Readers' corner
Rights of a people
Sir-- Why is it that here in the West most all academics, scholars, news pundits, political heads and even religious leaders of every type, all as one blithely speak about Palestinian refugees as if human beings should be categorised by religion, and based on that be individually and collectively oppressed, harassed, expelled from their homes and denied basic human rights, privileges and freedoms? It simply is not reasonable to speak about "Israeli fears" as if the blatant institutionalised bigotry and injustice of political Zionism should be rewarded. The Palestinian refugees right of return simply is and always will be. It has clearly been spelled out by international law. And every day that goes by merely means damage done and the reparations due to the Palestinian refugees all add up exponentially... that's the real problem that Israel simply does not want to face.
Anne Annab
Pennsylvania
USA
No comment
Sir-- The Royal Academy of Arts have not at any point in time either commented or taken a stand on this issue ('Behind the veil' Al-Ahram Weekly 19-25 October) . Furthermore, the Royal Academy of Arts is an independent institution, led by distinguished artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate.
Jennifer Francis
London
UK
Not as knowledgeable
Sir-- US Secretary Condoleezza Rice came to the State Department via her expertise on Russian history. She lacks the understanding of Colin Powell and Madeline Albright.
As an independent I think that there are sufficient lies and hypocrisies in both parties, and I may not bother to vote in the forthcoming elections. Both parties and the US media sold out to Israel's extremism. The US secretary should read the history of the state of Israel and how it was built on extremism and terrorism. Some Arabs became extremists by imitating the techniques of assassination adopted by Irgun in killing the first United Nations mediator who had a peaceful plan to partition Palestine into two states. The Bush Roadmap is a poor imitation of the original plan. Israel must recognise that it is not a superpower, and cannot control US foreign policy for long. It has to learn to live with its neighbours on an equal status, with respect for Palestinians. The forces of extremism did not originate with 9/11. It originated with Israel's Zionist extremism in 1948.
Christoper Hill
Washington
USA
Poor plan
Sir-- Israel and America planned the invasion of Lebanon long before and all they needed was a pretext? Excuse me but if it had been planned long before, how come it was executed with such stupidity and carelessness on the part of the Israelis?
Mahmoud Al-Rashad
Dubai
UAE
Harmless dress
Sir-- Once traditional Muslim women are forced to visibly assimilate, who will we turn to next? Amish and Mennonites in the US who hold to traditional dress and behavior? As a modern, Orthodox, married, Jewish woman, I worry that my own hair covering could be next. A full face veil, a hijab, or a head scarf -- none of these harm anybody in any way. They are ways of life for many women -- ways of expressing modesty, piety, and, in the case of Jewish women who cover their hair, announcing their married status to the community. I am offended that anybody would dare tell me how to dress when I go out into the community at large. The dress of a religious woman -- be she Muslim, Jew, or Christian -- is neither harmful nor offensive and should not be treated as such.
Miriam Gray
Wisconsin
USA
Fell a tree
Sir-- The old expression, "A small axe falls a mighty tree" should ring loudly in the ears of those struggling against the twin satans mentioned in your opinion piece 'Lessons from Beirut' Al-Ahram Weekly 12-18 October). Looking at the success of anti-imperialist movements in Vietnam (America), Afghanistan (Soviet Union), the recent failure of Israel to defeat Hizbullah, and the current quagmire enveloping British and American forces in Iraq, one would surely think that much more than a mere "quid pro quo" should be the objective in a struggle against an enemy too weak to accept losses. With more support and less appeasement from weak- kneed "brothers", those brave enough to continue the struggle could expect to "fall a mighty tree".
Simon O'siodhachan
Tokyo
Japan
Price of success
Sir-- Let us hope 'They must go and soon' ( Al-Ahram Weekly 19-25 October). So much for the obvious. And what follows? Perhaps also as obvious. Perhaps the only party more arrogant than the US were the initial stirrers of the pot, the Sunni insurgents, who don't seemed to have considered the consequences of their success.
Michael Watkins
New York
USA
US idea
Sir-- Asking Muslim states to send soldiers to Iraq is purely from an American perspective: 'Iraq: there is a third way' Al-Ahram Weekly (5-11 October). It is neither logical nor legitimate. Why should, for example, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey or others send soldiers to Iraq? This will make things worse. It will definitely trigger more Sunni-Shiite conflict.
Ali Akfidan
Linkoping
Sweden
No change
Sir-- Reading 'The North Korean nightmare' ( Al-Ahram Weekly 19-25 October) I thought with relief that Mr Azmi Bishara had for once managed to refrain from his almost reflexive Israel-bashing. And then I reached the final paragraph. I guess he simply cannot help himself.
David Swiatlo
Florida
USA
For the cash
Sir-- The decision by North Korea to conduct a nuclear bomb test was driven by the most base of motives: the love of money. Kim is now panicking for hard cash since the imposition of international banking sanctions. With his counterfeiting scheme to mass produce fake foreign currency severely curtailed, the leader of North Korea finds himself in a desperate position to secure the finances he requires to pay for his generals favour and remain in power. Kim's nuclear test was an advertisement demonstration that he is now in the nuclear proliferation business and he is probably making a crude calculation that the Iranians wish to become his first client. There is intelligence that Iranians were in North Korea as observers of the test along with Chinese and Russian representatives.
It should be expected that the West will respond by naval blockade of Iran and Lebanon under the guise of allied naval exercises to ensure that no transfer of nuclear material and technology from North Korea to Iran can occur by sea. The only other option would then be by airborne smuggling and would require the complicity of Russia and China to succeed. If the Sino- Russian alliance chooses a foreign policy course of clandestine support for nuclear weapons proliferation, then the world may find itself in uncontrollable circumstances that can lead down the slippery path to world war that will make the last one during the 1940s seem trivial by comparison.
Bert Birkhava
Washington
USA
Money talks
Sir-- It is criminal that the United States has to do anything on Darfur other than take out the checkbook. Where are the Islamic countries?
William Stoll
Washington
USA
Check with UN
Sir-- Your paper urges an international protectorate structure through the UN to guide Iraq back to stability, and yet you personally seem to take a provincial view regarding the genocide that is happening in Darfur. I have a very high regard for your newspaper, but I am disappointed in your position, by not having fully considered the relevant UN documents referred to by the opposite party in the debate.
Thomas Asada-Grant
Saitama
Japan
Admit first
Sir-- The complete denial by the Turkish government of any measure of mass killings of Armenians during the first decades of the twentieth century is not in keeping with fundamental tenets of democratic and open societies, tenets prized by the EC and elsewhere ('France votes on Armenian genocide' Al-Ahram Weekly 19-25 October). The Turkish government needs to acknowledge the mistakes of the past in order to move into a more ethically and morally conscious present and future.
Robert Michaels
California
USA
TV viewers
Sir-- Arabs and Muslims should think twice before believing that simply owning media outlets in the West would help change Western perceptions ('How to buy image' Al-Ahram Weekly 28 September-4 October). Your suggestion that the French will watch TV5 rather than CNN does beg deeper analysis. I would suggest that French people living in France would tend to watch France Television (2 and 3) or TF1 for news whereas the world watches TV5 MONDE to be provoked into analysis of an alternative view to that of CNN and Sky News/Fox News. It is no secret that TV5 MONDE took over the second place (in terms of the most available satellite TV station in the world and by implication viewership) from CNN -- after MTV in first place -- shortly after the invasion of Iraq. The world's opinion makers want an alternative to the Anglo/American spin on major world problems.
Noel O Cainte
Dublin
Ireland
All violence
Sir-- I wonder why the Muslim world has completely missed the delicious irony in the fact that, when accused of using violence to promote Islam, Muslims respond with violence.
Roger McKinney
Oklahoma
USA
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