In this mailing:
- Bassam Tawil: How to Send the Wrong
Message to Palestinians
- Ruthie Blum: Bangladesh: Tipping
Farther Toward Fundamentalist Islam?
by
Bassam Tawil • June 13, 2017 at 5:00 am
- In the eyes of many Arabs
and Muslims, Trump is no longer the strong leader they feared a
few months ago. Rather, he has proven to them that he too is
susceptible to blackmail and intimidation. And when Trump caves,
US credibility suffers. Had Trump gone ahead and fulfilled his
promise to move the embassy, he would have earned the respect of
many Arabs and Muslims, who would have looked to him as a proper
leader.
- A further point ought to
be of extreme interest to the US: When the Palestinians and Arabs
talk about the possibility that such a move would "harm"
US interests in the region and "trigger violence and
bloodshed," they are actually threatening to launch terror
attacks against American nationals and interests. That is why
Trump's recent decision not to move the embassy to Jerusalem is
being understood in the Arab world as surrender to terrorism.
- Consider what happened
when Trump recently ordered a missile attack on Syria. Many Arabs
and Muslims took to social media to heap praise on Trump for
displaying courage. If and when Trump honors his promises, he will
earn even more respect in the Arab and Islamic countries.
President Donald Trump's decision to
delay the relocation of the US embassy in Israel (pictured) from Tel
Aviv to Jerusalem came after repeated threats by the Palestinian
Authority that such a move would "plunge the entire region into
violence and bloodshed." (Image source: Krokodyl/Wikimedia
Commons)
US President Donald J. Trump's waiver delaying the
relocation of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
accomplishes two things.
First, it disappoints many Israelis for failing to
fulfill his pre-election promise. Second, and perhaps more importantly,
it has sent precisely the wrong message to the Palestinians What the
Palestinians and other Arabs heard in this message is that the US
president folds under pressure and threats.
This message of weakness and retreat harms not only
Trump's credibility, but also that of the US by making it appear a
country that caves under threats of violence.
In general, it is Trump's presentation of power that
garners respect among many Palestinians and Arabs. The Arabs admire and
respect such figures because they have been ruled for decades by
ruthless tyrants and dictators such as Saddam Hussein. But the Arabs
also respect leaders who keep their promises, even if they disagree
with and oppose those promises.
by
Ruthie Blum • June 13, 2017 at 4:30 am
- As soon as the statue of
"Lady Justice," blindfolded and holding a scale, was
erected in the Bangladeshi capital, fundamentalist groups began to
protest, on the grounds that the piece of art was
"un-Islamic" and constituted idol-worship.
- Since 2013, dozens of
people have been slaughtered, many with machetes. Although ISIS
claimed responsibility for many of the brutal killings, no formal
investigation into the murders was ever launched.
- Instead, Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina took the opportunity to arrest more than 11,000
people, only 145 of whom were Islamist terrorists. The rest were
charged with crimes such as theft and drug-dealing, indicating
that it might have been part of Hasina's crackdown on critics
since her election in 2008.
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh, in
Dhaka. (Image source: F2416/Wikimedia Commons)
The arrest on May 26 of 140 secular activists in
Bangladesh is the latest in a string of incidents indicating a
disturbing shift towards Islamic fundamentalism in the East Asian
parliamentary democracy.
The activists were rounded up by police during a
demonstration against the government's removal of a statue outside the
Supreme Court building in the capital city, Dhaka. They were charged
not only with holding an illegal gathering and obstructing justice, but
with the attempted murder of the law enforcement agents dispatched to
quell the protest.
The statue was a depiction of "Lady Justice"
-- the Greek goddess Themis (and Roman Justitia), blindfolded and
holding a scale -- this one wearing a sari. As soon as the iconic,
universal symbol of jurisprudence was erected last December in the
Bangladeshi capital, fundamentalist groups began to protest, on the
grounds that the piece of art was "un-Islamic" and
constituted idol-worship.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment