My March 8, 2024 blog spoke of my personal interactions with women friends on International Women’s Day. This Opinion article found in Arab News will extend the borders even further. Written by Sinem Cengiz it is entitled: A Day of Celebration for the Strong and Powerful Women of the Gulf. .
“Anticipating the post-oil future, the Gulf states have revolutionized their diplomatic strategy in recent years, placing a greater emphasis on women’s empowerment both domestically and internationally. On Friday, International Women’s Day, the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted an inaugural ceremony at its general secretariat in Riyadh to celebrate the achievements of Gulf women and underscore their importance in the development of the six GCC states.
I attended the event, which brought together prominent Gulf women in the fields of diplomacy, economy, security, and science. Ambitious female employees at the general secretariat were the driving force behind this initiative. When the GCC was established in 1981, Fawzia Al-Khajah was the only female employee at its headquarters. There are now about 300, about 30 percent of the workforce.”
Cengiz spoke of the positive influence that these women’s achievements have made shaping women’s roles in the Gulf states. I applaud this, do not see that happening in either the United States, nor Canada.
“With International Women’s Day behind us for another year, we should continue to recognize the progress made in expanding opportunities for women in the Gulf, acknowledging their achievements across social, economic, cultural, and political spheres. Many pioneering women in the Gulf states have played a role. On social media, the GCC has already published inspiring stories about women from each member state. Through their achievements, they are exerting a positive influence on society and moving beyond the traditional mindsets that have shaped women’s roles in the Gulf states for decades.”
She concludes:
“Celebrating this important day with Gulf women in Riyadh was impressive. Women’s participation is increasing considerably, and there have been notable gains in women’s rights. But there are still challenges to overcome, and more needs to be done. May all women worldwide strive to achieve their goals and contribute to the betterment of their societies.”
As I said in my blog of March 8, 2024. “We are doing out part – as my Malaysian sister wrote on the message she sent me: To us and all women out there!
A composite photo accompanying the article contained the pictures of 17 women. You may see the photograph and read the entire article at https://arab.news/ygkq2.
We are now ‘into’ March. My Ithra wall calendar, provided as a gift, has inspirational messages for every month. January was: Let Inspiration Lead. February was: Unlock the Possibilities. March is: Dare to Disrupt. April will be: Accept the Roadblock. This I find a bit incongruous with the message and inspiration of Ramadan. That would be understandable if this were a Muslim minority or Muslim majority country. But this is a Muslim country, through and through. People of other faiths are welcomed hospitably and are free to practice their faith but the Quran is the constitution of this land. I do not think I should be daring to disrupt during the beginning of Ramadan nor necessarily accepting roadblocks at its conclusion. In my defense I let inspiration lead me in January and did unlock several possibilities in February. If I am going to disrupt in March I have to do so today or tomorrow.
Disrupt has the greatest of synonyms; throw into confusion, throw into disorder, throw into disarray, play havoc with, derange, turn upside-down, make a mess of, obstruct, impede, hold up, throw a monkey wrench in the works of.
I am suddenly inspired, unlocking the possibilities. I know what I can do disrupt, to play havoc with, turn upside-down and throw a monkey wrench in the works of. I am going to give up Instagram for Ramadan. I was thinking of making that one of my intentions along with prohibiting the consumption of news (usually unreliable) about the world
Instagram stresses me. My woes were described in the blog of February 9, 2024: .
The Meta Media Giant in control of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has been found to censor reality. It has censored me. I live and write in the world of reality. Instagram sometimes does deal, and report, reality; BUT, sometimes it does not. How can a person know which is which? Who has the final say? Them, always them, and they are capricious. It is my considered opinion that positive posts and reels are allowed in order to elicit negative responses. This discourages positivity and gives negative responders an opportunity to voice their views which otherwise would not be heard or considered.
A considered opinion is an opinion or decision that someone has reached after a lot of thought. To distinguish a truth from opinion please take note: An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts, which are true statements.
This from Wikipedia:
Distinguishing fact from opinion is that facts are verifiable, i.e. can be agreed to by the consensus of experts. An example is: “United States of America was involved in the Vietnam War,” versus “United States of America was right to get involved in the Vietnam War”. An opinion may be supported by facts and principles, in which case it becomes an argument.
All of the above supports my decision to take a recess from Instagram. Instagram is simply not a forum for reasoned discussion. Never has been, never will be.
Decided to make different sorts of Ramadan Recess announcements to different groups of people To ‘regulars’ to whom I ‘speak’ often I sent them a response which was public. This interchange between Clare, the Outdoor Adventure. I met her in a Starbucks in Abu Dhabi about two years ago. We have followed one another on Instagram since.
Me: Wow. Giving up Instagram for Ramadan, See you later. Keeping up the blog though.
She: That’s torture.
Me: Which part?? The blog reading?? Instagram recess easy and stress reducing.
Personal messages to the people I DM
She and others: We will miss U With some found different ways to connect.
Then a post to all followers. The photos on the post will be displayed at the conclusion of this blog.
Me: I am having a Ramadan Recess from Instagram. Swipe to see more Ramadan decorations from hotel and other staff. Bye guys. Will talk about it on the blog.
Also left a note to close friends.
I feel relieved already. I wonder if I will return. Will see if I miss it. The jury is out (An informal idiom used to say that something has not yet been decided or has not yet become clear.
I will discuss the decision not to follow world news on a later blog. As to not following the news. This from the March 9, 2024 Arab News brought forth anxiety.
“RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 23,040 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday According to an official report a total of 12, 951 were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 6,592 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 3,497 for labor-related issues.”
There is no problem at the moment because my tourism visa is valid but what happens, if and when it is not? I am in no mood to get arrested, nor deported, for that matter. If I do not read such alarming news I would not be worried.
Not being on Instagram may make me harder to find. Hahaha
