Benazir Bhutto Residence in Dubai..
Gaps between people will close as people realize what a long ride they have been on for so many years.
Palestine. Syria…many other “countries”..of “muslims”…
What the heck is going on then? Have we forsaken a leg and an arm to take care of just one arm and a leg and be happy being crippled and handicapped? The Muslim Ummah today is like a handicapped old man on a wheel chair living in the illusion that he is an accomplished athlete!
My rich and “accomplished” friends from my muslim countries..:
You see..when you steal from your own nations and build castles. .in lands not your own..what you are basically doing is that you are losing the trust of not only your own nation but also of the nation you are about to ‘honor’ with your stolen money. They say: if he can screw them..he can screw us too..So, what you become is a cow the world milks until milk is available and then you are slaughtered and fed to the dogs. Gaddafi..Saddam..Mubarak..and so many have come and gone..
Remember..no one accepts you after your own nation discards you.
And, when they discard you..no threat or bullet makes them change their minds.
It is for the ruling elite of our nations to now unite muslims and be secure by securing all. Stop hurting common folks!
Why would a man not roam the streets of his land and his people love him? I would punish, reward, wipe tears, resolve issues, solve problems, be available to people…if I were to run my country. Happened in the good ole days only you say? Well the hell with progress if it still cannot happen..I say!
Gaps between nations..gaps between people and leaders..gaps between neighbors..filled with hatred..prejudice..and discrimination. .for no damn good reason except retardation caused by inflated egos!!
Let us get together and fill these gaps with unity…love and understanding. And, above all, tolerance! Let us unite and make this ummah the athlete it should be….
Good Night…where ever you may be…
Real Talk Blog : ali shah 
In all parts of the world and in all walks of life, there are women and men who stand out because they embody positive human values, at the same time as they pursue their own individual goals in life. You are one of those…. Allah bless you
Thank you very much
Dear Ali,
1) From the little I know about you (the radio i interview + few posts I read), I found that you are deeply passionate about the idea of existing “gaps” and how to go about closing them. I think you mentioned i the interview that its something you tried to fight all your life as well (I wounder if that is through your profession, or as a side project), and if you can give us glimpse into this great journey of yours (what you learned, some practical tools, how we can help at our own small levels, ets..)
2) This topic is also something I have pondered for a while especially as it relates to social and economic justice as well as how Islam views it. what do you think about this ayat (#32 in surat Al-Zukruf) as Allah s-swt- says “Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank] that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.” My focus is on the implied universal law that “gaps” so to speak will always exist..maybe as a form of test, and maybe as a form of mercy.. How do you think Islam emphsized the idea of equality (like in the age of Omar bin AbdulAziz when no poor was found to receive the zkhat)? Is social or economic equality more important than the other?
3) The most egalitarian (equal) societies in the world today are those of the Nordic countries (Finland, Norway, Dinmark, and Sweden) as measured by the Gini factor and others. I wounder how can we go about implementing some of their tools in our Arab/Muslim/Saudi societies?
-~ 50% of their income goes to tax (can we have taxes in Islam? would be willingly accept to give 50% of their paycheck? What about curruption?)
-The largest pay gap in a given organization does not exceed a multiple of 7 (CEO vs. custodian) where as in the US, or Saudi it can reach as high as 400 (sources are out there).
For example,I grew up in Aramco as a son of a Saudi engineer who started with a salary that is 2-3x the average (not the lowest) Saudi and ended with 5-6x (his friends with “connections” reached 10-20x) other people work just as hard and they are just as intelligent and their families deserve a similar lifestyle IMHO.
-At the end of the day, and as with most policy problems, I can see 2 main ways: top-bottom, big government control over this vs. bottom-up, grassroots, cultural/social, value-driven control by people.
Which you do think suites our current conditions and Saudi society?
Sorry for asking too much. I read once that in our intellectual discourse, we should always try to strike a balance between the why and the how, with little more focus on the latter (practical, solutions-driven mentality) when talking to the public (myself included). As this is where true change unleashes and we can positively contribute and impact society.
My best regards to you Ali, and I actually would like to know more about you as a person (where you grew up, how you formed your ideas, your profession, views on expats and Saudis..) maybe this can be for later post? Or maybe you discussed it in a previous post?
Wa assalamu alecum,
Thank you for your comment..the reply..of course..will be long too..:) I will reply in detail here and on your email. Though it would much easier to have a whole discussion on this as the subject is deep and views maybe exchanged and defined more frequently.. Please email me at ali@vrstrategy.com
Sent from Samsung Mobile