Ainashe.net

In an editorial the Arab News says:

The Arab League’s decision Sunday in Cairo to break the economic embargo imposed by the United States and Europe on the Hamas-led Palestinian administration was long overdue. Indeed it may be asked why any Arab state ever subscribed to this unjust punishment of a country, simply because its people had elected a government that Washington did not like. Hamas’ crime in American eyes was that it refused to recognize Israel and had used terror tactics, including suicide bombers. Yet no such sanctions were ever contemplated against Israel, which does not recognize Palestine and uses its own terror tactics to slay far greater number of Palestinians than the number of Israelis who fall victim to militant violence.

The people in the United States voted for Bush and the Palestinians elected Hamas led government. I am not a big fan of the Bush Adminstration or Hamas!

However, democracy is an expression of the political will of free people and sometimes it produces what some people may perceive as undesirable outcomes. However, the West cannot say, “We want to see democratized Middle East” and at the same time oppose the verdict that the very democratic political process they claim to advocate has delivered. To me that is an immoral double standard which the Muslim world must reject outright!

In short, the Arab League did the right thing to reject the misguided US policy towards the Palestinian people.

Click here to view the full editorial on the Arab News.

Sheikh Farah Mo’alim, the governor of Hiiraan was quoted as saying:

The floods have displaced around 80 percent of the population of the eastern part of the town and 20 percent of the western part.

The Governor continued by saying:

Most of those displaced are now camped at Jenta Kundishe, 15 km to the northeast of Beletweyne, which is on a higher elevation.

Click here to view the full dispatch on the AlertNet.

Fox News reports:

Floods caused by torrential rain in parts of southern Somalia have killed more than 23 people and displaced thousands over the past five days, aid workers and residents said Tuesday. The death toll is partly based on figures given by residents in different parts of southern Somalia contacted by The Associated Press by two-way radio, the most common means of communication in this Horn of Africa nation, which has had no effective central government for 15 years.

Click here for the full story.

Max Hastings, former Editor-In-Chief of the London Evening Standard writes:

We have learned a lot since 9/11. George Bush, abetted by Tony Blair, resolved that terrorists must be hunted down in their supposed breeding and training grounds, in Afghanistan (true) and Iraq (false). Neither military engagement has proved an unqualified success. Pakistan’s radicals pose a grave threat, but even the Washington neo-conservatives do not now propose committing troops against them. The most plausible lesson of recent experiences is that it is counter-productive to deploy large-scale western military forces in Muslim societies, even where there seem just grounds for doing so.

I agree with Mr. Hastings that using military force will make the situation worse. The injustices committed against the Palestinian people are fueling hostilities towards “Western” powers! The West cannot close their eyes about this any longer!

Click here to view the full article on The Guardian newspaper.

I know this site is being neglected for a while! However, I am inundated with lots of tasks with tight deadlines that are competing for my attention. Unfortunately, blogging had to take the back-burner in recent weeks. Having said that, I would like to say to the loyal Ainashe.net readers that I feel your frustrations and I intend to resume blogging shortly.

In the meantime, please seek alternative source of news and commentary elsewhere.

Also, I would kindly ask you to stop your angry emails! I am already tired and exhausted and your flaming emails makes me feel letting my readers down and that sense of guilt exacerbates my dissatisfaction with my current predicament, which is, lack of sufficient time to do many things.

I need a holiday!

Ainashe.net will resume tomorrow night! Insha Allah.