It is a strange world where the passage I most agreed with came from the Iranian President:
Iraq, Syria and Yemen are all examples of crises being stoked through terror, extremism, violence, bloodshed, invasion and the indifference of the international community. They are similar examples displaying cases of displacement, homelessness and fleeing from the horrors of war and bombardment. Their problems have persisted because the international community has failed them and because of incorrect actions of newcomers to the region and naive trans-regional actors. Consequently, the wave of destruction has gone beyond the Arab world and reached the gates of Europe and the United States and has resulted in the destruction of the relics of civility and precious works of ancient civilizations and, more broadly, has resulted in the death of humanity.
We must not forget that the roots of today’s wars, destruction and terror, can be found in the occupation, invasion and military intervention of yesterday. If we did not have the US military invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the US’s unwarranted support for the inhumane actions of the Zionist regime against the oppressed nation of Palestine, today the terrorists would not have an excuse for the justification of their crimes.
His Wikipedia entry. You will see what I mean.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Summerfield
I remember when the same things were said about South Africa. And much the same things were said about Ireland pre-independence.
Blacks and whites here in the U.S. may not love each other, but there is relatively little violence between them, certainly as compared to Iraq since it was invaded. Similarly, there was very little violence between Sunni and Shiah under Saddam. What there was was largely a result of the Shiah revolting against Saddam with U.S. encouragement in 1991.
“I remember when the same things were said about South Africa. And much the same things were said about Ireland pre-independence.”
Sufficiently different that comparisons with South Africa and Ireland are not valid.
South Africa, despite some perceptions, is now a crime-ridden shithole of official corruption. But the original cultural animosity between ruling whites and majority blacks has no fundamental basis that cannot be reconciled. And Ireland is a separate entity that is not in rivalry with British rule except over over the North.
Islam and Judaism are at fundamental odds with each other like all ideologies that purport to be the one and ultimate Truth. The Quran alternates between deferring to jewish traditions and pouring scorn on its people. Israel has, at its core raison d’etre, a jewish bias and mission to preserve its existence as a jewish homeland but muslims have a Quranic duty to dominate and an historical record of doing so. A democratic Israel with a rapidly growing muslim demographic will eventually transition to one where the country has a jewish minority in positions of power who will refuse to relinquish control. Why would they willingly participate in a regressive transformation of their country to one where it becomes another backward Islamic shithole? One-state is not a solution, it’s a model for inevitable failure.
The plagiarist whines – “6.30am Overuse of word ‘muslim’.
PS The word should have a capital M. eg Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist or any other member of a religious faith.”
– – – –
Who cares for a lecture in grammar from an uneducated shrew who cannot even frame her own screeds of cut-n-paste to distinguish what is hers from what is plagiarised?
Who had the stronger arguments, Barack Obama or Vladimir Putin? You can vote at this link and maybe the results will surprise you.
http://m.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-blasts-putin-calls-racism-u-s-article-1.2376950
It is a strange world indeed when the former recent Head of Mossad is saying in public that Iranian leaders do operate on a rational basis and that his own Prime Minster, Netanyahu is wrong to oppose the deal with Iran. This opinion expressed by their former chief, is likely to be the official Mossad view. The former Mossad chief’s view was the Iran poses no threat to Israel. Yet polls in Israel suggest consistent support for Netanyahu’s politics of fear. This is an example of the absurdity of the situation in which the Israeli military and security establishment is more progressive than the dominant civilian politicians and the public. The spooks operate on a rational basis and they know that Iran is hobbled. They also know that it would be in Israel’s interests to back the US-brokered deal with Iran. But politicians like Netanyahu – and many others – base their while raison d’etre on cultivating the politics of perpetual fear. Without this, there would be no ‘Netanyahu’.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Former-Mossad-chief-slams-Netanyahu-for-insistence-that-Iran-recognize-Israels-right-to-exist-396303
Jemand has made some important points. Much as many of us would like to see a one-state secular democratic state across Palestine-Israel, the likelihood of it happening, or working, is remote. It simply is not reconcilable with ‘the [uber-militarised] Jewish State’ of Israel as constituted. The two-state solution, whatever one may think of it, has been made impossible largely by persistent Israeli aggression and US refusal to pressurise Israel. I see no good end to it. That, of course, is distinct from what I would like to see.
Mary, at 1:59pm today. Thanks. I did not know about this. I’m somewhat behind on my regular reading of the requisite rags. I will catch up!
I know fine well what ‘radicalisation’ is. I hate Islamism, Jihadism and all other forms of clerical fascism. I don’t need a workshop to tell me about it. More importantly in this context, I also know that the matter is irrelevant to my role as a physician.
I would argue that to propose this as a mandatory – or indeed as any – part of continuous professional development is unethical and puts patient care at risk. People need to know that they can access health care regardless of their political beliefs/criminal record/social activities. If they think health care staff will spy on them and report them to the spooks for their political beliefs, that poisons the therapeutic relationship. It’s also fundamentally wrong. This is not East Germany.
Look at this:
http://www.southernhealth.nhs.uk/knowledge/safeguarding/prevent/
“If you are concerned that a child or adult is at risk of radicalisation you have a responsibility to act.” [from NHS article linked to, above]
What???
I’d like to report the millions children and adults of the ruling classes who are at constant risk of being radicalised to support imperial mass murder.
Oh sorry, that’s not radicalisation, that’s normal. I see. Pardon me.
Here’s more on this:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/train-competnc-frmwrk.pdf
It’s deliberately being framed in the (difficult to argue against) context of ‘child protection’ but in fact is deeply insidious.