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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
 In today's Independent we see an eye-opening article revealing that amidst what is described as a series of "global food shortages", a new "government-backed report" shows that "the British public" annually throws away "4.4 million apples, 1.6 million bananas, 1.3 million yoghurt pots, 660,000 eggs, 550,000 chickens, 300,000 packs of crisps and 440,000 ready meals. And for the first time government researchers have established that most of the food waste is made up of completely untouched food products adding up to "a record £10b" every year. And that's just us Brits. Imagine what the totals are for the Western world combined. But despite the shock value of such important revelations, I'm increasingly concerned at the way in which the food crisis is being portrayed. Be first to comment this article
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
 Last week, I participated in the Doha Debates, on the motion "The Sunni-Shia conflict is damaging Islam’s reputation as a religion of peace." It was a timely topic; and a very time-sensitive topic, because it is a question that can only be asked now. Not because the Sunni-Shia divide is a new phenomenon: it is an old, historical schism that emerged as a political division, which then became religious. But it is now that the political has really caused it to be so monumental. I admit that, but I spoke against the motion in Doha, because the damage to Islam’s reputation is more about the sensationalism of the media, and focusing on Muslim violence in general, rather than Sunni-Shia violence. But the motion brought up another question for me. In the midst of the Sunni-Shia conflict that exists in some pockets of the Muslim world, what are we to make of what Islam is or what Islam is not?Be first to comment this article |
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Sunday, 27 April 2008 |
 It takes more than seminars and conferences to resurrect ways of thinking. Renovation is a process undertaken by individuals at the intersection between the needs imposed by the socio-historical process and the course of the history of ideas. One of the most pressing needs is for thinkers of the type that embraced the concept of the "Arab idea" and who made their mark in the first half of the 20th century. Conferences and seminars will not produce them, just as they will fail to produce any other kinds of innovative thinkers. Ultimately the task of renewal falls upon the individual who must engage in a creative intellectual process. Since Arab national thought is not uniform we should not expect any renewal to be so. The challenges of the renewal of Arab national thought cannot be met without engaging innovatively and practically in the attempt to address the problems and concerns of the people.Be first to comment this article |
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
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Watching journalist John Ware’s two-part BBC television documentary aired on Sunday and Monday, 28th and 29th October 2007, “No plan, no peace in Iraq”, one came away with the impression that the entire invasion and occupation of Iraq was nothing more than one incredibly inept debacle after another. Stupidity, incompetence, and arrogance are about the only factors that explain the overwhelming reality of Anglo-American role in Iraq by Ware’s depiction: total and utter mismanagement. In the ensuing discussion, we will discuss how badly John Ware’s BBC television project serves the public interest, by completely ignoring documented facts, all in the public record for the last few years. The result is a programme that is partial, inaccurate, and untruthful; rather like much of the official justifications for intervention and occupation. Be first to comment this article |
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Friday, 21 March 2008 |
 In the Opening Address of the World Economic Forum in January of this year, the US Secretary of State, Ms. Condoleezza Rice, addressed the audience on "ideals" andd took the opportunity to underline that the United States would continue to adopt an "ideals-based" approach to foreign policy. This approach, she called "American Realism". In Gaza, the slyness of these "universal ideals" that Rice supposedly upholds is revealed before the eyes of the world. Gaza today stands on the verge of collapse. The reality of Gaza according to certain quarters has been "dwindling" for a while now. Let’s state it as it is; Gaza stands shattered. The horrific reality for the 1.5 millions Gazans within its' ghettos speaks of a persistent injustice whose ruthlessness worsens with the passing hour; all this without a word of criticism from Rice, let alone condemnation.Be first to comment this article |
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