Semiotics: Islam Saudi religious police, and Canadian Muslim satire

I just found a webblog owned by a Muslim of Saudi origin and expertise, currently living in Britain. I found the blog just at the moment the gentleman was setting out on (an apparently long) vacation. His hiatus in posting new blog entries starts December 4, so the posts he has up now are still quite fresh. Click up his blog here. The blog's name is The Religious Policeman. And the thinker-owner signs his posts "Alhamedi Alanezi."

You'll find a pix on the blogpage, but not of Alhamedi. Rather, it's a photo of "Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Abdullah Al-Ghaith, General President for the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice [of Saudi Arabia]. The Head Religious Policeman, or Muttawa. Callsign 'Mutt One'," Alhamedi laffs.

Muttawa, Saudia Arabia

Oh yeah, did I mention, "...if I suspect that a net is closing [tite on me], then I will cease blogging." - says Alhamedi.

Two days ago, the snippets above were posted in an important blog entry "The Religious Policeman FAQ." Really eye-opening about the systematic relgious repression in Saudi Arabia and the danger in even discussing it! - let alone blogging on the Net about it! But this Muslim thinker makes his own confesson of faith, definitely not anti-Judaic, nor anti-Christian, a very positive statement from his own perspective.

As a Muslim, I certainly feel more comfortable in countries such as the UK, where they generally have a more relaxed, but no less holy, approach to their religious life. Although it is not for me to judge, I am possibly a better Muslim in terms of the fundamentals of the religion, rather than in terms of the ritualistic rules-based "praying-by-numbers" approach. I also believe that whatever we call Him, we all worship the same God, and he requires us to love one another. I am not going to kill you because you read from a different book.

Thinker Alhamedi also links us to a humour site, Maniac Muslim: Making Muslims look cool since 1984 (ah, recall that "1984" is a book by Aldous Huxley critiquing socialist utopia).

So, a Hat Tip in the Muslim thinker's direction, and a bow for such a serious writer's flash that he also has a deep sense of humour - about which I've much to learn for a fuller appreciation of those in a cross-cultural situation between Araby and North America. Following a link from Alhamedi, I click to Maniac Muslim. Which further directs readers, as does Alhamedi, to yet another link that brings the reader/clicker to a brilliant piece by one of MM's own writers, Hamza Moin, entitled "Hogwart's Muslim Students Assocation" (in passing I note that there are some Muslim Students Associations at the universities in my city, Toronto - P).

Now, this work at sustained humour by Hamza Moin I found very very funny AND, at times, confusing - due to my monoculturalism, to be sure. But the semiotics of the visual come-on that's connected to this piece is absolutely priceless. - Politicarp