I am laughing as I write this blog. Laughing at how low humanity has become. It's the feeling that comes after you cry about the downfall of something, when things continue going down and crying seems redundant - you laugh. Today I am laughing about Israel's pathetic claims of peace.
For those of you who have been reading the news, in the past few days, Israel has blown up a hospital which housed one of only 2 neonatal units and intensive care units in Gaza, children on incubators were taken on the street and most of them did die. While I am now beyond outraged at the brutal genocide that Israel is committing, I am also deeply saddened by the international community's inability to stop it. What does this mean? It means that legitimate forms of world governance are useless. The only things that matters is who is stronger and who will persevere. While it is true that in the middle east Israel is stronger, it is also true that the the Palestinians and Lebanese have a way of persevering over this neo-Nazi country.
But this is not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about this pathetic 'unilateral cease fire' that Israel has agreed to. Firstly, Israel UNILATERALLY COMMITTED GENOCIDE, Israel UNILATERALLY COMMITS APARTHEID and Israel UNILATERALLY MURDERS INFANTS (Oh how the Israelis must be so proud of their sons who have turned into baby killers!). And now Israel wants "unilateral cease fire". The problem with this statement is you cannot decide something unilaterally - not when you destroy a land, take away all the resources and treat the legal owners of the land as slaves. You also cannot make unilateral peace with the US because the US is not at war with you. It would be like me making a unilateral agreement with my friend in which I agree to stop killing those I was killing earlier - it has no value. On one hand, Tzipi was signing a document in Washington and at the same time, the IDF put a missile into a high rise building which was FULL of residents sleeping. What kind of cease fire is this??
Also, I want it stated here first - ISRAEL HAS LOST THE WAR IN GAZA. The unilateral cease fire is no more than a surrender notice to Hamas. Israel said at the onset of this genocide campaign that they would remove Hamas. They will never be able to succeed and they have not been successful. Hamas can only be neutralized when the need of a militant organization fades, and that is when there is real peace and statehood for the Palestinians. The Israelis committed despicable acts of war crimes, became baby kills, undertook a "cleansing" that equated to genocide and of the 1200 people that they butchered, more than 800 were women and children. You could argue that the rest were Hamas - but this would imply that every male Palestinian over the age of 15 is a militant - which if it were true, Israel would be fighting with an army as big as it's own. So likely the number of actual Hamas fighters killed are pretty low - and low enough to not really matter.
So what happens now? Israel has been unable to destroy Hamas (as it was unable to destroy Hezbollah), Israeli troops will continue to stay in Gaza and kill more kids (because even though they signed the cease fire - it doesn't actually apply to the IDF) and Hamas will grow stronger. I believe it is a fair statement to make that Israel has exponentially increased the risk for it's population and the diaspora because of the genocide it committed. If Israel hoped to achieve anything with these acts of genocide in Gaza - it has failed. It has once again proved that Israel has only the muscle but not the brain to actually protect it's own people.
Israel has also shown the world that it is capable of using weapons of mass destruction (the white phosphorous), that it does not value life or democracy and that basically it is a rogue nation that should really be on the list of AXIS OF EVIL and boycotted by all self respecting democratic states.
We, as human beings have lost our morality if we accept any more of Israel's lies, murder and ethnic cleansing. Speak up world! Speak up for Humanity!
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Terrorism
I would like to define what I call a terrorist - A terrorist is anyone who for an ideological reason kills innocent people.
Here is a list of some organisations I call "terrorist organisations"
1. The Israeli Defense Force and it's activities since inception.
2. The Indian Army with it's activities in Kashmir.
3. Al-Qaida and all its activites (I equate them with the IDF).
4. The US Army with their activities in Iraq.
5. Militant wings of Hamas, Hezbollah and all the other Islamic organisations that seem to think killing civilians furthers their ideology.
6. Stern Gang and Irgun
7. The militant wing of IRA and all it's activities in Ireland and London
8. Babar Khalsa and Khalistan groups
9. The Order
10. Suicide bombers all over the world
Here is a list of some organisations I call "terrorist organisations"
1. The Israeli Defense Force and it's activities since inception.
2. The Indian Army with it's activities in Kashmir.
3. Al-Qaida and all its activites (I equate them with the IDF).
4. The US Army with their activities in Iraq.
5. Militant wings of Hamas, Hezbollah and all the other Islamic organisations that seem to think killing civilians furthers their ideology.
6. Stern Gang and Irgun
7. The militant wing of IRA and all it's activities in Ireland and London
8. Babar Khalsa and Khalistan groups
9. The Order
10. Suicide bombers all over the world
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Boycott Made in Israel and my New Years resolution
My New Years resolution this year is quite simple -stay stress free. For all those who have been following my life, last year was a very challenging one. This one I hope to keep fairly uneventful and full of fond memories.
Part of keeping my life stress free is to remove any items which constantly cause me to question my ethics. This is where the Boycott Israel comes in. I have always found Israel's use of brutality and it's flagrant disregard for not only International Law but also disregard for judgements by Israel's own Supreme Court extremely unpalatable. Married to a Jew (Not a practicing one, but one that has been nonetheless brainwashed into believing that the IDF is a legitimate body and the pitiful Jewish excuse to their nazi like behaviour which is "all Palestinians are terrorists") has made it a bit difficult to avoid getting "Made in Israel" goods in the house. However, every time I tasted those jams and juices (which I have to admit are tasty) it felt like I was perpetuating the mindless murder of more innocent civilians at the hands of the most organise terrorist organisation there is - the IDF.
I don't know what other goods Israel produces other than jams, cookies and juices (and of course illegal nuclear bombs and other items to perform genocide), but I am going to save myself from going through this moral dilemma every time I want to enjoy my toast.
I have seen and heard enough of Israel and it's apartheid policies. Indiscriminate killings of innocent Palestinian children has got to stop. Israel needs to understand that there are real repercussions when they kill civilians who simply want to live their lives. And as for my beloved brainwashed husband who believes "All Palestinians are terrorists" - I would like him and the rest of his brainwashed fascist Israeli supporters to explain to me how a child of 2 years is a terrorist.
I ask all people to join me in boycotting all goods "Made in Israel" - boycotting South Africa forced them to stop their inhuman policies towards blacks and maybe together we can make a difference and bring rights to the people of Palestine and liberation from the brutal occupiers.
Part of keeping my life stress free is to remove any items which constantly cause me to question my ethics. This is where the Boycott Israel comes in. I have always found Israel's use of brutality and it's flagrant disregard for not only International Law but also disregard for judgements by Israel's own Supreme Court extremely unpalatable. Married to a Jew (Not a practicing one, but one that has been nonetheless brainwashed into believing that the IDF is a legitimate body and the pitiful Jewish excuse to their nazi like behaviour which is "all Palestinians are terrorists") has made it a bit difficult to avoid getting "Made in Israel" goods in the house. However, every time I tasted those jams and juices (which I have to admit are tasty) it felt like I was perpetuating the mindless murder of more innocent civilians at the hands of the most organise terrorist organisation there is - the IDF.
I don't know what other goods Israel produces other than jams, cookies and juices (and of course illegal nuclear bombs and other items to perform genocide), but I am going to save myself from going through this moral dilemma every time I want to enjoy my toast.
I have seen and heard enough of Israel and it's apartheid policies. Indiscriminate killings of innocent Palestinian children has got to stop. Israel needs to understand that there are real repercussions when they kill civilians who simply want to live their lives. And as for my beloved brainwashed husband who believes "All Palestinians are terrorists" - I would like him and the rest of his brainwashed fascist Israeli supporters to explain to me how a child of 2 years is a terrorist.
I ask all people to join me in boycotting all goods "Made in Israel" - boycotting South Africa forced them to stop their inhuman policies towards blacks and maybe together we can make a difference and bring rights to the people of Palestine and liberation from the brutal occupiers.
Friday, October 3, 2008
One more reason why I am happy to be a Canadian
Today, October 2, 2008 as the world and most of Canada watched the much hyped debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, a lot of Canadians tuned into the election debates in Canada.
For unlike our cousins down South - we are a true democracy - we elect governments to represent us and when they stop doing that we have a no-confidence vote and throw them out. In the past 4 years we have had 3 general elections. And as Canadians, we can easily continue on this path because no politician here in their right mind would think of spending close to 1bn dollars and 2 years running for a 4 year term. This time around, the politicians had about a month to prepare for general elections, and without much hype and expenses, here we are ready to vote next week. See, up here, we are just more efficient.
But this is not why I love being Canadian. I love belonging to the True North because here we can actually voice our opinions. No one in the debate shied from calling Mr. Harper a "liar", no one felt they had to talk about God and make false statements about how they supported something when really they didn't - no sir! Here in Canada, we call a spade a spade, and a liar like Harper is called a "liar". I wish CNN would broadcast the debates to the US - it would show them how really to talk about issues and allow themselves to get all pent up about things that matter. We had none of the Hollywood production, or the million dollar sets - our guys went to the TV station, sat around a round table and hacked it out with a referee. No audience, no million dollar suits - just a bunch of goofy politicians doing their job.
And in this bunch there was a pleasant surprise for me. Elizabeth May. Leader of Canada's Green Party I had pretty much written her off but she totally surprised me. Intelligent, articulate and not scared to voice her opinion, Elizabeth really showed the men what the issues that matter to the people were all about. Just seeing her on TV, wearing a suit which looked like it was straight from Zellers (our version of Walmart), unkempt hair, no makeup, and glasses which look like they belong on a school teacher in the 60s, showed me the prime difference between us and the US. In the US, Hillary and now Palin, spent hours getting their hair and makeup done, they wear designer clothes, they "dress for success", millions is spent on creating a product out of them. Still - they lack substance. Hillary with her wishy-washy stand on all things, and Palin who believes dinosaurs and my grand dad co-existed and hung out at the local Burger King. Elizabeth May showed us what Canada is all about - we are all about substance. The expensive paparazzi stuff we leave to those south of the 49th parallel. Here we focus on the mind.
When the election campaign in the US started last year, I remember thinking how lucky the US was to have a pick of such outstanding candidates. Fast forward to to, and I feel deep pity for a country that seems to not have any choice. No one really stands for anything there. McCain used to be anti-change and pro-experience, now Sarah Palin bashes Biden's age and she is now the agent of change (maybe she will now make my grand dad and the dinosaurs enjoy their meals at the local Thai restaurant now). Obama was "anti-off shore drilling"in the middle east, now he realizes he needs to win more votes so he is "pro-off shore drilling, McCain was the biggest de-regulator of all times and now he is saying that the reason the banks failed is because there was not enough regulation. What garbage is this? The sad part is the average American cares more about abortion than if his daughter will have a house to sleep in. America is slowly turning into a 3rd world and all the politicians can talk about is how they have to "win the war in Iraq"! It is a sad state of affairs there, and I am particularly happy that we are not in the same boat as them.
Let them have their fancy politicians, we'll take our dowdy ones who can actually discuss real issues.
For unlike our cousins down South - we are a true democracy - we elect governments to represent us and when they stop doing that we have a no-confidence vote and throw them out. In the past 4 years we have had 3 general elections. And as Canadians, we can easily continue on this path because no politician here in their right mind would think of spending close to 1bn dollars and 2 years running for a 4 year term. This time around, the politicians had about a month to prepare for general elections, and without much hype and expenses, here we are ready to vote next week. See, up here, we are just more efficient.
But this is not why I love being Canadian. I love belonging to the True North because here we can actually voice our opinions. No one in the debate shied from calling Mr. Harper a "liar", no one felt they had to talk about God and make false statements about how they supported something when really they didn't - no sir! Here in Canada, we call a spade a spade, and a liar like Harper is called a "liar". I wish CNN would broadcast the debates to the US - it would show them how really to talk about issues and allow themselves to get all pent up about things that matter. We had none of the Hollywood production, or the million dollar sets - our guys went to the TV station, sat around a round table and hacked it out with a referee. No audience, no million dollar suits - just a bunch of goofy politicians doing their job.
And in this bunch there was a pleasant surprise for me. Elizabeth May. Leader of Canada's Green Party I had pretty much written her off but she totally surprised me. Intelligent, articulate and not scared to voice her opinion, Elizabeth really showed the men what the issues that matter to the people were all about. Just seeing her on TV, wearing a suit which looked like it was straight from Zellers (our version of Walmart), unkempt hair, no makeup, and glasses which look like they belong on a school teacher in the 60s, showed me the prime difference between us and the US. In the US, Hillary and now Palin, spent hours getting their hair and makeup done, they wear designer clothes, they "dress for success", millions is spent on creating a product out of them. Still - they lack substance. Hillary with her wishy-washy stand on all things, and Palin who believes dinosaurs and my grand dad co-existed and hung out at the local Burger King. Elizabeth May showed us what Canada is all about - we are all about substance. The expensive paparazzi stuff we leave to those south of the 49th parallel. Here we focus on the mind.
When the election campaign in the US started last year, I remember thinking how lucky the US was to have a pick of such outstanding candidates. Fast forward to to, and I feel deep pity for a country that seems to not have any choice. No one really stands for anything there. McCain used to be anti-change and pro-experience, now Sarah Palin bashes Biden's age and she is now the agent of change (maybe she will now make my grand dad and the dinosaurs enjoy their meals at the local Thai restaurant now). Obama was "anti-off shore drilling"in the middle east, now he realizes he needs to win more votes so he is "pro-off shore drilling, McCain was the biggest de-regulator of all times and now he is saying that the reason the banks failed is because there was not enough regulation. What garbage is this? The sad part is the average American cares more about abortion than if his daughter will have a house to sleep in. America is slowly turning into a 3rd world and all the politicians can talk about is how they have to "win the war in Iraq"! It is a sad state of affairs there, and I am particularly happy that we are not in the same boat as them.
Let them have their fancy politicians, we'll take our dowdy ones who can actually discuss real issues.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Palin
I just saw Sarah Palin at her inauguration speech at the Republican National Convention. It brought an uneasy chill. Now, before I get accused yet again for not "standing up" and being "too tough" on women, I have to say, I welcomed the fact that McCain was smart enough to put a woman on the ticket - but for heaven sakes couldn't he have found one who is qualified.
She is tough - no doubt about it. Ruthless, and will likely give Obama a run in the next few months. An attractive lady who like Hillary, knows how to get a crowd ready - but what does this woman stand for and can you take someone like her seriously. She seems to stand for "American Values" but the more I hear that term, the more I ask "What is that?"
Her 17 year old daughter does not get sex-ed in school because Palin abolished it by cutting all funding for sex-ed in high school. So, she gets pregnant. At 17, she is expected to marry a boy who proudly calls himself a "redneck", and to start a family with no high school education or understanding of the world. Of course this is much easier for her because her mum will get her a bunch of nannies and Bristol will likely show up for occasional visits from university. As for the "Christian Values" thing about having a Down Syndrome child - for Christ sakes - I strongly question the judgment of a woman who gives birth to a special needs child and parades him in front of thousands of people for her own political mileage. Did Sarah Palin ever sit to wonder how women of far fewer means would be able at age 17 to take care of a baby, or for that matter a special needs child. All this in a country that shamefully does not have universal health care , and where one third of the population is losing their homes??? What message is she sending girls today? They won't even get decent paying jobs - because Palin doesn't believe in equal pay for women! Welcome to the dark ages!
What did Sarah say other than beat up on Obama? Did she say what her policies are on health care? Did she say where she stands on Iraq?Iran? What are her policies on anything except teenage pregnancies? Wait - she did explain her energy policies - let us not focus on green energy, let's start drilling up in the Arctic and destroy whatever pristine land there is left so that Americans can continue to drive their large cars and pollute the world even more.
What is wrong with the Americans? They have a 301 million people (150.5 million women) and the best they could find is a woman who ran a rural town of 5000 in Alaska and who thinks on the PTA prepared her for the White House! I don't care if she has had to make "executive decisions" - when you are dealing with a small, non-controversial town of 5000 - you can't really need a lot of serious executive decisions in that setting and it speaks to her "executive decision making" that she left the town with a big deficit.
This race started out with 10 excellent candidates - to think that the fate of 301 million people now rests in the hands of a woman who has never done anything significant on the world stage, and who thinks Americans should be walking around with guns and the bible.
Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!
She is tough - no doubt about it. Ruthless, and will likely give Obama a run in the next few months. An attractive lady who like Hillary, knows how to get a crowd ready - but what does this woman stand for and can you take someone like her seriously. She seems to stand for "American Values" but the more I hear that term, the more I ask "What is that?"
Her 17 year old daughter does not get sex-ed in school because Palin abolished it by cutting all funding for sex-ed in high school. So, she gets pregnant. At 17, she is expected to marry a boy who proudly calls himself a "redneck", and to start a family with no high school education or understanding of the world. Of course this is much easier for her because her mum will get her a bunch of nannies and Bristol will likely show up for occasional visits from university. As for the "Christian Values" thing about having a Down Syndrome child - for Christ sakes - I strongly question the judgment of a woman who gives birth to a special needs child and parades him in front of thousands of people for her own political mileage. Did Sarah Palin ever sit to wonder how women of far fewer means would be able at age 17 to take care of a baby, or for that matter a special needs child. All this in a country that shamefully does not have universal health care , and where one third of the population is losing their homes??? What message is she sending girls today? They won't even get decent paying jobs - because Palin doesn't believe in equal pay for women! Welcome to the dark ages!
What did Sarah say other than beat up on Obama? Did she say what her policies are on health care? Did she say where she stands on Iraq?Iran? What are her policies on anything except teenage pregnancies? Wait - she did explain her energy policies - let us not focus on green energy, let's start drilling up in the Arctic and destroy whatever pristine land there is left so that Americans can continue to drive their large cars and pollute the world even more.
What is wrong with the Americans? They have a 301 million people (150.5 million women) and the best they could find is a woman who ran a rural town of 5000 in Alaska and who thinks on the PTA prepared her for the White House! I don't care if she has had to make "executive decisions" - when you are dealing with a small, non-controversial town of 5000 - you can't really need a lot of serious executive decisions in that setting and it speaks to her "executive decision making" that she left the town with a big deficit.
This race started out with 10 excellent candidates - to think that the fate of 301 million people now rests in the hands of a woman who has never done anything significant on the world stage, and who thinks Americans should be walking around with guns and the bible.
Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Let's celebrate the Olympics
I really don't understand the folks at CNN and I don't understand my dear friend in Montreal.
The former, because during these days of the Olympics, the news guys seem more interested in reporting that John Edwards had an affair with a single, available and willing lady. Newsflash for CNN- A politician having an affair is not news anymore - but Phelps breaking another world record is! And seriously, who the hell cares if Mr. Edwards has a problem keeping his zipper up. The man has spent his entire life serving the country. He has probably done more for the poor and women in USA through his policies than any other of the contenders for the Presidency. So he decided to have an affair. BIG DEAL! I would only hope this man takes it upon himself to take care of the child his girlfriend had (if it is his) and be a role model for her - that's the kind of politics the US needs to see. Anyone who says he doesn't deserve to be Attorney General because of this is totally stupid and naive. Would they rather have an Attorney General like Alberto Gonzales who thinks torture is OK?
Referring to my friend in Montreal - now, she is part of that now pathetic group that is boycotting the Olympics because of China's sad Human Rights policy. A bunch of hypocrites as there can be. These people should have been out there creating mayhem when the IOC first awarded the games to China forcing the IOC to reverse it's decision. What is the point of waiting for 8 years and then on the eve of the game realizing "Oh that's bad - China should not have the Olympics!". Makes no sense. There has rightly been outrage over the condition of the Buddhists and Tibetans - but just what is this group doing to uplift these people? I do not hear any of these "pro Buddhist supporters" sending large parts of their salaries to Tibet to help the people maintain their culture. Or leaving their jobs in the comforts of the West to volunteer to provide skills to the Tibetans. Or even providing any constructive support towards the Tibetans that can be used to make them stronger against the Chinese. No - these "pro Buddhist supporters" only provide words - and as we all know - words are cheap especially when you are faced with the largest army in the world.
And concerning the Olympics. Another Newsflash for everyone now. THE OLYMPICS ARE ABOUT THE ATHLETES! These fine men and women have spent their entire lives working very hard for this day. For heaven sakes, keep the politics away from it. Celebrate their ability and will power to push sports to new heights. Support all athletes who are dope free and don't cheat and strengthen the belief that by playing sports together, we are increasing our ability to live together on this earth in harmony.
The former, because during these days of the Olympics, the news guys seem more interested in reporting that John Edwards had an affair with a single, available and willing lady. Newsflash for CNN- A politician having an affair is not news anymore - but Phelps breaking another world record is! And seriously, who the hell cares if Mr. Edwards has a problem keeping his zipper up. The man has spent his entire life serving the country. He has probably done more for the poor and women in USA through his policies than any other of the contenders for the Presidency. So he decided to have an affair. BIG DEAL! I would only hope this man takes it upon himself to take care of the child his girlfriend had (if it is his) and be a role model for her - that's the kind of politics the US needs to see. Anyone who says he doesn't deserve to be Attorney General because of this is totally stupid and naive. Would they rather have an Attorney General like Alberto Gonzales who thinks torture is OK?
Referring to my friend in Montreal - now, she is part of that now pathetic group that is boycotting the Olympics because of China's sad Human Rights policy. A bunch of hypocrites as there can be. These people should have been out there creating mayhem when the IOC first awarded the games to China forcing the IOC to reverse it's decision. What is the point of waiting for 8 years and then on the eve of the game realizing "Oh that's bad - China should not have the Olympics!". Makes no sense. There has rightly been outrage over the condition of the Buddhists and Tibetans - but just what is this group doing to uplift these people? I do not hear any of these "pro Buddhist supporters" sending large parts of their salaries to Tibet to help the people maintain their culture. Or leaving their jobs in the comforts of the West to volunteer to provide skills to the Tibetans. Or even providing any constructive support towards the Tibetans that can be used to make them stronger against the Chinese. No - these "pro Buddhist supporters" only provide words - and as we all know - words are cheap especially when you are faced with the largest army in the world.
And concerning the Olympics. Another Newsflash for everyone now. THE OLYMPICS ARE ABOUT THE ATHLETES! These fine men and women have spent their entire lives working very hard for this day. For heaven sakes, keep the politics away from it. Celebrate their ability and will power to push sports to new heights. Support all athletes who are dope free and don't cheat and strengthen the belief that by playing sports together, we are increasing our ability to live together on this earth in harmony.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Afghanistan and the War on Terror
Up here in Canada, where we are braving what seems like our 100th snow storm of the season, there is a steadily growing movement that wants Canadian troops out of Afghanistan. For those of you not familiar with what Canada is doing in Afghanistan - we are there on a peacekeeping mission to assist Karzai's govt keep the Taliban out. And we are doing it under the NATO flag. Please do not compare this to Bush and his incredibly stupid war in Iraq, we are in Afghanistan by invitation and are actively trying to root the Taliban out.
Now, it would appear to me that if bombs and guns could have defeated Radical Islamists it would have done so by now. And this is something the West doesn't seem to be realising. As a Muslim, married to a Jew (who is intermittently following some Yoga thingy) , I am only too aware of the craziness prevalent among Radical Islamists and go out of my way to keep a very far distance from them.
However, they are still a very real threat - not only to the Western countries but also to Moderate Islam. I used to think that this is a Muslim problem and it is time for Muslims to stand up and reign in those crazy fanatics who have twisted and turned what is a peace loving religion into a lethal doctrine of suicide and revenge. But while I might have been more inclined to rationalize with one of them before I got married, I certainly value my family a lot more now and will likely never enter such a discourse. There is no doubt that the few religious nuts have taken over the agenda of close to a billion people and with their brutality have all but made the rest of us shut up.
What is surprising to me however, is how this illiterate rag tag bunch came to such power. And here the West and particularly US is to blame. It is well known that in the Afghanistan war, the US funded and equipped the mujaheddin to fight the Russians. Pakistan was paid to train another group of elite mujaheddin. The US militarily themselves marvelled at how well this uncouth bunch of men fought the Russians. The problem is the US basically showed these guys how to combine western technology and guerrilla warfare - making for a particularly lethal combination. When the Russians fled, the groups turned on each other and the one that prevailed was the Taliban. With no other agenda on hand, the Taliban turned against the West.
Now, fundamental Islam is not something that the West can fix overnight. A relatively normal person's path towards fundamentalism happens over a period. This is the concept the West seems to be missing. The war on fundamental Islam (and actually fundamental religion of all denominations) must be won. But to fight it, you need to have a strategy that works. Guns and bombs do not. Every time you throw a bomb and kill someone's father, you are only more likely to make it easier for the family to be "recruited" by some despicable fundamentalist movement.
I always wondered why the West (and Moderate Islamic states) do not make it inconvenient for people to join the fundamentalist movement. Here is my reasoning: A person in these countries has basic needs - food, shelter, clothing and safety. I wonder if we would not have been further down on our war against fundamentalism if we had spent the money we use for guns and bombs to build small local industries and provide incentives for people to give up their guns and run stores or mills or something. Surely it would make much more sense to be financially secure than to give up security for an unknown future where your wife and kids could likely end up without any support whatsoever.
If you really want to make a difference in these parts of the world, you have to go with a long term strategy that focuses on bettering the lives of the locals. And the best way to win someone over is to educate their children, provide good medical care and give them a legal and reasonable way to earn their livelihood. Surely one of Mr. Harper and Mr. Bush's advisers would have told them that. You need to start teaching a secular curriculum to students from a very young age that teaches them to think independently. You need to provide the youth with real skills like medicine, engineering or even how to fix cars, that they will not learn through the religious instruction in a madrassa. The war on fundamentalist Islam is not something that can be won overnight, it's a long painful process that requires foresight and patience.
I just finished reading a very insightful book, Three Cups of Tea - the story of how an American called Greg Mortenson builds schools in the remotest regions of Pakistan. I very highly recommend that everyone who is wondering what Canada is doing in Afghanistan read this book.
We cannot walk away from Afghanistan. That would mean millions of innocent Afghans are again brutalised by the Taliban. This is not the Canadian way. We cannot go on fighting the way we have been because if you fight ideology with guns, the ideology only gets stronger and more resilient. We have to fight it at the grassroots, by making it extremely unprofitable for the locals to join these fundamentalist groups. But to do that we have to gain their trust, teach their children, take care of them and essentially provide all the services that they believe they would get from the Taliban. Only then can we even expect to have some inroads in this game.
Now, it would appear to me that if bombs and guns could have defeated Radical Islamists it would have done so by now. And this is something the West doesn't seem to be realising. As a Muslim, married to a Jew (who is intermittently following some Yoga thingy) , I am only too aware of the craziness prevalent among Radical Islamists and go out of my way to keep a very far distance from them.
However, they are still a very real threat - not only to the Western countries but also to Moderate Islam. I used to think that this is a Muslim problem and it is time for Muslims to stand up and reign in those crazy fanatics who have twisted and turned what is a peace loving religion into a lethal doctrine of suicide and revenge. But while I might have been more inclined to rationalize with one of them before I got married, I certainly value my family a lot more now and will likely never enter such a discourse. There is no doubt that the few religious nuts have taken over the agenda of close to a billion people and with their brutality have all but made the rest of us shut up.
What is surprising to me however, is how this illiterate rag tag bunch came to such power. And here the West and particularly US is to blame. It is well known that in the Afghanistan war, the US funded and equipped the mujaheddin to fight the Russians. Pakistan was paid to train another group of elite mujaheddin. The US militarily themselves marvelled at how well this uncouth bunch of men fought the Russians. The problem is the US basically showed these guys how to combine western technology and guerrilla warfare - making for a particularly lethal combination. When the Russians fled, the groups turned on each other and the one that prevailed was the Taliban. With no other agenda on hand, the Taliban turned against the West.
Now, fundamental Islam is not something that the West can fix overnight. A relatively normal person's path towards fundamentalism happens over a period. This is the concept the West seems to be missing. The war on fundamental Islam (and actually fundamental religion of all denominations) must be won. But to fight it, you need to have a strategy that works. Guns and bombs do not. Every time you throw a bomb and kill someone's father, you are only more likely to make it easier for the family to be "recruited" by some despicable fundamentalist movement.
I always wondered why the West (and Moderate Islamic states) do not make it inconvenient for people to join the fundamentalist movement. Here is my reasoning: A person in these countries has basic needs - food, shelter, clothing and safety. I wonder if we would not have been further down on our war against fundamentalism if we had spent the money we use for guns and bombs to build small local industries and provide incentives for people to give up their guns and run stores or mills or something. Surely it would make much more sense to be financially secure than to give up security for an unknown future where your wife and kids could likely end up without any support whatsoever.
If you really want to make a difference in these parts of the world, you have to go with a long term strategy that focuses on bettering the lives of the locals. And the best way to win someone over is to educate their children, provide good medical care and give them a legal and reasonable way to earn their livelihood. Surely one of Mr. Harper and Mr. Bush's advisers would have told them that. You need to start teaching a secular curriculum to students from a very young age that teaches them to think independently. You need to provide the youth with real skills like medicine, engineering or even how to fix cars, that they will not learn through the religious instruction in a madrassa. The war on fundamentalist Islam is not something that can be won overnight, it's a long painful process that requires foresight and patience.
I just finished reading a very insightful book, Three Cups of Tea - the story of how an American called Greg Mortenson builds schools in the remotest regions of Pakistan. I very highly recommend that everyone who is wondering what Canada is doing in Afghanistan read this book.
We cannot walk away from Afghanistan. That would mean millions of innocent Afghans are again brutalised by the Taliban. This is not the Canadian way. We cannot go on fighting the way we have been because if you fight ideology with guns, the ideology only gets stronger and more resilient. We have to fight it at the grassroots, by making it extremely unprofitable for the locals to join these fundamentalist groups. But to do that we have to gain their trust, teach their children, take care of them and essentially provide all the services that they believe they would get from the Taliban. Only then can we even expect to have some inroads in this game.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Collateral Damage
My fellow blogger, Jill, in her wonderful blog http://www.divaplatform.com/ wants to pull me back into discussion of Obama vs. McCain vs. Weepy Clinton vs. the Baptist minister- but today I want to talk of something more important. Something military powers around the world called "collateral damage" - the death and destruction of the innocent people left behind once all the bombs have fallen.
As expected, the term was coined by the trigger and bomb happy US Military during their disastrous campaign in Vietnam. As I write this blog, I am outraged not only at the actions done by the US in Iraq (there are SO many better ways to install democracy!), but also by the actions of the Indian military in Kashmir who try to solidify their position by using illegal means, the abhorable acts of the brutal IDF in the occupied territories, and the truly despicable acts of the Islamic fanatics.
What happens after all the bombs fall? While all militaries would have us believe that they are targeting only "terrorists", why is it that so many women, children and innocent men are killed as well? We are used to shrugging our shoulders and saying "pity- it was a mistake". But these are very heavy mistakes and should we not start asking for some accountability for these mistakes? Do we all become party to this incompetence that kills innocent lives because it is inconvenient to ask for accountability?
And did we ever think about what happens to a family once this destruction strikes them? Take into consideration this fictional scenario which could easily be very true. A man takes care of his family of 4 children, his wife already dead from the substandard medical care they have in Afghanistan, Palestine or Iraq today. He goes about earning his money by selling bread, or eggs or something that costs little to buy, but that can be sold easily in a day. These earnings go to support his children and where possible send them to school. Now, one day he is going about his own business when someone decides to strikes a target. He just "happens" to be in the road and in a second he becomes a victim of this deadly but badly planned and implemented military action. In one second, his 4 kids loose all the support they have had.
Now, under Islamic law the person who fired that missile would have to take care and educate these orphans, of course even the most fundamentalist of Islamic powers decides which law to follow and which one not to, and this is one they don't. You can't expect the US military to do anything about it, because they conveniently call this man "collateral damage", and this term is only repeated in the Israeli and Indian militaries along with those everywhere else.
So news of the death of their father goes to the kids. The oldest is 12 she has not acquired any skills to do anything, no way of getting a regular job, no one will hire her to work as a maid because she is too young - and at the same time, she has 4 mouths to feed, clothe and keep sheltered. And in these parts of the world, there is really very little if no help available. What is she to do and how is she to take care of the family? It's only a matter of days before she realises that the only think she has to sell is herself - and for this there are plenty buyers.
Think about this every time you hear the word "collateral damage" and ask yourself if that child is not paying too high a price for our inability to question unnecessary deaths.
As expected, the term was coined by the trigger and bomb happy US Military during their disastrous campaign in Vietnam. As I write this blog, I am outraged not only at the actions done by the US in Iraq (there are SO many better ways to install democracy!), but also by the actions of the Indian military in Kashmir who try to solidify their position by using illegal means, the abhorable acts of the brutal IDF in the occupied territories, and the truly despicable acts of the Islamic fanatics.
What happens after all the bombs fall? While all militaries would have us believe that they are targeting only "terrorists", why is it that so many women, children and innocent men are killed as well? We are used to shrugging our shoulders and saying "pity- it was a mistake". But these are very heavy mistakes and should we not start asking for some accountability for these mistakes? Do we all become party to this incompetence that kills innocent lives because it is inconvenient to ask for accountability?
And did we ever think about what happens to a family once this destruction strikes them? Take into consideration this fictional scenario which could easily be very true. A man takes care of his family of 4 children, his wife already dead from the substandard medical care they have in Afghanistan, Palestine or Iraq today. He goes about earning his money by selling bread, or eggs or something that costs little to buy, but that can be sold easily in a day. These earnings go to support his children and where possible send them to school. Now, one day he is going about his own business when someone decides to strikes a target. He just "happens" to be in the road and in a second he becomes a victim of this deadly but badly planned and implemented military action. In one second, his 4 kids loose all the support they have had.
Now, under Islamic law the person who fired that missile would have to take care and educate these orphans, of course even the most fundamentalist of Islamic powers decides which law to follow and which one not to, and this is one they don't. You can't expect the US military to do anything about it, because they conveniently call this man "collateral damage", and this term is only repeated in the Israeli and Indian militaries along with those everywhere else.
So news of the death of their father goes to the kids. The oldest is 12 she has not acquired any skills to do anything, no way of getting a regular job, no one will hire her to work as a maid because she is too young - and at the same time, she has 4 mouths to feed, clothe and keep sheltered. And in these parts of the world, there is really very little if no help available. What is she to do and how is she to take care of the family? It's only a matter of days before she realises that the only think she has to sell is herself - and for this there are plenty buyers.
Think about this every time you hear the word "collateral damage" and ask yourself if that child is not paying too high a price for our inability to question unnecessary deaths.
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