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Habitat Schools in Ajman to Host Malayalam and English Eid Gah Prayers This Eid al-Adha - Middle East Business News and Information

Habitat Schools in Ajman to Host Malayalam and English Eid Gah Prayers This Eid al-Adha - Middle East Business News and Information

Mid East Info04-06-2025
Ajman, 04th June 2025: The General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments & Zakat (AWQAF) is organizing special Eid al-Adha prayers at Habitat Schools in Ajman. The Malayalam Eid Gah will be held at Habitat School, Al Jurf, led by Ustad Muhammed Irshad Nadvi, and the English Eid Gah at Habitat School, Al Tallah, with the Khutbah by Awqaf Imam Tariq Muhammed Ibrahim. Both prayers will begin at 5:44 AM. The events will include dedicated parking, special arrangements for women's prayer areas, and aim to create an inclusive space for all communities to join in the celebration.
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The Pragmatics of References in The Poem, "I Flirted with Myself,"
The Pragmatics of References in The Poem, "I Flirted with Myself,"

Voice of Belady

time2 days ago

  • Voice of Belady

The Pragmatics of References in The Poem, "I Flirted with Myself,"

By The Poetess Elham Issa (Syria). Written by Laarabi ( Algeria). Translated by: Awny Seif.(Egypt). Signs are distinguished by their pragmatic function in that they are directly concerned with the relationship between the structure of the language and the context in which it is are directly related to the process of communicating the discourse. They are those linguistic signs whose reference is determined only in the context of the discourse in which they appear, as they are devoid of any meaning in themselves, which is why they are called ambiguous or variable. Personal references of pronouns: These are references that indicate people, whether speaking, addressed, or absent, and language carries shapes and signs that are linked to the deliberative position to achieve the poetess, Elham Issa, - - in the world of writing - has become a systematic poetic icon who improves the use of communication and reporting tools, and masters the use of linking and rhetorical harmony create familiarity and solidarity between its texts and their recipients. Personal references: Connected first-person pronouns: ( These kinds of pronouns are found in Arabic Languages not in English) The poetess herself, by employing the first-person pronoun at times, conjured up the past tense and the present tense to carry the function of the object, as she said in the title of the poem, "I flirted with myself once, and I also knocked on the door of dawn, making dreams burp..," and in other places it is linked to the verb whose subject is hidden to carry the function of the object, as she said, "The question flared up and It covered itself with my silence". Expression in the first person is the most important stylistic means in cases of expressing anxiety, fear, love, hesitation, and heartbreak... Indications indicating absence: The poetess employed the indicative element indicating the absent person with: -Hidden pronoun:In past tense and present tense verbs as "knock, crowd"...Thus, she harbors what settles in her mind and emotions that have taken control of herself. The pronoun connected in words: In English: my silence, my pulse These pronouns refer to a central, basic reference, which is the poetess' function of referring to the same reference was performed by this self, which loves its homeland, glorifies its history, is anxious, and fears the girl's fear for her mother, so the images came to us embodied in verbal predicates pregnant with human emotions and emotions for a healthy self which loves her country. -Finally, the poetics of the creative poetess, Elham Issa, became clear, and she mastered the use of temporal references with overwhelming mastery. She took us from the time of her knocking on the door of dawn to the moment of stories that had not yet been written, which makes us acknowledge the elegance of her mental perception. The Text of The Poem. Flirted with myself once.. I knocked on the door of dawn. The morning opened brightly with a smile. The blossom washed to pray with peace. Until the garden of words grew. The question flared up and It covered itself with my silence. The ink wasn't enough to restore my pulse. I lost my Wishes Road compass, my map was torn on the sidewalks Lost dreams burp here and there.. I don't hear anything anymore.. I don't have the ability to wait for reactions. The horizon has stuttered.. Silence spreads his meaning under and over the bridges, as there were stories sealed with wax.. Others were drenched in tears.. As the caravan of oblivion crowds.. With tales and tales yet to be written

Stories from the land of Egypt - Features - Al-Ahram Weekly
Stories from the land of Egypt - Features - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

time28-06-2025

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

Stories from the land of Egypt - Features - Al-Ahram Weekly

Dina Ezzat talks to geographer Atef Moatamed about the changes taking place in the human geography of Egypt as a result of modern attitudes and the loss of traditions 'We will only understand our country when we walk its roads and deserts and move around its villages and cities, whether in the Nile Valley or further afield at its borders,' said Atef Moatamed, a geographer and writer, commenting on the many festive occasions that take place across Egypt such as the slaughter of sheep for the Eid Al-Adha or the end of Muslim fasting at the end of Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr or the celebration of Christmas or Easter. * A version of this article appears in print in the 26 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly 'Religion and religious festivities are always subject to folk influences, and they are inspired by the nature and habits of communities,' Moatamed said. He added that while there are of course common elements that connect the country together, there is no denying the fact that for centuries Egypt was as diverse as it was unified. This diversity, he said, is a fact about the place. A professor of geography at Cairo University, earlier this year Moatamed saw the launch of his book Sawt al-Makan: Sayran ala al-Akdam fi Goghrafia Masr (The Sound of Place: A Walk through the Geography of Egypt), a 270-page volume published by Cairo publisher Al-Shorouk. It is neither an academic text on the geography of Egypt nor a traveller's chronicle, however. Instead, it is a dedicated attempt to explain the impact of the diversity of the country's topography on the cultural makeup of its people, including in the Nile Valley, the coastal cities, and at the borders. The book does not cover the country's entire 1,010,408 square km, of course. But it is representative of what could be called the 'many profiles' of Egypt – profiles and not faces, Moatamed says, because he is convinced that Egypt's diversity does not undermine its core uniformity. He reminds us that similarities are always there to qualify diversity in one way or another. It is hard to overlook the imprint of ancient Egypt 'as a culture and an identity' on the habits and practices of modern Egyptians, for example. Moreover, it would be hard to argue that the three Abrahamic religions are practised in Egypt in the same way they are elsewhere, he said, despite the fact that they vary 'from one part of the country to another.' In his book, he reflects on the way religion changes into cultural practices in different locations in the country. 'Across Egypt, tolerance is hard to miss,' he said, adding 'this is a function of how all Egyptians perceive religion – as a concept and not just as a faith. But it is also a function of the impact of the topography of Egypt, which prompts unity and a sense of togetherness,' he added. But there are differences. One example mentioned in the book is the cemeteries of Al-Shatbi in Alexandria, which Moatamed says are as serene, but less sombre, than those elsewhere. This is the inevitable result of religious diversity and its impact on practices of remembering the dead. In Nubia in the far south of the country, Moatamed sees an openness to colour that is not easily spotted elsewhere. This is the case despite the displacement of the Nubian population in the 1960s as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. But there is still a lot that residents of the Nile Valley share, despite their local differences. 'Today, there are many references to the word Kemet, which means the 'Black Land' or the fertile land where the ancient Egyptians lived in the Nile Valley,' Moatamed said. The name is not designed to reflect a sense of ethnic superiority as some might think today. 'It is a sense of identity that comes from the geographical core of the country,' he stated. Over the centuries, the geographical scope of the country has changed, mostly by expansion, allowing the introduction of neighbouring cultures 'including the Nubians, the Amazigh, the Arab tribes, the African tribes, and others.' This expansion and the closer association between the Black Land of the Nile Valley and the Red Land of the Desert to the east and west created new cultural rhythms, according to Moatamed. He argued that it is hard to underestimate the impact of incoming influences, especially that of the Arab Conquest, which introducing a new language – Arabic. ARRIVALS: Egypt has worshipped countless deities over its millennia-long history, Moatamed said, and religions in general have had a wide impact. 'It might not be something that many people know, but the Nubians embraced Christianity first and then Islam,' he said. He noted that geography was not neutral in the way that different religions gained ground in Egypt. The spread of each new religion avoided parts of the country that were surrounded by mountains. Moreover, the way religion ended up being perceived and practised in different parts of the country was influenced by local cultures. The impact of geography was also important in the choices made by invaders who have conquered Egypt over the centuries. 'Both the Arabs and the Europeans, whether the Greeks in 300 BCE or the French and the British in the 18th century CE, came to Egypt via the north coast, where the city of Alexandria came to be founded,' he said. But in the case of Arabs, who came in the seventh century, it was impossible for them to settle in Alexandria or to take it as their capital 'because Alexandria is about the sea, and the Arabs who came from the heart of the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century had no association with the sea. They knew the desert better and preferred it.' Diversity continued to influence space in Egypt over the centuries, especially with the improvements in connectivity that allowed people from the north to get a taste of the life of people of the south and vice versa. 'Today, we see that the ethnic roots of clothes and jewellery are being celebrated – from Nubia, Siwa, and Sinai – but they are all celebrated as authentic Egyptian arts,' he said. 'Egypt is one land, but it is not one thing; this is something we should be happy about because it is ultimately a source of richness,' Moatamed added. In ancient Egypt, all Egyptians worshipped one God, but each of its over 40 provinces had its own deity. Today, each province exhibits a cultural duality – one side owing to its association to the whole of Egypt and the other owing to its particular geographical and topographical identity, with adjacent provinces sharing much of this. However, modernity has been affecting this ancient pattern. 'Weddings across Egypt are becoming less unique and more standardised and more in line with norms generated from the centre, for example,' he said. There is less space for local songs than there used to be, for example in the Oases of the Western Desert, and all brides now go to beauty salons to have their hair and makeup done before the wedding, even waiting at the salon for the groom to pick them up from the doorstep. 'This would not have been the case in the past,' Moatamed stated. What goes for social occasions also goes for religious ones, he argued. More and more of the specific practices associated with the holy Muslim month of Ramadan or the Eid Al-Adha are disappearing in favour of more standardised behaviour. This is a function of modernity whose advances are curtailing the uniqueness of different places and bringing more connectivity. 'When I think of peasants in the villages of Sohag [in Upper Egypt], for example, I can see the change,' Moatamed said. 'In the past, their lives were all about farming. They were attached to the land, and they would not want to leave. This is no longer the case.' 'With the increasing demand for workers for the mines across the Red Sea desert, these farmers are leaving their land,' Moatamed said. This, he explained, is a function of the changing nature of the local geography due to the greater connectivity between Sohag and the Red Sea. It also leads to another change, namely the decline in the use of agricultural land. CHANGE: Modernity is not the only bringer of change to Egypt, Moatamed said, since there is also climate change. He referred to the erosion of the North Coast in and around Alexandria, something reported on in his book in detail. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly before the storm that hit the city in late May, Moatamed said that he was as worried for Alexandria as he is for Port Said and the entire north of the Delta. 'I am not sure we are ready to deal with the consequences of climate change on the North Coast, and my fear is that we could lose some of these cities or at least face a dramatic change in their nature and consequently in the story they have contributed to the overall story of Egypt,' he stated. There are other factors whose impacts are coming, among them economic. Moatamed said that economic pressures are prompting more and more people to abandon their land in favour of more profitable jobs in the country's cities. The construction and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that is feared will influence the flow of Nile water into Sudan and Egypt is another factor to take into account with regard to the possible impact on agricultural land, he said. 'It is painful to see the decline in agricultural land, whatever the reason,' he said, adding that this will impact the villages of the Delta and Upper Egypt and consequently also their cultural practices. In his book, Moatamed pays tribute to the commitment that the people of Nubia have shown to their traditions even after their displacement from their traditional land with the building of the High Dam. He writes at length about the 'right to place,' the title of the second chapter of the book, where he laments the inegalitarian access to Mediterranean beaches that have become closely associated with the financial ease. He also laments the lack of access to Red Sea beaches, which 'again is about economic limitations,' he says. In the latter area, the issue is not just socio-economic inegalitarianism but also industrialisation and a development plan that gives hardly any consideration to the 'right to place, including the right to access the beaches that people are supposed to be entitled to,' he said. 'We have forgotten that the banks of the River Nile in Cairo are often no longer accessible for strolls for those without financial means, unless they work in the restaurants and cafes that are dedicated to those who can afford them,' he added. In the central chapter of the book, Moatamed reminds readers that the 'relationship between people and nature – be it the river, the sea, or the land – is not about leisure and pleasure,' but instead is 'the main motive for creativity and productivity.' 'Zoning off the river and the sea with gates that only the rich, and never the poor, can get through does not just lead to short-term socio-economic grievances but also actually undermines the [inspiring] concept of endlessness... in favour of the [constraining] concept of limitation,' he said. He said that his book is a testimony about things that are endangered. 'I am not sure that we can be accurate when we talk about endangered things, because at the moment it seems that so many things, or almost everything, is somehow at risk,' he added. Worrying about the loss of connections between places and people in Egypt is not an idealistic thought, he argued. It comes from an understanding that the more these connections decline, the less association people will have with places and for that matter with the culture that they have given rise to, he said. Such changes also affect the relationship between the tribes of the Eastern and Western deserts and the land, which has now become more about making money through tourism or other activities than about traditional affinity. 'Some 20 years from now, those who are currently in their 30s will not be the 'elders' of their local communities. Unlike [those who are in their 50s today], they will not have sufficient knowledge to share the incremental story of Egypt,' he stated. In the introduction to his book, Moatamed writes that his decision to share his trips across Egypt and the research associated with the impressions he has gathered is about sharing testimony but also about calling attention to the need to think carefully about what must be done to keep the Egypt story intact. It is time for other people to set out on tours of Egypt, even in the simplest and most basic ways, in order to get a close and first-hand look at a story that might impact them in different ways and to take ownership of it. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

The curse of Tutankhamun's shrines
The curse of Tutankhamun's shrines

Egypt Independent

time17-06-2025

  • Egypt Independent

The curse of Tutankhamun's shrines

On November 4, 1922, English explorer Howard Carter successfully unearthed the treasures of King Tutankhamun's tomb. This discovery is considered the greatest in the history of archaeological finds across all eras, not just the 20th century. However, contrary to what one might assume—that fame and success brought Carter immense happiness—his life was far from easy after the discovery. Indeed, it was rife with problems and difficulties, including with the Egyptian government, which sought to protect Tutankhamun's treasures from plunder and ensure they remained outside the British Museum. Carter's own complicated personality also caused issues, particularly in his relationships with close associates and colleagues. A notable example involves Sir Alan Gardiner, still considered one of the most renowned Egyptologists and experts in ancient Egyptian language. Gardiner joined Carter's team, working under him purely as a volunteer, driven by his desire to translate any texts found within the tomb. This was despite Sir Alan Gardiner's vastly superior stature, extensive experience, and academic contributions in the field compared to Carter's. Nevertheless, the discovery of such a pristine royal tomb propelled Carter's name into international fame, making him a sought-after figure whose association was desired by others merely to have their names mentioned in the discovery's scientific publications. The second scholar was James Henry Breasted, who was less enthusiastic about working with Carter. He personally disliked Carter's character and considered him semi-educated and uncultured—a fact we've explored in previous articles. Nevertheless, Henry Breasted was also a renowned Egyptologist with numerous publications. The reason both Gardiner and Breasted were included in the team tasked with publishing the discoveries from Tutankhamun's tomb was Carter's belief that the tomb would undoubtedly contain a large number of written papyri, in addition to the texts found on the artifacts within the tomb. However, surprisingly no papyri, not even small fragments, were found in the tomb! Carter described this disappointment eloquently, stating: 'I found what was buried with Tutankhamun, but understanding Tutankhamun eluded me!' He had truly hoped to find written papyrus scrolls detailing King Tutankhamun's life. In other words, Carter had desired the king's diary in order to truly understand who Tutankhamun was. And then, there is the legend of Tutankhamun's cursed shrines: these were three nested shrines that covered and protected the king's sarcophagus. The largest was the outer shrine, which completely filled the burial chamber, leaving barely any space between its gilded wooden walls and the chamber's walls. Its surfaces were covered in exquisite hieroglyphic texts. What happened with these shrines was quite astonishing: before their discovery, removal from the tomb, and reconstruction in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Howard Carter had already dismissed both Alan Gardiner and Henry Breasted! There was no longer any linguist on his team to decipher the writings on the shrines. James Henry Breasted's reason for leaving Carter's team was Carter's refusal to grant him permission to use some of photographer Harry Burton's images in an upcoming book. Burton worked with Carter, photographing artifacts extracted from the tomb. Strangely, Carter refused to allow Breasted to use the photos for free, forcing him to pay for them instead. Infuriated by Carter's behavior, Breasted withdrew. Gardiner's departure, however, was even stranger. Sir Alan Gardiner was known as one of the wealthiest Egyptologists, hailing from a rich aristocratic family. Gardiner frequently supported less fortunate Egyptologist friends, like Jaroslav Černý. Carter consistently tried to curry favor with Gardiner, even giving him a pharaonic amulet without revealing anything about its origin. When Gardiner showed it to a friend, he was astonished to learn that the amulet was from Tutankhamun's tomb! Gardiner was extremely upset by this revelation and sent a scathing letter to Carter, questioning how Carter could allow himself to gift him a stolen amulet from the tomb. Following this incident, Gardiner withdrew from working with Carter. This left no linguists on the team to translate the texts on the shrines that had been moved to the Egyptian Museum. Visitors from all over the world would visit the shrines, walking around them in the museum, unaware of the meaning of the inscriptions, until Russian-born linguist Alexander Piankoff finally succeeded in translating the texts of the golden shrines, finally revealing their secrets to us.

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