I am in a state of total confusion by the way and manner global affairs are being shaped by largely activities of Arabs World and the Western Powers.

You may appreciate my bewilderment only if you tune in to any broadcast channel from these two axis. What we see on daily basis are cold blooded shedding of human blood for spurious reasons ranging from attempts to enthrone democracy, propagation of religion and enforcement of rigid ideologies.

We are living witnesses to how notoriety and barbarity is now becoming the feature of normal modern lives: the use of swords and knives to behead human beings; mass-execution of citizens, aerial bombardments of innocent souls among various other atrocities that only depict scenes from horror movies.

A careful analysis of these developments will clearly reveal that they have their genesis in certain activities emanating from Arabia and Western powers.

Probably realising the gravity of the danger that these recent developments are posing to our world especially considering situations in Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Arab world, President Barack Obama of the United States of America (USA) recently sought an alliance with some Arab leaders towards eliminating the emerging challenges from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) a group that has already occupied some large territories of those beleaguered countries.

The Arab World and Western Powers should realise that the world was saner until the unfortunate incident of September 11, 2001 infamously referred to as 9/11 in the United States where over 3000 citizens from different countries around the world perished in a terror attack masterminded by Al Qaida.

Almost all the suspects and those that admitted complicity in the attacks were Arabs.

In a desperate attempt to redeem its image against intelligence in the build up to that event and reassert itself as superpower, the American government led an alliance that invaded Afghanistan, the haven of Al-Qaida and its leaders. Thousands of lives were lost in that expedition.

While many would support the attacks on Afghanistan because it is the home of Taliban, subsequent incursions into other countries by the West were quite inimical to world peace and global survival. At that period, Iraq was relatively peaceful and there has been no evidence that it was involved in state terrorism since the defeat of Sadam Hussein since the end of First Gulf War.

Just like a tide from the blues, America and Britain brought allegations that Iraq under Saddam had stockpiled Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The allegation were engineered and triggered by some leaders in the Arab world who despised Saddam so passionately not minding that they were those arming him decades earlier to fight the Iranians who are non-Arab.

Within a short period, Iraqi leadership were destroyed, their military bastardised, their people mercilessly embarrassed and killed in various activities, which were also supported by some Arab countries who provided western powers the base for the attacks on Iraq.

Not done, Libya, a peaceful African-Arab country, with better welfare for its people under Muammar Ghaddafi later became another country that was attacked through the influence, collaboration and conspiracy between the Arabs and the West by instigating the revolts by citizens who became rebels against their government. We recall the noise from western powers, especially the Britain and France before the aerial bombardment of Libya by allied forces. Ghaddafi was brutally murdered in cold blood and the Libyan the military and police, like the case of Iraq were also bastardised and humiliated.

Not done with experimentalism of military adventures, Syria became another target where the Arab World and Western Powers again sponsored rebellions against the state in desperate efforts to remove Assad.

Before the early protests in Damascus, Syria was one of the most peaceful governments under democratic rule in the Arab world. It is an open secret that Arab leaders are publicly supporting illegal oppression of Syria through the sponsorship and promotion of rebels against the Syrian government and its military.

While Western powers claim that their intervention is to enthrone democracy most of their Arab allies who are supporting the rebels in Iraq, Syria and Libya and other places are not democratic.

I am bemused when some of the crises are linked to religious propagation and enthronement of democracy. The fallacy of the islamisation theory or conspiracy is easily exposed in realization that the affected Arab countries that are predominantly Muslims witness the killing of Muslims by Muslims. Arguments about democratisation in the Arab World is easily defeated as most Western allies in that region are monarchical rather than democratic as they are ruled by Kings and their families.

As the world faces challenges of insecurity, we must call on Western powers and their allies in the Arab World to give the rest of the world the peace we desire for the survival of the universe as events in Africa are pointing to similar clandestine interruptions through insurgency and terrorism with clear support from global players.

May I appeal to Western Powers and the Arab World to kindly spare the continent of Africa the kind of barbaric atrocities being perpetrated daily and over the years in the Middle-East in the name of Islamization and enthronement of western democracy.

As an African from Nigeria, I tend to smell rotten fish that if Africans refuse to face and squarely address the current insecurity in the continent, our land may become the next arena for deadly experimentation through bloodshed in the name of religion and democracy.

As an African Muslim with many Christian friends and even non-believers in faiths, I am fully convinced and aware that no religion, creed and culture promote animosity, hatred and criminal violence. My prayers is therefore for our leaders and people to learn from this history in motion while we appeal to the Arab World and Western Power to give us breathing space.

The post An African’s Memo to Arabs and the West appeared first on YAShuaib.

Prince Khaled Al Faisal of Mecca

Hajj is Islamic pilgrimages to holy sites of Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia which is only compulsory for those that could afford it, while Umra is the lesser Hajj which is optional and supererogatory. Most Muslims undertake the lesser Hajj during Ramadan, month of fast.

Pilgrims perform the religious obligation for personal spiritual upliftment and obedience to God. Nevertheless some people embark on the pilgrimage for other reasons, such as high profile networking, politicking, commercial purposes and consolidation of matrimonial vows. There are instances where daring beggars sponsor their trips to the holy land in order to beg for alms.

Considering the stressful and demanding nature of assignments as the spokesperson of the Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), I chose to go for the Umrah to seek solace in the presence of God and put behind me the pressure of attending to recurring natural and human-induced disasters such as floods, rainstorm, building collapse, bomb explosions and road accidents which also occur in other countries.

Initially the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi refused to grant my leave for the spiritual retreat, insisting that there were urgent emergencies that required physical interventions, relief distributions and advocacies on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). On Friday August 19, 2011, after attending to such crucial assignments in some states, I flew to Jeddah International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

An average of 15 million people visit Saudia Arabia annually and mostly for religious purposes although non-Muslims remain formally prohibited from entering the cities of Mecca and Medina. During my visit, about 5 million Muslims performed the Umrah who came from various backgrounds, colours and ethnicities, mainly from Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa.

Saudis have transformed their towns surrounded by mountains in the desert into modern mega cities. Developers continuously embark on gargantuan projects, multi-storey hotels, restaurants, mega shopping plazas and luxury apartments. There are no signs of penury but rich cultural heritage and splendid infrastructures: beautiful landscapes, memorable monuments, good road networks, functional factories and highly receptive people. The cities brightly illuminated due to constant electricity supply; yet potable water gushes out of the taps in torrent from a desert country; almost all places have cooling systems due to hot weather temperature.

Accommodations are available for the pilgrims ranging from leading luxury Hotels to cheaper apartments as well as free spaces for those who would rather stay in the mosques for continuous prayers. The security personnel and volunteers courteously control traffic of massive crowds and are so helpful in guiding pilgrims. Due to the strict sharia law that provide harshest punishments for offenders, cases of stealing, robbery, kidnapping, hostage-taking and immoral behaviours are strange words here as shops are left open during praying period.

Having put Nigeria behind me, I was in the grand mosque of Mecca on August 26, 2011 being the last Friday of the Ramadan. The inner and outer parts of the mosque had over a million pilgrims in attendance being a unique spiritual day. As the Imam uttered the ‘Salam alaikum’ to end the noon prayers, I received an emergency call about an explosion in United Nations (UN) House in Abuja, Nigeria. Text and email messages inundated my mobile set from representatives of foreign media in Nigeria, especially CNN, Reuters, AP, Blomberg, BBC among others who always like to authenticate information from reliable sources. As PR practice I was in touch with NEMA officials in Abuja for updates as I also issued Press releases through my mobile phone.

In the evening I received a text message from NEMA boss who had arrived Mecca in the company of the Nigeria’s delegation led by the Vice President Namadi Sambo. Sani-Sidi asked me to meet him the Makkah King’s Palace where the Nigeria’s delegation was hosted by the government of Saudi.

By the time we met at the magnificent palace, editors from Ibadan-based Nigerian Tribune newspapers had called to enquire about NEMA’s rescue efforts over devastating flooding ravaging the city of Ibadan in Oyo State due to heavy rainfall. After discussing the twin-tragedies that occurred in Nigeria within a day, the NEMA boss decided to return to Nigeria with any available flight immediately, so as to coordinate the rescue efforts and relief interventions. Not ready to sacrifice my spiritual retreat, I requested to remain behind and conduct any further assignment online.

YAShuaib standing between the Holy Mosque and King Palace in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

At about 12midnight, Muslims had once again jam-packed the holy Kaaba where it would be difficult for ordinary mortal to pass through the mammoth crowd of pilgrims into the mosque. There is a Mosque overlooking the Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque) and the Kaaba at the topmost floor of the Makkah King’s Palace where the royals, presidents and other top delegations across the globe hosted in the palace observe their prayers. Being a visitor at the right time I went to the floor and sat at a strategic position waiting for the commencement of a prayer that usually took about 3 hours of intermittent standing, bowing, prostration and sitting in supplication.

A few minute before the rigorous spiritual exercise, a young boy of about 10 years came and with humility requested from a man beside me if he could spare a space for an old man. The feeble looking old man, whom I presumed to be his grandfather, limped to my side with the support of a walking stick.

The old man used his walking stick as support throughout the duration of the strenuous and energetic prayers through standing, bowing, prostration and sitting for more than two hours. Immediately after the prayers, I asked the old man who had early offered me drinking water why he must stand throughout the session rather than sitting when it is permitted in Islam for the weak to pray in whatever position that is convenient for them.

He politely replied that “when it comes to serving God, you do it with all strength and faith.”I responded: “I admire your strong heart and faith at your advanced age and your ability to go through the prayers as I could sense the pain you went through.”

Amazed at his flawless English, I asked where he learnt to speak fluently. He replied that he schooled in Britain more than 30 years ago. We chatted about adulteration of language, especially Arabic due to civilisation. We discussed the use of scientific technology to resolve moon-sighting for Ramadan period. He emphatically told me that the Ramadan fasting in Saudi Arabia would be 29 days rather than a full month of 30 days. When I raised the issue of significance of internet as the modern tool for communication and information gathering, he pointed out that he was reluctant to be an internet freak because it could be addictive and distractive from natural norms of interaction and communication. He further added that he got the information he wanted from reliable channels and sources. The disclosure made me to realise the reason most of the hotels in Mecca and Medina do not give priority to the use of the internet as telephone and Fax are mostly their tools for communication.

As we were chatting, I could see some guests at the side waiting to see him. He was comfortable and at ease during our discussions and even asked for my name and whether I could visit him in Jeddah after the Ramadan fasting. After taking my name, I simply ask him: “What is your name?” He replied thus: “Khalid!”

I said casually: “Thanks Mr. Khalid.”

He asked one of his aides, Ahmed Saleh to give me his numbers.

After he left with his guests I asked Ahmed Saleh, the aide: “Who is that old man?”

The aide replied: “You had just spoken to Prince Khaled Alfaisal the Emir and Governor of Mecca.”

I was very shocked; I rushed to my hotel room and googled his name. The picture of the same old man appeared with his quite impressive profile.

So an Arab Sheik and royal prince could be so simple, unassuming and compassionate! That encounter proves to me that among princes, Khaled is a noble and humble person who demonstrates the equality of men before God.

This article by Yushau A. Shuaib has appeared in some online media and also in the following print media: Economic Confidential september, People Daily September 13, New Nigerian September 14, Trust September 18, Nigerian Tribune September 18, Thisday September 18, Daily Independent September 28, Leadership September 30, The Guardian October 2, Vanguard October 5,  and the Punch November 18, 2011

The post Lesser Hajj: An Encounter with Prince Khaled of Mecca appeared first on YAShuaib.