[ALOCHONA] Water security for Bangladesh

Water security for Bangladesh Mahmud ur Rahman Choudhury In addition to the food, energy and physical security issue, Bangladesh and its people will soon be facing a massive water security problem which will outweigh all other problems in gravity because without sweet-water (the water we drink and wash with, farm with, grow fishes in, water our plants, vegetables and fruits with) nothing gets done; without sweet-water life and living is impossible. Sweet-water, provided with by rains and snow, carried by rivers, stored underground in natural reservoirs and stored overground in both artificial and natural reservoirs, is quite literally the life-line to survival of all living beings including humans.    For Bangladesh that survival is at stake because ever since 1972, right after Bangladesh became independent, India has been daming off our rivers in its upper reaches, starting with the Farraka Barrage which went into operation in 1974. The Indian Plans The Ganges-Brahmaputra basin is Bangladesh and the 54 or so major and minor rivers which flow through it to the Bay of Bengal, all originate in the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan and India, all pass through India and India has put into effect plans to garner all the waters of all these rivers to ensure its own water security, leaving Bangladesh high and dry, quite literally.   So besides the Farraka, Teesta and dozens of other smaller barrages along dozens of other smaller rivers, India is building the Tipaimukh dam and Fulertal barrage upstream of the Surma and Kushiara running through the Sylhet division. Since 2004 India is implementing its "River Linking Project" which will link up major rivers in India to their sources in Nepal and Bhutan where massive reservoirs would be built to hold up water. The canal systems developed or under development for the "River Linking Project" will divert waters of major rivers in the east to the much drier west of India. The barrages/dams at Farraka, Teesta and the upcoming ones at Tipaimukh and Fulertal are part of a well thought out plan, implemented in phases. Effects on Bangladesh The effects of the Indian "River Linking Project", the dams and the barrages are already proving horrendous for Bangladesh and can be looked at under three broad heads: Siltation of rivers, Periodic Desertification & Flooding: The artificially controlled reduction of water flows along rivers result in increasing siltation of all rivers in Bangladesh and with reduction of flows of major rivers, large tracts of land in the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin are turning into semi-arid regions unfit for habitation or cultivation; with the building of Tipaimukh dam and Fulertal barrage even more areas will turn inhabitable.   With the River Linking Project completed, India will have complete control of waters of all rivers running through Bangladesh: during dry seasons withdrawal of waters from already silted up rivers will make of Bangladesh a desert and during the monsoons, release of excess waters will flood the whole of Bangladesh since silted up rivers will be unable to carry waters to the sea. Such periodic desertification and flooding will neither permit habitation nor cultivation, turning Bangladesh into hostile territory for any sort of permanent settlement - the nation-state of Bangladesh will, for all practical purposes, cease to exist. Changes in Weather Patterns: Ice caps and glaciers in the Himalayas are melting and unpredictably increasing flows in some 54 major rivers passing from India through Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal. As the ice and glaciers keep on melting due to global warming, water flows will suddenly rise and then decline drastically, also changing precipitation cycles and patterns.   Additionally, cultural artifacts built up in India such as dams/barrages etc interfere with natural drainage systems, increasing risks of weather patterns changes. With the weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, monsoon rains are not coming around when they ought to, summers are getting hotter and longer and winters are becoming shorter and severer. This has a severe effect on agriculture and cropping patterns in Bangladesh, making it difficult for farmers to predict what crops to plant and reap at what times of the year. Besides unpredictable weather makes it impossible to plant and reap certain types of cereals, vegetables and fruits which for centuries have been the main crops. So, agriculture is going to suffer making it difficult to get food in quantities and types that our people need. Lack of Adequate Clean Waters: Climatic changes and cultural artifacts are not only affecting rivers and the waters that they contain but also under-ground water is being affected. Dams and barrages constructed upstream in India are drastically reducing the availability of water in Bangladesh. As precipitation becomes uncertain and as rivers dry up, under-ground water is not being replenished and natural geological systems are put into disarray, throwing up minerals such as arsenic which are extremely harmful to all living beings including plants, animals and humans. As sea levels rise and rivers dry up, salinity will keep on increasing, affecting both land and water and making more and more land uninhabitable, jeopardizing life and living. What must Bangladesh do to Survive National interests being paramount, one doesn't see India backing out from its program of linking rivers through building dams/barrages/reservoirs and canals to garner waters from rivers, notwithstanding Bangladesh's profuse profession & rhetoric of undying friendship and love towards India. One must consider that such "friendship" did not prevent India from building and putting into operation the Farraka barrage in the period 1971 to 1974, when India-Bangladesh relations were at their zenith ever; neither will friendship & good neighborly relations now prevent India from going ahead with the Tipaimukh dam, the Fulertal barrage or the greater River Linking Project.   The only way to persuade India to giving us our rights to survival is to pursue an aggressive and sustained diplomatic and media offensive in every multi-lateral forum including the UN, the SAARC, the OIC, the EU, building world opinions, putting continuous pressure on India to desist from measures which will make Bangladesh uninhabitable.   Unfortunately though, that way too is being frustrated by some cabinet ministers of the AL government who comment that people are "talking too much" about the issue and that the Tipaimukh dam and the Fulertal barrage will be "beneficial" to Bangladesh because they would be producing electricity, some of which will come to Bangladesh. The moot point is who is going to use that electricity and for what if vast tracts of Bangladesh become uninhabitable, devoid of populace and habitations!   http://www.thebangladeshtoday.com/archive/June%2009/9-6-2009.htm

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[ALOCHONA] Is caste prejudice still an issue?

Is caste prejudice still an issue? By John McManus BBC News Groups who say they face discrimination within their religions because of their ranking in society are gathering for a conference in London on the theme of "untouchability". But is the caste system still used as means of excluding people within some religious groups in Britain? Some Hindus and Sikhs believe the caste system is divinely-inspired The first world conference on "untouchability" aims to draw together the experiences of people from as far afield as Nigeria, Britain, and Japan. Such "untouchability" or social exclusion, based on membership of certain groups, is a continuing problem for sections of the population worldwide, say the conference organisers. One of the most well-known forms is the caste system which is practised in the Indian sub-continent, but activists claim similar ways of organising people into higher and lower groups in society can be found throughout the world. Is caste an issue in the UK? They say that up to 250 million people are affected by the issue, and children of immigrants who settle in different parts of the world are not immune. Reena Jaisiah is a 29-year-old teacher and arts director from Coventry. She was raised by parents from a Punjabi background who were not particularly religious, but were from the Dalit community, a group of people who are considered to be ritually unclean by Hindus. Dalit discrimination In India, Dalits are often forced to take the worst kinds of jobs, and can live their lives in poverty because of a system that gives religious sanction to discrimination. Reena's parents rejected the caste system, but did not tell her about her background - which led to questions from schoolmates and ultimately, bullying when they discovered that she was a Dalit. She still refuses to take the change from my hand when I serve her Reena Jaisiah "People with a strong religious feeling always want to know what caste you are", she says. "My parents encouraged me to conceal my background, but I felt inferior to children from other castes." Reena also encountered prejudice while at university and says she can still see the caste system at work today amongst Hindu schoolchildren, with pupils exhibiting a form of "caste consciousness" by treating others according to their perceived place in society. The caste system explained The Indian government made caste discrimination unlawful in 1976, though it is still practised in some areas. So why is the problem continuing, and will any Indian reform affect British communities? Babu Gogineni is from the International Humanist and Ethical Association, one of the conference organisers. He believes that political reform in India will not solve caste prejudice. Reena Jaisiah has been questioned about her caste throughout her life "There are Dalit politicians in India, but nothing has changed. The answer is to educate Dalits and empower them." Mr Gogineni says that Dalits also discriminate amongst themselves; that there is in effect, a hierarchy even amongst the untouchables. The National Secular Society however, does think that legislation can be used to tackle the problem in the UK. The society's Keith Porteous-Wood wants the government to include a clause in the Equality Bill which is currently going through parliament, which would be enacted if subsequent research indicated that discrimination was apparent. But the Hindu Forum of Britain says caste does not exist in the UK. They maintain that the only remnant of the system is a tendency for like-minded people to seek each other out for social or marriage purposes. Reena Jaisiah, however, is in no doubt that her Dalit origins still cast a shadow over her life. "I own a shop in Coventry and there is one customer - who is from the higher Brahmin caste - who keeps asking me what caste I am. "She still refuses to take the change from my hand when I serve her."     http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8089287.stm

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[ALOCHONA] Pakistan’s comment on war crimes trial unwanted, unwarranted

Editorial Pakistan's comment on war crimes trial unwanted, unwarranted   THE statement made recently by an official of the Pakistan government about trial of war crimes committed by the Pakistani army and their local henchmen during Bangladesh's war of liberation in 1971 is both improper and insensitive. According to a report published in New Age on Monday, the official told visiting Bangladeshi journalists on Saturday that war crimes trial would strain the ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The law minister of Bangladesh has quite rightly slated the statement and said Pakistan should refrain from making such negative comments about the issue.    First of all, it should be made clear that the issue of war crimes trial is close to the heart of Bangladeshis and this is primarily far from a diplomatic issue. The war of liberation in 1971 was not a matter of choice for Bangladeshis and it was imposed on them by the Pakistani rulers who had subjugated and persecuted the people in the eastern wing — what is now Bangladesh — for over two decades. During those two decades, citizens of East Pakistan had tried to resist repression legally and lawfully, remaining very much within the legal framework of Pakistan, so to speak. Then, after the elections of 1970 had returned a clear mandate for East Pakistan's political control over the two wings, the people in the eastern wing were denied by the ruling elite in West Pakistan. The Bangladeshis took up arms only after the West Pakistani rulers had unleashed a military crackdown on them. The war, as said before, was imposed on us. It was a war to resist the injustices and to liberate the land of the occupation forces. It is inherent in the spirit of that liberation war that crimes against humanity during those nine months should be brought to justice.    The trial of war crimes—and these include killing of unarmed civilians, rape and arson—committed against the people of Bangladesh constitutes an important facet of that sense of liberation and thus those injustices and war crimes must be addressed to rid the collective psyche of what remains like a blemish in our achievement of 1971. A proper, transparent trial must be held to allow us to move forward. We believe this trial should have been held much earlier than now, 38 years after the war. And for this delay, one can only lay the blame on the lack of commitment on the part of the successive governments that ruled the country. The Indian government of that time is also to blame in this regard because it negotiated a settlement with Pakistan, compromising Bangladesh's interests, at a time when the newly born country could hardly object to the decision of her mighty neighbour who had appeared as its ally.    It should be pointed out here that Pakistan itself has not officially apologised for the crimes against humanity. We expect that instead of opposing the war crimes trial the current Pakistani establishment should come forward and cooperate only to absolve themselves of the injustice their predecessors had dished out to this nation.   http://www.newagebd.com/2009/jun/09/edit.html

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[ALOCHONA] Will crying wolf restore credibility of BNP?

Will crying wolf restore credibility of BNP?

Mozammel H. Khan

BNP chairperson and the leader of the opposition in parliament came down heavily on the government, accusing it of implementing the agenda of its "foreign masters." In tune with her earlier utterances, she said: "This government assumed office by digital manipulation…. My party will not sit idle if the Awami League (AL) government does not refrain from conspiracies against the country, making the country a client state." Even the last caretaker government, which came because of the AL and allies' movement against the BNP and its allies' effort to hold a voterless election, did not escape her wrath.

Because of her belief that the people of the country could be fooled by this rhetoric, she adopted the slogan "save the people, save the country" in the last general election. However, not many people at home and abroad, except for a few diehard anti-AL (not pro BNP) columnists in only a couple of news dailies, subscribed to her preposterous accusations.

It was widely believed that "one eleven" would make a qualitative change in the future politics of Bangladesh. However, the BNP chairperson's utterances and actions do not show that any lesson has at all been learned. After her smashing election debacle, it was expected that she would do some soul-searching and rebuild her party as an alternate positive political force, which sensible people could feel allegiance to without destroying their consciences. She needed some friends of the party, not foes.

Her statement that "foreign powers" brought the AL-alliance to power is an insult to the free will of our people, so vociferously expressed in the December 29, 2008 election. As the leader of the opposition, she has the legal right to criticise the actions of the government, but as each day passes by, the stories of wanton looting and rifling of the national exchequer, arm smuggling, money laundering, holding of fat foreign bank accounts and encroachment of others' properties by her near and dear ones, it is becoming morally difficult for her to criticise the wrong-doings of the six-month old government. When she speaks publicly, the faces all around her are either convicts or accused people.

She has tried to politically resurrect a person who has damaged the most sacred institution of the Westminster democracy, the speaker's position, by robbing the national exchequer. Her party's secretary general took air conditioners, furniture etc. from his official residence to his personal one, and rice and other food items from the canteen of the parliament in addition to misappropriating lakhs of takas from the parliamentary allocations. It became the biggest joke when he responded that the allegations were made to tarnish the image of his family, when the deeds and misdeeds of his two sons are well known.

Keeping him as a spokesman for the party cannot help to restore the acceptability of the party to the people. How will the BNP chairperson explain to the people how her elder son Tarique Rahman got a waiver of interest worth Tk 12 crore on bank loans within a week after the BNP-Jamaat coalition assumed power in 2001? In any civilised democracy, that action alone would enough to seal the political fate of a former PM for good.

The BNP chairperson alleged that a "conspiracy is on to make Bangladesh a failed and non-functional state." Ironically, the characterisation of Bangladesh as a "failed state" surfaced only during the dark era of the last BNP-Jamaat government. Bangladesh was ranked 17 in the global ranking of failed states by an American magazine named Foreign Policy in 2005. Bangladesh was termed as "the most dysfunctional country in Asia" by the Asia Times in its issue on April 15, 2004. The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation in their report (2005) on Bangladesh said: "Weak rule of law ... manifesting itself in some of the world's worst official corruption, civil crime, and political violence ... continues to burden Bangladesh's democracy." It added: "Until the government addresses Bangladesh's many structural weaknesses, there is little reason for optimism about the country's future." These are not pleasant citations on the part anyone who wants to see Bangladesh as a modern, democratic and secular state with its rightful place in the community of nations.

Quite to the contrary, the news media around the world, by and large, dubbed the last election as the most fair in Bangladesh's history and the election victory of AL and its allies as a reflection of optimism. The Toronto Star, the most circulated and influential news daily of Canada wrote (January 1, 2009) in an editorial entitled "Optimism in Bangladesh:" "Bangladesh attracts little attention beyond its perennial cyclones and floods. But a political hurricane swept through the South Asian nation this week that has cleared the path to a secular democracy -- and set back the march of radical Islamists." About the fairness of the election, it went on: "The result, in a campaign remarkably free of the violence and vote-rigging that plagued past ballots, was decisive: In a landslide, Hasina's secularists captured 230 of 300 seats in Parliament. Zia's BNP was reduced to a rump of 27 seats." The editorial concluded with a tone of optimism: "At a time when the West is wringing its hands over the encroachment of political Islam, the world's second-biggest Muslim nation has shown its commitment to democracy and the resilience of a moderate Islam that renounces violence. That Bangladesh is following the lead of Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim-majority state -- in embracing liberal democracy is further grounds for optimism, and a welcome counterpoint to the growing power of the mullahs in nearby Pakistan."

The BNP chief further alleged that "the country is passing through a bad time because of a conspiracy against its independence and sovereignty." In today's global village, if linking Bangladesh to the proposed Asian Highway means encroachment on her sovereignty, then no state in Europe is sovereign and neither America nor Canada is sovereign a country. The geographical sovereignty of a nation of 150 million people can never be encroached upon. It is more so for the nation than sacrificed 3 million of her sons to gain the sovereignty. Crying wolf only tarnishes the dignity of the nation and wrongly exposes its vulnerability. It will never help to restore the credibility of the party that was squarely responsible for making Bangladesh a dysfunctional state. Do the people want to go back to that dark era?

Dr. Mozammel H. Khan is the Convener of the Canadian Committee for Human Rights and Democracy in Bangladesh.

Source:  http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/print_news.php?nid=91728

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Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: Indian BSF erects fence along Tin Bigha Corridor

Ezaj bhai:

 

Exactly what I suspected. You fancy Dipu Moni! :) Well..no worries. I am no competitor.

 

I agree with you about our governments, past and present included, inability to demand anything from anyone. As a strong believer of grassroots movement, I think that the conformists and apathetic Bangladeshis like ourselves have given enough rope to our elected officials. We do not demand from them, and they do not represent public interest.

 

Just a little correction re. India and Pakistan. India treats Bangladesh as its renegade state, "the one that got away", as pesky little irritant that gives Nagaland, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal terrible ideas like "independence", "liberty", "Self-rule". Pakistan treats Bangladesh just the way American South treated blacks post civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. We are their "former slaves", of inferior faith, quality, and race, who sided with the "Hindus" and ran away from the plantation, so to speak.

 

Thanks for your kind words regarding my writing. I also enjoy reading posts from those who disagree with me. Granted, the debate gets hotter sometimes and a few unkind words are thrown here and there. But it's a debate, and there is always room for learning.

 

C

---

From: ezajur <ezajur.rahman@q8.com>
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, June 5, 2009 6:08:20 AM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: Indian BSF erects fence along Tin Bigha Corridor

Dear Alochok Cyrus

I fell off my chair laughing reading this post!

Be careful my friend otherwise you will end up an old goat like me. Leave outrage, frustration, screaming etc to people like me. There are enough of us around.

But there aren't enough of people like you around. Because, whatever your conclusions, you present facts, figures, logic, history, data and seek to connect them. This is precious and there aren't enough such commentators around. We need more of them.

I always learn something from your writings - and from people who write like you even if they disagree with you.

Here's the thing:

Bangladesh, since it's birth, has not had the sovereign intergrity to demand anything from anyone. This is not the fault of our blessed soil - it is a reflection, and function, of the inferiority complexes that so blight our national character.

If this government, or any government in our history, learns that Pakistan or India was involved in the 25 February massacre do you think the government would react strongly to either country? Forget it.

Its why Pakistan still thinks 26,000 Bangladeshis were killed in 1971. And, why India treats Bangladesh like a marshy, troublesome, hinterland.

Anyway. You have no idea how difficult it was not to respond to the post that Wazed Miah qualifies in 3 categories to have a State funeral. I refrained out of respect for him - a decent man. So if an old goat like me can occassionally show restraint I know a young, beautiful buck like you can do much better :)

Looking forward to learning, as usual, from your posts!

But then I need to perform my goatish duties so that you don't feel you need to ;)

Where the hell is our Foreign Minister? Huh? What the hell man? Does she know how to lodge a diplomatic protest? Will Bangladesh ever demand anything from India and Pakistan? Will regional understanding be best reflected in the oustanding success of smuggling on our borders? Huh? What? What the hell is wrong with us? I need to take Dipu Moni clubbing! A night of dancing to trance music might shake her out of her trance! She'd look great in her sari, bottle of Mum water in one hand, another hand pumping the air. Her hair damp from sweat... Oh Momma!

Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait



--- In alochona@yahoogroup s.com, Cyrus <thoughtocrat@ ....> wrote:
>
> Where the hell is our foreign minister and what the hell is she doing?
>
>
>
>
> ____________ _________ _________ __
> From: Isha Khan <bd_mailer@. ..>
> To: Dhaka Mails <dhakamails@yahoogro ups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 6:31:45 AM
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] Indian BSF erects fence along Tin Bigha Corridor
>
>
>
>
>
> Indian BSF erects fence along Tin Bigha Corridor
>
> BDR has protested the BSF fencing saying it breached a decade-old agreement between Bangladesh and India.India' s Border Security Force erected barbed wire fencing overnight along the two sides of the road of the Tin Bigha Corridor that provides the Dahogram-Angorpota enclave's link to the Bangladesh mainland, officials said on Saturday.
>
> Bangladesh Rifles Patgram company commander Subedar Hamidul Islam said the BSF erected the fence through Friday night on the road which Bangladeshis use for travel to and from the enclave surrounded by Indian territory.
>
> Saiful Islam, chairman of the Dahogram-Angurpota enclave, a union that belongs to Lalmonirhat district, said the residents were angry with the fence. BDR has protested the BSF fencing saying it breached a decade-old agreement between Bangladesh and India.
>
> Islam said he led a company commander level flag meeting with the BSF on the Tin Bigha Corridor on Saturday. On protests from BDR at the meeting, the Indian border guards said the fence was built on directions from "higher authorities" .
>
> "The BSF has breached the 1974 pact by erecting the fence along the Corridor," said Hamidul.
>
> Signed in 1974, the Tin Bigha Corridor agreement came into effect from 1992, allowing Bangladesh the corridor of land through which Bangladeshis can freely move between the Dahogram-Angurpota enclave and the mainland during the day.
>
> http://www.theindep endent-bd. com/details. php?nid=127939
>

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Re: [ALOCHONA] Evil Ibn Taymiyyah

I am in agreement with Alochok Saif Devdas' historical perspective on the intellectual and spiritual movement in Islam, however I disagree on his conclusion that Islam is devoid of compassion for the believers and non-believers alike. It is the followers, rather the mindless followers with a murderous rage and IQ of a hookworm, who keep saying that anyone who doesn't believe in their version of Islam is not worth keeping alive. The Holy Quran and the Hadith have plenty of examples of compassion for the rest of the mankind, regardless of their differences with Islam.

 

Anyways, I don't want to lecture you guys on that. But the point is, those who say that a scriptural religion such as Islam has no room for non-believers or doubters, and those who proclaim that anyone who doubts or questions Islam is an "enemy" are both fundamentally wrong and have narrow views on this religion. Religion, Faith, and the Holy Scriptures are three different concepts with minimal overlaps, and I doubt that either side understand that clearly. Needless to say, alochoks like Turkman and Ayubi, with little or no perspective in this matter, are quick to cast anyone as "enemies of Islam" or compare Muslims with animals. There is no intelligent discourse here. How do you debate with someone who thinks his/her perspective or interpretation is the ONLY and right one?

 

What the institutions of Sunni Islam did to overpower and in many cases, eliminate Shiite and Sufi institutions is nothing different than what the Catholic church did to non-Catholic Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It's all about suppression, and when religion is used a tool for suppression, there is no room for intellectual development and progress. The history of mankind and the evolution of religions prove exactly that.

 

Just my two cents in this interesting back and forth. Keep up the debate

 

C

---

From: S Turkman <turkman@sbcglobal.net>
To: nizam_moer@sky.com; msa40@aol.com; zck <zckid@yahoo.com>; Alamgir <malamgir1@aol.com>; ayubi <s_ayubi786@yahoo.com>; Bob Siddique <bakkah@comcast.net>; Syed Mohsin Naqvi <mnaquvi@yahoo.com>; Shibbir Ahmed <news@khabor.com>; "wellnwell@gmail.com" <wellnwell@gmail.com>; Aftab Kazmi <aftab_kazmi@hotmail.com>; "akhter@erols.com" <akhter@erols.com>; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; Alochana <alochona@yahoogroups.com>; history <history_islam@yahoogroups.com>; SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn.com>
Sent: Monday, June 8, 2009 12:08:18 AM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Evil Ibn Taymiyyah

God had stopped backing Moslims before 900 A.D. because of people like this stupid Salahuddin and God had provided proof of that by letting QramTaiyn demolish 'Kaabaa' and taking 'Hajray AswaD' to Bahrain. They used to shit inside the demolished Kaabaa and rape daughters of Meccans in its compound.   MoTazilla had tried to change God's mind but Moslims had started slaughtering them and had killed that movement. God has not looked back at Moslims since then and this is why Moslims, who were once the most advanced in Sciences are now so illiterate, backwards and poor. JehaaDis amongst them have become Savages.   Moslims have invented nothing major for the last 800 years besides Sects. Not much difference has been left between Moslims and Animals because after Animals are bron, they also eat, drink, make babies and die like Moslims. Very sad situation.   --- On Sun, 6/7/09, SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn. com> wrote:   Nizam Bhai> Is this man retarded? Isn't my post absolutely clear about the cause of Muslim downfall? Cause being, the closing of the Ijtihaad Movement ( Independent thinking movement) started by Mutazillas back in 10th Century which started the glorious period of scientific Islam. Ibn Tahimiya, Abdu and Abdul Wahab decided that the reason the Muslims are in such dire shape is because they have left Quran and started bidah(innovation) . One can disagree and give an alternative reason of Muslim lagging behind in science and technology. This Bhangi Kaa Bacchaa, Salauddin, does not give reasons for his disagreement and starts adhominims and personal attack. I don't know where the moderators are in this debate. They should ask the ilks of reactionary, intolerant brutes to counter an argument with reason. As they say, brute force I can handle, but brute reason? There is something unfair about being hit below the belt. Nizam Bhai, you are an enlightened man--you tell the forum why I am wrong in my historical analysis of 'where the muslims have gone wrong and why.I had requested this man to stop being abusive and i told him 'I don't know you, you don't know me' why you are hurling personal insults. We are all in search of truth and when truth wins, we all win. But he is bent on murderous tirade and intolerant behavior, that's why I have reported him to FBI in Washington, to keep an eye on his posts. By revealing the true identities of fellow forum members, he is inciting the fanatics to murder the apostates. He and his cohorts, have revealed the names of Turkman and Mohammad Asghar, putting their lives in great danger. They cannot travel to Islamic countries because, you see, Quran clearly calls for the beheading of the Apostates. This is the finest example of your tolerant Islam! Great tragedy is--the Muslims---still quote their Holly Book, where it says 'there is no compulsion in Islam'. If there is no compulsion in islam--then why I have to be murdered if i leave Islam? Muslims are so brain dead that they cannot see this clear Contradiction in Quran.    SaifDevdas islam1234@msn.com   From: nizam_moer@sky. com To: s_ayubi786@yahoo. com; history_islam@ yahoogroups. com; abusayeedr@yahoo. com; abutaher@gmail. com; afsaruddin2000@ yahoo.com; aftab_kazmi@ hotmail.com; ajmol.ali@treas. state.nj. us; akhter@erols. com; malamgir1@aol. com; alochona@yahoogroup s.com; anisahmed63@ yahoo.com; baainews@yahoo. com; bancan@gmail. com; banglarnari@ yahoogroups. com; bsyed@worldnet. att.net; bakkah@comcast. net; celeti@aol.com; mustafizmrk@ yahoo.com; drshabbir@bellsouth .net; enayet_2000@ yahoo.com; farhadmazhar@ hotmail.com; akhtergolam@ gmail.com; mrisa@dhaka. net; friendzforallah@ yahoogroups. com; mgsmibrahim@ yahoo.com; sahannan@sonarbangl adesh.com; hashimn@bellsouth. net; imamca@yahoo. com; bd_mailer@yahoo. com; itouchfree@yahoo. ca; jashimuddin@ comcast.net; islam2743@yahoo. com; economytravel@ comcast.net; kamal4000@yahoo. com; lahmed@apexlending. com; abusol123@hotmail. com; mahbub28se@yahoo. com; mbimunshi@gmail. com; mohammad_b_haq@ yahoo.co. uk; mohiuddin@netzero. net; ayesha1970@hotmail. com; mozumder@aol. com; mramjan@hotmail. com; msa40@aol.com; mufassili@yahoo. co.uk; mukto-mona@yahoogro ups.com; captmunir@gmail. com; mushtaq1@msn. com; islam1234@msn. com Subject: RE: Evil Ibn Taymiyyah Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 14:38:14 +0100   He is clearing misunderstandings to know more. If you can interpret better, then do so and enlighten us.     -----Original Message----- From: Salahuddin Ayubi [mailto:s_ayubi786@ yahoo.com] Sent: 07 June 2009 14:12 To: history; abusayeeddr; abutaher@gmail. com; afsaruddin2000@ yahoo.com; Aftab Kazmi; Ajmol ali; akhter@erols. com; Alamgir; Alochana; anisahmed63@ yahoo.com; baainews@yahoo. com; bancan; banglanari; Bashir; Bob Siddique; celeti@aol.com; Colonel; drshabbir; enayet; farhadmazhar@ hotmail.com; Farid; Faruque MW; friendsforallah; General Ibrahim; hannan; hashimn@bellsouth. net; imamca; Isah Khan; itouchfree@yahoo. ca; Jashim; jostna; Kabir; kamal; Lasker Ahmed; M. A Solaiman; mahbub28se@yahoo. com; mbimunshi@gmail. com; mohammad_b_haq@ yahoo.co. uk; mohiuddin; Montu; MOZUMDER; mramjam; msa40@aol.com; mufassili; mukto-mona@yahoogro ups.com; Munir; Mushtaq; Nizam; SAIF Davdas Subject: Re: Evil Ibn Taymiyyah What is this Bhangidas upto? Why is he spreadingg misinformation against Islam? Is he apaid agent of the enemies of Islam or is he a chicken fucker?                           Ayubi --- On Sun, 6/7/09, SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn. com> wrote: From: SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn. com> Subject: Evil Ibn Taymiyyah To: "history" <history_islam@ yahoogroups. com>, "abusayeeddr" <abusayeedr@yahoo. com>, abutaher@gmail. com, "afsaruddin2000@ yahoo.com" <afsaruddin2000@ yahoo.com>, "Aftab Kazmi" <aftab_kazmi@ hotmail.com>, "Ajmol ali" <ajmol.ali@treas. state.nj. us>, "akhter@erols. com" <akhter@erols. com>, "Alamgir" <malamgir1@aol. com>, "Alochana" <alochona@yahoogroup s.com>, anisahmed63@ yahoo.com, "ayubi" <s_ayubi786@yahoo. com>, "baainews@yahoo. com" <baainews@yahoo. com>, "bancan" <bancan@gmail. com>, "banglanari" <banglarnari@ yahoogroups. com>, "Bashir" <bsyed@worldnet. att.net>, "Bob Siddique" <bakkah@comcast. net>, "celeti@aol. com" <celeti@aol.com>, "Colonel" <mustafizmrk@ yahoo.com>, "drshabbir" <drshabbir@bellsouth .net>, "enayet" <enayet_2000@ yahoo.com>, farhadmazhar@ hotmail.com, "Farid" <akhtergolam@ gmail.com>, "Faruque MW" <mrisa@dhaka. net>, "friendsforallah" <friendzforallah@ yahoogroups. com>, "General Ibrahim" <mgsmibrahim@ yahoo.com>, "hannan" <sahannan@sonarbangl adesh.com>, hashimn@bellsouth. net, "imamca" <imamca@yahoo. com>, "Isah Khan" <bd_mailer@yahoo. com>, itouchfree@yahoo. ca, "Jashim" <jashimuddin@ comcast.net>, "jostna" <islam2743@yahoo. com>, "Kabir" <economytravel@ comcast.net>, "kamal" <kamal4000@yahoo. com>, "Lasker Ahmed" <lahmed@apexlending. com>, "M. A Solaiman" <abusol123@hotmail. com>, "mahbub28se@ yahoo.com" <mahbub28se@yahoo. com>, mbimunshi@gmail. com, mohammad_b_haq@ yahoo.co. uk, "mohiuddin" <mohiuddin@netzero. net>, "Montu" <ayesha1970@hotmail. com>, "MOZUMDER" <mozumder@aol. com>, "mramjam" <mramjan@hotmail. com>, msa40@aol.com, "mufassili" <mufassili@yahoo. co.uk>, mukto-mona@yahoogro ups.com, "Munir" <captmunir@gmail. com>, "Mushtaq" <mushtaq1@msn. com>, "Nizam" <nizam_moer@sky. com>, ranuc29@hotmail. com Date: Sunday, June 7, 2009, 5:40 AM   In 1550---A Great Mind Tariq-Al-Din, built An Observatory in Istanbul, unparallel in the history of mankind that had an accurate Mechanical Astronomical Clock for measuring the position and Speed of the Planets. Taqi al-Din's discovery of observational clock was more accurate than his contemporary- --the Great Hazrat Copernicus!  The Scientists working there had the ability to describe the motion of the Planets, Sun and the Moon!!! Just like the Christian priests of that day, who had declared Copernicus and Galileo Kafir------Mullah's also declared Tarq-Al-Din Kafir and shut down the scientific enquiry. Chief Mufti of the Ottoman Empire, that great Slave of Allah, advised the Ottoman Emperor Sultan Murad III, that Allah does not like this scientific business and proof of that was the Plague in Istanbul that year! The bloody fool became convinced that this astronomy business is against the will of Allah. By Allah, in 1580 the greatest scientific laboratory was destroyed and a grand mosque was built in its place. Folk's ideas do have consequences. The above Fatwa was the direct result of following the Quran and Sunna. It was Ibn-Tahimiya who gave the Fatwa and I quote, "I have read all the scientific books and I declare today that this is all non-sense. All the answer is in this holly book—Quran"! He mastered eight subjects---- that included Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine, Physics and Chemistry. How a logical mind be so illogical and suicidal. That is my point---when you blindly follow someone else's thoughts, you are doomed. God has given every human being Aql. Just because Mohammed, Musa, Isa, or Einstein had said something, don't believe it blindly. Independently verify it and subject it to rigorous scientifically approved investigative methods. When the Industrial revolution was taking place in England---his followers, true to his teachings--- -were memorizing Quran. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the malaise that afflicts the Muslim Umma. We have become a footnote in the history's pages and it indeed makes perfect sense that we Muslims acquire the WMD, so that we can blow up this goddam world and commit mass suicide. When the Kafirs are thinking how the world will look like 1400 years from now---We Muslims are thinking even beyond----we are thinking how we will enjoy the Milk, Honey, Sharaban Tauhura, 72, 14 year old Huris and 14 year old green eyed boys! Even Allah is sick to His stomach with his Slaves. Allah should have done what British Council by a Decree did in 1102 and Lincoln did in 1857---He should have freed his Slaves!   SaifDevdas islam1234@msn.com To: History_Islam@ Yahoogroups. Com From: Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 20:38:23 -0700 Subject: *~history**Islam~ *** Who was Ibn Taymiyyah ? Who was Ibn Taymiyyah ? Published by Admin on 2004/3/30 (8545 reads) By Aisha bint Muhammad The entire world of Islam was trembling with fright as an imminent target of Tartar oppression. Iraq, Iran, and Khurasan continued to be despotically ruled by the Tartars. Egypt, Sudan, Syria, and Hijaz were ruled by the Memluk turks. Simultaneously, a large Christian evangelical movement was mounting to censure Islam. The crusaders were incessantly attacking Palestine and the European Christians residing in Syria and Cyprus had become emboldened to criticize the prophethood of Rasoolullah (saws), compose works on the alleged truthfulness of Christianity, and to invite theological debate.   As the external pressures mounted upon, several internal problems plagued the Muslims. A so-called Muslim sect known as the Batinites was conspiring with the enemies of Islam to destroy the Muslims. They sought to propagate their creed which was based on Magian doctrine and Platonic concepts and spread misguidance among the Muslims. It was also at this time that a sufi sect, called the Rafaa'iyah, with its neo-platonic gnosticism and Hindu pantheistic ideas, had introduced the concepts of divination, and the use of charms and spells into Islam. In addition, other concepts alien to Islam had been injected into the Muslim society by influence of the dhimmis living in the Muslims lands. By this means, the practices of worshipping, supplicating to, or excessively praising saints were also introduced to the Muslims. Even as the ignorant masses fell deeper into the pits of misguidance, some scholars, themselves, had become entangled in the web of theological rhetoric and philosophical jargon, thereby allowing heretical beliefs to creep into the Islamic creed. In the midst of this degradation, the other scholars of Islam were stagnant. An attitude had arisen among them that nothing could be added to the corpus juris of the shari'ah already formulated by the scholars of old and that any deviation from the corpus of one's own juristic school was a grievous sin.   So it was that the scholars sought to prove the validity of their own juristic school's claims rather than subordinate their interpretation to the supremacy of the Quran and Sunnah. The door of ijtihad was closed and with it any of the inherent dynamism and flexibility in the shari'ah that would have checked the problems of a rapidly changing and deteriorating society. Such was the situation of the Muslim Ummah in the seventh century after Hijrah. From among this ummah came a man who would change the time he lived in with his exceptional knowledge, devotion, courage.   He was a mujtahid and a mujahid and he fought all of the enemies of Islam, internal and external, being opposed all the way, and persevering even in the face of insurmountable obstacle. He was a great scholar, son of a great scholar, who was the son of a great scholar. Taqi al-Din abu al-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim, commonly known as Ibn Taymiyyah, had a family history which was just as illustrious as his own life. His grandfather, Abd-ul-Barakaat Majd ud-Din (d. 652 AH) was a renowned teacher of the Hanbali school. His father, Shahab ud-Din 'Abdul Halim (d. 682 AH) was the pulpiter of the great Ummayyad mosque and a professor of Hadith in Damascus. Ibn Taymiyyah was born on Monday, the 10th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal 661 AH in the city of Harran, Syria.   At the age of seven, his family moved to Damascus, fleeing from the Tartar invasion. He studied with over 200 sheikhs, among them his own father and four women. Ibn Taymiyyah was the model student due not only to his zeal for learning but also to his amazing mental capacity and particularly his prodigious memory. An eye-witness account of his amazing memory was preserved in the writings of a scholar: "Once a scholar of Haleb who came to Damascus heard of a prodigious child, Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, renowned for his marvelous retentive power. Coming to a tailor's shop near Ahmad's house he sat down there to wait for the child. After a short while, the tailor pointed out the boy sought by him. He summoned the boy and asked him to wipe off his table so that he could write on it. The boy handed over the clean tablet to the scholar who wrote 11 or 13 ahadith on it and then asked the boy to read them carefully once. Now, the scholar took back the tablet and asked the boy to repeat what he had read. The boy repeated them all without a single mistake. The scholar got the table wiped off again and wrote thereon a few transmitting chains of the ahadith. The boy went through these and again repeated the whole thing. Astonished at the feat of the boy's memory he remarked: 'If Allah wills him to live, he would be a genius without a peer in the whole world.' " [1]   From his childhood, he was never interested in games or sports, and the pursuit of knowledge consumed his life. He mastered all of the religious and secular sciences of his time giving special attention to Arabic literature, grammar, and lexicography. He also learned the laws of shari'ah, Jurisprudence, Hadith and Quranic sciences, and studied the Hanbali system of law under his own father. Besides this he also learned calligraphy and mathematics. A close examination of his work suggests that he followed none but the early pious Muslims (salaf al-salihoon) and it is for this reason that his movement is often called the salafi movement. He was the champion opponent against all of the different innovations that had infiltrated the deen in his time. He had a particular fancy for the tafseer (explanation) of the Quran. Ibn Taymiyyah, himself, explains the way he used to persist in pondering each verse: "Sometimes I have gone through as many as hundred commentaries of a single verse of the Quran. After I have dipped into these pages, I have supplicated Allah to enlighten me about the true content and significance of the verse. I pray to Allah thus on these occasions: 'Thou art the Exalted Teacher of Adam and Ibrahim. Favor me Thou with the essence of this verse.' " [2]   Among the other tasks that Ibn Taymiyyah took upon himself was the response to the contemporary Ash'arite school of dialectics that was them predominant in Syria and Egypt and which was in opposition to the Hanbalite position. He learned and mastered the study of dialectics, logic, and philosophy and to such a degree that he so forcefully argued against the Greek philosophers that no philosopher of note came forward to rebut his criticism. Ibn Taymiyyah always tried to prevent, by force if necessary, all accretions and innovations in religion. He taken upon himself the responsibility of acting as a public censor who would purge the deen of any heretical ideas. He formed a society for this purpose and even accompanied some expeditions to fight the guilty heretical sects that has conspired with the crusaders and Tartars. His jihad was not only an ideological one, but he also personally participated in the battles against the Tartar army. In 699 AH, when the Egyptians army was unsuccessful in holding of the Tartar army from Damascus, almost all of the inhabitants of the city had fled and so the few remaining patricians of the city, among them Ibn Taymiyyah, decided to meet the Tartar king and ask for the peace of the city. While the others trembled in his presence and would dare not speak out, Ibn Taymiyyah was uninhibited and strongly defended truth and justice. One of his companions in the delegation recounts Ibn Taymiyyah's courage: "I was with the Sheikh on this occasion. He set forth in his address to the King the Quranic verses and ahadith enjoining fairness and just conduct. His voice gradually rising, he was drawing nearer to the king until his knees were about to touch those of Ghazan who was attentively listening to the Sheikh but didn't appear to be displeased with him. He was straining his ears as if struck with awe. At last he asked, 'Who is he? I have never seen a man like him -- so brave and courageous; none has made a dent in my heart as he!' the Sheikh was then introduced to the King. The Sheikh said to the King: 'You claim to be a Muslim. I have been told that you have with you a Qadi and an Imam, a Sheikh and a mu`adhdhin; yet you have deemed it proper to march upon Muslims. Your forefathers were heathens, but they always abstained from breaking the promise once made by them. They redeemed the pledges they made, but you violate the word of honor given by you. You trample underfoot your solemn declarations in order to lay a hand on the servants of Allah!' " [3] His companion adds that despite Ibn Taymiyyah's remonstrance in a strong language, the King bade him good-bye with the highest mark of respect. he ever set free, on Ibn Taymiyyah's recommendation, a good number of prisoners. Ibn Taymiyyah often used to say: 'Only he fears who has a sickness of heart.' [4]   Then in 702 AH, he participated in the battle of Shaqaab and helped defeat the Tartars Naturally, Ibn Taymiyyah began to be recognized as one of the leading scholars of Syria and his popularity was increasing but some of the scholars became envious of him and resented his trying to enforce the shari'ah. Ibn Kathir explains: "A group of the theologians was jealous of Sheikh Taqi ud-Din Ibn Taymiyyah because of his position in the court of the governor and also for his acting as a public censor who had taken upon himself the responsibility of enforcing what was lawful and preventing what was prohibited. They were envious of his growing popularity and of the love and respect accorded to him as well as of his learning and zeal for religion." [5]   As a result of this and strong opposition by some of the scholars to his views, Ibn Taymiyyah was imprisoned several times yet he never wavered in his belief and was unmatched in his generosity in forgiveness. In 705 AH, he was summoned to Egypt where he was interrogated in reference to his belief about the nature of Allah's attributes. Qadi Ibn Mukhluk Maaliki, one of Ibn Taymiyyah's fiercest opponents, was appointed as the judge in his case. He was imprisoned along with his brothers, Sharaf ud- Din 'Abdullah and Zaid ud-Din 'Abdur-Rahman. [6] Many had pleaded incessantly for his release until, after a year had passed, he was offered to be set free if he renounced his creed. The offer was made to him as many as six times, but he always refused, saying, "The prison is dearer to me than what I am asked to affirm." [7] In prison he found his fellow prisoners emmersed in a life of sin and he raised his voice against these abuses such that not long after his arrival, he changed the whole atmosphere of the prison. A number of the prisoners became his devoted disciples who, on being released, opted to stay with their beloved teacher than to return to their families. [8] Perhaps nothing is as much of an indication of Ibn Taymiyyah's moral excellence as is his show of mercy and forgiveness to those who inflicted so much harm on him. In a letter he sent to Syria soon after his release, he says: "...I do not want that anyone should be avenged for my suffering or for leveling false allegations against me, for I have already forgiven everyone of them. I desire the well-being of every Muslim -- the same as I desire for myself. All those persons who discredited me or deposed false evidence against me or caused trouble to me are not the least accountable so far as I am concerned; no responsibility lies upon them on my score." [9]   This was only the first of the many times he was imprisoned and in every cases he forgave the perpetrators of the injustice against him and was patient with his fate. Still, some were not satisfied, and continued to put forth allegations against him. One of his rulings stated that no journey to a shrine, even if it be to the grave of Rasoolullah (saw) could be undertaken as an act of devotion under the shari'ah. His enemies used this seventeen year old statement to discredit him among the ignorant ones. The order for his arrest came on the 7th of Sha'ban, 726 AH, and when news of this came to Ibn Taymiyyah, he said, "I was looking forward to it. It has a lot of goodness and grace for me." [10] While in prison he completed 80 recitals of the Quran and wrote several books and treatises. When the authorities confiscated paper and writing materials from him he wrote with charcoal on any loose sheets of paper he could find. He completed a 40 volume tafseer called al-Bahr al-Muheet. He wrote in total over 500 books according to Imam adh- Dhahabi, most of them in prison. While his enemies succeed in containing his person, they couldn't contain his mind, wisdom, and scholarship and while they considered that they were harming him, he had a different perception. He writes in a letter: "Thanks to Allah that we are now engaged in a fight in the way of Allah. The battle we are fighting here is not a bit lower in order than our previous warfare against Ghazan, the heretics of the hills and the propagators of pantheistic monism. This is undoubtedly a blessing of Allah on us, although most of the people are unaware of it." [11] And so he died as he lived, in a constant struggle for the sake for Allah (swt).   Zaid ud-Din 'Abdur-Rahman relates that after completing eighty recitals of the Quran, Ibn Taymiyyah started it again with him. However, when he reached the closing verses of Surat al-Qamar: "Lo! The righteous will dwell among gardens and rivers firmly established in the favor of a Mighty King." [54:54- 55] he expressed his desire to continue the recital with 'Abdullah ibn Muhib and his brother, 'Abdullah az-Zara'ee. [12] He was not able to complete this recitation. Ibn Taymiyyah died on the 22nd of Dhul Qa'dah, 728 AH. It is estimated that a train of 60,000 to 100,000 people, of which at least 15,000 were women, joined the funeral procession. [13]   Ibn Taymiyyah revived an otherwise dying society. He was the torch of tawheed, a fortress of courage, an encyclopedia of knowledge and a patient servant of Allah (swt). He surpassed all of the scholars of his time and even his enemies bore witness to this fact. His knowledge and works continued to have a marked affect on history and he is, without doubt, one of the greatest scholars of Islamic history. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Ibn Taymiyyah's status in the annals of knowledge is a statement of one of his bitterest enemies, Allaama Kamal ud-Din al-Zamalkaani: "Allah has made knowledge of all the sciences as easy for Ibn Taymiyyah as iron had been softened for Prophet Dawud. Whenever he was asked any question, he answered in a way that the audience thought him to have spent his whole life in acquiring knowledge of that very branch of knowledge alone and acknowledged as the greatest authority on the subject. Scholars subscribing to different juristic schools attended his discourses and each one of them learnt something that he had not known earlier. It never happened that he debated any point and was put to shame. Whatever be the subject matter about which he spoke, whether religious or discursive, he surpassed all the authorities on that particular subject. In penmanship, too, he was equally elegant." [14]   REFERENCES [1] Abu Zahra, p. 56 (cited from al-'Uqood ud- Durriyah, pg. 21) [2] al-'Uqood ud-Durriyah, p. 24 [3] al-Kawaakib ud-Durriyah, p. 25 [4] Nadwi, Saviors of Islamic Spirit, p. 31 [5] Ibn Kathir, p. 37 [6] Ibn Kathir, Vol. XIV, p. 38 [7] Ibn Kathir, Vol. XIV, p. 42 [8] al-Kawaakib ud-Durriyah, p. 181 [9] Abu Zahra, p.62 [10] Nadwi, Saviors of Islamic Spirit, p. 55 [11] Abu Zahra [12] Nadwi, Saviors of Islamic Spirit, p. 59 [13] Ibn Kathir, Vol. XIV, p. 136-139 [14] al-Kawaakib ud-Durriyah, p. 5   Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out. Hotmail® has ever-growing storage! Don't worry about storage limits. Check it out.

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[mukto-mona] Interesting Read - Fidel Castro on Obama's Speech

Reflections by Comrade Fidel
June 8, 2009

OBAMA'S SPEECH IN CAIRO

On Thursday the 4th of June, at the Islamic University of Al-Azhar in Cairo, Obama gave a speech of special interest to those of us who are closely following his political actions given the enormous might of the superpower he leads.  I cite his very own words to indicate what I think are the basic ideas he expressed, thus summarizing his speech to save time.  Not only do we have to know that he spoke but also what he said.

"We meet at a time of great tension between the United Status and Muslims around the World..."

"The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.
 
"…colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations."
"Violent extremists have exploited these tensions …"

"…has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights.."
 
"I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect …"

"…they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."

"…but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point.

 "As the Holy Quran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth."

"I'm a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.."

"It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment".

"…And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have stood for civil rights, …"

"And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

"…America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."

  "The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, …"

 "Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people.."

"When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk."

 "When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations."

 "…any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail."
 
"In Ankara, I made clear that America is not — and never will be — at war with Islam."

"…we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women and children."

"…there's still some who would question or even justify the events of 9/11."
 
 "The victims were innocent men, women and children from America …"

 "…Now, make no mistake: We do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We see no military — we seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan, and now Pakistan, determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can."

 "The Holy Quran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as — it is as if he has killed all mankind. And the Holy Quran also says whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind."

 "Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world."

 "…I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible."

 "Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better future — and to leave Iraq to Iraqis.

 "I have made it clear to the Iraqi people — (applause) — I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources.
 
 "Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August."

"…remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2012."

"Nine-eleven was an enormous trauma to our country."

 "…in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals."

 "I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year."
 
"…America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law"

"The second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world."
 "America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable."
 "On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people — Muslims and Christians — have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation."

 "Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead."

 "So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own."

"…two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive."

 "It's easy to point fingers — for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought about by Israel's founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond."

 "…if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth."

 "The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security."

". For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights."

"Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist."

"…Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."

 "This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."

 "And Israel must also live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians can live and work and develop their society."

 "Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be a critical part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress."

"The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people of Arab nations from other problems."

 "The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons."

"In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government."

 "Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians."

 "Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward. The question now is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build."

"I recognize it will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve. There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect."

"I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons. And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons."

"…any nation — including Iran — should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

In these three first topics of his speech we find the basic objective of his trip to that Islamic University of Egypt.  One cannot blame the new president of the United States for the situation created in the Middle East.  It is obvious that he wants to find an exit from the colossal mess created there by his predecessors and by the very development of events over the last 100 years.

Not even Obama could imagine when he was working in the black communities of Chicago that the terrible effects of a financial crisis would combine with the factors that made his election as president in a strongly racist society possible.

He takes office at an exceptionally complex time for his country and the world.  He is trying to resolve problems that he perhaps considers to be simpler than they really are.  Centuries of colonial and capitalist exploitation have given way to a world where a handful of overdeveloped rich countries coexist with another handful of immensely poor countries that provide raw materials and labor force.  If you add China and India, two truly emerging nations, the struggle for natural resources and markets make up an entirely new situation on the planet where human survival itself has yet to be solved.

Obama's African roots, his humble background and his amazing ascent awaken hope in many who like shipwreck victims try to hold on to a piece of wood in the middle of the storm. 

His statement that "any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail" is correct; or when he declares that "people of all faiths reject the killing of innocent men, women and children" or when he reaffirms to the world his opposition to the use of torture.  Generally speaking, several of his abovementioned statements are theoretically correct; he clearly perceives the need for all countries, with no exceptions of course, to give up nuclear weapons.  Well-known and influential personalities in the US see this as a great danger, as technology and science generalize access to radioactive material and ways of using it, even in small amounts.

It is still early to pass judgment on his degree of commitment to the ideas he presents, and up to which point he stands firm in sustaining, for example, the proposal of looking for a peace agreement built on fair bases, with guarantees for all the states in the Middle East.

The current president's main difficulty lies in the fact that the principles he is advocating contradict the policy the superpower has pursued for almost seven decades, from the end of the last battles of World War II in August of 1945.  I put aside at this moment the aggressive and expansionist policy it applied on the peoples of Latin America, especially Cuba, when it was still far from being the most powerful nation in the world.

Each one of the norms advocated by Obama in Cairo contradicts the interventions and the wars promoted by the United States.  The first of them was the famous Cold War which he mentions in his speech, unleashed by the government of his country.  Ideological differences with the USSR do not justify the hostility towards that state which contributed more than 25 million lives in the war against Nazism.  Obama would not be remembering in these days the 65^th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the liberation of Europe if it were not for the blood of the Soviet troops.  Those who freed the survivors of the famous Osviecim concentration camp were Soviet army soldiers.  The world was unaware of what was happening there even though quite a few among Western official circles knew the facts.  How millions of Jewish children, women and old people were atrociously murdered, and millions of Russian children, women and old people lost their lives as a result of the brutal Nazi invasion in a quest for living space.  The West granted concessions to Hitler and conspired to launch him and they finally pushed him to occupy and colonize Slavic lands.  During World War II, the Soviets were US allies, not enemies.

They dropped and tested the effects of two nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two defenseless cities.  Those who perished there were mainly Japanese children, women and old people.

If one were to analyze the wars promoted, supported or waged by the United States in China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, among the millions of people who died, many were children, women and old people. 

The colonial wars of France and Portugal after W.W. II had the support of the United States; the coups and interventions in Central America, Panama, Santo Domingo, Grenada, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru and Argentina were all promoted and supported by the United States. 

Israel was not a nuclear power.  The creation of a state in territory from which the Jews were driven into an exodus by the Roman Empire 2000 years ago was supported in good faith by the USSR as well as other countries in the world.  At the triumph of the Cuban Revolution we had relations with that state for more than a decade until its wars of conquest over the Palestinians and other Arab peoples led us to severe them.  Total respect for religion and Jewish religious activities has been maintained without any sort of interruption.

The US never opposed Israeli conquest of Arab territories, nor did it protest the terrorist methods used against the Palestinians.  On the contrary, it created a nuclear power there, one of the most advanced in the world, in the heart of Arab and Muslim territory, creating in the Middle East one of the planet's most dangerous places.

The superpower also used Israel to supply nuclear weapons to the armies of apartheid in South Africa, to be used against Cuban troops which alongside Angolan and Namibian forces were defending the Peoples' Republic of Angola.  These are fairly recent events which the current US president surely knows about.  Thus we are not foreign to the aggression and the danger the Israeli nuclear potential represents for peace.    

After the three initial points of his speech in Cairo, Obama starts philosophizing and lecturing about US foreign policy:

"The fourth issue that I will address is democracy", he said.

"So let me be clear: No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation on any other."

"America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election."

 "But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; …"

 "These are not just American ideas; they are human rights. And that is why we will support them everywhere."

"The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom."
 "Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance … I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country."

"Among some Muslims, there's a disturbing tendency to measure one's own faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith."

"…fault lines must be closed among Muslims, as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq."
 
"…it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit — for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We can't disguise hostility toward any religion behind the pretence of liberalism."

"I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well educated are far more likely to be prosperous."

"…the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world."
 
"I am convinced that our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons. Our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity — men and women — to reach their full potential."

"The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence into the home. Trade can bring new wealth and opportunities, but also huge disruptions and change in communities."

"…invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a young person in Kansas can communicate instantly with a young person in Cairo."

"…we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world that we seek — a world where extremists no longer threaten our people, and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each secure in a state of their own, and nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes …"

"That is the world we seek. But we can only achieve it together."

"It's easier to start wars than to end them.

"that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us

"We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
 
"The Holy Quran tells us: "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."
The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
The Holy Bible tells us: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Applause.) The people of the world can live together in peace."

As you can see, tackling the fourth topic in his speech at Al-Azhar University Obama stumbles into a contradiction.  After beginning his words with a maxim as is his custom, stating that:
 
"No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation on any other", a principle in the Charter of the United Nations as a fundamental element of international law, he immediately contradicts himself with a declaration of faith that turns the United States into the supreme judge over democratic values and human rights.

Then he refers to subjects related to economic development and equal opportunities.  He makes promises to the Arab world; he points our advantages and contradictions.  It would really appear to be a public relations campaign carried out by the United States with the Muslim countries; in any case, this is better than threatening to destroy them with bombs.

At the end of the speech there is quite a mix of subjects.

If one takes into account the length of the speech, without using paper, the number of lapses is negligible as compared with his predecessor who used to make a mistake in every paragraph.  He is a very good communicator.

I tend to observe historical, political and religious ceremonies with interest.

This one at Al-Azhar University seemed to be to be an unreal scene.  Not even Pope Benedict XVI had declared such ecumenical phrases as Obama did.  For a second I imagined the pious Muslim, Catholic, Christian or Jew, or someone from any other religion, listening to the president in the spacious hall of Al-Azhar University.  At a certain moment I couldn't tell whether he was in a Catholic cathedral, a Christian church, a mosque or a synagogue. 

He left early for Germany.  For three days he toured politically significant sites.  He participated and spoke at commemorative ceremonies.  He visited museums, received his family and dined at famous restaurants.  He has an impressive working capacity.  Some time will go by before we see anything like it again.



Fidel Castro Ruz
June 8, 2009
7:12 p.m.

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