Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Saudi Arabia rejects Pakistani diplomat over name translation
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Daily Sun : In an unfortunate result of translation, Pakistani diplomat
Akbar Zeb will not become the next Pakistani ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Zebās credentials seem in order: He is the former ambassador to the
United States, India and South Africa. He held the post of High
Commissioner Designate of Pakistan to Canada and is the former director
general of Pakistanās Foreign Ministry.
Akbar Zeb
But despite Mr. Zebās impressive career, the 55-year-old diplomatās
name proved to be the immovable hurdle. When translated into Arabic,
Akbar Zeb means āBiggest Dick.ā In a region that stresses modesty,
particularly in public, this could not stand.
Akbar is a customary Muslim name for Arabic and non-Arabic speakers
alike. The same cannot be said for Zeb. The name is common in Urdu,
however in Arabic it is merely a slang reference to the male
reproductive organ.
In hopes of minimizing the use of the word in public, Saudi Arabia has refused to accredit Mr. Zeb for the position.
According to the Arab Times, this is the third instance in which an
Arabic-speaking country has refused Mr. Zebās ambassadorship. The United
Arab Emirates rejected the diplomat first, followed by Bahrain, and now
Saudi Arabia has added its name to the list.
āItās hard to imagine that someoneās name would be a problem,
especially on this level, but I understand why the governments reacted
this way,ā Saudi cultural critic Ahmed Al-Omran told The Media Line.
āIt
crosses a cultural red line so I donāt think the media would dare to
publish a name like this. So every time he would be in the media they
would have to face the name issue and it would make it difficult to work
with him. That would just be an embarrassment for Pakistan.ā
