Clash of civilizations or simply democracy failing

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When you actually speak to the people you find out what they truly want, its not what the media feeds you or what some blogger writes about, it is the people. So when you hear that a majority of Israeli’s want to have meetings with Hamas and a majority of Palestinians want to meet with the Israeli’s one would think that this would make the news, even influence their leadership.

When you read blogs from either side of the spectrum you feel as though peace is not achievable, these are the extremes. They represent the same fundamentalism that first brought on the world’s problems and do nothing to change it.

How can we as a nation advocate the spread of democracy in other countries when our own elected officials publicly declare that public polls mean nothing to them.

Abu trika, Aboutreika, Aboutrika, Aboutraika!!!

ACCRA, Ghana — Mohamed Aboutraika’s 77th minute goal enabled Egypt to retain the African Nations Cup with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the final in Accra on Sunday.

Aboutraika’s 77th minute matchwinner was his seventh goal of the tournament.

It was a record sixth title triumph for Egypt, who punished some uncertain defending by Rigobert Song to score the winner.

As Song dithered trying to clear, the persistent Mohamed Zidan gained possession and steered the ball across the goalmouth to Aboutraika, who slid his shot past Carlos Kameni.

Egypt, the first side to win back-to-back titles twice, were rarely troubled by Cameroon, the team they beat 4-2 in their opening group match in Ghana.

Matchwinner Aboutraika said: “Now we have to make sure that we keep this form going into the World Cup qualifiers.

“It’s one of the greatest days of my life. It’s up there with winning the African Champions League.”

Egypt added the 2008 trophy to their wins in 1957, 1959, 1986 (on penalties against Cameroon), 1998 and 2006 with coach Hassan Shehata joining an exclusive group of just two coaches who have won back-to-back titles.

Shehata had promised that his players could keep the trophy won in Cairo two years ago and his prediction was proved right on a hot and humid night in the Ghana capital.

Cameroon were without suspended defender Andre Bikey, but Alexandre Song, who had been carried off in the semifinal win over Ghana, was declared fit to start.

He lasted only a quarter of an hour before limping off dejectedly to make way for Benfica back Gilles Binya.

Before Song’s exit Hosny Abd Rabou had provided an early threat from Egypt with a 30 meter free kick which flew over the Cameroon defense to test Kameni.

The Cameroon keeper also kept out Emad Moteab’s angled shot but at the other end Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan did well to deflect Joel Epaule’s shot to safety.

Pharoahs’ keeper Essam al-Hadary, man of the match against Ivory Coast, saved a 30-meter free kick from Geremi and on the counter attack Kameni had to produce an acrobatic dive to keep out Moteab’s dangerous strike.

Eto’o, the competition’s all time top scorer, threatened with a lightning run down the left before Cameroon coach Otto Pfister brought on striker Mohamadou Idrissou for a midfielder, Achille Emana.

Shehata then introduced Hamburg striker Mohamed Zidan in a move that paid rich dividends.

Zidan, who scored twice in Egypt’s earlier win over Cameroon, harried Rigobert Song in the 77th minute and after winning a rough-and-tumble exchange for the ball, sent a controlled pass to the unmarked Aboutraika who had a simple task to score.

It was the Al Ahly midfielder’s fourth goal, and it set up a fraught final quarter of an hour as Cameroon frantically tried to get back into it but the defending champions held on to take the continental cup back to Cairo.

The victory sparked off scenes of elation in Egypt.

Girls wearing the Egyptian flag instead of the veil danced among tens of thousands in the streets of Cairo on Sunday night.

Crowds of people wearing the national flag colours of red, black and white erupted with screams of joy as the final whistle blew, some lighting handheld fireworks, others crying tears of relief.

“Finally something joyous happens to us, finally something happy happens to us,” said Mohammed Said, sporting an Egyptian flag instead of his traditional galabaya robe.

He had watched with many others on giant television screens on the central Midan Mustafa Mahmud square.

“With the government we have, everything is sad, the prices, the boats sink and trains crash, this is the only thing that gives us joy.”

Policemen forming part of the heavy security presence on the huge square danced and hugged their countrymen, crying the name of the final’s only goal-scorer, local Giza native “Mohamed Aboutraika — Goal!”

Supporters young and old carried aloft posters of Aboutrika alongside goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary, known locally as “The Wall.”

“It’s one of the rare occasions when there are no Muslims and Copts and we are only Egyptians,” said Coptic Christian Adel Zaki. “We feel united and it is the only thing we celebrate together.”

All public transport was free as thousands headed towards the square. Buses inched through the crowd, rooftops overflowing with people and flags.

“Aboutrika you are the master,” the crowd chanted, “You made the net sing your praises.

Spreading lies

So there was an attack in Dimona and some people were injured, most people probably heard about it since it was plastered all over the news. They probably also heard that it was because the attackers had left Gaza, crossed into Egypt and then came into Israel through the Sinai desert. This was a lie.

However, on Tuesday Hamas claimed responsibility and said the attackers came from the West Bank, not from Gaza, an assertion backed by Israeli security officials, though Israel made no official announcement

Now that is the AP talking not me.

So all the talk about terrorists flooding into Egypt to kill poor innocent civilians has been exactly that, talk.

Arabs for Israel (and autophobia)

I know that people are allowed to have their own opinions, and I am not one to silence them. It just strikes me as being odd that someone would support something that actively discriminates against them. For those familiar with “The Boondocks” think of Uncle Ruckus.

“The Sandmonkey” is a blog written by an Egyptian Muslim (although it appears he is not very religious) who supports the United States and is a proponent of Zionism. The first part is completely fine and somewhat logical for the average Egyptian to support a country that pours money in. It does sound off that he would support the Zionist cause. It is odd because that he would not be allowed to enter the country of Israel based on his skin tone and religion, yet he praises them for their actions. Often he degrades Muslims and falls into the same stereotypes we expect from the American south.  His blog name alone is offensive to those of us who oppose racial discrimination.

I guess part of the allure is his contempt for his own people and fellow “middle easterners” ( I should say Arabs but it might offend him). Its almost like watching Ann Coulter, you simply want to see the next train-wreck. Americans and journalists flock to him the same way they flock to others who hate their own kind (after converting to evangelical Christianity *that means you Nonie Darwish*). They systematically equate Muslims to Arabs and Arabs to Muslims. They claim that terrorism is a strictly Muslim tool. They neglect the demographics and distort the truth. Hence their popularity. I mean it comes as no surprise that their fan base is in a region that has made Bill O’reilly the most watched man in America. The opening statement on the “Arabs for Israel” website illustrates their ignorance even further

Reject hate, embrace love. Bring out the best in Islam by showing your compassion, gratitude and forgiveness. Make the holy land truly holy by giving Israel and the Jewish people the respect they deserve in their tiny little country.

Again I must be unaware of the homogeneity in the Middle East. All this time I had thought that there was more than one religious group (Christians, Zoroastrians, …) and more than one ethnicity (North Africans, Indians, Kurds, Berbers, Arabs, …). How could I have been so stupid?

When people challenge them they refer to the standard lines. Their opponents must be anti-Semitic, they must hate America, they don’t want peace, et cetera. I would think these people would want to counteract the years of stereotypes and biases that are lobbed at people from the Middle East but again they do exactly the opposite. The author of the sandmonkey even wrote:

Someone just left me an anonymous comment wondering if I could tell him what, exactly, is a sandmonkey. Hmm, A truly excellent fantastic question. let me explain… A Sandmonkey is the same thing as a Towelhead, arabiac, A-Rab, Rag, sandnigger, cameljockey, Turbanhead, dune coon, raghead(Thanks MaGdee) and-my own personal favorite- a Hasn’t-Been-Laiden. And in case you are still confused by what it means, it’s a derogatory term used to describe middle-easterners. You know, when they are not in the same room with you.

Yes, let us rejoice in being called Sand Niggers. It truly is the only way to get the respect of the Western world. I mean it has worked for blacks in America right? In a recent post he exposes his  ignorance (not the first and not the last time):

The poor penniless people of Gaza don’t seem to be really that Penniless. Between buying basic survival necessities such as Cement, Motorcycles, and Dish receivers, they have spent almost half a billion dollars there in less than 2 weeks.

Now we can look up in the CIA Factbook that the average person in the Gaza Strip makes $600 a year. He then claims  that

Now, them having that kind of money isn’t a shock really. The people who can smuggle in weapons can also smuggle in cash and food, and everyone knows that Iran is picking up that tab, so the entire Gaza diet no money thing, well, was never really logical from the get go.

If they could smuggle things in the Israeli blockade would not have an affect. They would have electricity, the sewage would not be running into the streets, and they would be living in complete luxury. They don’t, it is, and they’re not. It really is that simply.  He further claims that “the average Egyptian makes 300 pounds a month.” 5 Egyptian pounds = 90 cents (by his own admission),  so we know that is another lie.  And then he states that pita bread is 30 pounds because of the inflation due to palestinians (not for a dozen but for a single piece). So a slice of bread costs 5 American dollars and the average Egyptians only makes 60$ a month. When will the lies stop? A standard bag of pita bread is one month wage.

I don’t know what else needs to be said about people like this. He also claims that Egypt has rules against insulting the government, yet he has been blogging (with much fame) for 3 years now. The crackdown must be slow…. 

Sympathize with Gaza? Yellow Card!

CAIRO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Egypt’s Mohamed Aboutrika has been warned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for displaying a slogan in support of Gaza at the African Nations Cup finals in Ghana.

Aboutrika lifted his strip to reveal a tee-shirt with the slogan ‘Sympathy with Gaza’ as he celebrated scoring in the 3-0 win over Sudan in Friday’s Group C match in Kumasi.

The midfielder was booked for his actions.

CAF officials said Aboutrika had been warned after the incident for breaching regulations by displaying political slogans.

Aboutrika’s action came on the same day as clashes between Palestinian residents, seeking to break the blockade of Gaza, and Egyptian police.

*The incident was reminiscent of the 2006 diplomatic bust-up after a Ghanaian player triumphantly raised the Israeli flag to celebrate a World Cup victory.

Defender John Paintsil, who played with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv club, pulled an Israeli flag from his sock and waved it for cameras after Ghana’s 2-0 win over Czech Republic, provoking anger from Arab states.

Paintsil was never reprimanded.*

Power to the (Palestinian) People

By Jeff Halper

The people of Palestine have done it again, taking their own fate in their hands after being let down by their own “moderate” political leadership and, indeed, the entire international community in their struggle for freedom. Early this morning they simply blew up the wall separating Gaza from Egypt, breaking a siege imposed on them by an Arab government in collaboration with Israel.

We, the peoples of the world, should take great pride and encouragement in this quintessentially civil society refusal to accept subjugation, to abandon their fate to governments, including their own, for whom the lives of ordinary people are simply grist for their political charades - Annapolis and its subsequent “peace process” being but the last cynical expression. For the Palestinians represent far more than just themselves. Their refusal to submit to the dictates of governments, or to governments’ lack of interest in the well-being of people in general, reflects the desire of billions of oppressed people for identity, freedom, a decent life and actualization of their collective and individual rights and potentials. Most of the oppressed, the “wretched of the earth” as Franz Fanon called them a half-century ago, are too preoccupied with the daunting daily struggle for survival to organize and resist. Others do resist in a myriad of ways, but are most often repressed by their own political and economic “leaders,” disappearing anonymously from view. In a few cases they have managed to mount effective resistance to oppression, even to prevail - though the billions spent on “counterinsurgency” warfare by the US, Europe, Russia, Israel and many “developing” nations augur ill for peoples attempting to overthrow oppressive regimes.

In this the Palestinians stand at the forefront, in the front lines of peoples’ insistence everywhere that their rights, well-being and fundamental values as human beings be respected by governments. And they do so (and I write this as an Israeli with great sorrow and shame) against one of the world’s strongest and most ruthless military powers - a power that has dispossessed them from 85% of their land, which is trying to transform its occupation into a permanent regime of apartheid, which has spent decades impoverishing and disenfranchising them; the fourth largest nuclear power which nevertheless casts itself as the victim. Not only have the Palestinians experienced the dehumanization all oppressed and colonized peoples experience, not only have they been made into the embodiment of the rich and powerful’s greatest fear, evil “terrorists” who may tear down their privileged “civilization,” but they have been turned into guinea pigs. Israel is able to gain an edge in the counterinsurgency industry and win entree into the heart of the American military/hi tech complex by turning the Occupied Territories into a laboratory for the development of fiendish weaponry and tactics intended for use against people.And yet the Palestinian people - and in particular those who remain sumud, steadfast, in Palestine - continue not only to resist but to surprise and confound its would-be Israeli master at every turn. Despite unlimited control, a complete monopoly over the use of force, utter callousness and a vaunted Shin Beit, Israel’s military intelligence, Palestinians vote as they want, resist, carry on their daily lives with dignity - and blow huge holes in the walls and policies constructed in order to imprison and defeat them.

All this is not on the minds of those desperate people who surged into Egypt today. They may not have the “Big Picture.” Yet they deserve the respect and gratefulness of every person who cherishes a better world based on human rights and dignity, a world that is inclusive. As an Israeli Jew, I have been saddened and mortified that my own people, after all they have experienced, cannot see what they are doing to others. But on a larger scale, not as an Israeli Jew but as a human being, I take heart in the Palestinians’ active refusal to be ground under a global system that is producing unimaginable wealth and power for a few at the expense of the growing ranks of the wretched.I am not a Palestinian; I am not one of the oppressed. I only hope I can use my privilege in an effective way in order to redeem the gift the people of Gaza have given all of us: the realization that the people do have power and can prevail even in the face of overwhelming power. We may each express our responsibility towards the people of Gaza in whatever way most suits us, but as the privileged we must do something. We owe the Palestinians and the Palestinians writ large at least that.

(Jeff Halper is the Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - ICAHD).

Israel is like Benjamin Linus

Who’s ready for the gas chambers!!

OK so you need to be a LOST fan to truly appreciate this but I will try.

Israel had placed Gaza under a blockade therefore breaking international law by using collective punishment (lets say only 1 in X is a terrorist, you cannot punish all of X for the acts of the 1). Then Israel claims to avoid a humanitarian crisis by letting fuel enter Gaza, but not enough to get the only power plant operational. The completely close the border causing 73 people to die waiting for medical treatment.

That led to this.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Tens of thousands of Palestinians poured from the Gaza Strip into Egypt Wednesday after masked gunmen with explosives destroyed most of the seven-mile wall dividing the border town of Rafah.

The Gazans crossed on foot, in cars or riding donkey carts to buy supplies made scarce by an Israeli blockade of their impoverished territory. Police from the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, directed the traffic. Egyptian border guards took no action.

It is like John Locke (no not that John Locke but this John Locke) blowing up the submarine, which solved Benjamin’s problem. He cannot destroy the only way home, it would look bad. Ben is always one step ahead, making people think the choices they make are their own. The lives of people are simply chess pieces. 

Israel put in place a situation in which they manipulate the militants and the civilians populace like replaceable chess pieces. What does Israel want more than anything in this world but can’t actually do themselves for fear of looking bad? Mass emigration from the Gaza Strip into another country that is not Israel.  With less people in Gaza there is more chance to continue their ethnic cleansing of Bilad al-Sham.

Think about it, why would the Gazans go to Egypt instead of Israel (besides the Israeli policy of shoot anyone darker than snow)? Some reports claim that 350,000 people left Gaza to get groceries and other necessities. Imagine is 350K Gazans were to go into Israel, what kind of stir that would cause. But no, the people were controlled into doing something else.  

Perhaps it is too lighthearted to compare a TV show with a genocidal government. I mean the token arab on the show isn’t even arab. Perhaps its better, he will live longer that way.