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?