#reading this partially to get a better understanding of islam and muslim culture

[norgestan]

Hello! I was wondering how would you have liked dani to be and how would you have liked the damira scenes to be ? (the changes you would have made to actually enjoy and ship damira)

okay quick bucket list:

recast dani with a muslim actor of color

rewrite the entire s4 script

done :)

with the funny answer out of the way... there’s simply no way that i could’ve shipped damira, i am sorry. it’s truly beyond me. nothing about their dynamic charms me or makes me think they’re better or any different than the superior option for a white/non-muslim love interest, aka amiris. i can even enjoy virihugo despite really disliking the way they got together and most of their clips anyway. (also this is a good post that explains why dani being amira’s endgame LI is a bit of a fucking joke)

however, there are a couple of ways in which i could’ve enjoyed damira narratively. and that requires heavily tweaking dani as a character as well of how their entire dynamic works. i’ve made plently of jokes of how i am Not an og purist but, if eskam had chosen at least one relationship to develop super closely as it was in og, then i would’ve wanted that relationship to be yousana. they’re my favorite pair in skam for a bunch of reasons and most of them have to do with yousef being so in contact with sana’s culture. one big example of that is the last clip of episode 9 where they go on that iconic date: it’s both a slideshow of their chemistry and sensual/romantic tension as a couple, and a showcase of the thing that makes me love them the most, which is their super long conversation about faith and their future. to me, those were the moments lacking in damira because they got too caught up on painting dani as this hyper-realized version of a LI which turned out to be a self-congratulatory asshole who disrespected amira in various ways. there were never instances in which they seriously discussed dani reverting to islam in the future, or actually conciliated their visions of their faith to really show where they were in sync and where they disagreed to start working on it. after watching the yousana date clip, i left with the impression that yousef reverting to islam was a real possibility, but i can’t say the same for dani. the damira ending in particular rewards dani for being the way he is, and the worst thing is that amira practically encourages him to never be a muslim because she loves him the way he is (what the fuck!). moreover, he never showed any interest in following amira’s conditions, never tried to familiarize himself with her culture and friends (he took her to a BAR to meet HIS friends but he’s never even shown bonding with las labass?), never really cared about anything that wasn’t to get amira to be physically intimate with him. see, when i think of the yousana dynamic i see the yousef as someone who can read the sana and therefore know what to say and do, not because he only wants to charm her but because he genuinely cares about her. even sofianne showed some of that on the earlier episodes of skamfr s4, but that’s completely lost on damira and dani in particular. and i’m not gonna pretend that this task is possible to do with a white, christian-raised love interest. for this to work, whoever sp!yousef is has to be way more in sync culturally with amira.

a way to partially solve that issue is to make dani be honest to amira throughout the season. i don’t doubt he’s genuinely into her but then he doesn’t communicate her his doubts about the relationships and lies to her about the whole “the only problem in our relationship is the haters <3″ bullshit that he spews out for three entire episodes. moreover, dani being honest from the start would’ve given amira enough hints (red flags) that dani didn’t really take any of her conditions seriously and he was just waiting for her to be less strict about the terms that he agreed on, and maybe there would’ve been a real critique to the character that 1) didn’t make amira look like an “annoying religious fanatic” (which she wasn’t at all lol) to most of the white audience who sided with dani when the relationship started falling apart, and 2) taught an actual lesson to amira about how would a relationship between a white dude who has no intentions to be muslim in the future would go like. i can understand why eskam still left the question pending on the air as they wanted to give amira an endgame and they probably didn’t want to make it seem like muslim/christian relationships don’t work in the slightest when this is the first mainstream show with a hijabi protagonist in spain... but eh. fucking cowards.

if it’s not obvious by now, to me, the ideal version of damira is the one where they’re not endgame by any means, even going to the point that i really dislike that dani even likes amira back. i would’ve really loved if dani stayed in amira’s daydreams throughout the season, where her idealized version of a childhood friends to lovers story is quickly replaced by a more realistic relationship with someone who actually makes efforts to be with her (cough cough bi!kasim anyone?). in that case, dani can be as douchebag-ey as he was for the entire season, idc, but now the show would really acknowledge that and drive the message that amira deserves someone who’s attentive and respectful and genuinely loving of her. and hopefully say that without making it seem like it’s impossible for muslims to date non-muslims: more like, it’s unlikely for amira to date dani in particular, and only because he clearly has no interest on following on the things that she values the most - which is a message that applies to every relationship, honestly.

if i had free reign on completely redesigning dani’s character and the damira dynamic, then i would make dani way more understanding and have his clumsiness be acknowledged and criticized instead of both the characters and the audience using it as a justification time and time again. he’d show genuine interest in islam, he’d thoroughly discuss boundaries with amira to assure that they’re both comfortable, he’d made sure to safely insert himself on her spaces and not just drag them to bars and basketball courts on every date, they’d have SO many conversations of faith that truly make him a nuanced character and also help flesh out the reasons of why amira loves being muslim. which i think are just ways of dani respecting amira’s agency and showing genuine interest on her besides his initual infatuation, as all the other endgame LIs of the show have done it. i’d completely erase the stupid “uwu islam won’t let me kiss dani/viceversa” plotpoint from existence, for SURE. with all of those changes i would be neutral on the existence of damira as i am with virihugo, i think. but also the thing that truly holds me back is that... just, the lack of characters of color in the show. with the way kasim was only used as a plot device and dounia was written out off her best friend role very early in, we truly don’t even have a significant presence of muslim people of color in amira’s season. whitewashing yousef is a big part in that too, and that’s why people were so eager to believe that kasim could’ve been amira’s endgame for this season.

[whysperingwoods]

I'm interested in spirit work, but concerned about the relationship btw spirits and deities. i don't believe in god(s) in the sense of omnipotent intelligent beings but am open to fluid conceptions of "self" that would also apply to nonhuman beings. I'm esp. curious about Jinn (my understanding of them comes from Islamic folk stories). do you have any tips, suggestions, or questions to consider that would be useful to start with? also, it's really kind of you to answer these asks. thank you.

Thank you for sending in your questions! This isn't something I've talked about very much yet although I work with a variety of entities. Thanks for being so patient in waiting for a reply, I know I've had this sitting in my inbox forever but I knew it was a longish reply and wanted to be as thorough as possible.

My usual disclaimer first: everyone approaches spirit work differently and has a different concept of what spirit work even entails. It's extremely personal and how or who or what you decide to work with is up to you and only you. Additionally, anything in this post is going to be based on personal experience (unless otherwise indicated), so take it with that in mind. 

All that said, the choices you make do have an impact on who will want to work with you and in what instances. As much as Tumblr likes to spout that "intent is everything", that's absolutely not the case when it comes to working with spirits or deities. Your actions matter, who you are as a person matters, who you worship and who you don't matter. Not all gods are friendly and nice and fuzzy. Some are scary, some won't work with you unless you’re afraid of them or unless you agree to certain conditions. Changing their mind isn't going to happen. You're dealing with entities that have thousands upon thousands of years of existence in some cases. 

I've barred myself from working with a ton of deities because I refuse to participate in worship or any type of spiritual hierarchy. That's a decision that I made a long time ago, and one I'm perfectly comfortable with, but it does have consequences. There are gods I would have liked to work with and can't because of this, and that's something I've accepted. On the other hand, I've been able to work with entities that I never would have even considered or been approached by. 

Basically the idea here is be honest with yourself about your values and how they mesh with who you want to work with. Remember that respect does not equal worship. You can respect a deity, use some of their tenets, actively enjoy them even without worshiping them. Worship and dedication should be taken seriously and requires effort. (NB: "effort" doesn't mean physical expenditure of energy, it can be psychological, spiritual, emotional, etc.)

Side note here on the definitions of spirits vs deities vs gods etc. I tend to use these interchangeably. I shouldn't. I apologize if that's confusing in my posts and I'll try to develop a more specific vocabulary in the future, but just for the sake of this reply I want to make it clear that I don't interpret "gods" in the "all powerful, all knowing" sense. I use it in the sense of "an entity that is beyond time and space, that feeds on belief, and has a marked influence on certain domains".  

All this brings me to the question you had about Jinn. I'm using them as an example, but the following pretty much applies to any entity you desire to work with. 

Before I get into that, I just want to point out that I'm not Muslim. I did study Islam for a time because I was entertaining the possibility of conversion, but ultimately I am a white person raised Catholic, currently atheist, and therefore can't speak to what is and isn't cultural appropriation in this context. Islam is a partially closed religion in that it requires conversion and accepting Allah as the only god (although like with any religion there are more than plenty of people who believe this isn't necessary as well, it depends on the Imam and on your mosque). I'm answering this ask from the angle of how spirits and deities work, but I'd recommend investigating whether or not cultural appropriation applies to you before you make any decisions. I wish I knew who to tag here for more info, but I don’t know anyone who would be familiar. Tentatively tagging @spiritroots and @witches-ofcolor in case they know of anyone. 

Working with the previous statement that gods require belief, this also implies belief in the systems and faiths they're a part of. In the case of Jinn, believing in them would also imply a belief in Islam to some degree (although the particular interpretation you choose is open). In the Qur'aan, speaking and especially working with Jinn is considered haraam. This doesn't mean you can't work with them, but it does mean that working with Jinn would go against the wishes of Allah who is believed to be the bigger more powerful god. There are definitely people who practice Islam who have also worked with Jinn, or other spirits, but you need to be aware of who you are working with and the possible consequences that might lead to. Remember that Jinn are trickster spirits as well, and it's in their nature to mislead even those with good intentions. The power of controlling Jinn was given to the Prophet Suliman and he is the only one who has "permission" from Allah to do so. Here is one link about this. And one more. 

None of the above paragraph is applicable if you intend to work with pre-Abrahamic arabian gods, but then you’re still working within a belief system. I think you get the idea. Just know that no deity exists in a void. Here’s a fun list of pre-Abrahamic deities in case you’re interested in that, they’re pretty awesome.

Here is the tl;dr:- Before working with a deity or spirit, ensure your belief systems are compatible- Be prepared (do your research)- Be aware of the possible consequences and outcomes

After you've done all that and made the decision to work with spirits or entities, you'll find them much more likely to approach you on their own in some cases. Once you start doing spirit work, you will tend to naturally attract them (for better or worse). Learning warding and protection is crucial. Protect your physical, spiritual, and mental space. Know your limits, and when to take a break. I can't give you one specific surefire way to communicate because it depends on you, and it depends on who you're talking to. Look to the god’s realms of influence and interests for clues on how to communicate with them (for example, fire reading for a fire god). If you're comfortable with any forms of divination it’s also a good place to start. Tarot is incredibly helpful for communication, but you could also pick up a really big book and randomly select sentences and try that route. You'll be amazed at how in-depth a conversation you can have. 

I realize this probably leaves a lot more questions and there are things that could stand for more clarification, but this is super long already and hopefully a good enough start at least to get you headed in the right direction. If you have follow-up questions, feel free to send them and I'm happy to clarify further on any points. In any case, good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for!

[maximuswolf]

Rise of ex muslims among youth via /r/islam

Rise of ex muslims among youth

It feels like there’s a rise in ex muslims among the younger generation, which I’m also a part (19f). I think it’s partially to blamed on the older generation because

They didn’t teach the CORRECT rules (often culture played a large role especially among the south Asian community)

Some bent the rules for their own satisfaction

Some didn’t even teach Islam to their kids, just wanted them to be good muslims

The children are complied to follow without any explanation ( often the parents themselves don’t know the rules)

I have to bring this up because the exmuslims subreddit exists. I’ve read some of their reasons and it’s often to do with how they were bought up. Many of them stated they were forced and some of the rules felt unfair (again due to parents not explaining properly). I’m not blaming the older generation completely because the changing values in society and the individual’s own fault also play a part in this.

It breaks my heart to see so many people deprived of Islam, and them saying bad things about things they don’t even understand fully. If you were to take away one thing from this post, then let it be this. We’re all individuals with our own faults, but we often seem to think we are perfect. If we see someone who is less religious than us, someone who dresses a certain way, or does certain things, we’re VERY quick to talk bad things about them and sometimes even go against them. It’s good to remind those that are less religious but remember not every encounter with these people has to be you reminding them to be better, you can also just simply be nice and treat them with kindness because they have heard a lot of reminders already. If they keep on getting nagged, they will leave Islam which isn’t what we want. Treat everyone kindly and don’t be quick to correct everyone. Don’t think you’re superior than them. Also learn certain topics in Islam properly before preaching to other ppl. Do your research properly as it will benefit both you and the ppl around you. Don’t follow only one scholar, follow multiple. You don’t have to become a mufti in one day, learn gradually and pass on your knowledge.

I hope we all can be better people and live those around us, because you too will be questioned about how you spent ur time during this life.

Submitted January 28, 2021 at 01:36PM by Gloomy_Fig9392 via reddit https://ift.tt/3oAPPS1

[topfygad]

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Updated 2019

Update Lebanon September 2019: On August 25th, one Israeli drone exploded in the suburbs of Beirut, in a Hezbollah area. No people were injured and despite they were targeting Hezbollah areas, the real reason is unknown. However, this one-time incident doesn’t make Lebanon unsafe. Continue reading for a better understanding.

Today, many people are continuously asking me:

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Is Beirut safe? 

That’s because, unfortunately, many travelers believe that safety in both Beirut and Lebanon is an issue.

But guess what! Lebanon, including Beirut, is one of the safest countries in the Middle East. The only reasons why it’s not considered as such are the media and inaccurate Government travel advice and warnings.

With one of the lowest crime rates in the world today, Lebanon can brag about having the lowest number of Islamic extremists in the Middle East. This article aims to tell you the reasons why.

In 2019, I traveled from Beirut to Syria and spent 1 week around the country. I highly recommend you read: Tips + How to travel to Syria – Everything you need to know 

If you want to stay informed of all my current trips, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

    Here you will find (Jump to any content you want)

Is it safe to travel to Beirut? And how safe is Lebanon? Non-safe areas you should not travel in Lebanon Lebanon travel advice and tips on how to visit the sensitive areas of Hezbollah The isolated case of Tripoli Extra: Lebanon and Beirut safety tips

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Are Beirut and Lebanon safe?

Contrary to what people say, there is no war in Lebanon and Beirut

For some reason, people in the West tend to associate Lebanon with war. And I wonder: ”Why?” Whereas it’s true that the country did suffer 25 years of Civil War, this ended in 1991. It was more than 25 years ago!

Hey, have you ever wondered how I make a full living from blogging? Learn here how I started monetizing my blog and get over 200,000 monthly page views in less than 3 years

Furthermore, the Lebanese-Israeli war took place in 2006, but it lasted for one month only. For the past 10 years, the country has been able to enjoy peace!

Read: A travel guide to Beirut

A church destroyed by the Civil War, 25 years ago – Lebanon travel warning

  In Lebanon, there’s no place for extremism. Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians?

Lebanon is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and today, several different religious groups coexist peacefully.

Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians? No? Did you know that Sunni Muslims (the branch of Islam that ISIS draws its followers from) only make up 25% of the population?

In this country, there’s no place for extremism. Have you ever heard of any Lebanese who has radicalized and joined ISIS? Normally, they come from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or even Turkey. Lebanon is so culturally cluttered, that the chances of a person radicalizing are low.

Read: 50 Tips for traveling to Iraqi Kurdistan

A mosque and a church built side by side – Is Beirut safe?

  The most liberal country in the Middle East

On the other hand, although religion plays an important role in the life of most families, from a religious point of view, Lebanon is the most liberal country in the entire Middle East.

It has the largest number of atheists (especially among young people), beer is available everywhere and drinking alcohol in the street is allowed (and quite common). Surprised?

In December 2018, I went to Saudi Arabia because for the first time in history, they started issuing tourist visas. Read: Tips + How to travel to Saudi Arabia

  It shares a border with Syria. OK, so what?

Lebanon shares border with Syria. Yes, so what? They are two different countries. The border between them is highly guarded and controlled. The chances of the Syrian conflict moving into Lebanon are non-existent.

  The investment in military security is huge

We can’t forget that Lebanon is located in a highly turbulent region. The military presence aims to prevent any sort of potential conflict.

Soldiers and checkpoints are found in absolutely every corner of the country, especially in Beirut. The Lebanese people love the army. They are accepted in society because it makes them feel safer.

Read: The ultimate 10-day itinerary to Lebanon

Soldiers in Beirut – Is Beirut safe to visit?

  Crime rate and kidnappings are non-existent

As in most of the Arab countries, the crime rate is practically zero. No robberies, no violence. In Lebanon, you can walk around without a worry anywhere at any time, even women.

Read: A travel guide to Palestine

  NO-GO zones when traveling to Lebanon

I just told you the reasons why Lebanon and Beirut are safe places to travel to.

Does it mean that you could wander freely across the whole country? No, absolutely not.

Whereas it’s true that 95% of the country is safe, the remaining 5% might not be. Why?

Because the few radicals who live in the country are found in those areas. These areas are dangerous, not only for the simple fact that you may meet some extremists, but, since the area is so close to Syria, it also suffers from spillover from the Syrian conflict.

Where are these no-go zones? Basically, the north-eastern portion highlighted in red. Don’t even get close to this area. The rest of the country is safe. Please note that the below map is an approximation.

Update 2018: The army managed to kick out many of the ISIS troops. The security in this tiny part of Lebanon has also improved.

  Safety in Lebanon & Beirut: Visiting the sensitive areas of Hezbollah

There are a bunch of areas which, even though they are not classified as dangerous, are considered sensitive. Why? Because they are controlled by Hezbollah. What does ”sensitive area” mean? Hezbollah areas have always been the target of terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State.

In fact, the last suicide bombings that occurred in Lebanon (don’t worry, there is one attack per year) happened in Hezbollah areas. They are partially restricted and no journalism of any sort is allowed.

To understand it better I recommend you read: The day I was accused of being an Islamic State spy in Lebanon

Which Hezbollah areas are sensitive?

Shia Muslim neighborhoods of Beirut, for example, Bourj el-Barajneh

Some refugee camps, for example, Ain al-Hilweh in Saida

Hezbollah territories located in the south of Lebanon, close to the border with Israel

The Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, Beirut – How safe is Beirut Lebanon?

  Things to keep in mind when visiting a Hezbollah area

Don’t even think of taking pictures or let anyone see you with a camera

Some locals may be hostile and you might be kicked out for no reason. If you have the chance to go with a Lebanese, then do it

Foreigners will always be treated as suspicious. You’ll pass through several checkpoints where you’ll be checked and interrogated over and over

In these areas, there are no tourists. Many of the residents can’t understand why someone would to come to their area for tourism purposes. Repeatedly, you’ll be asked by the locals: ”What are you doing here”? Simply, answer: ”Nothing, I am just a tourist and I am walking all around the city”.

Today, Hezbollah areas are relatively safe. I say relatively because there’s one suicide bombing per year, approximately. To be safer, stay away from crowds.

Before heading to any of those areas, check the current situation with a local Lebanese. The areas close to the Israeli border require a special permit. To get it, go to any police station in either Saida or Beirut. You will get it instantly. Keep in mind that this permit gives you access to the area, but it doesn’t allow you to take pictures or do anything silly.

Important to mention: These areas have no appeal for tourists. The only reason why you would want to go there is that you are tremendously curious and need to know what the hell is going on in there. I visited everything. In the border with Israel, I was detained by the authorities. In the Shia neighborhood of Bourj el-Barajneh, some locals kicked me out, pacifically, but for no reason. However, I didn’t experience any issues when I visited the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila. If you are as freaky and curious as I am, the experience is definitely worth it.

Read: Visiting Bourj el-Barajneh by Offbeat Travelling 

Bourj el-Barajneh (Hezbollah area) – Travel in Lebanon

  The isolated case of Tripoli

The UK travel advice to Lebanon says that Tripoli is not safe.

Tripoli is a city located in the north of Lebanon and the second most important one. Why do governments consider it dangerous? Since the Civil War, there have been one-off clashes between Sunni and Alawi Muslims who reside in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, respectively. Throughout the years, these clashes have killed several people.

This is a one-off conflict happening in a specific area, far away from the city center. It’s a fight between two small districts and doesn’t go beyond them. The rest of the city is totally cool and safe. I spent four days in Tripoli, and to be honest, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

I also have to admit that, since I’m an extremely curious human being, I also went to Jabal Mohsen. And what can I say? Life there was merely normal. Again, clashes and bombings happen once a year, not more.

Read: 80 Useful tips for traveling to Iran

Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood in Tripoli which, according to FCO, is one of the most dangerous areas in Lebanon. However, I went there and it was just fine – Lebanon travel

  Extra: Beirut and Lebanon safety tips

Consider going on a tour

I always encourage people to travel independently but I can also understand why some travelers may prefer to travel on a tour, especially in a place like Lebanon.

I recommend you book them via GetYourGuide, as they always work with a wide range of local guides and tour operators, and you can book your tour with just one click. 

So far, these are the tours they offering for traveling in Lebanon:

Beirut city tour – Explore one of the most fascinating cities in the Middle East. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Jeita, Harissa and Byblos – Trip to one of the most stunning caves in the world and historical cities. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Wine tour – Lebanon is well-known for its wine and, in this tour, you will visit 3 different wineries from Beqaa Valley. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Baalbek – Some of the most outstanding Roman ruins outside of Rome. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Epic ruins of Baalbek

  Stay safe by planning your trip ahead – Best books for traveling to Lebanon

The best way to travel to Lebanon safely is to plan your trip properly. For this, I recommend the following books:

Lebanon Travel Guide by Bradt – This is the most updated book guide about Lebanon. Bradt is my favorite brand because they always provide with plenty of local insights and travel tips for independent travelers.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  The Middle East Lonely Planet Guide – It has only one chapter about Lebanon but the information is updated, so it might prove useful.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  English-Arabic phrasebook – Extremely useful when you are outside of Beirut.If you can communicate with the locals, you will, of course, be safer.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK THE LATEST PRICES

  Get proper travel insurance

Lebanon is safe but, truth to be said, it is not the easiest country to travel around because, like many Arab countries, things can become pretty wild.

I always recommend World Nomads. Why?

It is the only company that provides unlimited medical coverage

You can buy while you are already on the road

It covers the largest amount of adventure activities

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE!

  Use Couchsurfing

In Beirut, Couchsurfing is a big deal and there are plenty of events every week. I suggest you look up for these weekly events and get to know some Lebanese people. Actually, there is a group of local attendants who are organizing trips for foreigners almost every week.

  A reminder

As I mentioned previously, don’t go to the northeast of the country and watch out when you are in Hezbollah areas.

And remember to check my other all my other guides about Lebanon:

Beirut travel guide A 10-day itinerary for visiting Lebanon Backpacking in Lebanon: How much does it cost in 2018?

For more content to the region, don’t forget to check all my travel guides to the Middle East

And don’t forget to check my Syria travel guide!

  Conclusion

Is Lebanon safe? The answer is yes, but you need to keep in mind that this country has gone through several conflicts and is located in the heart of the most turbulent region in the world.

Travel safe and cautious. If you have any question, leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to answer. Cheers.

I also recommend reading: Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you book any product or service through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

    from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2l8vyIx via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

[leftpress]

Trump and the Muslim Question

In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, Muslims don’t need allies. We need comrades.

Gage Skidmore / Flickr

by Asad Haider | 11.16.16

For the past decade and a half, my family has reacted to every terrorist attack with a special kind of anxiety.

Setting aside any concern about falling victim to an explosion, we cross our fingers and speculate creatively on the identity of the perpetrator. Perhaps, this time, it was simply a white paranoid schizophrenic. Or maybe a laid-off gun nut with no release valve for his rage. Or, better yet, a run-of-the-mill neo-Nazi who would direct public indignation in an appropriate direction.

Regrettably, the perpetrators of these attacks often turn out to be Muslims. The ensuing phone conversations with my parents — secular Pakistani immigrants whose piety does not extend beyond a distaste for pork — revolve around admonitions to be careful what streets I walk on and to avoid arguments with white people.

They’re not just being overprotective. Since the San Bernardino shooting in 2015, hate crimes against Muslims, or those perceived as Muslims, rose 78 percent.

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After the shooting in Florida, Aziz Ansari described in the New York Times how such anxieties were amplified by the hate speech of now president-elect Donald Trump. “It makes me afraid for my family,” Ansari wrote, and remembered the months after September 11 when it had become routine to walk down the street and be called a terrorist by a stranger.

Already the 2000 election of George W. Bush — one that liberals today, gnashing their teeth over the Electoral College and the white voter, are fond of recalling — had put us on alert. But the collapse of the Twin Towers, which we watched over and over again that day in school with disbelief, seemed to reverberate in the everyday experience of immigrants who had, until then, learned to live with a culture of condescending and occasionally exclusionary toleration.

Now, for some of those tolerant individuals, the mere presence of my family became an issue of homeland security. I found myself being called “Osama” by my classmates while the teacher watched with either apathy or agreement. I was seized with unexpected fear at the ice cream shop when an avuncular old white man suddenly scowled at the sight of my family and began ranting in our direction about “terrorists from Iraq” as we made our way to a table, threateningly wielding cones of cookies and cream.

I do not often recall these experiences. Although racial identity, for a time, framed most of my social interactions, white people grew more civilized in the years that followed, going as far as to elect a black man named “Hussein” as their president.

Recounting my experiences of discrimination seemed to draw reactions of pity — the pity of the condescending white liberal who is now called an “ally.” In the post-9/11 political reality I was coming to understand, this was clearly not a salutary reaction.

Just after the attacks, white Americans acted as though 9/11 represented a historically unprecedented scale of suffering. But I had spent my childhood summers in Pakistan, where I saw the streets filled with children like me — homeless, starving, too weak to bat the flies off of their bodies. Something in the political geometry was out of alignment.

I proceeded to arm myself with an obsessive reading of Noam Chomsky. I dove headfirst into the movement against the Iraq War which mushroomed at the nearby Penn State campus, and I became convinced that the only solution to the violence and suffering that assaulted us in our daily news was an end to American imperialism and therefore global capitalism.

I remain convinced. And I hope that after the experiences of Bush and Obama, the movement against Donald Trump will not be satisfied with partial solutions. But I worry that in the name of Muslim-Americans like me, white liberals will lose sight of the fundamental political responsibility they have today.

An Old Paradox

To be sure, the hatred of Muslim immigrants is a deeply political problem, but it is not a new phenomenon engineered by Trump and his associates. We are dealing with a problem as old the nation-state itself — the fundamental contradiction of the nation state, which, as Étienne Balibar has pointed out, implies the confrontation and reciprocal interaction “between the two notions of the people”: First, “ethnos, the ‘people’ as an imagined community of membership and filiation.” And second, “demos, the ‘people’ as the collective subject of representation, decision making, and rights.”

The first sense of the “people” internalizes the national border — it is the wall Trump hopes to build inside the American’s head. It is a feeling of belonging to a “fictive ethnicity,” an imaginary community that is constituted by national borders, but in reality consists of heterogeneous populations brought together by migration and movement — a plurality that is suppressed by the fantasy of a unitary racial and spiritual essence.

The second sense of the “people” is the political one, the one which appears to be manifested in our Bill of Rights. It is meant to apply regardless of identity; it is the song of the Statue of Liberty, which offers its freedoms to all the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, indifferent to their particularities.

The contradiction between these two notions is the original sin of the American nation. It is stated in the first sentence of its first official document: “We, the People,” says the preamble of the Constitution, written by slaveowners. As Balibar puts it:

this construction also closely associates the democratic universality of human rights … with particular national belonging. This is why the democratic composition of people in the form of the nation led inevitably to systems of exclusion: the divide between “majorities” and “minorities” and, more profoundly still, between populations considered native and those considered foreign, heterogeneous, who are racially or culturally stigmatized.

This democratic contradiction came clearly to the surface in the French Revolution, with its Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. In 1843 a young Karl Marx subjected this declaration to critical scrutiny.

In “On the Jewish Question,” Marx was responding first and foremost to Bruno Bauer’s rejection of the demand for Jewish emancipation. According to Bauer, since this demand was based on the particular identity of the Jew, it was necessarily exclusionary. Political emancipation requires the universality of rights, and is thus incompatible with a particularistic identity.

Like Richard Dawkins, Bauer believed that it was only by casting off every religious superstition that oppression could be overcome. And also like Dawkins, whose fanatical hatred of Islam blinds him to any understanding of social and political inequalities, Bauer thought that the particularism of the Jewish minority was even worse than the more “evolved” religious consciousness of Christianity.

But Marx pointed out that secular political emancipation, the separation of church and state in the name of universal rights, had not actually overcome religious superstition in practice. Famously and prophetically, he cited the United States as an example. This was because rights were granted to individuals, Marx argued, and were therefore “the rights of egoistic man, of man separated from other men and from the community.”

Protecting the individual’s rights in the political sphere did not mean the end of oppression by religious authorities and the owners of property. Therefore neither Bauer’s supersessionist universalism, nor the particularism of a minority, could lead to real, human emancipation. This would involve going beyond political emancipation and overcoming the exploitation of the market.

In States of Injury, Wendy Brown summarized Marx’s argument:

Historically, rights emerged in modernity both as a vehicle of emancipation from political disenfranchisement or institutionalized servitude and as a means of privileging an emerging bourgeois class within a discourse of formal egalitarianism and universal citizenship. Thus, they emerged both as a means of protection against arbitrary use and abuse by sovereign and social power and as a mode of securing and naturalizing dominant social powers.

This implies a “paradox” for liberalism that persists to this day. When rights are granted to “empty,” abstract individuals, they ignore the real, social forms of inequality and oppression that appear to be outside the political sphere. Yet when the particularities of injured identities are brought into the content of rights, they are “more likely to become sites of the production and regulation of identity as injury than vehicles of emancipation.”

In other words, when the liberal language of rights is used to defend a concrete identity group from injury, physical or verbal, that group ends up defined by its victimhood, and individuals end up reduced to their victimized belonging.

Brown shows how this logic undermines the logic behind an influential (albeit controversial) strand of feminism: Catherine MacKinnon’s attempt to redress the masculine bias of the law. MacKinnon’s anti-pornography feminism was based on the premise that the right to free speech conflicted with the right of women to be free from sexual subordination.

But as Brown asks, “does a definition of women as sexual subordination, and the encoding of this definition in law, work to liberate women from sexual subordination, or does it, paradoxically, reinscribe femaleness as sex­ual violability?”

Brown’s critique suggests that when rights are demanded by a particular identity, and the whole horizon of politics is the defense of this category, its members end up fixed as victims. Rights themselves end up reduced to a reaction to an injury inflicted on this victim. Their emancipatory content disappears.

So by presenting a legal argument which tries to give rights a substantial content, the content of particular identities, MacKinnon ends up producing a fixed category of “woman” — as helpless victims.

This is precisely the problem which comes to the forefront in the contemporary “Muslim question.”

Beyond the Liberty of Circumstance

In France, this question was debated in 2004 when the hijab was outlawed in public schools. The question then became: should the hijab be defended because Muslims are defined by the fact of wearing it? Does the freedom of the French migrant population consist in a defensive response to the injury inflicted by the banning of the headscarf?

Surely, the racism implied by the banning of a Muslim accessory should be condemned and attacked. But to the extent that this is framed as a defense of the rights of Muslims, the perspective of liberal tolerance traps the Muslims it claims to defend within a victimized identity rather than joining them in a project of collective emancipation.

We can take this discussion further by understanding the “paradox” of rights as a concrete political antagonism, as Massimiliano Tomba does in his comparison of the two versions of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. The first, 1789 Declaration, Tomba argues, grounds rights in a juridical universalism: “the universalism that comes from above and that implies a subject of right who is either passive or a victim who requires protection.”

Whether it is a woman to be protected from pornographic speech or a Muslim to be protected from religious prejudice, juridical universalism grants no agency to these subjects — their only political existence is mediated by their protection by the state.

The 1793 Declaration, in contrast, manifests an insurgent universality, one which is brought onto the historical stage by the slave uprisings of the Haitian Revolution, the intervention of women into the political process which had excluded them, and the demands of the sans-culottes for a right to food and life.

It “does not presuppose any abstract bearer of rights,” but instead “refers to particular and concrete individuals — women, the poor, and slaves — and their political and social agency.” Here we encounter a new paradox: “the universality of these particular and concrete individuals acting in their specific situation is more universal than the juridical universalism of the abstract bearers of rights.”

In 1799 Toussaint Louverture was asked by France to write on the banners of his army, “Brave blacks, remember that the French people alone recognize your liberty and the equality of your rights.” He refused, pointing to the slavery which persisted in France’s other colonies, and replied in a letter to Bonaparte: “It is not a liberty of circumstance, conceded to us alone, that we wish; it is the adoption absolute of the principle that no man, born red, black or white, can be the property of his fellow man.”

To fight the xenophobia rising with Trump’s election, we must still claim the legacy of this insurgent universality, which says that we are not passive victims but active agents of a politics that demands freedom for everyone. The view of a Muslim as the passive victim of an injury, who must be protected by the benevolence of a white liberal, is to be rejected as ruthlessly as the hate speech of Trump.

In Trump’s America, I am afraid. Because of my name, because of my skin color, I am in danger. But more profound than my fear is my anger. I am outraged not at the risk I experience as an individual, but at the sharpening and deepening of the obscene inequality of the capitalist system, at the daily violence of deprivation that will be visited most harshly on the poor of this country — including the white poor — and at the divisions cultivated among us by fear, anger, and manipulation, that prevent us from forming the collective power that can overcome our subordination.

I am not interested in allies, in sympathy or protection. I am interested in comrades, of every complexion, who will fight alongside me for a better world.

Celebrate the forthcoming issue of Jacobin, “The Party We Need,” with a discounted subscription.

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► UR-FASCISM

► TRUMP AND EVERYDAY ANTI-FASCISM BEYOND PUNCHING NAZIS

► THE NEW REALITY

[oldladydatin]

One who does not travel, does not know the value of men

“One who does not travel, does not know the value of men” an oh so fitting Moroccan proverb, I am traveling in a way haha and recently to Morocco. I started talking to him on my dating app and well he does the same thing as I do professionally, so I figured he probably wasn’t a psycho. I gave him my number and we started texting and he asked me to meet him. I was excited, he was intelligent, caring, a divorced single father, but then he said he wasn’t from here, he was from Morocco and would that be a problem? I thought I don’t know anything about Morocco except they sell exceptional rugs that people in movies always want to smuggle into the country and wrap bodies in. I just said no why would it be a problem? He says I don’t know? But I got busy and everyday he asked when my next day off was, when can we see eachother, he said that he was excited to meet me. I was a little stressed about money as both my kids presented me with an enormous list of things they needed. I know other women like to date and treat it like it’s free meals and such. I’ve at this point though gotten stuck with the entire bill once or twice, and half more than that. I’m old fashioned I sort of look down my nose at men who do this, especially if they asked me out. I even dismiss these experiences as non dates, then when men think they have some claim on me because we went on a “date” I’m like no we met as friends, remember I paid for half. Due to these experiences I now go to dates with the expectation of paying and so if I’m having weeks where I’ve enormous lists of crap to buy my kids I don’t date. So I kept putting him off and putting him off. Meanwhile I’m reading.

So Morocco is an Arabic, a mostly Islamic country so now I get why he asked if that was okay, I imagine he gets a lot of nopes. He spoke French which was hella sexy, France and Spain both had a lot of interest in Morocco, but they have mostly maintained their Berber traditions. It’s in north Africa and borders the Sahara desert, Atlantic ocean, part of the Mediterranean sea and the Atlas Mountains, and roughly borders Spain. I learned enough to not sound like a dumb American. Eventually he’s irritated with me and demands that we’re going to dinner. So I’m nervous and I never get nervous anymore, but this is so much different than anything I’ve experienced because the man’s only been in the states like 7 years and he’s in his 40′s, he’s vanilla. I knew very little, I’ve an Arabic Master friend, who’s also Muslim and I’ve learned random sexual facts about that culture but nothing helpful in this situation. He turns out to be short, he’s a little taller than me, he’s grey and he wasn’t in any of his pictures, his teeth are crooked, he has a really thick accent, yes I know I sound pretentious but what kinds of things do you notice when you first meet people? That’s what I notice. He’s fit, he’s wearing a wrist brace and he explains he hurt it playing soccer. He opens the door, pulls my chair out, orders for me, he was way more of a gentleman than any man I’ve dated, and I love that. We start talking and I ask simple questions like how many kids, how long have you been divorced, how long have you been in the field, and he asked the same questions and before I knew it a lot of time had passed. We don’t work in the same departments, my job is more technical, but we have things we can talk about and this date goes well. I’ve never dated anyone in my same field and it was kind of nice to have someone who could really related to what I do, and what I go through. I liked that we had that in common, people at work have tried to set me up with guys at work or at other places. Like we work so many hours that the only people any of us tend to socialize with is each other. There’s a few guys who’ve made it known they were interested, I turned them down, at that time I was seeing Eric and was just stupid. But partially I thought I don’t know? I’d never get away from work if I dated someone from there. But I enjoyed this, it is hard finding people who really understand what I go through. We kissed and he wasn’t like the best kisser ever but it definitely wasn’t the worst and he got close and said he’d like to see me again. We are texting over the next week and he tells me he finds me beautiful, he enjoyed our date, when can he see me again.

Even though this doesn’t go badly, I wasn’t blown away and I felt bad about that because he didn’t do anything wrong, I just wasn’t really excited by him. Maybe I’m too picky, I don’t know? He keeps on me about seeing each other again. One day I said okay why don’t we meet down at the famous Starbucks's of first dates and drink a tea on the patio, it was nice out. I thought at the very least it’d get him off my back. He was excited by this and he meets me. Again the conversation is great and he’s a little more touchy feely than he had been. After about an hour he asks if I’d like to drive around? I’m excited by this because I was seeing a Dom guy for awhile and when he said let’s go drive around he took me to pretty places. We drove around in the mountains, or went down by the river, we went to lakes and ponds and fed ducks, so I’ve been conditioned to be excited when I hear this, with this Dom I was seeing it meant I was getting a treat. No we start driving up by the mountain and we’re talking and then he says do you want to see where I live and I said okay. I really thought we were just going to drive by but no he takes me to his house. So I go in and his daughters are small and there’s kids toys everywhere which was really cute, I actually genuinely love kids. His house is very much like I expected after my research on Morocco, like he definitely kept his cultural tastes, but his decor was pretty and his house felt homey. But you could still tell he was a bachelor in a lot of ways. He says let me show you around and of course gradually leads me to the bedroom. I’m sitting on the bed while he’s looking for music and he puts on some crazy music I’d never heard before. I felt like I had stepped into another country at this point. 

He sits by me and starts kissing me and feeling me through my clothes, he keeps offering to take his clothes off. I’m like no that’s okay but he keeps pushing. He’s extremely dominant in this situation and he really tries to take control. He keeps making jokes like you’re not allergic to Moroccans are you? You wanna see how big Moroccans are don’t you? Eventually I give in, it’s been a few weeks because my fwb became homeless and he agrees to wear a condom and all the attention turns me on. He kept pointing out we’re consenting adults and this is okay. I ask him if he’d been with an American and he said yes. I asked how do American women differ from Moroccan women in bed, he says Moroccan women just lay there, and I thought that was odd. He asked what my favorite position was? I’ve been asked this alot lately. I said I love to be on top, so he asks do you like to be in control, and I answer no not at all. He sticks his hands in my pants and plays until he’s happy and pulls my pants down and undresses me. He seemed excited by how large my boobs are, I get that alot. He undresses and I’m a bit surprised at his penis. I should’ve researched this part more. I guess I expected he wouldn’t be circumcised but he was, but I was mentally prepared for it to not be. It’s not as large as I was expecting. My Master friend was quite large, he’d sent me pictures and he told me men from that continent were above average. This guy was probably average but incredibly thick, which is okay I think I like thick better anyways. So we have sex and it feels amazing. I have a hard time orgasming, and I frequently use a toy during sex, but I don’t have my toy, and I didn’t get enough foreplay, so I don’t cum. We haven’t ever discussed sex so he didn’t know this. When he realizes I didn’t cum, I didn’t fake it, I was honest, he’s incredibly upset. But we cuddle in bed and kiss and make jokes and talk about seeing each other again. He suddenly gets up and gets another condom and says you have to cum before you leave and I tell him I don’t think I can, he insists we try and he plays with me until I’m ready. I get on top and I was up there for a long time, and then I had to just say look it’s not going to happen, and he turns me over and wants to try doggy. This was amazing sex, this felt so good and I was getting kind of loud. So he finishes and is even more upset to find out that no I still didn’t cum. 

I’m not going to fake it to leave like I had with someone else because sex is amazing and he is more than welcome to keep trying. This may be the perfect sized dick for me to be honest. But we again lay there and I’m catching my breath and he’s upset and he’s very insistent and says you HAVE to cum before you leave. This is so odd, like I felt like I was being held hostage because I wasn’t orgasming like he wanted. I said I wish I could and explain that I just have a hard time orgasming and I sometimes need assistance, I tell him I have to go home, I told him to begin with I had a certain time I had be home. He says no, not until you orgasm. I’m like dude what? That’s not how any of this works. Then he suddenly says to me oh I know we haven’t tried this and he grabs me and puts me in a different position and we go again and again it feels incredibly but I never get there. As he’s doing this I think how on earth is this 40 something year old man on his third round? I had been there for hours? So now by round three my heads not even in this because I realize it’s not going to happen and I’m now contemplating completely unrelated things. But holy crap does this feel great, again though nothing and he’s like really upset by this. I don’t understand, most men don’t even care. So I’m not sure what to think, I felt bad for disappointing him, I was upset that he was upset but I also realize I need to go home and I’m worried about whether or not this is going to continue because you can’t hold a girl hostage because she can’t orgasm, that’s just not a thing. So he starts insisting that I go hiking with him in the morning, I say I can’t I have things planned, okay let’s have lunch in the afternoon, I say I can’t tomorrow but let’s make a plan. Then I think maybe he thinks I’m not going to go out with him again because I didn’t have an orgasm? This whole scenario is completely unexpected. He goes to the bathroom and I hurriedly get dressed so he has to take me home. He seems incredibly disappointed when he comes back in the room. I ask to use the bathroom and when I come out I’m happy to see he has his clothes on and is prepared to take me back to my car. But when he drops me off I kiss him good bye and there’s definitely some attitude, he’s extremely pissed off that I didn’t cum. Now I kind of want to call him because just thinking about him behind me the way he was and how good it felt, really really turns me on, but then I’m not sure because I started to worry I done messed around and became a sex slave for real this time.

[biofunmy]

YouTube’s Newest Far-Right, Foul-Mouthed, Red-Pilling Star Is A 14-Year-Old Girl

What does a 14-year-old girl dressed in a chador have to say on YouTube to amass more than 800,000 followers?

How about this: “I’ve become a devout follower of the Prophet Muhammad. Suffice to say, I’ve been having a fuck ton of fun. Of course, I get raped by my 40-year-old husband every so often and I have to worship a black cube to indirectly please an ancient Canaanite god — but at least I get to go to San Fran and stone the shit out of some gays, and the cops can’t do anything about it because California is a crypto-caliphate.”

Or how about, simply, “Kill yourself, faggot.”

Yes, if you want a vision of the future YouTube is midwifing, imagine a cherubic white girl mocking Islamic dress while lecturing her hundreds of thousands of followers about Muslim “rape gangs,” social justice “homos,” and the evils wrought by George Soros — under the thin guise of edgy internet comedy, forever.

Actually, don’t imagine it. Watch it. It’s already here.

The video is called “Be Not Afraid,” and it may be the clearest manifestation yet of the culture the executives of Alphabet’s video monster are delivering to millions of kids around the world, now via children incubated in that selfsame culture. To understand just how bad things have gotten on the platform, you need to see it for yourself.

Users — and more importantly to YouTube, advertisers — have over the past year started to hold the platform accountable for enabling the exploitation of children and exposing them to disturbing content. But this video reveals an entirely different way the platform is harming kids: by letting them express extreme views in front of the entire world. This is what indoctrination looks like when it’s reflected back by the indoctrinated.

A 20-minute, unbroken, and hyperarticulate tirade ostensibly about ignoring criticism online, “Be Not Afraid” stars a high school freshman from the Bay Area who goes by the name Soph on YouTube. (She edits as well as scores the videos, which she says are comedic.) Through videos like these, she’s become a rising star — with more than 800,000 followers — in the universe of conspiracy theorists, racists, and demagogues that owes its big bang to YouTube.

The video platform for years has incentivized such content through algorithms favoring sensational videos, and, as recent reporting has revealed, has deliberately ignored toxic content as a growth strategy.

Soph’s scripts, which she says she writes with a collaborator, are familiar: a mix of hatred toward Muslims, anti-black racism, Byzantine fearmongering about pedophilia, tissue-thin incel evolutionary psychology, and reflexive misanthropy that could have been copied and pasted from a thousand different 4chan posts. Of course, it’s all presented in the terminally ironic style popularized by boundary-pushing comedy groups like the influential Million Dollar Extreme and adopted of late by white supremacist mass shooters in Christchurch and San Diego.

(Soph is even more explicitly hateful on Discord, the gaming chat app, where she recently admitted to writing under the username “lutenant faggot” that she hoped for “A Hitler for Muslims” to “gas them all.”)

By now, we’re used to this stuff coming from grown men — some of whom have even used the platform as a launching pad for political aspirations. But Soph is a child. Despite the vitriol of her words and her confidence in delivering them, she’s still just a 14-year-old kid. And hearing this language lisped through braces, with the odd word mispronounced as if read but never before said, is clarifying.

Think of Jonathan Krohn, the conservative child prodigy who addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2009, at age 13. Today he’s a freelance journalist who writes about extremism for liberal magazines, and has disowned his past views. Or think of Lynx and Lamb Gaede, who became media sensations as 11-year-old white nationalist twin pop singers in the mid-aughts. Today they’ve renounced racism and taken up marijuana legalization activism. Part of being a young person, maybe especially for a rhetorically gifted one, is testing out ideas and identities — even ones we later find anathema. That’s not to excuse anything Soph says; but it is to say children often don’t understand the weight of the words they use. (Neither Soph nor her father responded to requests for comment.)

Interviews with Soph and asides in her videos reveal a young person whose identity is obviously still being formed. She didn’t start as a politics caster but, predictably, as a profane 9-year-old (9!) game streamer called LtCorbis. Influential YouTubers Pyrocynical and Keemstar promoted her early work, which ripped on YouTube culture and the indignities of being a fifth-grader instead of people of color and liberals. (A 2016 Daily Dot story about her bore the unintentionally profound headline “This sweary, savvy, 11-year-old gamer girl is the future of YouTube.”) In more recent videos, Soph discloses a health issue that kept her out of class for long stretches. She confesses to being unhappy in school. She talks about a move from New York to California. She identifies by turns as “right-wing” and “anarcho-capitalist.” She’s 14, precocious, isolated, and pissed off, a combination that has produced a lot of bad behavior over the years, but not all of it monetized through preroll ads and a Patreon, and not all of it streamed to millions.

YouTube’s kid problem is well-known. From disturbing auto-generated cartoons to parents who playact violence with their children for clicks to a network of users exploiting videos of children for sexual content, the company has consistently failed at protecting the young users who are its most valuable assets. But Soph’s popularity raises another, perhaps more difficult question, about whether YouTube has an obligation to protect such users from themselves — and one another.

Of course, that’s partially the job of parents, a fact Soph pointed out in a recent video while addressing people alarmed by her content.

“I’m wondering why they’re concerned with what I say instead of being concerned with the parents who let their kids watch me,” she said.

It’s unclear how much Soph’s own parents know about her videos. Internet sleuths have figured out details about her parents’ lives, one of whom Soph has claimed voted for Hillary Clinton. In a recent interview, Soph said that her parents have never had a serious conversation with her about the politics of her videos, though she did respond angrily when a reporter attempted to contact her dad.

But the powers of parents over children who live online are limited. And YouTube has taken no ownership over what is happening to kids who grow up inhaling its trademark stench of bigotry, conspiracy, and nihilism. Now the kids, or the smart ones anyway, seem to know it. Indeed, YouTube’s own incompetence and lack of quality is one of Soph’s recurring themes; she acknowledges owing her fame to them.

“The fact that I was 11 and could easily follow the commentary formula should have been a sign that the standards for the genre were terribly low,” she said in the same interview.

Last month, after YouTube deactivated comments on her videos — the platform disabled comments on all videos with children in response to an outcry over the aforementioned network of exploitation — Soph uploaded a 12-minute video in which she seemed to be daring the platform to suspend her, knowing full well that it wouldn’t.

“Susan, I’ve known your address since last summer,” Soph said, directly addressing YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. “I’ve got a Luger and a mitochondrial disease. I don’t care if I live. Why should I care if you live or your children? I just called an Uber. You’ve got about seven minutes to draft up a will. … I’m coming for you, and it ain’t gonna be pretty.”

A far-right child comedian threatening to murder the executive of the video site that has made her famous, for trying to protect her from pedophiles: the state of YouTube in 2019. (YouTube did not offer a comment for this story.)

Indeed, one of Soph’s messages seems to be that in a world where the adults who have grown rich through technology took the implications of that technology seriously, she wouldn’t exist. She’s a problem, she seems to be saying, of YouTube’s own making.

“You could beg me kicking and screaming to stop disseminating the ideas I believe in, and it wouldn’t make a fucking difference,” Soph says at the end of “Be Not Afraid,” in a passage in which she seems to drop her shtick, if only for a moment. “Not only am I inoculated to that bullshit, most of Gen Z is too. Millennials grew up with MTV and nowadays watch Colbert. We, on the other hand, grew up with the internet, so we have no centralized source of information that controls what we think. We filter out the truth for ourselves; we’re not lazy. No one is brainwashing kids. Kids are simply learning from having free access to information, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The ultimate target of “Be Not Afraid” is, finally, adults: people who just don’t get why social justice discourse is meaningless and co-optable, why school can’t compare to YouTube, why mass murder can be funny. People who have enough experience to know better. She’s sure that adults are selfish and stupid, that the people with the most power over her life are making it up as they go along, just like she is. When you look at the adults who have gotten rich off the platform that created Soph, she isn’t completely wrong. She’s been publishing on YouTube for years with no consequence other than becoming famous.

Sahred From Source link Technology

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[automatismoateo]

This muslim kid in my school behaved like an asshole instead of answering a simple question via /r/atheism

Submitted October 25, 2017 at 05:18PM by solidanarchy (Via reddit http://ift.tt/2hahR70) This muslim kid in my school behaved like an asshole instead of answering a simple question

Some context: I'm an 18 year old male teenager living in Turkey, and I have been an atheist for almost 5 years now. I'm currently a freshman in college, studying English Literature and Cultural Studies.

Now, I don't like arguing about religion, I don't give a shit about it, and avoid religious topics as much as I can. I've never fought or argued with someone because of religion before. But there was this person, who was spewing absolute bullshit to an agnostic person in our class, and I couldn't listen to his bullshit any longer.

We were in Oral Interpretation class and our professor (who is an atheist) had been talking about cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias and their relation with religion. After the class ended, this nigerian/muslim kid in our class started talking bullshit about how he (our professor) was trying to deceive us and make us atheists, how he was ''sent by the devil'' and he was going to burn in hell.

I did not give a shit at first because I've heard similar things from religious people and learned to ignore it. Then he asked the guy who was sitting next to him ''Are you a muslim?'' to which he replied, ''No, I'm an agnostic.'' Then he started to talk about how he was ignorant, he didn't read enough so he didn't know what he was talking about, that if he read the ''holy scriptures'' he would know the truth. He kept repeating ''Don't you believe god created you? Don't you believe god created you?'' The agnostic guy was clearly uncomfortable, he said ''I've read Quran and other religious texts, that's why I came to this conclusion.'' to which this asshole replied, ''If you read it, you wouldn't believe what you believe, you're obviously lying about reading it.''

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and finally said ''Excuse me, why do you even care what he believes? He can believe in the cookie monster if he chooses to, it's none of anyone's business.'' Then he turned to me and said ''Was I talking to you? I'm talking with him, it's not your business, shut up.'' I replied, ''I don't have the right to express my opinion while you do? What's so special about you?'' He repeated ''I wasn't talking to you, stop talking, go away.'' I could hear the anger in his voice, he was getting really worked up. I kept my cool and said ''Why are you angry? I didn't say anything against you, I didn't have anything against you, why are you so defensive?'' He replied with ''I am angry, and you are too, why are you joining a conversation that had nothing to do with you?'' I admit, he was partially right. I had joined a conversation (if you could call it that) that had nothing to do with me, I should have known better not to argue with these hateful idiots. I said ''I'm not angry, I have no reason to be angry, and neither do you. I asked a simple question, did I not?'' Which wasn't entirely true, I was getting angry but I wasn't gonna let that asshole think that he was worth awakening a single emotion in me besides disgust.

At this point, he was really worked up. If I said more, he could even have attacked me physically. He said ''He can defend himself, it's a conversation between me and him, just stop talking and mind your own business, ok? Stop talking!''

I didn't say anything more afterwards, but I was really upset. I was also angry at myself for getting involved, this was the exact reason why I avoid these kind of people at all costs in the first place. What makes me even more angry is that not even 10 minutes ago this shithead was saying to our professor ''Jihad doesn't mean war, it means defending your belief, Islam is a religion of peace and indulgence.'' The hypocrisy of these people never cease to amaze me. The length they will go to prove their idiotic beliefs is just plain absurd.

What I realized is that religious people repeat the same shit over and over again as they never have a viable argument. You can talk to them as if they are even able to understand complex sentences in the first place, and all they will do is repeat the same sentence to you and attack you until you give up.

Anyway, I'm sure most of you had similar or worse experiences, but this was my first and I just wanted to get it off my chest.

Edit: Spelling

[topfygad]

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Updated 2019

Update Lebanon September 2019: On August 25th, one Israeli drone exploded in the suburbs of Beirut, in a Hezbollah area. No people were injured and despite they were targeting Hezbollah areas, the real reason is unknown. However, this one-time incident doesn’t make Lebanon unsafe. Continue reading for a better understanding.

Today, many people are continuously asking me:

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Is Beirut safe? 

That’s because, unfortunately, many travelers believe that safety in both Beirut and Lebanon is an issue.

But guess what! Lebanon, including Beirut, is one of the safest countries in the Middle East. The only reasons why it’s not considered as such are the media and inaccurate Government travel advice and warnings.

With one of the lowest crime rates in the world today, Lebanon can brag about having the lowest number of Islamic extremists in the Middle East. This article aims to tell you the reasons why.

In 2019, I traveled from Beirut to Syria and spent 1 week around the country. I highly recommend you read: Tips + How to travel to Syria – Everything you need to know 

If you want to stay informed of all my current trips, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

    Here you will find (Jump to any content you want)

Is it safe to travel to Beirut? And how safe is Lebanon? Non-safe areas you should not travel in Lebanon Lebanon travel advice and tips on how to visit the sensitive areas of Hezbollah The isolated case of Tripoli Extra: Lebanon and Beirut safety tips

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Are Beirut and Lebanon safe?

Contrary to what people say, there is no war in Lebanon and Beirut

For some reason, people in the West tend to associate Lebanon with war. And I wonder: ”Why?” Whereas it’s true that the country did suffer 25 years of Civil War, this ended in 1991. It was more than 25 years ago!

Hey, have you ever wondered how I make a full living from blogging? Learn here how I started monetizing my blog and get over 200,000 monthly page views in less than 3 years

Furthermore, the Lebanese-Israeli war took place in 2006, but it lasted for one month only. For the past 10 years, the country has been able to enjoy peace!

Read: A travel guide to Beirut

A church destroyed by the Civil War, 25 years ago – Lebanon travel warning

  In Lebanon, there’s no place for extremism. Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians?

Lebanon is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and today, several different religious groups coexist peacefully.

Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians? No? Did you know that Sunni Muslims (the branch of Islam that ISIS draws its followers from) only make up 25% of the population?

In this country, there’s no place for extremism. Have you ever heard of any Lebanese who has radicalized and joined ISIS? Normally, they come from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or even Turkey. Lebanon is so culturally cluttered, that the chances of a person radicalizing are low.

Read: 50 Tips for traveling to Iraqi Kurdistan

A mosque and a church built side by side – Is Beirut safe?

  The most liberal country in the Middle East

On the other hand, although religion plays an important role in the life of most families, from a religious point of view, Lebanon is the most liberal country in the entire Middle East.

It has the largest number of atheists (especially among young people), beer is available everywhere and drinking alcohol in the street is allowed (and quite common). Surprised?

In December 2018, I went to Saudi Arabia because for the first time in history, they started issuing tourist visas. Read: Tips + How to travel to Saudi Arabia

  It shares a border with Syria. OK, so what?

Lebanon shares border with Syria. Yes, so what? They are two different countries. The border between them is highly guarded and controlled. The chances of the Syrian conflict moving into Lebanon are non-existent.

  The investment in military security is huge

We can’t forget that Lebanon is located in a highly turbulent region. The military presence aims to prevent any sort of potential conflict.

Soldiers and checkpoints are found in absolutely every corner of the country, especially in Beirut. The Lebanese people love the army. They are accepted in society because it makes them feel safer.

Read: The ultimate 10-day itinerary to Lebanon

Soldiers in Beirut – Is Beirut safe to visit?

  Crime rate and kidnappings are non-existent

As in most of the Arab countries, the crime rate is practically zero. No robberies, no violence. In Lebanon, you can walk around without a worry anywhere at any time, even women.

Read: A travel guide to Palestine

  NO-GO zones when traveling to Lebanon

I just told you the reasons why Lebanon and Beirut are safe places to travel to.

Does it mean that you could wander freely across the whole country? No, absolutely not.

Whereas it’s true that 95% of the country is safe, the remaining 5% might not be. Why?

Because the few radicals who live in the country are found in those areas. These areas are dangerous, not only for the simple fact that you may meet some extremists, but, since the area is so close to Syria, it also suffers from spillover from the Syrian conflict.

Where are these no-go zones? Basically, the north-eastern portion highlighted in red. Don’t even get close to this area. The rest of the country is safe. Please note that the below map is an approximation.

Update 2018: The army managed to kick out many of the ISIS troops. The security in this tiny part of Lebanon has also improved.

  Safety in Lebanon & Beirut: Visiting the sensitive areas of Hezbollah

There are a bunch of areas which, even though they are not classified as dangerous, are considered sensitive. Why? Because they are controlled by Hezbollah. What does ”sensitive area” mean? Hezbollah areas have always been the target of terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State.

In fact, the last suicide bombings that occurred in Lebanon (don’t worry, there is one attack per year) happened in Hezbollah areas. They are partially restricted and no journalism of any sort is allowed.

To understand it better I recommend you read: The day I was accused of being an Islamic State spy in Lebanon

Which Hezbollah areas are sensitive?

Shia Muslim neighborhoods of Beirut, for example, Bourj el-Barajneh

Some refugee camps, for example, Ain al-Hilweh in Saida

Hezbollah territories located in the south of Lebanon, close to the border with Israel

The Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, Beirut – How safe is Beirut Lebanon?

  Things to keep in mind when visiting a Hezbollah area

Don’t even think of taking pictures or let anyone see you with a camera

Some locals may be hostile and you might be kicked out for no reason. If you have the chance to go with a Lebanese, then do it

Foreigners will always be treated as suspicious. You’ll pass through several checkpoints where you’ll be checked and interrogated over and over

In these areas, there are no tourists. Many of the residents can’t understand why someone would to come to their area for tourism purposes. Repeatedly, you’ll be asked by the locals: ”What are you doing here”? Simply, answer: ”Nothing, I am just a tourist and I am walking all around the city”.

Today, Hezbollah areas are relatively safe. I say relatively because there’s one suicide bombing per year, approximately. To be safer, stay away from crowds.

Before heading to any of those areas, check the current situation with a local Lebanese. The areas close to the Israeli border require a special permit. To get it, go to any police station in either Saida or Beirut. You will get it instantly. Keep in mind that this permit gives you access to the area, but it doesn’t allow you to take pictures or do anything silly.

Important to mention: These areas have no appeal for tourists. The only reason why you would want to go there is that you are tremendously curious and need to know what the hell is going on in there. I visited everything. In the border with Israel, I was detained by the authorities. In the Shia neighborhood of Bourj el-Barajneh, some locals kicked me out, pacifically, but for no reason. However, I didn’t experience any issues when I visited the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila. If you are as freaky and curious as I am, the experience is definitely worth it.

Read: Visiting Bourj el-Barajneh by Offbeat Travelling 

Bourj el-Barajneh (Hezbollah area) – Travel in Lebanon

  The isolated case of Tripoli

The UK travel advice to Lebanon says that Tripoli is not safe.

Tripoli is a city located in the north of Lebanon and the second most important one. Why do governments consider it dangerous? Since the Civil War, there have been one-off clashes between Sunni and Alawi Muslims who reside in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, respectively. Throughout the years, these clashes have killed several people.

This is a one-off conflict happening in a specific area, far away from the city center. It’s a fight between two small districts and doesn’t go beyond them. The rest of the city is totally cool and safe. I spent four days in Tripoli, and to be honest, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

I also have to admit that, since I’m an extremely curious human being, I also went to Jabal Mohsen. And what can I say? Life there was merely normal. Again, clashes and bombings happen once a year, not more.

Read: 80 Useful tips for traveling to Iran

Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood in Tripoli which, according to FCO, is one of the most dangerous areas in Lebanon. However, I went there and it was just fine – Lebanon travel

  Extra: Beirut and Lebanon safety tips

Consider going on a tour

I always encourage people to travel independently but I can also understand why some travelers may prefer to travel on a tour, especially in a place like Lebanon.

I recommend you book them via GetYourGuide, as they always work with a wide range of local guides and tour operators, and you can book your tour with just one click. 

So far, these are the tours they offering for traveling in Lebanon:

Beirut city tour – Explore one of the most fascinating cities in the Middle East. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Jeita, Harissa and Byblos – Trip to one of the most stunning caves in the world and historical cities. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Wine tour – Lebanon is well-known for its wine and, in this tour, you will visit 3 different wineries from Beqaa Valley. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Baalbek – Some of the most outstanding Roman ruins outside of Rome. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Epic ruins of Baalbek

  Stay safe by planning your trip ahead – Best books for traveling to Lebanon

The best way to travel to Lebanon safely is to plan your trip properly. For this, I recommend the following books:

Lebanon Travel Guide by Bradt – This is the most updated book guide about Lebanon. Bradt is my favorite brand because they always provide with plenty of local insights and travel tips for independent travelers.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  The Middle East Lonely Planet Guide – It has only one chapter about Lebanon but the information is updated, so it might prove useful.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  English-Arabic phrasebook – Extremely useful when you are outside of Beirut.If you can communicate with the locals, you will, of course, be safer.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK THE LATEST PRICES

  Get proper travel insurance

Lebanon is safe but, truth to be said, it is not the easiest country to travel around because, like many Arab countries, things can become pretty wild.

I always recommend World Nomads. Why?

It is the only company that provides unlimited medical coverage

You can buy while you are already on the road

It covers the largest amount of adventure activities

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE!

  Use Couchsurfing

In Beirut, Couchsurfing is a big deal and there are plenty of events every week. I suggest you look up for these weekly events and get to know some Lebanese people. Actually, there is a group of local attendants who are organizing trips for foreigners almost every week.

  A reminder

As I mentioned previously, don’t go to the northeast of the country and watch out when you are in Hezbollah areas.

And remember to check my other all my other guides about Lebanon:

Beirut travel guide A 10-day itinerary for visiting Lebanon Backpacking in Lebanon: How much does it cost in 2018?

For more content to the region, don’t forget to check all my travel guides to the Middle East

And don’t forget to check my Syria travel guide!

  Conclusion

Is Lebanon safe? The answer is yes, but you need to keep in mind that this country has gone through several conflicts and is located in the heart of the most turbulent region in the world.

Travel safe and cautious. If you have any question, leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to answer. Cheers.

I also recommend reading: Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you book any product or service through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

    source http://cheaprtravels.com/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-lebanon-updated-2019/

[topfygad]

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Updated 2019

Update Lebanon September 2019: On August 25th, one Israeli drone exploded in the suburbs of Beirut, in a Hezbollah area. No people were injured and despite they were targeting Hezbollah areas, the real reason is unknown. However, this one-time incident doesn’t make Lebanon unsafe. Continue reading for a better understanding.

Today, many people are continuously asking me:

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Is Beirut safe? 

That’s because, unfortunately, many travelers believe that safety in both Beirut and Lebanon is an issue.

But guess what! Lebanon, including Beirut, is one of the safest countries in the Middle East. The only reasons why it’s not considered as such are the media and inaccurate Government travel advice and warnings.

With one of the lowest crime rates in the world today, Lebanon can brag about having the lowest number of Islamic extremists in the Middle East. This article aims to tell you the reasons why.

In 2019, I traveled from Beirut to Syria and spent 1 week around the country. I highly recommend you read: Tips + How to travel to Syria – Everything you need to know 

If you want to stay informed of all my current trips, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

    Here you will find (Jump to any content you want)

Is it safe to travel to Beirut? And how safe is Lebanon? Non-safe areas you should not travel in Lebanon Lebanon travel advice and tips on how to visit the sensitive areas of Hezbollah The isolated case of Tripoli Extra: Lebanon and Beirut safety tips

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Are Beirut and Lebanon safe?

Contrary to what people say, there is no war in Lebanon and Beirut

For some reason, people in the West tend to associate Lebanon with war. And I wonder: ”Why?” Whereas it’s true that the country did suffer 25 years of Civil War, this ended in 1991. It was more than 25 years ago!

Hey, have you ever wondered how I make a full living from blogging? Learn here how I started monetizing my blog and get over 200,000 monthly page views in less than 3 years

Furthermore, the Lebanese-Israeli war took place in 2006, but it lasted for one month only. For the past 10 years, the country has been able to enjoy peace!

Read: A travel guide to Beirut

A church destroyed by the Civil War, 25 years ago – Lebanon travel warning

  In Lebanon, there’s no place for extremism. Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians?

Lebanon is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and today, several different religious groups coexist peacefully.

Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians? No? Did you know that Sunni Muslims (the branch of Islam that ISIS draws its followers from) only make up 25% of the population?

In this country, there’s no place for extremism. Have you ever heard of any Lebanese who has radicalized and joined ISIS? Normally, they come from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or even Turkey. Lebanon is so culturally cluttered, that the chances of a person radicalizing are low.

Read: 50 Tips for traveling to Iraqi Kurdistan

A mosque and a church built side by side – Is Beirut safe?

  The most liberal country in the Middle East

On the other hand, although religion plays an important role in the life of most families, from a religious point of view, Lebanon is the most liberal country in the entire Middle East.

It has the largest number of atheists (especially among young people), beer is available everywhere and drinking alcohol in the street is allowed (and quite common). Surprised?

In December 2018, I went to Saudi Arabia because for the first time in history, they started issuing tourist visas. Read: Tips + How to travel to Saudi Arabia

  It shares a border with Syria. OK, so what?

Lebanon shares border with Syria. Yes, so what? They are two different countries. The border between them is highly guarded and controlled. The chances of the Syrian conflict moving into Lebanon are non-existent.

  The investment in military security is huge

We can’t forget that Lebanon is located in a highly turbulent region. The military presence aims to prevent any sort of potential conflict.

Soldiers and checkpoints are found in absolutely every corner of the country, especially in Beirut. The Lebanese people love the army. They are accepted in society because it makes them feel safer.

Read: The ultimate 10-day itinerary to Lebanon

Soldiers in Beirut – Is Beirut safe to visit?

  Crime rate and kidnappings are non-existent

As in most of the Arab countries, the crime rate is practically zero. No robberies, no violence. In Lebanon, you can walk around without a worry anywhere at any time, even women.

Read: A travel guide to Palestine

  NO-GO zones when traveling to Lebanon

I just told you the reasons why Lebanon and Beirut are safe places to travel to.

Does it mean that you could wander freely across the whole country? No, absolutely not.

Whereas it’s true that 95% of the country is safe, the remaining 5% might not be. Why?

Because the few radicals who live in the country are found in those areas. These areas are dangerous, not only for the simple fact that you may meet some extremists, but, since the area is so close to Syria, it also suffers from spillover from the Syrian conflict.

Where are these no-go zones? Basically, the north-eastern portion highlighted in red. Don’t even get close to this area. The rest of the country is safe. Please note that the below map is an approximation.

Update 2018: The army managed to kick out many of the ISIS troops. The security in this tiny part of Lebanon has also improved.

  Safety in Lebanon & Beirut: Visiting the sensitive areas of Hezbollah

There are a bunch of areas which, even though they are not classified as dangerous, are considered sensitive. Why? Because they are controlled by Hezbollah. What does ”sensitive area” mean? Hezbollah areas have always been the target of terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State.

In fact, the last suicide bombings that occurred in Lebanon (don’t worry, there is one attack per year) happened in Hezbollah areas. They are partially restricted and no journalism of any sort is allowed.

To understand it better I recommend you read: The day I was accused of being an Islamic State spy in Lebanon

Which Hezbollah areas are sensitive?

Shia Muslim neighborhoods of Beirut, for example, Bourj el-Barajneh

Some refugee camps, for example, Ain al-Hilweh in Saida

Hezbollah territories located in the south of Lebanon, close to the border with Israel

The Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, Beirut – How safe is Beirut Lebanon?

  Things to keep in mind when visiting a Hezbollah area

Don’t even think of taking pictures or let anyone see you with a camera

Some locals may be hostile and you might be kicked out for no reason. If you have the chance to go with a Lebanese, then do it

Foreigners will always be treated as suspicious. You’ll pass through several checkpoints where you’ll be checked and interrogated over and over

In these areas, there are no tourists. Many of the residents can’t understand why someone would to come to their area for tourism purposes. Repeatedly, you’ll be asked by the locals: ”What are you doing here”? Simply, answer: ”Nothing, I am just a tourist and I am walking all around the city”.

Today, Hezbollah areas are relatively safe. I say relatively because there’s one suicide bombing per year, approximately. To be safer, stay away from crowds.

Before heading to any of those areas, check the current situation with a local Lebanese. The areas close to the Israeli border require a special permit. To get it, go to any police station in either Saida or Beirut. You will get it instantly. Keep in mind that this permit gives you access to the area, but it doesn’t allow you to take pictures or do anything silly.

Important to mention: These areas have no appeal for tourists. The only reason why you would want to go there is that you are tremendously curious and need to know what the hell is going on in there. I visited everything. In the border with Israel, I was detained by the authorities. In the Shia neighborhood of Bourj el-Barajneh, some locals kicked me out, pacifically, but for no reason. However, I didn’t experience any issues when I visited the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila. If you are as freaky and curious as I am, the experience is definitely worth it.

Read: Visiting Bourj el-Barajneh by Offbeat Travelling 

Bourj el-Barajneh (Hezbollah area) – Travel in Lebanon

  The isolated case of Tripoli

The UK travel advice to Lebanon says that Tripoli is not safe.

Tripoli is a city located in the north of Lebanon and the second most important one. Why do governments consider it dangerous? Since the Civil War, there have been one-off clashes between Sunni and Alawi Muslims who reside in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, respectively. Throughout the years, these clashes have killed several people.

This is a one-off conflict happening in a specific area, far away from the city center. It’s a fight between two small districts and doesn’t go beyond them. The rest of the city is totally cool and safe. I spent four days in Tripoli, and to be honest, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

I also have to admit that, since I’m an extremely curious human being, I also went to Jabal Mohsen. And what can I say? Life there was merely normal. Again, clashes and bombings happen once a year, not more.

Read: 80 Useful tips for traveling to Iran

Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood in Tripoli which, according to FCO, is one of the most dangerous areas in Lebanon. However, I went there and it was just fine – Lebanon travel

  Extra: Beirut and Lebanon safety tips

Consider going on a tour

I always encourage people to travel independently but I can also understand why some travelers may prefer to travel on a tour, especially in a place like Lebanon.

I recommend you book them via GetYourGuide, as they always work with a wide range of local guides and tour operators, and you can book your tour with just one click. 

So far, these are the tours they offering for traveling in Lebanon:

Beirut city tour – Explore one of the most fascinating cities in the Middle East. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Jeita, Harissa and Byblos – Trip to one of the most stunning caves in the world and historical cities. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Wine tour – Lebanon is well-known for its wine and, in this tour, you will visit 3 different wineries from Beqaa Valley. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Baalbek – Some of the most outstanding Roman ruins outside of Rome. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Epic ruins of Baalbek

  Stay safe by planning your trip ahead – Best books for traveling to Lebanon

The best way to travel to Lebanon safely is to plan your trip properly. For this, I recommend the following books:

Lebanon Travel Guide by Bradt – This is the most updated book guide about Lebanon. Bradt is my favorite brand because they always provide with plenty of local insights and travel tips for independent travelers.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  The Middle East Lonely Planet Guide – It has only one chapter about Lebanon but the information is updated, so it might prove useful.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  English-Arabic phrasebook – Extremely useful when you are outside of Beirut.If you can communicate with the locals, you will, of course, be safer.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK THE LATEST PRICES

  Get proper travel insurance

Lebanon is safe but, truth to be said, it is not the easiest country to travel around because, like many Arab countries, things can become pretty wild.

I always recommend World Nomads. Why?

It is the only company that provides unlimited medical coverage

You can buy while you are already on the road

It covers the largest amount of adventure activities

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE!

  Use Couchsurfing

In Beirut, Couchsurfing is a big deal and there are plenty of events every week. I suggest you look up for these weekly events and get to know some Lebanese people. Actually, there is a group of local attendants who are organizing trips for foreigners almost every week.

  A reminder

As I mentioned previously, don’t go to the northeast of the country and watch out when you are in Hezbollah areas.

And remember to check my other all my other guides about Lebanon:

Beirut travel guide A 10-day itinerary for visiting Lebanon Backpacking in Lebanon: How much does it cost in 2018?

For more content to the region, don’t forget to check all my travel guides to the Middle East

And don’t forget to check my Syria travel guide!

  Conclusion

Is Lebanon safe? The answer is yes, but you need to keep in mind that this country has gone through several conflicts and is located in the heart of the most turbulent region in the world.

Travel safe and cautious. If you have any question, leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to answer. Cheers.

I also recommend reading: Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you book any product or service through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

    from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2l8vyIx via IFTTT