Fired
Al Aqsa Leader: 

Jewish
Temples
Existed at Al Aqsa Site

Dr.
Richard L. Benkin writes from USA                                                    

A senior
leader of the Muslim Waqf at Al Aqsa in
Jerusalem was fired
after admitting that the ancient Jewish Temples stood
upon the current location of the mosque and pre-dated
it.  In an
exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily
(WND), he said that for centuries, Al Aqsa custodians
passed down stories that the mosque was built at the
site of the former Jewish temples. He also said that the
Muslim world’s current denial of the the Jewish temples�
existence is political in nature and not accurate.  The well-known
former Waqf leader spoke with WND Jerusalem bureau chief
Aaron Klein on condition his name be withheld, claiming
an on-the-record interview would endanger his
life.

“Prophet
Solomon built his famous
Temple at the
same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It
cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites
were built at the same place,� he said from an obscure
alley in Jerusalem�s
Old
City.  �The Jewish
Temple Mount existed.�

The
admission�and Waqf reaction to it�confirm the historical
patterns documented in a six-part series on the
Temple
Mount, published
in Weekly Blitz
earlier this year.  The series is
available in Weekly Blitz
archives and scheduled to come out in book form
later this year. 
The series demonstrated that Muslim denial of the
Jewish Temples on the same spot as Al Aqsa is of very
recent vintage. 
Since the seventh century Arab conquest of
Jerusalem, various
Arab sources document that upon conquering the city, one
of the first acts of the Caliph Umar was to ask the
conquered Byzantine Christians to show him the location
of the ancient Jewish Temples.  Byzantine
Patriarch Sophronios took him atop of the
Temple
Mount and
pointed out the spot where the
Temples had stood
saying, �Here is that appalling abomination.�  Umar was
incensed that the Byzantines were using the site as a
garbage dump and ordered it cleaned.  Later, his
successor, Ibn Marwan built Al Aqsa and the Dome of the
Rock on that very spot.  This remained
accepted belief among Arabs and Muslims well into the
20th century. 
Palestinian historian Araf al-Araf, for instance,
wrote that �Haram al-Sharif is on
Mount
Moriah� which
King David purchased from the Jebusites, and where �his
son Solomon� built the Temple in the
year 1007 BCE. Al-Araf also added that the remains of
the structures �underneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque� date to
the period of Solomon. And in 1930,
Jerusalem�s supreme
Moslem authority in its official �Guide to al-Haram
al-Sharif� stated: “Its identity with the site of
Solomon’s Temple is beyond
dispute.” The historical record is replete with like
statements by Arab leaders, yet all from a time before
the Arab world became obsessed with the State of Israel
and before its ongoing failed attempts to eradicate
Israel from the
nations of the world.  Since then, it
has deemed political expediency more important than
historical truth.

So obsessed
and insecure are they that the Waqf official was fired
after only �quietly� making his statement.  Additionally, he
was fired even though he said that nothing in his
remarks �forfeit what he calls “Islamic rights” to the
Temple Mount and Al Aqsa Mosque,� according to WND.  �Yes, the temple
existed. But now it is the place of the mosque of the
religious who came to complete the divine religion [that
started with Judaism] and to improve humanity�  But, he added
with regard to his statements about the Jewish Temples,
�I am mentioning historical facts.  I know that the
traditional denial about the temple existing at the same
place as Al Aqsa is more a political denial.
Unfortunately our religious and political leaders chose
the option of denial to fight the Jewish position and
demands regarding Al Aqsa and taking back the
Temple
Mount compound.
In my opinion we should admit the truth and abandon our
traditional position.”

Over the
past several years, the Waqf has been trying to destroy
any archeological evidence of the Jewish Temples, but
those attempts have led to numerous discoveries of
historical evidence for the Temples in the artifacts the
Waqf attempted�and failed�to
destroy.

When
foreigners are told to leave
Canada

Guidy
Mamann from
Canada                
                                                                                   

Foreigners
who have overstayed their status can come to the
attention of immigration authorities through many
ways.

Sometimes,
it�s a routine traffic stop by the local police. Other
times, a lover�s quarrel leads to a rash decision to get
even. Other times, it�s a heartless employer who tips
the immigration authorities so they can deport someone
he/she owes back wages to. Sometimes the tip comes from
a once close friend or relative.

Once
alerted, immigration officials will arrest the foreigner
and either release them on terms and conditions or
detain them. If detained, the foreigner will be brought
before an immigration judge within 48 hours to determine
if he/she poses a danger to the public or is a flight
risk.

If not,
he/she can be released upon the posting of a cash bond
by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and/or upon
the execution of an undertaking promising to make a
payment to the Crown in the event of
non-compliance.

An
immigration officer can usually make a removal order
very quickly against a detained person. Accordingly,
those wishing to make a refugee claim should do so
immediately since they will be barred from doing so
after the removal order is made.

If a
refugee claim is made, the foreigner cannot usually be
removed from Canada until the
claim has been finally determined. A refugee claim, and
any appeal, can take several months or more to hear.
Refugee claimants who have been in
Canada for
several years should consider making a simultaneous
humanitarian application in the event that the refugee
claim is ultimately denied.

If they
delay in making a humanitarian application until the
refugee claim is decided, they risk being removed from
Canada before the
humanitarian case can be considered. A humanitarian
application will not prevent immigration authorities
from proceeding with a removal.

If a
refugee claim is rejected or is not made, an expulsions
officer will be assigned to make the foreigner “removal
ready”. The officer will either call the foreigner or
send a letter asking them to bring in any passport,
travel document, social insurance number, and work
permit, etc.

Once this
contact has been made, a person can still be sponsored
by a spouse or common law partner from within inside
Canada but they
will not be entitled to a decision prior to their
removal from Canada.

Guidy
Mamann is the senior lawyer at Mamann & Associates

Use
of Cell Phone during Thunderstorms is
dangerous

Blitz
Desk                                                                                                     

You know
about the distraction of using a cell phone while
driving. You may have heard rumors about not using one
of the devices while filling up at a gas station.

But now it
appears those who like to talk on the go have something
else to add to their list of things to worry about.

British
researchers have released a study warning consumers not
to talk on their portable devices if they get caught
outside during a thunderstorm.

The British
Medical Journal cites the case of a 15-year-old girl who
was talking on her cell phone in a park when she was
struck by lightning. The impact of such an event would
be bad enough. But in most cases, the high resistance of
the skin conducts the jolt over the body in what’s
called a ‘flashover’.

But doctors
claim the teen’s injuries were made far worse because
the metal in her device disrupted that process and sent
the bolt from the blue straight through the unsuspecting
young girl.

Although
she survived, her injuries were serious and even a year
later, she’s still in a wheelchair.

“This rare
phenomenon is a public health issue, and education is
necessary to highlight the risk of using mobile phones
outdoors during stormy weather to prevent future fatal
consequences from lighting strike injuries,” warns Dr.
Swinda Esprit of Northwick
Park
Hospital in
England.

Physicians
admit the chances of getting hit by lightning while
using a cell aren’t high, but it’s not as uncommon as
you might think. They note separate cases where it’s
happened in China,
South
Korea and
Malaysia.

And a few
experts say it’s not even safe to carry the metallic
objects in your pocket when there’s electricity in the
air.

The bottom
line? Don’t become preoccupied with this stuff, but
don’t take chances either. If there’s violent weather,
remember it’s not something to necessarily phone home
about. Especially if you’re outside when it comes.

Sexual
orientation of men determined before
birth

Blitz
Desk                                                                                         

A man’s
sexual orientation appears to be determined in the womb,
a new study suggests.

Past
research by Dr. Anthony F. Bogaert of
Brock
University in
St.
Catherines,
Ontario and
colleagues has shown that the more older brothers a man
has, the more likely he is to be gay. But it has not
been clear if this is a prenatal effect or a
psychosocial effect, related to growing up with older
male siblings.

To
investigate, Bogaert studied 944 gay and straight men,
including several who were raised with adopted, half- or
step-siblings or were themselves adopted. He reasoned
that if the relationship between having older male
siblings and homosexuality was due to family environment
or child-rearing practices, it would be seen whether or
not a man’s older brothers were biological or
adopted.

Bogaert
found that the link between having older brothers and
homosexuality was present only if the siblings were
biologically related — this relationship was seen
between biological brothers who were not raised
together. The amount of time that a man was reared with
older brothers had no association with sexual
orientation.

“These
results support a prenatal origin to sexual orientation
development in men and indicate that the fraternal
birth-order effect is probably the result of a maternal
‘memory’ for male gestations or births,” Bogaert writes
in his report in PNAS Early
Edition.

A woman’s
body may see a male fetus as “foreign,” Bogaert
explains, and her immune response to subsequent male
fetuses may grow progressively
stronger.

“If this
immune theory were correct, then the link between the
mother’s immune reaction and the child’s future sexual
orientation would probably be some effect of maternal
anti-male antibodies on the sexual differentiation of
the brain,” he suggests.

Pneumonia
fear grips HongKong

Blitz
Desk                                                                                         

The
killer respiratory illness gripping
Hong
Kong
is sowing a climate of fear which is driving away
tourists, emptying restaurants and prompting many people
to wear protective masks. The morning commuter crowd on
Tuesday was peppered with people sporting white surgical
facemasks in an attempt to fend off the virus which has
so far claimed 10 lives in the former British colony and
infected 260 other people. The health authorities have
been battling to contain the illness – being called
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) – for nearly
three weeks but the number of infections and deaths have
been steadily rising. Fears were raised a notch after
the territory�s health chief Yeoh Eng-kiong Monday urged
anybody with flu-like symptoms to stay at home, and the
government issued television warnings telling people to
avoid public places. “It’s getting more and more
worrying,” said businessman Eugene Cheng as he rode the
tram to work, gesturing to the many passengers wearing
masks or covering their mouths. “I feel uncomfortable,
as if people are getting suspicious of each other,” he
said. “I’m very concerned,” said officer worker Nila Yip
through her mask as she bought a take-away lunch box so
as to avoid eating in a restaurant. “It is better to
take precautions to prevent having the disease,” she
said. Public concern over the illness, which often
causes an atypical pneumonia, has not been helped by
news
Hospital
Authority chief executive William Ho was stuck down
after showing symptoms. Four schools were also closed
for a week from Monday after five students, a teacher
and a school bus driver were found to have SARS. And the
popular Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, due to be
held March 28-30, has also suffered after
Argentina
joined France
and Italy
in saying they would not be taking part because of the
health scare. William Mark, chairman of the Federation
of Hong Kong Restaurant Owners, said the outbreak had
already caused business in the restaurant sector slump
by 20 percent.

Drug
trafficking
increases in Indo-Pak
Border

Blitz
Desk                                                                             

In
the wake of increased trans-border civilian movement
between India
and Pakistan,
smuggling of drugs into
India
has shown a significant rise.

Figures
available with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) reveal
that 30 per cent of the drugs seized in the country
during the last three years were produced in the remote
areas of Afghanistan
and reached here through the Indo-Pak
border.

Anti-narcotics
squads in the country seized over 1000 kilograms of
Afghan-origin heroin and other drugs since 2002 as
compared to around 50 kilograms recovered during the
height of Indo-Pak tensions in the preceding years, a
senior UN official said here today.

“The
Confidence Building Measures (CBM) adopted by India and
Pakistan have led to movement of more people across the
border and this can be one reason for the increase,”
said Gary Lewis, the South Asia representative of United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Officials
say drug addiction among youngsters in
Punjab
was on a rise and pointed out that that this was due to
the flow of heroin and other drugs into the state from
Pakistan
for distribution across the country.

According
to UN figures, opium cultivation in
Afghanistan
has gone up in the recent years and the war-torn nation
has produced a whopping 11,900 metric tons of opium in
the last three years.

Pakistan
also cultivates opium, though in a smaller scale, and
produced around 180 metric tons of the drug in the last
three years, the figures show.

China
plans fines for breaking bad news

Venkatesan Vembu from
India                                                                 

A
draft law on emergency management, now being considered
by China�s
top legislative body, seeks to impose hefty fines on the
media in China
if they break news reports on mining disasters, health
crises and natural catastrophes without �authorization�.

The
move is being seen as an attempt to rein in the
�watchdog press�, which has in recent years exposed
health crises (like HIV/AIDS, SARS  and bird flu)
and called mining companies to account with their
coverage of recurring mining disasters, despite attempts
by provincial-level officials to keep bad news out of
the newspapers.

�It�s
only a draft law � it hasn�t been passed yet � but it
has worrisome implications for the Chinese news media,�
China Media Project research associate David Bandurski
told DNA in Hong
Kong.
Under the draft law, media outlets would face fines from
50,000 to 100,000 yuan (about Rs4-8 lakh) if they break
news on emergencies without authorization, report on the
handling of such emergencies without authorization, or
publish �false� reports.

Cao
Kangtai, director of the Legislative Affairs Office
under the State Council told the Standing Committee of
the National People�s Congress, the highest legislative
body in China,
that the bill was intended to improve disaster
responsiveness and ensure administrative responsibility.
It was drawn up after a study of emergency management
experiences in many developed countries, including the
US,
and based on the findings from a field study around
China.

The
bill stipulates penalties that local government
officials face if they fail to handle emergencies or do
not take precaution measures or delay emergency
declaration or attempt to cover up the disaster. �On the
one hand, there is a sense that there has to be better
administrative control � in a positive way � in the way
such disasters are handled,� says Bandurski. �On the
other hand, the priority is to control information
flow.�

Officials
involved in disaster relief are required to release
information in a timely manner and �manage� the media,
but not if making the news public would hamper relief
operations. In particular, Bandurski notes, the
ambiguity that existed earlier about media regulations
of disasters and crises had meant that reporters and
editors could make use of loopholes to get their story
out.

The
proposal to fine breaking news has already come in for
stinging criticism in an editorial in the Southern
Metropolis Daily, written under the pseudonym of Zhang
Ping, a veteran Chinese journalist who was among the
senior editors sacked from the investigative Southern
Weekend in 2001. It had in 2004 been disciplined for its
investigative reporting on the SARS epidemic; the
cover-up of SARS in
China
� which was later exposed � proved profoundly
embarrassing for
China�s
leaders.

Computers
could soon read your mind

Blitz
Desk                                                                                         

A
raised eyebrow, quizzical look or a nod of the head is
just a few of the facial expressions computers could
soon be using to read people�s
minds.

An
�emotionally aware� computer being developed by British
and American scientists will be able to read an
individual�s thoughts by analyzing a combination of
facial movements that represent underlying
feelings.

�The
system we have developed allows a wide range of mental
states to be identified just by pointing a video camera
at someone,� said Professor Peter Robinson, of the
University
of Cambridge
in England.

He
and his collaborators believe the mind-reading
computer�s applications could range from improving
people�s driving skills to helping companies tailor
advertising to people�s moods.

�Imagine
a computer that could pick the right emotional moment to
try to sell you something, a future where mobile phones,
cars and Web sites could read our mind and react to our
moods,� he added.

The
technology is already programmed to recognize different
facial expressions generated by actors. Robinson hopes
to get more data to determine whether someone is bored,
interested, confused, or agrees or disagrees when it is
unveiled at a science exhibition in
London
on Monday.

People
visiting the four-day exhibition organized by the Royal
Society, Britain�s
academy of leading scientists, will be invited to take
part in a study to hone the program�s
abilities.

The
scientists, who are developing the technology in
collaboration with researchers at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in the
United
States,
also hope to get it to accept other inputs such as
posture and gesture.

�Our
research could enable websites to tailor advertising or
products to your mood,� Robinson told Reuters. �For
example, a web cam linked with our software could
process your image, encode the correct emotional state
and transmit information to a Web
site.�

It
could also be useful in online teaching to show whether
someone understands what is being explained and in
improving road safety by determining if a driver is
confused, bored or tired.

�We
are working with a big car company and they envision
this being employed in cars within five years,� Robinson
said, adding that a camera could be built into the
dashboard.

Anyone
who does not want to give away too much information
about what they are feeling, he said, can just cover up
the camera.

Pakistan
to support every step for stability in
Iraq

Blitz
Desk                                                                                                     

Pakistan
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said,
Pakistan will
support every step aims at bringing political stability
in Iraq.
In an
interview to Pakistan Television (PTV), national TV
network of Pakistan she said,
Pakistan wanted
early peace and stability in
Iraq so that
the Iraqi people are able to establish their own rule in
the country.
She said
Pakistan was
against the military action in
Iraq adding
“we wish for an earlier normalization of situation
there”.
While asked to comment on National
Reconciliation Plan of the Iraqi Prime Minister the
spokesperson said,
Pakistan supported
each and every step which aims at uniting the people of
Iraq and the
end of unrest in the country.
To a question she said,
Pakistan wanted a
stable and progressing
Afghanistan adding
“we have been extending all possible cooperation in this
connection”.
She said the situation in
Afghanistan had
direct links with
Pakistan and peace
and stability in the region is in mutual interest of
both the countries.
There exists great potential for
the expansion of trade ties between
Pakistan and
Central Asian states which can only be explored when
there is peace and stability in
Afghanistan, she
said.
Similarly the proposed energy pipeline project
can only be executed when there is peace in
Afghanistan, she
added.
So a peaceful and politically stable
Afghanistan is in
Pakistan‘s own
interest she said adding, the country is doing all what
it can in this regard.

Bangladeshi government officials graduate in disaster management 

Blitz Desk                                                                                                        

After three months of extensive disaster management training in Victoria, twenty Bangladeshi officials will graduate from Swinburne and head home to lead the way in stepping up the natural-disaster stricken country's relief efforts. 

The graduation, to be held at Hawthorn Town at 2.30pm on Friday 23 June, will be extra colourful with the formal regalia coupled with traditional Bangladeshi attire. 

Bangladesh is considered one of the worse affected countries in the world for natural disasters and is making moves to establish itself as a leading centre for disaster management and training in the Asian subcontinent. 

The students, from the Bangladesh Government Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, are the first of three groups to undertake the specialized training over the few years.  

According to one of the graduates Md. Monowar Hossain the Swinburne course in Graduate Certificate in Disaster Management will pave the way for the change that is needed to move from traditional relief and rehabilitation efforts towards a new approach to disaster management in Bangladesh.

"As a result of the training we are hoping this will be a step forward from our current way of handling natural disasters to the style used in Australia and New Zealand. 

"The shift to this model of disaster management has given us a different approach and will help us reduce the risks of living in a country proned to natural disasters.    

Course coordinator Bernhard Liedtke said "the model and theory the group were taught are adopted by Victoria's emergency services and a number of visits to the State Emergency Coordination Centre, and a local fire brigade showed the students how it is used in Australia," he said. 

One of the field trips was a visit to Benalla where the group learnt how the municipality managed the effects from the disastrous floods in the Spring of 1993.  "Hearing how they improved and maintained the water flow through a town at a local level was a good way of seeing the theory put into practice," said Md. Monowar Hossain.

Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Mr Douglas Foskett said Australia was pleased to provide the scholarships which will assist Bangladesh to develop its human resource capacity, particularly in the important sector of disaster risk management. Press Release.

Pakistan
may bar media from National Assembly
committees

Shahzad
Raza from Pakistan                                                

Top
government officials and members of the military
establishment in
Pakistan have been
so irked by press coverage of National Assembly (NA)
standing committees that they have proposed barring
journalists from attending them, official sources
said.

They said
that NA speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain had recently held
talks with chairpersons of standing committees open to
the media to draw up a strategy to deal with the
�problem�. The NA speaker, they stressed, had acted on
directives from the top political leadership, which
believed that instead of attending sessions, the press
should simply be given a handout of proceedings.

According to sources, government officials had
repeatedly warned Hussein as well as committee
chairpersons that press reporting of proceedings
routinely jeopardized the �national interest�.

Currently, five of the 35 NA standing committees
remain open to the media: Public Accounts Committee
(PAC), standing committees on local government,
population welfare, food and agriculture and interior.

The NA standing committee on water and power had
previously been open to the press. Its new chairperson,
however, has barred journalists from attending its
proceedings.
Under NA rules, committee chairpersons
are authorized to allow journalists to sit in on
proceedings to ensure the system�s transparency and to
hold relevant officials directly accountable to the
people.
Sources said that during Hussain�s talks
with committee chairpersons, the idea of establishing a
�Code of Ethics� had been floated to regulate press
coverage of proceedings. Also discussed was the idea of
chairpersons declaring sensitive parts of the
proceedings �off-the-record�. Government officials,
however, made it clear that committee chairpersons would
bear responsibility for any controversy created through
media reports.
Sources said that the NA speaker
specifically expressed concern over reporting of PAC
proceedings, noting that opposition members often
leveled serious allegations against the government,
which were subsequently reported by the press.
The
government had, until last year, kept secret PAC
proceedings.
Sources noted that a PAC treasury
member had recently demanded that its proceedings be
held in-camera, saying that opposition members regularly
leveled sensational charges against the government to
secure column inches.

Neither
the government not the opposition have so far issued a
formal response to these
claims.

Stars
Line up for Master of Fine Arts Courses in
China

Blitz
Desk                                                                                                     

A
line-up of stars and celebrities has been enrolled for
China‘s
first Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree courses beginning
in September, with the second intake to be recruited in
July. ����

A
total of 4,138 people applied for the entrance
examinations for the first MFA intake, with 1,095
enrolled, including actors Zhao Wei and Huang Xiaoming,
television news anchor Chai Jing and folk singer Wang
Lida, said deputy director of the National Educational
Guidance Committee for the Master’s Degree of Fine Arts
Wang Cizhao.

Approved
by the State Council in March 2005, the MFA was
established on the Chinese mainland to place more
emphasis on the education of the creative visual and
performing arts.

The
32 universities and colleges across the country
qualified to confer such degrees planned to enroll a
total of 1,390 students in the second intake, Wang said.

“We’ll
aim to maintain the educational quality by capping the
number of students and degree-casting schools in the
second intake,” Wang told Xinhua. “People from
Hong
Kong,
Macao,
Taiwan
and foreign countries are excluded from applying for the
time being.”

Prospective
applicants must present their bachelor’s degree
certificate and examples of their work, he
added.

 Like the Master
of Business Administration and Master of Public
Administration degrees, the MFA is a professional degree
already conferred in the
United
States,
the Great
Britain,
Canada,
Australia
and New
Zealand,
and in Taiwan
and Hong
Kong
regions.

MFA
degree courses are to be offered by 32 mainland schools,
including Peking University, Tsinghua University,
Beijing Normal University, the Central Drama Institute,
the Communication University of China, Beijing Film
Academy, Beijing Institute of Dance, Shanghai Drama
Institute, Nanjing University and Xiamen University in
eight fields: music, drama, traditional Chinese opera,
film, radio and television, design, dance and painting.

Previously
graduates majoring in art could only earn degrees in
literature since art is a second-class discipline under
literature on the mainland, a tradition broken by the
MFA degree, said Zhou Xing, another deputy director of
the committee.

The
MFA would also provide its holders with a more specific
qualification when they begin looking for jobs, he
added.

“The
MFA exam will be distinct from other master’s course
entrance exams and will take in artistic talent and
skills.

The
unending mania of superiority

Prof.
Ziaullah Gondal writes from Pakistan                                           

Since
the beginning of the incredible drama of life, war has
been the ultimate result of the human urge to rule over
fellow beings on the face of this planet. The war for
dominance among humans reached its culmination with the
support of knowledge. Halaku and Hitler are dreadful and
destructive examples of thrusting the concept of
superiority on their friends and foes. However, fortune
favored the rest of the world.
The two World Wars are
considered symbols of victory in the eyes of the powers
that be of recent days, i.e. the anti-Hitler forces. Yet
the question about the nature of defensive war style of
the allies in both the great wars is strong enough to
disclose the true intentions and targets of the then
think tanks of the US and Britain. The superpower of the
West acquired a commanding position when two Japanese
cities were destroyed. Was the destructive aspect of the
philosophy of war preferred deliberately over the
constructive aspect by the victors in those great wars,
or was it the only option to resolve the destiny of the
masses left in their hands? The answer is hard to arrive
at.
This war of superiority gave fruitful results to
people who were the target of the prejudiced and
dogmatic mentality of Hitler�s army. The West started
making decisions for the rest of the developing world
and is still busy in projecting itself as the paragon of
civilization.
The war of superiority should have
ended there. Unfortunately, it became more intense with
the passage of time. Its present pace is quite horrific
as observed by the East, especially the Muslims. Is the
irrational involvement of the West in
Iraq
and Afghanistan
not the continuity of the very concept of superiority
evolved by Hitler and Halaku? If it is reactionary in
its essence, the reaction should be against the Nazis,
who are probably not active anymore.
One wonders how
the annihilation of Muslim population in oil rich Arab
states can propagate a positive and neutral approach of
the �civilized� Western invaders.
The Muslim eye is
closely observing inconceivable atrocities of the
Western knights in Mesopotamia
and Afghanistan.
It would be interesting to carefully analyze the basic
question agitating the minds of the Muslim
Ummah.
Wealth and power are not enough to crush the
wounded pride of the people of the war-ridden Islamic
countries. Why is the reflex action of the West driven
by ego and anger, excluding even a small prospect of
negotiations? Why is the epicenter of terrorism declared
to be located in the areas of front-line states without
judging the consequences of the successive series of
accusations while ignoring the root causes?
Whether
this war imposed by the West is defensive in nature or
it is driven by the concept of perceived superiority, as
the Muslim majority perceives it to be, is still an
ambiguity. The impact of this war is projecting a
draconian image of the West on the Muslim world at
large, even in remote areas.
It is crystal clear that
the poor people are always ignorant and poverty is
mainly the consequence of defective laws and faulty
government; and is never the characteristic of a nation
that is well governed.
The West is insistent on
supporting impotent governments, whose incapacity to get
the required results within the given time period is
still an enigma, even after the unspeakable experience
of two decades. Such an artificial approach must be
abandoned if the West is interested in uprooting this
menace eternally from the face of the earth. Yet the
most important task at hand is a careful analysis of the
state of affairs to which the world is exposed in the
present era.
For ages, the routine of powerful
nations has been to envelop their agendas in the cover
of legal provisions of international and humanitarian
law. Mighty people defeat others with the power of
morality and respect for law. On the other hand, to be a
superior nation is a natural phenomenon that demands a
durable dominance.
A number of logical arguments are
given by the contemporary intelligentsia of the West in
favor of the destruction of two crowded cities of
Japan.
In his column, �Exploring the moral thesis of Hiroshima
bombings�, Max Hastings says that the aim at that moment
was to stop the war, once and for all, and the atom
bomb, worth $ 2 billion, was the only powerful weapon
left in the hands of the allies for this purpose. And it
did work.
Is such a justification not a tempting
precedent for the present atomic powers to use in the
future? The extraction of moral aspects out of
destruction for the sake of strengthening one�s stance
is a laborious struggle, but it cannot be an excuse for
not giving a rational or moral chance to
negotiations.
Aggressiveness is the antonym of
rationalism and principality. Why is it getting more
room in the current situation of the world affairs?
Perhaps the graph of tolerance is going down and the
concept of superiority has got sufficient space in the
policies of powerful states in an atmosphere where
statecraft and diplomacy have nothing to do with
morality.

All
Koreans Urged to Hold Higher Banner of
Independence

Blitz
Desk                                                                                                     

In
order to give steady momentum to the cause of national
reunification, the Koreans should confidently advance
along the road of independent reunification, holding
higher the banner of national independence. Rodong
Sinmun Tuesday says this in a signed article. It goes
on:
Only when the Koreans firmly adhere to the
principle of independence in the struggle to terminate
the division of the country and pave the way for the
development of the nation can they protect the rights
and interests of the nation and settle the issue of
reunification according to the will and requirements of
the nation.
The Korean nation was divided by the
foreign forces which sought the partition of the
Korean
Peninsula
and domination over it. The movement for national
reunification is a struggle to protect national
sovereignty from foreign domination and interference and
exalt the national dignity.
National reunification
is a patriotic cause of the Korean nation which can
never be accomplished by others. The Koreans should be
responsible for national reunification, an issue related
to their destiny and a matter related to the national
dignity and sovereignty, and play such role. They should
settle the issue of reunification by their concerted
efforts according to the desire and wishes of the
nation.
Independence
is the intrinsic nature of the cause of national
reunification and keeps the nation alive. National
reunification and future and prosperity of the nation
would be unthinkable without independence. National
independence serves as a patriotic banner to be always
held aloft by the Koreans engaged in the movement for
reunification, desirous of national reunification and
the common prosperity of the nation.
The
U.S.
imperialists are a basic obstacle to national
reunification. The Koreans have not yet achieved
reunification despite their strong desire for unity and
reunification entirely because of the persistent and
vicious moves of the
U.S.
imperialists to block the reunification of
Korea.

They should not tolerate even the slightest
manifestation of foreign interference in the internal
affairs of the nation but categorically reject it and
independently settle the issue of national reunification
through their negotiations.
Without a resolute
struggle against flunkeyism and dependence on foreign
forces the Koreans can neither prevent foreign forces
from meddling and obstructing the cause of reunification
nor develop the inter-Korean relations.
The Korean
nation armed with the spirit of national independence
alone can put an end to flunkeyism and dependence on
foreign forces, an obstacle to reunification.
With
no desperate efforts can the U.S. and pro-U.S.
conservative forces hold in check the dynamic advance of
the June 15 era if all Koreans strengthen in every way
the driving force for national reunification, guided by
the strong spirit of national independence, and switch
the movement for national reunification to a struggle
for independent reunification through national
cooperation, the article concludes.

Where’s
our conscience?

Irfan
Husain writes from Pakistan                                                           

When 250
police officers and intelligence service personnel
raided a London suburb
recently on a tip-off, they had visions of evil
�terrorists� working to make a chemical bomb in the
basement. In the event, they came across two sleepy
brothers, and shot one while arresting them.

But
this process of creating stereotypes is not a recent
one: by demonising the �other�, we make it easier to
kill and maim him. What do American soldiers in
Iraq,
Israelis in Palestine,
Russians in Chechnya
have in common? We could also ask the same question
about Americans during the Vietnam War, Pakistanis
during the East
Pakistan
civil war and Serbs in
Bosnia
a decade ago.

In
each case, soldiers went into battle convinced that they
were fighting an enemy who was not only inferior to
them, but also represented a threat to their families
and countries. Hatred and fear drive otherwise decent
human beings to commit horrors on a scale they would be
incapable of normally.

How
do ordinary people reach such a state of brutality?
Their brainwashing starts long before they enter
military academies and training camps. Subtly and
incessantly, the media as well as school textbooks drum
in the message that their country, their civilization
and their particular faith are superior to all
others.

More
importantly, the establishment keeps its population in
ignorance about a potential adversary. Travel is made
difficult, and the import of newspapers, books and
magazines from the opposing country is restricted. News
in the home media is heavily slanted in order to distort
reality. The perception of threat is magnified, and the
common elements blurred over.

In
this situation, hatred is easy to generate. The �other�
is shown as somehow less than human. Pejorative names
are routinely applied: thus, �gooks�, �ragheads�, �sand
niggers�, and �bingos� become part of everyday
vocabulary. Even when a soldier kills an innocent
civilian in enemy territory, this act is somehow not a
crime because after all, one �haji� (the American
nickname for Iraqis) looks like another.

This
de-humanising of the adversary goes a long way to
explaining horrors like Abu Ghraib, Haditha and Mai Lai.
If you torture or slaughter mere �ragheads�, what�s the
big deal? When Pakistani officers boasted their army
would �improve the race� through rape when fighting
against the Mukti Bahini in East
Pakistan
in 1971, they were expressing their contempt for the
enemy. From hatred to violence is a very short step. In
Russia
today, violence against non-Europeans and non-Slavs is
common. This racism is widespread and goes largely
unpunished. In
America
after 9/11, anybody who appeared like a Muslim was fair
game for rednecks.

These
attitudes and prejudices are shaped by culture and
history, and are given currency by the reactionary media
as well as by a populist establishment seeking to gain
support from the lowest common denominator. TV channels
like Fox News whip up the crudest form of patriotism to
gain market share, and politicians use the flag
shamelessly to garner votes.

So
when instructors receive raw young recruits in military
training establishments, half their work is already
done. All that remains is to erase a soldier�s
individuality, and drum instant, unquestioning obedience
into him. This is done through systematic and savage
bullying, made innocuous by harmless-seeming terms such
as �hazing� or �ragging�.

Thus
when a young man of twenty is sent to do battle in a
faraway land, he has a lifetime of indoctrination behind
him. He truly believes he has God on his side. He has
also been totally convinced that he is fighting to
protect his country and his family, never mind that they
are often thousands of miles away.

The
point of military instruction, apart from imparting
weapons training and so forth, is to alter the moral
framework of the individual soldier. In this new world
he has entered, �right� and �wrong� lose all meaning. To
carry out his superior�s orders immediately and without
question is �right�, and to question them or refuse to
carry them out is �wrong�. Punishment for �wrongdoing�
is swift and severe. In this unambiguous world, the
greatest sin is to let the regiment down. When an
officer says, “Jump!”, you don�t ask “Why?”. You jump as
high as you can. Clearly, without this kind of mindless
discipline, soldiers would not charge a machine gun
position over open ground. Or sit in a trench as
artillery shells explode around them.

But
the downside of this behaviour is that it makes a
soldier suspend his sense of judgment, and his sense of
right and wrong. However, this training works well only
in a clearly defined battlefield where the enemy is
wearing a different uniform and fighting under a
different flag. The problem arises when the foe is
elusive and usually dressed as a civilian.

In
such a theatre, everybody not wearing a uniform like
yours is a potential enemy. A woman in a burqa could
conceal a weapon, and a young boy could be carrying
ammunition for a militant. All men are, of course,
immediately suspect. On patrol, with a heightened sense
of danger and with adrenaline coursing through the
system, the first instinct is to shoot first at any sign
of possible danger. �Better safe than sorry� becomes the
battlefield maxim.

So
when we read that American soldiers recently shot a
pregnant Iraqi woman dead as she was being rushed to a
nearby hospital, we can guess at what went through their
minds as they manned a checkpoint. On average, seven
Iraqi civilians are killed in similar incidents every
week.

In
this battle against invisible foes, atrocities become
the norm, not aberrations. For generals, fighting
against irregular forces that fade away into the
population poses a major dilemma. Maintaining discipline
while being aggressive at the same time is a huge
problem. This is especially true for countries where
policy is often shaped through a democratic process. It
seems increasingly likely that Americans, fed up of
Bush�s conduct of the war in
Iraq,
will punish the Republicans at the mid-term
congressional elections in November. In
Britain,
Blair is hugely unpopular for leading his country into
an unnecessary war.

More
and more, warfare will be an asymmetrical affair,
conducted between regular armies and irregular forces.
Soldiers trained to shoot clearly identifiable enemies
are ill-equipped to fight the shadow war that is the
�war on terror�.

But
as a generation of
Vietnam
veterans learned after they returned home, you do not
just walk away after burying the dead. For many,
committing nameless horrors because you are ordered to
leaves deep psychological scars that you carry your
whole life. The ultimate axis of evil is the one between
ignorance, fear, hatred and violence.

Kuwaiti
women excited to vote

Blitz
Desk                                                                                         

With
Kuwaiti women being allowed to engage in political life
after a long struggle, many Kuwaitis are expecting women
to play an important role in the coming era.

Kuwaiti
women were granted their political rights in an historic
move last year. Soon after the Kuwaiti Emir dissolved
Parliament last May and announced the date for the new
elections, with scores of women registering their names
as candidates.

Meanwhile,
citizens are in discussions over how women voters and
candidates may change society.

Nabila Al
Anjeri is one candidate who keeps stressing to her
voters that “victory is closer than ever to
her.”

However,
many people believe it will be hard for women to break
into politics.

“I don’t
think women will bring any surprises in this election,”
said Jenan Bousheri, former candidate for the
municipality elections. Bousheri came second in the
election with a male candidate scooping top place. But
as a woman in a male-dominated society this was a
victory for her and many others.

Many people
are still suspicious of women’s ability to bring any
noticeable change to political life.

“I will
vote only for the person my husband chooses because I
have difficulty in choosing among such a large number of
candidates,” said Mariam Al Obedi, a housewife.

Earlier,
Nawal Al Bader, one of the female candidates, told the
Al Watan newspaper that she was not using all her energy
in this election because she sees it as a preparation
for the next election in 2010.

“I will not
be surprised to see all the female candidates lose
because most women are still influenced by their spouses
or family members,” said Nora Salem, an attorney.

Nahed Al
Eisa, a college student said she would be happy to see
any female candidates win.

We
come, we work, we go

Nicholas
Coates, Associate Editor, GulfNews                                        

Regardless
of how many years I will end up living in the UAE, of
one thing I am certain. It is that I shall always look
upon myself as a guest in this country.
I live and
work in the UAE by the grace and favour of the laws of
the land and the courtesy of my employer.
Should
any, or all, of these circumstances change then I will
be required to leave the country and make my own way in
life.

I
learnt this lesson soon after arriving in the UAE about
30 years ago. I was told that as a temporary worker, it
was best not to form any long-term attachments to the
place since at any time I could find myself on the next
plane home.
As, indeed, many people unexpectedly
did, much to their alarm. (I shall leave aside the very
many expatriates who ran off, owing large sums of money
to banks that’s another story and one that does not show
expatriates in a good light at
all.)

So,
as a “temporary worker” even one of so many years
standing it was no surprise to me that the Ministry of
Labour recently won its argument in
Geneva
to redefine immigrant labour as that very category:
temporary workers.

I
know there are many expatriates who will argue they have
worked “long years in difficult conditions helping to
bring the country to where it is”, but, I argue, it was
quid pro quo.

Legal
recourse:

We
gave our labour and in return we got paid. That means a
contract of exchange (money for services) was signed,
sealed and delivered. If we did not get paid, there was
legal recourse to seek redress.
If we did not like
the company we worked for, the alternative was to find
another job, and if we were unable to find one in the
UAE, because of the various government or contractual
restrictions then in force, the alternative was to go
back to our own country.

The
point is, no one is forcing anyone to work in the UAE.
Expatriates come to work in the hope of improving their
lifestyle.
If it does not prove to be so, then the
answer lies in our own hands, no one else. There is no
automatic right to employment in the UAE or any other
Gulf country, come to that regardless of how many years
a person has worked in the country.

Naturalisation,
or changing one’s citizenship is out of the question for
expatriates, again, regardless of how many years a
person has lived here (which is why we are now referred
to as temporary workers) so it is no good thinking of
the UAE as “our country”.
That is your place of
birth or, in the case of expatriates who have been born
in the UAE, ones parents’ place of birth. If you find
that situation unlivable, then don’t live
here.

It
is wise to remember that as an employee, you do not have
any allegiance to your employer beyond the conditions
and terms of employment you have agreed to and signed up
to.
Employers rarely have regard or concern for
their employees for they will, if necessary, “retrench”
and gladly sack any number of people so as to keep the
company afloat or more profitable.
If an employer
thinks like that, why shouldn’t an employee think as
selfishly? After all, if we are not selfish and “look
after No 1” no one else will.

It
is natural for a young and developing country to want to
use the talents of more experienced or labour-intensive
nations to assist in its development.
Equally, it is
natural for expatriates seeking better opportunities to
seek work in a country with vast employment prospects.

But it does not mean the expatriates should expect
any additional entitlements beyond that which have been
negotiated and agree upon with their employer.

So,
with this in mind, and that in due course of time UAE
nationals will want and expect to be employed in their
own country, certain measures have to be taken,
voluntarily or imposed, to ensure the expanding national
population can get jobs, rather than continue to employ
workers from foreign countries.

From
the outset I used to argue with those who expected more
from their “contribution to society”.
Then, and
still now, I point out that if, in your own country, you
were outnumbered 3:1 by foreign nationals, you would
feel disgruntled with government policy.
Even more
so if the foreigners were employed and you weren’t. So
perhaps, for a change, expatriates should pause for
reflection before making calls for “rights” that do not
exist and never have existed.

Music
is the food of love

Blitz
Desk                                                                                                     

With
less than five months to go, the wedding is on shaky
ground. She�s chosen a wedding dress, and was talking
about going for a fitting. �Don�t forget you�ll probably
have lost weight by the wedding,� I said, referring to
her self-professed aim to, well, lose weight before the
wedding.

It
didn�t go down well. In fact, if there�s one thing I�ve
learned, it�s that I�m not entitled to an opinion on
anything matrimonial. Not only did I lose the battle
over Paco and Rey, the flamenco guitarists, they are now
to be joined by a harpist, who has promised us �an
eclectic mix of light classical, popular, jazz and
Arabic songs�.

The
plan is this: she will walk down the aisle to the
delicate strains of the harp. Then, during the service,
the hymns will be accompanied by an organist. Then, the
harpist takes up the tune again as we walk out of the
church. At the reception it�s over to the flamenco
guitarists, who will strum away as our guests enjoy
their lunch.

So
far that�s four musicians. Given that we�re only
inviting 50 people, that means nearly five per cent of
our guests will be carrying some form of instrument. I�m
not sure if I�m going to a wedding or a hippie
convention.

And
of course it�s only a matter of time before she manages
to squeeze in some more music. Perhaps a violinist could
provide some atmosphere during the speeches. And who�s
going to entertain guests when they�re on the toilet? In
fact, why not hire an entire orchestra? That way each
guest can take one home with them, rather like a musical
goody bag.

Fortunately
the cast of �Chicago�
have now left town, although at least people would be
able to sit in our seats without losing all feeling in
their legs for the next three
weeks.

What
really intrigues me though is how the harpist is going
to deliver. I won�t give away the exact figures, but
she�s charging more than dhs1,000 for her services. The
aisle is perhaps 20 metres long. Even if you shuffle, it
still works out at more than dhs10 per step. And then
there�s the amount of songs she�s promised. Now unless
my fianc�e walks incredibly slowly, or the harpist plays
incredibly quickly, I�m not sure how she�s going to fit
in an eclectic mix of anything.

She�s
promised four genres of music, so that�s a minimum of
two songs up the aisle and two songs back down
again.  I get the feeling we might be about to
witness the birth of a new Olympic sport: The slow walk.
I think I�ll bring a book.

Music
is the food of love

Blitz
Desk     

Withless
than five months to go, the wedding is on shaky ground.
She�s chosen awedding dress, and was talking about going
for a fitting. �Don�t forget you�llprobably have lost
weight by the wedding,� I said, referring to
herself-professed aim to, well, lose weight before
thewedding.

Itdidn�t
go down well. In fact, if there�s one thing I�ve
learned, it�s that I�mnot entitled to an opinion on
anything matrimonial. Not only did I lose thebattle over
Paco and Rey, the flamenco guitarists, they are now to
be joined bya harpist, who has promised us �an eclectic
mix of light classical, popular,jazz and Arabic
songs�.

Theplan
is this: she will walk down the aisle to the delicate
strains of the harp.Then, during the service, the hymns
will be accompanied by an organist. Then,the harpist
takes up the tune again as we walk out of the church. At
thereception it�s over to the flamenco guitarists, who
will strum away as ourguests enjoy their
lunch.

Sofar
that�s four musicians. Given that we�re only inviting 50
people, that meansnearly five per cent of our guests
will be carrying some form of instrument. I�mnot sure if
I�m going to a wedding or a hippie
convention.

Andof
course it�s only a matter of time before she manages to
squeeze in some moremusic. Perhaps a violinist could
provide some atmosphere during the speeches.And who�s
going to entertain guests when they�re on the toilet? In
fact, why nothire an entire orchestra? That way each
guest can take one home with them,rather like a musical
goody bag.

Fortunatelythe
cast of �Chicago�have now left town, although at least
people would be able to sit in our seatswithout losing
all feeling in their legs for the next
threeweeks.

Whatreally
intrigues me though is how the harpist is going to
deliver. I won�t giveaway the exact figures, but she�s
charging more than dhs1,000 for her services.The aisle
is perhaps 20 metres long. Even if you shuffle, it still
works out atmore than dhs10 per step. And then there�s
the amount of songs she�s promised.Now unless my fianc�e
walks incredibly slowly, or the harpist plays
incrediblyquickly, I�m not sure how she�s going to fit
in an eclectic mix ofanything.

She�spromised
four genres of music, so that�s a minimum of two songs
up the aisle andtwo songs back down again. I get the
feeling we might be about to witness thebirth of a new
Olympic sport: The slow walk. I think I�ll bring
abook.

We
come, we work, we go

Nicholas
Coates, Associate Editor, GulfNews

Regardless
of how many years I will end up living in the UAE, of
one thing I am certain. It is that I shall always look
upon myself as a guest in this country.
I live and
work in the UAE by the grace and favour of the laws of
the land and the courtesy of my employer.
Should
any, or all, of these circumstances change then I will
be required to leave the country and make my own way in
life.

I
learnt this lesson soon after arriving in the UAE about
30 years ago. I was told that as a temporary worker, it
was best not to form any long-term attachments to the
place since at any time I could find myself on the next
plane home.
As, indeed, many people unexpectedly
did, much to their alarm. (I shall leave aside the very
many expatriates who ran off, owing large sums of money
to banks that’s another story and one that does not show
expatriates in a good light at
all.)

So,
as a “temporary worker” even one of so many years
standing it was no surprise to me that the Ministry of
Labour recently won its argument in
Geneva
to redefine immigrant labour as that very category:
temporary workers.

I
know there are many expatriates who will argue they have
worked “long years in difficult conditions helping to
bring the country to where it is”, but, I argue, it was
quid pro quo.

Legal
recourse:

We
gave our labour and in return we got paid. That means a
contract of exchange (money for services) was signed,
sealed and delivered. If we did not get paid, there was
legal recourse to seek redress.
If we did not like
the company we worked for, the alternative was to find
another job, and if we were unable to find one in the
UAE, because of the various government or contractual
restrictions then in force, the alternative was to go
back to our own country.

The
point is, no one is forcing anyone to work in the UAE.
Expatriates come to work in the hope of improving their
lifestyle.
If it does not prove to be so, then the
answer lies in our own hands, no one else. There is no
automatic right to employment in the UAE or any other
Gulf country, come to that regardless of how many years
a person has worked in the country.

Naturalisation,
or changing one’s citizenship is out of the question for
expatriates, again, regardless of how many years a
person has lived here (which is why we are now referred
to as temporary workers) so it is no good thinking of
the UAE as “our country”.
That is your place of
birth or, in the case of expatriates who have been born
in the UAE, ones parents’ place of birth. If you find
that situation unliveable, then don’t live
here.

It
is wise to remember that as an employee, you do not have
any allegiance to your employer beyond the conditions
and terms of employment you have agreed to and signed up
to.
Employers rarely have regard or concern for
their employees for they will, if necessary, “retrench”
and gladly sack any number of people so as to keep the
company afloat or more profitable.
If an employer
thinks like that, why shouldn’t an employee think as
selfishly? After all, if we are not selfish and “look
after No 1” no one else will.

It
is natural for a young and developing country to want to
use the talents of more experienced or labour-intensive
nations to assist in its development.
Equally, it is
natural for expatriates seeking better opportunities to
seek work in a country with vast employment prospects.

But it does not mean the expatriates should expect
any additional entitlements beyond that which have been
negotiated and agree upon with their employer.

So,
with this in mind, and that in due course of time UAE
nationals will want and expect to be employed in their
own country, certain measures have to be taken,
voluntarily or imposed, to ensure the expanding national
population can get jobs, rather than continue to employ
workers from foreign countries.

From
the outset I used to argue with those who expected more
from their “contribution to society”.
Then, and
still now, I point out that if, in your own country, you
were outnumbered 3:1 by foreign nationals, you would
feel disgruntled with government policy.
Even more
so if the foreigners were employed and you weren’t. So
perhaps, for a change, expatriates should pause for
reflection before making calls for “rights” that do not
exist and never have existed.

Kuwaiti
women excited to vote

Blitz
Desk     

With
Kuwaiti women being allowed toengage in political life
after a long struggle, many Kuwaitis are expectingwomen
to play an important role in the coming
era.

Kuwaiti
women were granted theirpolitical rights in an historic
move last year. Soon after the Kuwaiti Emirdissolved
Parliament last May and announced the date for the new
elections, withscores of women registering their names
as candidates.

Meanwhile,
citizens are indiscussions over how women voters and
candidates may changesociety.

Nabila
Al Anjeri is one candidatewho keeps stressing to her
voters that “victory is closer than ever
toher.”

However,
many people believe itwill be hard for women to break
into politics.

“I
don’t think women will bring anysurprises in this
election,” said Jenan Bousheri, former candidate for
themunicipality elections. Bousheri came second in the
election with a malecandidate scooping top place. But as
a woman in a male-dominated society thiswas a victory
for her and many others.

Many
people are still suspicious ofwomen’s ability to bring
any noticeable change to political
life.

“I
will vote only for the person myhusband chooses because
I have difficulty in choosing among such a large
numberof candidates,” said Mariam Al Obedi, a
housewife.

Earlier,
Nawal Al Bader, one of thefemale candidates, told the Al
Watan newspaper that she was not using all herenergy in
this election because she sees it as a preparation for
the nextelection in 2010.

“I
will not be surprised to see allthe female candidates
lose because most women are still influenced by
theirspouses or family members,” said Nora Salem, an
attorney.

Nahed
Al Eisa, a college studentsaid she would be happy to see
any female candidates win.

Where’s
our conscience?

Irfan
Husain writes from
Pakistan           

When
250 police officers andintelligence service personnel
raided aLondonsuburb recently on a tip-off, theyhad
visions of evil �terrorists� working to make a chemical
bomb in thebasement. In the event, they came across two
sleepy brothers, and shot one whilearresting
them.

But
thisprocess of creating stereotypes is not a recent one:
by demonising the �other�,we make it easier to kill and
maim him. What do American soldiers inIraq,Israelis
inPalestine,Russians inChechnyahave incommon? We could
also ask the same question about Americans during the
VietnamWar, Pakistanis during theEastPakistancivilwar,
and Serbs inBosniaa decadeago.

In
eachcase, soldiers went into battle convinced that they
were fighting an enemy whowas not only inferior to them,
but also represented a threat to their familiesand
countries. Hatred and fear drive otherwise decent human
beings to commithorrors on a scale they would be
incapable of normally.

How
doordinary people reach such a state of brutality? Their
brainwashing starts longbefore they enter military
academies and training camps. Subtly and incessantly,the
media as well as school textbooks drum in the message
that their country,their civilization and their
particular faith are superior to allothers.

Moreimportantly,
the establishment keeps its population in ignorance
about apotential adversary. Travel is made difficult,
and the import of newspapers,books and magazines from
the opposing country is restricted. News in the
homemedia is heavily slanted in order to distort
reality. The perception of threatis magnified, and the
common elements blurred over.

In
thissituation, hatred is easy to generate. The �other�
is shown as somehow less thanhuman. Pejorative names are
routinely applied: thus, �gooks�, �ragheads�,
�sandniggers�, and �bingos� become part of everyday
vocabulary. Even when a soldierkills an innocent
civilian in enemy territory, this act is somehow not a
crimebecause after all, one �haji� (the American
nickname for Iraqis) looks likeanother.

Thisde-humanising
of the adversary goes a long way to explaining horrors
like AbuGhraib, Haditha and Mai Lai. If you torture or
slaughter mere �ragheads�, what�sthe big deal? When
Pakistani officers boasted their army would �improve
therace� through rape when fighting against the Mukti
Bahini inEastPakistanin 1971,they were expressing their
contempt for the enemy. From hatred to violence is avery
short step. InRussiatoday,violence against non-Europeans
and non-Slavs is common. This racism iswidespread and
goes largely unpunished. InAmericaafter9/11, anybody who
appeared like a Muslim was fair game for
rednecks.

Theseattitudes
and prejudices are shaped by culture and history, and
are givencurrency by the reactionary media as well as by
a populist establishment seekingto gain support from the
lowest common denominator. TV channels like Fox Newswhip
up the crudest form of patriotism to gain market share,
and politicians usethe flag shamelessly to garner
votes.

So
wheninstructors receive raw young recruits in military
training establishments, halftheir work is already done.
All that remains is to erase a soldier�sindividuality,
and drum instant, unquestioning obedience into him. This
is donethrough systematic and savage bullying, made
innocuous by harmless-seeming termssuch as �hazing� or
�ragging�.

Thus
whena young man of twenty is sent to do battle in a
faraway land, he has a lifetimeof indoctrination behind
him. He truly believes he has God on his side. He
hasalso been totally convinced that he is fighting to
protect his country and hisfamily, never mind that they
are often thousands of miles away.

The
pointof military instruction, apart from imparting
weapons training and so forth, isto alter the moral
framework of the individual soldier. In this new world
he hasentered, �right� and �wrong� lose all meaning. To
carry out his superior�sorders immediately and without
question is �right�, and to question them orrefuse to
carry them out is �wrong�. Punishment for �wrongdoing�
is swift andsevere. In this unambiguous world, the
greatest sin is to let the regiment down.When an officer
says, “Jump!”, you don�t ask “Why?”. You jump as high as
youcan. Clearly, without this kind of mindless
discipline, soldiers would notcharge a machine gun
position over open ground. Or sit in a trench as
artilleryshells explode around them.

But
thedownside of this behaviour is that it makes a soldier
suspend his sense ofjudgment, and his sense of right and
wrong. However, this training works wellonly in a
clearly defined battlefield where the enemy is wearing a
differentuniform and fighting under a different flag.
The problem arises when the foe iselusive and usually
dressed as a civilian.

In
such atheatre, everybody not wearing a uniform like
yours is a potential enemy. Awoman in a burqa could
conceal a weapon, and a young boy could be
carryingammunition for a militant. All men are, of
course, immediately suspect. Onpatrol, with a heightened
sense of danger and with adrenaline coursing throughthe
system, the first instinct is to shoot first at any sign
of possible danger.�Better safe than sorry� becomes the
battlefield maxim.

So
whenwe read that American soldiers recently shot a
pregnant Iraqi woman dead as shewas being rushed to a
nearby hospital, we can guess at what went through
theirminds as they manned a checkpoint. On average,
seven Iraqi civilians are killedin similar incidents
every week.

In
thisbattle against invisible foes, atrocities become the
norm, not aberrations. Forgenerals, fighting against
irregular forces that fade away into the populationposes
a major dilemma. Maintaining discipline while being
aggressive at the sametime is a huge problem. This is
especially true for countries where policy isoften
shaped through a democratic process. It seems
increasingly likely thatAmericans, fed up of Bush�s
conduct of the war inIraq, willpunish the Republicans at
the mid-term congressional elections in November.
InBritain, Blairis hugely unpopular for leading his
country into an unnecessary war.

More
andmore, warfare will be an asymmetrical affair,
conducted between regular armiesand irregular forces.
Soldiers trained to shoot clearly identifiable enemies
areill-equipped to fight the shadow war that is the �war
on terror�.

Butas
a generation ofVietnamveterans learned after they
returned home, you do not just walk away afterburying
the dead. For many, committing nameless horrors because
you are orderedto leaves deep psychological scars that
you carry your whole life. The ultimateaxis of evil is
the one between ignorance, fear, hatred
andviolence.

All
Koreans Urged to Hold Higher Banner of
Independence

Blitz
Desk                 

Inorder to
give steady momentum to the cause of national
reunification, theKoreans should confidently advance
along the road of independent reunification,holding
higher the banner of national independence. Rodong
Sinmun Tuesday saysthis in a signed article. It goes
on:
Only when the Koreans firmly adhere tothe
principle of independence in the struggle to terminate
the division of thecountry and pave the way for the
development of the nation can they protect therights and
interests of the nation and settle the issue of
reunificationaccording to the will and requirements of
the nation.
The Korean nation wasdivided by the
foreign forces which sought the partition of
theKoreanPeninsulaanddomination over it. The movement
for national reunification is a struggle toprotect
national sovereignty from foreign domination and
interference and exaltthe national dignity.
National
reunification is a patriotic cause of theKorean nation
which can never be accomplished by others. The Koreans
should beresponsible for national reunification, an
issue related to their destiny and amatter related to
the national dignity and sovereignty, and play such
role. Theyshould settle the issue of reunification by
their concerted efforts according tothe desire and
wishes of the nation.
Independenceis theintrinsic
nature of the cause of national reunification and keeps
the nationalive. National reunification and future and
prosperity of the nation would beunthinkable without
independence. National independence serves as a
patrioticbanner to be always held aloft by the Koreans
engaged in the movement forreunification, desirous of
national reunification and the common prosperity ofthe
nation.
TheU.S.imperialists are a basic obstacle to
national reunification. The Koreans havenot yet achieved
reunification despite their strong desire for unity
andreunification entirely because of the persistent and
vicious moves of theU.S.imperialists to block the
reunification ofKorea.
They should not tolerate even
the slightest manifestation of foreigninterference in
the internal affairs of the nation but categorically
reject itand independently settle the issue of national
reunification through theirnegotiations.
Without a
resolute struggle against flunkeyism and dependenceon
foreign forces the Koreans can neither prevent foreign
forces from meddlingand obstructing the cause of
reunification nor develop the
inter-Koreanrelations.
The Korean nation armed with
the spirit of national independencealone can put an end
to flunkeyism and dependence on foreign forces, an
obstacleto reunification.
With no desperate efforts
can the U.S. and pro-U.S.conservative forces
hold in check the dynamic advance of the June 15 era if
allKoreans strengthen in every way the driving force for
national reunification,guided by the strong spirit of
national independence, and switch the movementfor
national reunification to a struggle for independent
reunification throughnational cooperation, the article
concludes.

The
unending mania of superiority

Prof.
Ziaullah Gondal writes from
Pakistan       

Since
the beginningof the incredible drama of life, war has
been the ultimate result of the humanurge to rule over
fellow beings on the face of this planet. The war
fordominance among humans reached its culmination with
the support of knowledge.Halaku and Hitler are dreadful
and destructive examples of thrusting the conceptof
superiority on their friends and foes. However, fortune
favored the rest ofthe world.
The two World Wars are
considered symbols of victory in the eyesof the powers
that be of recent days, i.e. the anti-Hitler forces. Yet
thequestion about the nature of defensive war style of
the allies in both the greatwars is strong enough to
disclose the true intentions and targets of the
thenthink tanks of the
US
and Britain.
The superpower of the West acquired acommanding position
when two Japanese cities were destroyed. Was the
destructiveaspect of the philosophy of war preferred
deliberately over the constructiveaspect by the victors
in those great wars, or was it the only option to
resolvethe destiny of the masses left in their hands?
The answer is hard to arriveat.
This war of
superiority gave fruitful results to people who were
thetarget of the prejudiced and dogmatic mentality of
Hitler�s army. The Weststarted making decisions for the
rest of the developing world and is still busyin
projecting itself as the paragon of civilization.
The
war of superiorityshould have ended there.
Unfortunately, it became more intense with the passageof
time. Its present pace is quite horrific as observed by
the East, especiallythe Muslims. Is the irrational
involvement of the West inIraqandAfghanistannot the
continuityof the very concept of superiority evolved by
Hitler and Halaku? If it isreactionary in its essence,
the reaction should be against the Nazis, who
areprobably not active anymore.
One wonders how the
annihilation of Muslimpopulation in oil rich Arab states
can propagate a positive and neutral approachof the
�civilized� Western invaders.
The Muslim eye is
closely observinginconceivable atrocities of the Western
knights inMesopotamiaandAfghanistan. It would
beinteresting to carefully analyze the basic question
agitating the minds of theMuslim Ummah.
Wealth and
power are not enough to crush the wounded pride ofthe
people of the war-ridden Islamic countries. Why is the
reflex action of theWest driven by ego and anger,
excluding even a small prospect of negotiations?Why is
the epicenter of terrorism declared to be located in the
areas offront-line states without judging the
consequences of the successive series ofaccusations
while ignoring the root causes?
Whether this war
imposed by theWest is defensive in nature or it is
driven by the concept of perceivedsuperiority, as the
Muslim majority perceives it to be, is still an
ambiguity.The impact of this war is projecting a
draconian image of the West on the Muslimworld at large,
even in remote areas.
It is crystal clear that the
poorpeople are always ignorant and poverty is mainly the
consequence of defectivelaws and faulty government; and
is never the characteristic of a nation that iswell
governed.
The West is insistent on supporting
impotent governments,whose incapacity to get the
required results within the given time period isstill an
enigma, even after the unspeakable experience of two
decades. Such anartificial approach must be abandoned if
the West is interested in uprootingthis menace eternally
from the face of the earth. Yet the most important task
athand is a careful analysis of the state of affairs to
which the world is exposedin the present era.
For
ages, the routine of powerful nations has been toenvelop
their agendas in the cover of legal provisions of
international andhumanitarian law. Mighty people defeat
others with the power of morality andrespect for law. On
the other hand, to be a superior nation is a
naturalphenomenon that demands a durable dominance.
A
number of logical argumentsare given by the contemporary
intelligentsia of the West in favor of thedestruction of
two crowded cities ofJapan.In his
column, �Exploring the moral thesis of Hiroshima
bombings�, Max Hastingssays that the aim at that moment
was to stop the war, once and for all, and theatom bomb,
worth $ 2 billion, was the only powerful weapon left in
the hands ofthe allies for this purpose. And it did
work.
Is such a justification not atempting precedent
for the present atomic powers to use in the future?
Theextraction of moral aspects out of destruction for
the sake of strengtheningone�s stance is a laborious
struggle, but it cannot be an excuse for not givinga
rational or moral chance to
negotiations.
Aggressiveness is the antonym
ofrationalism and principality. Why is it getting more
room in the currentsituation of the world affairs?
Perhaps the graph of tolerance is going down andthe
concept of superiority has got sufficient space in the
policies of powerfulstates in an atmosphere where
statecraft and diplomacy have nothing to do
withmorality.

Stars
Line up for Master of Fine Arts Courses in
China

Blitz
Desk

A
line-up of stars and celebrities has been enrolled for
China‘s
first Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree courses beginning
in September, with the second intake to be recruited in
July. ����

A
total of 4,138 people applied for the entrance
examinations for the first MFA intake, with 1,095
enrolled, including actors Zhao Wei and Huang Xiaoming,
television news anchor Chai Jing and folk singer Wang
Lida, said deputy director of the National Educational
Guidance Committee for the Master’s Degree of Fine Arts
Wang Cizhao.

Approved
by the State Council in March 2005, the MFA was
established on the Chinese mainland to place more
emphasis on the education of the creative visual and
performing arts.

The
32 universities and colleges across the country
qualified to confer such degrees planned to enroll a
total of 1,390 students in the second intake, Wang said.

“We’ll
aim to maintain the educational quality by capping the
number of students and degree-casting schools in the
second intake,” Wang told Xinhua. “People from
Hong
Kong,
Macao,
Taiwan
and foreign countries are excluded from applying for the
time being.”

Prospective
applicants must present their bachelor’s degree
certificate and examples of their work, he
added.

 Like the Master
of Business Administration and Master of Public
Administration degrees, the MFA is a professional degree
already conferred in the
United
States,
the Great
Britain,
Canada,
Australia
and New
Zealand,
and in Taiwan
and Hong
Kong
regions.

MFA
degree courses are to be offered by 32 mainland schools,
including Peking University, Tsinghua University,
Beijing Normal University, the Central Drama Institute,
the Communication University of China, Beijing Film
Academy, Beijing Institute of Dance, Shanghai Drama
Institute, Nanjing University and Xiamen University in
eight fields: music, drama, traditional Chinese opera,
film, radio and television, design, dance and painting.

Previously
graduates majoring in art could only earn degrees in
literature since art is a second-class discipline under
literature on the mainland, a tradition broken by the
MFA degree, said Zhou Xing, another deputy director of
the committee.

The
MFA would also provide its holders with a more specific
qualification when they begin looking for jobs, he
added.

“The
MFA exam will be distinct from other master’s course
entrance exams and will take in artistic talent and
skills.

Pakistan
may bar media from National Assembly
committees

Shahzad
Raza from
Pakistan      

Top
government officials and members of the military
establishment inPakistanhave been so irked bypress
coverage of National Assembly (NA) standing committees
that they haveproposed barring journalists from
attending them, official
sourcessaid.

They said that NA speaker ChaudhryAmir Hussain
had recently held talks with chairpersons of standing
committeesopen to the media to draw up a strategy to
deal with the �problem�. The NAspeaker, they stressed,
had acted on directives from the top
politicalleadership, which believed that instead of
attending sessions, the press shouldsimply be given a
handout of proceedings.
According to sources,
governmentofficials had repeatedly warned Hussein as
well as committee chairpersons thatpress reporting of
proceedings routinely jeopardized the �national
interest�.
Currently, five of the 35 NA standing
committees remain open to the media:Public Accounts
Committee (PAC), standing committees on local
government,population welfare, food and agriculture and
interior.
The NA standingcommittee on water and power
had previously been open to the press. Its
newchairperson, however, has barred journalists from
attending its proceedings.
Under NA rules, committee
chairpersons are authorized to allow journaliststo sit
in on proceedings to ensure the system�s transparency
and to holdrelevant officials directly accountable to
the people.
Sources said thatduring Hussain�s talks
with committee chairpersons, the idea of establishing
a�Code of Ethics� had been floated to regulate press
coverage of proceedings.Also discussed was the idea of
chairpersons declaring sensitive parts of theproceedings
�off-the-record�. Government officials, however, made it
clear thatcommittee chairpersons would bear
responsibility for any controversy createdthrough media
reports.
Sources said that the NA speaker
specificallyexpressed concern over reporting of PAC
proceedings, noting that oppositionmembers often leveled
serious allegations against the government, which
weresubsequently reported by the press.
The
government had, until last year,kept secret PAC
proceedings.
Sources noted that a PAC treasury member
hadrecently demanded that its proceedings be held
in-camera, saying that oppositionmembers regularly
leveled sensational charges against the government to
securecolumn inches.

Neither the government not theopposition have so
far issued a formal response to
theseclaims.

Pakistan
to support every step for stability in
Iraq

Blitz
Desk

Pakistan
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said,
Pakistan
will support every step aims at bringing political
stability in Iraq.
In
an interview to Pakistan Television (PTV), national TV
network of Pakistan
she said, Pakistan
wanted early peace and stability in
Iraq
so that the Iraqi people are able to establish their own
rule in the country.
She said
Pakistan
was against the military action in
Iraq
adding “we wish for an earlier normalization of
situation there”.
While asked to comment on National
Reconciliation Plan of the Iraqi Prime Minister the
spokesperson said,
Pakistan
supported each and every step which aims at uniting the
people of Iraq
and the end of unrest in the country.
To a question
she said, Pakistan
wanted a stable and progressing
Afghanistan
adding “we have been extending all possible cooperation
in this connection”.
She said the situation in
Afghanistan
had direct links with
Pakistan
and peace and stability in the region is in mutual
interest of both the countries.
There exists great
potential for the expansion of trade ties between
Pakistan
and Central Asian states which can only be explored when
there is peace and stability in
Afghanistan,
she said.
Similarly the proposed energy pipeline
project can only be executed when there is peace in
Afghanistan,
she added.
So a peaceful and politically stable
Afghanistan
is in Pakistan‘s
own interest she said adding, the country is doing all
what it can in this regard.