World Health Day 2003, 7 April
Healthy Environments for Children

Every year over 5 million children ages 0 to 14 die from diseases related to their environments…They could be saved through the creation of healthy settings, whether it be the home, the school, or the community at large. More…

(posted by Iman)

Hey, People
By Nima yushij (1895-1960)


Hey, you over there
who are sitting on the shore, happy and laughing,
someone is dying in the water,
someone is constantly struggling
on this angry, heavy, dark, familiar sea.
When you are drunk
with the thought of getting your hands on your enemy,
when you think in vain
that you've given a hand to a weak person
to produce a better weak person,
when you tighten your belts, when,
when shall I tell you
that someone in the water
is sacrificing in vain?
Hey, you over there
who are sitting pleasantly on the shore,
bread on your tablecloths, clothes on your bodies,
someone is calling you from the water.
He beats the heavy wave with his tired hand,
his mouth agape, eyes torn wide with terror,
he has seen your shadows from afar,
has swallowed water in the dark blue deep,
each moment his impatience grows.
He raises from these waters
a foot, at times,
at times, his head...
Hey you there,
he still has his eyes on this old world from afar,
he's shouting and hopes for help.
Hey you there
who are calmly watching from the shore,
the wave beats on the silent shore, spreads
like a drunk fallen on his bed unconscious,
recedes with a roar, and this call comes from afar again:
Hey, you over there...
And the sound of the wind
more heart-rending by the moment,
and his voice weaker in the sound of the wind;
from waters near and far
again this call is heard:
Hey, you over there...

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Monday, April 07, 2003 | 

Women, Islam, Iran and Hijab


Veil, Modesty or its Arabic term Hijab has been a challenging issue in many Islamic societies particularly those run by Islamic regimen like Iran and Afghanistan [in Taliban Era]. Here I shall discuss two different cases:
1- Non-Muslim woman 2- Muslim woman.


Hijab for Non-Muslim woman:
As a human being, we have the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights. According to the Article 18 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I think that Freedom dressing is a basic right of every human being.


Article 18:Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

If every woman has the right to freedom of thought and religion, so she can chooses her dressing as well. If we have agreement on this right, I think that we do not need to discuss it anymore. Such an issue also leads us to another important topic in political philosophy. Secular state vs. Islamic one in an Islamic society to answer this very important question whether an Islamic state has this right to force its citizens (non Muslims) to wear a veil.


Hijab for Muslim woman:

First, Let’s briefly review its history, cultural and textual basis:
It seems that Quran (the Holy book of Muslims) does not mandate veiling; rather this religious doctrine is based on the Sunnah. Sunnah , the "tradition of prophet Mohammed” is the teachings of the Prophet to believers. Surah XXXIII, Verse 59 of the Qur'an is most often cited in support of veiling. It states "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close around them. that will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever forgiving, merciful.


Interestingly, the veil is not a uniquely Islamic convention; it has a long history in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Catholic nuns engage in the practice. If I am not mistaken, it is said that the representation of veiling in the Bible is much more problematic than those in the Qur'an or the Hadith, because the Judeo-Christian sources imply that women should be covered because of their inherent inferiority. Indeed, it is said that Iranians had worn veil in pre-Islamic era. Therefore, Hijab can be considered as cultural matter with historical background. In other words, I think Hijab is not originally an Islamic custom and is not an essential part of Islam. As you see Quran does not have a crystal clear definition in this regard.
Many Muslims try to prove the necessity of Hijab as a rational religious rule and give various reasons to justify its necessity. For example, they say that the veil is a way to secure personal liberty in a world that objectifies women. They say that Hijab allows women freedom of movement and control of their bodies. So Hijab protects them from the male gaze and allows them to become autonomous subjects. This group believes that Hijab can strength the structure of family and it can decrease the rate of divorce.


Personally, I think that some religious rules necessarily do not have any social benefit. If one accepts a religious system to follow, she /he must respect its customs and recommendations. This idea may sound fundamental. But I think this is the only way. I know this is a challenging talk and many religious people do not agree with me since they believe that always there is a rational and justifiable reason for every religious rule. However, I think to prove a certain thing, we cannot use an uncertain fact (paradoxical phrase!!). I mean whatever reason we bring to prove our claim; it may be falsified by another reason. As we see some ridiculous reasoning to support the benefits of some religious customs. I have read many articles written by Muslim scholars about the physical advantages of praying !! or the hazardous of drinking Alcohol and eating pork which are religiously prohibited.
If I cut my discussion here, you may come to this conclution that I am a fundamental or what westerners ironically call their oppositions: Extremist. But this is not all the story. Firstly, we should answer this question whether religion (Islam or other religions) is an individual or social matter. Religion is an unquestioning faith. You believe in God because you believe it. You cannot prove it. However, it is not falsifiable as well. If we consider religion as an individual and private matter, fundamentalism is meaningless. (Sorry I have circumstantiality in writing. I would like to say all my thought).


Anyway, some, however, believe that the veil is not just another kind of clothing; and opposing it is not just defending the right to freedom of clothing. They say that Veiling internalises the Islamic notion in women that they belong to an inferior sex, and that they are sex objects. It teaches them to limit their physical movements and their free behaviour. Veiling is a powerful tool to institutionalise women's segregation and to implement a system of sexual apartheid. They think that veil is a reactionary movement and it has been the political and ideological symbol of political Islam in Iran and other Islamic states and Islamic movement in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.


Some researches show that Hijab for girls in Iran has deprived them of a happy, equal and active life because they cannot participate in physical activities as their male counterparts do. The higher rate of depression and physical deformities in Iranian girls supports this hypothesis. As an Iranian woman says that Hijab didn't give me good character, it didn't make me think well about myself. Instead it took my pride, my dignity and my best friends.
Another point that should be considered in this regard is the gender inequality. Even though it is said that holy Quran supports the notion of gender equality, there are gender inequality in Feqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and implementation of the Shari ‘a in the aftermath of revolution proved this concept. After revolution Islamic dress code was applied and the Islamic veil became compulsory. After 24 years, it seems that there exists a massive social movement of resistance and defiance of women in Iran against imposing the veil on women.


Regarding the above-mentioned points, there is not any certain rule about the Hijab in Islam. So every woman is free to respect Hijab or the Islamic code of dressing. As I mentioned before, there is a debate on his issue whether an Islamic state can mandate its citizen to wear Hijab. On the basis of the conventional interpretation, Muslims should establish an Islamic society according to Shariah like what we saw in Iran or Afghanistan (though there are big differences here). Some Muslim scholars have been trying to draw a modern interpretation of Islamic rules. They also ask whether our understanding of Islam is true. If so, can we force other people to respect them? This debate ends up to this challenging topic. Islam vs. democracy and a secular state in a Muslim society.
Regarding non-Muslims including atheists and other religious minorities in society. The question is whether other citizens who are not Muslims and do not respect Islamic code of dressing should follow Islamic rules. In Iran, all citizens, regardless of their religion or political affiliation, have to respect Islamic law. Even foreign people who travel to Iran must wear Islamic dress.
Talking about this issue may be dangerous in Iran. You may know Mr. Eshkevari an Iranian cleric who was once sentenced by a court of first order to death for "waging war against God and apostasy" as well as to be defrocked. He had said that women should choose for themselves to respect Hijab or the Islamic code of dressing . He is in jail now.
Here is another real case in Iran. Though her opinion may have political basis, talking about this issue is important in a society that Veil is taboo. She is Zahra Eshraghi. Her grandfather was Mr. Khomeini, who overthrew a king and led a revolution in 1979. Her husband's brother is the reformist president, Mohammad Khatami. And her husband, Mohammad Reza Khatami, is the head of the reformist wing of Parliament.
Quoted from NYTimes via Hoder

She hates wearing the black veil known as the chador. "I'm sorry to say that the chador was forced on women". "Forced - in government buildings, in the school my daughter attends. This garment that was traditional Iranian dress was turned into a symbol of revolution. People have lost their respect for it. I only wear it because of my family status. ". Those are the words of a rebel. Ayatollah Khomeini called the chador the "the flag of the revolution" Ms. Eshraghi's frankness is emblematic of the changes today in Iran, where the values and promises of the revolution have given way to an intense, even dangerous debate about whether religion has a place in politics and society…. Nothing symbolizes the revolution more than the ankle-length black chador that covers all but a woman's face. But the attitude toward the chador in Iran today has become so negative that some merchants - particularly in northern Tehran, which is more secular, Westernized and wealthy than the rest of the city - refuse to serve "chadori," as chador-wearing women are called. Chadori"… "We have only ourselves to blame. People are not happy with the establishment, and the chador has become its symbol."…Asked if she would ever want to throw off the headscarf in public, she asked, "Do you want to issue me my death sentence?"

. Iran is a society with high walls between public and private life, walls that are even more impenetrable among the clerical class. "I am sitting here, and I feel I cannot be myself," she said. "It's not the true me. I have to wear a mask."

…Now she has abandoned hope that the political reformers will defeat conservative clerics who want to keep a rigid political system in the name of Islam. In a blunt criticism of her brother-in-law, she said, "I feel President Khatami's speed has been like that of a turtle."

.
Anyway, I think sometimes modesty is beautiful. What do you think?

(posted by Iman)
Posted:Sunday, April 06, 2003 | 

Long resistance

Haifa Zangana, an Iraqi novelist, painter and journalist, was born in Baghdad tells BBC

I am very worried about relations between the Iraqi people and the British people - the hearts and minds of the Iraqis are not being won. The Americans are hated across the Middle East, and it seems there can be no redemption whatever they do.. This war, the bombardment of Baghdad and the siege of Basra, this is no way to win hearts and minds - not by killing Iraqis.

Look at Baghdad. It is seen as the stronghold of the regime and a Sunni Iraqi power base. But this is a more than 1,000-year-old city that is as cosmopolitan as London. By bombing Baghdad, you are bombing all kinds of Iraqi people. If you bombed the millions of people in London, from all their different religions and backgrounds, you would be hitting all kinds of people. They cannot be separated in Iraq as much as they could in London. Baghdad is a melting pot. A third of the capital's population are Kurds, the rest represent every single religious sect and national group that is in Iraq. To isolate a city, and say that the majority of people in it are Sunni or Shia and will behave in this way or that way is a terrible misunderstanding and shows ignorance.

I fear that this war is going to take a long time. It is not even a matter of months. In general, the Iraqi people are going to fight the Americans and British. We are told that Fedayeen Saddam or the regime's militias are the only people fighting, or that Iraqis are fighting because the regime somehow has a gun to their head. I don't believe this. The resistance we are seeing will continue after Saddam Hussein is gone, to try to get rid of the occupation forces, the sanctions, and to ruin the long-term plans the Americans have for Iraq. Anyone can pick up the history books and see the parallel. During the British occupation, Iraqis gave the occupiers no peace whatsoever, and the British were the first to use poison gas against the Iraqis.
I'm afraid the Americans are going to get the same thing.

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, April 04, 2003 | 

New norm

Noam Chomsky says

…Turkey is a vulnerable country, vulnerable to U.S. punishment and inducements. Nevertheless, the new government, I think to everyone's surprise, did maintain the position of about 90 per cent of its population. Turkey is bitterly condemned for that here, just as France and Germany are bitterly condemned because they took the position of the overwhelming majority of their populations. The countries that are praised are countries like Italy and Spain, whose leaders agreed to follow orders from Washington over the opposition of maybe 90 per cent of their populations.
Compare North Korea and Iraq. Iraq is defenceless and weak; in fact, the weakest regime in the region. While there is a horrible monster running it, it does not pose a threat to anyone else. North Korea, on the other hand, does pose a threat. North Korea, however, is not attacked for a very simple reason: it has a deterrent. It has a massed artillery aimed at Seoul, and if the United States attacks it, it can wipe out a large part of South Korea.
So the United States is telling the countries of the world: if you are defenceless, we are going to attack you when we want, but if you have a deterrent, we will back off, because we only attack defenceless targets. In other words, it is telling countries that they had better develop a terrorist network and weapons of mass destruction or some other credible deterrent; if not, they are vulnerable to "preventive war".
For that reason alone, this war is likely to lead to the proliferation of both terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
In Iraq, the United States will make a show of humanitarian reconstruction and will put in a regime that it will call democratic, which means that it follows Washington's orders. Then it will forget about what happens later, and will go on to the next one.

Via Jazz
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, April 04, 2003 | 

Regime Change
by Andrew Motion

Advancing down the road from Niniveh
Death paused a while and said 'Now listen here.
You see the names of places roundabout?
They're mine now, and I've turned them inside out.
Take Eden, further south: At dawn today
I ordered up my troops to tear away
Its walls and gates so everyone can see
That gorgeous fruit which dangles from its tree.
You want it, don't you? Go and eat it then,
And lick your lips, and pick the same again.
Take Tigris and Euphrates; once they ran
Through childhood-coloured slats of sand and sun.
Not any more they don't; I've filled them up
With countless different kinds of human crap.
Take Babylon, the palace sprouting flowers
Which sweetened empires in their peaceful hours -
I've found a different way to scent the air:
Already it's a by-word for despair.
Which leaves Baghdad - the star-tipped minarets,
The marble courts and halls, the mirage-heat.
These places, and the ancient things you know,
You won't know soon. I'm working on it now.'

(posted by Iman)


Posted:Thursday, April 03, 2003 | 

"war against water and trees"

Leading Arab poet Adonis, the penname of 72-year-old Syrian-Lebanese writer Ali Ahmed Said Esber, published a poem denouncing the US-led attack on Iraq, which he described as a "war against water and trees" led by invaders who believed in "prophetic missiles."

"Put aside your coffee and drink something else,
And listen to the words of the invaders:
With the blessing of Heaven
We are leading a preventive war
We will bring the water of life
From the rivers Hudson and Thames
And make it flow in the Tigris and Euphrates
"A war against water and trees
Against birds and the faces of children
The fire of cluster bombs spurts from their hands...
"The air moans on this reed called the world
The soil reddens and blackens
In tanks and rocket-launchers
In missiles that become flying whales
In vast volcanoes spitting with their lava
"Are we to believe, oh invaders,
That an invasion can bring prophetic missiles?
That civilization is only born in nuclear waste?"

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Thursday, April 03, 2003 | 

Coalition for peace

President Khatami called for a global front against arrogance, terrorism, war, discrimination and double-standard approaches that currently characterize relations among states. He said that international movements to install democratic governments will only succeed if the regime that seeks to be installed has the popular mandate or is accepted by the people. "Governments which are elected by their peoples but nonetheless disregard their will cannot claim to be true promoters of justice and international peace merely by relying on their popular mandate." Referring to the negative effect on the performance of US officials of the September 11 terrorist events as a pretext to the call for a "coalition for war," he reminded that the Iranian nation had offered the alternative of a “coalition for peace" based on justice and not revenge.
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Thursday, April 03, 2003 | 

The yawning gap between rhetoric and practice

Katerina Dalacoura a Lecturer in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science and author of Islam, Liberalism and Human Rights: Implications for International Relations comments in Observer

Everyone claims that their ultimate aim is the democratisation of Iraq. Whether it happens or not is another question. Political liberalisation depends on being driven domestically. It needs the people to assume responsibility for their internal affairs. Despite the atypical examples of Germany and Japan after World War two, this is not easily achieved as a result of outside intervention. And it is doubly difficult in a society which has been atomised and fragmented over decades of brutal repression.
Iraq did not have auspicious beginnings as a new nation state, its disparate Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish parts having been cobbled together after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Its subsequent political history, long before the arrival of Saddam Hussein on the scene in 1968, was marked by instability and military interventions. Saddam Hussein's regime has been especially repressive but it is also a product of Iraqi history, a history makes democratisation difficult.
But perhaps not impossible. The question is, were it to take place, would a democratic transformation in Iraq then encourage reform in other parts of the region - and lead to a virtuous circle of democratic reform across the Middle East?
Not likely. Democratic transformation may spread by example if it is the outcome of 'people power' (as in Eastern Europe of 1989) not invasion. But there is another reason why democracy will not catch like wild fire in the Middle East, even if it strikes root in Iraq: the bearers of change are discredited in the eyes of its supposed beneficiaries. The divergence between Western rhetoric and practice has increased since that fateful day, with damaging effects for democracy and human rights in the Middle East.
Middle East dictators sleep more, not less peacefully in their beds after 11 September 2001. They have been better able to present themselves to Western governments as fellow victims of Islamist terrorism and indispensable allies in the struggle against it.
Although democracy and human rights have been pushed higher up the western foreign policy agenda, human rights policies are increasingly perceived as partisan and self-serving, pursued for the good of the West, not for the good of the Middle East. This further discredits the cause of democracy in the region. As often with human rights in foreign policy, its supposed beneficiaries consequently throw the baby out with the bath water, to the detriment of all concerned. As the 'day after' the war in Iraq approaches, policy makers take heed.

(posted by Iman)


Posted:Thursday, April 03, 2003 | 

Paulo Coelho gives praise to President Bush

Thank you, great leader George W. Bush!
Thank you for revealing to the world the gulf that exists between the decisions made by those in power and the wishes of the people. Thank you for making it clear that neither Aznar nor Tony Blair give the slightest weight to or show the slightest respect for the votes they received. Aznar is perfectly capable of ignoring the fact that 90% of Spaniards are against the war, and Blair is unmoved by the largest public demonstration to take place in England in the last thirty years.
Thank you for having achieved something that very few have so far managed to do in this century: the bringing together of millions of people on all continents to fight for the same idea, even though that idea is opposed to yours.
Thank you for making us feel once more that though our words may not be heard, they are at least spoken - this will make us stronger in the future. Thank you for ignoring us, for marginalising all those who oppose your decision, because the future of the Earth belongs to the excluded.
Thank you for not listening to us and not taking us seriously, but know that we are listening to you and that we will not forget your words
…

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Thursday, April 03, 2003 | 

How a monster becomes Hero

Mojtaba writes

I thought that the Iraq war could put an end to ghasthy Arab nationalism of murderous Saddam and his Ba'ath party; but apparently I got it wrong and the monster of Baghdad is transforming into a hero in the Arab countries; reading Robert Fisk's comments in Independent newspaper terrifies me.

Two days ago, my friend called me from Ahwaz (center of Khozestan, a province in the south west of Iran). I asked him about Arabs’ attitude toward current war in Iraq (since Arabs are majority in many Khozestan cities). He said that many ordinary Arabs believe that Saddam is only brave man in the Arab world because he is fighting with the US without any support!!. Though there is not any scientific statistics in this regard, I think this is a common feeling in Arab societies. Saddam (and also Osama) should thank US administration since they helped these monsters to become Hero!! Another ridiculous fact!. Also a worth considering point for other dictators in the world!!
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Wednesday, April 02, 2003 | 

SARS- multi-country outbreak
The cumulative total of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases in Guangdong from 16 November to 31 March now stands at 1153 cases and 40 deaths. WHO reported
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Wednesday, April 02, 2003 | 

WHO concerns in Iraq
…Concerns have been raised about the health impact that burning oil and other fires could have, particularly on children in the capital. WHO is particularly concerned about the effect on people who suffer from respiratory problems. Particulates from fires can seriously aggravate conditions including asthma …. Read more

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Wednesday, April 02, 2003 | 

Secret Garden

"This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful recordings ever created. It will touch your very soul with its gentle classical feel but has tender, melancholy undertones as well. The discourse between the well executed violin and the fluid piano are poignant. Now and then, this recording elicits an emotional response bringing one to the remembrance of some long forgotten memory. This music seems to have the power to encircle one with the warmth of utter and complete love.

Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and Norwegian pianist/keyboardist Rolf Lovland join in magical duo. Ethereal strings, whistles, percussion, flute and angelic voices generously flourish this highly sentimental recording that is tenderly romantic and divinely magical. You will find love, memories and even some tears in The Secret Garden"

you can find this here and also listen to parts of their works.

Secret Garden is:
Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Lovland.
Music composed, arranged and produced by Rolf Lovland
Co-produced by Fionnuala Sherry
Recorded and mixed by Andrew Boland, Windmill Lane Studio, Dublin
New album title: once in a red moon

Secret Garden’s musical ideas are built on organic melodies telling their own stories, simplicity and straight from the heart performances. With our new album “once in a red moon” we wanted to retain these basic elements, but also explore new areas in our musical universe, and challenge our own creative thoughts. During this process we also discovered that this development was a circle – like an orbit in our creative universe taking us around to the intimacy and emotions of where Secret Garden once originated .read more...

this is the lyrics of one of their works:

Prayer
Hush - lay down your troubled mind
The day has vanished and left us behind
And the wind - whispering soft lullabies
will soothe - so close your weary eyes.

Let your arms enfold us
through the dark of night
Will your angels hold us
till we see the light.

Sleep - angels will watch over you
and soon beautiful dreams will come true
Can you feel spirits embracing your soul
so dream while secrets of darkness unfold

find more about some of their best here.

(posted by Farid)

Posted:Tuesday, April 01, 2003 | 

"The World As I See It,"an essay by Albert Einstein

"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving...
"I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts -- possessions, outward success, luxury -- have always seemed to me contemptible.
"My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a 'lone traveler' and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude..."


"My political ideal is democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fellow-beings, through no fault, and no merit, of my own. The cause of this may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the few ideas to which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am quite aware that for any organization to reach its goals, one man must do the thinking and directing and generally bear the responsibility. But the led must not be coerced, they must be able to choose their leader. In my opinion, an autocratic system of coercion soon degenerates; force attracts men of low morality... The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.

"This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor... This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature."

Albert Einstein's essay, "The World As I See It,” in "Forum and Century," vol. 84, pp. 193-194, the thirteenth in the Forum series, Living Philosophies

(Thanks to Ali)
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Tuesday, April 01, 2003 | 

Trouble on the doorstep( Economist )

The rulers of Iran and many other Middle Eastern countries have been trying to avoid taking a strong stand over the war, saying they would like the fighting to stop but avoiding going too far in criticising America. ….Iran’s leaders have been insisting on their “active neutrality” between America—the Great Satan—and Saddam, who waged a long and bloody war against Iran in 1980-88…

Who’s next for regime change? Several of Iraq’s neighbours fear that once America has finished with Saddam, they will be the next target. The warnings from two senior American officials are bound to increase those worries. Iran is already on America's “axis of evil” list and America suspects it of developing nuclear weapons. Syria and Saudi Arabia both backed America against Iraq in the first Gulf war in 1991 but both are suspected by America of sponsoring terrorism and thus their leaders also fear they are on George Bush’s list…Alternatively, a rise in Islamic fundamentalism may be the result if the Middle Eastern public turns on its governments for being “lackeys” of America. The press, and Muslim clerics in many parts of the region, are busy stirring up such sentiments.

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Tuesday, April 01, 2003 |