Category: World News & Politics

Ken Livingstone: Sharon Is A War Criminal

Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, in a searing critique of Israeli policies published on Friday in The Guardian newspaper…

Sharon “is a war criminal who should be in prison, not in office”, he wrote, saying that even an Israeli commission had blamed the prime minister for massacres at Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

The mayor also denounced “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians during the expansion of the Israeli state, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and the denial of Palestinians’ right to return.

“Sharon continues to organise terror,” he said, citing the disproportionate number of Palestinians killed compared to Israelis during the Palestinian intifada or uprising.

Rejecting charges of anti-Semitism, Livingstone argued it was necessary to separate criticism of Israeli policies from anti-Semitism, saying the Israeli government deliberately attempted to conflate the two.

[Source: Al Jazeera]

I couldn’t agree more with him.

Sharon is a war criminal who should be tried for all the massacres and crimes he was behind, and thrown in prison for the rest of his life.
He is the worst of terrorists and his policies all amount to state terrorism.

Also, a very important issue is the issue of Israel trying to conflate criticism of Israel with anti-semitism. They’re two totally different things and just because someone is against the policies of the Israeli government doesn’t mean they’re anti-semitic and hate Jews.

Muslim Worker Quits Job After Threats

Sad and really bad…

A Muslim worker in Belgium was forced to quit her job following the latest in a series of death threats from a shadowy extremist group against her employer.

The case has gained notoriety throughout the country since the first threatening letter arrived in November.

Naima Amzil and her boss had been called heroes for refusing to cave in to demands from a group calling itself New Free Flanders, which insisted the woman be fired because she is Muslim.

Amzil gave up on Wednesday when she heard of the latest letter, which contained two bullets and warned that “the execution is being prepared again”.

Source: Al Jazeera

It’s very sad to see such racism still exists in the world.

German Muslims Want Islam In Class

I think this is interesting…

Six Islamic groups, accounting for 70% of Germany’s Muslims, plan to unite under one umbrella to push for having Islam taught in public schools.

The groups want to ensure that Islam can be taught in German in public schools to better integrate children and prevent misinterpretations.

“If we don’t, the next generation of Muslims will grow up without values, and if they don’t get their religious education in schools they risk being influenced by bad interpretations of the Quran,” said Nadeem Elyas, president of the central council of Muslims, after a meeting of Muslim groups in Hamburg last weekend.

Source: Al Jazeera

One of the things I think is very important for muslims and Islam in our times is to teach the next generation of muslims more about their religion, show them what’s right from wrong and explain the peaceful message of Islam.

This way when they grow up they won’t be misled and influenced by people who misinterpret the Quran to reach their own wrong goals.

They’ll also be in a better position to defend the religion and explain it to the people around them who have a wrong idea about it.

Muslim Girl Wins School Dress Case

This is good news…

A 16-year-old British Muslim girl has won the right to wear full Islamic dress at school.

Britain’s Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that Shabina Begum had been “unlawfully denied … the right to manifest her religion.”

Begum was sent home from Denbigh High School in Luton, north of London, in September 2002 for wearing a jilbab, which covers the body except for the hands and face.

The school said the jilbab posed a health and safety risk and might cause divisions among pupils.

[Source: CNN]

I think everyone should be free to wear whatever they want to wear as long as it’s respectful.

Different people from the same society have different religions and faiths, and there should always be mutual respect for their different beliefs and ways of life.
If a person’s religion tells them to follow a certain dress code or food code, then it’s their business only and no one has the right to interfere.

Syria Hands Over Saddam Half-Brother

Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syria captured and handed over Saddam Hussein’s half brother…

” Ok great!! yay!!!! So we’ve captured Saddam, his half-brother, killed his 2 sons and his grandson, and we’re hot on the trail of Al-Zarqawi. *applause and whistles here* And we did it all in 2 years!!!! Now, can someone please explain to me how in the name of all that is holy, how we still, after 4 freaking years, have no idea where in the hell Bin-Laden (you know the guy that flew planes into the twin towers) is???? Oh that’s right. I almost forgot that we aren’t really looking for him, since he has no oil.”

— Pourquoi Pas?

[Via: Je Blog]

Lebanese Government Resigns

After demonstrators defied a government ban and poured into Beirut’s city center to protest against Syria’s military presence in Lebanon…

The Lebanese government abruptly resigned Monday during a stormy parliamentary debate, prompting a tremendous roar from tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in central Beirut.

The demonstrators, awash in a sea of red, white and green Lebanese flags, had demanded the pro-Syrian government’s resignation — and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon — since this month’s assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The country’s pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, now must pick a prime minister to form a new government until scheduled elections in May.

In his speech, Karami said he would have won a no-confidence vote scheduled for later in the day, but was resigning to avoid making his government a stumbling block to peace.
[Source: CNN]

I totally respect the people speaking out for what they want and putting the necessary pressure to get it.
I just hope things don’t get out of control and turn sour.
Some people are afraid of all this leading to another civil war. I hope they’re wrong and that it never happens.

Ariel Sharon Invited to Tunisia

So Ariel Sharon was invited to Tunisia for the WSIS 2005 (World Summit on the Information Society) and apparently he accepted the invitation.

This was met with mixed reactions by Tunisians and Arabs alike. Some people are totally against it and feel that it is wrong to host the man behind the Sabra and Chatila massacres and all the Palestinian bloodshed.
Others think that it’s a very normal thing and that it shouldn’t be taken out of context as the WSIS is a world summit and many leaders from all over the world will be attending.

Some people try to look a bit deeper and think it’s a step closer to normalization of ties between Tunisia and Israel, after the mood was set with the Sharm El Sheikh summit and the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors returning to Tel Aviv.

Of course Ariel Sharon is a horrible man and he was behind a lot of Palestinian bloodshed, but when he comes to Tunisia in November he comes as a leader of a country that is recognized by the UN in a summit that is organized by the UN.

And I think that’s how the Tunisian government looked at it when the decision to invite Sharon was made.

More on the subject: AquaCool, Je Blog, Hou-Hou (FR).

Egypt Election Reform

Good news from Egypt…

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections in September, making a surprise reversal Saturday that could mean he will face a challenger for the first time since taking power in 1981.

It was the first significant move toward political reform in decades in Egypt, a powerhouse in the Arab world that has had one-party rule for more than half a century.

The announcement came amid increasing calls for political reform from the domestic opposition and from the United States and after historic Iraqi and Palestinian elections that brought a taste of democracy to the region.

[Source: CNN]

I think this is really good news for all Egyptians.

In a matter of fact, just earlier today we were talking about the Kifaya demonstrations in Egypt, how currently the elections are only a referendum in which Egyptians vote yes or no for their president and how there should be change.

Hopefully this change, allowing more than one candidate to run for presidency, will be a good step towards more choice and more democracy in Egypt.

Iran Hit By Earthquake

Very Sad…

A powerful earthquake has rocked central Iran, destroying buildings in several villages and killing 190 people.

Iranian officials told state-run television on Tuesday that 1,000 people have been injured — at least 280 in the city of Zarand alone.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near Zarand in central Iran at 5:55 a.m. local time (0225 GMT).

[Source: CNN]

Iran has been hit by a number of strong earthquakes over the past years, causing a lot of disasters and damage around the country.

God help the people of Iran who have gone through these disasters time and again and who have lost homes, loved ones, businesses and so much more.

Our hearts and minds are with them.