Ramadhan: the Burning of Tires

A strange habit in Yemen is that people burn car tires the day before Ramadhan starts. Black smoke hangs over the city and tires smell terrible, too!

Luckily, it's quite rainy today!

Ramadhan: the Sighting of the Crescent

Each lunar month has either 29 or 30 days, and when the crescent is observed, a new month starts. Today is 29 Sha'ban, the lunar month preceding Ramadhan. Therefore, Ramadhan will either start tomorrow or after tomorrow. The following hadith explains this:

From Abu Hurairah, who said: Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "Fast when it (the crescent) is seen and cease fasting when it is seen, and if it is concealed by clouds, then complete 30 days of Sha'ban." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Last year, many Muslims believe to have fasted one day too early. There were no credible reports about the sighting of the new crescent; however, Saudi Arabia declared it to be Ramadhan. If the crescent really wasn't seen, we made a big mistake. Fasting on the 'day of doubt', as the last day before Ramdahan is called, is forbidden. Inshallah this year the scholars will wait until there is certainty.

A Hadith

The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said: "He who obeys me, obeys Allah, and he who disobeys me, disobeys Allah. He who obeys the Muslim chief, obeys me, and he who disobeys the Muslim chief, disobeys me. The Imam is like a shelter for whose safety the Muslims should fight and where they should seek protection. If the Imam orders people to be dutiful to Allah and fear Him and rules justly, then he will be rewarded for that, and if he does the opposite, he will be responsible for that."
(Bukhari)

Price Increases (2)

We all got an SMS yesterday from the oil authorities which said: There's no increase in the price of fuel, and normal petrol will be available again within days.

The past few days people have been spreading the news that 20 liters of petrol at the petrol station more than doubled in price from 1500 rials to 3500 rials. This, of course, worries us all. Now it seems that the unleaded petrol (and all petrol used to be unleaded) will cost 3500 per 20 liters, while some petrol stations will be allowed to sell leaded petrol for the old price. Bad for your car and the environment, but most people won't have a choice.

While drivers are waiting for this leaded petrol to arrive, the long lines at empty petrol stations have largely disappeared. Possibly just for a few days.

Een Sterk Volk (in het NLs)

Stel je voor, je gaat naar de supermarkt en merkt dat alle producten ineens in prijs zijn gestegen. Een paar dagen later ga je nog eens boodschappen doen en is alles weer duurder geworden. En dan niet een paar centen, maar 30 tot 100%. Uiteraard blijft je salaris hetzelfde. Hoe zou je reageren?

Dit is nu al wekenlang de situatie in Jemen, en ik blijf me verbazen hoe kalm de bevolking het opneemt. Er wordt simpelweg meer geleend, in de hoop dat de situatie zich vanzelf weer oplost.

Om het nog wat zorgwekkender te maken raken steeds meer mensen hun baan kwijt, al dan niet tijdelijk. De talenschool waar je als leraar met een los contract lesgeeft, is bijvoorbeeld voor onbepaalde tijd gesloten, of de bouwwerkzaamheden waar je als bouwvakker werkte liggen voorlopig stil. Het kan ook zijn dat het kantoor waar je voor werkt maar helemaal de deuren sluit, of dat je werkgever je moet ontslaan door gebrek aan inkomsten.

I.p.v. 2500 rials kost 25 kg. meel nu 3400. Tien kg. suiker is van 2000 naar 2800 rials gestegen. Twintig flesjes mineraalwater kostten 700 rials. Nu is dat 1350. Een pakje kaarsen van zes stuks is van 120 naar 240 rials gestegen, en bij sommige winkels zelfs tot 300. Kreeg je voor 50 rials eerder drie komkommers, nu nog maar eentje. Een broodje kost nu 15 rials i.p.v 10, en is nog kleiner dan eerst. 250 ml. melk ging van 50 rials naar 70, toen 90, nu 100. En het eind is nog niet in zicht.

De reden voor deze onwaarschijnlijke prijsstijgingen is het chronische gebrek aan benzine en diesel, waardoor de distributie van goederen vreselijk bemoeilijkt wordt. Ofwel de distributeur moet steeds als zijn tank leeg is drie dagen in de rij staan bij de pomp om 'm weer opgevuld te krijgen, ofwel hij moet de brandstof op de zwarte markt kopen voor inmiddels zeven tot acht keer de eigenlijke prijs. Dit enorme verlies wordt doorberekend in de verkoopprijs.

De minister van handel en industrie heeft aangekondigd dat een gesaboteerde oliepijplijn is gerepareerd waardoor, volgens zijn zeggen, het benzine- en dieseltekort spoedig zal zijn opgeheven en de prijzen weer zullen zakken.

Op straat lacht men om zijn optimisme. Prijzen gaan in Jemen doorgaans nooit omlaag nadat ze zijn gestegen. En zelfs al zou de toevoer van benzine toenemen, dan nog zullen de mensen in de rij blijven staan om voorraden aan te leggen: auto opvullen, met een stuk tuinslang de benzine overhevelen naar jerrycans, en nogmaals in de rij aansluiten. Je weet immers maar nooit wanneer de toevoer weer zal stoppen. Het zal dus nog een hele poos duren voordat je weer gewoon kunt tanken wanneer je daar behoefte aan hebt.

De ellenlange electriciteits-uitval is ook een bron van problemen voor fabrieken, ondernemingen, en alles wat koeling nodig heeft. Zo zijn bevroren waren zoals ijs, kippen, of gehakt allang niet meer verkrijgbaar. Sommige postkantoren sluiten zo nu en dan omdat er geen brandstof is voor de generator om de computers aan het werk te houden. En de post wordt nog maar eens in de zoveel dagen opgehaald omdat ook de postauto's zonder benzine staan.

En toch gaat het leven door, met of zonder inkomsten. Jemenieten zijn een sterk volk.

Petrol Stations

These days, you can divide petrol stations in three different categories.

First, you have the extremely chaotic ones where cars surround all three sides of the station trying to get in, this way blocking entire streets. Every time a car is being filled up, at least fifteen men gather around it. There's a lot of shouting and fighting, and sporadically even gun fire.

For a woman there's no hope at these places to enter with her car. However, with a lot of luck you might find someone who fills up a 10-liter container for you (which is actually forbidden) - especially if you happen to know someone there.

The second category consists of petrol stations that are still chaotic but are slightly organized. Here, the cars will line up at both the entrance and the exit to go inside, but at least you can recognize lines. To have a container filled up you need just as much luck (and, to be honest, that luck has decreased enormously lately), but if you happen to know the owner of the place or meet some friendly soldiers (who help organize the lines outside), a woman may be permitted to enter the station from the exit and have her car filled up. This is possible because not all cars are let in at the same time so there is some space to move - unlike at the petrol stations of the first category.

The third category, of which there are very few, are the real organized ones. There is a neat line of cars at the entrance, and no line at the exit so that cars move only in one direction. Cars are let in two by two only and there are no crowds inside. The disadvantage of these places is that they won't allow anyone to fill up a container and they won't allow women to enter from the exit either - although this would be very possible. In short, for women, who cannot line up for three days until the petrol arrives at the station, these petrol stations are useless.

It has to be said that not many women in Yemen drive a car, and that if they do, they usually have a male family member who could line up for them and sleep in the car until a supply arrives. This is probably the reason why women don't get a lot of help at petrol stations these days and are sometimes even chased away - especially at stations of the third category.

Now the minister of industry and trade has said that the petrol shortage will end shortly because a sabotaged pipeline has been fixed. So far, we can't notice it, though.

Grapes

It's grape season again. The grapes are green and have seeds, and their taste ranges from sour to sweet. Black grapes come later in the year.
According to the book "Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet (PBUH)", the best types of fruits are three: grapes, dates, and figs. Grapes are a good laxative and provide a good source of nutrition. They also strengthen the body. The book also tells us that eating fresh grapes two or three days after harvest is better than eating them immediately; otherwise, they may cause diarrhea.

Jerrycans (in het NLs)

Ik had een 20-liter jerrycan geleend van iemand en 'm nog kunnen opvullen ook, dus moest een nieuwe kopen om de benzine in over te gieten.
"700 rials" zei de handelaar.
Hmmm... dat was nog niet zo lang geleden 350. En toen waren de jerrycans ook nog van goeie kwaliteit. Deze zag eruit alsof 'ie van alle kanten zou gaan lekken en hij kon ook amper dicht.
"Deze 10-liter jerrycans zijn sterker" zei de handelaar. "600 rials per stuk."
Sterker zagen ze er inderdaad uit.
"Zijn die voor water of benzine?"
"Wat dan ook" was het antwoord. "Er is sowieso geen benzine meer.... en ook geen water" voegde hij daaraan toe. Ik moest lachen.
"Nee, echt" zei 'ie. "Water kost nu al 7000 rials!"
Als je een leuk praatje kunt maken of zelfs kunt lachen met een handelaar is wat meer betalen meteen een stuk minder erg. Ik kreeg de twee jerrycans voor 1100 rials. Nu nog even de benzine overgieten.

Embargo (2)

The German embargo on Yemeni parcels that was implemented about 9 months ago (if I'm not mistaken) has still not been lifted yet. The German aviation authority told me: "We keep on banning import flights and overflights from Yemen. It's not foreseeable yet when the ban will be lifted."
A reason was not given. Because some European countries have copied this embargo and, if a country has no embargo, because most mail from Yemen goes through Germany, we cannot send parcels to most countries in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
An employee at the post office told me that sending letters is possible again, but not parcels. Can anyone tell me why??!

President Ali Abdullah Saleh (3)

It is said that Ali Abdullah Saleh is supposed to return to Yemen today, exactly 33 years after he came to power. Nobody knows if these rumors are actually true, so we'll have to wait till we hear the bullets and fireworks, I guess!

A Discussion with a Lady (2)

The problem with the anti-government people is that they can never answer any questions. They simply repeat statements they hear on Suhail TV, and that's it.

I know I shouldn't try anymore, but sometimes you can't escape it. A neighbor exclaimed something against the President while we were sitting and chatting about nothing in particular. Since she looks rather Islamic in appearance, I asked her if she knew the hadith that tells us to obey our ruler, however nice or mean he may be. Yes, she had heard about that, but also said that she didn't consider Saleh to be our ruler. This, of course, has no base in logic and certainly not in Islam.

Another point. Democracy. "No, we want no elections" she said.
"But you ask for democracy. What is democracy then, according to you?"
She ignored the question a couple of times, but when I insisted, she muttered that it means that you can say whatever you like. And that's exactly what you have been able to do in Yemen for all the years that Saleh has been in power. She couldn't deny it.

The most shocking was something her daughter said: "We don't want a khadem as President". A khadem refers to one of the poor blacks in Yemen, who usually sweeps streets or collects garbage. And she said this, of course, because of the burns which have made the color of his skin dark - at least in his face.

"Since when do we laugh about each other's appearance?" I wondered. "First, you agree with the attack on the President, and then you laugh about the consequences?"

It's frustrating to talk to those people who don't think themselves and only repeat what others say. They even compare Ali Abdullah Saleh to a brute ruler who ruled about 1200 years ago. Not that they know anything about the history. And they don't appreciate the peacefulness of the President either. Who else would stay this calm after an assassination attempt?

Anyway, he is said to return on Sunday.

Gunshots out of Joy (3)

And again, last night we saw red bullets and fireworks over the city. This time it was because the President, who had been seen on TV talking to a US official, looked much better than in the last video that was broadcasted some days ago. This was enough reason for the people to show their happiness publicly.

Gunshots out of Joy (2)

And again, last night, we were treated with an hour of red bullets flying over our heads. This time, however, we immediately understood it had everything to do with the President's speech on television.

It was the first time since the assassination attempt in the beginning of June that he appeared on TV, and we had all been waiting for it. It seems that the main purpose of his speech was to reassure the people that he's alive and well. Alhamdulillah. However, it was quite a shock to see his appearance, to be honest. His face looked rather burned.

Ali Abdullah Saleh thanked the Yemeni people and the Saudis and told the public he has undergone eight successful surgeries because of the burns on his body. He didn't talk about when he'd be back in Sana'a. So far, nothing has changed right here.

Picture (Henna)

Traditionally, Yemeni women apply henna patterns on their body (hands, arms) on the occasion of a wedding, etc. At the pro-President women sit-in I met a lady who had written on her hands, in henna, which means, "Ali and nobody else".

War Without Weapons

The domestic war of 1994 occurred a little before I got to Yemen, but according to the locals it was much less of a disaster than what has been happening over the past several months.

One of those locals told me, "In 1994, there was fighting for some weeks, but we never had a lack of anything and prices didn't increase either. What we're experiencing now is a war without weapons - all essential things are getting scarcer and scarcer and prices keep on going up daily. Moreover, we cannot find any more work. How long is it going to go on like this???"

It is also a 'war' without winners. According to economists, it will take the country at least ten years to get back to normal after all the problems have been solved.

Traditions Concerning Childbirth

A friend of mine had given birth to a baby-girl. When I visited her, her mother-in-law and another female family member were engaged in a loud discussion about applying kohl on the place of the eyebrows of the baby. The mother-in-law had done so, after which the other woman had taken it off. "It will cuase the eyebrows to be hairy," she said, "and that's not pretty for a girl."
"Nonsense," the mother-in-law replied. "We always apply kohl on the first day." She took the baby and did it again. The baby was then wrapped in a towel with a long piece of cloth - just like a little package.

My friend said nothing. That's how it goes - all the females have their own habits and the mother of the baby has no say in them.

I noticed a little scar next to the baby's nose. When the women had left the room, I asked, "What's that?"
"Oh, my mother-in-law pulled her nose a bit too roughly," she answered. Pulling the nose to shape it is another habit. She shrugged her shoulders. That's how it goes.

The food the new mother should eat is also prescribed by tradition. Chicken, fetta with samn (bread-pieces with butterfat), dates, and Yemeni coffee with ginger and other spices. My friend wasn't fond of the fetta but something else wouldn't be given to her, so she had no choice but to eat some.

The habit is that the 'waalidah' (the mother of the baby) stays in bed for 40 days. Every afternoon, neighbors, family, and friends come to visit, chat, and drink spiced coffee. Of course the new mother gets up in the morning and may do some housework when she feels strong enough, but in the afternoon, she needs to be under her blanket!

The baby is usually given a name one week after birth, following the sunneh (the way of Prophet Mohammed PBUH). But who should name the child? This is another cause for discussion.

My friend had a name in mind, but so did her husband, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and basically everybody else. So we'll have to wait and see whose voice will be heard!