Violent Changes

#58

``STUKA

The logic is why make a special case out of Israel. What does Israel owe to the rest of the world? The Palestenians said that they made a major concession by conceding Israel`s right to exist. Big deal. Israel is out there, exisitng and progressive. Do you how insulting it would be for India to say after 50 years of Pakistani independance, oh right, we acknowledge your right to exist.``..



All your neumerically arranged ,comes from a nonmuslim point of views.Regardless of whether the Muslim is in your Backyard in Old Delhi near Hause Khase or Up & coming enterpfreneuer with land & big building in Ghaziabad,all of them will understand the Palestenians position better than you.

I am not saying worse days are not ahead for Palestenian,but if you think small things in context of bigger design of scheme of the world as it stands in the hand of racsist,prejuduced Judeo -Christian collusion .Palestenian & any intelligent muslim is RESIGNED to the fact that there future does not lie in there hands.Its another thing ,they take the most bleak prognosis of this & there fore like hopeless deperate &`NOTHING TO LOSE `

but there own life ,which in there opinion isnt much wiothout being able to control it or be ``free`` to live according to there will.

Israel CAN NEVER BE SYRIA,EGYPT or any of the ancient historical countries.Israsel is AN IMPLANT.Transplant is when somthing is taken from other place & expected to good to the local ppl. THIS CERTAINLY IS NOT ONLY HARMFUL FOR PALESTENIAN BUT OF NO USE TO PLESTENIANS.All the rest garbage about other Arabs being non democratic,etc is none of the business .WE DONT THINK DEMOCRATIC SECULARISM is the 2nd best thing to sliced bread ,You have right to think so ,but evenArabs allow there subjects to be hindu ,jew ,Christian except dont do certain stipulated things & whats so horrible to honour other religous sensibilities which Islam even recognizes need to respect ,``there is no compulsuion in religion``Its common sense religuion can never be Coerced ,never has been & never will be .

New essay by India`s leading polemic, Arundhati Roy on the events of Sep 11 and their aftermath. A well-written (as expected) anti-American, anti-globalization, anti-multinational tirade (as expected too).

http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?sid=1&fname=Roy+%28F%29&fodname=20011008&secname=

Most Italians think Berlusconi comments on Islam ``insulting``

ROME, Sept 28 (AFP) - A majority of Italians -- 53 percent -- think comments by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that Western religions were superior to Islam are insulting, according to an opinion poll which appeared on Friday.

Nearly a third -- 30 percent -- of the 1,000 people questioned by the CIRM polling institute said that Berlusconi was right in his comments, while 17 per cent said they had no opinion, in the poll published in La Repubblica on Friday.

Briefing Italian journalists during a visit to Berlin on Wednesday, Berlusconi said the West ``should be confident of the superiority of our civilization`` and he urged Europe to ``reconstitute itself on the basis of its Christian roots.``

His comments sparked a storm of controversy, coming amid US and European efforts to build support among Muslim nations for a global fight against Osama bin Laden`s fundamentalist extremist network in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Rome has so far declined to apologise for the remarks, although the doyen of Arab ambassadors in Rome, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, will along with other Arab diplomats by received by the foreign ministry next Tuesday, giving an opportunity for a possible move to redress the situation.

On Thursday Berlusconi`s spokesman brushed off the criticism, saying he did not understand how one could accuse ``of insulting Islam, the head of a European government who is fighting for the participation of moderate Arab countries in the alliance against terrorism.``

Italy has one million Muslims but this community is not recognised by the state.

Stuka,

Well, you gave it the old college try...can`t say I agree with your points, vasai, you`re entitled to them. I think generally many of the criticisms brought up are pretty discredited at this point;

re: leadership for example. What on earth allows people outside of any occupied region to think that the politics and various sub groups can be easily organized under a state of siege? It is difficult under the best of circumstances. It is common knowledge that Arafat has no control over groups like the pathological idiots Hamas, and yet everytime an Israeli is murdered or a suicide bomber walks into a group of people, the responsibility is neatly laid at Arafat`s door, as if, let me reiterate, he has any control over the lunatic fringe.The media clamors for reassurance, he says he can`t control Hamas, and the cycle starts all over again. Utterly disingenuous.

The desperation and chaos is never acknowledged, the evil Palestinians are blamed, and nothing changes. I am beggining to suspect this is all in the plan.

Stuka, I hear a lot of excuses. I dare the various Chowkies as an exercise in humanity, to say, come up with at least 10 reasons, without excuse, why we should care about people who are the same or different from us, who suffer the abuse of their human rights. Can it be done? Unfortunately, I can`t say it can. Mores the pity.

What makes Israel so interesting is the reality/historical subtext of the Holocaust; surely the irony has not escaped you. Of course, irony doesn`t pay the bills, and it sure doesn`t lead to justice.It calls itself a democracy, when it clearly is for Israelis.

re: change;We all talk about the violence attributed to the Palestinians, (not the state terrorism of Israel, of course), but don`t give any creedence to peaceful struggle...Oh, Gandhi did it? Indeed he did, but no-one wants to talk about him anymore, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh...We talk about the unsupportable Palestinians who held militant stances in the past and say nothing about the Israeli hardliners.

Maybe y`all should check out Dilip Hiro`s book on this matter; he`s a South Asian writer who approached this matter, quite nicely, if I recall.

regards

Incredible Article from Dawn (Karachi) today..



Be proud, not apologetic


By Dr Humayun Khan


To say that Pakistan has rejoined the American camp is a half-truth. What we have done is rejoined the international community. We should now have the courage to admit that previous policies, which took us more and more out of the mainstream of international thinking, were faulty. We should also have the courage to say that the abandonment of such policies was, on merit, the wisest course and we are proud to have taken it.

It is a pity that President Musharraf, whose decisions in the past days have been praiseworthy, should feel that he must justify those decisions on grounds of compulsion. But such are the realities of politics and power. In his address to the nation on the Sept. 19, he seemed to be saying that, in order to save our skin, we must be prepared to sup with the devil. He need not have been so defensive. He has done the right thing by any standard and he should feel confident in justifying his decision on its intrinsic merit.

Pakistan has not entered any anti-Afghan or anti-Islamic camp. It has joined the anti-terrorist camp. In this it finds itself in good company because virtually every country in the world is in that camp. Moreover, Pakistan has stronger reason than many for doing this. For many years now, terrorists have roamed our streets, often in the garb of religion, killing innocent people. Is it not a frightening statistic that in the last 20 years, more Muslims have been killed in sectarian clashes in Pakistan than in anti-Muslim riots in India?

Is it not alarming that doctors, lawyers, and bankers have been murdered in Karachi for no reason other than their sect and that distinguished professionals are now fleeing that city. The fact of the matter is that the good name of Islam has been polluted and sullied by merchants of hate, both within our borders and beyond. It is to our eternal shame that suspicion should ever have existed that they were tolerated, even encouraged, by official agencies and by government policies.

Our problem has been that we have far more people who profess Islam than those who act according to its tenets. We have too many ``public`` Muslims and too few ``private`` Muslims. We all know the venal politicians, bureaucrats, military officers and religious leaders who make a great exhibition of their observance of Islamic rituals. In private, much of their time is spent like the nursery rhyme king in his counting house counting all his money.

The vast majority of Pakistanis must welcome the change of direction, which the actions of Gen Musharraf promise. Unfortunately, the vast majority is usually a silent majority. As long as terror does not strike them personally, most people are content to be left alone and to live their lives quietly. They fall into a torpor of complacency and thereby yield the stage to violent minorities whose main weapon is the vocalization of religion. It would be tragic if the welfare of this silent majority is ignored while the clamour of the militant minority is heeded.

The challenge now for General Musharraf is to stand firm. He can only do this if he genuinely believes (and indications are that he does) that this is the right course for Pakistan`s future. Nobody is asking him to support the killing of innocent Afghans. Clearly this is not something which any country, including the US, wants. Nobody is asking him to contribute to anti-Islamic actions. What he is required to do is to stand against those who preach violence, be it in the name of religion or otherwise. Admittedly, the risk in doing this is great. But it pales into insignificance against the risk of not doing it.

So, whether President Musharraf was pushed onto the right path or not is an issue that should be put behind us together with all sane elements in this country must now exhibit a full commitment to continuing along that path.

Fortunately, America has heeded the voice of the world community and of its own conscience. It has not acted violently or in haste. To this day, it is struggling to avoid punishing innocent Afghans for the follies of their leaders and the crimes of their unwanted guests. It is seeking a coalition with Islamic countries and is complying with the world`s call for balance and restraint; up to the time of this writing no military action has been taken.

If and when it comes, a primary aim will and must be to avoid killing or hurting innocent people. In the light of this, anti-American protests at this stage are both premature and misplaced - unless, of course, the motives behind these protests are merely to assert and impose the will of extremists on the people of Pakistan. This is the real danger that now confronts us. To meet it, courage and determination on the part of our government and of the vast majority of our people will be necessary.

We must not underestimate the havoc that extremists can create but, at the same time, we must not cower before their threats. Naturally, the first option must be to talk to them and bring them round to a common perception of the national interest. Special attention has to be paid to the problem in the border provinces of the NWFP and Balochistan where pro-Taliban elements abound. Our tribal areas are particularly inflammable. History has shown that in circumstances like these, tribal passions are easily roused. All this calls for exceptional skill on the part of the political administration of these areas.

Finally we must make clear our rejection of, and our revulsion at the statements made by some former military officers who are known to have plunged this country into many disasters in the past and who continue to advocate that it should keep going downhill. These men are dangerous because they have influence with those still serving in the army many of whom have worked as their juniors in the past.

At this very testing time our resolve in the face of immediate dangers must be accompanied by farsightedness about the implications for our future. The present policy undoubtedly holds promise but it also entails some basic rethinking if that promise is to be fully realized. Once the problem of Bin Laden and the Taliban is resolved, world attention will inevitably turn to the control of terrorism in wider sense. One consequence of this will be that the dividing line between freedom fighters and terrorists will become indistinguishable. Violence as a means to achieve political ends, which in themselves may be noble, will be less and less condoned.

For Pakistan this will necessitate a hard second look at our Kashmir policies. We will need to objectively reassess whether a militant jihad has helped us towards a solution of that problem or has hindered it. We shall certainly have to be cognizant of the negative impact of such activities on a possible settlement in the future. In doing this, we can draw some strength from the hope that, while violence will not be condoned, international interest in peacefully solving issues like Kashmir and Palestine will undoubtedly increase.

On the general conduct of foreign policy we will have to drastically review some of our past practices. For more than 20 years now, ``deniability`` has been a dominant theme in our conduct of foreign relations. We have consistently had to deny what we were, rightly or wrongly, accused of doing in the two most crucial areas of concern - Afghanistan and Kashmir. ``Deniability`` is essentially a tool of Intelligence; it is not an ingredient of statesmanship. We have to lift our foreign policy out of the murky levels of Intelligence to the high plane of statesmanship. We must begin to be open and proud , not furtive and cagey about our actions.

We haven`t seen Krashid for a very long time now. I hope he is doing well. A bit worrying...

shammi #47

......... you are right - the palestinians had many chances to get what they wanted but they blew it because they were obsessed with the idea of driving the jews into the sea ....... since this appears to be a genetic disorder, i just hope pakistan doesn`t make the same mistake with kashmir ....

shahgul: You are probably right on each of these indictments, or close enough. However, what is the answer? I present to you the following options:

a. The ``standard`` solution: Continue to equate Jews or Zionists with evil, and to provide examples of their misdeeds. Mullahs in Pakistan have been doing it for ages, whenever they are in the mood of polluting prayer time with politics. This is also the response of many middle class people in Pakistan, and the Pakistan government still refuses to have anything to do with Israel (decades after Egypt and Jordan recognized it, and Turkey too).

b. Seek to destroy Israel: This option is not going to happen, certainly not in the foreseeable future. And if it did it would be a very bad solution anyway. Reason I say this: Arabs have been their, done that. Even if they were to succeed and push all Israelis out to sea, remember that most Israelis are as decent a people as most muslims or other people - and two wrongs never make a right. The Quran repeats over and over again for people to be merciful and forgiving to one another, and this is not just morally the right thing to do, it is also good, practical advice to which we muslims should pay heed.

c. Seek to ``destroy`` an enemy by making that enemy a friend: This is the purpose of the peace process. Arafat may have already missed the boat on this by not making peace work with the Israelis doves, leading to the return to power of the hardliners. Sometimes it is more important to have peace than to have full justice. I have made the case elsewhere on chowk on this point (how land is no longer a factor of production anyway, knowledge is - and that is where there is no conflict of interest between different peoples of the world.

1. They are anti-democratic for daring to critique this sad state of affairs

Samina, if some called you undemocratic for bringing up anything, that`s uncalled for.

2. They are anti-semitic, even though Muslim and Christian Palestinians are semitic people

The word anti semite has picked up a different over-tone. Replace semite by Jewish. I`m not saying that you are anti -Jewish, just trying to explain the intended meaning as opposed to the technical meaning.

3.That those who bring this up do it only for religious reasons; i.e. Palestinians are muslim, go talk about China, despite the fact that any human right abuse should be an outrage, anywhere, anytime

The Palestenian conflict is looked upon as a Muslim-Jewish conflict, the Kashmir conflict is looked upon as a Hindu-Muslim conflict, the Chechen conflict is looked upon as a Slav-Muslim conflict, and so on and so forth in Bosnia and Kosovo. The people responsible for bringing about a religious overtone to an ethnic conflict are organizations like the Islamic Jihad and Hamas and Hezbollah, self-confessedly Islamic in nature. The PLO is a secular orgainzation, but by failing to condemn the above mentioned organizations, they have forfieted their own secularist credentials.

Yes, Human rights are the same everywhere, but they can never be looked upon in a vaccum. The Nuremburg accused Nazis would have looked pretty funny if they talked about Human rights. Similarly, people who talk about throwing the Jews in to the sea also look pretty funny when they turn around and ask for human rights.

4. Muslims deserve it.

That unfortunately is a perception that exists in many parts of the world. I wouldn`t deny it. In a sense, it is similar to the perception that America had it coming for the WTC attacks. The vocal minority is making life hell for the majority.

5. Palestinians are a minority, minorities are always discriminated against; regardless of the fact that the Palestinians have been made into a minority on their own land (some more US style democracy, I guess)

Samina, this arguement can go on and on and on. If the Palestenians say ``All or Nothing``, then they will get nothing. Forget the wars etc, when Barak, coceded so much, why did Arafat say no? Secondly, when have the Palestenians ever ever given the Israelis an opportunity to trust? Never.

6. The Palestinians lost their one opportunity and so this chance will be lost for the rest of eternity, regardless of how insane and brutally the current govt. treats Palestinians

See above..

7. No Arab state is democratic, so why shouldn`t Israel be run as an apartheid state? (can`t quite follow the logic here)

The logic is why make a special case out of Israel. What does Israel owe to the rest of the world? The Palestenians said that they made a major concession by conceding Israel`s right to exist. Big deal. Israel is out there, exisitng and progressive. Do you how insulting it would be for India to say after 50 years of Pakistani independance, oh right, we acknowledge your right to exist.

Israel gives the Israeli Arabs more right than the Arab nations do their own minorities. Why then pick on Israel? Why not Saudi Arabia? Why not Syria? Look, ultimately, one can pick on whomever one wants, but if you want to convince the world of moral righteousness, then you better make sure you are blameless. Otherwize, it comes down to the example of Milosevic accusing America of violating his humn rights.

8. WHO cares?

A lot of people do care. The question is how much?

Faiza #52 So Bijli/Bapu/etc. has grown one more personality - Faiza.

Now why would anyone want to post under different names? I think the answer is obvious - (a) in the first instance, this is to give the impression that one`s personal views are shared by many people. (b) but then (a) is only possible if one think`s one`s views are so unique and so important that they must be imposed on other people by hook or by crook. Trouble is, these views are neither unique (being along the usual India vs. Pakistan lines) nor is it important to impress anyone on chowk (after all, how many people read chowk compared to, e.g., Dawn newspaper?)

edited version, sorry

Shahgul,

Did you know that any Chowkie who brings up the Palestinian issue will be told:

1. They are anti-democratic for daring to critique this sad state of affairs

2. They are anti-semitic, even though Muslim and Christian Palestinians are semitic people

3.That those who bring this up do it only for religious reasons; i.e. Palestinians are muslim, go talk about China, despite the fact that any human right abuse should be an outrage, anywhere, anytime

4. Muslims deserve it.

5. Palestinians are a minority, minorities are always discriminated against; regardless of the fact that the Palestinians have been made into a minority on their own land (some more US style democracy, I guess)

6. The Palestinians lost their one opportunity and so this chance will be lost for the rest of eternity, regardless of how insane and brutally the current govt. treats Palestinians

7. No Arab state is democratic, so why shouldn`t Israel be run as an apartheid state? (can`t quite follow the logic here)

8. WHO cares?

Ignore them. Good for you!

regards

Shahgul,

Did you know that any Chowkie who brings up the Palestinian issue will be told:

1. They are anti-democratic for daring to critique this sad state of affairs

2. They are anti-semitic, even though Muslim and Christian Palestinians are semitic people

3.That those who bring this up do it only for religious reasons; i.e. Palestinians are muslim, go talk about China, despite the fact that any human right abuse should be an outrage, anywhere, anytime

4. Muslims deserve it

5. Palestinians are a minority, minorities are always discriminated; regardless of the fact that the Palestinians have been made into a minority on their own land (some more US style democracy, I guess)

6. The Palestinians lost their one opportunity and so this chance will be lost for the rest of eternity, regardless of how insane and brutally treats Palestinians

7. No Arab state is democratic, so why shouldn`t Israel be run as an apartheid state? (can`t quite follow the logic here)

8. WHO cares?

Ignore them. Good for you!

regards

FACTS ABOUT ISRAEL

Did you know that non-Jewish Israelis cannot buy or lease land in Israel?

Did you know that Palestinian license plates in Israel are color coded to

distinguish Jews from non-Jews?

Did you know that Jerusalem, both East and West, is considered by the

entire world community, including the United States, to be occupied

territory and NOT part of Israel?

Did you know that Israel allots 85% of the water resources for Jews and

the remaining 15% is divided among all Palestinians in the territories? For

example in Hebron, 85% of the water is given to about 400 settlers,

while15% must be divided among Hebron``s 120,000 Palestinians?

Did you know the United States awards Israel $5 billion in aid each year?

Did you know that yearly US aid to Israel exceeds the aid the US grants

to the whole African continent?

Did you know that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has

nuclear weapons?

Did you know that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that

refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international

inspections from its sites?

Did you know that Israel currently occupies territories of two sovereign

nations (Lebanon and Syria) in defiance of United Nations Security Council

resolutions?

Did you know that Israel has for decades routinely sent assassins into

other countries to kill its political enemies?

Did you know that high-ranking military officers in the Israeli Defense

Forces have admitted publicly that unarmed prisoners of war were executed

by the IDF?

Did you know that Israel refuses to prosecute its soldiers who have

acknowledged executing prisoners of war?

Did you know that Israel routinely confiscates bank accounts, businesses,

and land and refuses to pay compensation to those who suffer the

confiscation?

Did you know that Israel blew up an American diplomatic facility in Egypt

and attacked a U. S. ship in international waters, killing 33 and wounding

177 American sailors?

Did you know that the second most powerful lobby in the United States,

according to a recent Fortune magazine survey of Washington insiders, is

the Israeli AIPAC?

Did you know that Israel stands in defiance of 69 United Nations Security

Council Resolutions?

Did you know that today``s Israel sits on the former sites of more than

400 now-vanished Palestinian villages, and that the Israelis re-named

almost every physical site in the country to cover up the traces?

Did you know that it was not until 1988 that Israelis were barred from

running ``Jews Only`` job ads?

Did you know that four prime ministers of Israel (Begin, Shamir, Rabin,

and Sharon) have taken part in either bomb attacks on civilians, massacres

of civilians, or forced expulsions of civilians from their villages?

Did you know that the Israeli Foreign Ministry pays two American public

relations firms to promote Israel to Americans?

Did you know that Sharon``s coalition government includes a party -

Molodet- which advocates expelling all Palestinians from the occupied

territories?

Did you know that Israel``s settlement building increased in the eight

years since Oslo?

Did you know that settlement building under Barak doubled compared to

settlement building under Netanyahu?

Did you know that Israel once dedicated a postage stamp to a man who

attacked a civilian bus and killed several people?

Did you know that recently declassified documents indicate that David

Ben-Gurion in at least some instances approved of the expulsion of

Palestinians in 1948? We often hear of Ehud Barak``s generosity about an

alleged return of 95% of the Palestinian Occupied Territories. When

Palestinians refused, they were blamed for ``missing an opportunity.``

Did you know that the Palestinians have already accepted Israel``s

existence on 78% of what was Palestine. Bible: God said to Abraham, ``Unto

thy seed, I will give thy land.`` Abraham had two sons. Ismael -the Arab

son, and Isaac -the Jewish son. So even if one wants to go to the Bible,

the land would belong to both.

Did you know that Palestinian Christians are considered the ``living

stones`` of Christianity because they are the direct descendants of the

disciples of Jesus Christ?

Did you know that despite a ban on torture by Israel``s High Court of

Justice, torture has continued by Shin Bet interrogators on Palestinian

prisoners?

Did you know that Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the

refugee population in the world?

WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT!? THE LEAST ANYONE CAN DO IS LET OTHERS KNOW!

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I did not think I would ever cut and paste lengthy articles, but this one was circulated by an Arab gentleman and I thought deserved to be seen by the good people on chowk. The way in which the Americans have tried to make the minorities at ease represents the best of mankind. I pray that those with anger and hatreds in their hearts learn something from these big-hearted people. God Bless the USA.

Expressions of Support Surprising to Muslims

Public displays of compassion, kindness come as a shock to many Middle Easterners, who had been braced for a widespread backlash.

By SOLOMON MOORE

Times Staff Writer

September 26 2001

It was a white-hot e-mail, still echoing with thunderous keystrokes: ``Go back to your beautiful land of sand and pig dirt, and take your HATE with you!``

Culver City-based IslamiCity.com, a popular Islamic Web site, was an easy target after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But Mohammed Abdul Aleem, the site`s chief executive, thought the insults had more to do with ignorance than anger, so he replied with a short compilation of Islamic scripture.

The next day, the writer`s anger had turned to shame: ``I want to apologize for the hate mail I sent you the other day. I was upset by all the things that happened. My brother, who works in the armed forces, lost several of his friends at the Pentagon. . . . I appreciate your calm and informative response . . . and as a result have since then come to my senses.``

Reports of ethnic profiling and sporadic attacks on perceived Middle Easterners persist, but Muslims in Southern California say they have been astounded by more numerous reports of restraint and kindness. They see it in the woman who brings roses to her Persian American colleague. They hear it in the reassurance of the auto mechanic who tells his Pakistani customer, ``It`s OK`` to be named Mohammed.

The explosive rage that initially seized many Americans seems to have become less focused on Islam and the Middle East in general and more focused on Osama bin Laden and terrorists in particular.

Many Americans also are investigating, some for the first time, one of the world`s great faiths and oldest civilizations. Bookstores are selling out of copies of the Koran. University classes and teach-ins on the Middle East and Islam are filled to capacity. Middle East scholars are being invited on television news shows repeatedly and being spotted on the street like celebrities. And many everyday Middle Easterners--Muslim or not--are fielding a daily barrage of questions about Islam from neighbors, co-workers and strangers.

``They don`t ask in a rude way,`` said Mitra Mikaili, a Persian American who is a member of the Baha`i faith, a persecuted minority in Iran. ``They say, `You are from that part of the world. What is your insight about this?` They ask about the Muslim religion and the way they do things.``

Other local Middle Easterners are reporting more visceral expressions of support. On a call-in show on Radio Iran, KIRN-AM (670), one caller said her Wilshire Boulevard doorman had even gotten into the act.

``Since the attack, he hugs me every time I come home,`` she said.

A Westwood psychologist, Nehzat Farnoody, said one of her colleagues gave her flowers and said, ``Nothing has changed.``

Such displays of compassion come as a shock to many Muslims and Middle Easterners, who braced for a widespread backlash after Sept. 11 and are still keeping an eye out for scattered incidents of discrimination.

Some Muslims in Southern California say that public shows of support from political leaders, such as President Bush reading peaceful passages from the Koran, set the tone for the rest of the country.

``We are overwhelmed,`` said Mahmoud Abdel-Baset, religious director of the Islamic Center of Southern California. Since the attacks, the Los Angeles-based center has hosted a steady stream of dignitaries, including Gov. Gray Davis, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn.

There also was the quiet Christian man with anger in his heart for Islam. Abdel-Baset was locking up the center`s mosque when the man came in and wandered around for a moment.

``He said he had lost a friend in the World Trade Center attacks,`` Abdel-Baset said. ``He told me, `I want to come face to face with a real Muslim person. I want to overcome my anger toward Muslims and separate it from the people who committed this.`

``It was the first time he had been in a mosque, but I didn`t lecture him on anything, nor did he ask questions. He just wanted to see a real-life Muslim and talk to him. He cried on my shoulder. I cried too.``

Sarah Eltantawi, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Southern California, said her organization has been deluged with requests for speakers and literature.

``I am a cynical person,`` she said. ``But I am heartened by the earnestness and sincerity with which people are trying to learn about Islam.``

Eltantawi said the supportive response toward Muslims is especially surprising because of the treatment she received as an Egyptian American Muslim during the Persian Gulf War a decade ago.

``People had these inflammatory T-shirts [against] Iraq,`` she said. ``People were calling me a Jew-hater. It was terrible. It`s different now.

``I think people are desperate for an explanation of what happened, and getting to know Islam is part of that explanation.``

Katherine Koberg, the religion editor for online bookstore Amazon.com, said copies of the Koran are selling at unprecedented levels, with three editions on the religion bestseller list at one point.

Doug Dutton, owner of Dutton`s Brentwood Bookstore, said he is sold out of most copies of Islam`s most holy book.

``Having seen other situations from the Gulf War to Iran contra . . . I`ve seen books on current events and history go like this before,`` Dutton said. ``This is different because these are people who are very interested in looking beyond the headlines and at the actual texts of 1,500 years ago.``

Richard Hrair Dekmejian, a USC professor on Middle Eastern politics, said this thirst for knowledge about Islam is a result of the powerful impact of the Sept. 11 attacks and the general lack of religious knowledge in America.

``We don`t offer our citizens a comprehensive view of the world,`` he said. ``Now, all of a sudden everybody wants to know. I get stopped all the time because I talk about this on TV. . . . They stop and ask, `Is Islam violent? Why are they doing this?` ``

Commentary from the current Pakistan Link


A Silver Lining for Pakistan

By Syed Rashid Husain


The large section of expatriate Pakistanis in the Gulf, with families living in Canada and the United States, are becoming increasingly worried about the safety and security of their family members, in the wake of the recent tide of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents in North America and in parts of Europe.

Canada for the last many years has been attracting a significant number of immigrants from this part of the world. Many among these new immigrants were Pakistanis. All their life-long savings in the process were also being transferred to their new abodes and many among them made investments in real estate in parts of Canada and the US.

Many here believe this flow of cash from this part of the world has contributed significantly to the economic growth and the prosperity of those regions. Many Pakistanis later opted to leave their families and children behind in Canada and the US and returned to the Gulf to continue earning their petrodollars. In fact, there is an area in Toronto, Canada, which has been nicknamed as “Begum Para,” being mostly inhabited by the wives and children of the immigrants from the Gulf, whose husbands continue to work in the Gulf.

Many others here have their children studying in the various universities and colleges in the US. The turn the events have taken recently is a point of major concern for many among the Pakistani expatriate community here.

Tahir’s parents live here in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Tahir was sent to the US recently to pursue his master’s program in engineering. Immediately after the Sept 11 tragedy, the atmosphere on the campus he was studying became so tense that some of his close friends advised him to stay with them rather than staying in his own dormitory. Thus he is now living under the “protection” of his friends. One however, has to be fair and point out that the friends who offered protection to Tahir were also Americans.

Stories of abuse of Muslim students, specially the girl students preferring to take hijab, have been reported by many here. Tahir’s parents are now increasingly worried. They are not sure what next to do. Should they call him back? Is the next question that stares them in their eyes.

TBZ’s family lives in Canada. They are a permanent resident there. TBZ himself lives here like many others, earning his livelihood. He is also worried about the prevailing situation. On the day when the terrorists attacked New York and Washington, some of their family friends came in and told his wife to stay in low profile and avoid sending out the children unnecessarily. TBZ says, all said and done, “God forbid, in case my wife pushes the panic button, I will have no other choice but to call them back immediately.” Panic buttons have been pushed at some other places.

MM is a senior business executive working in Saudi Arabia for the last many years. His family also lives in Canada. Recently his wife was here visiting MM, when the attacks took place on Sept 11. After hearing of the tense situation in parts of North America, the poor lady wanted to go back immediately to her children, who were then in Canada. Although she left with the first available flight, before leaving she confided to some of her friends that in case the same situation persists, she would prefer to pack up from Canada and come back to Saudi Arabia, where the husband works.

SRH is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom on a business trip early October. He is now thinking if it would be wise for him, while sporting a small beard, enough to make him conspicuous as a Muslim, to go to the UK on the trip. Apprehensions in his mind range from inconvenient and tough immigration procedures at Heathrow to the possibility of vandalism of some sort on the streets of London.

WHS has lived in the Gulf for almost two decades. Some six to seven years back he moved to Canada with his family. His son, having a master’s degree in engineering from a prestigious university in the US, is well placed in Canada. But despite this, immediately after the incident when some one from here telephoned him to enquire of his welfare, WHS asked him to look for a job for his son in the Gulf.

MK is a senior business executive working for a leading multinational. He is a US citizen. His children were born and bred up in the United States. His young school-going daughters take hijab. Now they are reluctant to go to the US, their birthplace, on their next vacations, for they fear becoming open targets of hatred and bias that has been witnessed there in recent days.

Some reports are already mentioning of large-scale cancellations of airline bookings from here to North America and Europe. Many parents are rethinking about their decision of sending their children to Europe and the US for higher studies. The UAE and Kuwait governments have already announced that they would bring back, for the time being, all their students currently studying in the US.

The offloading of two passengers, appearing to be from this part of the world, from a domestic US flight as their fellow passengers insisted on not flying along with these two “Middle-eastern-looking” guys has also left many rethinking their next move.

As the situation stands, the recent events would have a deep impact on the people here, on the flow of immigrants to North America. Many would now be increasingly hesitant to take that decision.

In all this unfolding drama, there is a silver lining also for Pakistan. Many here are now realizing that despite all the drawbacks, Pakistan may still be their only good option. If this thinking takes roots, the assets and the lifelong savings of overseas Pakistanis in the Gulf that was until now flowing to other “greener pastures” without any hesitation and breaks, may soon be diverted to where it actually belonged - Pakistan.