Letters to the Editor
In eye of the storm
Sir-- The multiple special interests Mr Aziz Jabr Shayyal describes in Iraq in 'Who will rule Iraq' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 1-7 July) demonstrate the requirement for democracy in Iraq.
In a democracy, the needs of the people are distilled by the political process and communicated by political leaders back to the people to facilitate action. There is no better substitute for the effective address and resolution of the issues which affect our personal lives.
Mr Shayyal is correct to be suspicious of any political process where the interests of the elite have overwhelming representation; free and popular elections are the counterweight by which the will of the numerically superior "common" people can demand the inclusion of their interests in their government's policies. The success of American democracy has been that it assumed the worst about government power and people who occupy its halls of power.
Mr Shayyal is naïve when he claims that the current fragmentation of the Iraqi people's political interests are a negative consequence of the occupation; it is a positive outcome. Saddam repressed the interests of his people in order to express his own; his demonic need for money and power took precedent over fresh, clean water, religious freedom, peaceful coexistence with other nations and healthy political debate. Saddam forced every Iraqi into unified silence.
Today, all people have concerns that seem specific to their own lives; the democratic process gives those concerns a voice, political leaders discern the most common concerns (special interests) and transform them into a platform which might appeal to an electoral majority, and thence a political party's agenda is linked to its leader's political authority to serve the people. This type of "fragmentation" is a good development in Iraq where nostalgia for unity should be remembered as having been derived from fear.
In a sinking ship, the people are united as well, but it is the captain at the top of the mast who has the opportunity to take the last breath. For me, it is much better to be disunited on a ship which protects its passengers from the storms which surround and threaten us all.
Mel Gagliano
New York, NY
USA
Incomplete verdict
Sir-- The verdict of the Israeli High Court which states that the building of the Israeli Wall at the West Bank must be adjusted by 30kms, because of the violations of human rights, is not only a partial fulfilling of the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population, but is also contrary to international law.
First of all, the motivation for the verdict is being based on the fact that because of the building of the wall the inhabitants of the Beit Surik community had no entrance to their agricultural lands and schools, but in the named verdict the court doesn't refer to the other Palestinian inhabitants of the West Bank (85,000 people), who are likewise excluded from their agricultural lands.
Secondly, the Israeli building of the wall is as such a violation of international law because it cuts deeply in the occupied Palestinian areas, which is a violation of UN-Security Council resolution 242 by which Israel was summoned to withdraw from the Palestinian areas occupied in the 1967 War. It is therefore highly recommended that the Israeli High Court adjusts its verdict according to the principles of international law.
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Racist foundations
Sir-- The wall that separates and protects religion from the state, and vice versa, is the basis of the foundations of law in the United States -- the Constitution. While in contrast, the foundation of law in Israel is based on the blending of religion with the state; thereby, automatically exposing itself to the realms of racism on its face. How then, can the United States profess equality, justice and democracy while it continues funding a racist government?
By choosing to support Israel without any accountability for its actions, the United States thus chooses to undermine its own credence of equality and justice, and this action can only lead to the erosion of civil liberties within its own borders. It is time to stop turning a blind eye to the actions of the Israeli government, and perhaps this will mean losing an "ally" in Israel, but in the end the courage to reveal the oppressive acts can only lead to a peaceful future, where the awards of liberty await those who have been struggling valiantly for a solution.
Deidre Benham
California
USA
Sudan focus
Sir-- I appreciate your newspaper's insight and comment on the state of the Arab world as it struggles with political and social problems, but I don't understand why you don't have more coverage of what is taking place in the south of Sudan.
While your paper's writers correctly criticise the Israeli occupation and speak about the sorrows and resilience of the Palestinian people, why not cover another group of people who are being driven from their homeland? Or the ruthless government that is pushing this effort?
Ben Ragsdale
Minneapolis, MN
USA
Uneven coverage
Sir-- I have just completed a search of Al-Ahram Weekly articles to see if somehow I missed something. That something I was looking for should have included articles about the genocide taking place in the Sudan.
That something I was looking for should have expressed outrage about the slaughter of Black African Sudanese. I looked in vain to see reports of mass protests in Cairo demanding an end to the murders; I looked without success to find op-ed pieces describing how the Arab street was furious about the humiliations their fellow Muslims were enduring at the hands of the jihadists. I thought surely Muslims from Egypt would be pouring over the borders to serve as human shields to protect the Black Muslims.
Alas, I could find nothing like that on the pages of Al-Ahram Weekly and indeed in any of the Arab news outlets. And then it dawned on me why I could find no outrage, no protests, no burning of the flag of Khartoum, no sneering commentary about the Sudanese leadership.
This terrible humanitarian crisis could not be blamed on the United States of America and because it could not, the genocide was virtually ignored. I challenge you to look carefully at the difference between your coverage of Iraq and your coverage of Sudan where thousands have been murdered, raped and left homeless and starving. Shameful hypocrisy.
Victoria Zaper
Chicago, IL
USA
Editor's note
The above two letters are somewhat surprising, since over the years Al-Ahram Weekly has been consistent in devoting substantial space to covering, exposing and commenting on the atrocities committed by the Sudanese government both against the southern Sudanese, and more recently in Darfur. In the latter case, we might refer the readers to the following articles: "Plot thickens around Darfur" ( Al-Ahram Weekly , 18-24 March); "The importance of being Sudanese (1-7 April); "Sudanese uncertainties" (8-14 April); "Darfur in flames" (29 April-5 March); "Regional commitment" (27 May-2 June); "An incomplete peace" (10-16 June); "Human disaster in Darfur" (24-30 June); "Dateline Darfur" (1-7 July).
The editors
Seeds of evil
Sir-- I was dismayed by the tragic act of terror of beheading the US hostage Mr Paul Johnson by a group of extremists in Saudi Arabia. This butchery is done by ruthless people who are using Islam as a curtain to hide their criminal characters and their sick souls.
They are staining the heritage of Islam by such barbaric acts. By virtue of their brutal transgression, they are creating focus of hatred against Muslims in every country in the world, and distorting the bright image of Islam as a religion that prohibits violence and urges its followers to treat others with mercy and compassion.
The US's aggressive, hostile policies against Arabs and its alliance with Israel giving the latter a green light to kill the Palestinian people uncontrollably are no justification for the extremists in Saudi Arabia to murder a civilian in such a way.
My closing words are directed to Paul Johnson's family. To them, I say, I am sorry for the grief and pain you have suffered, but it is all the consequence of the actions of your elected President George Bush. But rest assured, these militants will reap the evil they have sown.
Tamer Hamada
Al-Arish
Egypt
No excuse
Sir-- Muslims the world over were deeply saddened when we heard the news about Paul Johnson's decapitation at the hands of misguided Islamic terrorists. Adults and the young alike are reluctant and not anxious to have ourselves deal with such horror. And then, just four days later, the news came that terrorists had followed through on their next hideous threat and had beheaded Kim Sun Il, the South Korean interpreter who was working for a company supplying goods to the American military.
I suppose it's no use trying to shield ourselves or our children from the ghastliness that is going on in the world, but it's sure hard to explain the kind of mentality that would engage in such brutality. These summary executions of civilians, on film, mark a new low in the nihilistic glorification of violence. First, there was Daniel Pearl; then Nick Berg; then Paul Johnson; now Kim Sun Il. After each one, each time, we felt an overwhelming sense of nausea, as I'm sure every moral person did.
This is, indeed, barbarism. And while we've been, and remain, severely critical of George Bush's war in Afghanistan and especially his war in Iraq, Muslims everywhere refuse to make excuses, in any way, for these cold-blooded killers.
Nadhir Dean
Ontario
Canada
Ready for change?
Sir-- I read with great interest Salama Ahmed Salama's column 'Utter confusion!' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 24-30 June), and I do agree with the writer that there is uncertainty about change or political reform and how or when it is likely to occur.
The fact that everyone is talking about change may give rise to the impression that change is very much wanted by the public. The question now is: Are we really capable of effecting this change? Are things like freedom, tolerance, equality and citizenship likely to become a reality overnight?
Let's take, for example, a person who has been taught to be intolerant since early childhood; how can this person become tolerant out of the blue? When I was a child, my teachers used to be dictators and they treated me and the other kids like slaves. How can we act like free men now that we are over 40? And when we are denied our rights, how on earth are we expected to fulfil our duties?
To tell you the truth, this talk about change is chilling me to the bone. I don't think we are really ready for change. Perhaps this is because in our country so little ever changes, that one might think that our radio stations are still running last year's weather forecasts. The only possible conclusion here is that new ideas hurt our minds, the same as new shoes hurt some feet.
Essam Hanna Wahba
Assiut
Egypt
Begin with education
Sir-- Nowadays, so many Egyptians are of the view that reform in Egypt is a must. Logically speaking, the political leadership in Egypt should begin with the education system first, which is in a dire need of a thorough cleanup.. No one can deny the fact that education in Egypt is mediocre and old-fashioned, if not poor. This is the truth that we must admit if we really want better education.
At the primary and preparatory school stages, students are afflicted with curricula that have nothing to do with their needs at such an early stage of their lives. They are made to study complicated subjects while they are ignorant of the alphabet, therefore steps must be taken to properly teach those students reading and writing skills first.
At the secondary stage, students are afflicted with complicated subjects that are of no use to them, hence so many of them have recourse to memorising and cramming. Others think of illegal ways to get out of this dilemma such as cheating, which has developed now through the use of mobile phones and other means.
Having finished their secondary stage, students move to another stage that also does not take into consideration their mental skills, namely university; it is a case of "out of the frying pan into the fire". Unfortunately, so many students think that only three weeks' cramming is enough to pass the exams. It is quite ridiculous to find universities over- crowded in the last month of the academic year with students waiting for their professors to specify specific parts to be studied before the exam.
Another point to be added here is that our schools and universities are equipped with hi-tech equipment which are only there to be stored and kept in locked up laboratories and storerooms.
After all this, it is really farcical that we still ask: Why are we undeveloped?
Sayed Youssef
Minya
Egypt
Defacing heritage
Sir-- I would like to express my concern regarding a delicate issue -- our history. Recently I was browsing through the pictures a friend of mine took while visiting Cairo, and I was shocked. In some pictures, she was sitting on an antique chair in a museum -- perhaps the Mohamed Ali Museum -- in another, her and her mum were sitting on a bed, and in another she was touching a golden door.
I was so furious, I asked her how could she and she simply replied that she gave the guards working there a tip to let her in closed rooms and sit on chairs that are meant to be protected. The girl was quite surprised because in her country that sort of carelessness does not exist.
I have been to museums in Spain and around the world and saw how people really cherish their history and embrace it, not only through rhetoric but by acting and doing things right. Why do we let such hopeless people be in charge of very precious things of our history? Everyday more and more visitors are visiting the museum and sitting on chairs, touching walls and God knows what else. How could we accept such recklessness?
Wake up people, this is our history.
Ahmed Essam
Madrid
Spain
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