Honorary Turban Award Winner: Tayyib Rajab Erdoghan

Ghayrah is an Arabic word that has many simultaneous meanings; at once it is honor, courage, fierceness and loyalty. It is that human quality which is enraged when someone's mother is insulted which inspires him to bust a whup on someone bigger and stronger than him, who otherwise would have trashed him in a fight (Note, I do not encourage violence of any type, especially when said violence is in infraction of the law...).

It is interesting that one of the mashayikh, while trying to explain what it means in English, paused and lamented: "It is difficult to explain what ghayrah means, because.... no one here has it." It is telling that one of the most cutting insults that one can use against a person in many countries is to say that they have no ghayrah (Farsi, Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi: Be-ghayrat).

Well, unfortunately many muslims have lost their ghayrah for what Allah and his messenger, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them. Such a state, although it is far from overcoming the Muslims, has definately become the status quo of our elite ruling classes, and especially the persons of our rulers.

But this post is not a negative one. I will not impugn the sad state of affairs in Muslim countries and the fact that their rulers more resemble proxy colonial governers than government for the people, by the people, of the people.

No rather today we honor one person, who for a moment, at least, acted like a man. A person who despite being clean shaven and wearing a suit at the time, is receiving an honorary turban for breaking the trend of Muslim rulers en vogue today, and not acting like a total be-ghayrat.

Talking crap about Israel is nothing new among Muslim leaders. In fact, it is usually what they do to fire up a crowd and score some cheap votes by making empty gestures of solidarity with the Palestinians at the expense of the the very real blood they shed daily. However, it takes guts to say that to the face of the sitting Israeli president, who unlike most Israeli presidents, wields some political clout. And all of that too, in a world economic summit!

I have pasted the story below, and you can follow this link to see the video too:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/davos/7859417.stm

May God, Who watches over all of us, give our people the chance to repent unto Him and walk the path of righteousness once more...

Turkish PM storms off in Gaza row

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Turkey PM storms off in Gaza row

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stormed off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos after an argument with Israel's president.

Mr Erdogan clashed with Shimon Peres in a discussion on the recent fighting in the Gaza Strip, telling him: "You are killing people."

Mr Peres said Mr Erdogan would have done the same had rockets hit Istanbul.

Mr Erdogan accused the moderator of not allowing him to speak and said he did not think he would return to Davos.

He was cut off as he attempted to reply to a passionate defence of Israel's actions made by Mr Peres.

Turkey is one of the few Muslim countries to have dealings with Israel, but relations have been under strain since the Islamist-rooted AK Party was elected to power in 2002.

"I do not think I will be coming back to Davos after this because you do not let me speak," Mr Erdogan shouted before marching off the stage in front of Mr Peres, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and an elite audience of ministers and international officials.

He criticised the moderator for cutting him short on the grounds that the debate had gone over time.

Mr Peres had told the audience Israel was forced on to the offensive against Hamas by thousands of rockets and mortars fired into Israel.

"The tragedy of Gaza is not Israel, it is Hamas," the Israeli leader said. "They created a dictatorship. A very dangerous one."

More than 1,300 Palestinians and 14 Israelis were killed during the three-week conflict which began on 27 December.