Issue No.589
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6 - 12 June 2002 Issue No.589 Readers' corner |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Cartoon by Osama Qassim
Condemned by name
Sir- I am a young ambitious ophthalmologist who successfully completed the fellowship exam of ophthalmology administered by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. The Royal College sent me a letter confirming my results and an application for admission as a fellow with an FRCS (Glasg) degree.
While I was reading the application form, I was astonished to find out that the Royal College was categorising people according to their religious beliefs. They demanded in the application that all Muslim names should be written in a different way from Western and Christian names, in order to indirectly note the religion of applicants. They wanted Muslims to write their whole name in the surname/family name space, and to leave the forename empty; whereas all other applicants were required to fill the surname and forename space. This way they would know Muslim fellows -- without asking them directly -- because they would be the ones who left the forename space blank.
They want to classify the physicians into good guys and bad guys, and it is a great shame. I consider this a violation of human rights.
I photocopied the application and I want this matter to be published without writing my name. I am thinking seriously of writing to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
H H D
Cairo
Egypt
Musharraf's go-go club
Sir- While the FBI, or for that matter any American law enforcement agency, cannot arrest an American citizen of Pakistani origin anywhere in the States without court orders warrants and/or disregarding various constitutional procedures, to every graceful Pakistani's utmost chagrin, they have the liberty to whisk away Pakistani nationals from Pakistani soil, bypassing Pakistani courts and skirting all legal requirements whenever they feel like, as they deem convenient.
Hence, the recent raids and arrests made in Pakistan under direct supervision/command of American agents are a gross affront to our sovereignty and a matter of grave shame. Not because terrorists deserve any leniency, but rather the point of contention is that operations are US- driven, with local authorities informed only hours before the raids begin.
Tragically, in our country the supposed guardians of the constitution themselves are its leading molesters. No sane Pakistani can argue about the assistance extended by Pakistan to the USA in the immediate aftermath of 11 September. That was a necessity -- morally, diplomatically and politically. But to completely handover policy-making powers to American officials, to become a spineless stooge is unjustifiable.
Our grand chief executive boasts that he is not the chief of army of a banana republic. He is absolutely right. Of course, not, Pakistan is not a banana republic; Pakistan is a go-go club for Americans, being run by our divine puppet general.
Hozeifa Akbar
Stockholm
Sweden
Lawlessness in Pakistan
Sir- The recent surge in violence across Pakistan and the regime's total failure to check widespread bloodletting of innocent citizens should come as no surprise. First, it is idiotic to expect respect for the law from ordinary mortals, when the Messiahs are only at the helm because of their firepower. When rulers -- regardless of their robes and pretext -- can molest the constitution with impunity, anarchy is an inevitable end result.
Second, terrorists are sure to have a field day when security agencies are busy impounding public transport and arranging rallies, rather than handling security-related tasks. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise that if the entire top brass is more concerned with its own power, prefers extra-constitutional activities like micro- managing the referendum and cobbling together like-minded political alliances, than their stipulated duties, law and order is bound to suffer badly.
Likewise, when the reluctant saviours are utilising intelligence outfits solely to flagrantly manipulate the political process in larger national interest, then it is absurd to blame ubiquitous "foreign hands" and external factors for failures of our own making. Furthermore, it is reprehensible, to say the least, that while more than half million Indian troops are cluttered along the Line of Control; when doctors are being butchered on a daily basis by sectarian extremists; when bombs are rocking Pakistan every other day, our top generals are obsessed with their own petty games.
The GHQ should be better aware of the fact that duping the masses is not possible anymore. It is unambiguously clear to the "silent majority" that law enforcement organisations, instead of snapping terrorists and intercepting real culprits, are preoccupied with bribing and beguiling politicians with state resources. Shame, shame.
Very relevant questions would be: Have not decades of stratagems left our armed forces incapable of anything but deceit and deception? Are they still proficient enough of probing security risks, analysing diverse scenarios and consequently thwarting external challenges to our homeland? Can their military expertise be relied upon? In a nutshell, historical record of our military even on the battlefield is hardly consoling.
It seems [that] insecurity in the country is directly proportional to the fixation of the ruling party -- irrespective of its colour/attire -- to perpetuate its own rule. The total absence of democratic channels to influence the state of affairs and incapacity of judicial venues to impart justice is one of the major causes of lawlessness in Pakistan.
What we desperately need is an institutional order where every organ of the state -- law enforcement agencies and the Armed Forces in particular -- should only be executing what they are supposed to, rather than creating favourable conditions for the incumbent office holders to continue their rule. Without creating a culture where the law of the land is equally applicable to every citizen without discrimination, there are slim chances for any sustainable improvement.
Hassan Nasir Chandhar
Gujranwala
Pakistan
The price of insanity
Sir- The flaw in the Mad Mullah Bin Laden's plan for Islamic world domination will no doubt become apparent if he actually manages to carry out another attack on the US. If Bush's answer to 11 September was the war in Afghanistan, the response to a nuclear device going off in an American city is also likely to be nuclear.
Although it may be difficult for the US to find a suitable target, all the Arab nations which have been less-than-forthcoming in the war against terror may find themselves with patches of nuclear wasteland in their territory. It is difficult to assess the amount of damage to cross-cultural relations within Western nations. Arab residents would immediately become identified as the enemy, and even the most liberal nations would become locked in a vicious spiral of paranoia against Islam. This would further Bin Laden's aim to create a religious war, which would eventually leave the Middle East devastated.
Bin Laden is not only a problem for the US but also for the Arab nations. If they don't manage to stop him they will be held responsible, and they will pay the price for his insanity.
Max Wolfe
England
UK
Breaking ranks
Sir- Like most Americans, I consider myself fair-minded and value the ideals of patriotism, liberty, democracy, justice, Judeo-Christian principles, football and even peace. I also recognise and advance America's unique and revolutionary heritage along with its significant contribution to the development of civil society. It is after careful reflection on that heritage and those ideals and a thorough assessment of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and America's role in it, that I regretfully report that my conscience compels me to break ranks with many of my fellow citizens.
I am breaking ranks by choosing to go public in my support of a balanced view in the Israeli- Palestinian issue and not to keep silent in my criticism of Israel. This will be news to a lot of Americans, who because of the American mass media's duplicity and editorial onslaught in support of Israel, don't even realise that there is another viewpoint that merits consideration. Criticism of Israel in America is simply not tolerated.
If I were to believe the media, I would have to assume that Arabs, and particularly Palestinians, are terrorists who hate Americans for our love of democracy. I would also have to believe that our allies, the Israelis, are outgunned and under siege from savages bent on the destruction of Western civilisation.
So how is it that what seems obvious to the rest of the world has some how escaped our notice? And how is it that Americans assume that the indigenous peoples of Palestine should roll over and play dead while muting humanity's innate desire to live with dignity in the land of their birth and heritage?
The answer begins with the disproportionate access to money and power controlled and used by Israel and its American patrons. The Israelis and their American supporters are used to getting everything and anything that they demand, and when on occasion someone like the former President George Bush suggests that American and Israeli interests might best be served by taking a slightly different direction than the one demanded by the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the American press goes into convulsions and treats the wayward back slider as if they have just had a severe mental breakdown.
Sadly, the Israelis and their allies in America have used their substantial power to subjugate, humiliate, condescend, and force their will on a people whose only mistake is to be the indigenous people of a land where foreigners decided without consulting them, to import and force a people on them that are different in ethnicity, religion, culture, language, and attitude. Worse than these differences, if the settlers don't outright hate the natives, they look down upon them as inferiors.
The US is wrong because instead of standing up to the bully, we are aiding and abetting him, allowing our righteous might to deteriorate into something resembling unrighteous oppression. Can you imagine American troops using concert quality speakers to blast a never-ending litany of unspeakable insults into a church while members are trying to worship God? This is the equivalent of what our democratic allies, the Israelis, do while sitting atop a multi-million dollar tank that was donated to them by the people of the United States.
Charles A Dundee
Miami, FL
USA
Shades of Jew
Sir- Responding to Edward Said's 'Crisis for American Jews' piece (Al-Ahram Weekly, 16-22 May 2002) which describes the distorted dehumanised portrayal of Palestinian people to which Jewish youth are witness, along with the mistaken support of Sharon's policies by the majority of American Jews, let it be registered that there is a sector of the Jewish community as well as others from the US with a different perspective, and whose voice is not heard. It is essential that in commenting on this issue, that we recognise that there are those who seek peace and justice so that once again this progressive segment of the Jewish community is not rendered invisible as it is by both the US mainstream press and Jewish community.
Though admittedly a minority, we support an end to the occupation by Israel and condemn Israel's inhumane political and military policies towards the Palestinian people. At the same time, we welcome the condemnation of wholesale generalisations about all Jewish people, the vicious suicide and other attacks with full knowledge that the cycle of hatred and violence, hatred and destruction will be increased as Israel continues its current course.
We are present in our communities, writing letters to the editor, organising forums and groping to find a position where we aren't tacitly lending acceptance to either anti-Jewish or anti- Palestinian/Arab prejudice. Some Jews have peppered the non-Jewish left, but our Jewish selves are not visible. Others have joined clearly defined "peace with justice" Jewish or Jewish- Palestinian organisations trying to have a presence. Still others are shaken and appalled although reticent -- perhaps sending donations.
Like Mr Said, I am disappointed at the lack of acknowledgement of our common humanity. Even more, I am disappointed that the majority of Jewish Americans haven't taken the opportunity to demand and define a progressive shift in US foreign policy, which would lead to peace and security for all people in the Middle East.
Carole Shapiro
Michigan
USA
The irony of it
Sir- How can we call for a boycott of American products while everyday we watch famous personalities on our television screens inviting us to buy US-made merchandise? I want an answer.
Ahmed Sharafeddin
Cairo
Egypt
Caution on conclusions
Sir- It is misleading to your readers to make the statement, as Mohamed El-Sayed Said does in his analysis 'See none, hear none, speak none' (Al-Ahram Weekly, 30 May- 5 June), that there have been "revelations that the administration was warned prior to 11 September of an impending terrorist attack". This is not accurate.
Actually the revelations were that local FBI officials notified their superiors in Washington of their suspicions regarding Massaoui and others, and the FBI officers in Washington did not authorise them to pursue their investigation, and did not forward these reports up the chain of command to the administration. To date, there has been no allegation or revelation in the American press that the Bush administration or the attorney general knew of these warnings. To claim otherwise feeds conspiracy theorists and dishonours your fine newspaper.
Nathaniel T Parsons
Los Angeles, CA
USA
Connecting with Panama
Sir- I enjoy very much reading Al-Ahram Weekly on-line every week, because I am very interested in Middle East issues whether political or cultural, and I have the opportunity to be updated thanks to your newspaper. The Internet has certainly shortened distances.
Ana Carballeda
Panama City
Panama
Suppressing the atrocities
Sir- What the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians smacks of what the German Nazis did to the Jews who were referred to by Hitler's supporters as "untermenschen", or sub-humans. Having dehumanised them, he was [seeking to make it] possible to slaughter them mercilessly. Among the massacres committed by Nazis against the Jews -- and now being committed by the Israelis against the Palestinians -- is to force them all into a building, and then set the building on fire thereby burning them all to death.
This is evident in Israel through photographs and eyewitness accounts of the atrocities being committed by Israeli troops against Palestinians every day. In America, this information is meticulously suppressed, at least by the major media. Left wing, fringe media do carry this information, much to the disgust of the powerful and wealthy Israel lobby. At the same time, Attorney General Aschcroft and his henchmen are moving to suppress the liberal media so that even that source of objective information will be cut off.
Jerry Greenberg
El Dorado
USA
Picking and choosing
Sir- Fouad Moughrabi in 'Imperious blundering' (Al-Ahram Weekly, 30 May-5 June) claims that the West -- i.e. the US -- stood by and allowed the murder of 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda. He then compares that to Jenin, where a few deaths happened, but no massacre. (Palestinians insist they are at war, but then cry foul when people die in battle, but that's a different story.)
If Mr Moughrabi would look back in history, he would find that the US stood by while Hitler murdered 12 million people, half of whom were Jews; we stood by while the Japanese murdered thousands of Chinese and Filipinos; the Turks murdered millions of Armenians; Stalin murdered about 20 million of his own people; Mao Tse Dung murdered several million Chinese; while the Khmer Rouge murdered millions of Cambodians; Saddam Hussein murdered thousands of Kurds; Sudanese Muslims murdered 10 million mostly Christian Sudanese; and while the Serbs murdered Croats and Bosnians.
Intelligent readers will notice that only with the wildest stretch of the imagination could it be said that the US "allowed" these murders to take place. To allow something to happen means that the person doing the allowing had some control over the situation. However, in none of the murders listed above did the US have any authority or ability to stop them. We did our best to stop the Japanese and German murders, but the cost was World War II.
I would ask writers like Mr Moughrabi: is only the US responsible for what happens in the world? Do not the citizens of the nations in which these crimes occurred bear some responsibility? Arab nations have armies, why do they allow Saddam Hussein to murder Iraqis? Why did Arab nations stand by and let Rwandans be murdered? Egypt is much closer to Rwanda than the US. An estimated 10 million people have died in Sudan -- Egypt's neighbour -- does Egypt take responsibility for those deaths?
Arabs cry like little children about US hegemony, then assault us for not using that hegemony to achieve Arab political goals. You don't want us to police the world, but then you insist on blaming us for all the evil that takes place in it. Arabs need to grow up and quit demanding the impossible.
Roger D McKinney
Tulsa, OK
USA
Cheers to Senegal
Sir- I turned on my television set on Friday afternoon with excitement to watch the much- awaited opening match of the 2002 World Cup between France and Senegal. This excitement soon turned into depression as I heard what the television anchor had to say. The tone of the anchor was very dull and unexcited throughout the match, blaming the outcome of the game on the absence of a French player, instead of giving credit to Senegal for their excellent performance and the historical victory they achieved.
Moreover, the voice-volume of this depressing studio anchor was set too loud in proportion to the almost muted sound of the live stadium of the World Cup. The Egyptian State Information Service has the obligation to appoint educated, excited and charismatic television anchors for these much-celebrated live sports events, and not dead-beat boring anchors suffering from inferiority complexes who put the hopes and excitement of the Egyptian audience down.
Egyptian fans have the right to hear and feel the excitement of the voice of the live stadium, the sound of the ball kicking, and players running. And finally and most importantly, the Egyptian people have the right to celebrate and feel proud of the historical victory their fellow Senegalese Africans have achieved.
Kareem Mahmoud
Cairo
Egypt
Empowering education
Sir- I would like you to broach the burning issue of examinations and evaluation systems adopted and implemented for years by our Ministry of Education. Unfortunately, the traditional exams have numerous draw-backs and perilous effects on both students and teachers, and eventually on the whole of society. Exams as we know them only measure the students' faculties to commit information to memory, regardless of the other mental abilities like understanding, analysis and synthesis.
The world community has already signalled the birth of what is called the "new world order", which revolves on three pivots -- globalism, universalism and interdependence. Hence, the Ministry of Education ought to design curricula and train teachers to foster creativity in the students' minds, to produce a generation of creative citizens capable of resolving their every day problems creatively.
In order to eschew a great deal of social maladies such as patronage, bribery and cheating, we must alter the present-day system of examinations and evaluation. But prior change, such as the professional development and betterment of social and financial conditions of teachers should also be taken into account.
Mahmoud Amin Abdel-Gawwad
Beni Suef
Egypt
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