Readers' corner
Shame
Sir -- The reports of protesting women being assaulted, stripped and abused by government supporters and under the eyes of the inactive police are just outrageous. It's uncivilised and un- Islamic. How can any Egyptian or Muslim now criticise American behaviour? It will be an act of total hypocrisy. All this when elections are supposed to create an air of democracy.
Paul Richards
Prague
Czech Republic
Good for the French
Sir -- One can only be encouraged by the decision of the French people to reject the European Union's first constitution.
The constitution promises to protect the status of religious communities in member states and pledges dialogue between political and religious institutions. But this is meaningless since the constitution has already, in its text, broken good faith with organised religion by deliberately failing to mention Europe's Christian roots and identity.
The road has now been paved for a democratic government that will authorise anything that any group in society asks for, as long as the group phrases the request in the language of "rights".
Ultimately there will be anarchy.
Already we have seen the nihilistic yet impeccably democratic result of such contemporary legislation involving life itself. I am thinking here of legislation -- such as that found in the Netherlands -- that legalise various drugs, prostitution, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia, and genetic manipulation.
Also, there is widespread concern about moves, backed by Britain, towards Turkish accession to the bloc. From an historical and political point of view Turkey has always represented another continent that is in permanent contrast to Europe and that for this reason should not be included in the EU.
The constitution's missing reference to Christianity shows an undervaluing of historical evidence and of the Christian identity of European peoples. One cannot cut the roots from which one is born.
Paul Kokoski
Ontario
Canada
Not fair
Sir -- I wish to thank Khaled Amayreh for his heartbreaking story 'It will never be just' ( Al-Ahram Weekly 19-25 May). Indeed, Amayreh is so right when he says the massive exodus of the Palestinian people from their homeland in 1948 during the creation of Israel to accommodate the Jewish settlers will never be just until Palestinian refugees realise their right of return.
Israel continues to deny that the over 750,000 Palestinians who left were forced out of their homes in 1948 by the threat of Jewish terror groups.
The right of return is enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13, for all refugees.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this week gave a green light to a proposal by a quasi-governmental committee, known as the Gadish Committee, to transfer the ownership of land in Israel from the state to Jewish individuals. The committee reportedly proposed allowing Jewish homeowners to register their homes under their own names. Nearly all homes in Israel are leased by the state to citizens, usually for 99 years. Until now, the ownership of many of these homes legally belongs to Palestinians, many of whom still retain property deeds dating back to the Ottoman and the British Mandate authorities.
This seems so unfair to me. Today, three million Palestinian people still linger at the borders and hope to return home. The great hypocrisy is that while Israel denies Palestinian refugees their right of return to Israel it allows Jewish refugees from all over the world their ancient right of return to Israel.
Doris Cadigan
Massachusetts
USA
Costly PR
Sir -- In a front-page article on 13 May, one of Thailand's English- language daily newspapers, The Nation, reported that the Thai Foreign Ministry claimed that an 18-month campaign by the deputy prime minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, for the post of secretary-general of the United Nations, which falls vacant at the end of next year, would cost Thai taxpayers an estimated 100 million baht ($2.5 million) at least.
Gan Rajamontri
Bangkok
Thailand
Done elsewhere
Sir -- Amany Abdel-Moneim wrote a great article, 'May your roof be green' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 2-8 June). This is being done in New York and other major cities. The difference appears to be that whole rooftops are covered with a thick layer of soil for plants.
Kerry Winn
Redlands
USA
We're against
Sir -- Reading your correspondent's comments about the illegal occupation of Iraq reminds me that your readers could be excused for believing that the people of Australia support the coalition.
I would like them to know that between 70 and 80 per cent of Australians oppose the invasion, and continue to be appalled at the crimes committed with our ostensible support.
Tony Ryan
Queensland
Australia
Forever Somaliland
Sir -- An Al-Ahram Arabic report on Somaliland was misguided and totally misleading. When it comes to the Horn of Africa and particularly Somaliland, doomsday prophets abound all over the place, either in the intelligence circuit or the media, particularly the Egyptian newspapers. They are solely done for geopolitical reason that do not take into account Somaliland's achievements compared to Somalia.
People who have predicted the collapse of Somaliland in the last 14 years are living in the past, stuck to old ideas. They are totally ignorant of current realities in the country, preferring to use the same tar-brush of the past. They deliberately prefer not to see the far-reaching reforms, the fight against corruption and waste, and the progress being made towards consolidation of democracy, securely anchored in good governance and full accountability to the people without any help from brother Arab countries.
They all fit into the world view of typical Arab coverage of the Horn of Africa, based on simple prejudice and preconceptions rather than any informed analysis. The preference to report the negative rather than genuine efforts at nation-building is all too common.
It is a pity that they cannot see the new Somaliland being collectively built and the efforts of the government and its people in building the country's economy for the well-being of Somaliland. Somaliland is making irreversible progress, consolidating its unity, stability, indivisibility, prosperity and development. And it is one of the best allies of the Muslim world.
Like any other nation in the world today, including those which boast of having old democracies, we are fully aware of the challenges in various areas of our national life, and we are facing them, and happily, succeeding.
Shirdon Samatar
Minnesota
USA
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