UK reputation in the Middle East

The UK's reputation was damaged when the government hesitated in calling for an immediate end to the Lebanon war last year, MPs have said.

UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is a major diplomatic and economic player in the Middle East. Historically, it was behind its current map. Under its occupation the majority of the Middle East states came to exist, including Israel.

The UK should have more positive involvement in this region. It still has a moral duty to participate in resolving the current tensions, especially between Israel and its opponents like Hamas and Hezbullah. Israel has the right to exist, but it shouldn’t exaggerate its actions against its opponents like Hamas to the point of starving them because it is assured of the support of countries like UK who mainly fall short of condemning its military actions and rarely come to express regret.

Siding with one party and ignoring or acting against the others will just perpetuate the tensions even longer. Ignoring the reality of the region will just make things worse for all sides, friends and foes.

Should Airport expansion be halted?

Up to 2,000 people are due at the Camp for Climate Action, with 250 already at the week-long protest against Heathrow expansion plans and aviation generally. Should airport expansions be held responsible for the danger of climate change?

One of the reasons of an increase in air travel is an unprecedented increase in tourism. it is a vital sector. Less air travel will simply cause a chain of events: less hotel booking, less use of other tourist facilities like buses, travel agencies, restaurants, new tourist projects, more redundancies in unprofitable sectors etc?

Is there any country ready to throw the fruit of tourism by stopping the expansion of airport facilities? Neither UK nor any other country will prevent its people from travelling to other parts of the world comfortably.

Air travel isn't only a pleasure activity, it is also one of the important activities that keep the economy going.

Air travel relatively plays a small part in climate change. Even curbing on air travel won’t stop the damage done to earth. There are constantly more factories and power stations all over the world. Economic boom leads to car consumption with their increasing carbon emission. If it is possible to stop the expansion of airports for environmental reasons, there can be no stop to factories expansion. There is no country ready to curtail its economic activities with its social and political risks. You can persuade people to sacrifice their time by taking land transportation like trains, but you can’t ask them to remain in abject economic conditions because there is the danger of climate change.

What is needed is innovation at all industrial level to make efficient machines working the most possible minimum of energy that can the biggest minimum damage to the climate.

Dreamliner is a good step towards making the air cleaner. The question is whether all the existing fleet of planes can be replaced with this new model. This will surely take decades in view of the cost and time constraint even for the company itself. The world still has to cohabit with these apparently old models which can be comfortable for journeys but they continue to make environmentalists uncomfortable or rather hot under the collar because of the advancing threat of global warming.

Ironically planes are still considered as a pride for individuals and countries. The more planes states have and the more planes people take, that is a sign of prosperity. The international shows are just an opportunity to attract more companies to buy while advertising make people eager to travel by air. (As according to the environmentalists, travelling by air is a health risk for the planet, should there be no advertisement for air travel or on plane tickets should there be warning on how many tons of carbons are emitted on each journey?

It seems the environmentalists are trying to scare people off air travel by using sound arguments to keep the Earth safe from global warming. The companies are concerned just about the safety of their planes and customers as well as the benefits. While financial interests and environmental concerns clash irreconcilably, the whole matter remains in the hands of the customers who in most cases choose the easiest means regardless of the long term consequences, especially when they are faced with contradictory arguments dumped with assurances that now we haven’t reached the critical stage yet and that technological researches can yield astounding solutions.

Who should be Afraid of Russia?

What’s more frightening is a single superpower dictating to the world what to do. To counterbalance such a superpower, there must be other powers that set the balance. Russia as a permanent Security Council member should have the means to exercise, among other things, its veto. By this it needs to be a solid country guarding its territorial and military influence. Russia getting more powerful is the concern of only big countries like China, India and USA who see it as a threatening rival.

Russian politicians are going to provide a challenge, especially to the American counterparts. They have opened a new front for them by engaging in military and territorial ventures. Without diplomatic negotiations between Russia and the USA, the relations can revert to open confrontation. The more concerned will be the USA to safeguard its current influence. For it it’s a matter of national pride. For Russia, gaining and regaining influence will be just a matter of try till it gets right.

The Russians have the right to be back on the world stage with force. In the past, Russia was a frightening communist state. Now it looks frightening because it is rising economically from its downfall following the misery experienced at the end of communism and the start of liberal policies. They may be feared just by those who can’t play it fair or have the means to conquer other lands but no defence to stop the forceful advance of the Russians.

However what is assuring is the new rising powers aren’t going to plunge the world in any crises. Each is jealous of interests without too much provoking the other. The cyclical aspect of events will bring about a new political world if new generations of politicians are set on making the world a better place through competition and not confrontation.

Saving a baby buffalo from the grip of lions

Asylum for Iraqi translators on hold

The UK government will make no decision for several months on the plight of Iraqi interpreters working with the British army in Basra, the Defence Secretary warned this morning.

The translators working for the military should be given asylum in UK on humanitarian grounds. They were valuable to the military in communication with the locals. For the translators, once discharged by the military, the can face an uncertain future as they may not have another job with the same pay or simply they can become jobless. They may run the risk of being attacked by the militias who will consider them just as traitors working for an occupier, facilitating for them their military operations.

But granting asylum to them can prove controversial among the Iraqis themselves. They will say that these translators have all the advantages. In Iraq, they are economically secure through the high pay while millions of Iraqis are struggling to eek out a living. After this they will have the chance to live in UK away from the daily violence affecting the Iraqis. There they can start a new life. The case of the translators is just an iceberg in an ocean of troubles. There are millions of Iraqis that are displaced within and outside Iraq. They can have more convincing arguments to be granted asylum as they have lost everything and they can’t return to their original places.

As there are other Iraqis working for British NGO and companies, singling out translators will be seen just as a preferential treatment while all those who work/ have worked with the British see themselves as no less than the translators.

For the UK, it can have security concerns about this kind of asylum seekers. They are coming from a war zone. There can the risk of at least one of them turning into a security threat. The recent terror attempts in London and Edinburgh showed that some of the suspects were of Middle Eastern origins with high education. So UK will have to carry out thorough investigations about the asylum seekers.

Maybe, the UK should have foreseen the likelihood of having asylum seekers of this kind. It could have included in its contracts with the translators that it responsibility with them ends with the contracts. Or perhaps the UK forces should have hired translators from other countries. In UK, there are plenty people of Middle Eastern origin who can do the job.

As a last resort, UK should intercede for them to have asylum in another Arab country like Jordan or the Gulf States. With their money, they can start a new life there, not as translators –probably. But by setting up a business, however small it may be just for dear life.

Sport and politics

sport has become a big business. No team or club can shine without sponsorship. Sport stars can win millions of dollars yearly while a large number of their fans live on less than US$5 a day.

Sport has become a calming pill for many. It's better to argue about sport events than to be haunted by daily and world problems. Sports have become a daily celebration of team spirit.

For states, sport is a source of national pride in case its athletes win medals. They become national heroes. Holding major sporting events like the Olympic Games is a historic event. Just winning the bid increases the popularity of the political leaders.

Historically, the OG have been intertwined with politics. The Moscow OG were boycotted by the West in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In retaliation 14 Countries took part in the Soviet led boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Israel has to compete for qualifications in games outside the Middle East because it has diplomatic relations just with Jordan and Egypt. This means for a country to hold a major international sporting event, it shouldn’t first be internationally isolated

The aim of sport is to live moments of competition in the spirit of fairness and to break the barriers between people of different races and cultures. It is a celebration of endurance and fair competition. But it has become an occasion to make political points as the weight of the event is likely to affect the success of the tournament. For China, no government is likely to call for the boycott of the games in view of political consideration. But if there is a successful campaign against its internal and foreign policy, the disastrous effect is when the public boycott the games by not travelling to Beijing or watch the games on TV. It can be disastrous even for businesses sponsoring the games. All this is improbable as people are more interested in their heroes than in political campaigns.

Perhaps sport shouldn’t be politicised. There are political forums for political issues like the UN where debates should be held. The games don’t last more than a month but political problems can persist for years if there are no practical solutions. Politicians are thick skinned. They can’t be scared off by marches or demonstrations. There is also the power of the media and businesses which will eclipse the effect of campaigns.

People need moments of escape from world events and their troubles. We shouldn’t mar their existence with too much politics. People are to watch games bearing the banners of their favourite teams and heroes, cheering them, and not to chant political slogans in an event meant for celebrating sports.

Why do some leaders want to go on forever?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has confirmed that he will try to change the law to allow him to remain in power indefinitely.

Some leaders can't step down because they think it as ingratitude for their efforts to ask them to go. For them stepping down is a degradation as they won't have any influence in their country. In a democracy, there should be a rotation of power so the country can have new blood. former leaders can still be a good asset for their countries. They can be advisers or take up international initiatives. Bill Clinton is still a star because he invigorates himself by being active on many issues, national and international and by keeping his support for his party.

However, in many third world countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, there are leaders who overstay their welcome. To hold to power they create a party that dominate all the branches of power. In the Middle East, there are Egypt and Libya where the leaders are there apparently for life with the intention of leaving power to their sons as it is the case of Syria where Bashar Al-Assad replaced his father. The risk is that lifelong presidents will turn just dictators, violently repressing any opposition to them.

Some leaders continue to govern their countries even from their graves. They are worshipped like Gods. In North Korea, the New Year is celebrated on the birthday of Eternal president: Kim Il-sung (deceased). His son, the current president Kim Jong-il has an elaborate personality cult through which he rules. So no one dares to oppose his policy, let alone to seek his replacement through democratic process.

Lifelong presidents become just monarchs in disguise. Their families and relatives become powerful, using their close relations with the leader to be above the law. Opportunists become subservient to them for their own interests. In a sense, the state becomes just like “Animal farm” as described by George Orwell in his political novel. Perhaps, leaders in republics should adopt the principle of rule and let rule, instead of becoming an obstacle for political change and power rotation. At best, they should opt to become figureheads while power is carried out through democratically elected institutions.

One final point, there remains a question to ask about having a leader for life: Which is worse, to have a president for life or to have successive presidents who can't make any positive change, economically and politically? It's all about efficiency. You can change presidents, but the most important is to have new political strategy that aspires for political change. In many countries there is apathy towards any sort of elections because people have lost faith in their political leaders. They don't care which president they have as for them all politicians are the same.

Should leaders rule for life?

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Combatting global poverty

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a greater international effort to combat what he called the “emergency” of global poverty.

Human suffering should be everyone’s concern. Every little help from any source can be of great value in time of need. There are instances when the world community gathers to offer emergency help in case of natural disasters like earthquakes with pledges of further assistance. But with time, only emergency help arrives without the substantial help needed for sustained development. There were many conferences to help Afghanistan and Iraq with pledges of billions of dollars. But only a fraction of this is channelled. International humanitarian organisations are each time ringing the alarm bell for dwindling or insufficient funds.

On many occasions, international conferences are just about talking not acting. Donor countries set conditions. Sometimes donations are wasted because of corruption and mismanagement. Many things that are taken for granted in the West are still considered as long term goals in poor countries. Education for every child, stopping infant mortality, generalising sanitation facilities, water and electricity are still seen as a distant dream as the infrastructure isn’t yet in place. In many third world countries, at least more than half the population enjoy services that are widely available in rich countries.

For poor countries, they shouldn’t all the time put the blame on colonialism. Now they are independent. This entails full responsibility in implanting programmes through government policies, international, national and local associations. They should get rid of the inferiority complex as any act by the West is considered as related to colonial mentality.

Countries are like bodies. The body becomes a whole through its cells which constitute its different parts. Each cell must be healthy for a healthy body. Countries should create healthy cells at the local and national levels to tackle their problems. Grandiose aims are sometimes too much to handle, like the idea of a united African government as suggested by Gaddafi of Libya. Currently each poor country should be united in tackling its own problems instead of remaining plunged in economic, political and regional divisions.

What can be said about pledges from international leaders is that rhetoric is more resounding than action. Facts have shown that complex problems become more complex before any proposed solution is implemented.

The slogan of "Make poverty a history" has become a part of the history of the attempts to alleviate poverty. But currently the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. Common actions are positive but they are too slow to set thing right quickly. Actions are still hampered by the lack of funds, staff or simply by the spread of corruption and mismanagement.

Any little help from any source can be of good use provided countries needing help first help themselves.

Cessation of military operations in Northern Ireland

A new chapter seems to have opened in the history of UK as The British Army is ceasing operations in Northern Ireland at midnight tonight after 38 years. The tribute should be first made to Tony Blair whose policy in Iraq tarnished his political records in the views of many. We shouldn’t also forget about Bill Clinton who kept interested in solving the NA issue till the very last days of his presidency.

The case of Northern Ireland and the way its sectarian problems between the Unionists and the Republicans (IRA) were solved should serve as an example for other countries like Sri Lanka where there are the Tamils and Spain where there is ETA who are fighting the central governments of these countries for independence.

For UK security, a new chapter has opened since 9/11 attacks. Due to terrorists’ threats, UK security services still have to keep a watchful eye. Northern Ireland is no longer a thorn in the side of British politicians as it was the case when the IRA was supported by opponents to UK like Gaddafi of Libya, ready to spread scare around Northern Ireland and London in particular. The cessation of military operation in UK has preserved the unity of UK. Security scare from terrorists should further unite the British before individuals become militias or growing into uncontrollable numbers.

With the cessation of military operations at midnight, this is good news for further economic investment and growth in this part of the UK. The long dark nights that NA witnessed with curfews and attacks can now be replaced with a new dawn. It’s better to have foes in elected institutions that can be fought with arguments than in the street where the gun is supreme. To paraphrase Bill Clinton, every dollar spent in ending violence in NA, will be returned by 1,000 dollars in economic investment.

So the question I would like to ask is, “How Has NA prospered since the Good Friday Agreement and what are its prospects of prospering after the cessation of military operation at midnight.

Joking about the Jihadists

BBC WHYS asked, Is it invigorating or tasteless to mock fundamentalism?

There is a Moroccan proverb which says, “Too much worries makes one laugh “. Laughter is a defensive means to face up a stressful situation or to make the best of a worst one. Political crises or government failing are portrayed in cartoons and jokes.

Terrorism or jihad has become a source of worries around the world, particularly in areas hit by attacks or still threatened by them. One way to keep normal and not to keep as seeing the world as a hell is to squeeze laughter out of what can come. Jihadists in this sense will become just like a scarecrow that no longer frightens as it has just the appearance without substance.

But there is the risk if threats from terrorists become just a source of laughter without being coupled with vigilance. It is the duty of everyone to know how to counterattack it with iron fist but without losing smiling teeth. Teeth should be used to show a smile as well as a good bite.

Joking about Jihadists can get out of control if it becomes an attack on the religion they belong to. It’s interesting to see that this kind of jokes about Bin Laden

and the rest didn’t stir any ferocious feeling among the Muslims contrary to the cartoons about Prophet Mohammed. This shows that Muslims don’t care about which joke is made about Islamists. Even in Muslim societies, there are jokes about the Jihadists. In Morocco, many jokes were made about the May 16th terrorist attacks which killed 44 people and injured many more. There are countless jokes about the Islamists like this one, “An Islamist discovered that he was gay. He put on a veil”.

If some Jihadists are driven by despair or illusion to carry their acts in what form it takes, ordinary people should carry their lives booing and jeering at them instead of taking to their heels and bury themselves in fear. It’s better they become a joke than they turn in monsters populating every part of the earth.

Spreading the Gospel in Muslim countries

The South Koreans travelling to Afghanistan must have miscalculated the consequences of their action. Afghanistan is still – at least in parts- in the grip of fundamentalists sympathetic to the Talibans. For them to decide to work in a country that is still insecure even for its inhabitants is a big adventure. They have chosen to walk on a mined land where every steps means risking getting blown up.

The hostages held there are likely to get bad publicity among the Afghans still loyal to the Talibans and to the Al-Qaeda. They must be seen them as crusaders using humanitarian aids and projects just to spread their faith as long as the funds come from a church or they work for it.

It’s true that many Afghans are in dire need. The Taliban is a reality. Aids to the areas where they operate should be through their consultation and their commitment to protect volunteers and aid donors.

In Muslim countries, it is still dangerous to spread the word as there people are born Muslims and they can’t change their religion without running the risk of being sent to prison in stable countries or merely killed in unruly ones. In some Muslim countries, you can adopt a Western life style in all aspects, there is no punishment for that. But just saying I’m not a Muslim can have dire consequences.

Turkey was tried by the EU about human rights, among which is freedom of religion. Although missionaries can get to Turkey, a secular state, they have very few followers. Some missionaries were killed there.

So it’s better to let the Muslims alone. What is needed is dialogue between different faiths on the basis of respective understanding. Those choosing to change religion had better move to a country where there is freedom of religion. There are other levels that can unite people in the spirit of cooperation. Religion should be put aside when it is likely to cause just trouble and pain.

Human growth and climatic change

Aberdeen scientists are carrying out commercial trials on a feed additive which they hope will stop cows from producing large amounts of methane. Belching cattle are responsible for producing large amounts of methane. This can be good news for the vegetarians as their diet contribute to saving the planet.

Aberdeen scientists should also work to see if human beings also produce methane by too much talking, laughing and shouting. If it is proven, people should reduce vocal responses to a minimum. They should use just electronic messages to communicate such as SMS and emails. People should also become less tall. The taller people need more cloths for their dress. The clothes industry will need less textiles to cater for people if they opt to become slim and less tall. The Danish should devise a medical method to have short children and the Japanese should keep at their current height!

The idea that birth rate can help global warming is too general. Global warming actually originates in great parts from the rich countries, especially the USA and Western Europe. In Western Europe, there is the danger of falling population. Many countries in this sphere like Germany, Spain and France are facing alarming low birth control. Children have become precious. They are using material incentives to encourage parents or single mothers to have (more) children.

World population should keep stable in terms of growth and age groups. If this equation isn’t respected, the population will be merely ageing, unable to take care of itself. The sight of children will be a rare commodity as wherever you turn you can find just people with grey or white hair. Walking canes and wheel chairs will become a thriving industry!
Prof. Chris Rapley has a sound argument when he says, “Saving a gigaton of carbon that way, through education for women and birth control programmes, would cost 1,000 times less than any of the other technical options - nuclear power, renewables, or increased car efficiency.” It’s true the more society become urbanised and education is generalised, it becomes natural for women to have less children. In the countryside, women don’t bother having as many children as possible because they live in “open spaces” where they can have rooms for their children. In the city, because of the cost of living, particularly housing, many parents can’t afford to have many children to make ends meet and to have a reasonable breathing space.

What can save the world are continuous researches in how to promote energy efficiency through solar panels and the like. What matters is the type of people we have and not their number, without stretching the planet resources to their furthest limits. Saving the planet from the effects global warming is essential for saving the human race and all other creatures. But it remains difficult to balance two extreme attitudes: guaranteeing human prosperity and using the current energy. Only green energy and balanced human growth will make the world liveable for the future generations

Responding to opposite views about Islam

To Hisham in France,

I read all you comments about Islam. From your background, being a Muslim from Muslim parents originating from a Muslim country (Morocco), you are well-placed to talk about Islam as an experience and not merely as a notion acquired through studies and reports. Your living in a western country must have enriched your experience of Islam as you surely contrast it with the values of the society where you live. But as I can see from you comments, you are enjoying the best of two worlds.

Mark for instance has general and apparently mistaken ideas about Muslims. Muslims differ in attitude because they have different social traditions which distinguish them from one another. Both a Moroccan and a Saudi are Muslims but a visitor to both countries can sense the difference. In Saudi Arabia, women, for example are still struggling for their rights. They can’t even drive or travel alone. They can’t even choose their husband without their male protector’s consent. In Morocco, thanks to the family code as you mentioned women have more rights. They can, choose their husband. For a man it has become difficult to divorce without giving guarantees to the wife he intends to divorce. It has also become impossible for a man to have more than a wife except in special circumstances.

I agree with you that Muslims like you are seeking to be part of the world and not a community apart. There are some mistaken Muslims who still consider one mode of Islam as the best referring to past Muslim heroes, caliphs and Emirs they take as the best example. But as we are human beings, we should be proud of any person who contributes to humanity regardless of their religion. It doesn’t make sense that only Muslims are the only top be favoured by God. God loves anyone who loves his neighbour as he loves himself. This is at least a shared view between Muslims and Christians. If this notion is widespread, there will be no attack or aggression at any level. When you love someone you are ready for tolerance, brotherhood will be not just in the name of religion but in the name of humanity as well.

I hope Mark will be convinced that there is a difference between the core of a religion and the way it is interpreted and practised by those who embrace it. As in any society, there are good doers and bad doers. The same applies to religion and why not atheism.

Giving asylum to Iraqis working with coalition forces in Iraq

Denmark has completed the evacuation of some 200 Iraqis who it feared faced danger for their association with Danish troops in southern Iraq.

The Americans must reveal how many Iraqis they took out of Iraq to secret prisons. For the Americans they must be suspicious of any Iraqi they take to their land as they will need 24-hour surveillance about their movement.

For the case of Iraqis taken secretly by a military force, this can be just a minimum operation. Millions are now refugees. What is needed is a quick end to the turmoil in Iraq so that all Iraqis can return to their land without fear for their lives. The state of the Iraqi refugees is a good a barometer of how things are going in Iraq.

The other risk is that any Iraqi hoping to live in the West will offer himself as an agent for the foreign forces. This is bad as Iraqis will grow more suspicious of each other.

It also remains a matter of conscience. How can someone leave one’s country to live in another peacefully and prosperously as a compensation for services rendered to an occupier while their countrymen are daily subjected to the fear of attacks?

As the Iraqi society is generally based on the extended family, even those who leave will continue to be worried about their kin. This operation is partially effective, as it doesn’t mean a total peace of mind for the beneficiaries.

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Diplomatic expulsion between UK and Russia

Russia and UK have a history of mutual diplomat expulsions from the Soviet era. In the 80s, there as an incident in which some staff members were expelled, including a baby although the baby wasn’t involved in spying.

Britain is also known to be tough as with Libya when it cut its diplomatic ties over the killing of a UK policewoman from the Libyan embassy.

Diplomatic expulsion is an indication of worsening relations. What can be worrying is how Russia and UK will sort it out knowing that both are members of G8 and permanent members of the UN Security Council. With this crisis hovering over their relations, this means other levels of cooperation will be put to a minimum. This can be bad news for those seeking to put Russia in full swing with the West.

Russia is now at odds with the US over US missile defence system in Poland and the like Adding this crisis with the UK, it can be argued that the Cold War is looming in a different form unless the three countries use their substantial weight to diffuse their tensions as soon as possible

New Orleans after Kathrina, a source of shame for the USA

The situation in New Orleans after hurricane Katherina put in question the effectiveness of local, state and federal authorities to cope with such a disaster. It’s true that the wrath of nature can be much stronger than any human preparedness but after the wrath there were damages that could be coped with in view of US technological and financial might. The Americans were somewhat ashamed of what the inhabitants of New Orleans came to as the state in which the city was lowered it to the level of a region in the third world. The Americans were used to see images of challenging disasters only in third world countries, which could do nothing without international aid.

The US is known for coming to the aid of many countries in time of peace and disaster, sometimes putting aside political differences as when there was a devastating earthquake in Iran. However, it was helpless in providing the necessary help to a city to bring it from its ruins to the state it had been in prior to the Hurricane. Maybe the locals wanted too much from their government to rebuild their lives or the responsibilities were attributed to different sides like insurance companies, individuals, officials – at the local, state and federal level. Each side finding justification for its action. The fact that Mayor Ray Nagin was re-elected despite the pitfalls in dealing with the emergency shows to a certain extent that the responsibility falls mainly on the state and the federal government.

The negative picture as it was summed by Ros in his post is that New Orleans is a place of crime, poor prosecution, sub-standard policing, corruption, a lack of public housing, the highest murder rate in he country. This reinforces the notion that New Orleans is ranking just with poor third world cities as those in South Africa. But the USA through its different sections can rebuild the city if the Americans initiate a period of solidarity through donations and volunteers to clear it from the mess it is in now.

Islam, ideal and reality

To Ali who posted on BBC WHYS his view of Islam which triggered different responses.

There is an anecdote about a man not living in a Muslim country who embraced Islam. When he visited some Muslim countries, he thanked God for having embracing it before visiting them. His conclusion was that he knew Islam in a non-Muslim country but he couldn’t see Islam in those supposedly Muslim countries.

Islam ,like major religions aims at making the human soul chaste so it can live in bliss in this world and life after this world – called the al akhira.

The point you raised are fundamental to all human beings. All religions aspire to make people honest, fair/just. The core of society is the family whereby individual have a sense of belonging and feel secure.

All these notions are grandiose. But religion or any other principle is what you make of it. To my knowledge, all the great religions have common principles by which the individual is both free and committed.

While religion is fundamentally spiritual, there are facts that make people revert to instinct for survival. When there is greed on one side and poverty on the other, one sees just the immediacy of the action. Spiritual principles are set aside.

Christianity and Islam preached peace but ironically, in their history there were the bloodiest incidents, just because religion was the pillar of power for the rulers and each tried to have superiority over the other in the name of the religion.

For Islam there was misinterpretation or ignorance of its principles even by some Muslims to justify their greed and material pursuits. As for “Women are not exploited as sexual objects”. That is what Islam preaches. But in many Muslim societies it was a common practice to have four wives ( mainly to have legitimate children)and as many concubines as possible (for sexual pleasure)

How the ills in Muslim societies can be fought depends on how Muslims can put their religion in practice without falling into extremes or seeing it as the best just to attack other religions. The same applies to Christians and Jews.

The facts that there are different tendencies among Muslims through the like of Sunnis and the Shiites which can lead to deadly and horrendous fights among them shows that individual practice of Islam alone isn’t the key to peace with oneself. There are external influences that can shake one’s upheld beliefs in what is halal “permitted” or haram “prohibited”.

Is LA Catholic Church apolgy enough?

The Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles has apologised to hundreds of people abused by priests after agreeing to a record-breaking settlement.

The apology by Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Church's leader, comes after the 508 victims reached a pay-out deal with the church worth $660m (£324m).

There are many things that the whole money of the world can’t pay. The most important of this is the loss of dignity the rest of one’s life. Sexual abuse suffered in childhood is life long scar that can’t be easily wiped out. Throughout the history of the Catholic Church there were sexual scandals allegedly involving even popes. There used to be cover-ups. The church enjoying great moral authority was above suspicions. Its members used to see themselves as sinners needing redemption from a clergy considered as a spiritual guide. People used to have a view of the church only through public performances without the right to know what was going inside.

The lesson to learn from the LA Catholic Church compensation is that no one is above the law. Continuous scandals will scare Catholics into embracing other Christian denominations, changing religion or becoming without religion. In view of its declining influence in the developed world, the church has a chance to fructify it influence in poor Christian countries whose solace is faith, which makes them spiritually rich as they can’t make it materially.

The compensations of the LA Catholic Church can be an occasion to open the floodgate concerning abuses everywhere in the world. According to the reports, the $660m compensation will bring the LA Catholic Church almost to ruin- financial ruin. This is the consequence of ruining the lives of many. Maybe further ruins can be ahead not just in assets but also in reputation and authority, if the churches don’t clean themselves before they seek the souls of their followers. Churches are to set good examples and not to foster “do as I say, not as I do”

Power struggle, a hindrance to peace in Iraq

President George W Bush has said the US mission in Iraq can still succeed, after a report found Iraq had made mixed progress towards key US targets.

The situation in Iraq is getting more and more complex as time goes by. All plans to return peace to Iraq have failed to far. It’s all about power. In the US, there is “power struggle” between the White House and the congress to mark political scores as a preparation for the 2008 presidential elections. The Democrats are trying to take advantage of Bush’s failure to establish peace in Iraq. They mainly focus on the human losses, now exceeding three thousands US soldiers. Bush is in a race against time as his term is nearing an end. He’s got less than 18 months as the head of the executive. He seeks to leave a legacy by which he will be remembered as ac liberator and freedom champion.

In Iraq, there is a real struggle for power as each sections of the society seeks to have the most even at the expense of the others. Historically, there is no love lost between the Shiaas, the Sunnis and the Kurds due to legacy of Saddam whose motto was to divide and rule and to favour mainly the Sunnis to which he belonged to keep his grip on power.

One doesn’t need a crystal ball to see that troops will have overnight success as four years proved dismal failure for it to surround insurgents with primitive weapons compared to the ultra sophisticated ones of the US army. On of the benchmark is that the Iraqi forces should be accountable just to the central government. This can prove difficult as long as there is no central government based on all sections of the Iraqi society without threat of division or pullout. If not, the forces will remain loyal just to the section they belong to. There have been incidents in which attacks were carried out in heavily guarded section in the green zone. This means the Iraqi forces can be infiltrated with militia-minded members that can put ablaze all efforts for national security.

As long as Iraq remains a difficult political equation for the Iraqis themselves and for outside forces, trying to shape the political map of the Middle East, it remains difficult to see how a complex situation can be solved militarily when political calculation of one side stands as a barrier against the plans of another.

The Iraqis should take the example of their occupier the US, a multiracial and ethnic society.Yet, it stands as a powerful united nation. The Iraqis should endeavour for political unity instead of wrangling about ethnic identity just for sectarian political advantages. This attitude will incessantly put Iraq back to square one.

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Should Al-Qaeda scare everyone?

Terrorism has become the main threat to world peace in view of the deadly attacks in countries like UK, Spain, and Indonesia. What is dangerous is that such groups can make their explosives, which remains a permanent threat to peace. Suicide bombers can be stripped with explosives that don’t cost much to make. In Casablanca, in Morocco, five suicide bombers blew themselves last April. The explosives they used didn’t cost more than $US 20 dollars. So for Al-Qaeda, it doesn’t need a big military budget to carry its attacks, it only needs volunteers, ready to blow themselves up with the erroneous idea that their soul will immediately fly into paradise. It also needs to compose fiery messages to win the heart and minds, especially of the desperate for whom life and death are the same.

In the last days, the alert level has been increased in Morocco to maximum. Al-Zawahiri, who established North Africa A-Qaeda, in one of his latest messages threatened to hit Morocco. For this, Moroccan authorities have intensified their cooperation against terrorism, mainly with neighbouring countries, Spain and Algeria as well as with France and the USA. Also the authorities in Morocco asked businessmen and big commercial institutions to raise their security measures, mainly through additional security staff.

Al-Qaeda has become one of the main threats to the stability of numerous countries in every continent. Ironically, it created rapprochement at the security level between countries with divergent views like Morocco and Algeria. Up to now, they have a common enemy they should fight before they settle their other deep differences, especially the ones concerning the Western Sahara.

While the public can choose to ignore the threats of Al-Qaeda by leading its ways of life, the public authorities are much concerned, as they have to keep on maximum alert.

The question to ask if terrorism can be defeated easily. The situation in Iraq proves that terrorism is still invincible despite the heavy military presence in troubled spots. Without local, national and international security coordination, terrorists will find new havens, behind which they lurk before new assaults. This in itself is a global psychological war because one never knows where the cells are hiding or what they are preparing.