Qaddafi at the United Nations

In case you missed it, Muammar Qaddafi really outdid himself at the United Nations on Wednesday. His rambling rant lasted 75 minutes longer than his allotted 15 minutes. After being introduced by one of his aides as the "king of kings of Africa", he proceeded to ramble on about the causes of the Korean War, a conspiracy theory involving the the Kennedy assassination, he questioned whether the swine flu had been designed in a laboratory and tore up a copy of the United Nations Charter. His speech had at least one casualty. After struggling with this incoherent rambling for 75 minutes, Qaddafi's personal translator shouted into the microphone, "I can't take it anymore." - in Arabic. One of the UN's official translators relieved him and finished translating the speech. He was given the next day off for his efforts. Another one of the UN's official Arabic translators wrapped it up in an understatement, ""He’s not exactly the most lucid speaker."

On Thursday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech led to a major walk out by delegates from the US, Argentina, Australia, Britain, Costa Rica, Denmark, France Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, and others (mainly EU countries). Canada and Israel had boycotted the speech from the beginning. Ahamdinejad ended up speaking to a half empty hall.

Quite a 24 hour period at the United Nations!

Hugo Chavez and Me

Who knew Hugo Chavez and I had something in common? Here is the YouTube video in which Chavez explains what he thinks of Fox News.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V3luj9gs1c

Mugabe: A Hero?

You have got to check this out. This link comes from Michele Haimowitz. It is Mugabe's interview with Christine Amanpour of CNN. Mugabe sees himself as an African hero, defending his homeland against outsiders, both African and non-African. He describes Archbishop Desmond Tutu as the "little man." Make sure you look at the video.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/09/24/zimbabwe.mugabe.amanpour/index.html

Do you think Mugabe really believes everything he says?

Coed University in Saudi Arabia ?!

Saudi Arabia is about to open a new university unlike any in the conservative kingdom. It is The King Abdullah Science and Technology University (KAUST). It is a state-of-the-art university with the latest equipment including the world's 14th fastest supercomputer. The university is planned as an oasis of scientific freedom in a land dominated by religious conservatives. Tuition is $70,000 a year, but is paid by the government. Saudi Arabia hopes to attract students from around the world plus develop a native scientific community in areas not related to the oil industry. Most surprising is the freedom women will have on campus. Women will not have to wear veils or cover their faces, and they will be able to mingle freely with male students. Women will even be able to drive on campus.

Is this a sign of the first crack in the conservatism of Saudi Arabia or will the conservatives see it as a threat and use it as a target in their "defense" of fundamental Islam?

Power of Words: Obama on the Middle East

I was struck by President Obama's choice of words when he talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He called for

"Two states living side by side in peace and security — a Jewish state of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967..."

Obama made it quite clear that he feels Israel must keep its Jewish identity. At the same time, he described the West Bank as occupied territory. This vocuablulary seemed surprisingly blunt coming from an American president at an open forum. Was this language surprising to you? Do you think it can further the cause of peace or be a detriment to Obama's role as mediator?

I loved the way Obama reminded the UN Assembly what this (and all) conflicts are about:

"We must remember that the greatest price of this conflict is not paid by us. It's not paid by politicians. It's paid by the Israeli girl in Sderot who closes her eyes in fear that a rocket will take her life in the middle of the night. It's paid for by the Palestinian boy in Gaza who has no clean water and no country to call his own. These are all God's children. And after all the politics and all the posturing, this is about the right of every human being to live with dignity and security."

Amen.

New Freedom for Women in Swat Valley

This recommendation comes from Zach Mag. After over six months of Taliban rule in Swat Valley in Pakistan, the area is free again. This journal article from the NYT describes how the burqa was used to control the female population. If you have not yet read Nadia Elkadi's comments about the the trousers controversy in Sudan, this article makes a very good companion piece. What do you think of the use of clothing as a way to keep women oppressed? Is the requirement of wearing the burqa more substance or more symbolic?


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/world/asia/23burqa.html?_r=1&ref=world

Hope for a Mideast Peace?

Sometimes peace between the Israelis and Palestinians seems impossible. It is wonderful to read of people working for a peace which will bring about a two state solution. There was a new 424 page blueprint for peace presented yesterday. It includes a sunken four lane highway built through Israel, connecting Gaza and the West Bank. It also allows some of East Jerusalem to be part of the Palestinian state while allowing the neighborhoods of the 200,000 Israelis who have moved into Jerusalem since the 1967 war to remain in Israel. Both groups would have access to the Old City and its religious shrines, but from separate gates. It is complex, complicated and creative. What is best is that there are people who have not given up hope that peace can be established.

Do you think peace is possible?

To read more on the plan, go to the following site from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/59430457.html

Do you have your copy yet?

"If you have always wondered whether you can change the world, read this book. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have written a brilliant call to arms that describes one of the transcendent injustices in the world today—the brutal treatment of women. They take you to many countries, introduce you to extraordinary women, and tell you their moving tales. Throughout, the tone is practical not preachy and the book’s suggestions as to how you can make a difference are simple, sensible, and yet powerful. The authors vividly describe a terrible reality about the world we live in but they also provide light and hope that we can, in fact, change it.”

-Fareed Zakaria, author, The Post-American World

Trousers in Sudan

Lubna Hussein has been freed from prison against her own wishes. Hussein and other women were arrested for public indecency for wearing trousers in a public cafe in Khartoum. The punishment decreed was flogging. Ten women accepted the flogging, reportedly 40 lashes, but Hussein refused and fought it in a public trial which drew international criticism. Her punishment was reduced from the flogging to a $200 fine which she refused to pay. This led to her imprisonment. Now her fine has been paid by a member of the ruling party who wanted to end the international attention which this case has brought to Sudan for their uneven and arbitrary application of laws about what is meant by public indecency. Many human rights groups believe that the laws target women from southern Sudan who are mostly Christian and are supposed to be free from the Islamic rules of the northern (and ruling) part of Sudan. Many people in the West are celebrating Lubna Hussein's victory for human rights. However, there is another side to this story.

In 2004, France banned the wearing of religious symbols in public schools. Although the hijab (head scarf) is never mentioned in the law, many people interpreted this as a move against Muslim girls. Muslims make up between 5 and 10 percent of the population of France. The private sector followed the public law and refused to hire and even fired women wearing the hijab. In August, a woman was refused admission into a bank where she had her account because she was wearing an hijab.

Many Muslims sites and blogs argue that France's ban on the hijab is no different than Sudan's ban on trousers.

Do you thnk that is a sound argument?

Hugo Chavez in Venice

Oliver Stone's new documentary, "South of the Border," premiered at the Venice film festival on September 7. It is about the leftist revolution which is taking place in many Latin American nations, and Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez is the star of the movie. Chavez was present for the premier and walked the red carpet. Stone endorsed Chavez's socialist agenda and described American opposition to it as "predatory capitalism". Obviously, Stone is entitled to his opinion of this controversial leader, but it seems amazing to hold him up as a beacon of democracy when he has suppressed opposition in his country. Chavez is a controversial leader, but Stone explained that he felt no need to include any opposing points of view in his film. "A dark side? There's a dark side to everything. Why do you seek out the dark side when the guy is doing good things?"

Oliver Stone predicts he will have a difficult time having his film released in the U.S. because of a complex America has about our neighbors to the south. Do you think there is any truth to Stone's charges?

Prejudice against Islam

I just watched the piece from the Today show on Mukhtar Mai. For anyone who has followed this story for years, it will be remarkable to finally see her face and hear her voice. The site is:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32688575#32688575

There will be more on Dateline on Sunday night, NBC, 7:00 PM.

I am disturbed by one particular aspect of the story. According the reporter, the idea of gang rape followed by suicide by the victim is seen as honorable in the traditions of Pakistan, But, what is shown is men praying at a mosque!!! Rapes to recover family honor are not and never have been part of Islam. In fact, it was Mukhtar Mai's local Imam who encouraged her to go to the police and who accompanied her. And yet this reporting of the story seemed to me to be saying that it was Muslim tradition which allowed and encouraged rape as punishment. No wonder we have such a misunderstanding about Islam when a respectable news agency like NBC and a very fine reporter like Ann Curry can report in this fashion.

Please, someone watch this and let me know if I am overreacting.

Big News on Mukhtar Mai

From Nick Kristof (Who else?)

If you're up, watch NBC's Today Show Friday morning. Between 7 and 7:30, there'll be a segment about me and Mukhtar Mai, a Pakistani hero of mine and a star of "Half the Sky." She used rape compensation money to start a school. Then NBC Nightly News will report on maternal health in Pakistan, also by Ann Curry. It's great to see a network treating global maternal mortality as a serious issue.


Honestly, would any of this be happening without Nick Kristof? Doesn't this show what the persistence of one person can do when matched with the courage of one remarkable woman?

Release of the Lockerbie Bomber

The decision by the justice minister of Scotland to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted in the bombing of Pan-Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people on the plane and on the ground has caused great consternation on both sides of the Atlantic. Scottish law permits release on compassionate grounds. Mr. Megrahi is dying of cancer and has only months to live. Letting him go home to die among his family is surely an example of compassion which is not the same as justice. Many people including President Obama have raised objections and criticized the decision. I am not sure if people do not understand that compassion by its very definition is different from justice. Of course, this is not justice. Or, perhaps, people are upset by what our media described as a “hero’s welcome” when he arrived in Libya. From all I have read, the people at the airport were members of his tribe who turned out to welcome their family member home. There was no government recognition of the return nor government official present at his homecoming. I have even read that Scotland must be getting some economic benefit from Libya. I am going to suggest that this is just what it is said to be: a compassionate move in keeping with Scottish law.

Who thinks Scotland made a mistake?