Readers' corner
Fight of faith
Sir-- In 'Ever the twain shall meet' (13-19 September) Eric Walberg takes the Christian theological debates out of their historic context to consolidate his opinions and goes further to equate the Copts, who inseparably belong to the Eastern Orthodoxy, with the heretic Nestorians, deliberately ignoring that the Copts fought tooth and nail to preserve the integrity and authenticity of Christian faith, something the Catholics, the Byzantine Orthodox and the Anglicans outright acknowledge. Heretics, Nestrians included, could have messed up the faith had it not been for the Copts' uncompromising steadfastness.
Apart from Turkey, the rest of the Muslim world experienced some varying degrees of democracies during the colonial era which were abruptly aborted after liberation.
This dissatisfaction can be basically attributed to the lack of accountability, prevailing corruption, inequity of opportunities, the erosion of the middle classes and stifling freedoms of expression and political activities.
Who would contemplate any promises to be delivered in such smothering climate?
Isaac Bandry
Qena
Egypt
Nuclear reasons
Sir-- The UN has failed miserably to check nuclear proliferation for war purposes for the simple reason that the permanent members of the UN (with veto power and monopoly over the Security Council), in pursuance of their double standards, want to use nuclear energy for war purposes while sermonising the rest of the world to refrain from it.
It is politically and legally absurd to assume that the people of the rest of the world are so cowardly and submissive that they will acquiesce to this double standard of the UN especially when it is a matter of life and death to them. On this matter the silence of Japan, the only victim of this horrifying nuclear madness, is deafening to say the least.
But it has fallen on Iran, the country which is presently in the eye of the storm, to mobilise the world community to ensure that under the UN or if necessary a new world body (a) nuclear energy is used only for peaceful purposes and (b) nuclear weapons are not only produced in future by any country but are also destroyed in a phased manner in a time-bound programme.
Hem Raj Jain
New Delhi
India
Nothing to talk about
Sir-- To expect Israel or Egypt, Iran or Venezuela for that matter, to negotiate with a party that sees it as inherently illegitimate is absurd on its face. What would that country negotiate about? Its own dismemberment? Sadly, this kind of thinking continues to dominate the Palestinian world in the form of Hamas, and is likewise prevalent throughout the Arab world. The vast majority of Israelis, across the entire political spectrum, believe that the Palestinian Arabs should have their own state alongside Israel. They are, at the same time, naturally adverse to committing national suicide. The Arab peoples, unfortunately, have heard so many unchallenged lies and distortions about Israel over so very many years, that they have come to imagine an Israel very far removed from its everyday reality. Perhaps sooner than later, the Palestinians and Israelis will reach agreement, and we can all begin removing the blinders from our eyes.
A. Endelman
California
USA
West appeased
Sir-- The actions of Mahmoud Abbas underscore one of the many reasons why the Middle East remains in such a sad state of affairs. But the greater onus of its shameful state rests at the feet of Arab leaders themselves.
Instead of forming alliances among one another for protection against those who've invaded their lands, overthrown their governments and ensured the prolonged suffering of its citizens by secretly funding wars between nations, Arab leaders have chosen to sacrifice their sovereignty and ignore the needs of their citizens in order to appease Western whims and wishes.
During Israel's destruction of Lebanon last year, its ongoing campaign to eradicate Palestinians from their homeland, and the impending US war with Iran, Arab leaders have not only sat in silence but supported the West and Israel in their efforts to destroy and destabilise the region.
Perhaps the greatest measure of failure, however, lies in Abbas himself. He has had the opportunity to unite Palestinians and put an end to Israeli efforts at destabilising his government and inflicting misery on its citizens. However, Abbas has instead chosen to appease his benefactors in the US and Israel by undermining the democratically elected Hamas-led government.
Through their actions, Abbas and other Arab leaders have redefined the concept of betrayal and ensured that the misery and suffering of Palestinian people at the hands of Israel and openly supported by the West, continue for yet another generation.
Timothy Stinson
Florida
USA
Silence on the other hand
Sir-- It is interesting that when one Muslim is killed for any reason by Israel, 100 articles are written; however, silence is the key word in the Arab media when thousands of Muslims are killed under the guise of politics.
Jacques Lester
New York
Al-Ahram Weekly reserves the right to edit letters submitted to Readers' Corner for brevity and clarity. Readers are advised to limit their letters to a maximum of 300 words.
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