Alec Smart said:
Quran.3:105
"And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment."
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and thus Pakistan won...
» The Times Of KashmirLet me admit it officially now.. I have been getting this hate mail from my friends on facebook and so many emails which have the same sort of guidance as one puts it.. I hate Pakistan and I hate Pakistani Cricket Team even more.. Even more after it won the T20 world cup.. (Nice to get it off my chest.. and I am not accepting any hate comments here.. HUH).. People have the stupidest of arguments in their minds.. They say Kashmiris must MUST "M U S T" support Pakistan.. Well, believe in what you want to, but nationalism is just not made for me.. So even though it would be really funny to say that I actually support the South African team in Cricket and absolutely hate the Pakistani Team. I may tell you my reason for that as well.. Its because Kashmiris like them.. The same Kashmiris who dont think before pelting a stone... The same lads who vote.. The same group who follow Islam as if it was just the 'Salaah' and there was absolutely nothing written on corruption, and where people prostate to the "Astaans".. The same "Pakistani loving folk" who can be seen doing all sorts of filth outside those infamous tuition centres..(Have a look at my earlier post for a bigger list)... I hate doing what the "sensible community" does.. Any one wants to argue... Please....
Alec Smart said:
Quran.3:105
"And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment." -
The same Kashmir yet...
» The Times Of KashmirI am planning to make this post ASAP (as short as possible).. My vacations are going to end soon and then I will just remain with the memory of the short visit to the valley.. There is an important observation I would like to share.. While there is a group of people who are actively involved in the protests (stone pelting, sloganeering etc), there are many more who are just not bothered.. These others can be seen in places like PoloGround, Nishat, Shalimar and ChaliPoint-enjoying themselves.. Today was a hartal, I wanted to go somewhere.. I told my mom that we could go for a drive to Nishat Bagh and then back.. Sheagreed.. The car drove past the infamous house of Mr. Geelani, the atmosphere was spooky.. Only a few cars zooming past every now and then.. Hardly any person on the road.. >>>Fast Forward>> PoloGround-Cricket and Football
>>>Fast Forward>> Nishat and Chali Point- Traffic Jam.. Horns.. People.. Enjoying..
I am tired now.. My left leg is stiff.. The result of a infinite sequence of stopping and moving.. I am at my home.. Note to self.. Hartals are just for crazy people like us.. No net result in the end..
Alec Smart said: The tourists are going back.. The Kashmiris filling the place.. Long Live Mr. Geelani.. -
A question from the unknown..
» The Times Of KashmirI would like to question the so called leaders of Kashmir.. The ones who are responsible for announcing the dates of the hartals here in Kashmir... Well.. Mr Chidambaram came and there was no hartal!!! All the other days before that-there was.. I want to ask why.. Indian government must think everything is ok in Kashmir.. and the best thing is that today, Friday, 12 June-a curfew was imposed in some parts.. Sigh.. I want to go back to Malaysia..
Hapy Birthday to some... A great marriage happening nearby at Green Avenue.. Dr Tariq Kraipak's daughter getting married.. Best of luck... Lets just hope there are no more Hartals to "mansook the marraiges"
...
Alec Smart Said, "Hurriyatan che dichmech call, na kanh khandar na kanh saal"
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7:13
Of Hurriyat and Strikes…
» -Kashmir-Writing is always a good way of venting out your feelings. Since the strikes started in Kashmir in May my resentment against the Hurriyat leaders kept brewing up. It was nothing new, but the calls were getting more and more irrational every day, with a fifty hour strike for an eight hour election depicting the [...]
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Yet another boring day..
» The Times Of KashmirWearing a pink T-shirt, a laptop in front of me.. June 1.. My birthday coming up soon.. Saw somewhere that Johnny Depp was born on June 9... and the fact that I am taller than him...
Alex Smart said, " Yeah, I know.. You are the boring one" -
A blogger in a car kills an old man on a bike
» The Times Of KashmirYes, the headlines speak for themselves.. I can just imagine that headline in the poor print of Greater Kashmir.. Then, the blogger would have been jailed or whatever.. Blame it all to the poor blogger now. Oh, I am sorry.. Let me start from the roots..
The blogger whose name is Qazi Mamoon was driving a Silver Maruti Suzuki. The time was about 8.30 in the night. Total darkness. Driving carefully, he had managed to reach the place near Abdullah Bridge popularised by the presence of a really expensive eating place known as Hat Trick. He was moving on the road which is just along the banks of River Jehlum. It was a familiar place for him, much dreaded one though. The Presentation Convent School will soon pass from the left side. But this time he had other things to worry about. His was the only car in his lane. His eyes strained against those harsh headlights, so many bright cars approaching in the other direction. He couldnt see anything. He kept on trying to flash his headlights so as to make the people in other cars aware of his temporary blindness. Absolutely no car in front of him but so many in the opposite lane. He is moving at 50 kmph. Moving as straight as he can, he couldnt even see the sidewalks. A car comes blazing towards him. He tries to move left. Saved. The sidewalk was still a little bit to the left, he thought. Suddenly he sees something. About 5 metres in front of his car. Slightly towards the left side. His car moves closer. He applies brakes strongly. Thats a MotorBike.. Parked. An old man with a white beard on it facing left and talking to someone. No Brake Lights, No lights at all.. The blogger hesitates. He looks at the next approaching car at his right. The stupid old man with the no-lights-bike to the left. Brakes cant stop the car in time. Well, to make this novel sized story short.. The blogger, utilising his driving skills and experience somehow managed to slip in between the two, the side view mirror of the two cars hit.. Was a close shave.. His mother sitting right next to him nearly screamed out in fright. Luckily no one was hurt.. It was reported that the old man wasnt wearing a helmet and was so stupid, stupid so as to stop in the middle of nowhere with no warning lights and no helmet... The blogger would have hit him, and he would flied right into the dreaded Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School for Girls, Raj Bagh. Bye Bye Uncle..
Sigh... Thats a nice story indeed.. So if you see an accident and start blaming small boys who are yet to turn 20, and blaming that they caused the accident.. Think rationally.. Would a small boy have better eyesight in that darkness or Mr Bye-bye-Uncle..
Alec Smart said: Ah.. Bye-Bye-Uncle must be waiting for the girls... -
Sunday | 24th May 2009- SPS Museum Srinagar
» The Times Of KashmirYesterday, I went to the SPS Museum. SPS stands for Sri Pratap Singh.. The building is actually a palace of Maharaja Ranbir Singh who had constructed it in 1872. Then his son Maharaha Pratap Singh made it as a museum in 1898.. (The dates are just figments of my memory).. I would recommend a visit to the musuem for anyone who lives in Kashmir, make sure that you ask someone there to show you around and inform you about the things there...
Highlights:
Skeleton of a Wooly Mammoth- I really didnt imagine that our museum will have those bones..
Really Ancient Coins- 500 BC till date
5th Century Statues- Statues of Shivism and Buddhism
Textiles- Great works of Kashmiri Craft- Masterpieces- Map of Srinagar on a Shawl which was completed in about 35 years
Arms- Weaponry used by the early kings of Kashmir.. Old guns Old Cannons-
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Its quite astonishing to see that Kashmir has such a history-filled with Hinduism and Buddhism.. Islam is Kashmir, as such, is quite in its infancy. The museum did have some engravings from the Mughal Period, and remains of the beautiful handworked glazed tiles taken from Madin Sahab, Srinagar- but as a whole, the museum gave out waves of Hinduism.. Thus, any tourist to Kashmir, might love to pay a visit to our beloved SPS museum..
Alec Smart said: There is a new building under construction for the statues.. The roads for the humans are still antique..
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Sri Lankan Tamils
» E=mc^2I strongly support Sri Lankan Tamils’ desire and aspiration to establish a separate Tamil state on that island. I believe that they have a right to ask for a political solution to address their political problems. I believe that Tamils constitute a distinct group with a different language and religion and also different historical roots compared to the majority which happens to be Sinhalese Buddhist speaking people.
India has a dubious record of participation in the ongoing political and military crisis in Sri Lanka. In reality, India has lost its credibility vis-à-vis Tamil issue in Sri Lanka. India doesn’t know where it stands because it has started to look at the world and issues through the prism of what’s going on in its backyard. Since India discourages all separatism within its borders without reason or debate, it would like to extend the same logic to every other issue on the planet.India has changed its stance on Palestine issue because India started to identity itself closer to the nation (called Israel) that suppresses every voice and action that demands a new state (called Palestine). India has changed its stance on Sri Lankan Tamil Issue too. That’s because India has become obsessed with Kashmir. Its obsession is not very different from the obsession of Pakistan with Kashmir. However, these two enemies are only different in their extent of that obsession.
Pakistan’s obsession with Kashmir runs much deeper than that of India’s. They do not apply reason or logic to any issue because they tend to look at the world only through that obsession. That obsession has made Pakistan resort to all kinds of tricks and carry out all kinds of shams, resulting in Talibanization of Afghanistan which is now about to engulf entire Pakistan. Obsession with Kashmir is turning out to be the toxic disease that will eat into Pakistan and consume it completely. The people on this subcontinent, both Indians and Pakistanis, fail to reason and see light only because of their obsession with Kashmir.
When it comes to Tamils of Sri Lanka, Indians are ready to denounce their fight for freedom as a terrorist movement. They are ready to dismiss their aspirations completely. They have gone ahead to support Sri Lankan government which has ruthlessly suppressed this movement using armed forces, blasting its way through Tamil stronghold thereby completely decimating all Tamil resistance. Sri Lankan Sinhalese glee over their success while Tamils have lost everything – their pride, their identity, and their political will to form a distinct entity on that island. Indians celebrate with their Sri Lankan Sinhalese counterparts because they fantasize such incursions into Kashmir, blasting their way to decimate and emasculate Kashmiri aspirations to form a separate nation.
LTTE is a terrorist organization to some while they are freedom fighters to others. Yes, LTTE has conducted innumerable crimes, resorted to killing innocents, used children as human shield, brainwashed kids to become suicide bombers, raped, pillaged, and murdered ordinary people thereby justifiably qualifying as a terrorist organization. I deplore the actions of LTTE. I condemn and reject their methods. It is a terrorist organization, no doubt.
However, what gets lost in the din is the voice of ordinary Tamils in Sri Lanka. What about him? What about his aspirations? What about his idea of freedom? Should he give up now because LTTE is a terrorist organization?
Can we ignore the history of how Tamils were targeted, discriminated, and marginalized in Sri Lanka? Does Sri Lanka have a prior record which suggests they are going welcome Tamils participation in that country? Can a Tamil become President of Sri Lanka the way a Sikh can become Prime Minister of India? In Sri Lanka only a Sinhalese Buddhist can become the President ensuring that a Tamil is never an equal in his own country though he is born there.
Lessons for and from India
Indians don’t know why they don’t have a Rashtra Basha. Some continue to delude themselves into thinking that India has a national language. They want to impose one identity or one religion.
India was born out of a compromise. It was realism that dictated how India would shape itself, not idealism. Every demand for utopia where only one religion, one language, one culture prevailed over all Indians was eventually struck down.
As I argued earlier, the only way India can stay united is by allowing people to maintain their distinct identities. With respect to languages, any imposition of one Indian language over the other will be met with utmost resistance and will lead to break up of this country. This was not ignored by our Indian politicians.
India had a long history of struggle with British spanning nearly ninety years. Indians learnt a lot during that time because they had a working Congress and a working Muslim League. They knew the vagaries of a pluralistic society much before India got its Independence. All those who thought one single identity would unite them all have eventually failed to realize their utopias. Pakistan which got formed on single identity called religion eventually broke up into two nations. Now, it is in tatters. There is a clear message – don’t try to unite a pluralistic country under one identity. Don’t impose one identity while blurring others.
Sri Lanka did not face an ongoing struggle for independence. It had no lessons to learn from. When they got independence, they used the ‘majority’ as a weapon to subdue the minorities. Unlike India, Sri Lanka did not learn that majority is not always right. Even Indians are slowly unlearning their lessons. Nowadays some Indians are conveniently using democracy to promote the will of majority to be imposed onto minorities.
Without any precedents to help them, Sri Lankans did not formulate a system that can safeguard the interests of minorities within their country. Sinhalese Buddhists formed political parties that came to power riding the wave of majority support and passed Sinhala Only Act thereby discriminating Tamils who could either speak Tamil or English. Within fifteen years, Tamils were all kicked out of administrative services to be replaced by Sinhalese. Starting from selecting a flag that was not acceptable to Tamils, then disenfranchising a huge Tamil population because they were of Indian origin, and then kicking out Tamils from capital city, then colonizing Tamil lands with Sinhalese, then suspending Tamil speaking officials from the administration, eventually changing the constitution by repealing an act that guaranteed protection to minorities and promoting Buddhism as state religion, Sri Lanka has ensured Tamils were emasculated, enervated, and completely extirpated from that island. Sri Lankans wanted to impose the might of majority onto minorities believing majority is right.
Some Indians are now using ‘majority’ slogan to wish for Hindi language as national language, wishing for Hinduism as the main ethos of Indian cultural and legal system, all in the name of unifying everyone under one banner. Sri Lanka is a good example of how such imposition of ‘majority’ identity can go really wrong.
Sinhalese rejected all demands for using Tamil as administrative language, not even in those areas where Tamils were in majority. They were bent on imposing their will onto everyone at the cost of everything, though there were many Tamils and Left Parties who suggested that both Sinhalese and Tamil should be given official status throughout the island. Colvin R de Silva, a Leftist who is credited with the famous response to ‘The Sun never sets on the British Empire’ slogan with ‘That’s because God does not trust the British in the dark’ has foreseen the future of this island nation when Sri Lanka passed Sinhala Only Act:Do we want a single nation or do we want two nations? Do we want a single state or do we want two? Do we want one Ceylon or do we want two? And above all, do we want an independent Ceylon which must necessarily be united and single and single Ceylon, or two bleeding halves of Ceylon which can be gobbled up by every ravaging imperialist monster that may happen to range the Indian Ocean? These are issues that in fact we have been discussing under the form and appearance of language issue.
His foreboding came out to be true. Sri Lanka is ravaged by a civil war which has killed thousands, displaced hundreds of thousands, injured and mutilated many others.
Sinhalese in their blind obsession to wrest control from privileged Tamils who were adept at English, instead of making corrections like ‘reservations’ in India, resorted to completely banning Tamil and English from all institutions of Sri Lanka in order to deprive Tamils of employment and opportunity. Sri Lanka has conducted pogroms to target, maim and kill Tamils, vandalizing and destroying their properties, eliciting mass migrations. They were bent on completely decimating Tamils from that island.
The discrimination against Tamils started right from 1948 when they got independence. Sinhalese went around in gangs to target and kill Tamils, kicking them out of their homes, all with support from the government. Like in Gujarat of 2002, the administration of Sri Lanka decided not to intervene when the riots broke up and took its sweet time to stop them. When Tamils got concentrated in camps around the capital city they were eventually shipped to Jaffna. And in 1980s, Sri Lanka carried out programs similar to Israel where Sinhalese were given land and facilities to settle down in Tamil dominated regions.
Like in India where some Hindus target Muslims calling them traitors that have allegiance to an enemy nation, Sinhalese targeted Tamils for being closer to India. One of the Members of the Parliament said:
If there is discrimination in this land which is not their (Tamil) homeland, then why try to stay here. Why not go back home (India) where there would be no discrimination. There are your kovils and Gods. There you have your culture, education, universities etc. There you are masters of your own fate
What came as a freedom movement was a reaction to what Sinhalese did to Tamils. LTTE is a sad outcome of such reaction, equally bloody, equally suicidal.This large scale civil war of the present day could have been averted had the Sinhalese majority party been rational enough to conclude that they could have two languages instead of one, if they had concluded that they could correct the under-representation of Sinhalese through affirmative action instead of barring Tamils from official positions, if they had concluded that their island nation can accommodate two cultures instead of one by pushing the other culture into wretched submission.
Tamils are marginalized as entire community from the mainstream of Sri Lankan society, vilified as traitors, only to be targeted in future for further discrimination and ostracism. Tamils in Sri Lanka has lost their pride, their voice, their self-respect and now have to live in ignominy.
Now that LTTE is defeated, its leader killed, its forces decimated, Sri Lanka has an immense responsibility. Hopefully, it has learnt its lessons. It should create an environment where Tamils regain their identity, their pride, and their culture. It should allow Tamil as an official language and ensure they are not discriminated against. They should create a federal structure whereby Tamils have their own state. They should set good examples by selecting and electing leaders to the top echelons of the government. Going forward, India should strive to work with Sri Lankan government to create a political platform for Tamils living in Sri Lanka.
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Omar Abdullah and NC
» The Times Of KashmirNC wins. Thats supposed to be good isn't it? Besides, as a really really uninformed citizen knowing nothing of politics, I rather think that Omar Abdullah is doing a good job. (He is a Burn Hallian tada...) Let me show you what he wrote on his blog on 18th April 2008...
I''m sitting and watching the inaugural T20 match of the Indian Premier League as I type and it''s difficult not to be dazzled by the spectacle, the lights, the music. Fortunately for the game the action on the field has been much better than the opening ceremony laid on by Vijay Mallaya which is no mean feat since the self confessed King of good times knows how to lay on a party.
For a while I was wondering if this was an opening ceremony for the Olympics or Asian Games with acrobats, flag bearers (who entered hanging from wires attached to the flood-lights) and an oath ceremony. The world of cricket has seen nothing like this and the purists are probably appalled by the cheer leaders not to mention Shahrukh Khan's team in their GOLD helmets and pads.
How much influence this will have on the game of cricket - only time will tell. One thing is for sure cricket in India will never be the same and I guess that can be said for the rest of the cricketing world as well. I'd be interested to see if this new TV friendly format is able to spread beyond the traditional cricket playing nations.
Spare a thought for Zee's Subhash Chandra. Every one has been very quick to credit BCCI and Lalit Modi for this revolution. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't IPL a panic reaction to Chandra's break away ICL. It was only BCCI's financial and political muscle that squeezed ICL and reduced it to a pariah status surviving on cricketers either retired or never likely to play for their country. Chandra, after all the money spent, must be left wondering what might have been if only.................
Ok!! Looks great... But Lets have a look at one of the comments..
suhaildar Says:
Monday, April 21, 2008
omar, is this blog abou ipl n blackberry? try to write some realistic issues on ur blog....like for how long more are the politician of kashmir gona fool kashmiris...take some leafs from rahul gandhis book... it will certainly help ur political career.
I would love to tell him even though our beloved CM is the CM, that does not mean that he shouldnt enjoy. Thats the problem with us common Kashmiris.. We think that our duties end after we vote..Blah Blah... I am going now..
Alec Smart Said.. Looks like the match has started... Even bloggers need to enjoy..
Ps... Ok I Admit.. This wasnt a good post...
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Regional Parties and Coalition Politics
» E=mc^2There are too many regional parties in the fray for the current Lok Sabha elections in India. For some Indians, that is a not a good thing. Even the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thinks it is not a good thing. Some parties like Congress and BJP call themselves ‘national’ parties. They like to believe they stand for nationalism.
For many Indians nationalism comes as a virtue while regionalism comes as a nuisance. To them nationalism represents unity, oneness, single identity, grand goals and unselfish interests, where the whole country is under one banner while regionalism represents divisiveness, fragmentation, breakup of the nation, dissent, and parochial interests where regions come under many flags and banners. The slogan is ‘united we stand, divided we fall’.
Many nationalist Indians look at regionalism with derision. The images of Shiv Sena baiting Tamils in Mumbai or MNS chasing away Biharis out of Maharashtra come to one’s mind. The regional parties are known for promoting selfish interest of a region or community while ignoring the common interests of a nation.
Of late, coalition politics has been the norm where one ‘national’ party joined forces with ‘regional’ parties to form the government at the center. However, coalition politics is seen as a negative thing because it lacks decisive punch. There is no single party in power making things really complicated, unstable and slow. Many a times the national party had to bow down to the whimsical and parochial demands of regional parties. They were hijacked and held at gun point constantly. Governments fell before they could complete their full term. Policies could not be implemented and decisions could not be taken- all because of coalition politics that included many ragtag elements with conflicting interests. Many Indians wish it was simpler, like having just 2 or 3 parties. That way we would have a clear winner and then things would get smoother.
Nationalism is a virtue, regionalism a nuisance
This differential treatment was inculcated in us even before India became independent. It was done to unite and create a new nation where none existed. Our country was build from many fragments, many kingdoms, regions, and territories. It was important to promote a common identity to unite India by making nationalism a virtue. For a while, it was a romantic notion worth pursuing. Coming out of colonial rule it was necessary to prove to ourselves and to the world that we can stand as a nation, united and strong.
As a corollary regional ideology was suppressed to ensure there was no dissension. After Independence, Nehru created a strong central authority fearing that regional groups may try to secede from India. The trend continued where each of the successive governments at New Delhi tried to make the center stronger while doing everything to make the states weaker.
Nationalism is an ideology
Most of us inherit certain ideas as kids and many of us do not outgrow them. That’s why religion catches them young. You convert them as kids, and most often they are the followers for the rest of their life. An ideology like nationalism works similarly. A country catches people young, instills the ideas of a nation - how great it is and so on, asking them their devotion, their allegiance, making them take a pledge or an oath, and you have a convert who will be loyal for the rest of his life.
Our leaders introduced nationalism to create one identity, one theme that runs through all Indians so that they can stay united. Central authority was strengthened while the regional authorities were weakened. They tried to blur the local and regional identities imposing a national identity. They tried to impose a national song and a national language. These Indians fascinated by nations that had single identity – like in Germany or in Japan.
India is like a group of nations
In this jingoism and fervor of nationalism what gets lost is an essential attribute of India - that it is not a single nation, group, language, or religion. It doesn’t have a single culture, history, or empire. To understand India, one has to look at present-day Europe which has come together to form European Union. The only way that Union can survive is making sure all participants are represented fairly where no single nation imposes its identity onto others. Though we fail to admit it, India works similarly – like a group of nations. Since we do not recognize this essential attribute we never take measures to protect the interest of each region or group – either in the government or in our political system. Indian cannot equate itself with Germany or Japan.
India has never embraced a single identity – it has rejected all such attempts. The signs were there all along. We just failed to accept them. Tamils rejected imposition of Hindi as national language. States got aligned along languages. Lower castes got reservations in education and employment. It was clear right from the time of Independence that India had to deal with multiple identities.
India failed to accept group identities
This reality did not get translated into working mechanism to address regional and groups’ aspirations. When India conceded to these group demands it did so reluctantly, without a comprehensive and proactive strategy. India still tries to solve most of its problems assuming India is a monolithic entity.
India, like most constructed nations, works as a homogenous entity only in certain special situations, like when it faces a common enemy. Thankfully, India found such enemies (in Pakistan and China) right from the beginning. Later, in 1970s the sanctions following Pokhran-I became the rallying point for a wave of nationalism. 1980s saw Pakistan meddling in Punjab and 1990s saw Pakistan intervening in Kashmir thereby keeping the enemy of the nation alive. Nowadays it constructs such enemies where necessary. The last decade, we went about creating enemies internally, out of those who looked different, thought different or those who practiced a different religion.
While India kept its momentum on constructing a single identity, some regional and other group identities lost out, some of them were neglected, some felt they got unfair share, some were snubbed, some had to take an inferior position. There was no forum or platform where such regional aspirations could be addressed. If a state got unfair share there was no way it could express it because our political and administrative system did not recognize such group identities. Eventually, such groups came together to form regional political parties to represent their vested interests.
India, Indian people, Indian political parties do not openly accept the legitimacy of group politics and group identities. They do not take provisions to cater to the demands of group identities. They don’t know how to take care of proper representations. They still carry utopian dream of creating a meritocracy. And democracy is not a meritocracy. Regional and other group identities will eventually voice their opinion, and join the power struggle to get a fair share by creating a political party.
Its inability of Indian political system, its democratic setup, its government structure to recognize group identities that has led to so many regional parties in India.
Emergence of regional parties
These regional parties have come about because the so-called national parties failed to recognize regional aspirations. Like in Europe, each region in India has its cultural identity that it likes to preserve. They expect their requests to be heard, their demands to be met, and their share to be fair.
DMK and AIADMK represent Tamil’s Dravidian sentiment. TDP represented Telugu people’s identity, while TRS represents Telangana sentiment. Shiv Sena and MNS represent Marathas. BSP represents Dalits. SP represents lower castes and Muslims. So on.
Future
Indian democracy will mature only when national parties start recognizing the aspirations of groups and regions in India. National parties have to balance nationalism with regionalism and create structures that allow for proper regional and group representation.
Only when these so-called national parties allow for recognizing regional and group identities would we see a reduction in regional parties. That may eventually lead to 2 or 3 parties in India. Till then, national parties have to work closely with regional parties if they have to form government. Regional parties and coalition politics are here to stay.
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Heres another good reply to Hindus
» The Times Of KashmirAs they say, "If you cant beat them then join them".. Hindus are also very active in pointing out the "so called" mistakes..
Here is something I found on the web.. Its supposed to mean that Hinduism and all its forms are wrong.. Its just an example that Allah knows best and we humans are just fools.. For those hindus who deny Islam based on those "So Called" errors, I would like that you deny Hinduis, if you find all these things down here to be true.. Even One of Them.. My challenge..
Error
In Mahabharata, particularly in the Bhagavad Gita, and other Hindu scriptures, we find that Krishna is depicted having only two hands. But, at one place in the Gita, we see a mistake mentioning four hands!
Gita 11:46 “…Appear with that very form with four hands!”
Error
Actually, Sanjaya is watching all the happenings including the show of Viswa Roopa that is shown to Arjuna. And, previously, as it is reported in the Maha Bharata, some of the enemies of Arjuna have seen this form before many others. But, strangely enough to read, it is mentioned as :
Gita 11:47 “ Out of grace, O Arjuna, this supreme, radiant, cosmic, infinite, primeval form – which (form) of mine has not been seen before by anyone other than you, has been shown to you by me through the power of my own yoga. ”
“Arjuna, by my favour, you have seen this loftiest form by my yoga revealed! … that none except yourself has ever seen”
Error
As we already know, Sanjaya is narrating the whole process to the emperor Dhritarashtra, the father of Arjuna’s enemies. Normally, if ‘A’ is speaking to ‘B’ and A wants to say that B’s brother is coming, he would say, “Mr. B! your brother is coming.” Or, “B! your brother is coming.” But, he would not say, “B’s brother is coming.”
Let us see the same thing in the Gita. It is mentioned in Gita 1:19-20, “the blowing of these different couch shells became uproarious. Vibrating both in the sky and in the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra… O King, after looking at the sons of Dhritarashtra drawn in military array, Arjuna then spoke to Krishna these words.”
As we all know today that the sun, moon and stars are all inanimate objects and cannot have wife and children like the human beings. But, in the olden days, the Hindu brothers did not know this fact and they used to hold the belief that these are all gods only. Further, they used to believe that they had marital relationship and parental relationship with human beings. Anyway, we are going to see it in detail under the heading, “Hindu Gods”. Here, we are going to have a look at the sample, which proves beyond doubt that even the Bhagavad Gita is not immune from this belief!
It is mentioned in Gita 4:1, “I have given this infinite knowledge to Sun, he taught it to his son Manu (one of the ancestors of the mankind) and he taught it to his son Ikshwaka (one of famous saints)”
It is surprising to see that the Gita attributes sonship of a human to a star that is ‘the sun’.
Some scholars of Hinduism hold that the Gita doesn’t say that Manu was a son of the sun. But, they all admit that the Gita mentions the sun having taught a particular knowledge to Manu. Even this is hard to defend against scientific criticism.
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Source:
[www.islam4all.com]
A reminder again! Please double check the verses.. If you find them true.. Then I win.. -
Heres a good reply to some people..
» The Times Of KashmirIts so amusing to see Christians challenge the "So called" errors in the Quran.. Based on these, begins their hatred against Islam. Well Mr. Christians.. Muslims believe in Jesus.. Muslims believe in the Bible, the original one.. Not the edited which is being used nowadays.. (The New Testament maybe.. I am just a blogger, not a religious scholar.. So Please correct me if you know the truth)..
Here is something I found on the web.. Its not supposed to mean that Christianity is wrong.. Its just an example that Allah knows best and we humans are just fools.. For those Christians who deny Islam based on those "So Called" errors, I would like that you deny Christianity too if you find all these things down here to be true.. Even One of Them.. My challenge..
Contradictions:
2 Kings 8:26 says "Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign..." 2 Chronicles 22:2 says "Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign..." 2 Samuel 6:23 says "Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death" 2 Samuel 21:8 says "But the king took...the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul" 2 Samuel 8:3-4 says "David smote also Hadadezer...and took from him...seven hundred horsemen..." 1 Chronicles 18:3-4 says "David smote Hadarezer...and took from him...seven thousand horsemen..." 1 Kings 4:26 says "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots..." 2 Chronicles 9:25 says "And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots..." 2 Kings 25:8 says "And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month...Nebuzaradan...came...unto Jerusalem" Jeremiah 52:12 says "...in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month...came Nebuzaradan...into Jerusalem" 1 Samuel 31:4-6 says "...Saul took a sword and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead and...died with him. So Saul died..." 2 Samuel 21:12 says "...the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa." Gen 2:17 says "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eastest thereof thou shalt surely die [note: it doesn't say 'spiritual' death] Gen 5:5 says "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died." Matt 1:16 says, "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus..." Luke 3:23 says "And Jesus...the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli" James 1:13 says "..for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." Gen 22:1 says "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham..." Gen 6:20 says "Of fowls after their kind and of cattle [etc.]...two of every sort shall come unto thee..." Gen 7:2,3 says "Of every clean beast thou shall take to thee by sevens...Of fowls also of the air by sevens..." Luke23:46: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." John 19:30 "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." Gen 32:30 states "...for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." John 1:18 states, "No man hath seen God at any time..."
Factual Errors:
1 Kings 7:23 "He made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about." Circumference = Pi() x Diameter, which means the line would have to have been over 31 cubits. In order for this to be rounding, it would have had to overstate the amount to ensure that the line did "compass it round about." Lev 11:20-21: "All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you." Fowl do not go upon all four. Lev 11:6: "And the hare, because he cheweth the cud..." Hare do not chew the cud. Deut 14:7: " "...as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof." For the hare this is wrong on both counts: Hare don’t chew the cud and they do divide the "hoof." Jonah 1:17 says, "...Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" Matt 12:40 says "...Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly..." whales and fish are not related Matt 13:31-32: " "the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed which…is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree." There are 2 significant errors here: first, there are many smaller seeds, like the orchid seed; and second, mustard plants don't grow into trees. Matt 4:8: " Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them." Unless the world is flat, altitude simply will not help you see all the kingdoms of the earth.
Source:
[www.freethoughtdebater.com]
A reminder again! Please double check the verses.. If you find them true.. Then I win.. -
Tooba | 8th May
» The Times Of Kashmir
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On this day in 1991, my sister left this world.. Remembering her alwayz....
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Hartal | Day One
» The Times Of KashmirDear Online-Bad-Idea-Personal-Diary,
At about 12.17 pm (which means the second day of Hartal has already started), I finally get time to write about the first day of the Hartal..
Woke up awfully late.. 1 O clock is just not normal in Kashmir.. It would have been great waking up at 1 O clock on a Sunday in Malaysia.. But no no... Not here.. I forgot to boil the milk.. I didnt have my morning tea with 'lawaas'.. Life is difficult.. But all that raining has stopped (finally).. Watched some more of FRIENDS episodes...
The best thing is I cant see any pictures on Facebook or Orkut.. There is this thihng going on in my mind that my 1 gb "FREE" broadband allowed limit will easily exceed... So I just disabled the "Show Pictures" option on my Firefox.. Bye Bye pretty pictures..
It so nice to know that Kashmir has so much of talent.. Recently I met added up these two great guys on Facebook.. One, Ubaid Mushtaq, writes for Rising Kashmir, Gk etc etc and is a student of IUST.. The other one, Owais Lone, studies computer engineering in Pune and looks quite promising with all those websites he has put up and the hard work that he is doing.. I am thinking that in near future I might publish some interviews or something of the talent we have in Kashmir.,.,
I have applied for a vodaphone SIM.. Oh! That was 4 days before.. The guy told me that they will send the SIM card to your home.. Well, 10 already.. I havent left my home yet.. I dont have a number... I just have the internet.. and that more than enough for me.. and my crazy thoughts..
Facebook Update :
Qazi Mamoon.. has calculated that three out of four Facebook contacts make up 75% of his friends list..
219 Friends..
Alec Smart Said, "Vodafone... Airtel.. Bsnl... Aircel.. Reliance... Hey.. Get a Tata Indicom for me.." -
Looks Like The Short Sem has Started..
» The Times Of KashmirI am really bored of the boring boring blogging on Kashmir.. Its the same thing since I have started blogging.. Now, I will make Times Of Kashmir a personaly diary too.. And thats what it actually started from.. I didnt blog about roads, and elections and freedom fighting.. But I did use to put in sum humour! Good Old Days!
Lets move to IIUM!
Did chat with Mr. Atif Javed Fazili today.. He said that his classes had started.. He is taking Dynamics and CAD if i remember properly... Good for him! Told me a secret.. shhhh
Well, the weather is bad here in Srinagar.. And just now Aizaz cam online and told me he is in Srinagar too.. I cant wait for the happy and fun filled days ahead..
Munib had come today... Took away my hard-disk and a lot of FRIENDS episodes and bits of FAMILY GUY.. 3 days Strike... Well, he wont be bored... Neither would I be... I got my keyboard too.. I will end up playing 'Fur elise' again... and I am getting better now..
As for me... Its 11.27 into the night.. so about 2 in Malaysia.. Am really bored... All i see nowadays is ROSS, CHANDLER, PHOEBE, MONICA and my fav.. JOEY! "How yaa doing"!!
I thought of scanning all the hard copy photographs and taking the soft copies with me when i go... But problem number 1... This guy has a scanner and I obviously cannot take it from him.. (or even beg it)..
Facebook Update:
Rain Rain Go away! Little Qazi wants to go to Lal Chowk!
216 Friends
Saw my economics prize paper of 2.5 marks.. The clever devil had managed to slide itself between some important papers.. Now my dads so happy that his son got a 2.5 out of 10 in class... He is happy coz i told him the rest got zero..
Alec Smart Said, "2.5 marks.. Why did u forget the day when you got 1.5 in C programming??"
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Utopias
» E=mc^2Many fanatic ideologies give us a grand picture of a perfect state, a utopia, which is based on a theory, a religion or a book. According to them, if one were to implement all the stipulated rules and laws laid out in that book, that religion or that theory, we would achieve a utopian state where everything would be perfect and everyone would be happy, all living in beautiful harmony.
According to many religious Muslims across the planet, there is a perfect state that was achieved during the time of Prophet (and for a brief time after him), where people were the happiest, because the rules and laws as laid out in Koran and associated religious books were implemented literally, without any deviations. And therefore, these religious Muslims continuously strive to create a perfect Islamic State, always trying to go back in time, trying to bring back those idyllic times where the world was devoid of modernity and all its associated evils. In that perfect Islamic State, everyone had honey and milk, all women were happy under perfect Koranic laws, and every non-Muslim was protected (as long as they remained subjugated and didn’t assert themselves).
These Muslims came very close to achieving one in the modern times – it’s called Afghanistan, under Taliban, where women were draped in burqas covering entire body except eyes, where robbers were amputated and adulterers were stoned to death in public hearings. Music and television were banned, and women were barred from all official institutions.
The proponents of Islamic State give lot of credit to Taliban for achieving peace in a land that was strife with war for many years. They believe this was achieved only through creation of an Islamic State. If ever it didn’t work out or didn’t last long, it was only because some corrupt and jealous elements had ensured that this perfect Islamic State did not survive, or that members of Taliban did not interpret the religious books properly. Had they interpreted the religious documents properly, had they implemented the rules more strictly, then definitely a utopia would have been achieved.
The fact that thousands were killed, many were deprived of basic human dignity and rights, and that most women were treated like animals usually gets ignored by these religious Muslims. It is seen as collateral damage on the path to recreate a perfect state.
Many religious Muslims around the world condone various excesses in the name of religion. The minute religion enters through the door reason is kicked out. Immigrant Muslim women living in the West, instead of fighting the evils and repressive laws meted out to fellow women living in Muslim world, actually support such laws by proudly wearing the burqa.
Many religious Muslims when cornered into explaining irrationality of their faith, or forced into embracing modernity in secular nations, or asked to live by modern laws, actually come out to support all repressive tenets of their interpreted religion, and this is done to defend their identity and preserve the Muslim way of life. Instead of reforming their own religion to come to terms with changing times, they try to restore the times of Prophet. They rely on resurrection instead of reformation.
Even Indian Muslims gladly embrace the repressive laws in the name of defending their religion against onslaught of (earlier) Western and (now) Hindu religions. During the ill-fated decisions of Shah Bano case, the government of India colluded with oppressive and male-dominated Muslim clergy men to deny an Indian woman her justice promised under Indian secular laws. Indian Muslims continue to believe that their identity is protected only through their personal laws interpreted from their religion.
Many Muslims around the world avow that a perfect state can be achieved if all the laws and principles enunciated in their religious books are strictly followed. They crave for such a state and believe that Shariat and other archaic laws will help them build one. Turkey, which tried to remain secular and modern for most part of the last century, is also succumbing now slowly to conservative tenets of Islam.
Pursuit of utopia is not unique to Muslims. Many other ideologies give a promise of such utopia. That perfect state was either far in the past or is far in the fictitious future, so that no living person can vouch for how it really was or check how it really would be. Most of these utopias include some sacred symbols – books, icons, idols, flags, etc, which remain unassailable, unchallenged and unquestioned. They make up grand stories, figures and statistics to show that the world was indeed perfect. They suppress debate and questioning when it comes to these symbols. People are asked to believe in them relying purely on faith – because ‘it is written so’, or ‘it is said so’. Complete obedience is must in these matters. People are measured by their adherence or allegiance to these sacred symbols. Atrocities are committed, rights are revoked, and people who are considered deviants, liberals or rationalists, are targeted by vigilantes or state police. In some extreme cases, state intervenes directly or indirectly to incarcerate or kill all the voices that doubt its authority.
There are many such promises of utopias.
Some fanatic Hindus, especially those who fight for a Hindu Rashtra, believe that a perfect state existed during the time of Ram, called Ram Rajya, where the world was perfect and everyone was happy. They strive to make India go back in time to those idyllic ancient empire, where the state is guided by Hinduism, where bride burning and ostracism of untouchables was a norm, where castes remained true to their profession, where Brahmins carried out learning and teaching, Kshatriyas ruled and protected, Vaishyas did the trade, Shudras did the manual labor while Untouchables carried human shit on their heads. In that perfect state, women wore saris, children respected their elders, and nobody drank alcohol. According to such Hindus their religion contains all the ideas, rules and principles to lead a harmonious and perfect life, not only for Hindus but for people of all religions. Their Sanatan Dharma accepts all religions within its fold as long as everyone is Hindu or as long as nobody interfered with Hindu way of life. That picture perfect state will bring harmony and exact balance of nature where everyone is slotted into their positions without conflict. If a conflict arose, the laws of Manu can be used to resolve issues– a lower caste person who insulted a high caste person can be punished by thrusting a red-hot iron nail ten-fingers long into his mouth, that’s all.
Fascism also looked into the past to borrow stories of a perfect state to promise a utopia in future. Nazi Germans called their state Third Reich, because there was First Reich and Second Reich in the past, considered great and glorious empires of Germany. Italian Fascists sought to recreate the Great Roman Empire.
Communists looked into the future based on certain books written by Marx and Engels. Out of those books came an autocratic and extremely repressive government suppressing all human rights and killing millions in the process. The followers of those theories believed they had to impose totalitarianism to achieve the grand promise of utopia where every man was equal in wealth and opportunity. For a while, it appeared as though such utopia was achieved after incarcerating and killing millions. But soon it became clear that it was an unstable equilibrium, a flimsy harmony that can dive to anarchy with small disturbance. When it became clear that it didn’t work out, the proponents of Communism claimed that the original theories were not implemented properly. Had they been implemented properly it would have really achieved utopia.Most of these claimants to utopia, coming from various ideologies, look at past examples of which we have no memories. We are told that in order create that utopia we have to make immense sacrifices, like giving up basic human rights, our dignity and freedoms. Minority and underprivileged groups should make way for the majority and privileged groups. We will have to follow certain strict code, not question it or debate it. We will have to take some extreme actions, such as incarcerating and killing the detractors and opponents, targeting and suppressing people of a certain identity. Only then can we achieve a perfect state.
If history taught us something, it is that there is no room for perfectness because such a thing is impossible. If ever it appears for a moment for some groups, it comes with such a high price for others making it far more imperfect. All our attempts in our history to create that utopia have resulted in great miseries and sufferings to some or all people. However, the claimants to utopia refuse to concede this world cannot be perfect.
The realists, the rationalists and pragmatists accept that there is no such a thing called utopia. That it can never be achieved. That this world is an imperfect world to start with, and that the struggle of man is to make this imperfect world less imperfect. That it is more important to make this world a livable place for all, giving people their freedoms, their rights, their privileges, regardless of their identity, physical handicap, or any affiliation, than try to make a perfect state.
The modern nation, which has come out after struggling with various forms of governments, is definitely not a utopia. Far from it, it does not even give you a promise of utopia. The modern nation not does assert that it is a perfect form of government. It does not guarantee panacea to all problems of humanity.
In fact, the modern nation is a compromise. Constitutional democracy aided by parliamentary government based in universal adult franchise, that separates state from every dogma including religion, which allows for representation of group identities, but at the same time imposes laws that are common to all humans without any regard to their identity, allowing for an individual to aspire while achieving social justice, is actually a system of compromise that we have come to after eons of experimentation.
The strength of this system lies in its readiness to admit that it can make mistakes, willing to reform and correct itself that is constantly evolving and changing. It is an attempt to create a system that strives to guarantee freedoms and rights to all people allowing them to practice their faith, whatever it is, as long as it is personal.
There is no utopia. There is no perfect state. At best there is a compromise state where every individual is now considered equal and the government is formed of people, for the people, and by the people.
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Islam And The West: A Busy Time
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadFor those that have noticed I've not been able to update Islam And The West with my normal frequency.This is not due laziness, in fact I am trying to improve the blog for both you as visitors and me as the owner of the site.
Unfortunately at the time of writing this time I have run into a couple of snags. Although they've impeded the project, I hope they will not derail it in it's entirety. I'm being deliberately vague at this stage in order that once the project is complete I can surprise you all with its grand opening.
So please bear with me if posting is rather erratic over the next couple of weeks. Rest assured that I am hard at work behind the scenes here at Islam And The West trying to improve the weblog experience for you. -
Airline Wipes Israel Off The Map And Takes Flight To Mecca
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadGideon Sitterman the Israeli Transport Ministry Director-General is demanding an explanation from British BMI airline over reports that the airline's inflight map had wiped Israel off the map.
Angry Israeli passengers said that a flight heading towards Israel had shown them going to Mecca. They also claimed the inflight map did not show the state of Israel. Sitterman told Israel Army Radio that either the airline rectifies the maps or BMI would disappear from the skies over Israel:
As far as I know there is no airport in Makkah, the closet one is in the seaport of Jeddah. So how could the flight land in Makkah ?"Irate Israeli passengers have complained to British BMI airline that the Jewish state was wiped off the inflight map which showed flights bound for Israel were instead heading to Mecca.
But the airline denied any anti-Israel agenda and insisted there was a simple explanation: the planes were recently bought from a bankrupt charter company that flew mainly to Muslim countries.
"For this reason the inflight entertainment system in the two planes was made to adapt to the passengers flying to and from those destinations and therefore the map showed mainly places holy to Islam," BMI said in a statement....
...furious passengers took up the issue with the authorities, an Israeli official made it clear that either the Jewish state appears on the maps or BMI disappears from its skies.
"Doing business with Israel has its advantages and disadvantages, but we will not agree to a situation where they hide the existence of Israel but want to do business with Israel," transport ministry director-general Gideon Sitterman told army radio." [Source: AFP]
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Here I come back to the land of the hartals and curfews
» The Times Of KashmirHere I am in Kashmir, came on the 26th of April..Am wearing a pheran and always thinking about the power supply...
The Airport looks good and so does my room.. I havent had a chance to look at the flyover in Hyderpora.. Thanks to the sudden imposition of a Curfew and a runny nose.. Thanks to the cold for that..
All I can see is that people love their new Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and that people are talking about the new cellualr services of Tata Indicom and Reliance.. I seem to have misplaced my SIM card so I am currently disconnected.. (I had a BSNL, one and the same thing)..
I can see that a lot of people are speaking Urdu that looks more like Kashmiri.. One of the famous phrases that I myself am repeating everyday is "Pathar Betho"..
Alec Smart said: " Pehle aaf pathar bethou "
Good Intentions and planning a lovely time in Paradise...
QM
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3:39
Same old elections - Same old story
» [ Kasheer ]It’s been too long that I posted. When Sajjad Lone decided to try his luck and his party’s support base and jumped into the fray for Lok Sabha elections – for a very brief moment – I felt Kashmiris may finally be getting more pragmatic than they have ever been. Then came the comments from Farooq [...]
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Is Israel At War With Religious Zionism ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe Late Great State of Israel authored by Aaron Klein looks at the conflict being played out in modern day Israel between two very different notions of a Jewish state.
One group in the conflict wishes to see Israel mimic secularised European states. The other wishes to see a greater role for what it terms Jewish history, traditions, and character:
Aaron Klein's books brings up some interesting points. In essence the political Zionist enterprise was a secular movement born out of the despair of assimilated Jewry in Europe. Many of the Rabbis not only in Europe but also in the Holy Land viewed with suspicion the motives and means of the political Zionists."The Israeli government is causing grave harm to the country's security by waging an unrelenting war against its religious-Zionist population, charges a new book thats hit the shelves Tuesday.
In the book, "The Late, Great State of Israel," WorldNetDaily journalist Aaron Klein argues that Israel is facing unprecedented, mortal danger, including from the Obama administration, yet few seem to realize it...." Read the whole article via Arutz Sheva on more Israel news.
Once such man was Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem during British rule. Zonnenfeld wrote this about Zionism in the early 2oth century:
Forward 87 years and we find that Israel has been established and that many of her supporters come from religious communities spread around the world."And it is quite clear to me that there has never been in our entire history existed a threat to our existence as a people so great as the danger posed by Zionism … which seeks to uproot our ancient heritage that has been our legacy since Sinai, and to detach the Jewish people from everything that connects it to its glorious past."
For any one who has read Zionist history can only marvel at the manner in which has come about. From Theodore Herzl onwards political Zionists have pushed their agenda irrespective of the views of many Rabbis. This successful re-interpretation of history and religion has come to such a point now that we are able to discuss an internal conflict between religious and secular Zionists. For me this the most intriguing aspect of the whole debate that is taking place in Israel between the secular and the religious.
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Fate of Pakistan
» E=mc^2Pakistan is at crossroads. Taliban is controlling a huge portion of Pakistan and have already introduced Shariat in those regions. They are armed to teeth and ready to fight. I do not see Pakistan being the same again. There is a chance that this country will be talibanized, broken up, or end up in a civil war.
Option 1
Pakistan will get talibanized if the moderates of Pakistan want to buy peace in the short term. If they don’t want any confrontation and want to put with another tyrannical authority, which they are quite used to in the last sixty years of their existence, the Pakistan middle class will have to swallow their pride and give up their freedoms to buy short term peace. For many Pakistanis the idea of united and single Pakistan is more important than their ephemeral and elusive freedoms. They may walk into an agreement that will impose Shariat law to form a perfect Islamic state. Many young middle class Pakistanis have an idealistic picture of such a state in their heads, especially those who have never lived through such a promise before.
Option 2
Pakistan will be broken up into few countries (at the most two) if the rest of Pakistan outside of Swat Valley and Taliban controlled areas refuse to cooperate with Taliban because they value their freedom more than the idea of a single Pakistan. It could happen if the bulk of middle class Pakistanis define themselves closer to a secular Pakistan without too much emphasis on the interpretation of Shariat and its imposition. They could take the route of Turkey or even the detestable foe and arch enemy India with whom they have a lot in common.
For that Pakistanis have to believe that this could be the only way to salvage the situation that has gone really bad. This also means admitting the mistakes of the past where Pakistan state fostered talibanization within Pakistan and created a monster next door in Afghanistan. The whole sub-continent could learn lessons here. When you try to meddle with a proud culture to take control, wield them and manipulate them, it usually backfires. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi paid the price with their lives for toying with such hegemonic thoughts when they tried to control Sikhs and Tamils, respectively.
Option 3
If the moderates of Pakistan, supported and aided by Pakistan Army, refuse to accept the rule of Taliban but at the same time try to wrest control away from them to bring Pakistan to its former state – united and free from rule of Taliban, then there will be a civil war. Guns are everywhere. Zealots are everywhere. Pakistan has all the fuel and ammunition to create and sustain a civil war. It just needs a spark. That can come from refusal of rest of Pakistan to concede to Taliban.
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Fighting fundamentalism with fundamentalism
» E=mc^2One of the reasons cited by the proponents of aggressive brand of Hindutva is that their aggression is a reaction to Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic terrorism, forced conversion of Hindus into alien religions, unpatriotic actions by non-Hindus, followed by a big list of issues they have against other religions.
These proponents will tell you again and again that Hinduism is a peaceful religion and that Hindus are peace-loving people. The only reason why they condone certain excesses perpetrated by certain Hindutva brigades against Muslims, Christians or Communists is because they think that a mild antidote to the poison that is vitiated by the latter groups is sometimes necessary though unpleasant.
Pseudo-secularists
Some of us who oppose the growing menace of Hindutva are branded ‘pseudo-secularists’. What they mean is that while we denounce every action of Hindutva groups, we tend to condone and support many fundamentalist actions of Muslim and Christian groups.
In reality, secularists like us do not support fundamentalism of Muslim or Christian groups. We do not believe in Sharia Law or its interpretations. We do not believe in Christian prerogative to proselytize everyone to save us all from eternal damnation. We do not believe in protecting the places of worship constructed on public property that cause inconvenience to everyone. We do not believe that school going children should be taught religion, and definitely not with an aim to promote one’s religion while denouncing the others.
And yet, secularists like us seem to support the cause of Muslims and Christians many a times, as clearly indicated by many articles on this blog. Also, we seem to be targeting only Hindutva group consistently and vociferously. Doesn’t that make us pseudo-secularists?
Blindness does not fight blindness
We do not believe that growth of one religious fundamentalism is an answer to the menace of the other. We do not believe that chanting ‘Ram’ is an antidote to chants of ‘Allah-O-Akbar’. We do not believe bigotry of one kind can counter bigotry of another. Hatred cannot be fought with hatred.If ever, we believe that reason, debate, rational discussion, where logic prevails over blind belief, transparency, a fair judicial system that guarantees protection to all individuals and safeguards their rights, are the only tools that can be employed to fight fundamentalism either it is coming from Hindus or Muslims. Blindness of one religion cannot be fought by blindness of another religion.
Only light is the cure for blindness and that light does not come from any religion, not even the most liberal ones – because at the heart every religion is a blind belief – in the form of ‘because it is so’, ‘because God said so’, or ‘because our ancestors said so’. The light comes in the form of rationality, where blind belief, superstition or orthodoxy has no place.
No support for fundamentalism
It’s not like secularists like us are in love with Islamic or Christian fundamentalism. We do not believe in imposition of Shariat either on Hindus or on Muslims. It is an antiquated system of law, and a complete anathema to the modern society. Instead we would like to embrace the modern system of law that suits us in our current context which relies on principles of fair judgment, equal treatment, the idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty, and that a punishment is not to deter future criminals from committing crimes but as equitable justice appropriate to the severity of his actions.
We also believe in separation of state from the church. We believe in a jury consisting of ordinary humans where evidence is paramount to incriminate someone. We do not believe in hearsay, blasphemy, sin, heresy, dreams, or miracles when it comes to meting out justice.
We do not believe in a system where a child carries the burden of father’s sin or where a certain authority sitting in heavens dictates morals through a chosen interpreter. We do not believe in a system that criminalizes immorality – we leave that out of legality as a matter of taste.
And yet, many of us are called pseudo-secularists. Here’s a snapshot of my stand as a secularist on some of the controversial issues.
Secularist stand on issues
I denounced the Supreme Court verdict against Afzal Guru because it sentenced a man to death to satisfy ‘collective conscience’. That is irrational. Each crime and criminal has to be judged by his actions and punishment should be measured against that crime alone. It cannot be retributive to include the factor of satisfying the grievance of the suffering people.
I supported certain Muslims right not to sing Vande Mataram. That’s because I believe no Indian should be forced into a singing a song to prove his patriotism. And moreover I believe patriotism is not a prerequisite to live in a country.
At the same time, I denounced madrassa education where children are taught Koran, and also blamed Muslim parents for indoctrinating a vicious form of religion into their kids. Also, I ridiculed Indian government for paying Haj pilgrimage subsidies to Muslims.
Secularists target Hindutva more
It is true that more of my articles and comments target Hindutva groups than the fundamentalist positions of Muslims or Christians. That’s because I believe, right now, the biggest threat to modern India is Hindu fundamentalism. It is the biggest threat not only because Hindus are in majority and hence pose a bigger problem, not only because the number of incidents coming out of Hindutva brigades are more than that of rival religions, not only because I am a Hindu and hence more concerned that my way of life would change if they ever win, but mostly because Hindu fundamentalism is equated with patriotism taking higher moral ground while Islamic fundamentalism is equated with terrorism falling into a contemptible position.
To almost everyone in India, patriotism is considered good. Most Hindutva brigands take the superior stance of being patriotic. Ram Senas of the South, Bajrang Dals of the east or VHP of the North believe they are more patriotic than those who they vilify and target. Even when apprehended while doing criminal acts, they walk proudly, head high, knowing very well that they are the heroes to a million other patriotic Indians.
However, to almost everyone in India, terrorism is considered bad. Only bad people become terrorists. Members of SIMI and other related outfits fomenting Islamic terrorism are not hailed as heroes but paraded as villains and traitors. There is no heroism in it.
This dichotomy is what concerns secularists like us the most. We fear Hindu fundamentalism because their association with patriotic symbols puts them in seats of power, making them the political leaders of this country, giving them the legitimacy they need. Their adherents and supporters are in the influencing positions in various fields – as academicians, businessmen, doctors, engineers, and bureaucrats. On the other hand, Muslim groups along with the rest of Muslim population are demonized to the outer fringes of the mainstream society.
Hindutva affects us more
Hindu fundamentalists are poised to affect my life more than any other because they come with this position of strength – riding on the high horse called patriotism. The day Shariat is on its way to become the law of the land, I would be opposing Muslim fundamentalism more ferociously than Hindu fundamentalism, but I don’t see that happening, though Hindutva brigades would like me to believe that it is the case. Hindutva cause makes a case for its existence by instilling fear amongst ordinary Indian Hindus against many illusory problems- exorbitant population growth of Muslims, their propensity for terrorism, and the explosive problem of conversion.
Secularists reject Hindutva
Hindutva is not an antidote but it is the poison itself. It does not fight Islamic fundamentalism and the conversions alone but it actually reverses the arrow of our civilization promising to take us back to the so-called Vedic times. That path demands that we surrender our rationality, our logic, our science to take up the Hindu elements of ignorance, blind belief and superstition. It would then go ahead and rationalize casteism, untouchability and sati. After mankind has struggled for thousands of years to emancipate woman, the goons in Karnataka want to roll it back – they want women indoors, cooking and clad in dress of their preference.
We have seen Dark Ages when Christianity spread around Europe extirpating every rational thought of Hellenistic Ages from the continent. We have seen Inquisition, persecution of people based on religion, hunting of witches, and heretics burning at stake. For nearly thousand years, there was no investigation into Nature, Earth stood still while heavens moved around us, priests held sway, and whole of humanity was held under servitude, bonded labor, and slavery.
Rise of Hindutva demands that allegiance and that irrationality to prevail once again. We don’t want that. We are NOT enamored by the promises of Hindutva. We reject it completely.
We are told that Hindutva has a certain good side to it – with a different interpretation. We are not interested in taking pains to look at your good interpretations while ignoring bad interpretations because we don’t want any belief system that holds anything sacred. The way we reject Shariat and all its good and bad interpretations, we reject Hindutva along with its good and bad interpretations. We don’t want any systems where only certain selected groups get to interpret just because they happen to be more irrational than others.
We have struggled hard as humans to wrest this civilization away from such religious zealots, autocrats, and monarchies to win our freedoms. We are not going to surrender them, not even for a lofty cause called Hindutva which promises Sanatan Dharma and a pan-Indian empire under Ram Rajya.
I will define Hinduism the way I want. No thanks, we don’t your interpretations. Sorry. And we will fight tooth and nail before we surrender freedoms to you.
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Quote: Robert Kilroy-Silk Analyses Muslims
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"Moslems everywhere behave with equal savagery. They behead criminals, stone to death female — only female — adulteresses, throw acid in the faces of women who refuse to wear the chador, mutilate the genitals of young girls and ritually abuse animals." ~ Robert Kilroy-Silk, MEP and former daytime talk show host. -
Will All Israelis Be Celebrating Israel Independence Day ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadAs Israel celebrates the 61st anniversary of its independence this week there will be a minority of the Israeli citizenry who will not be jumping up with joy.
Termed Israeli-Arabs this group claims to suffer discrimination from the majority of their fellow country men. Added to the historic grievance of discrimination runs the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman to the current government. Lieberman is well known in Israel for demanding that Arab Muslims and Christians pledge allegiance to the Israeli state :
"When Israel marks its 61st anniversary this week, most of the Arab citizens who make up 20 percent of the population will not celebrate.
To many in the Arab minority, the birth of a state that describes itself as a Jewish homeland is no cause for rejoicing.
"Of course I will not celebrate (Independence Day). Why would I when I feel discriminated against? I don't feel Israeli," said Mahmoud Agbaria, 23, a student from Umm el-Fahm.
Israeli leaders have acknowledged institutionalised discrimination against Israel's 1.5 million Arab citizens. Arabs say little has been done...
..The appointment by Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister has raised Arab concerns.
Lieberman's far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party accuses Israeli Arab lawmakers of seeking Israel's destruction and voicing support for attacks by Palestinian militants against Israelis.
"No loyalty, no citizenship," was Yisrael Beiteinu's campaign slogan in the February parliamentary election. It emerged as the third largest party and key coalition partner in Netanyahu's right-leaning government.
Lieberman's deputy Daniel Ayalon said the party would push for laws requiring Israeli statesmen and legislators to pledge allegiance to the Jewish state as a condition for taking office.
"We are for free speech, but we cannot have a situation where public servants get paid by the state and attack the state," Ayalon said." [Source: Reuters] -
World Arms Trade Up 20% - Guess Who Is Largest Supplier ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe global trade in weapons has seen a twenty percent increase over the last five years. With supplies to Middle Eastern and Asian countries seeing the largest increase according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
image by All Glory To The Hypnotoad's
The Unites States with thirty one percent of the market stands as the biggest beneficiary of the trade. While Russia, Germany, France and the UK helped in supplying the world it's weapons:
Isn't it curious how some nations are arming both sides in the Middle East conflict. It leads one to wonder who really benefits by continued hostilities."The arms trade has expanded by more than 20% worldwide in the past five years, with the Middle East and Asian countries accounting for most of the increase...
..The US was by far the largest arms supplier, accounting for 31% of global weapons exports over the past five years, with over a third going to the Middle East. The US also supplied 40% of Pakistan's major conventional weapons systems.
The five biggest suppliers of conventional arms were the US, Russia, Germany, France and the UK...
..Arms sales to Middle Eastern countries rose by 38%, with their purchases including more than 200 US combat aircraft and more than 5,000 guided bombs. Britain's biggest markets for its arms were the US and India, which is receiving 66 Hawk-100 trainer aircraft and 20 Jaguar-S fighter aircraft from the UK. Delivery of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia is due to begin this year, Sipri says." [Source: The Guardian]
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Saudi Scholar Al-Fowzan: Terrorism Is The Way Of Satan
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadA member of the Board of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia has branded Muslim terrorists as fighting in the way of Satan.
Sheikh Saleh Bin Fowzan Al-Fowzan was quoted by the Arabic publication Okaz as saying that such groups represent a minority and warned people from following them:
"Sheikh Dr. Saleh Bin Fowzan Al-Fowzan, member of the Board of Senior Ulema and the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Verdicts (Ifta) has described those who claim to be engaging in jihad for the sake of Allah by killing themselves as "committing suicide" and “Mujahideen for the sake of Satan."
Al-Fowzan said: “Those who have fallen into this Fitnah (trial or temptation) have not asked the religious scholars (Ulema), nor have they gained religious knowledge from them. Instead they isolated themselves from other Muslims and turned to people considered human tyrants who brainwashed them, and so they deviated from the right path followed by the majority....
.."Everybody rejoices at their misfortune and hates them for their deeds, even non-Muslims, let alone Muslims," Sheikh Fowzan said. "Nobody is satisfied with their deeds except those who are like them......" [Source: Saudi Gazette] -
Islam And The West Accelerated Links [04/26/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadBefore we move on to this week's accelerated links I would like to take this opportunity to update the blogroll.
In this latest reshuffle we see Wake Up America has been removed while For Zion's Sake has been added.
Now onto Islam and the West's accelerated links:
- Unveiling Christianity contends that Jesus Christ was never crucified.
- The Hasbara Buster with even more on analysis on the UN racism conference and its myths.
- The Best Defense questions whether Iraq is headed for intra-Shia violence.
- The Anti-Zionist Jew on Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu's support of Israel.
- The Angry Arab News Service exposes how Abu Mazen's family won American contracts.
- What are the lessons of the Holocaust for the Obama generation ? Sultan Knish answers.
- South Jerusalem on the need for Israelis and Palestinians to understand each others sorrows.
- Stephen M. Walt boils down the current situation in Pakistan to three topics: scholarly disagreement, India's help and protecting the nukes.
- Samson Blinded pitches Jews against the world over the issue of Jerusalem.
- Sabria Jawhar with a call for the Saudis to ease restrictions for foreign companies to do business.
- Realistic Dove looks at stupid behaviour exhibited by participants in the Jane Harman affair.
- Newshounds questions whether Sean Hannity of Fox News is hoping for another terror attack.
- Brigadier General Mark Kimmett opines that American involvement Iraq must continue for a while yet.
- Majority Rights on the real intentions of the British National Party.
- Jews Sans Frontieres looks at translations of Ahmadinejad's speech at the racism conference.
- For Zion's Sake relates the 1930's Holocaust to modern day Israel-Palestine.
- Ethnic Ashkenazim Against Zionist Israel says: "pro-Israel students deserve pain, suffering."
- Elder of Ziyon with news that Zionist oranges have invaded Iran.
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Comments Have Been Disabled
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadI have decided to disable comments from visitors to this site. This is due to a number of reasons that include the following:
- A number of visitors view the comments section as a vehicle to post links to the "Muhammed cartoons." Per se I have no problem with visitors posting links as long as they advance the conversation and add value to the site. Posting and re-posting links to the cartoons shows the world you are intellectually bankrupt and have nothing to advance that is of any worth.
- The number of comments over time has been falling. That in part has been due to the changing nature of the posts that are being published.
- I have to spend time going through personally abusive comments. While I value interaction with visitors I feel I have the right not to be abused on my own website.
- A number of visitors view the comments section as a vehicle to post links to the "Muhammed cartoons." Per se I have no problem with visitors posting links as long as they advance the conversation and add value to the site. Posting and re-posting links to the cartoons shows the world you are intellectually bankrupt and have nothing to advance that is of any worth.
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Wales Sees Upsurge In Hate Crimes
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe country of Wales in the United Kingdom has seen a rise in reported cases of hate crimes. Ethnic minorities, gay people, faith groups and the disabled have all been targeted for violence, verbal abuse and criminal damage:
"A HUGE surge in the reporting of “hate crimes” reveals the shocking scale of abuse vulnerable minorities suffer in Wales’ towns and cities today, Wales on Sunday can reveal.
Ethnic minorities, gay people, faith groups and even the disabled have been reporting far more incidents of violence, verbal abuse and criminal damage over the past year.
In the past nine months of 2008, there were 27% more racist incidents, 28% more homophobic incidents and double the number of faith hate incidents reported to South Wales Police compared to a year earlier....
..Resentment in economically struggling white, working class neighbourhoods can fuel hate crime, according to criminologist Georgios Antonopoulos.
The academic said research shows that the shame they feel can be transformed into rage. And the present “constant discussion on the financial crisis” could be fuelling these feelings.
Saleem Kidwai, secretary of the Muslim council of Wales, said he feared the world’s economic problems meant tensions were going to get worse."[Source: Wales Online] -
British Israelism: King David Is Forefather Of Royal Family
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadAccording to the Bible the descendants of Jacob had twelve sons. These twelve sons went on to father 12 tribes through their progeny.
During the reign of King Solomon' s grandson Rehoboam a civil war erupted between Rehoboam and the Kingdom of Judah. After such an internecine conflict ten tribes split from the United Monarchy to form the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
In 722 BCE the neighbouring Assyrian state invaded the Northern Kingdom of Israel destroying its capital city found in Samaria. The Assyrians also exiled the population of the Northern Kingdom. It was this population which came to be known as the lost tribes of Israel.
Much mystery and conjecture surrounds the fate of these exiles. Many have claimed to be the descendants of the lost tribes. One of the more curious theories that has developed around the lost tribes of Israel is that their descendants include the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples. As strange as this sounds there are actually people in this world that believe such things. Known as British Israelism the belief also holds that the British Royal Family are direct descendants of the House of David:
There you have it! Who would have thought that men such as Prince Charles and Prince William are direct descendants of Prophet David ?"We also believe that the descendants of the so-called “Lost Ten Tribes” of the Northern House of Israel are to be found in the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic and kindred peoples of today. As the Federation believes in the whole Bible it therefore believes the Covenants made between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-Israel are everlasting and that the British nation plays an important part of God’s great plan for world order....
..Israel was to have a monarch of the Davidic line: "For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel" (Jeremiah 33:17). The people of the Jews do not have a monarchy and the Church is the Body of Christ, its Lord and Head. It can be shown that the Royal House of Britain is descended from King David. Further, the British monarchs are anointed in the same way as Zadok the Priest anointed the Kings of Israel (Details of the Coronation Service still used for the crowning of British Monarchs may be obtained by writing to our Headquarters)." [Source: The British-Israel-World Federation]
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Sophistry in Indian media
» E=mc^2Nietzsche said, ‘There are no facts; only interpretations’.
This is so true with the newspaper Times of India (TOI). For over three months they ran extensive Lead India Campaign urging and exhorting urban voters of Bangalore to come out and yet. Few days before elections, they even predicted a dramatic increase in the voter turnout because of their campaign. Voting took place yesterday in Bangalore and the results are out.
Bangalore records a ‘feeble 50%’ turnout. According to TOI,
The 50% average for the four Bangalore constituencies is lower than the 54% recorded in the last Lok Sabha polls before delimitation.
So, in reality, after the intensive campaigning we saw the turnout decreased by 4% from the last Lok Sabha elections. As again, the rural Bangalore compensated for urban Bangalore. Bangalore Rural posted 58% turnout while Bangalore South and Bangalore Central posted only 45% turnout.
However, that did not stop TOI from making the following claim. Their patted themselves back on the first-page lead-news story saying:
Call it the impact of the aggressive ‘go-vote’ campaign by various citizen groups or the sheer need to take charge of their destiny, Bangalore saw a 6% higher voter turnout…
‘What?’ you may think. ‘What sheer nonsense!’ you may say. How could TOI twist the facts around to suit their agenda you may ask! For that you have to read what Nietzsche said once again – no facts, only interpretations, and of late TOI has become very good at it. The next sentence tells you how they use the facts to promote their agenda.
…as compared to 2008 assembly polls.
You see – though the Lok Sabha turnout has actually decreased from 54% to 50%, TOI conveniently compared Lok Sabha turnout with Assembly poll turnout to prove that their campaign achieved success. Most often, the dynamics for Lok Sabha polls and Assembly polls are quite different, and that’s why the pundits keep the comparison separate.
TOI has mastered the art of sophistry, and their incessant campaigns on every issue are only becoming annoying – but my fear is that it will soon become the biggest propaganda machine, worse than Indian politicians, capable of brainwashing its readers to promote its vested interests and ideology. That day is not far away.
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Islam And The West Spreads "Twitter Love"
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadIn celebration of the fact that I've been able to install the Linux version of TweetDeck on to my desktop I thought I would spread some "Twitter love."
What do I mean by that ?
Well here a series of links to people who follow Islam and the west via Twitter. They all tweet about the relationship between Muslims and the western world and vice versa:
- Ibn Ad-Dunya is a Arab blogger from Egypt find him @fustat
- Prashant Rao is an AFP journalist bound for Baghdad find him @prashantrao
- Salam al-Janabi is a famous Iraqi blogger find him @salam
- Sandra is a Dutch mother living in Morocco find her @knoemels. By the way she writes in Dutch.
- Israeli Consulate in Miami @consulateisrael. The name says it all.
- Lara Setrakian is an ABC reporter based in Dubai find her @LaraABCNews
- Alastair Sharp is a Reuters reporter in Sudan find him @5thEstate
- Some Muslim is a regular muslim dude living in the west find him @somemuslim
- Orly Harpen is a journalist find her @JerusalemBureau
- Alkanz tweets in French about Islam find him @ AlKanz
- IslamBlog claims to be the premier source for news about the Muslim community in Europe. Find her @IslamBlog
- A Muslim blogger's message to the world find him @islamqa
- Shahid Kamal is a London based Muslim writer find him @shahidkamal
- Jinjirrie is a human rights supporter find her @Jinjirrie
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Kashmiri Nomad Dumps Microsoft - Says Hello To Linux
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadToday was the eagerly awaited release date for Ubuntu 9.04. After using Microsoft Windows 98, 2000 and XP I've finally gotten round to using Linux.
I've spent most of the evening installing it onto my home desktop. I had hoped to run both operating systems on the same computer. However due to my own impatience I've managed to wipe Windows XP from my hard drive. O well looks like Bill Gates will have to do without me.
I will try to get my head around Ubuntu 9.04 as fast as I can, until that moment posting will be irratic here on Islam & The West. So please bear with me. -
Quote: Nietzsche On Christianity And Muslim Civilisation
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"Christianity destroyed for us the whole harvest of ancient civilization, and later it also destroyed for us the whole harvest of Mohammedan civilization. The wonderful culture of the Moors in Spain, which was fundamentally nearer to us and appealed more to our senses and tastes than that of Rome and Greece, was trampled down (—I do not say by what sort of feet—) Why? Because it had to thank noble and manly instincts for its origin—because it said yes to life, even to the rare and refined luxuriousness of Moorish life! The crusaders later made war on something before which it would have been more fitting for them to have grovelled in the dust—a civilization beside which even that of our nineteenth century seems very poor and very "senile."[...] Intrinsically there should be no more choice between Islam and Christianity than there is between an Arab and a Jew. The decision is already reached; nobody remains at liberty to choose here. Either a man is a Chandala or he is not.... "War to the knife with Rome! Peace and friendship with Islam!": this was the feeling, this was the act, of that great free spirit, that genius among German emperors, Frederick II." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ (1888)
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Numerology: another pseudo-science
» E=mc^2The proponents of pseudo-sciences use the terminology of Science. They try to copy and emulate real science. That’s how they make naive people get convinced that it is indeed a science. Actually, these naive people are not really dumb. They are pretty ‘smart’ people who have consciously chosen to act dumb when it comes to certain aspects of life. These ‘smart’ people have gone to top schools, attended top colleges, got big degrees and now work for international companies. And yet, they believe in and follow pseudo-sciences to give them the much needed legitimacy.
Here’s on such interview with a noted numerologist. He is introduced as:
If someone thought of preparing a list of 'busiest persons' one cannot leave out the name of Pandit Ashokbharrati. His telephone numbers must be among the most accessed numbers in the country. It is said that several lakhs attempt to get in touch with him over phone every day.
While talking to a Nobel Laureate or the President of France, one does not say he is very busy or that he gets one lakh phones per day. Why? Because everyone knows they are important people, hence there is no need to actually say it. However, to prove that a numerologist is in serious business one has to go extra length to convince people. If you are trying to sell fake stuff, you really to work extra hard to prove it is genuine.
The numerologist, Pandit Ashokbharrati (note that there are two ‘r’s in his name), starts off:
I learnt this science from a Maharishi who was living in our place and when I was in the 11th standard…
How come a science is learnt from a Maharishi? Why do all these pseudo-sciences trace back to an illiterate rishi, sadhu, or a vagabond? In my region, most of these sciences originate in a koyavadu (a tribal), a kummarodu (a potter) or a sakalodu (cloth washer). Our aunts and uncles tell stories of a tribal they met on their way to some village, and how he has performed a miracle and gave some medicine which instantly cured a chronic ailment.
On asked if there is any difference between Astrology and Numerology, Pandit Ashokbharrati answers:
There is absolutely no difference. Astrology is based on the movements of planets and numerology is also based on the planets. For example, Venus is known as 6 in numerology. It is a simple way of understanding and practising Astrology.
If Numerology and Astrology are same, why have two pseudo-sciences instead of one? If I were to do a global-replace of all numbers with planets or planets with the numbers I should get the other pseudo-science, isn’t it? Just because one talks about planets while the other talks about numbers should we have two different branches of pseudo-sciences?
Or is it just another way of fooling people? More variants the more fools? May be some clever quack thought, ‘just because Science has Physics, Chemistry, and Botany, let’s have different branches in pseudo-science too’?
On asked whether there is truth in the belief that the numbers 8 and 13 are unlucky, he says:
Yes. These two numbers are unlucky and persons with the numeral value of their names adding up to these numbers would benefit by changing their names to eschew the evil effects of these numbers.
Hmm... Now you know why we get those weird names, like Hrrithikk Roshan, or Eiasha Khoppikhaar, etc. These movie stars keep adding alphabets to change their numbers till they get a hit in their films. That’s when they stop. The more letters they add, you should know more flops they must have got. (I wonder- why people only add but never remove alphabets from their names.)
This noted numerologist believes that Chennai should be changed back to Madras. He thinks there is an unfavorable effect on the city because it is christened Chennai. He gives his reasons:
The numeral value of the name Chennai is 25. You will recall that it was on a 25th that earthquake shook the city.
I just don’t understand these numerologists. How come they wait for the earthquake to happen to tell us why it is unlucky? If numerology was indeed a science, shouldn’t we have scientists telling us how we should name out cities? I have a very simple solution to get rid of earthquakes forever from history of mankind. Name all cities so that their numeral value is 32 or above. Since no such date exists, there will never be earthquakes. This way, numerologists can completely eliminate all natural disasters by just changing the names of the cities on the planet. Don’t you think we should invest in numerology instead of trying to predict earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, typhoons and hurricanes?
Next the interviewer asks him, ‘What is your opinion about removal of Kannagi statue, as per Vasthu?’
For a while, I though Pandit Ashokbharrati was a numerologist, how come the interviewer wants to know about Vasthu? Oh, I forgot. All pseudo-sciences are the same with just different names, isn’t? We can easily walk from one discipline to another without any problem. Of course, our hero does not even blink. He answers:
The numeral value of the name Kannagi is 17, which adds up to 8. No wonder that she faced problems when she lived and even now! (Laughs)
Actually he is laughing at the interviewer. He is laughing at all of us- all of us who keep listening to every word of nonsense that comes out of his mouth.
The interviewer is already mesmerized with this guy. He asks, ‘It seems that you have suggested that the name of our country be changed to United States of India (USI)…’
Yes. If the name is changed to 'USI', 'Gandhi Desham' or 'Bharath Desham' it would result in faster growth rate and better development for the country… If this is done, India would progress very well in agriculture, industry and general living as well and would be the 'number one' country in the world.
If the name 'Sri Lanka' is changed back to Ceylon, I tell you, peace would return within 30 days and it would grow up to match Japan. A change of name for Kashmir as 'Bharat Kashmir' would silence the guns in the valley.
I don’t know what to make of it. But there are millions of Indians who seem to make sense out of such stuff. Many educated Indians seem to be in awe of such men. Irrationality is being embraced consciously by arresting one’s mental faculties. We see Indians in very big positions, including those who run our governments and industries, believing in one pseudo-science or the other. And sitting next to him is some pseudo-scientist (if I may call them), a quack, a charlatan, who is making a quick buck feeding on his conscious naiveté.
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Israel Councillor Says What Many Think: May The Arabs Disappear
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadWhilst recording a video message for Independence Day Upper Nazareth city councillor Ze'ev Hartman called for the "disappearance" of Arabs:
I wonder if "disappear" is a euphemism for something a lot more sinister ?"A complaint of racism and incitement has been lodged against an Upper Nazareth city councillor who called for Arabs to "disappear," in an Independence Day greeting to local residents.
Councillors were asked during their weekly meeting to record personal greetings for a short film to be aired during the holiday next week.
When the camera reached City Councillor Ze'ev Hartman, he made his wish for "all the Arabs to disappear". The cameraman was reportedly stunned by the statement and asked Hartman to repeat it for the camera, which the councillor then did...." [Source: Haaretz] -
Israelis Integrate Into Middle East By Wanting To Join European Union
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadBack in February 2007 I authored a post entitled Eurabia And Israel. The basis of the post was a poll conducted in Israel that showed a full 75% of Israelis would like Israel to be part of the European Union.
Since then a new poll has been conducted and it has revealed that more than 75% of Israelis would like their country to join the European Union:
I have heard of the saying "when in Rome do as the Romans do" but I must admit that I've never heard of the saying "when in the Middle East do as the Europeans do.""More than 75 percent of Israeli Jews would like Israel to join the European Union, a recent survey found...
..Commissioned by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's Israel office....
...More than 60 percent of Israelis think because of the Holocaust Germany has "a special obligation to support Israel." Perhaps surprisingly, 36 percent of Israeli Arabs share that view.
The survey, which was conducted earlier this month by Keevoon Research, also found that 40 percent of Israeli Jews might be eligible for EU citizenship, with at least one grandparent being born in an EU member state. " [Source: Haaretz]
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Israel Supporters Say No Way To Palestinian State
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe President and Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel have written to Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu urging him to reject plans for a Palestinian state:
"An Orthodox group is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reject calls for a Palestinian state. In a letter to the new Israeli leader, National Council of Young Israel President Shlomo Mostofsky and Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner wrote, "We believe that an independent Palestinian state would merely compound the complex problems that currently exist and open the door to a new wave of acts of terror directed at innocent Israeli civilians."
The missive also urges Netanyahu to "remain steadfast" in his position that Jerusalem remains the undivided capital of Israel..." [Source: Jewish Community Voice] -
Is Catholic Charity Caritas Supplying Christian Terrorists ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadUgandan forces have launched an investigation into the Catholic charity Caritas. This comes after concerns that Caritas supplies were being used by Christian terrorist organisation, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Lord's Resistance Army is an Ugandan rebel paramilitary force that was formed in 1987 and is lead by Joseph Kony. He claims to want to establish a theocratic state in northern Uganda based upon the Bible and the Ten Commandments.
In 2005 Joseph Kony was charged by the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity including murder, war crimes, enslavement, sexual enslavement and rape :
For more on the LRA see :"THE Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) is investigating the Catholic relief agency Caritas over suspected fresh food supplies to rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the DR Congo.
The authorities of Western Equatoria in Southern Sudan last month intercepted 13 trucks carrying food supplies from Uganda to Doruma, an LRA infested area in eastern Congo.
It turned out that the cargo was meant for Caritas, a Catholic charity organisation which for a long time had been supplying food to the LRA at Ri-Kwangba assembly point as part of the cessation-of-hostilities agreement....
...The Sudanese officials became suspicious when the Ugandan registered trucks, hired by World Food Programme, were running without the white flag, which is the official practice for WFP vehicles.
They were also concerned about the fact that the trucks were heading for a route which had not been used for years due to LRA activities, and that it seemed unclear where they were going to be off-loaded.
Army spokesman Felix Kulayigye yesterday said the incident was being investigated...." [Source: All Africa]
- Christians Do This In The Name Of The Bible?
- Murderous And Perverted Christian Terrorists Try To Evade Justice
- Joseph Kony The Christian Terrorist Names Son George Bush
- Bible Loving Christian Terrorists Murder 400 Civilians For Christmas
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Suspected Christian Terrorists Murder UPDF Soliders
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Report: Attacks On Arabs In Israel Increase
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadMossawa-The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel claims in report released in March 2009 that attacks on Israel's Arab citizens are on the rise. The report claims that there were 70 attacks on Arabs or Arab property during March 2008 - March 2009, which represented a 10 fold increase:
To see the report via a PDF file please click: The main findings of the Mossawa Center Racism Report 2009"There was a dramatic rise in the number of "racist acts" by Jews against Arabs in Israel as well as a lesser but still significant rise in racism against Jews by all sectors this past year compared to the previous year, according to a report by the Haifa-based Mossawa-The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel.
There were 70 attacks on Arabs or Arab property by Jewish citizens from March 2008 to March 2009, a 10-fold increase from the previous year, according to the 2009 Mossawa racism report that was based on field research and police reports....
..."We want people to know that racism is getting worse. It's not just against Arab citizens; it's against the whole community. We have racism against Jews, Russians and Ethiopians," said Hanan Yousef, the organization's media coordinator." [Source: Jerusalem Post]
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Israel: Neturei Karta Protest Zionist Use Of The Holocaust
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadAnti-Zionist group Neturei Karta has held a demonstration against what it terms Zionists cynical abuse of the Holocaust. The demonstration took place in Jerusalem as the world marked Holocaust Remembrance Day members of the ultra-Orthodox group protested in the streets of Jerusalem:
"...Shortly before 10 am the protesters gathered at the Shabbat Square in the city, and as the sirens sounded and passersby stood still and bowed their head, they began crossing the intersection while holding up signs denouncing "the Zionist Holocaust memorial day."
...Yisrael Hirsch of Neturei Karta and a resident of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem told Ynet that "the Zionists cynically abuse the Holocaust for their own purposes."
He said that, "According to Jewish tradition, and this was also stated by the Satmar Rebbe, it is Zionism that caused the Holocaust. Once the State proclaimed this day to be a memorial day for those murdered it essentially claims that it saved the Jews, and this is why we went out to protest.
"Standing in silence during the siren signals the people's participation in the acts of the Zionist regime in Palestine," he added.
Hirsch also said that holding Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Jewish month of Nisan, during which mourning rituals are forbidden, is wrong and offensive to the victims' memory." [Source: Ynet News]
For more on Neturei Karta and Jewish anti-Zionism see:
- Youtube Video: "Anti-Semitic" Rabbi Israel Domb On Zionism
- Youtube Video: Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss Attacks Zionism At Annapolis
- Liveleak Video: Rabbi Feldman Says The Torah Wants Israel Dismantled
- Youtube Video: Neturei Karta And Rabbi Freimann
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Anti-Israel Rabbis Give Succor To Terror In Gaza
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‘You did not vote!’: Part II
» E=mc^2[This follows the first part, 'You did not vote!']
In my opinion, the recent hoopla about urging people to vote is a fringe movement that happens to be solely an urban and elite phenomenon. It concerns only the yuppie Indians who have had shown appalling apathy towards Indian politics in the recent past. Over the past few decades there has been a steady decline in the voter turnout amongst educated and elite Indians. However this apathy is more starkly identified and reflected in metros where there is larger section of educated and elite Indians. In towns of India, the elite comprise a smaller section and hence their apathy goes unaddressed.
Most of the poor and rural Indians have consistently voted in large percentages over the last many elections and that has not dramatically decreased in the recent past. There is no clear sign of apathy amongst these sections. If ever, there has been an increase in their turnout, especially the poorest and lowest sections of the society. Dalits have been voting more than upper caste Hindus. The rural Indian has been voting more than the cities. Therefore these campaigns do not make sense to the poor and rural India.
There is no steady decline of voter turnout as these campaigners want you to believe. Here is the graph which shows the voter turnout for each Lok Sabha election.
Since 1962 the turnout has vacillated between 55-65% showing no remarkable trend. According Yogendra Yadav, a senior fellow at CSDS [emphasis mine]:
Now to address the widely held misconception that Indians are indifferent to voting in particular and politics in general. If we examine turnout levels in Lok Sabha elections from a global perspective, India is among the lower middle category. The global average of turnouts among electoral democracies in the post-war period is about 65 per cent. At 57 per cent, India is way behind the established democracies in Western Europe, but substantially ahead of the U.S. and most of South America.
If we assume spurious names (of those dead, migrated or simply non-existent) make up 10 per cent of our electoral rolls, the real turnout figures would be at least five per cent higher. Now that the Election Commission has taken steps to prune the electoral rolls, there should be an improvement in the voter turnout this time, an increase that will put India close to the global average.
Therefore, if we see a higher voter turnout in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, it may not be a result of these campaigns. But that will not stop these campaigners from celebrating (I can imagine what the front page of TOI will be).
It is a myth that voting in large number is somehow going to bring a change in India. We have been addressing the wrong side of the issue where the problem doesn’t even exist. The problem with Indian politics is not that the voting turnout has been low. The problem with Indian politics is that we don’t have good candidates to choose from. Indian politician is not accountable to the people who voted him into power. Indian politician does not pay the price for being dishonest, for lying, for cheating, and for lack of dignity or integrity. Indian voters can easily vote back the most degenerate candidate into power after knowing very well that he is a criminal, a rapist, a murderer, a cheater, and liar. What is the use of a heavy turnout if all candidates are equally bad? Voting in more numbers only increases the vote pool – it doesn’t automatically convert a bad candidate into a good one. Many dictatorships record 99% voter turnout, but that doesn’t change things for the people living there.
India is not showing a decline in voter turnout. So why this hullabaloo?
According to me, voting in more numbers is a feel-good factor that is being imposed on urban yuppie Indians making them feel they are part of the grand design called India, taking some credit for what’s happening in India, and also trying in their inadequate ways, just like talking about garbage but not actually doing anything about it, to wrest control of Indian politics so that their selfish and vested interests are served.
Why a sudden realization and why this urge to vote amongst urban yuppie Indians?
Over the last few decades, the urban yuppie Indians have realized, whether they like it or not, that their lives are intertwined with the rest of India. They cannot escape into their islands of excellence and prosperity so easily. They need to come out of it for all their needs, when trying to get their kids into colleges, when trying to get SEZs for their businesses, trying to wrest sops and tax breaks for their industries, and even when trying to get a chauffer for the car or maid for the home, and so on. Indian yuppies have realized that they cannot do anything without bowing down to the imbecile, uneducated, uncouth and uncivilized politician who they have come to detest. Indian politician does not care for this software engineer, this businessman, this rich and elite Indian, because he gets his power from the masses, those very masses this yuppie Indian has been trying to distance himself from.
Indian politician is more in tune with real India than yuppie Indians. That’s why these yuppie Indians don’t understand why and how reservations-based-on-caste came to be. They don’t understand why and how sops and incentives are given to farmers. While the yuppie Indians are trying hard to carve their islands of excellence and prosperity, Indian politician is the one who mesmerizes the Indian polity, the Indian rural, the Indian small towns, and he continues to benefit from their ignorance, their petty differences, and their prejudices to stay in power. The apathy of yuppie Indians has only made the situation good for the Indian politician. He doesn’t have to come to yuppie Indians to ask them what they want - he doesn’t need to because they don’t vote. He will just concentrate on his poor and rural vote bank. Doling out free coconuts or rice, dishing out free TVs, or giving free liquor, are different mechanisms politicians use to lure an Indian voter. A yuppie Indian can only look at this awful spectacle and not do anything about it.
If you go to a small town in India, all the candidates are equally bad. Indian voters have to choose the candidate, not based on what the candidate can promise or achieve, not based on merit of candidate’s actions or achievements, not based on his stand on issues, but based on the party he represents, which party has doled out more incentives even if they are short term, which party represents their language, religion, caste, region, better. Most Indian voters are not influenced by the candidate’s capabilities or competence.
Yuppie Indians who are used to corporate India, and who delude themselves into thinking that meritocracy is possible, where a ‘deserving’ candidate can be voted into power purely based on his achievements, qualifications, and degrees, do their part by campaigning and urging other yuppie Indians to come out and vote. That does not change anything because candidates are still the same. [Only some metros field candidates like Captain Gopinath. They are an exception].
According to Yogendra Yadav:
The poor vote more than the rich, especially in urban areas. For the last four general elections, Dalits have voted more than upper caste Hindus. Ever since 1977, rural areas have recorded higher turnout than the cities.
The recent attempt to come out and vote in huge numbers is not to change things for India. Not to influence India in a way. It is an attempt by the yuppie Indians to be part of the action so that this imbecile politician concedes that they are a vote block so that he would listen to their vested interests, so that they can finish up their islands of excellence and prosperity that got started few years ago.
The current campaign is an attempt by yuppie Indians to play a role in achieving a modicum of political power which has gone out of their hands long ago. To do this, they do not stand for elections, but only raise voices to vote – which does not make sense. The real problem these campaigns are addressing is not to increase the total turnout, but to increase the turnout of other likeminded yuppie Indians to form a vote block (which is not a bad thing).
Related Topics: 'You did not vote!'
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Why Do Hollywood Jews Make Films About Muslims ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadDr. Moshe Kantor the president of the European Jewish Congress has launched a scathing verbal attack on the makers of Oscar hit Slumdog Millionaire.
Kantor's remarks were made at the Institute for the Study of Contemporary anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University:
"The president of the European Jewish Congress on Monday waged a verbal attack against members of Hollywood, specifically the makers of Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
"I have seen two movies recently made by Jews in Hollywood," said Dr. Moshe Kantor. "One was Valkyrie, which is a pro-Nazi film. The other is Slumdog Millionaire, which deals with the Muslim population in India, and in which one of the characters says, 'Allahu Akhbar' before dying."
"This is strange in my opinion," Kantor said at a press conference at the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University.Kantor added that it is crucial for Jews to understand the educational value of cultural and artistic works." [Source: Haaretz]
Well there you have it, absolutely no need for me to make any further comment! -
There Is No Western Media Bias Against Muslim Women... Honest
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadA new study conducted by Saadia Izzeldin of Qatar University has found that two major American publications over a 48 year period used images of Muslim women to illustrate stories of "misogyny", female circumcision, and famine:
"A study conducted by Saadia Izzeldin Malik of Qatar University on images of Muslim women in two popular US magazines — Time and Newsweek — found that in 44 articles in the two news magazines from 1950 to 1998, women in Muslim countries in Africa were depicted within the themes of veil/Islam,female circumcision, and famine....
.."The significance of this study stems from its concern with western media’s coverage of the most unrepresentative category of people (North African and Muslim women)," she said. Malik said the study had three purposes. First, to fill the literature gap related to the representation of African women in Western/US media. Second, to examine the main themes the two newsmagazines chose to represent and identify Muslim women of North Africa. Third, to examine the differences in the portrayal by the two newsmagazines of African Muslim women from Northern and African Muslim women from sub-Saharan Africa." [Source: The Peninsula] -
Suspected Christian Terrorists Murder UPDF Soliders
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadSuspected Terrorists from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are said to have killed 2 soldiers belonging to the Uganda People's Defence Force in an attack that took place on Thursday.
The ambush is said to have occurred in Banda, Ango territory, more than 600km from Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo:
For more on the LRA see :"The Lord’s Resistance Army rebels on Thursday ambushed and killed two UPDF soldiers including an unidentified officer in Banda, Ango territory, more than 600km from Kisangani...
The Head of Ango State, Eastern DRC, Mr Arnold Epe Bate, told the DR Congo’s UN-sponsored Radio Okapi that the fighting broke out as UPDF moved to attack an LRA camp in Bas-Uele District.
The two soldiers were killed along with five Congolese who were guiding them to the rebel camp in the thick forests of Banda.
“There were violent clashes between the LRA and the LRA kill two UPDF soldiers in DRC - UN Radio Ugandans until the head of the Ugandan troops was killed. All the five guides were also killed as well as hostages who were in the forest. There were many people who had been captured by the LRA, they had not left,” he told the radio.
The UPDF, according to Mr Bate were tipped off by the Congolese civilians that LRA had established a camp in the forests." [Source: Daily Monitor]
- Christians Do This In The Name Of The Bible?
- Murderous And Perverted Christian Terrorists Try To Evade Justice
- Joseph Kony The Christian Terrorist Names Son George Bush
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Bible Loving Christian Terrorists Murder 400 Civilians For Christmas
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Islam And The West Accelerated Links [04/19/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad- An Indian Muslim portrays the communal harmony that some in India are able to produce.
- Atheo News reports that Obama is more lawless than Bush over claims of CIA torture.
- Atlas Shrugs plays the "existence card" with regard to Obama, Israel and an Israeli strike on Iran.
- Craig Murray claims British politicians use the spectre of terrorism when in political trouble.
- Caroline Glick likens Pakistan to Iran and claims the "clock is ticking" in both countries.
- Elder of Ziyon wants us all to know that Arabs can't stand Jews wanting to pray.
- Ethnic Ashkenazim Against Zionist Israel claims a link between the current economic meltdown and Zionists.
- Hitchens Watch on atheists returning back to religion.
- Israpundit wants Israel to abandon the Middle East peace process.
- Jews Sans Frontieres raises doubts over the monster status of convicted Druze terrorist Samir Kuntar.
- Lancaster Unity brings news of a British National Party politician's alleged "racist attack."
- Lobe Log predicts American Zionist supports of Geert Wilders will have a lot to explain if he joins forces with Vlaams Belang.
- Middle East Strategy at Harvard has an excellent article about minorities in Iran.
- Ever wonder what happens when yeshiva kids from Brooklyn go to live in Israel ? Norman Finklestein has the answer.
- Mondoweiss with more on how the Gaza war has caused fissures in the American Jewish community.
- Samson Blinded asks can the Israeli state be ethnically blind ?
- Stephen Walt welcomes Obama pressure on Netanyahu vis-à-vis Palestine and the two sate solution.
- Sultan Knish with even more Islam and the west.
- The Anti-Zionist Jew with a must read article about Zionist complicity in the death of Jews during the Holocaust.
- Yid With Lid exposes more Muslim anti-semitism.
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‘You did not vote!’
» E=mc^2For the last many weeks TOI (Times of India) has been running Lead India campaign urging people to come out and vote. Also, many citizen groups in various cities have been exhorting people to vote. There is a TV ad from TATA Tea, called Jaagore.com, which urges people to vote, accusing those who do not vote to be ‘sleeping’. During a discussion that ensued on TOI few months ago, many commenters suggested that voting should be made mandatory, and that people who do not vote should even be punished. Some suggested that certain level of education should be a prerequisite condition for voting since the riffraff seem to elect extremely bad leaders.
In many after-dinner discussions held within middle class Indian families, voters show a disdain for people who do not vote. Taking a higher moral ground, they say, ‘You don’t have a right to criticize the government if you have not voted!’ According to them, a person who has not voted has no right to complain if things go wrong.
At the outset, it almost passes as a very logical stand. But then, it is not!
A constitutional democracy is not just about elections though it seems to be the common perception. Though Elections, or adult franchise as we call it, is an essential tool in a democracy by which people exercise their right to form their government, it is not a sufficient condition for making a democracy. Even dictatorships and communist countries conduct elections but they do not make democracies.
A constitutional democracy needs to have many other tools to ensure it is a smooth working system. Rule of law, Freedom to its citizens or Bill of Rights, Independent or semi-independent Judiciary where every man is treated equal and is give due course of law, Legislature where any man can aspire to become an elected leader, fair representation of groups and identities, equal access to opportunity and education, and other institutions created for checks and balances make up a democracy.
One of the important components to make a democracy successful includes the essential pillar called free media. Democracy does not work without self-criticism, free inquiry, and free exchange of information. One of the founding principles of a making a democracy, where people get to rule themselves, iconized by the phrase ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ is to ensure no single person, a single group, a single class, or a single family becomes the wolf ruling over the sheep. In a democracy, sheep get to rule themselves ensuring nobody becomes the wolf; making sure their freedoms are not stripped off, a certain privileged class does not rule over underprivileged, or a certain majority does not suppress a minority.
In such a system, checks are balances form an important function. A person who criticizes the government and its actions exposing the flaws in the system is contributing as much to democracy as any other citizen who has exercise his right for adult franchise. To say that a critic does not contribute to a democracy just because he has not voted is a hollow argument.
If the person who has not voted doesn’t have a right to criticize or demand things from the government, how about a person who has voted for the opposition party? As far as the party in power is concerned, a guy who has not voted is better off than the guy who has voted for the opposition party, isn’t it?
If there is a degree of blame given to voters, what do we make of the guy who actually voted an inept and imbecile politician into power? Should he be blamed for the ineptitude of the government? Should the non-voters blame the voters for the current state of the country?
Voters do not take blame for voting a wrong leader to power and they do not take credit for putting a right leader either. Therefore, no single voter takes credit or blame for putting a leader in power. Instead, we take a collective responsibility where the blame and credit is shared by all including those who voted him, those who voted against him, and those who abstained from voting, and those who are ineligible for voting. Democracy is a system that ensures the above without going into the details of who voted for whom.
Can the elected leader dole out government backed incentives to voters in his constituency based on which party they voted for? Can he give preferential treatment through his government to the people who voted for him and discriminate against those who did not? A democracy should be built in such a way the elected leader works for his constituency irrespective of who voted for whom.
Though it is a prerogative for an adult to vote, it is not a duty that can be legalized or penalized, and not a duty based on which a preferential system can be enforced. A person who did not vote is not in any way less contributing towards a democracy. There are many ways he could be contributing – for example, doing his duty as a good policeman is good enough.
People get into moral discussions on voting – and I usually like to refrain from getting into those discussions. Who is a better citizen, the question is posed, a person who has voted or the one who has not? Not many people understand that voting is not mandatory, it’s a right you wish to use or not use. It cannot be enforced. It is not a matter of legality. It is not equivalent to paying taxes. We cannot treat voters as better citizens exactly because we cannot blame the voters of a certain party for things gone wrong.
This discussion does not mean I discourage people from voting. This discussion does not mean I do not support elections. Voting in large numbers is a good sign of a vibrant democracy. However, there is no clear indication that there is growing apathy amongst Indian voters. India has seen more or less the same voter turnout for Lok Sabha elections since 1962, ranging between 55%-65%.
The pressing problem for most voters in India is that there are no deserving candidates. This happens more often in small towns and villages of India than in metros. When all the candidates are criminals, when each of them is a blatant liar, corrupt and dishonest candidate, who do you vote? If the only reason is fielded by the party is that he belongs to a certain caste, certain religion, or that he has sucked up the best, or that he is easily molded by others, who do you vote? Is it just apathy or is it that indeed there is no genuine choice that can be made?
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Egypt Launches New Campaign Against Niqab
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments has launched a new awareness campaign aimed at exposing the reality of the niqab- a veil covering the face to it's employees:
I thought the Muslim world was 100% seething with Islamic fanatics ready to murder the first thing that might undermine Islamic norms. Looks like the anti-Islam bigots were wrong once again."In a bid to curb the surge in donning the niqab (a full-face veil), among its female employees, the Ministry of Waqfs (Religious Endowments), has embarked on a controversial campaign to discourage wearing this garb.
"We are not asking the niqab wearers to take it off. The aim of our campaign, based on awareness-raising seminars, is to prove to them that the niqab was originally an Arabian costume in pre-Islamic times," said Selim Abdel Gelil, an aide to the Minister of Waqfs and the one responsible for the campaign.
The campaign got off the ground this week at the premises of the ministry in Cairo and is planned to cover other cities and provinces of this predominantly Muslim country, according to the same official.
"Islam requires women to be decently dressed without obliging them to cover their faces and hands," Abdel Gelil told Gulf News....
...Over recent years, the niqab, which covers the woman from head to toe, has become popular in Egypt. Shops, apparently cashing in on the revival of Islamism, have sprung up in working-class and fashionable areas to sell items for Muslim women...
...As part of the campaign, the ministry will publish a book titled "Niqaba Habit, not a Worship" to be distributed for free to female attendees of the seminars.
"There will also be question-and-answer sessions in order to help correct misconceptions about the niqab," said Abdel Gelil.
"Wearing the niqab is not an obligatory duty based on Islamic Sharia (Law). I think Muslims make a big mistake by concentrating on appearances and superficial things, thereby giving a bad idea about Islam," Minister of Waqfs Hamdi Zaqzouq was recently quoted as saying in the local press.
He added that niqab-wearers at his ministry would not be assigned preaching missions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Hatem Al Gabali has recently warned that female nurses wearing the niqab would be re-posted from hospitals to administrative jobs, saying the costume hampers them from efficiently serving patients." [Source: Gulf News]
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Exaggeration in Indian Reporting
» E=mc^2Watch an Indian news channel for twenty minutes, especially in the regional languages like Hindi or Telugu, and you will think that the world is at the brink of a major disaster. Every news item is ‘breaking news’. It is flashed innumerable times with all kinds of jazzy fonts and colors accompanied with blaring and ominous music. Young anchors have their own take on each issue; their prejudice doesn’t come as insinuation but is directly embedded within report. Then there are chest-beating and table-thumping young reporters who make every news item an imminent cause for World War III. Indian way of stressing the importance of an issue is to shout aloud and repeat the same sentence over and over again.
Most Indian news channels are downright crappy. Their crappiness can be measured by the number of tickers that keeps floating around on the TV screen. Some of them have 5 lines of horizontal tickers at the bottom taking up nearly 40% of the viewing area. Some texts scroll across faster while some move slow – don’t know why. The text in the tickers has nothing to with the news item being discussed. There are additional boxes displaying ads and irrelevant messages, making the TV screen resemble an Indian road, where everything and anything goes- cars, lorries, mopeds, cycles, pedestrians, cats, dogs, cows, meandering through construction material, pot holes, garbage, and loads of shit. Trying to make way out of it is a painful task– same holds true for Indian news channels. Making sense out of them is an onerous task – you feel exhausted after few minutes of watching.
One accident flip of remote, sometimes I land on such Indian news channels. If I linger for more than five minutes, my blood pressure starts to rise and I feel restless. I suddenly realize that I am doing something really dangerous, take immediate action and flip the channel to a saner channel and take a deep breath and vow never to tread into those troubled waters again.
According to me maturity of a news channel can be directly measured by the number of tickers floating on the TV screen. The less the tickers more mature the news channel. Take BBC or CNN for example. The news is delivered in a calm tone, even when it is the gravest of the issues. The tickers are minimal. They are one or two of them, relevant to the news item discussed – not very different from the roads in the West.
Indian news channels report an event in lofty words, making it poetic, using outlandish analogies right from Indian Cinema and Mythology. The news report is no longer a report, it is a piece of art, an epic, a saga, where a hero has to save a princess in distress from fiery dragons, slaying elephantine serpents, while scaling huge castles, and so on.
Indians are quite comfortable with such exaggerated, fictitious and flowery language. In fact, they encourage it. When I was a kid in a school, teachers used to praise the student who used bombastic language to describe something. If you used ordinary language, it was not appreciated. Ostentation is a virtue. When writing a speech for an event in my college, a girl used thesaurus to make it look sophisticated. So, she took a sentence which goes like, ‘with a vision to make our college more competitive…’, and substituted the word ‘vision’ with something that sounded more pedantic. The result came out as, ‘with a clairvoyance to make our college more competitive…’ thereby making the sentence meaningless and complete nonsense.
When I participated in college debates in my fourth year of college, I had to face a bunch of students who were quite well versed in the art of debating, some of them winning awards from President of India. I was new to debating. I had never done it before in an organized way, and it was my first time ever (though we had extensive and lengthy debates in college hostels). To my utter surprise, these veterans of debating carried Roget’s Thesaurus with them all the time. We had few minutes to prepare the speech, and during this time, these guys would consult this tome and embellish every sentence substituting ordinary and easy-to-understand words with sophisticated but hard-to-understand words, sometimes resulting in loss of the purported meaning. They were so caught up in making their speeches bombastic that they did not concentrate on the essence of the topic. [Thankfully, the judges of the college were not impressed by the flowery language.]
Poetry or fiction writing in India is always a challenge. Many young writers get caught up in trying to use unnecessary and out-of-place metaphors, analogies, phrases and hard-to-understand words making the writing incomprehensible. What is the point of communication, I asked myself many a times? Is it to impress the other person, or is it to be well understood?
This fascination with such pompous language is not something new to Indians. Here’s a snapshot of an Indian chronicler of history from Harsha times (500-700AD) [1]:
Instantly on hearing this [the news of his brother’s murder] his fiery spirit blazed forth in a storm of sorrow augmented by flaming flashes of furious wrath. His aspect became terrible in the extreme. As he fiercely shook his head, the loosened jewels from his crest looked like live coals of the angry fire which he vomited forth. Quivering without cessation, his wrathful curling lip seemed to drink the lives of all kings. His reddening eyes with their rolling gleam put forth, at it were, conflagrations in the heavenly spaces. Even the fire of anger, as though itself burned by the scorching power of his inborn valour’s unbearable heat, spread over him a rainy shower of sweat. His limbs trembled as if in fright at such unexampled fury…
He represented the first revelation of valour, the frenzy of insolence, the delirious of pride, the youthful avatar of fury, the supreme effort of hauteur, the new age of manhood’s fire, the regal consecration of warlike passion, the camp-lustration of day of reckoning.
No historian can take such documents seriously. It’s very hard to figure out what is fiction and what is a fact. A historian trying to reconstruct Indian history finds a report on war sheer fantastical [1]:
[Meanwhile his] enemies were best by all manner ill omens: jackals, swarming bees, and swooping vultures terrorized their cities; their soldiers fell out with their mistresses while some, looking in the mirror, saw themselves headless; a naked woman wandered through the parks ‘shaking the forefinger as if to count the dead’.
Indian politicians, news reporters, and Indian speakers tend to use such language all the time. Maybe Indians find reality too discomforting, and hence find solace in such grandiose and fantastic world made up by their imagination and grandiloquence.
Sources:
[1]. A History of India, John Keay. Harper Collins.
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Do CIA "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" Equal Torture ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadNow that the Obama administration has released previously top secret documentation surrounding "enhanced interrogation techniques" the world is able to see what went on behind close doors for so long.
The disclosure has raised cries of traitor from right-wingers who view any such disclosure as a direct threat to the nations of the free world. While on the left-wing many are unhappy that Obama has refused to prosecute any members of the CIA involved in "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Right-wing supporters of the "enhanced interrogation techniques" view with disdain and base sarcasm any claims that the procedures amounted to anything that could be construed as torture:
In reality the best way to determine whether procedures such as water boarding are torture is to question those that have experienced it."..Anyway, let’s have a look at what these horrendous methods were that those CIA officers were carrying out, when they were not eating dead babies in the basement of the White House with former president Bush, that is. If you have any children nearby, please send them away, these horrors are not for their feeble souls...
...Oh the horror, how ever will we sleep now, they put a bloody cockroach in a cell with a terrorist, oh the horror! The horror! The horror! They slapped the terrorists around a bit! The horror! The horror! The horror! They deprived them of 3 hot meals! The horror! The horror! They push a terrorist against a wall! The horror! The horror!" [Source: Down under on the right side]
During May 2008 Iraq war supporter Christopher Hitchens agreed to undergo water boarding. This is what he had to say about the procedure:
To see a video of the event click: Watch Christopher Hitchens Get Waterboarded"....You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it "simulates" the feeling of drowning. This is not the case. You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning—or, rather, being drowned, albeit slowly and under controlled conditions and at the mercy (or otherwise) of those who are applying the pressure. The “board” is the instrument, not the method. You are not being boarded. You are being watered. This was very rapidly brought home to me when, on top of the hood, which still admitted a few flashes of random and worrying strobe light to my vision, three layers of enveloping towel were added. In this pregnant darkness, head downward, I waited for a while until I abruptly felt a slow cascade of water going up my nose. Determined to resist if only for the honor of my navy ancestors who had so often been in peril on the sea, I held my breath for a while and then had to exhale and—as you might expect—inhale in turn. The inhalation brought the damp cloths tight against my nostrils, as if a huge, wet paw had been suddenly and annihilatingly clamped over my face. Unable to determine whether I was breathing in or out, and flooded more with sheer panic than with mere water, I triggered the pre-arranged signal and felt the unbelievable relief of being pulled upright and having the soaking and stifling layers pulled off me. I find I don’t want to tell you how little time I lasted...." [Source: Vanity Fair]
To answer the question in the title do CIA "enhanced interrogation techniques" equal torture ? The answer really depends on whether you think America has the right to extract intelligence at any cost.
The BBC carried out a poll in 2006 which asked this very type of question in 25 different countries. 43% of the Israeli public supported torture while 38% of Americans supported such interrogation techniques. With figures so high in support of torture unscrupulous politicians will find it hard not to push the envelope on "enhanced interrogation procedures." -
Quote: Abraham Lincoln Dumps On Christianity And Christian Values
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." ~ Abraham Lincoln
For other quotes on Christianity or by Christians see:
- Polytheist Jerry Falwell Attacks Prophet Of Islam
- Christian Lust For Muslim Blood
- What Were The Fruits Of Christianity ?
- John of Damascus On The Prophet Of Islam
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Manuel II Palaiologos On Islam
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11:31
The Writing On The Wall
» ~ Kashmir ~“We do not recognise UJC. They are carrying swords. We do not accept diktats,” Ansari said that his organisation was not in favour of enforcing orders on others and will leave it to the people of Kashmir to decide about the elections as per their “conscience”. “Why are we people targeting Lone for contesting elections? Have you [...]
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Find Kashmiri Nomad On Twitter
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadDue to personal reasons the frequency of posting here is going to be a little disrupted over the next few days. I shall try to get back normal as soon as is possible.
For those interested, you can still keep up to date with the topic of Islam and the West through my Twitter account. My Twitter address is @islamwest. -
Shimon Peres Launches As Israel's Latest TV Star
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadHaaretz reports that the President of Israel Shimon Peres is launching a new television programme entitled A Meeting of the Minds:
How much do you want to wager that they do not show the following clip of Shimon Peres during his new show: Liveleak Video: Israeli President Shimon Peres Falling Asleep ."President Shimon Peres will become Israel's newest TV star this week when he launches his debut as the host of a new television show.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate's show will be called A Meeting of the Minds at the President's House, his spokeswoman Ayelet Frisch said Tuesday.
The program will deal with important issues in Israeli society and topics close to the President's heart, she said. One episode, airing this week, deals with relations between Arabs and Jews in Israel. In another, Peres will speak with up-and-coming young Israelis from different fields.
She says an episode will be shown about every two months on public broadcaster Channel One." [Source: Haaretz] -
Afghanistan: Between National Army Clowns And Cannabis
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThis really does not bode well for the future !
NATO forces have staked their exit strategy from Afghanistan on creating a durable local fighting force that can protect western interests and the interests of the Kabul government.
As you will see from this video taken by the Guardian it looks like the strategy is currently mired between the clowns of the Afghan National Army and clouds of cannabis smoke.
Click Barack Obama's war: Afghanistan's failing army to see the video. -
Arab Cartoon: Netanyahu And The Grim Reapers
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
image by emad hajjaj
The cartoon is captioned with Netanyahu's government!!
For more Arab cartoons see:
- The American Presidential Race
- Oil And The Iranian Missile Tests
- A Memorial To George W. Bush
- Gaza And The Arab Regimes
- The Neo-Nazis
- Gaza Bids Farewell To George W. Bush
- Israel's Election Campaign
- Israel Sacrifices Peace For The Election
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Islam And The West Accelerated Links [04/12/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad- Yid With Lid explains why America has won the right to be arrogant.
- Unveiling Christianity asks did Saul of Tarsus really meet Jesus Christ?
- The Stupidest Man On Earth predicts that bloodshed in Iraq will increase after July.
- The Moor Next Door dissects Obama's recent visit to Turkey.
- The Hasbara Buster uses unleavened products at Passover to expose Israel's treatment towards her Muslim citizens.
- The Best Defense muses about Israel, pre-emptive strikes and permanent war.
- The Anti-Zionist Jew quotes Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin who asked for the ex-communication of Zionists.
- The Angry Arab News Services looks at the consequences for the Arabs when the oil runs out.
- Talk To Action welcomes Obama's statement that the U.S. is not only a Christian nation.
- South Jerusalem advises Obama that Netanyahu speaks loudly but carriers a small stick.
- Stephen M. Walt elucidates how the US can encourage Israel towards peace.
- Samson Blinded exposes how Orthodox Christians are changing the face of Israel.
- Sabria Jawhar opines on the latest call for Saudi women to be banned from Saudi television.
- Realistic Dove on the problems that Avigdor Lieberman is creating for the Israeli foreign ministry.
- Mondoweiss asks how can letting a son of Holocaust survivors speak cause a rise in anti-semitism ?
- Hitchens Watch says that gays and women seem to be suffering more since the success of western operations in Iraq.
- Ethnic Ashkenazim Against Zionist Israel tries to explain the interest of Israel advocacy groups in Darfur.
- Elder of Ziyon exposes the Associated Press's anti-Jewish bias.
- Dr. M being provocative again by juxtapositioning Zionism with Nazism.
- Crossroads Arabia with further analysis of Obama's bow to the king of Saudi Arabia.
- Craig Murray gives us his take on piracy in the Horn of Africa.
- Atheo News reports that Israel's transport minister views differences with Obama as just a matter of semantics.
- An Indian Muslim with and update from the Indian general election where Muslim politicians pray at Hindu temples.
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Shlomo Sand On Israel And The Myth Of Diaspora
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadShlomo Sand is a professor of history at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel. Professor Sand was born to a family of Polish Jewish survivors of the Holocaust in Austria. He has is a former member of Union of Israeli Communist Youth and and anti-Zionist Matzpen party.
Sand is the author of a book entitled "when and how was the Jewish people invented?" The main hypothesis of the book is the notion that the Jewish people never existed as coherent nation state. Rather Professor Sand contends that they always existed as a mix of groups that at various stages in history adopted the Jewish religion.
Morgan Strong is a former professor of Middle Eastern history and in this article he reviews Professor Sand's book:
As a stated earlier Sand's contentions are a hypothesis and still remain to be overwhelming proved or disproved. That being the case it is of the utmost irony that some of those sitting in refugee camps in Gaza and Lebanon might actually be the genetic descendants of the ancient Israelite tribes."In When and How Was the Jewish People Invented?, Dr. Sand, an expert on European history at the University of Tel Aviv, says the Diaspora was largely a myth – that the Jews were never exiled en masse from the Holy Land and that many European Jewish populations converted to the faith centuries later.
Thus, Sand argues, many of today’s Israelis who emigrated from Europe after World War II have little or no genealogical connection to the land. According to Sand’s historical analysis, they are descendents of European converts, principally from the Kingdom of the Khazars in eastern Russia, who embraced Judaism in the Eighth Century, A.D.
The descendants of the Khazars then were driven from their native lands by invasion and conquest and – through migration – created the Jewish populations of Eastern Europe, Sands writes. Similarly, he argues that the Jews of Spain came from the conversion of Berber tribes from northern Africa that later migrated into Europe....
...at the turn of the 20th Century, Sand asserts, Zionist Jews began assembling a national history to justify creation of a Jewish state by inventing the idea that Jews existed as a people separate from their religion and that they had primogeniture over the territory that had become known as Palestine.
The Zionists also invented the idea that Jews living in exile were obligated to return to the Promised Land, a concept that had been foreign to Judaism, Sand states...
...Sand theorizes that many Jews, who remained in Judea after Roman legions crushed the last uprising in 136 A.D., eventually converted to Christianity or Islam, meaning that the Palestinians who have been crowded into Gaza or concentrated in the West Bank might be direct descendants of Jews from the Roman era....
...Asked if he was saying that the true descendants of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah are the Palestinians, Sand responded:
"No population remains pure over a period of thousands of years. But the chances that the Palestinians are descendants of the ancient Judaic people are much greater than the chances that you or I are its descendants.
"The first Zionists, up until the Arab Revolt [1936-1939], knew that there had been no exiling, and that the Palestinians were descended from the inhabitants of the land. They knew that farmers don't leave until they are expelled.
"Even Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, the second president of the State of Israel, wrote in 1929 that, 'the vast majority of the peasant farmers do not have their origins in the Arab conquerors, but rather, before then, in the Jewish farmers who were numerous and a majority in the building of the land.'"
Sand argues further that the Jewish people never existed as a “nation race” but were rather an ethnic mix of disparate peoples who adopted the Jewish religion over a great period of time. Sand dismisses the Zionist argument that the Jews were an isolated and seminal ethnic group that was targeted for dispersal by the Romans....
...Sand says the Diaspora was originally a Christian myth that depicted the event as divine punishment imposed on the Jews for having rejected the Christian gospel."[Source: Morgan Strong @ Consortium News] -
"White American Protestants Get Erections When Palestinians Are Killed"
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadAs'ad AbuKhalil is a professor of political science at California State University. He runs a blog at The Angry Arab News Service. Regular visitors to this site know he is a member of the Islam And The West Blogroll.
The following is an e-mail that one of his readers sent him regarding the Israeli anti-terror operation in Gaza, Arabs and his personal erections:
Typical average male always thinking about what is going on between his legs!"Do you know what happens when white guys hear there is another dead palestinian? We high five each other - over and over again!!!
Because you see, it means there is at least one fewer sand nigger on the planet. So, by extension, the planet must be just a tiny bit better off!! Amen and praise be to that biggest sand nigger of all!! Allah, of course
Get it motherfucker? Straight, white, american, protestant (but non-religious), college educated males LOVE IT when sand niggers die. Absolutely fucking love it. We cant get enough. Goddamn it, every time a Palestinian Sand Nigger dies we get a fucking hard on! Stiff as a fucking rod. Let there be more dead sand nigger Palestinians! Let Israel kill those worthless pieces of shit by the hundreds of thousands! May the sands of Gaza turn permanent red with the bloody stain from the veins of the goddamn worthless sand nigger apes!
Your fucking blog doesnt do shit. You can debate any motherfucker you like, write your stupid shit down in notebooks all day long. IT DOESNT MATTER. The vast, vast majority of america hates your greasy brown ass and wants arab culture to die the death it has long deserved for hundreds of years.
If it werent for the oil, arabs would have long ago taken their correct place in the world, one of utter irrelevance and nothingness. You are your kind are loathed and repudiated by all decent people. We laugh with glee with every bitter defeat that gets shoved down your fetid throat. You are personally a piece of shit and we abhor your prsence in this country.
Am I clear? " [Source: The Angry Arab News Service]
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Talmud Quote: Striking An Israelite Is Like Striking God
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"R. Hanina said: If a heathen smites a Jew, he is worthy of death, for it is written, And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian. [22]
R. Hanina also said: He who smites an Israelite on the jaw, is as though he had thus assaulted the Divine Presence; for it is written, one who smiteth man [i.e. an Israelite] attacketh the Holy One." ~ Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 58b
[22] Ex. II, 12. Thus Moses slew the Egyptian for striking an Israelite, proving that he had merited it. -
Quote: Polytheist Jerry Falwell Attacks Prophet Of Islam
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"I think Muhammad was a terrorist. I read enough of the history of his life written by both Muslims and - non-Muslims, (to know) that he was a – a violent man, a man of war."
"Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses. I think Muhammad set an opposite example." ~Jerry Falwell on CBS in October 2002 .
For more on the Christian right please see the following:
- Video: Jerry Falwell, Death And Islam
- Youtube Video: Christopher Hitchens Tells Sean Hannity To "Go Forth And Procreate"
- Google Video: "Bible Bashers" And American Politics
- LiveLeak Video: Pat Robertson Exposed
- Liveleak Video: Pat Robertson's 700 Club Prank Called
- LiveLeak Video: Pat Robertson Says God Told Him About Obama, Socialism, Islam And Russia
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Latest Additions To Islam And The West Blogroll [04/11/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThis is a quick blog announcement. Three new websites have been added to the Islam And The West blogroll as of today.
The first is Comrade Tovya's Zion Reports. The author/authors of the site describe themselves thus:
The second website is that of independent academic Norman G. Finkelstein. Below is a biography of Finklstein taken from his website:"Reporting and discussing subjects ranging from breaking news in Israel and the Middle East to terrorism and Zionism. Our specific goal is to reveal anti-Zionism for what it is--anti-Semitism. The Palestians want a Palestine from the river to the sea and are not interested in making peace with the Jewish nation. It's a front for the ongoing war against Israel started by Syria, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, PLO, Hamas, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. We are proud Zionists who believe in the Jewish idea that is Eretz Yisrael."
The third website to be added is that of Middle East Strategy at Harvard. Middle East Strategy at Harvard is a project of the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies. The blog describes itself as follows:"Norman G. Finkelstein received his doctorate in 1988 from the Department of Politics at Princeton University. For many years he taught political theory and the Israel-Palestine conflict. He is currently an independent scholar....He has just completed a new book entitled A Farewell to Israel: The coming break-up of American Zionism, to be published in 2009."
There you have it. I hope all visitors to this weblog will become regular readers of the sites mentioned above. They willl provide essential input around some of the issues I cover here."MESH is a community of scholars and practitioners who are interested in the formulation of U.S. strategic options for the Middle East. Since 9/11 and the Iraq war, the Middle East has occupied a place of primacy in debates over U.S. global aims and strategies. MESH brings together some of the most original thinkers in academe, research centers, and government, in a web-based forum for exchanging and disseminating ideas."
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It's 400 Years Since Europe First Ethnically Cleansed Muslims
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadToday April 9, 2009 marks 400 years to the day that Christian Spain under the rule of King Philip III ordered the last "part-Muslims" to be religiously cleansed from his kingdom.
As this Times of London article shows some Muslims in modern day Spain are asking for the Spanish to forward a national apology for the deportation of 300,000 "Moriscos":
If you go over to the Times webpage you'll see the article has received 8 comments most of them attacking the Muslims for invading Iberia."It was the start of one of the earliest and most brutal episodes of ethnic cleansing in Europe, so Spain is, understandably perhaps, a little reluctant to mark the occasion.
Four hundred years ago today King Philip III signed an order to expel 300,000 Moriscos - or part-Muslims - who had converted from Islam to Christianity.
Over the next five years hundreds of the exiles died as they were forced from their homes in Spain to North Africa at the height of the Spanish Inquisition.
There are no plans to mark the date officially, although the occasion is being remembered in a series of exhibitions, conferences and public debates.....
...Some Muslim writers and Spanish and Moroccan campaigners believe that Madrid should apologise for the wrongs committed during the 17th century. Juan Goytisolo, a Spanish novelist, said:
“Official and academic Spain retires into the fortress of cautious silence, which reveals obvious discomfort. The expulsion was the first European precedent ... of the European ethnic cleansings of the last century.”
The anniversary highlights once again the uneasy relationship which exists between modern-day Spain and its Moorish, or Muslim, past. Muslims conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century after arriving from North Africa but, centuries later, their armies were finally expelled in 1492 after the victory of the Catholic monarchs King Ferdinand of Castile and Queen Isabella of Aragon.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims who remained in Spain were forced to convert to Christianity, but many continued with their Muslim names and ways of life, defying all attempts to create a Catholic state.
After military losses to the Protestant Dutch, King Philip signed a decree on April 9, 1609, to expel these reluctant converts, in a move he hoped would strengthen his kingdom.
Historians record the brutal conditions in which many hundreds were killed during the forced resettlement in North Africa over the next five years and Spanish society was, in fact, weakened economically and politically as a result - particularly in areas such as Valencia and Aragon, where the majority of the Muslim converts had lived. " [Source: Muslim History Of Spain]
These comments betray two very obvious traits. The first being an overwhelming ignorance of history and the second an intense and deep seated hatred for all things Islamic.
Let me being with the ignorance of history. I would like to fast forward to Iraq 2003 to 2009. America and her allies invaded and continues to occupy the land of Iraq. One of the raison d'etres for the invasion was that Saddam Hussein was an oppressor who subjugated his population to tyranny. This being the case a whole host of Iraqi opposition leaders were paraded in front of the world's media expressly with the intention of informing us how much they would like the west to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam. Does anyone remember Ahmed Chalabi ? Since the removal of Saddam we are now forever being told that the occupation will continue until the Iraqis decide that they longer want foreign troops on their soil.
Let us now rewind to April 29, 711 when the Muslim army of Tariq ibn Zayid lands on Gibraltar Rock to start 700 odd years of Muslim rule. For those of an "Islam-hating" disposition this is proof positive of the evil, violent and expansionary nature of Muslims. Unfortunately I'm sorryto say that I'll be bursting their "Islam-hating" bubble. The reason being that Muslims invaded Spain and occupied it pretty much for the same reason that America and her allies invaded and occupied Iraq 1200 years later. You see the Muslim army from North Africa only entered the Iberian peninsular at the the behest of a Christian ruler.
Count Julian was the Christian ruler of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the North African coast. Julian was considered to be the vassal of the Visigoth monarch King Roderick who ruled the Iberian peninsular. It appears that Visigoth rule in Haspania (as the Iberian peninsular was known in Roman times) was fragmented. This lead to internecine conflict between Visigoth aristocracies. Roderick was appointed ruler by the bishops of the Visigothic Catholic church in opposition the sons of the former king Wittiza and thereby percipitaed the Muslim incurision into Spain:
There you have it for all the smoke and fury over the Muslim invasion of Europe that anti-Islam bigots create it seems the truth is that the Muslims were actually invited in by a Christian ruler. In fact not only were they invited but actively supported by many Christian Spaniards throughout their rule of Hispania. This is fact that is lost or deliberatly hidden by the anti-Islam bigots of today."Roderic had been appointed to the throne by the bishops of the Visigothic Catholic church—this appointment snubbing the sons of the previous king, Wittiza, who died or was killed in 710. So Wittiza's relatives and partisans fled Iberia for Julian's protection at Ceuta (Septem), the Pillar of Hercules in North Africa on the northern shore of the Maghreb. There they gathered with Arians and Jews fleeing forced conversions at the church's hands.
At that time the surrounding area of the Maghreb had recently been conquered by Musa ibn Nusair, who established his governor, Tariq ibn Ziyad, at Tangier with a Moorish army of 1,700 men. So Julian approached Musa to negotiate the latter's assistance in an effort to topple Roderic.
What is unclear is whether Julian hoped to place a son of Wittiza on the throne and gain power and preference thereby or whether he was really opening up Iberia to foreign conquest. The latter, though unlikely, isn't inconceivable, given that Julian may have long been on good terms with the Muslims of North Africa and found them to be more tolerant overlords than the Catholic Visigoths. Moreover, if Julian was the Greek commander of the last Byzantine outpost in Africa, he would only have had an alliance with the Kingdom of the Visigoths rather than been part of it.
Perhaps, then, in exchange for lands in al-Andalus (the Arab name for the area the Visigoths still called by its Roman name, Hispania), or perhaps to topple a king and his religious allies, Julian provided military intelligence, troops, and ships.
But Musa was initially unsure of Julian's project and so in July 710 directed Tarif ibn Malluk to lead a probe of the Iberian coast. Legend says that Julian participated as a guide and emissary, arranging for Tarif to be hospitably received by supportive Christians—perhaps Julian's kinsmen, friends, and supporters—who agreed to become allies in the contemplated battle for the Visigothic throne.
The next summer Julian provided the ships to carry Muslim troops across to Europe. Julian also briefed Tariq, their general. Then the latter left Julian behind among the merchants and crossed the Strait of Hercules with a force of some 1,700 men. He landed at Gibraltar on April 30, 711, and thus began the Umayyad conquest of Hispania.
Later, in the Battle of Guadalete on July 19, Roderic's army of around 25,000 men was defeated by Tariq's force of approximately 7,000, largely due to a reversal of fortune when the wings commanded by Roderic's relatives Sisbert and Osbert deserted or switched sides—which legend would later attribute to a deliberate plan developed by Julian."
[Source: Count Julian Of Ceuta]
For more on Muslims in Europe see:
- Google Video: A History Of Islam In Europe
- Dailymotion Video: Muslim Women In Christian Rape Camps
- Google Video: The Hijab In Secular European Schools
- Spain And Her Islamic Past
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Antonio Banderas And His Love Of Islam, The Qur'an And Arabs
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Quote: Christian Lust For Muslim Blood
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"The Christian glories in the death of a pagan, because thereby Christ himself is glorified" ~ Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, French Cistercian Monk, Catholic Church propagandist for the Second Crusade, lived 1090-1153. -
Turkey And The EU: Recording European Prejudice
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
Barack Obama's recent visit to Turkey has re-ignited debate over the secular state's accession to the European Union. In November 2007 I authored a post by the name of Turkey And The Hypocritical European Union through which I compared Turkey's role as a staunch western ally in NATO with it's attempts at joining the E.U.
Since interest in "Muslim" Turkey's accession or lack of it to the EU has surfaced again I thought it would be useful to have a look at some European attitudes towards Turkey joining their union.
The following is a conversation held on The Sun discussion boards.The topic was started by Muelisto who asks the following question:
"Does the Europen Union need muslim country? Not sure, but it seems to me Turkish side, as part of the EU, will destroy the 2000 years-old European philosophy. Democracy stays democracy, but tradition and culture is more important, I think. I don't have any direspect to Turkey."
Here are some of the responses to the Muelisto's question:
- Definately NOT!!! we can't get rid of the ones we already have!! (Diamond_Geezer1)
- This move would be a complete catastrophe and the ENGLISH would probably be wiped out!(Diamond_Geezer1)
- NO definately not. the EU is for Europeans, Turkey belongs to the Middle east. With the best will in the world the Turks would never fit into the EU,
We have seen the disasters across Africa when you mix tribes across the wrong borders.
I am not being racist just practical. Its about time those bloody EU commissioners listened to the indiginous peoples for once, instead of empire building.
IMHO Turkey should form an EU like trading allience across the Middle east, it could well prove to be the most powerful leader in that region. (RosieInLondon) - no way because britain is already stetched with the amount of immagrants that are already here because of the goverments current open door policy. (JohnnyRed)
- I don't agree with Turkey joining the EU, as it is a predominantly Muslim country, and it's for this reason why they should stay out of Europe, which is predominantly Christian. Their values and way of life are so incompatible to our way of life, so it will never work, I'm afraid. (Thomas1)
- ...they are 3rd world country knocking out kids like no tomorrow with no structure to support them and they will drag down the eu with them because they have a large population - I would love a german to come on here and give an opinion as they know cos there are a few mill there (bubblesfc)
- Another 70 million Muslim f*ckwits in Europe?
No thanks! (PXR5) - No thank you very much. I don't want them bringing their outdated, neanderthal views on women across the pond any more than is already being done. The fact that their 'judges' and 'prison wardens' are proud of the men that commit honour killings says it all really. A barbaric and uncivilised country that deserves no place in a 21st century Union. (blackparade) [Source: The Sun]
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It's Fashionable Being Jewish In Bahrain
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
Image by Life of Riley
In November 2008 this weblog reported on a call by the King of Bahrain for the Jews of his country to return. This came in the wake of Bahrain sending Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo a Jewish woman to the United States as it's Ambassador.
Today the New York Times has published a fascinating article surrounding the Jewish community in Bahrain that numbers just 36 members. The author Michael Slackman finds a community well looked after even though tensions are not far from the surface :
"It’s O.K. to be Jewish in Bahrain.
Actually, that may be an understatement.
"It's fashionable," said Rouben Rouben, 55, an electronics dealer who proudly displays his name, a recognizably Jewish one, on the sign above all four of his shops in Manama, the capital.
In the tense landscape of the Middle East, there is little room left for Jewish Arabs, a tiny minority in this country as well as in places like Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. But in Bahrain, the king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, has taken unprecedented steps for an Arab leader to show his support for his dwindling Jewish population. Last year, he appointed a Jewish woman, Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, as ambassador to the United States, the first Jewish ambassador posted abroad by any Arab country.
Then he made a personal visit to London to appeal to expatriate Jews to return to Bahrain. He has also appointed Jewish business leaders to the Shura Council, which acts as an upper house of Parliament. Those measures went against the tide in a region where anti-Semitism is often preached from government-controlled mosques and hating all Jews has become interchangeable with hating the state of Israel.....
..it is a community of only 36, and most are older adults. They are mostly descendants of merchants from Iraq and Iran whose families have lived in Bahrain for centuries, experts here said.
Mr. Rouben said that there were about 600 Jews in Bahrain before 1948, when Israel became a state, "but with every war, more left." He said that most moved to Europe or the United States.
Few here expect the community to survive unless some expatriates can be enticed to return. So far, there appear to have been few takers...." (Source: The New York Times) -
151 Million Americans Have Poor Understanding Of Islam
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadA poll conducted by the The Washington Post and ABC News has found that over 50% of Americans have a poor understanding of Islam. The poll also showed that a lot of Americans still believe that Islam is advocates violence against non-Muslims:
"More than half of Americans acknowledge having a poor understanding of Islam, even though they support President Barack Obama's plan to seek improved relations with the Muslim world, according to a new opinion poll released late Sunday.
The survey by The Washington Post and ABC News showed that 55 percent of those polled said they lacked a good understanding of the teachings and beliefs of Islam.
Forty-eight percent said they had an unfavorable view of Islam while nearly three in 10, or 29 percent, said they saw mainstream Islam as advocating violence against non-Muslims....
...The survey, conducted by telephone March 26-29, had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points."(Source: AFP)
Well there you go Islam must be a violent religion as 91 millions think so. How can so many Americans ever be wrong about anything ? -
Israel: Soldiers Indicted Over Aggravated Assaults
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe Jaffa Military Court indicted a lieutenant and a staff-sergeant in the IDF over charges they assaulted detained Palestinians.
The alleged crime was supposed to have taken place in West Bank during September 2008. The indictment claims that one of the soldiers gored a Palestinians, kick him in the abdomen and tore his shirt:
Do you think the soldiers acted wisely ?"Two Israel Defense Forces servicemen were indicted Monday for aggravated assault against Palestinian detainees in the West Bank....
...The incident took place in late September 2008 in the West Bank. According to the indictment, while on a military motorcade patrolling the area, the troops stopped their car and the medic then proceeded to gore one of the Palestinians with his helmet, kick him in the abdomen and tear his shirt, while the officer – his direct superior – stood by and watched.
The medic also struck a second Palestinian and shoved a third one, who dared asked what he was doing, to the ground.
The two then turned their attention to frisking several other Palestinian, who were also detained. While one of them was being questioned, the officer hit him over the head, while the medic pinned him to a nearby wall, choked him and kicked him.
Other Palestinian detainees were also assaulted by the two. They were slapped, pinned down and jolted. "
(Source: Ynet News)
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Islam And The West Accelerated Links [04/05/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad- An Indian Muslim supports India's Supreme Court in its decision to ban the beard in schools.
- Atheo News reports that India is threatening Israel over a $2 billion missile contract over allegations of irregularities.
- Atlas Shrugs is not too happy that the US Homeland Security Department has blocked access to her blog from their computers.
- Craig Murray exposes the truth behind NATO's new Secretary General Anders Rasmussen. Murray contends he represents an alliance bent upon enforcing Western control over energy sources and supply routes in the Islamic world.
- Crossroads Arabia explains why Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir can visit Saudi Arabia even though there is an ICC arrest warrant out in his name.
- Caroline Glick remembers Ehud Omlmert's "true" record.
- Elder of Ziyon looks at the glee of Palestinians over the killing of a 13 year old Israeli boy.
- Ethnic Ashkenazim Against Zionist Israel reveals the real motives behind the western "save Darfur" movement.
- Israpundit brings you Daniel Pipes's "love affair" with Avigdor Lieberman and his entry on to the world stage.
- Jews Sans Frontieres with a map of what a future Palestine may just look like.
- Lancaster Unity: Germany's largest neo-Nazi party faces ruin after being fined €2.2 million fine for fraud.
- Majority Rights reports on a the launch of a new site aimed at the expulsion of Jews from America.
- Mondoweiss asks why does the New York Times only allow Arabs to criticise Israel ?
- Stephen Walt tries to think through the rational behind America's current Afghanistan-Pakistan policy.
- Anti-Zionist Jew approves of Avigdor Lieberman' demand for all Israeli nationals to swear allegiance to their state.
- Yid With Yid brings you a video exposing Muslim child abuse.
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A post by my brother and friend..
» The Times Of Kashmir"The lover, in and out, fancies his beloved in different situations. He gives time out of his study-time and finds himself unable to requisitely concentrate on his studies. It greatly eats into his academic excellence and at times could be more severe and havoc-causing. More-over, the economic aspect of the relation couldn’t be overlooked. Many-a-times, male-partner buys costly gifts or shares the financial needs of his beloved, out the money for his educational purposes like books. I know of a KU student who bought a golden-ring for her girl-friend out of the money reserved for his medicine. He sees a potential wife in her girl-friend and shares her financial needs. The trust gets ingrained and an element of possessiveness gets incorporated in the relationship. The ‘love-constitution’--- do’s, don’ts, restrictions, is framed and peer relations are cut-short."
[shakeebashai.blogspot.com]
A great article, nicely written, generalising the overall in Kashmir..
Alec Smart said:
"Aemis ha chuw gomut true...."
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Israel Demonstrator Threatens Murder Over "Non-Kosher" MP4 Players
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadShmuel Weisfish is a member of an ultra-orthodox group in Israel commonly known as the "chastity squad." Weisfish was indicted today at the Jerusalem District Court on charges of rioting, blackmail, threat, and aggravated assault and battery.
Weisfish's case revolves around demonstrations held by the now infamous "chastity squad" outside a computer store in Jerusalem. It is alleged that the store sold MP4's that the squad believed would expose users to "inappropriate content":
"The Jerusalem Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment Thursday with the capital's District Court against Shmuel Weisfish, 22, a member of the notorious ultra-Orthodox 'chastity squad'.
Weisfish is accused of attacking employees at a computer store in Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood and threatening to torch the store and murder them. Charges include rioting, blackmail, threat, and aggravated assault and battery.
According to the indictment, Weisfish took part in "chastity squad" protests that were regularly held outside the computer store, which the members accused of selling "non-kosher" MP4 players. According to the 'chastity squad', the gadgets expose users to inappropriate content.
During these demonstrations, which began in June 2008, Weisfish would drive customers out of the store, damage merchandise and threaten to murder the employees and burn the store down......." (Source: Ynet News)
This is not the first time that Israel's chastity squads have raised attention in the media for more see:
- Middle East "Chastity Squad" Attacker Admits Guilt
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Youtube Video: Israeli Women Attacked In The Name Of God
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Quote: Avigdor Lieberman Warns Arab-Israeli Politicians In 2006
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"The fate of the collaborators in the Knesset will be identical to that of those who collaborated with the Nazis. Collaborators, as well as criminals, were executed after the Nuremberg trials at the end of the World War Two. I hope that will be the fate of collaborators in this house." ~ Avigdor Lieberman warning Arab members of the Knesset in 2006 who support the Palestinian cause. -
European Beheads Wife In "Honour Killing"... Bigots Unable To Smear
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadMention the words beheading, wife and more probably than not the image of a crazed bearded eastern looking Muslim man holding a blood soaked knife comes to mind. I'm sure that's precisely what came into the minds of many an anti-Islam bigot when they read the tragic case of Maria Pia Scuto.
Maria was decapitated by her husband for the "crime" of talking to men over the internet. Giuseppe Castro killed Maria in front of her son and mother in the Sicilian town of Catania:
"A jealous husband reportedly cut off his wife’s head after catching her messaging a man she had met online.
Giuseppe Castro, 35, turned on Maria Pia Scuto, 41, after discovering her on the computer with her avatar lover on Second Life.
He is alleged to have stabbed her in the neck with a kitchen knife, then used the blade the saw off her head in front of their 15-year-old son and his mother-in-law....
...Castro’s teenage son tried to take responsibility for the murder to protect his father, but later retracted his 'confession', it was claimed.
Police have confiscated three computers from the house in Catania, Sicily, as part of their investigation."
(Source: Daily Mail)
The tragic case of Maria Pia Scuto highlights a point that anti-Islam bigots wish to obscure namely that crime happens in all societies irrespective of race or creed. What the bigots do is to use horrible cases of murder such as Maria's in Muslim countries to malign the whole of the religion and the entirety of it's adherents. For many in the west this type of analysis rings true as it panders to their most basest of prejudices. Be that as it may the analysis of anti-Islam bigots does not change the fact that Islam is against murder irrespective of who perpetrates it.
For more on honour killings see:
- Islam And Honour Killings
- Islamic Court: Those Who Commit Honour Killings Are Murderers
- Muslim Victim Of Christian Honour Killing Buried Today
- Christian Murders His Muslim Brother-In-Law In Honour Killing
- Honor Killing And Islam
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Quote: British Conservative On Backward Muslim World
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"The Muslim religion is so unreformed since it was created that nowhere in the Muslim world has there been any real advance in science, or art or literature, or technology in the last 500 years...we've leapt ahead in all material terms, but the Muslim world would say we have fallen down in all spiritual and moral terms. We have to accept our share of the blame and they have to accept theirs." ~ Baron Norman Tebbit -
U.S. Soldier Guilty Of War Crimes
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
image by jamesdale10
Sgt. First Class Joseph P. Mayo has pleaded guilty to the murder of four detained Iraqi prisoners in 2007. Sgt. Mayo told the Court Marshall that he believed the killings in the best interest of his soldiers but then pleaded guilty to premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Back in February 2009 Sgt Michael Leahy was found guilty for his part in the same murders:
"A U.S. Army sergeant pleaded guilty to murder Monday in the deaths of four Iraqi prisoners in 2007, telling a military court that the slayings were "in the best interest of my soldiers."
Sgt. First Class Joseph P. Mayo, 27, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and became the fourth soldier convicted in the killing of four Iraqi men in Baghdad in the spring of 2007. The prisoners were each shot in back of the head while handcuffed and blindfolded, then dumped into a canal, according to testimony at the U.S. Army's Rose Barracks Courthouse in Vilseck, Germany.
The Iraqis had been arrested on suspicion of attacking U.S. military patrols in Baghdad after they were found in possession of rifles and ammunition. Frustrated by a lack of evidence to keep them in detention, however, members of Mayo's infantry unit took the prisoners to a remote area and executed them, according to testimony and evidence presented in the case.
"I really believed I was protecting my soldiers," Mayo told the court Monday. "I take full responsibility for my actions. Now I have to pay for my mistake." He pleaded guilty to premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder. "
(Source: Washington Post) -
Islam And The West Accelerated Links [03/29/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad- Yid With Lid equates American diplomatic moves towards Iran and Syria with capitulation.
- Unveiling Christianity exposes the Christian concept of atonement through the "Lord's prayer."
- Thomas Ricks gives his personal verdict on Obama's Afghanistan strategy.
- The Hasbara Buster looks at the equality between Jews and Arabs in Israel's house demolition policy.
- The Anti-Zionist Jew reproduces a rabbinic quote from before World War II concerning the Zionists
- The Angry Arab News Service adds the sums up and finds that Kurdish politicians are looting $35 million a month from the nations exchequer.
- Sultan Knish with yet another laborious post about how Islam and Muslims are incompatible with the west.
- South Jerusalem asks the eternal question where's the Palestinian Mahatma Gandhi ?
- John J. Mearsheimer on Stephen Walt's blog asks Israel's American backers where Netanyahu's settler policy will lead.
- Samson Blinded explains why secular Israelis do not have a leg to stand on.
- Sabria Jawhar brings you the blood lust of the Israeli Defence Force through the T-shirts of its soldiers.
- Realistic Dove disagrees with Israel critics who negate the Israeli narrative on the Arab-Zionist conflict.
- Mondoweiss asks if agreement over a "two state solution" is unobtainable what next ?
- Jews Sans Frontieres pokes fun at the Israel Defence Force being the most moral army in the world.
- Israpundit attacks Israel's hypocritical critics who attack Netanyahu and Lieberman but remain silent on Arab leaders.
- Haitham Sabbah raises the possibility that Israeli claims to land in East Jerusalem may stem from forged Ottoman title deeds.
- Ethnic Ashkenazim Against Zionist Israel looks at how Second Temple Judaism became the Zionism of today.
- Elder of Ziyon is all in a lathering bother over Gilad Atzmon discussing the topic of anti-semitism.
- Dr. M brings you his very own bailout plan.
- Crossroads Arabia worries about Saudi Arabia's future under Prince/King Naif.
- Craig Murray is over the moon that the British government has finally admitted to benefiting from torture.
- Atlas Shrugs with a British television documentary about honour killings in Turkey.
- Atheo News reports that Abu Ghraib torture suit against defense giant CACI goes forward.
- An Indian Muslims asks why there were no tears for killed Muslim member of the Indian army ?
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Latest Islam And The West Blogroll Additions
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThere are two new additions to the Islam and the West Blogroll. The first blog to be added is that of that of Thomas Ricks. Ricks is the Washington Post Pentagon and military correspondent while also being a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. As a member of the Washington Post team he won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting of the U.S. counteroffensive against terrorism.
The second addition to the blogroll is Dan Fleshler's Realistic Dove. Fleshler describes his blog as such: "Candid, constructive commentary on Israel, the Arab-Israeli conflict, America’s Middle East policies and their domestic political context."
May I ask that regular readers and not so regular readers pay a visit to the blogs mentioned above. I am sure that both commentators will give readers much food for thought.
P.S. For more on Thomas Ricks please see:
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100 Posts.. And grwoing..
» The Times Of KashmirAlhamdulillah, this is the 101st post in the Times Of Kashmir.. It has come a long way since September 2006 when I was experimenting with how a blog works.. Almost 2 and a half years of my life.. September 22, to be precise.. Click here to go to the first post of TOK.. When it was called "Eldin Bleze".. If you do have a look at it, you will notice that a significant change has occured in my writing style.. I have a new friend Alec Smart who keeps on saying different things all the time.. and this is what he wants to share with you...
Alec Smart Said:
"
Adaab, godhe boaznawan malik altaf kashere khabre..
Vaadi manz rued az haalat nasaaz, mausam tae ruod setha kafeel. Godhe akh tijarati waqfe
"
Happy Aniversary TOK...
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Image: When Zionist Leaders Dressed Up As "Islamofascist Sand Niggers"
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
image by snowdog
Image of Emir Feisal who went on to become the King of Iraq and Chaim Weizmann who went on to become the first president of Israel. It was taken in Syria and dated 1918. -
Quote: American Exceptionalism And President Andrew Jackson
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"What good man would prefer a country covered with forests and ranged by a few thousand savages to our extensive Republic, studded with cities, towns, and prosperous farms, embellished with all the improvements which art can devise or industry execute, occupied by more than 12,000,000 happy people, and filled with all the blessings of liberty, civilization, and religion ? " ~ Andrew Jackson, 7th American President 1767-1845. -
"Third World" Israeli Soldiers Convicted Of Taking Bribes
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadIn a case that resembles more a third world "rag-tag" army rather than a regional superpower two Israeli soldiers have been convicted of receiving bribes.
The servicemen were sentenced on Wednesday by the Jaffa Military Court to jail spanning ten and a half and nine months respectively. They were found guilty of letting Palestinians through security check posts in Tulkarem during 2008 in return for monetary benefit:
"The Jaffa Military Court sent two Israel Defense Forces soldiers to prison Wednesday, after finding them guilty of allowing Palestinian to enter Israel in exchange of bribes.
The two, who serve in the Infantry Corps' Kfir Brigade, were sentenced to 10 and a half and nine months in jail.
The incident in question took place in a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, in 2008. The soldiers were stationed at the checkpoint and tasked with validating the identification papers and crossing permits to the Palestinians going through their post.
Before too long, their commanding officer was tipped off that the two were paid several hundred shekels to let Palestinians through unchecked. The matter was turned over to the Military Police and an investigation soon followed.....
....Attorneys Eyal Nun and Natanel Peretz, for the defendant, said they intend on appealing the verdict, on grounds that the two's commanding officers' conduct was not investigated.
"The commanding officers' responsibility for this failure was not probed… such constitutional failures may lead to the future assault or even abdication of soldiers. Soldiers stationed in the checkpoints are often sleep and food deprived, which may impair their judgment," said the defense." (Source: Ynet News)
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What's The Worst Airline Flight You've Taken ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadI was speaking to some work colleagues earlier today during our lunch break and the topic of summer holidays came up.
One of the ladies enjoying her tuna sandwich remarked that this Easter will be the first time that she board an aeroplane. She must be in her mid to late 60's but has always avoided travel by plane through an intense fear of flying.
As soon as she mentioned this, naturally as is the way, we all started recounting the worst flights we had been on in your lives. Safe to say that if her confidence levels were low before our conversion, after listening to us for 15 minutes they must have been non-existent.
All of which got me thinking, what really was the worst flight I had been on in my life. After due thought and consideration I narrowed it down to a trip I took in the 1980's.
My mother and I were meant to be flying non-stop to New Delhi on Air India. I still remember it took my farther 3 hours to drive to the airport only to be told once we tried to check-in that the flight was over booked and if we minded waiting a few days.
My father is not the most patient of people at the best of times so on cue he started an almighty argument. The end result of the fiasco at the check-in desk was that both my mother and I were able to board the plane.
Once seated we relaxed and looked to forward to the boredom and tedium of a non-stop flight to New Delhi. To our surprise after only about 20 minutes or so due to "unforeseen circumstances" the plane had to land at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris.
Once on the tarmac my surprise turned to irritation when the ground crew started vacuum cleaning the aircraft while all the passengers were still aboard and seated. With the aircraft duly cleaned we resumed our flight eastwards.
After about another 30 minutes or so we were informed by an air hostess that the aircraft had to land at Leonard Da Vinci airport in Rome because of technical reasons. Due to our previous experience in Paris all of the passengers were eagerly waiting to find out the cause of the latest "technical difficulty."
You can imagine our surprise when we found out that the aircraft had no food on board and it was this that had dictated our stop. So as soon as we landed the ground staff started loading the plane with food trays. Fully loaded with the most "aromatic" of curries and other culinary delights we started once again our "non-stop" flight to New Delhi.
From personal experience I have to say that this was probably the worst airline flight I've taken. Claiming such an accolade is the no mean feet as throughout my life I have travelled on a number of carriers.
I am sure you'll be pleased to know that since that day I have never ever flown on Air India again. They must have improved their service since then but why should I take the chance with my money and comfort?
Now its over to you. What has been the worst flight you've taken in your life ? -
Hevron: Gaza War Hero Suspected Of Attack On Arab Females
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadAn officer in the Israeli Defense Force who participated in the recent anti-terror operation in Gaza is being investigated for attacking an Arab girl in Hevron.
The unnamed solider was arrested after claims he beat a Palestinian women, her sister and her daughter in Hevron:
"An officer who fought in the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza and was slated to receive a citation for his performance was arrested recently on suspicion of assaulting a Palestinian girl in the Hebron area....
..The Investigating Military Police sought to keep the officer in jail, but over the weekend it was decided that he would remain outside his unit in an open prison (in confinement conditions).....
..The incident occurred about a week after Operation Cast Lead ended, while the officer's unit was stationed in the Hebron area as part of routine security measures...
..Taysir Abu Aisha, the father of the girl who was allegedly assaulted, told Ynet about the incident: "My nephew and my sisters came over to visit us, and they are registered as people who are allowed to enter the area according to an IDF decision, as some of them are even registered as living in a house owned by my father. The moment they arrived, a female settler emerged and began pushing them away and cursing them."
According to Abu Aisha, at this point the officer intervened and used violence against his daughter.
"My daughter Fidaa went out with her camera, and he beat her and her aunt and came into the house. In the house he beat my wife and took the camera. A UN monitors' representatives saw the signs on my wife's leg and photographed them. The officer warned the family members not to approach the area again or he would hit them.
"The amazing thing is that the officer apparently tried to precede us, and filed a complaint against my daughter," the father added. "They took us in for questioning, and the photo proved that the person who beat us and used violence was the officer. My daughter and niece were released and the investigation is ongoing, and the videotape is still with the police."
The family members also reported that the officer had a habit of entering Palestinians' homes "in order to maintain order." (Source: Ynet News)
For more on the Israeli Defense Force see:
- Justice Catching Up With An Israeli Terrorist
- "Thieving" Israeli Soldiers Caught Red Handed
- Another Israeli Soldier Is Caught Stealing
- Israeli Military Rabbi: Muslim Suffering Means Diddly Squat
- Israel Jails Jewish Soldiers Who Refuse To Be Taught By Women
- Exposed: How Israel Uses Arab Human Shields
- Israeli Minister: IDF Endangers Own Soldiers To Save Arabs
- Israeli Army Officer Assaulted With Shoes In Holland
- Israel's Death Squads: A Sharp Shooter Reveals The Truth
- Some Israeli Soldiers Prefer Paganism To God Of Abraham
- Liveleak Video: Mayhem In Hebron
- Liveleak Video: BBC Embeds With IDF In Gaza
- Youtube Video: The IDF Is The Most Humane Army In The World
- Liveleak Video: Israeli Defense Force Speaks To Gaza In Arabic
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The Demise Of Wall Street [2]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadGuest writer M. Shahid Alam of Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, continues to explain why he thinks the current global economic situation will lead to international finance centers moving to Beijing and New Delhi.
I was on sabbatical when Al-Qaida brought down the Twin Towers on September 11. Then, I was relieved to be away from my students, afraid that some of them might want to lump me with those who had perpetrated these attacks.
I am on sabbatical, again, as the towers on Wall Street were being toppled by greed, recklessness and fraud; by a free-market ideology that has no regard for human life; by capitalist elites and their partners in the White House and Congress, who had turned the financial sector into a giant Ponzi scheme.
Americans have been subjected to acts of 'terrorism' whose final human toll will make September 11 look like a tea party. The perpetrators of this terror are all homegrown; they were trained not in the mountains of Afghanistan but at Harvard, Yale and Stanford; the bankers, executives and legislators who preyed on Americans are the crème de la crème of American society.
Image by: Matze Ott
When I return to teach in Fall of this year, I expect to meet students chastened by their experience. Nothing undermines capitalist ideologies faster and more effectively than capitalist crises. No critique of capitalism can be more penetrating than the depredations of unemployment, immiseration, homelessness that it inflicts on its victims. So recently victimized – at the very center of global capitalism – perhaps, Americans might learn to empathize with victims elsewhere – in Africa, Asia and Latin America – who have been ravaged by this system for centuries.
Capitalist ideologues will be working overtime to deflect American anger away from the system to a few villains, to a few rotten apples. Congressional hearings will identify scapegoats; they will hang a few 'witches.' A few capitalist barons will be sacrificed. As public anger subsides, attempts will be made to shift the blame to feckless home buyers and compulsive consumers. At all costs, the system must be saved. The capitalist show must go on, with as little change as possible.
Quite apart from this crisis, however, new technologies, in combination with the irreversible shift of sovereignty to some segments of the capitalist periphery, have been changing the dynamics of unequal development. The high-wage workers – the so-called middle classes in the developed countries – have been losing the protection they have long enjoyed against competition from low-wage workers in China and India.
More and more global capitalism will enrich some workers in the ‘periphery’ at the cost of workers in the ‘centers’ of capitalism. In the years ahead, the great alliance that was forged be-tween capitalists and workers in the centers of capitalism will come under greater strain. More and more, the interests of these two classes will diverge.
Powerful corporations will still insist on openness, while growing ranks of workers will press for protectionism. This revival of class conflict in the old capitalist centers will strain existing political arrangements. After a co-optation that has lasted for more than a century, the demos will begin to threaten the corporate elites. New demands will be placed on intellectual mercenaries in the media and academia to use new, more effective tools to dumb down the demos.
As growing segments of high-wage workers in the rich countries become the new victims of capitalism, will they slowly learn to see capitalism from the standpoint of its victims? In this new emerging reality, will orthodox economics migrate from its old centers in London, Cambridge and Chicago to new centers in Bangalore and Beijing?
A curious world this will be when seen from the old centers. In truth, this will only be a long-delayed correction to two centuries of unequal development, dominated by Western centers. Sadly, the correction will not go far enough: it will leave much of the world mired in poverty and disease.
The first part of article can be accessed from: The Demise Of Wall Street [1]
M. Shahid Alam is professor of economics at Northeastern University. This essay is excerpted from his forthcoming book, Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism.
For other posts related to the topic of economics see:
- Video: Usury, Perpetual Debt And Western Capitalism
- The Credit Crunch, 5 Trillion Dollars And The Demise Of The American Empire
-
From The Benefits Of Capitalism: The 10 Biggest Stock Market Crashes of All Time
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Will Anti-Semitism Aid Israel Housing Recovery ?
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadGlobal anti-semitism may aid the housing market in Israel. Africa Israel Residence Ltd. owned by diamond tycoon Lev Leviev says that rises in anti-semitism may cause a rise in next year's housing market:
"Africa Israel Residence Ltd., the Israeli housing developer controlled by diamond tycoon Lev Leviev, sees anti-Semitism abroad as one of the factors that may drive sales this year.
"Signs of growing anti-Semitism in the world may act as a catalyst to apartment purchases in Israel by foreign residents, despite the economic crisis," Africa Israel said in its quarterly report, posted on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange's Web site Sunday." (Source: Jerusalem Post) -
The Demise Of Wall Street [1]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadGuest writer M. Shahid Alam of Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, explains why he thinks the current global economic situation will lead to international finance centers moving to Beijing and New Delhi.
It has never been easy offering a critique of capitalism or markets to my undergraduate students. Most have never heard an unkind word about these bedrock institutions, which they know to be the foundations of American power and prosperity.
These are hallowed institutions. The power of private capital to produce jobs, wealth and freedom is one of the central dogmas that many Americans absorb with their mother’s milk. To hear this dogma challenged – in any context – is unsettling. I sometimes suspect that this bitter pill is harder to swallow because it emanates from someone who, so transparently, is not a native-born American.
Image by: Matze Ott
As the weeks pass, however, my students appear to settle down. In the past, they have been reassured to learn that markets have done a good job at delivering prosperity to a few centers of global capitalism. They do work for us, even if they have not worked for most Asians, Africans and Latin Americans.
Nevertheless, the thesis that ‘free’ markets have rarely worked for economies lagging far behind the economic leaders, does not quite take root. The fault could not lie with markets. For too long, the West has believed that Asians, Africans and Latin Americans failed because they were lazy, spendthrift, venal and unimaginative.
My students – like most Americans – have been conditioned to look at capitalism from the standpoint of the winners in global capitalism. Because of the accident of birth, they have been the beneficiaries of the wealth and power that global capitalism concentrates at the nodes of the system. They cannot conceive how a system that has worked so well for them could produce misery for others in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
I have been away from my teaching duties as the United States has led the world into a deepening recession. Within a few months, the titans of Wall Street have been laid low, rescued from extinction by tax-financed bailouts. Teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, the auto giants have been placed on life-support also by taxpayers, their future still uncertain. In this maelstrom, there steps forward Bernard L. Madoff, the Einstein of Ponzi schemes, who operated his colossal con for twenty years without notice from regulators.
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs; millions are threatened with loss of their homes; millions have seen their retirement funds melt before their eyes; millions are threatened with loss of health care. As Americans on Main Street were being devastated, executives of bailed out banks continued to receive millions in bonuses. That straw now threatens to break the back of the fabled American tolerance for the foibles of the capitalist system.
Ordinarily, American democracy directs its venom against writers and activists on the left, foolish enough to want to defend the underprivileged. For a change, Americans are threatening captains of finance, venerable bankers, with dire consequences – even death threats.
I was on sabbatical when Al-Qaida brought down the Twin Towers on September 11. Then, I was relieved to be away from my students, afraid that some of them might want to lump me with those who had perpetrated these attacks......
To be continued......
....The second part of this article can be accessed from: The Demise Of Wall Street [2]
M. Shahid Alam is professor of economics at Northeastern University. This essay is excerpted from his forthcoming book, Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism.
For other posts related to the topic of economics see:
- Video: Usury, Perpetual Debt And Western Capitalism
- The Credit Crunch, 5 Trillion Dollars And The Demise Of The American Empire
-
From The Benefits Of Capitalism: The 10 Biggest Stock Market Crashes of All Time
-
15:23
Vocabulary in crisis
» Arif Shora's Thought DumpThe most common and the scariest word doing rounds in these times is ‘Recession’ itself. Even affected illiterate business men seem to be awed by the angrezi shabd. “Angrez galti karte hain to bughatna hum ko padh raha hai” . This was the thought expressed by my cab driver while taking me home from office, [...]
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Islam And The West Accelerated Links [03/22/2009]
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad- Atlas Shrugs berates President Obama for "surrendering" to the Mullahs of Iran.
- Craig Murray advises the British Government to support George Galloway's freedom of expression, after the left-wing member of Parliament was barred from speaking in Canada.
- Dr. M gives his own style of analysis on the Chas Freeman affair.
- Elder of Ziyon wants everyone to hold their horses over claims that Israel carried out war crimes in Gaza.
- Ethnic Ashkenazim Against Zionist Israel looks at Jews under Stalin.
- Hitchens Watch examines claims that Christopher Hitchens is against the use of torture.
- Israpundit has disturbing news for all those that wish to boycott Israeli goods.
- Lancaster Unity exposes the B.N.P organiser arrested on claims of harassing a Muslim councillor.
- Mondoweiss contends that a "philosemitic culture" exists in the US as opposed to an Israel lobby.
- Haitham Sabbah has a guest blog post from Gilad Atzmon examines the Holocaust and the end of Jewish history.
- Samson Blinded makes the assertion that the right-wing in Israel is anything but right-wing.
- Stephen M. Walt answers those who say that only obsessed anti-semites keep writing about the Middle East.
- Sultan Knish enumerates the high cost of Islam.
- The Angry Arab News Service shows you the crude nature of American propaganda in the Arab world.
- The Anti-Zionist Jew with a historical quote about the chief organiser of Zionism.
- The Hasbara Buster exposes the link between anti-semitism and migration to Israel.
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Some Israeli Soldiers Prefer Paganism To God Of Abraham
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
Image by Midnightblueowl
The Israeli daily Haaretz reports that a small number of soldiers who took part in the recent anti-terror operations in Gaza may have been pagans.
Quoting Omer a serving solider in the Israeli Defense Force the paper said he saw his pagan gods during combat in Gaza and he is not the only pagan in Israel:
"Like many other soldiers who took part in the Gaza operation, Omer, 20, occasionally took a few moments to pray, but he did not pray to the Lord of Israel. Omer considers himself pagan, and has sworn allegiance to three ancient gods. During combat, he says they appeared before him, giving him strength during the most arduous moments.
Omer is still in the army, and therefore refused to be interviewed for this story. Yet he did say he belongs to a religion whose goal is to revive worship of ancient gods.
In an online Hebrew-language paganism forum, Omer's accounts of his Gaza experience are standard fare. Another user recalled how he prayed to Anat, the Canaanite god of war, while serving in an elite combat unit.
The two soldiers are part of a tiny community of pagans that has developed in Israel. Influenced by movements in the United States and Europe, followers believe in multiple gods....
...Due to Jewish sensitivity to idol worship, which is perceived as a sin, most Israeli pagans reveal their beliefs only to those who share them. They usually keep religious gatherings, such as the "holiday of equality" (Vernal equinox) on March 21st, secret.
Alon Kobets, 29, a neo-paganist from Rehovot, is one of the few who decided "to come out of the closet."
"Some people live in fear, but I'm past hiding my faith," he said. "Some guys live with religious families. They can't tell their parents, 'I don't believe in Judaism, I'm a pagan.' They'd chop off their heads."
Several years ago, Kobets took an interest in Wicca, a neo-pagan religion founded 50 years ago in England. Wicca calls for worshiping nature and an ancient goddess. Kobets abandoned Wicca upon enlisting in the IDF, but enthusiastically re-embraced it after completing his army service....
...Kobets says neo-paganism is a pluralistic religion, and every follower sets his own worship method. Nonetheless, the pagans interviewed for this article agreed their faith runs counter to Judaism, and added that they do not consider themselves Jewish.
"Judaism is a religion, it's something imposed and artificial," said Samuel, who runs a paganism forum on the Web portal Tapuz.
"I don't consider myself a Jew, but I do consider myself Israeli," he said.
Kobets agrees. "There is a problem with Judaism. Judaism contradicts paganism. Judaism has only one god, and if you do not believe in him, you will be driven off with stones." (Source: Haaretz)
I wonder what the Christian Zionists have to say about all this paganism and Israel? -
Top Ten Most Stupidest Iraq Quotes
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadWith peace, light and Jeffersonian democracy fully established in Iraq. The war and subsequent vicious insurgency are just a distant and fading memory in the mind of the main stream media. I thought it would advantageous to take a look back at the top ten most stupid Iraq quotes from recent history:
- "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." --Vice President Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 20, 2005.
- "My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators." –Vice President Dick Cheney, "Meet the Press," March 16, 2003.
- "We've found the weapons of mass destruction." –President Bush,"CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports," May 30, 2003.
- "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." –National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, on Iraq's nuclear capabilities and the Bush administration's case for war, Sept. 8, 2002.
- "I don't know anybody that I can think of who has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons." –Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, June 24, 2003
- "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." —President Bush, discussing the Iraq war with Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, after Robertson told him he should prepare the American people for casualties.
- "Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
- "I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq. Those who want to come and help are welcome. Those who come to interfere and destroy are not." Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, press conference in Mosul, Iraq, July 21, 2003.
- "I think we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome." —George W. Bush, defending Vice President Dick Cheney's pre-war assertion that the United States would be welcomed in Iraq as liberators, NBC Nightly News interview, Dec. 12, 2005"
- "I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that," - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld quoted by CNN on the impending war on Iraq, November 15, 2002 .
- "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." --Vice President Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 20, 2005.
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U.S. Military Sex Attacks Rise To 2,923 In 2008
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadA Pentagon report has found an 8% rise in sex attacks involving the United States military in 2008. The same report also found that alleged sex attacks by U.S. military personal stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan had risen by 25%:
"Reports of sexual assault by US military personnel against both fellow troops and civilians rose by some 8% last year to 2,923, the Pentagon says.
The number of incidents reported in Iraq and Afghanistan rose by about a quarter on the previous year to 163....
...Among the report's findings:
* There were 2,923 reported sexual assaults in the 2008 fiscal year, up from 2,688 in 2007
* There 251 incidents in combat areas, including 141 in Iraq and 22 in Afghanistan
* Investigations took place in 2,763 cases. In 832 cases, action was taken, including 317 courts-martial, a rise of 38%
* Of the 6.8% of women and 1.8% of men who indicated they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, the majority - 79% of women and 78% of men - chose not to report it." (Source: BBC News) -
Quote: George H.W. Bush's Response To Killing Children
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad"I will never apologize for the United States of America - I don't care what the facts are." ~ George H. W. Bush speaks about the U.S. shooting down of an Iranian civilian airliner on Sunday 3 July 1988, in the Gulf, killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard including 66 children. -
Global Recession Hits Dubai: Expat Party Is Over
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadThe usury inspired global recession is starting to hit parts of the world not usually associated with hard times. It seems that for the expat community in Dubai the party is most definitely well and truly over:
"For thousands of expatriates lured to Dubai by the promise of year-round sunshine and a tax-free lifestyle, the party is over. Corporate restructurings have arrived hard on the heels of steep falls in property prices and plummeting consumer confidence; El Dorado is fading back into desert. As the cutbacks spread from finance and real estate to sectors such as tourism, media and retail, many are packing up and heading home.
Dubai’s roads and restaurants are noticeably quieter and once-exorbitant rents are becoming more reasonable by the month. The government claims visa issuance is holding up and denies reports of mass cancellations. But a YouGov poll in the UAE found more than half of respondents knew a family member or close friend who had been made redundant, a figure that had risen sharply from the end of 2008....
...The end of this month is expected to accelerate the departures among two of the largest white-collar expat communities, Britons and Indians, as it signals the end of the Indian school year and British schools’ spring term. Many employers have aided sacked staff, especially those with children, by extending visas so they do not have to leave quickly. Britons have also been wary of tax liabilities caused by returning before April 1, the new UK tax year." (Source: Financial Times)
I wonder how many of these western expats after enjoying the good times in Dubai will return to the "civilised world" only to bad mouth Muslims. -
Rabbi Rabinovitch Tells Pope Benedict "To Loose" The Cross
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadPope Benedict XVI is expected to visit Israel during May 2009. A part of his sojourn will involve the Pontiff visiting the Judaism's most scared site - the Western Wall.
The complex in Jerusalem is overseen by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch and in statement to the Jerusalem Post, Rabinovitch will request that Pope Benedict attends the site sans cross:
"Ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's May visit to Israel, the rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch, has said that it is not proper to come to the site wearing a cross...
"My position is that it is not fitting to enter the Western Wall area with religious symbols, including a cross," said Rabinovitch in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post Monday. "I feel the same way about a Jew putting on a tallit and phylacteries and going into a church."
Rabinovitch is responsible for religious decorum at the site.
"In coming days I intend to discuss the issue with the pope's people," Wadie Abunassar, media coordinator for the pope's visit to the Holy Land, said in response to reports that the pontiff would not remove his cross. "I cannot imagine the Holy Father removing his cross." (Source: Jerusalem Post)
For more on Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch see: How Israel Treats Her Christian Supporters -
Islam And The West Passes 100,000
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadToday Islam And The West passed the 100,000 barrier. That's right since the inception of this blog in October 2005 and up to today it has received 100,167 hits.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the regular and not so regular visitors for making this possible.
If you enjoy reading "Islam And The West" and have not done so already I humbly encourage you to sign up for regular updates via RSS or E-mail or Twitter.
Once again thank you for all your support and until we meet next time you have my best wishes. -
Israel Terror Victims: We'll Murder Any Freed Terrorists
» Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri NomadStrenuous efforts have been taking place between Israel, intermediaries and the Hamas movement all aimed at securing the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Galid Shalit. Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped in a cross border raid by Palestinian Arabs in June 2006.
As is the way in such situations the whole process hinges on Israel releasing Arab prisoners it holds in exchange for Gilad Shalit.
Since news of a possible prisoner exchange has become known two Israeli victims of Arabterror have warned the Israeli government of dire consequences.
Meir and Shvuel Schijveschuuder whose family was killed in a terror bombing have warned the authorities that they aim to kill any freed terrorists:
"Many Israelis who have lost loved ones to terrorist attacks have protested the government's plan to release terrorists who have murdered in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. On Monday, brothers Meir and Shvuel Schijveschuuder issued an ultimatum: If the terrorists are freed, bereaved families will take the law into their own hands and kill the terrorists in revenge.
The brothers announced their plan to the world in an interview with the Hebrew-language daily Yediot Acharonot. The interview was printed on Monday morning.
The Schijveschuuder family was decimated in the 2001 bombing of the Sbarro restaurant in downtown Jerusalem. Parents Mordechai and Tzira were killed, as were 14-year-old Ra'aya, four-year-old Avraham Yitzchak and two-year-old Hemda.
Meir and Shvuel made it clear that they would go after all released killers, and not only those who attacked their family. "The plan is to reach each and every one who has Jewish blood on his hands and to give them a field trial – the meaning should be clear," Shvuel said." (Source: Arutz Sheva)
