

As such I feel I learned two lessons. The first of the event of replacing the kiswa, the second of the discriminating media of avoiding this event and my logic is sound. Because if no media was allowed, Al Arabiya wouldn’t have covered this either.

Have a great day.

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June 6, 2025 · 23:43

Selfish grounds

That is what we all face in one way or another. At times we think in many ways, as do I. Yet there is a time when our thoughts might have been selfless, even altruistic and whatever we might call it (including me) there is no denying that we have moments when we think on slightly less selfless grounds. I am no different there. So as we consider the grounds, Arab News (at https://arab.news/bg8am) gives us ‘How Saudis spiritually connect with Hajj remotely’ and that is seemingly great news for me. You see, even as my mind gave me the consideration, even the decent satisfaction that my console will now surpass the 50 million users in that setting. You see, there was no doubt that I could get these numbers, and in the setting past phase one I merely set the numbers up to 150 million users. I am not sure how long that would take, but the time used to get there just diminished from years to months. You see, the Arab News gives us “Livestreamed pilgrimage allows worshippers to embrace spirituality from afar” I did not know this. As a non-Muslim I never considered Macca to be an optional part of the solution. I never wanted to tread on some religious footprint treading on religious thoughts and convictions damaging my idea(s).

As this article gives me “Whether they are not yet eligible, unable to travel, or simply waiting for their turn, these individuals have found meaningful ways to experience the journey spiritually — through screens, rituals, reflections and community.” The ideas started to swoop my brain. In the first setting the first trading partner Kingdom Holdings comes back into view. You see, they might be set to roughly a billion dollars, but with this, the will start with an additional 6 billion a year and beyond that a multiplex of that would become theirs to get. With this article the senseless multiple amounts of that revenue could become theirs. The minimal setting that I would need to be able to convince Talal Ibrahim Al-Maiman that this path could connect muslims on a new level. My initial idea as to sink the abuse from advertisers and give gamers a new setting to enjoy games without the advertisement abuse (as I personally see it) and when the muslim community embraces this setting the system can grow, not merely to sink whatever Microsoft throws into the mix, but it will surpass Sony and Nintendo numbers to a new height. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against these two. I enjoy the games thy both give, but technology could surpass what we have now, at a cost to the advertisers, but I never gave them any consideration in this setting.

So as we are given “This evolving form of spiritual connection highlights a growing culture of intentional observance from afar, especially among young Saudis who see Hajj not as a spectator event, but as a season for personal transformation, wherever they are. For 25-year-old Shatha Al-Jadaan, who has already completed Hajj, the way she engages with the pilgrimage now is more intimate than ever, even when she is not physically there.” I just realised that this would set the markers to an nearly easy 300 million units. You see, as I set the religion marker to the grand mosque in Riyadh and the Mosque in Medina where the prophet himself taught over 900 million muslim that would never be able to afford the Hajj would get to see something that they could never afford. As I see it 1.9 billion Muslims cannot give them all access to the Hajj. At 2 million a year, their lives would give up to 1.2 billion Muslims a chance to experience one Hajj in their lifetime. As such at least 700 million miss out on the experience. Most of them can never afford the trip, but there is a larger setting now. Now even as the ideas come to mind. I had considered the The Grand Mosque of Egypt as the third place. It’s remarkable achievement would be seen but millions who could never afford the trip and now see the result of such ingenuity. Yet this story gives me the setting that including Mecca could be the option that opens a lot more (I still feel strongly that the The Grand Mosque of Egypt should optionally be the fourth site, there is a larger setting. You see, I need this to be safe and out of the hands of Microsoft. They lost the plot and if the ‘arrogance’ of builder.ai isn’t enough. Consider that “the company relied on 700 Indian engineers to manually code applications. This was part of a larger scheme to mislead investors and customers” and this happened under the nose of Microsoft who backed that solution, so what else did they claim they weren’t seeing? That and a few others (like missing over half a dozen solutions) is enough to bar them from access to this solution,. Greed isn in their core and they will destroy whatever they need to make their quota. I want them nowhere near this solution. They are that desperate to seem like the false prophet out to get some coin, to please their board of directors. I feel that the Kingdom Holding Company is the only safe way to expedite my solution and stop them from grabbing their ankles and handing whatever solution there is to advertisers as they see that as the one solution. It is too late for that. 

So I am hoping that Talal Ibrahim Al-Maiman and optionally Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal will see the strength of my solution. 

So perhaps there are some selfish grounds for me in this, but the largest satisfaction is that I see Microsoft crumble under their own arrogance, so righteous that their way is the only way why adhering to the greed of their stakeholders and boards of directors. They did it with Xbox and look where they got there. Nintendo blew right passed them. So as they give us spin on how good they are doing, Sony gave the players what they needed and as some numbers give us “Sony has now sold over 46.6 million PS5 consoles while Microsoft sold over 21 million Xbox series (S and X together) Archived post.” As such Sony wins over 3:1 and why is Microsoft hiding the numbers? Because it doesn’t matter? Give me a break and that is merely the gaming setting of Microsoft. It means that their revenue is based on mobile gaming and as such the advertisers and I don’t want them near my IP.

As such I am hoping that the Kingdom Holding Company will take up the baton and give Muslims a new option, free from advertisers (at least in part) to give over a billion Muslims to unite and set a stringer premise for its people. Have a great day.

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June 4, 2025 · 12:32

About the setting of prayers

This is about the Hajj, it is not a negative piece as I refuse to put any religion negatively. Perhaps the Catholic side as I was raised a Catholic. So as we get the the Hajj, which starts in a little over 12 hours. We start with the Bangkok Post (at https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/3038397/no-permit-no-hajj-says-saudi-arabia) where we see ‘No permit, no hajj, says Saudi Arabia’. I get that and as we see “Last year, 1,301 pilgrims, most of them unregistered and lacking access to air-conditioned tents and buses, died as temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 degrees Fahrenheit)”, as well as ““Since the end of last season, we realised the biggest challenge is preventing unauthorised pilgrims from undermining the success of the hajj season,” said one official helping organise the hajj, requesting anonymity” I get that, I pointed this out in my lest years writings, even as many did not, they were all about blaming the Saudi governments of that failure. In addition, these settings of media never dug into the tour operators fleecing profits and living these tourists to their doom. But the media ignored that side of the equation as they reported their blame settings. Even with these unregistered Hajj seekers, the casualty list remains below 0.1% of the visitors, and when we filter this out we get a setting that the casualties in a setting of 51 degrees heat celsius remains a mere 0.018%, which is nothing short of absolutely astounding. I reckon that any western nation has yet to reveal a setting with over 600,000 people (half of what the Hajj got) and that little casualties. Consider that the Saudi government does nearly everything to keep people safe. A remarkable setting to say the least. 

Then we get to the second item, which is given to us by News Central Africa (at https://newscentral.africa/saudi-arabia-tightens-crackdown-on-unregistered-hajj-pilgrims-after-deadly-heatwave/) where we see ‘Saudi Arabia Tightens Crackdown on Unregistered Hajj Pilgrims After Deadly Heatwave’ and here we get “Saudi Arabia is intensifying its efforts to prevent unauthorised participation in the annual hajj pilgrimage, a year after extreme heat led to the deaths of over a thousand pilgrims, most of whom were unregistered.” With the additional “One organiser, who wished to remain anonymous, said that since the end of last year’s pilgrimage, preventing unauthorised worshippers has been a top priority. The hajj is one of Islam’s five pillars, and Muslims who are physically and financially able must perform it at least once in their lifetime. However, due to a quota system, permits are limited and distributed via a lottery, making the costly official route unaffordable for many. As a result, some pilgrims opt for cheaper, unofficial alternatives” I personally see why this person wants to stay anonymous. As I personally see it, their ‘sales staff’ seemingly saw a way around the permit setting and sold them using alternative settings. It is a speculatively view, but the setting makes sense when you consider the 1100 casualties without a permit and the 14 countries that has the ban are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen, and Morocco (according to a source). It makes a lot more sense when you consider the facts that ‘Nearly 270,000 pilgrims without permits stopped from entering Mecca’ (source: Euro News) where we see “Saudi Arabia has stopped nearly 269,678 pilgrims without authorisation from entering Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The government blames overcrowding at the Hajj on participants without permits. It also says they made up large numbers of the 1,300 people who died in last year’s searing summer heat.” So, so you think the pool of an additional 15% all came to the thought by themselves, or were tour operators involved? The Guardian gave us last year that tour operators made promises that caused the deaths of several, and as I see it (at least through western media) this was never investigated. This does not mean that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia didn’t investigate this, it merely means that I don’t know what happened in that specific scenario. My view that I had last year is also seemingly proven correctly as Euro News also gave me “Officials have also imposed penalties on more than 23,000 Saudi residents for violating Hajj regulations and revoked the licenses of 400 Hajj companies.” I get that over the cuties there are a lot of companies involved, but the setting of 400 Hajj companies clearly astounds me. 

And with this I salute the Hajj 2025 participants and wish them a blessed and meaningful Hajj, and I hope for Allah’s acceptance of their pilgrimage, or in shorter terms Hajj Mubarak. Let their journey be a safe one and their pilgrimage a fulfilling one. Have a great day you all.

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April 11, 2025 · 06:42

Nuance in Black and White

That is what we get, nuance, is it black or white? That is the definition of nuance for some and in this particular case Newsweek. Don’t bother with the 16 or 256 gray scales there are, because that is where their digital money is. But I took offense and that comes with a price. I am talking about the article we see (at https://www.newsweek.com/hajj-visas-saudi-arabia-travel-2056781) with the headline ‘Saudi Arabia Bans Travel Visas for 14 Countries’. It is here we see “Saudi Arabia has banned certain types of visas for travelers from 14 countries, weeks before the annual Muslim pilgrimage known as Hajj”, so far, so good is my view on this. The added “The country is clamping down on visa numbers by temporarily halting travel documents for visitors from a string of countries, with the suspension due to remain in place until after Hajj has concluded in mid-June. Officials made the move to address overcrowding and safety concerns, according to reports.” As such I see it a something that happens and I am OK with this. The issue is seen a little further down where we see “While last summer, Hajj coincided with a vicious heatwave, and more than 1,000 pilgrims died as a result of searing temperatures of up to 125 degrees F.” The issue is that the bulk of all these departed souls came from tour operators who sold them visas on ILLEGAL reasoning. As such they had no Hajj permit and as such there were no provisions, no busses and no shelters for these people. That is the nuance that I see as ‘intentionally skipped’ by Newsweek. I wonder how it feels to be the one intentionally misinforming the people. The nations who are temporary banned from visas are Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. I presumably gather that when we look at the thousand or so victims of tour operators bungling the jobs are showing the numbers that make up these victims. Oh, and I have not ever seen any of the news outlets looking into the tour operators who ‘mis sold’ the travel arrangements for the people who went on their one way trip to Makkah. We do get that in another way “The Times of India reported that people are known to enter Saudi Arabia on visitor or Umrah visas and then overstay in order to perform Hajj without registering officially. This allows them to bypass a quota system, which allocates a set number of Hajj places to each country to help control pilgrim numbers. It is hoped that a crackdown on all types of visas until after Hajj will prevent the problem.” And Newsweek sets the second problem of misinforming their audience What I stated on issues like no provisions, no busses and no shelters for these people is skipped. The Saudi Arabian settings has settings for their pilgrims. There are shelters to temporary hide from the blazing sun, busses to take them to places (which set to be 20 miles apart) and there are water provisions all for those with the Hajj pass. These were all skipped by some and as this is set up for the 2 million pilgrims. As I personally see it, these tour operators became murderers for even entertaining that setting and those who by self interest avoided the Hajj settings did this to themselves, but I fail to see that these were all self serving. The only self serving option I saw was a tour operator making a quick additional buck or two. And Newsweek did nothing to point that out either. There were no investigations by the western media and that is offensive, especially as over a thousand people lost their lives. 

We are given in the end “Muslims with the appropriate visas will be preparing for their trip, while others may have to delay their plans until next year. Meanwhile, the kingdom’s officials will be gearing up for the annual influx of Hajj visitors.” And I like this, but the simple setting of ‘appropriate visas’ is massive and needs to be shown in these places. I reckon that Saudi Arabia needs to make a small movie, optionally on YouTube and TikTok showing the dangers of the wrong visa and optionally letting these people know that these tour operators need to be reported. I wouldn’t hurt to put the fires to the ankles of these tour operators, who I personally see as the number one culprit. 

Have a great and safe day. 

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April 3, 2025 · 07:27

Seeking the moon

I was surprised by awn article in the New Arab last night stating ‘Did Saudi Arabia announce the start of Eid al-Fitr a day too early?’ (at https://www.newarab.com/news/did-saudi-arabia-get-eid-al-fitrs-date-wrong). Now there is one little setting that needs vocalizing. I am not a Muslim, so I can hide behind ignorance regarding Muslim matters, but to accuse one of the more conservative nations like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of this seems a little wild. So I had to look up a few matters before regarding the outcome. So let’s get my non Muslim readers a little up to date. We know that Islam is set to five pillars. One of them is Ramadan, the time of fasting. It lasts for a month and that implies no food or drinks between sunrise and sunset. I think there are rules for some, so that they can have water during the day, mainly the old and the sick. The end of fasting is set at a specific date. 

“According to a certain hadith, these festivals were initiated in Medina after the migration of Muhammad from Mecca. Anas ibn Malik, a companion of Muhammad, narrated that when Muhammad arrived in Medina, he found people celebrating two specific days in which they entertained themselves with recreation. Muhammad then remarked that God had fixed two mandatory days of festivity: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.”

Eid al-Fitr begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. The night on which the moon is sighted. If the moon is not observed immediately after the 29th day of the previous lunar month (either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets), then the holiday is celebrated the following day. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for one to three days, depending on the country. It is forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid, and a specific prayer is nominated for this day. As an obligatory act of charity, money is paid to the poor and the needy (zakat al-Fitr) before performing the ‘Eid prayer’.

That is as far as I got, so the festivities around the end of Ramadan is important and that is the debate, did Saudi Arabia call that mandate too early? And the byline from the New Arab is ‘showing’ “Reports and rumours online said Saudi Arabia got the timing of Eid al-Fitr wrong, but there has been no official statement from the kingdom saying this.” I cannot say that this is the case, but the fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia got this wrong is close to stunning. The Kingdom and its inhabitants live for Islam and such an accusation cannot be ignored, for me personally it seems not a biggie, but for an Islamic? It comes with the added “While some Arab countries announced Eid al-Fitr falls on Sunday, others said it was Monday. Egypt, Jordan, Syria and several other Sunni-majority countries broke with the Saudi announcement and celebrated on Monday. Shia-majority Iran also declared the festivities to begin on Monday, as well as Oman’s Ibadi religious authorities.” It comes with the added “Many astronomers and experts had rejected the idea that Eid al-Fitr could take place on Sunday, saying it was impossible to sight the moon on the preceding Saturday. The Abu Dhabi-based International Astronomical Centre said a Saturday sighting would be have been impossible from the eastern hemisphere using any type of method.

Saudi astronomer Bader al-Omaira also told Gulf News that the sighting of a crescent would have been impossible, largely due to a solar eclipse which took place on Saturday, after which sightings of the moon are not possible for several hours.” And the added setting gives it weight, according to some that the sighting of the moon was not possible for several hours makes it the debate. I for one seem to shrug at the accusation. But in the setting of not being a Muslim, I do not care that much and I am ‘heavily’ opposed to fasting, but then I need to turn every dollar around and sometime like a real accountant, I squeeze a dollar bill until it releases three 50cent coins. Life is hard at times. So I don’t celebrate too much. Yet I do understand the Muslims that have an issue with the setting of stopping their pillar of fasting a day early. Off course I do see the ‘accusation’ of “In 2011, there were reports that Saudi authorities who observe the skies to record the sighting of the moon mistook Saturn for the moon. This reportedly happened again in 2019.” That is the idea that I can see Saturn and mistake it for the pancake that hangs over our heads. I kinda find the idea to funny to ignore. There is the little setting that at the closest setting (we move in eclipses) Saturn is 746,000,000 km away, the moon I mere 360,000 km, as such I want to wonder who looks for the moon?  And that is before I’m ‘entertaining’ a few other parts. 

And here is the surprise I got, there is a difference between Sunni and Shia in Islam.

“As ritual dictates, Sunnis praise God in a loud voice while going to the Eid prayer:
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar. Lā ilāha illà l-Lāh. Allāhu Akbar, Allahu akbar, wa-li-l-Lāh al-ḥamd.
Recitation ceases when they get to the place of Eid or once the Imam commences activities.”

It s the first time that I am made aware that there is a difference between the two versions of Islam. The other part is the detection of the moon, “While some countries use astronomical calculations and technology like telescopes, others insist that it must be seen with the naked eye.” I understand that in the past like pre 1650, we had to rely on the naked eye, and to some degree I am on board that it should be done with the naked eye, but is it a sin to let technology aid us, in these matters? I am merely voicing the question and perhaps there is an Imam giving us a resounding yes to that question, as I said I am not Muslim.

The fact that Saudi Arabia was accused of something so profoundly Muslim startled me to some degree and I am not on anyones side. I merely found the occasion strange and as such I devoted a blog page to the effect.

Have a lovely day and at present I don’t see a moon, the sun got in the way of that at 07:23

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February 22, 2025 · 19:01

A marker was reached

On the second of December 2024 (one of several) mentions for the eradication of Hamas (among others) was called by me, I did so in the story ‘When it rains it pours’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2024/12/02/when-it-rains-it-pours-2/) there I put “Saudi Arabia has been under attack through Iranian proxies for too long and as such the three terrorist organizations Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi their eradication becomes a near essential.” IU don’t do this lightly. At some point Iran will set the stage of their ‘wanted’ assistance, all for the greater good of Shia muslims everywhere and they will strike against Saudi Arabia and the UAE. All for a bigger seat at the Muslim table. Iran will go for that at their earliest convenience (read : tactical opportunity) and I reckon that Hamas will be the first to ‘approve’ the action. I was under the impression that this stage was going to happen, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE might wait for too long to take affirmative actions. That was until today. Today, mostly via LinkedIn I saw the news that we see below:

Here we are shown “What we saw today in Gaza is a disgrace to Islam, an act of blasphemy against Allah.” and a source gave us “Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti makes shocking statement against Hamas” in this we are talking about Grand Mufti Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh. He was appointed in June 1999, serving islam most of his life and was appointed to a seat of leadership as early as 1969. We can therefor clearly see that he knows all levels of Islam (as I personally see this) and for a person like this to speak out against the acts of Hamas is a first sign that the days of Hamas are numbered. You see, they cannot hide behind islam with their hatred of jews to such a degree that clear sounds come from one of the most conservative Islam places for those people to speak out against Hamas. I might not phrase it in the best ways, but as I see it Hamas is about to take a dive for their own mass hatred. When other Islamic clerics follow the words of Grand Mufti Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, Gaza’s and Hamas will only be able to rely on the scraps that Iran will give them and they have problems of their own now. As I see it the pro Gaza rallies everywhere will dry up and those who rallied for Gaza will have to investigate their own souls and face their own anti-semitic side of things. 

I got the initial setting from Mr. Noor Dahri, he is the Founder and Executive Director of Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism – ITCT, a UK based Counter Islamist Terrorism Think Tank. He is an independent researcher in Counter Islamist Terrorism and Radicalisation. And it is important that we see this, there is a larger context in the acts of Hamas, especially as even islamics are opposing their action. When the dust settles Hamas will have but one recourse, to let go all the Jewish captives they still have and when the second hurdle is passed and optionally the bulk will have been killed there are two settings. The first is that Israel will go insane with rage (which is really bad for all Gaza) and the more important side is that Islam kill turn against Hamas, making them useless to say the least. 

But beyond what could be and what is, is the clear voice of Grand Mufti Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh who gave us “What we saw today in Gaza is a disgrace to Islam, an act of blasphemy against Allah.” The one voice of reason that all people could and themselves behind. Muslims, Christians and Jews. It might be the first time a setting like this happens and recognizing this is essential. Even for a simple blogger like me. We can all hide behind populistic hate and numbers in a blog, but that was never my setup. And seeing the voice of reason is essential, no matter the faith he belongs to. 

Have a nice Saturday and an optional really lazy Sunday to come.

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January 11, 2025 · 08:49

The Hardship coming

I got hit by an article in the New Arab. The article (at https://www.newarab.com/news/saudi-arabia-prepares-another-hajj-menaced-extreme-heat) gives us ‘Saudi Arabia prepares for another hajj threatened by extreme heat’ and it brought a few thoughts from last year around. In 2024 we were given “at least 1,301 people on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca died due to extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 50 °C (122 °F). Extreme heat caused heat stroke and dehydration, leading to the deaths.” As well as “At least 2,764 cases of heat-related illness, like heat stroke, were reported on 16 June alone.” What is abundantly missed is that the bulk (83%) of the fatalities were caused by people who did the tour without the permit, they took the ‘cheap’ tickets and these tour operators never had the permits for these people, I wonder if any of them were ever caught. Anyway, we now get via the New Arab “Saudi Arabia will implement extra precautions to avoid a similar incident to last year where hundreds died due to the extreme heat.” And we are also given “The vast majority of hajj pilgrims come from abroad, and diplomats involved in their countries’ responses to last year’s crisis told AFP at the time that most deaths were heat-related.” It is interesting that there is no mention of the exploitative moves the tour operators made, which caused the deaths of their customers. We are given “Saudi authorities “need to make arrangements not just for registered numbers but also for additional numbers”, particularly cooling and emergency health facilities, he said.” I cannot disagree with that, but how many extra provision does one need to make? 2024 had 1.8 million pilgrims. So how many extra is enough? And for that matter, Saudi Arabia had a decent system, as such pilgrims need a pilgrim pass. That part seems simple enough but what of the tour operators? Those who pushed for an excuse tourist visa and told them that there would be options for them? Those are the real criminals. In a pilgrimage where Saudi Arabia provides for 1.8 million is not the bad partition, they provided as good as possible. The larger issue that the weather was murder last year, with temperatures exceeding 50 °C. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia was 53 °C (2021). So what will happen this year? Will the Hajj 2025 be burdened by extreme temperatures? 

So now we are given “But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs spur many to attempt the hajj without a permit, though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.” As such the ‘risk deportation’ seems like small fries when compared to ‘weather assisted suicide’, but that is just me. 

And the one part I never saw answered anywhere was that 83% of the death are survivors that means that means that a little over 200 cases were people with permits, which taken with 1.8 million pilgrims is pretty amazing. Now the part I never saw was how many without permits survived the ordeal, as such there are scores of people who never had permits, used resources and were handed assistance by caretakers. So how much more is enough? Personally on route I would suggest more care tents and the tents should be twice the size. There is only so much anyone can do, but that might be a decent start. There is little more I can think of. The problem is that there are numerous places where problems could arise, the pilgrimage is a long road and there are the stretches and bottlenecks. It is the bottlenecks where I fear many fatalities could occur. Especially when the caretakers need to chose between Hajj permit and non-Hajj permit, it will be the agonizing hardship that any caretaker faces. One glass of water and who to give it to? His instructions might be clear the permit holder gets it and he will comply, but he will be torn inside. Any care taker would. I will be looking into the Hajj this year but not for religious reasons and I wonder how many will watch the event and more important when will something be done about the exploitative tour-operators? Consider the alternative, What if the general tourism visa would not be possible from one month pre Hajj, until one week post Hajj? Would that solve a lot of issues? There is a side in me, always trying to solve problems, solve puzzles. But that is just me. 

Have a great day.

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December 7, 2024 · 01:24

The shame of neighbours

That is a little bit awkward. You see, you are you in your own eyes, but your neighbours might disagree. I know for a fact that in the past my neighbours thought of me as someone running in the light of insanity (as they saw it). I never saw it that way, but that is me. As such I looked at the BBC article (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp837p125ywo) with the headline ‘Muslim couple forced to sell house after protests by Hindu neighbours’ with a slightly tilted head. I reckon the Mahatma would be ashamed of this event. So as we see “A Muslim couple in India have been hounded out of their newly-purchased home by their Hindu neighbours who said they would not allow them to live there because of their religion.” It comes with the additional text “Hindu residents of the posh TDI City – an upscale residential bloc in the northern city of Moradabad – began protesting on Tuesday night after news of the sale became public.” So remember, when it comes to prejudice, there is no better place then Moradabad. And that is not all. Consider that you would consider barring the neighbours you have for the simple fact that they believe something different. And it is not out of this world. Consider that in America being Democrat (or Republican) might get you socially barred in places. They might not protest you living there, but the neighbours will ignore you ever after. And it is not because you did something really wrong (like chasing children) but because you have an altered faith. We have all seen the issues in the past. Being a protestant in Ireland might not get you the high fives, being an atheist in Vatican City might equally be wrongly viewed by the Catholics around you. And there has been a near forever issue between Hindi and Muslims people. On the other hand Muhammad Ali Jinnah solved this issue by creating Pakistan. As such it took me a little back. I had not expected that this issue was still major in India. And we are given “The backlash to the sale of the house, he said, “has come out of nowhere” as there are other Muslim families already living in the colony and that “we had always had a good rapport with our neighbours”.” With the more important part “Our intention was not to create any kind of unrest with this transaction,” he said, adding that “there is no law” against this transaction.” As such there was not a legality issue, it was merely discrimination. And we can see that in more than one way. There is a reason why there are no churches in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is completely Muslim, so I get it. But in India with its 14.2% Islam population, this news seems odd to say the least and I reckon that there are Mosques housing the 202,865,128 souls. So it is not a singular setting. It is my personal view that the area of TDI City are seeking a segregated life. I don’t know how to feel about that. On one side it is deplorable, on the other side this religious issue has existed in India for well over 90 years. So I cannot see why, how or what regarding this issue. It comes across as a blockage in my mind. The stupidity of certain values. Perhaps I was raised on the wrong standards in life and that is why I cannot see this blockage for what it is. 

Have a great weekend, Saturday started an hour ago for me.

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