Arabian Nights

- may they soon come to an end!

Written early February 2015 - (178 lines)

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Darkness descended on Arabia
When the Wahhab and Saud utopia
Became a tragic reality -
Weep now for every fatality...

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Muhammad al-Wahhab and Muhammad al-Saud
Wrapped Arabia in a shroud
Of backwardness and barbarity
In the middle of the eighteenth century

Wahhab, expelled from neighbouring Najd
For extremism, quickly tried
His luck with a local tribal chief
By the name of Saud, and to his relief
Was instantly made welcome there
Soon they realised they did share
In mutual megalomania
A vision of a new Arabia
Where Islam would be purified
And Wahhab and Saud glorified
In a show designed to overwhelm
As true defenders of faith and realm

As their lust for power did increase
They conquered the land piece by piece
And to prove that they were cruel
Then installed themselves to rule

Sauds as kings over human affairs
Crushing any challenge to theirs

Wahhabs granted control of Islam
To determine for ever halal and haram
[good and bad]

The people brutally cowed and chained
And regrettably so it has remained
Until this day, and with little hope
That the current system has any scope
For improvements in fields like human rights
For in Arabia the flickering lights
Were all extinguished, so no longer glow
Almost three hundred years ago
When that infamous pact was agreed
Between al-Saud and al-Wahhab, indeed
It is no exaggeration to say
That those two between them did betray
The people of the peninsula
Now enslaved in "Saudi" Arabia
For all are held in an iron grip
By a despicable dictatorship

And each new "king" will swiftly endorse
That pact which sadly is still in force
The Wahhabi chief will cackle and nod
And proclaim that only HE understands God

Though it may look like a comedy
This unmitigated tragedy
Of epic proportions continues to play
To a full house, night and day

And who wrote that medieval plot?
Saud and Wahhab, just in case you forgot

Ridiculous and presumptuous "kings"
Addicted to material things
Allied with fat little sinister sheikhs
Hiding behind dark glasses - it makes
You want to laugh, but we should cry
For this is sadder than sad, so try
To comprehend what is going on
And consider what can be done...

Surely that combination would win
Any competition for the twin
Subjects of tragic and comical -
A melodrama to beat them all...

But, looking behind the theatrical mask
This is the first question to ask:

Why are they taken so seriously
By so many, both locally
And around the world? Simply because
They have their dirty evil claws
On the holiest places of Islam -
If not, who would give a damn
About Sauds and Wahhabis? Very few!
But there they are, so able to spew
Their repetitive meaningless blah-blah-blah
From occupied Makkah and Madinah
And all good Muslims must surely despair
For Islam itself is held hostage there...

Listen to the Friday sermon and
Soon you begin to understand
That while they do know how to preach
They have nothing useful to teach
For what this is really all about
Is POWER - the assembled devout
Plus millions around the globe who watch
Are all reminded again with much
Seriousness and emphasis 
NOT to oppose the Wahhabis
Nor in any way to criticise
Those who solemnly exercise
Their God-given right to rule
(And who exactly are you trying to fool?)

And without fail they will repeat
That rulers and ruled must together defeat
Terrorism - and the faithful must purge
Their hearts and minds of that terrible scourge!

(But of course when THEY are responsible
Then it is not at all terrible:
Count the dead and maimed, if you can
From Bahrain to Syria to Pakistan
Of good people brutally blown to bits -
You two-faced lying hypocrites!)

And do refrain from anything
Which just might conceivably bring
About any substantial change
For should that happen, a whole wide range
Of issues would immediately show
Dealing perhaps the fatal blow
To that illegitimate monstrous pair
The Sauds and Wahhabis, who share
A hysterical fear of anything new
So cling to their stunted worldview
Unwilling and unable to pursue
Reforms that they know are long overdue

Therefore, naturally any kind
Of independently thinking mind
Is identified as a major threat
To the system, so is swiftly met
With the full force of the state
Which arrogantly will dictate
What is right and what is wrong
And everyone must go along
With whatever is laid down
By the leading Wahhabi clown

Their thought-police tries to control
All aspects of life, including your soul

And if you dare step out of line
Most likely more than just a fine
Awaits you when in custody
For be sure that nobody
Cares about your human rights -
Welcome to Arabian Nights!

AND ALL THIS CONTINUES TO BE DONE
WITHOUT ANY MANDATE FROM ANYONE

In the modern world, how can this be?
Do Arabians not deserve to be free?
Of course they do, and we must do all
We can to liberate every thrall
Trapped in Arabia right now -
The only question really is: HOW?

Do not expect that America
Will do anything for Arabia
For the status quo fits in so well
With the plan dictated by Israel

And the US is driven only by greed
Khomeini was right: Great Satan - indeed!

The solution? Can you not guess?
REVOLUTION! Nothing less!
And not tomorrow, no, yesterday!
And I, for one, shall wish and pray

And now for a moment consider this:
If not for those Sauds and Wahhabis
Arabia today would probably be
A civilised nation, with equality
For all citizens, freedom of choice
And no restrictions on raising your voice

Currently, Arabia is truly the pits
Jointly misruled by fanatics and twits...

Listen, we saved the best for last:
In stark and glaring contrast
Iran's leadership will bless
Promote and encourage progress
So advances daily in technology
Still fully respecting theology

And while Iran is forging ahead
Sauds and Wahhabis live in dread
Of any change, so like walking dead
Go on stumbling backwards instead...

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And as we admire the Crescent Moon
Inshallah, we fervently hope that soon
At last the long Arabian night
Will turn to dawn and then morning light!

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Copyright © 2015 - IBRAHEEM (O.E.H.Johansen) - All Rights Reserved

Fanaticism

- is destructive

Written December 2014 - (186 lines)

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Fanaticism is out of touch
With reality, and as such
A clear and present danger to
Humanity, including YOU!

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Fanaticism of ANY kind
Is deliberately deaf and blind
Resistant to reason and argument
And every external sentiment
Which dares to contradict its own
For seeds of doubt must never be sown
So dismiss the diverging thought
Before it even can be brought
Into contact with the ruled
Who might then realise they were fooled
For generations or thousands of years
And THAT is what the fanatic fears
Most of all: to lose control
Or the power to console
The restless masses who all crave
Some sense of purpose before the grave

Therefore censor all that might shake
The fixed worldview, or even break
It down completely, and so create
A dangerously fertile state
Perhaps in as little as a few days
For new ideas, concepts and ways
Which if they grow and become strong
Are likely to prove the masters wrong
So, to protect the enslaved devout
Outlaw it, ban it, shut it all out
Keeping their minds mesmerised
With every rule being memorised
Repeated a thousand times at least
And eased by the occasional feast

Also, the fear of the unknown
Must be repressed and never shown
To influence in any way
What they think and do and say
So clinging to some perfect ideal
Which of course can never be real
In the world in which we live
They dare not stop for a moment to give
Such little matters any thought
Instead any free thinking is brought
Before the relevant authority
Which demands instant conformity...

What drives fanaticism? Well
More than just a fear of hell!
Though many would claim it is purity
The answer is surely: INSECURITY!

We all need a framework for our lives
To ensure that sanity survives
The ups and downs constantly thrown
At us, whether caused by our own
Incompetence or others, still
There is a need for us to fill
So moral rules are used to guide
And keep us away from our dark side
Where nasty little demons hide
Without shame but excessive pride...

Fanaticism is inflexible
And totally non-negotiable
Some brands carved in tablets of stone
Others spread by mouth alone
But all are perversions of the true
Light and guidance available through
Tuning in to the cosmic breath
While contemplating life and death
To any sincerely inquiring mind
So search and YOU might also find
The way to inner peace and bliss
And outer calm and happiness

Fanaticism is destructive, yet
Nobody wants to consider it
Unless of course Islam is involved
Then the issue MUST be resolved
Immediately and at any cost
Or all our "freedoms" will soon be lost
For a totalitarian state
Marketed as the Caliphate
With Islam's Flag of War unfurled
Will spread like fire around the world
Spelling the end of civilised man
Stop it! STOP IT! We must and we can!
So, as demanded by Israel
A new Crusade is essential
Once more the Christian West will do
The dirty work for the cowardly Jew -
How often has this already been done?
In truth there is nothing new under the sun!
But this time there seems nowhere to turn -
The West must either learn or burn...

Fanaticism is ignorant
And stupefyingly arrogant
For the two go hand in hand
Not only in The Holy Land
But many other places on Earth
Religions, though not really worth
That label, mainly exist to destroy
What others worship and enjoy
Certain that only they know best
And so failing the obvious test
As they wade through innocent blood:
All true religion leads to God

And God is God, and only ONE
No parents, no wife, no daughter, no son
The ever-living, the first and the last
Creating the future, like present and past

It is the Creator that makes you whole
For God is the energy of your soul

And without God in your heart and your head
In truth you might as well be dead...

Fanaticism has no place
In a civilised human race
Fitting perhaps for a local clan
But not at all for global man
And that is what we are today
Whether or not we like it that way

Fanaticism rules by fear
But fails to see that to get near
The love of our Creator we
Must necessarily be free
To choose for ourselves the way
To think and reflect, worship and pray

My freedom of religious choice
Is NOT subject to the voice
Of some fanatic preacher who
Cannot find anything better to do
With his time on this planet than lecturing me
About the truth and what I should be -
None of your business, you ignorant fool!
Leave me alone and go back to school!
Or I shall defend with all my might
My universal human right!

Fanaticism pays no respect
To intelligence and intellect
But both indisputably do have a role
In matters of life and death and the soul
So should be included as useful tools
To tell wise words from those of fools
As we attempt to make some sense
Of the entire experience
From birth to death and, inshallah, beyond
All held by some mysterious bond
Between Creator and creation, so
Use all your faculties as you go
Always striving to improve your state
And may you safely navigate
Your chosen path wherever it leads
So long as it serves your personal needs

Having searched for many years
With open mind, heart, eyes and ears
I wanted increasingly to become
A Muslim, maybe strange to some
But only a natural progression of
My growing awareness and deepening love
Of my Creator, so chose to submit
And do I regret it? Not one bit!

But I am not a fanatic, NO!
For that is NOT the way to go
Not for me, nor for anyone
Just think of the harm that they have done!

And, while we are at it, this must be said
For it seldom leaves my head:
Sunni fanatics, do not tell me
That Shias are not and never will be
Good Muslims, or Muslims at all, for the call
For cohesion and tolerance said it all:
The Amman Message coming up next
A highly recommended text
In plain and lucid language and
We hope even YOU may understand!
Happy reading as they say
And may you find a better way!

Are you a fanatic? If so do take
The decision to change, for your own sake
And that of the world - but I hope you are not!
And to those who are, I trust that you got
My message above, for it is sincere:
FANATICS, all of you, stay clear
Of me and my home and my writings too
For there is no help I can offer you...

Except the promise that every day
I shall always remember to pray
That our Creator will show you the way
For some wicked human led you astray...

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Copyright © 2014 - IBRAHEEM (O.E.H.Johansen) - All Rights Reserved