freepalestine
9th March 2013, 12:43
Aleppo’s Eccentric Yellow Man Tortured by ’Freedom Fighters’
HQj5AxqV4GY
EuylhA477x0
Aleppo’s Eccentric Yellow Man Tortured by ’Freedom Fighters’
http://trutube.tv/video/3536/Aleppo8217s-Eccentric-Yellow-Man-Tortured-by-8217Freedom-Fighters8217
The Yellow Man of Aleppo: The man behind the legend
First Published Tuesday 12 October 2010, Baladna (original article here)
Mention the Yellow Man to
anyone from Aleppo and it
is guaranteed to cause a stir.
The Yellow Man, as one would
expect, is a man dressed in
yellow. From his shirt to his
shoes to his mobile phone,
refusing to tell people his
secret.
On first hearing of him, I thought
him simply to be an eccentric.
However, as I began to question
people about him, a different
story emerged.
“Definitely he’s a pimp.” said
Basel, from the neighbourhood
of Ibara Street in Aleppo where -I
was told- the Yellow Man works for a cabaret club, Hisan Ajjameh (Crazy Horse). “The yellow is a sign for clients, who he brings to the club. At the end of the night, he’s given commission. His father is an Imam. He refuses interviews because he doesn’t want him to find out.” As unlikely as this story sounded to me at the time, my worst fears were awakened when I struck up a conversation
with Mohammed, an English student, on the bus to the city centre. “The Yellow man has a bad reputation here, I’m ashamed to tell you what he does. All I’ll say is: if you came here to do your report on him, I wouldn’t bother. He’s a
dangerous man, he won’t want to talk to you.” Crazy images flashed
through my mind: hunted down on the road from Aleppo by a yellow
Mafia man in sunglasses and a sports car, yellow bullets strafing
the back of the coach. Among the host of theories- ”Everybody knows he’s with the Mukhabarat. It’s a double bluff!” said Abd Masiih from Aleppo- a more believable but more interesting idea was suggested by Ali Ahmed, a Professor of Arabic I met by Bab al-Faraj. “The Yellow man is actually a pretty normal, boring guy. He makes himself distinct, unique, from the outside, because there’s nothing in the inside. He wants to show off to everyone how different he is but behind his Yellow exterior, there’s nothing.” So why refuse all interviews, if one is so eager to catch the limelight? “To maintain the mystery!” said Ali, beaming.
In Aleppo, I found the Crazy Horse club, which had in fact closed down but Feras, who had guided me there, didn’t think the Yellow Man was ever associated with it. “People always make rumours about those who stand out from the crowd. The Yellow Man is a good man.” The Doorman of al-Caas Disco Club, next door, thought the same. “I see him wandering round here but he never comes in. He has a family, children, he would never think of doing these things.”
I could sense the Yellow Man was near.
Up by the Sheraton Hotel I was talking
to two security guards. “Since I can
remember, Abu Zukur has been
coming here.” -The ‘Yellow Man’ defaced,demystified, into plain Abu Zukur.
“That’s what he likes everyone
to call him.” Then suddenly one
of the men shot out of his chair,
scanning the street. “Wait…there
he is! There’s Abu Zukur!” And
sure enough, in the middle of
the roundabout, was Abu Zuhur.
Sat on a yellow chair hailing the
shouts and cries from the passing
traffic, as he twirled yellow prayer
beads.
“From an early age” commenced
Abu Zukar, smiling a broad smile,
“I discovered I was someone who
was loved by all. Even when I was
in the Army, everybody was nice
to me. Politicians, business men,
heads of state are loved too, but
then they make false promises.
They lie to people, using this trust
that comes from love. Love comes
from God, it’s a sin to misuse it. I
chose yellow because it’s a colour
that gives people happiness and
joy. People loved me from the
beginning and I want to repay
them that love. Plus, no-one has
ever done this before! There have
been countless politicians, but
there’s only one Yellow Man.”
I put to him the rumours about
the salacious side of the Yellow
Man. “People are jealous, and
people talk. If I had such a bad
reputation, then I wouldn’t be
loved like I am by all the Aleppan
women; they’re always having
photos with me!” I asked him
about the mystery surrounding
his activities: “Mystery? What
mystery? It is people who create
the mystery, not me. I am just the
Yellow Man, that’s it. But journalists
are always looking to make
a bigger story out of me for their
own interests, and people like a
scandal. If you want to know my
activities, they’re pretty simple.
At 3:30 I get up for dawn prayer.
Then I read the Qur’an for two
hours. The rest of the day, I spend
talking to people on the street. In
this way, I know my religion and I
know my society. That is why I am
so popular. That is why I can help
people the way I do. If I see someone
who has a problem -he might
drink, he might be having affairs
with other women- I understand
that this situation calls for caution.
People don’t like being told
what to do, so I’ve learnt how to
curb their malpractices in a subtle
way, because I know how people
are.” At this moment a taxi pulls
up: “I’m sorry” said Abu Zukur,
“I can’t talk right now, I’m doing
an interview!” The taxi drove off.
“You see how popular I am?”
I talked to Abu Zukur about why
he refuses interviews. “I see that
you are a good person, so I accept
your interview and as one good
person to another, I advise you that
whatever you write, you write the
truth. Continue these rumours if
you like, but people who lie -even
though they may be famous for a
while- the wind takes them, blows
them away. But truth prevails.
Tell people that I am a good man,
a religious man…now let’s get a
photo!” As another group came to
have their photo with the Yellow
Man he said, as I left, “If you want
to talk to me about anything else,
I’ll always be here, after 8. ”
So no pimp, no agent, but a
charming man who talks to anyone
who will listen. After feeling
uneasy about ruining the legend
of the Yellow Man, I ruin it now at
his behest. This may seem to you
more mysterious. But, if you are
a good person, you should know
that there is no mystery in someone
who wants only to love and
be loved.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
http://pauljacobnaylor.wordpress.com/journalism/
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/03/myjihad-in-syria-graphic-video-obama-backed-fsa-executes-innocent-alawite-syrian-and-secular-druze-s.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
HQj5AxqV4GY
EuylhA477x0
Aleppo’s Eccentric Yellow Man Tortured by ’Freedom Fighters’
http://trutube.tv/video/3536/Aleppo8217s-Eccentric-Yellow-Man-Tortured-by-8217Freedom-Fighters8217
The Yellow Man of Aleppo: The man behind the legend
First Published Tuesday 12 October 2010, Baladna (original article here)
Mention the Yellow Man to
anyone from Aleppo and it
is guaranteed to cause a stir.
The Yellow Man, as one would
expect, is a man dressed in
yellow. From his shirt to his
shoes to his mobile phone,
refusing to tell people his
secret.
On first hearing of him, I thought
him simply to be an eccentric.
However, as I began to question
people about him, a different
story emerged.
“Definitely he’s a pimp.” said
Basel, from the neighbourhood
of Ibara Street in Aleppo where -I
was told- the Yellow Man works for a cabaret club, Hisan Ajjameh (Crazy Horse). “The yellow is a sign for clients, who he brings to the club. At the end of the night, he’s given commission. His father is an Imam. He refuses interviews because he doesn’t want him to find out.” As unlikely as this story sounded to me at the time, my worst fears were awakened when I struck up a conversation
with Mohammed, an English student, on the bus to the city centre. “The Yellow man has a bad reputation here, I’m ashamed to tell you what he does. All I’ll say is: if you came here to do your report on him, I wouldn’t bother. He’s a
dangerous man, he won’t want to talk to you.” Crazy images flashed
through my mind: hunted down on the road from Aleppo by a yellow
Mafia man in sunglasses and a sports car, yellow bullets strafing
the back of the coach. Among the host of theories- ”Everybody knows he’s with the Mukhabarat. It’s a double bluff!” said Abd Masiih from Aleppo- a more believable but more interesting idea was suggested by Ali Ahmed, a Professor of Arabic I met by Bab al-Faraj. “The Yellow man is actually a pretty normal, boring guy. He makes himself distinct, unique, from the outside, because there’s nothing in the inside. He wants to show off to everyone how different he is but behind his Yellow exterior, there’s nothing.” So why refuse all interviews, if one is so eager to catch the limelight? “To maintain the mystery!” said Ali, beaming.
In Aleppo, I found the Crazy Horse club, which had in fact closed down but Feras, who had guided me there, didn’t think the Yellow Man was ever associated with it. “People always make rumours about those who stand out from the crowd. The Yellow Man is a good man.” The Doorman of al-Caas Disco Club, next door, thought the same. “I see him wandering round here but he never comes in. He has a family, children, he would never think of doing these things.”
I could sense the Yellow Man was near.
Up by the Sheraton Hotel I was talking
to two security guards. “Since I can
remember, Abu Zukur has been
coming here.” -The ‘Yellow Man’ defaced,demystified, into plain Abu Zukur.
“That’s what he likes everyone
to call him.” Then suddenly one
of the men shot out of his chair,
scanning the street. “Wait…there
he is! There’s Abu Zukur!” And
sure enough, in the middle of
the roundabout, was Abu Zuhur.
Sat on a yellow chair hailing the
shouts and cries from the passing
traffic, as he twirled yellow prayer
beads.
“From an early age” commenced
Abu Zukar, smiling a broad smile,
“I discovered I was someone who
was loved by all. Even when I was
in the Army, everybody was nice
to me. Politicians, business men,
heads of state are loved too, but
then they make false promises.
They lie to people, using this trust
that comes from love. Love comes
from God, it’s a sin to misuse it. I
chose yellow because it’s a colour
that gives people happiness and
joy. People loved me from the
beginning and I want to repay
them that love. Plus, no-one has
ever done this before! There have
been countless politicians, but
there’s only one Yellow Man.”
I put to him the rumours about
the salacious side of the Yellow
Man. “People are jealous, and
people talk. If I had such a bad
reputation, then I wouldn’t be
loved like I am by all the Aleppan
women; they’re always having
photos with me!” I asked him
about the mystery surrounding
his activities: “Mystery? What
mystery? It is people who create
the mystery, not me. I am just the
Yellow Man, that’s it. But journalists
are always looking to make
a bigger story out of me for their
own interests, and people like a
scandal. If you want to know my
activities, they’re pretty simple.
At 3:30 I get up for dawn prayer.
Then I read the Qur’an for two
hours. The rest of the day, I spend
talking to people on the street. In
this way, I know my religion and I
know my society. That is why I am
so popular. That is why I can help
people the way I do. If I see someone
who has a problem -he might
drink, he might be having affairs
with other women- I understand
that this situation calls for caution.
People don’t like being told
what to do, so I’ve learnt how to
curb their malpractices in a subtle
way, because I know how people
are.” At this moment a taxi pulls
up: “I’m sorry” said Abu Zukur,
“I can’t talk right now, I’m doing
an interview!” The taxi drove off.
“You see how popular I am?”
I talked to Abu Zukur about why
he refuses interviews. “I see that
you are a good person, so I accept
your interview and as one good
person to another, I advise you that
whatever you write, you write the
truth. Continue these rumours if
you like, but people who lie -even
though they may be famous for a
while- the wind takes them, blows
them away. But truth prevails.
Tell people that I am a good man,
a religious man…now let’s get a
photo!” As another group came to
have their photo with the Yellow
Man he said, as I left, “If you want
to talk to me about anything else,
I’ll always be here, after 8. ”
So no pimp, no agent, but a
charming man who talks to anyone
who will listen. After feeling
uneasy about ruining the legend
of the Yellow Man, I ruin it now at
his behest. This may seem to you
more mysterious. But, if you are
a good person, you should know
that there is no mystery in someone
who wants only to love and
be loved.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
http://pauljacobnaylor.wordpress.com/journalism/
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/03/myjihad-in-syria-graphic-video-obama-backed-fsa-executes-innocent-alawite-syrian-and-secular-druze-s.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook