Archive for
August 15th, 2007
Stories
Kenya: Media Bill Faces Public Opposition
The Kenyan media and human rights groups are protesting against the controversial Media Bill passed by the Kenyan Parliament last week. The Bill is waiting Presidents Mwai Kibaki's assent to become part of the Kenyan law. Kenyan bloggers have been analyzing it, blogging about demonstrations in opposition to the Bill and publishing photos of demonstrators in the streets of Nairobi.
One of the clauses, which seems to draw intense opposition is the one that requires editors to disclose identity of unnamed party in a news article: “When a story includes unnamed parties who are not disclosed and the same becomes the subject of a legal tussle as to who is meant, then the editor shall be obligated to disclose the identity of the party or parties referred to.”
Richard Mbuthia considers the whole Media Bill “pretty dark”:
The whole of the Bill seems pretty dark but certain clauses in it come out nakedly in attack of our fundamental freedoms. A clause in the Media Bill forces journalists to divulge their source of information in the event that their stories ‘stir a court case'.
He continues:
The purpose of journalism is to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governing. To fulfill this task, journalism's first obligation is to the truth and its first loyalty is to the citizens. Period.
This means that nothing should be allowed to come in-between. The noxious Bill states that journalists will be required to name the sources to their stories should the stories they write warrant a court case. This, to me, is tantamount to paralyzing and curtailing media activity. Why do I say this? Sources of information are the lifeblood of journalists whether working in print or broadcast industries. Who would want to volunteer ‘sensitive information' to the media knowing too well that they could be exposed to the public should someone find the story unflattering and drag the media outlet to court? Does this mean, then, that the office of the ‘good old' whistle-blower is in its death throes?
The controversial Media Bill was passed by only 27 MPs. The Kenyan Parliament has over 200 MPs. Kenyan Pundit writes, “Outrageous MP performance continues”:
The controversial Media Bill was passed with only a dismaying 27 MPs in attendance, that’s even less than what’s required for quorum so we wonder how that is legal.
Assidous wants the names of The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) plans to go to court if the Bill becomes law:
LSK vows to find Media Law in court if the President assents. I’m curious as to how successful a challenge to the shortfall in quorum when the Bill was passed would be. And where were all those MPs who are now critiquing the Bill when the Bill was being passed? Kenyan politicians = useless.
Mental Acrobatics and Rebecca Wanjiku have taken part in street demonstrations. Mental Acrobatics writes about last week's demonstration in Nairobi:
On Wednesday afternoon I joined civil society activist in a peaceful march to parliament to present a petition to parliament protesting against the Media Bill passed by parliament which is now awaiting presidential consent and the corrupt, immoral, illegal “gratuity” payment Kenyan legislators are attempting to award themselves.
Rebecca Wanjiru writes about the silent demonstration in Nairobi organized by journalists:
dressed mainly in black and covering their mouths, kenyan media practitioners matched throught the streets of Nairobi, protestitng aganist the media bill.
the early morning march was well attended by all journalists from all media houses. they carried their tools of trade.
Julie Gichuru read the petition at the state law office. the gates were locked and the journalists could only speak from outside.i think the public is right when it accuses the media of being selfish. just google the hulla balloo about the media bill and you will see the number of pages coming up.
the media went on with the silent demo as a way of making a point to the government.
off course the media was there to cover itself.
This was the first time in the history of Kenya for journalists to take their concerns to the streets:
it is only times like these that one can tell how many journalists in kenya. for once, we rallied to our cause.
it was historic, never before have journalists taken to the streets.
today, editors, writers, photojournalists took to the streets..
Kumekucha analyzes the political implication of the Bill:
The truth is that even as the powerful Kibaki insiders look like they are now retreating at this eleventh hour with their tails firmly between their legs, great irreparable damage has already been done. I personally know of a half a dozen previously Kibaki votes that have evaporated courtesy of this ill-advised media bill. You can be sure that there are many others country-wide.
The question that many voters are asking themselves is what does the Kibaki administration have to hide, so desperately pushing for media regulation just before the election?
Even communication minister Mutahi Kagwe sounded tired and nervous answering questions from the press about the controversial bill yesterday. My wild guess is that he is irritated because he advised against it but was ignored and ended up just following orders in pushing it. You tend to get really angry when they tide turns and you are proved right.
Dan Teng'o argues that the government drafted the Media Bill because of “apparent lack of clear and adequate structures for media self-regulation and accountability.” According to Dan, the Media Council of Kenya will surely be a political capital to some:
The media bill pending presidential assent seems to have turned to a tsunami of proportions that cant be quantified at the moment. And trust the media and all goodwill Kenyans to milk as much political capital as is possible.
In yesterday's papers for instance, the editorial as well as the opinions were all about the bill as well as reasons why Kibaki shouldn't assent the said bill. One even told him that he was ‘child of the media freedom', reminding him about one press conference in the early nineties when he went on holiday to Mombasa and returned to Nairobi as the DP chairman! Very True.
Beyond Borders: Bloggers Face off over Jordanian Treatment of Iraqi Travellers
The treatment of Iraqis at the Jordan's Queen Alia Airport has triggered a storm in the Middle Eastern blogosphere. What at first seemed to be a straight forward story of refugees being ill-treated by their neighbour's security guards has spawned into a Pan-Arab spat (the type of which is normally reserved for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict).
It all started with a post by Mohammed, a 25-year-old Iraqi dentist on his blog “Last of Iraqis“. More of a short story than a blog post, Mohammed describes a story of love, war, deception, agony, humiliation and hope.
He braved Sadr City and lied his way into getting “sick note” from a doctor, then lied to his boss so he could take his wife on a vacation to Amman, Jordan. And that's where our story begins:
“…In the Jordanian airport we waited in hall to meet the intelligence officer, who will decide whether we can enter Jordan or not, I wasn't afraid and didn't worry because I used to go to Amman every summer, and so did my wife.”
After being question by Intelligence and a long wait he was told that he couldn't enter Jordan
“..then an officer came to us and told us that we aren't going to enter Amman in the most humiliating way of speaking , and walked away I tried to talk to him but he closed the door in my face…..I was so angry of the way he treated us , we are locked in a small room now , and my wife is scared of closed places , she was so scared and she began to cry hysterically I felt that she will die if she staid like this and again there was nothing I can do , this really makes me hate my self when I can do nothing , I knocked on the door many times but no one answered , it's like a prison , I shouted : don't let us in , just let us out , get us back to Iraq , I don't want to be humiliated like this…… there was no answer , they just ignored us again.
…all of us were so scared from the idea that we will sleep in a jail for the first time in our lives for no crime we did , just because we are Iraqis , why does everyone treat Iraqis like this , we are humans , we aren't aliens , we are not animals to be put in jail for no crime”
… all the men had red eyes , they struggled to keep the tears in their eyes , and I was one of them , I don't know why they were so sad may be some of them for the price of the ticket 644$ which was lost , maybe for the business and opportunity they have lost , but for me it's for the humiliation and disrespect I have seen , for the way Jordanians treat Iraqis , for the lost chance of seeing our parents
Mohammed was “jailed” with a mother who was not allowed to get new diapers to change her crying baby, a man who had been kidnapped and ransomed and was trying to flee Iraq, a student trying to visit the US Embassy in order to take up a University scholarship in the US and wealthy Iraqis trying to get their money out of Jordanian banks.
To make matters worse, he recalls times when Iraq had allowed Jordanians to come into the country and prosper:
…Now I remember at Saddam's times when the Jordanian students come to Iraq and study for free and the government gives them flats and pocket money as to encourage the so called “Arab Unity” what a comedy! They have the priority in applying for the universities in Baghdad, Saddam gave Jordan oil and electricity for free, now I was so mad, but I didn't on whom should I be mad; of Saddam or of Jordanians? Saddam wanted good relations with them so he did that, and that's the way the treat us, I wish the time could go back, I wish.
Eventually he gets deported back to Iraq and makes his way to Syria where he is enjoying his vacation. I'm not sure if he realises what a storm he has started…
Soon other bloggers started pointing out similar stories that had previously been posted elsewhere. Iraq the Model had a similar experience visiting Amman where he had need to go to the American Embassy to get his visa in order to take up a scholarship in the States:
“An hour passed before I could absorb what happened to me; locked up in a crowded room and just been denied the rare opportunity I had been working on for a year, for no other crime than being Iraqi. There were about forty or fifty of us there at any point and the number went up and down as new arriving flights brought in more unfortunate Iraqis, or departing flights took some of us back home.
It wasn’t the typical scene of impoverished and suffering refugees, but in it’s own way it was painful to watch educated and professional people, doctors, businessmen and even diplomats with their red passports being treated this way; sleeping on the floor and asking for permission from a guard to go to the restroom.”
Zeyad from Healing Iraq learnt that his sister and brother-in-law were also denied entry to Jordan while his father is soon going to attempt the same trip. While Mohammed was denied a vacation and Iraq the Model higher education, Zeyad says that it would cause the breakup of his family:
If he is denied entry then the breakup of my family would be complete, stranded between four countries, and there would be no hope for resettlement in a third country.
In response to a video of Iraqis in the prison he blogged:
This is what has become of Iraqis: beggars on the gates of nations that used to live on our scraps.
Fyrouz recalled her own ordeal where she was travelling with her siblings and young nephew. After being interogated for three hours they were denied access to Amman and then forced to spend approximately 48 hours in the custody centre where the lights were on 24 hours a day. She called claims that the experience had “tortured us mentally” and wondered:
Isn't it a violation of human rights to keep us in custody for no reason? Is it humanely proper to keep a child in custody for two days without reason? I just wonder.
These stories from Iraqis prompted Silly Bahraini Girl to write a scathing piece on how the Iraqis were treated under the headline “Shame on your Jordan!” saying
This is a story of how one Arab eats the flesh of another Arab.
…And please remember this story every time you see a Jordanian mercenary member of our esteemed police, special guard or defense forces.. for very soon we will be treated with such contempt in our own country…if it isn't already happening that is.
From the bottom of my heart - shame on you Jordan. Thanks for showing your true face!
Commentators on her blog responded saying that it is unfair that she is blaming the whole of Jordan for these incidents and that she shouldn't generalise and “insult a whole country“.
That post kicked off a storm and caused Jordanians to pile in with reactions ranging from embarrassment to Xenophobia (coupled with the type of blind nationalism that makes smart people dumb).
Konfused Kid, an Iraqi living in Jordan, nicely sums up the drama in historical terms [spoiler alert!]:
Jordanian: If you don't like it, get out. This happens everywhere…
Iraqis: We're giving you oil for (10, 20, 100) years and this is how you repay us? We built you.
Jordanian: Who killed Saddam Hussein? You bastards! (few Pan-Arab tears shed here)
Iraqi: You traitors! We are all Arab (national pan-Arab anthem plays here, but the happy commercial does not end on good terms…)
Jordanian: Shut up, ya balad al-Shiqaq wa Nifaq (Land of Discord & Hypocrisy, the favorite Arab slander of Iraqis, thank you Mr. Hajaj)
Iraqi: Shut up, Qawm Lot (the infamous anicent butt-sex freaks people of the Prophet Lot, unfortunately situated near the Dead Sea.)
When the story started taking off (and in response to Silly Bahraini Girl's post) Black Iris felt he needed to give a “Jordanian perspective” and pointed out that the incidents were not
…a public policy, nor is it a social element. It’s like the difference between hating Americans and hating American foreign policy. So “shame on Jordan” entails a whole social aspect to it that is as valid as saying “Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist”; he was just a terrorist.
I also want to point out that for those who may be shocked by the “photographic evidence”, that what some have lovingly dubbed a “prison”, well, that’s actually our airport. It’s pretty bad; we know. We have to sit on those same chairs, and don’t even get me started on passport control. If Iraqis were put in a real Jordanian jail, they would have a whole other story to tell.
… I’m sorry that when Iraqis come to Jordan there isn’t a red carpet waiting for them and a palace hall with a golden buffet of exotic fruits. And to expect thousands of people coming in from a war torn country to be given the exact same treatment as that of a tourist, then you must be out of your frikin mind.
He goes on to write that the Iraqis are putting a strain on Jordan's economy:
This is a country of about 5.6 million people that has extremely limited resources. We are in the top 10 list of countries in the world with the least water resources.In 4 years we’ve had just about 1 million Iraqis come into the country. One million.
They don’t live in refugee camps they live in urban areas, predominantly the capital Amman, which is home to about 2.3 million Jordanians. In other words, nearly one third of the city is Iraqi.
Most Jordanians make about 150JDs ($211) per month. With Iraqis in the country (and their high level of consumption) inflation is at a record high for Jordan, with purchasing power virtually eroding that 150JDs to dust. Most Jordanians are poorer than they were 5 years ago before the war started.
Food prices have gone up. The most common staple, tomatoes, have gone from 30piasters to 70piasters in only 2-3 years. Petrol has increased, as has electricity and water (for those who still manage to get it pumped to their home once a week). Natural gas, which pretty much keep Jordanians alive by either heating their bodies or their food, has gone from roughly 2JDs to about 4.25JDs. Universities classrooms are growing larger and larger, as will our public schools this year (which are already ailing), now that Iraqi children will be allowed to enter, regardless of their parent’s residency status.
Not to mention the burden on other infrastructure that includes sewage, waste disposal, health, education, roads, government services and yes, our security apparatus.
Made in Jordan interprets the influx of Iraqi's differently and is “ashamed at their behaviour“:
Shortly after the war, Jordan received an influx of Iraqis, that were estimated at around 750,000 in 2005. These Iraqis have helped revitalize the economy, by bringing in more cash, brains and brawls to the country. More real estate development projects popped up, more jobs were created thanks to the hotels, landscape development projects, design firms and publishing houses that were set up by the Iraqis. But these investments came from a small portion of Iraqis. The Iraqis that you don’t read about in the papers, or see in the news, are definitely not happy campers in Jordan. In fact, some of them believe that the Jordanian police really is an extension of Saddam’s brutal regime.
Acknowledging the opportunities and support that Iraq gave to Jordan previously, he writes:
And we really can’t blame them. And honestly, I am ashamed of myself being a Jordanian at this moment. For years, we have been receiving subsidized oil from Iraq, in turn for providing logistical means for Iraq. Try to go way back, in the 1948 and 1967 wars against Israel. The Iraqi air force and army stood tall to support Jordan. Even during Saddam’s regime, I personally know many Jordanians who finished their Master’s Degree in Iraq, free of charge. Iraq has long been the symbol of strength, vigor and pride for us as Jordanians and Arabs. Yet, this is how we repay the favor. We publicly warn of a Shiite threat. We start an inquisition roller coaster to hunt down Iraqi Shiites and kick them off to the borders. We do not provide displaced Iraqis with at least a full-refugee status, nor do we embrace them to become Jordanians. We leave Iraqis stranded at the airport for hours, and interrogate them as if they’re scum. While in fact, we are the scum. I still do not get it, but am I seeing a pattern here in the way Arabs treat each other?
…Because, when Iraq was good to us, we were good to them. But when Iraq became weak, we just kicked them while they’re still on the floor. That, is the most purest form of capitalism you could ever get.
Meanwhile, Moey picks up from where Black Iris left off and provides a classic and time tested schoolboy response to a disagreement “If you don't like it, LEAVE!”. He sends this message to those sympathising with the treatment of the Iraqis in Jordan:
A Message to Iraqis and their fans (sorry, It might be harsh a bit): If you don’t like the way Jordan treats you then get the hell out of it! Yes, you can… there’s Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and many other countries that you can consider home. Help youself!
We are not guilty, we are not disgusting, you need to get a life! and I will never be ashamed to be a Jordanian. God bless jordan, and god bless our security forces, Jordan still has men who will give up their life for our security.
and the question goes to you Silly Bahraini Girl (quoting Batir Wardam), What would happen if we direct 750,000 Iraqis to Bahrain instead of Jordan…
Jordan, I will be back is more tempered and thinks that it is hypocritical for other Arabs to attack the Jordanian security apparatus when they are treated just as badly in their own countries:
It is just amazing to me how we Jordanians always try to be the only ones who are politically correct! I bet that this journalist was strip searched in Iraq, I bet that before he enters the “green zone” his family will be strip searched, but NO, if Jordanians ask him a couple of questions and put them in a room they are low level people (Jordanians)”
Most disturbing was the Facebook group discovered by Konfused Kid which is called I hate Iraqis (152 members so far!) which has a running discussion on “how to kick Iraqi's out of Jordan” with suggestions such as “any iraqi u c in the street kick thier ass so they can maybe hve a lil respect”.
Of course, other Jordanians were not happy with the way the Iraqis were treated at the border or by the responses from bloggers. Qwaider was one of them and wrote:
I'm really shocked by so many of the responses I'm seeing on this matter. From both sides of the isle. On one side, people are bashing Jordan and Jordanians beyond hell. On the other, Jordanians are being so juvenile and uncivilized in the way they treat the whole matter. Some are in scattered in the middle but those are really a minority.
…If anything, people claiming to talk about Human rights, and Freedom of speech should be ashamed of their positions on what appears to be a very basic violation of human rights.
…That's where I stand. I'm saying, what happened is sad, and I call for a fact finding committee to conduct a full and open investigation. (And I assure you, my sources tell me that it will happen). We should probably apologize for it, and make it better. Make sure it's not going to happen again.
…Another extremely outrageous argument is the “Do you expect to be received on a Red carpet or with Rose petals?” and the obvious answer to that is NO, we don't expect to do that to Iraqis, what they're asking for is simply to maintain their dignity. And to be treated like human beings. Nothing more, nothing less!
…There you have it! I'm a Jordanian, and I apologize for the Iraqi people for what happened. I hope I represent a segment of the society that has it's value and not only represent my self.
SugarCubes symapathises on a personal level that the Iraqis had to go through the ordeal at the airport but does not believe Jordan was at fault.
For Natasha Tynes the reactions are an indication of the “tension between these two Arab nations on an individual level seems to be on the rise” and thinks that the international community needs to help Jordan find a way to deal with the influx of refugees. Khalaf from What's Up in Jordan is also embarrassed at how the issue was dealt with and notes that a polite system for dealing with people who you don't want already exists - “Consulates and Visas” but
“If it is impossible to establish an embassy or consulate in Iraq, then this situation can not be avoided. Given the problems in Iraq, no responsible government in the world will allow people in without thorough security screening. It is sad, but not as sad as the reality in Iraq.”
Catholic Sunni Shia also provided a blow-by-blow coverage and commentary of the saga.
It seems appropriate to end with the view of an Iraqi who is living in Jordan who tells his own story of moving to Jordan
I was warned by many friends that Jordanians ‘hate our guts', judging from personal experience, my homeland (and all Arabs, as I found out) exaggerate in terms of racism, so while I tried hard to shrug this off, I nevertheless embraced Jordan with a huge feeling of self-consciousness, eventually I found out that you basically can get your way around here pretty much okay in terms of day-to-day interaction if you respect people and be pleasant with them. It's hard to exactly describe the love-hate relationship between Arabs of different countries, but it's best summarized by the Bedouin saying: ‘Me and my brother on my cousin, me and my cousin on the enemy.'
He even blogs a story of respectful Jordanian security:
…the last time I entered Jordan was September 2006 with my grandparents, for the first time I was nervous because of the many rejection stories I have heard, amazingly, it wasn't me who was the problem but my 84-year old grandfather, who had a FAKE passport, my grandfather's passport was done in Iraq through a connection, who brought it to him with somebody else's fingerprints on it, being a stalwart man of principle, Grandpa insisted that he get a clean passport so he can put his own print on it, sure enough, the passport comes a week later, what we didn't know is that the man who did it (either the connection or the passport officer) had simply ripped the page and replaced it with a new one. Anyway, after being held by intelligence officers for about 15 minutes, they gave him a two-weeks admission notice based on his old age, another thing which might have helped was his serving in the Palestine 1948 war, anyway, my grandfather said that the Jordanian officials were ‘very respectful'…
Finally, putting the whole thing into a pan-Arab perspective he says
…in the larger world, we are all insignificant if we continue to squabble like this. I hope there would be one improbable day when Iraqis, Jordanians, Kuwaitis, Palestinians and all realize that those phony classifications are drawn by a map based on a British-French treaty held in 1916.
Honduras: An Introduction to Honduran Blogs - Part 3
“Welcome to Honduras” photo taken by BurocraciaNeuronal and used under a Creative Commons license
Despite the success of the first two installments, I've indulged in the slightly masochistic guilt of procrastination. But, finally part 3 is ready (weeks late)!
Many young Hondurans are blogging now, and personal blogs in Spanish abound. These defy being pigeon-holed into categories. Many entries are about anything or nothing in particular, the latest movie trailers, family stories, and even raunchy ads. Here's a sampling of the many, many blogs I've been researching.
Los Mercenarios [ES], (mercenario.zoomblog.com), written by Alex Cerrato and Aroni Dominguez, is a mixture of everything that's interesting to a young Honduran technophile. For instance, you can read a detailed review of Transformers, or hear an eulogy for long-defunct Mafalda, whose voice still echoes from the 60's comic strips which Quino drew her in. You can learn to create your own Simpsons avatar, see the brilliant humor of a CD label designer, or witness a battle of titans between two otakus (Japanese anime obsessive geeks).
La vida es Bella [ES] (irina-orellana.blogspot.com) is written by Irina Orellana, and in her words, you can read:
Un poquito sobre lo cotidiano y extraordinario del día a día, visto por los ojos de una mujer que cada vez se convence más, que la vida es bella y vale la pena vivirla. A pesar de los malos ratos y aunque no lo creas, siempre habrá algo o alguien por quien vivir!
A little of the everyday and the extraordinary, seen through the eyes of a woman who is every day more convinced that life is beautiful and worth living. In spite of the bad moments, and although you don't believe it, there will always be something or someone to live for!
You can read about her participation in The March for Dignity, her latest visit to her grandmother and the memories that evoked, Madonna's confessions, and her view of her beloved New Orleans, 1 year after Katrina.
Un Souvenir [ES] (juliagomez.blogspot.com), is written by Julia Gomez, who strives with success to ” share an essence of herself” through posts like, Excuses to Dump a Guy, The Best Diet, and her unfortunate choice of a purple raincoat on a rainy day.
Miguel Muñoz, a professor of theology in the Christian University of Honduras, writes several blogs. His posts include topics such as social justice, James Cameron's documentary about the tomb of Jesus, the Honduran congress' decision to deny a visa to the leader of a cult ( he calls himself “Jesus Christ the man”, and the “Antichrist”).
As with my earlier posts, I've left out many blogs. I hope to be able to bring them to light by highlighting their posts in the future.
In our final installment of Honduran Blogs, we'll examine some very academic and intellectual blogs in and about Honduras.
Jordan Bans Chicken Shawarma
The Jordanian blogosphere is mourning a ban on the sale of chicken Shawarma - chicken or beef, tossed salad and tahini - all rolled in delicious pita bread.
Hareega, who lives in the US, writes (Ar):
لو رسب طالب في امتحان هل من العدل أن نُرسب كل الطلاب
في مطاعم بالبلد كل عيشتها تعتمد على بيع الشاورما وحالات التسمم من المياه والغذاء والهواء سببها فشل الحكومة والحكوات التي سبقتها في تطبيق القوانين
زهقنا شغلة أنو المواطن يتحمل مسؤولية تياسات الحكومات المبجلة
الحكومة لما اتيس هي المفروض تتحمل السؤولية مش تروح تسكر كل الابواب اللي بيجي منها الريح عشان تستريح
بعدين من وجهة نظر طبية أهم سبب لانتقال العدوى هو العامل نفسه إذا مثلا ما غسل إيديه واذا بطل يبيع شاورما فما زال من الممكن ينقل العدوى عن طريق الفلافل والحمص والزيتون والسم الهاري
مهو لما اتظلكوا تحطوا مهندس وزير للصحة بعمرو ما حدا راح يفهمكوا هالحكي
Some restaurants back home depend on selling Shawarma for their livelihood. Cases of poisoning from water and food are a result of the failure of the government and those which came before it in implementing the law.
We are fed up with hearing that the citizens have to shoulder the burdens of the hiccups of the governments.
When the government slips up, it should carry the responsibility and not close all the doors which bring in a breeze so that it relaxes.
Then again, from a medical point of view, the main cause of the spread of contamination is the worker himself. For instance, if he does not wash his hands, and stops selling Shawarma, he can still spread the diseases through Falafel, Hummus, Olives and other poisonous concoctions.
If you continue to put an engineer as a Minister of Health, no one will ever explain to you all this.
Fellow blogger Khalaf adds:
After the third mass shawerma poisoning within the last year, the government has decided to banish the greasy treat from the country’s restaurants. This ban will last until they figure out how to keep it safe.
I suppose this is prudent, although it punishes clean establishments for the sins of the unhygienic. Maybe they should prevent people from drinking water as well.
In another food-related item, Hareega protests the Israeli ‘hijacking' of a number of the Levant's delicacies and dishes, declaring:
Steal the land, kill the people, terrorize the kids, occupy the villages and cut off water and electricity from everyone, but don't ever think of stealing my food!
Morocco: Bloggers React to Failed Meknes Suicide Bombing
It has been an eventful week in Morocco. First a minor earthquake rocked the country on Sunday night, then an attempted suicide bombing rocked the city of Meknes on Monday morning (the last such attempt was in April). The bomber, identified in Jordan's Al Bawaba news site as Hisham Dokkali, is a 30- year-old engineer. No one was killed in the incident, not even Dokkali, who did lose an arm as a result, however. He is thought to have been targeting a tour bus parked near Place Hedim in the center of Meknes' old city, or medina.
The attempt gave way to a variety of reactions - blogger Myrtus asked, “Dannnng where the hell do they find these stupid people?” while The Morocco Report was a bit cynical:
Great, I’m gone from Morocco for less than two weeks and someone tries to blow himself up in Place Hedim (the center of Meknes) - and yet, he failed and didn’t even manage to kill himself. Just like a Moroccan suicide bomber
The latter post garnered interesting comments - Adilski was shocked:
Everything is shaking in Morocco. The soil, Political scene, media and people. I’d love to know what went on in this guy’s mind carrying a butane container to detonate himself. Good thing everything is safe but the suicidal ideology amongst Moroccan youth is just shocking.
Xoussef thanked God for the incompetence of the bomber, which Elle took further, saying:
They are so incompetent that they could not even get the message that Allah is not helping them to do harm to innocent people!
Ange Bleu was outraged as well:
Un autre imbécile parmis tant d'autres qui croit que la violence va régler tout.
Samuel Gunter of Life Called…, who is a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, sent a missive via his blog:
There was yet another bombing in Morocco. This time it wasn't in the far off coastal city of Casablanca, it was in Meknes, one of the Imperial Cities. To set your mind at ease… Meknes, although considerably closer to me than Casablanca, is still about 140km away from me. So don't worry about me, worry about Morocco and worry about our world, and if you pray, pray for us all.
We, all of us, are in the fight of our lives. You and I are warring against indifference in our own lives, and the objectifying influence hatred and ignorance have on all of our hearts. As long as we live in a world with and “us and a them” we will be at war. Until we finally discover that there is nothing but “we” we will always be fighting. Those of here attempt to stand in that gap and are struggle against both ourselves and other forces to bring two wayward families together, or at least to remind all of us that we are family.
There are always times of doubt here because sometimes because the immediacy doesn't always seem that evident.
It is.
Photo of Place Hedim (Meknes, Morocco) by Jillian York.
Korea: National Hero or Terrorist
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘terrorists’? The word is at the center of a controversy over a lecture given on Korean modern history by a foreign professor. Marmot’s Hole, an American in Korea, writes about the issue.
Foreign Professor Calls Kim Gu, Yun Bong-gil ‘Terrorists’: Report
A foreign professor teaching modern Korean history for a summer program at Korea University has sparked controversy by calling Kim Ku, Yun Bong-gil and Lee Bong-chang “terrorists.”
According to the Joongang Ilbo, the professor — whose name I won’t print at this point even though it’s in the JoongAng piece — apparently made the offending remarks 20 minutes into a 1 hour, 30 minute lecture. In materials distributed by Internet prior to the lecture, he reportedly included a picture of Kim Gu under the title of “Terrorist Groups.”
Some of the students protested the description. One Boston College student attending the program said he protested that while the 9.11 terrorists killed innocent civilians, Kim Gu fought for independence, but the professor refused to take back his description.
An official with the program told the offended students that the professor was a man with much interest in Korea (in fact, I believe he’s a Korean Studies lecturer at SOAS) and fully qualified to lecture on Korean history.
The JoongAng Ilbo said the problem was that the students attending the lecture were Koreans studying overseas and gyopo who did not sufficiently understand modern Korean history. One Canadian gyopo student who attended the lecture even said there wasn’t a problem with the lecture, and wondered whether prohibiting the lecturer from calling the afore mentioned independence fighters “terrorists” wasn’t extreme nationalism.
About the controversy, a modern Korean history professor at Ehwa University, Jeong Byeong-jun, said calling Kim Gu, Yun Bong-gil and other independence fighters “terrorists” was nothing more than the view of Westerners, and that one must clearly differentiate terrorism, which targets innocent people, and the Korean independence movement.
Meanwhile, the foreign professor said he used the term “terrorist” because there was no appropriate term to express the armed independence movement. He said he recognized that he used a term that could provoke emotions and would be careful in the future.
While some of them are mad at the foreign professor’s definition of the national hero, others try to approach the definition of terror and terrorists. Not a few bloggers question why the professor chose the word and compare similar activities in other countries. Here is one example.
백과사전적 의미에서 테러,테러리즘의 범주에 들어가는 프랑스의 레지스탕스활동과 그 조직원들을 구미역사학자들이 왜 아무도 테러리즘,테러리스트라고 표현하지 않는지 한번 살펴보시기를 권해드립니다.
김구테러리스트 주장을 펴시는 분들은 의식적이든 무의식적이든 근본적으로 일본의 한일합방이 ‘합법적'이며 ‘정당했다'는 전제를 갖고 출발합니다.몇년전 비밀해제된 문서들이 공개되어 ‘국제학적'으로 불법이었다는 사실이 밝혀졌기때문에 이미 출발부터 잘못된 전제임에도 그런 주장을 굽히지 않는 이유는 (한일합방이 불법이었다는)역사학적으로도 입증된 사실에 대해서 아직 모른다고 생각할 수밖에 없을것 같네요.
한일합방이 무력에 의한 불법침략이었기에 ‘역사학적'으로나 ‘국제관계학적' 관점으로도 당연히 임시정부와 광복군의 정당성을 인정할 수 있는 논리가 성립되며 그들의 저항은 레지스탕스 활동이 되는 것입니다.
People here who insist Kim Gu was a terrorist consciously or unconsciously think that the Japanese annexation of Korea was fundamentally ‘legal’ and ‘justifiable.’ Several years ago, declassified historical documents proved that the annexation was ‘internationally’ illegal. Regardless of it, the reason why they still insist on the point could be because they even have not been aware that the truth has been historically proven.
According to this truth, with ‘historical’ and ‘international’ perspectives, the activities of the Korean Provisional Government and Liberation Army are justifiable and their resistance could be regarded as equal to the French Resistance.
Other bloggers compare differences between Kim Gu’s activities and 9.11 activities.
더군다나 2차대전당시 민간인들의 안전을 고려하지 않은 무자비한 공격으로 레지스탕스 활동은 악명높았다.하지만 아무도 그들을 테러리스트라고 부르지 않는다.분명한 1차적 목표는 독일군이었으며 궁극적으로 무력강점당한 조국이 해방이라는 정당한 목적이 있었기에.
오직 민간인들을 대상으로 세계무역센터를 폭파하여 국적도 다양한 5000명을 살해한 폭력과 임시정부의 광복군이 한국과 중국침략의 선봉에 섰던 일본군과 그 수뇌부를 공격한 것을 같다고 주장하는 사람들은 대체 어떤 정신세계를 가지고 있는건가?…
김구는 한국에 있었던 일본인들의 거류지조차 함부로 들어가지 못하게 지시했던 사람이다.침략국의 국민들이지만 민간인들에게 해를 입히면 안되며 임시정부의 광복군은 일본군대를 상대로만 싸워야 한다고 지시했던 임정수반이 반세기가 훨씬지난 지금,한국인들의 입에서조차 테러리스트 소리를 들을때면 정말 가슴이 아프다.
미국교수의 망언은 한국역사에 대한 무지와 이해부족에서 나온 것이다.분명 그는 드골이나 워싱턴을 프랑스와 미국의 독립영웅이라고 교육받았을 것이며 본인도 그들을 테러리스트라고 말하진 않을 것이다.
임시정부의 수반과 광복군이라는 정확한 명칭은 아니더라도 레지스탕스라는 단어조차 모를리는 없었을텐데 마땅한 단어가 없어 테러리스트라고 설명했다는 주장은 변명으로밖에는 들리지 않는다.
만약 한국인이 프랑스에서 대학교수직을 얻어 프랑스학생들에게 드골은 테러리스트라고 강의한다면 과연 그가 교수직에 계속 머물 수 있었을까?그런 사람을 비판하면 프랑스국민들은 세계화를 모르는 뼜속까지 국수주의자가 되는 것인가?
How can people think the Liberation Army of the Korean Provisional Government that tried to attack the Japanese Army invading Korea and China is equal to the violence that murdered 5,000 civilians from all over the world in the Twin Towers?
Kim Gu strictly ordered other activists not to randomly break into Japanese residential areas. Even though they were from the aggressor nation, he suggested that we should fight against the Japanese Army, not harming civilians. But now he is called a terrorist even from his own people.
The American professor’s absurd remark was from his ignorance and the lack of understanding about Korea history. I am sure that he was raised to learn that De Gaulle and Washington are independent heroes of France and America. He wouldn’t call them terrorists.
What he said sounded like an excuse because he couldn’t find an appropriate word, so he chose the word, terrorist. He might not have known the terms, head of the Korean Provisional Government and Liberation Army, but I don’t think that he’s unfamiliar with the word “Resistance.”
If a Korean professor gives a lecture that De Gaulle was a terrorist to French students, could he keep his job? If French citizens criticize that person, is it also regarded as ultra-nationalism and ignorant people who don’t know about globalization?
Not a few bloggers try to find the more fundamental problem behind this issue arisen.
김구선생을 테러리스트로 만드는건 한국인들입니다.
다들 테러리스트란 단어 자체가 풍기는 부정적인 뉘앙스에만 천착하고 계시는 듯 합니다. 테러리스트의 정의 자체가 시대별로 국가별로 다르다는 말씀은 몇 분이 이미 지적하시니 이에 대한 내용은 생략하겠습니다.
이 문제를 좀 다른 시각에서 볼 필요도 있다고 생각합니다
어쨌거나 동아시아의 역사를 공부한 학자 중에서 주전공이 한국 역사를 공부하는 경우는 상대적으로 중국이나 일본의 경우보다 드뭅니다. 일본이나 중국이 우리보다 강대국이고 역사적으로 중요해서 그런 면도 있지만… 무엇보다 한국에 대한 역사적 사료가 드물기 때문입니다.
한국의 역사를 공부하기 위해서는 한국어를 우선 공부해야 되는데 한국어 자체도 까다롭고, 게다가 전공하는 사람도 많지 않기 때문에 당연히 자국네 말로된 책에 의존하게 됩니다. 즉 영어로 된 책을 보게 되는 겁니다.
그럼 영어로 된 책은 누가 발간하게 될까요?
한국에서 오래산 미국인이 책을 펴게 될까요? 물론 그런 책도 있습니다. 하지만 대부분의 책은 일본에서 나오고 있습니다.즉 일본의 역사학자들이 자국의 역사관으로 한국이란 나라를 미국이나 유럽에 소개하고 있다는 얘기가 되죠. 당장 외국 도서관에 가실 수 있는 분은 가셔서 한국 역사에 관한 책이 얼마나 되는지, 그리고 일본 중국의 사서에 비해 그 양과 질에서 얼마나 압도당하고 있는지를 알게 되면 이런 일이 왜 발생하게 되는지 알게 됩니다. 일본의 역사가가 자신의 제국주의 역사를 과연 악평을 하게 될까요? 아니죠. 당연히 일본과 반대축에 서는 쪽을 악으로 몰고 자신들의 역사를 합리화하게 됩니다.
고대에 온 영국인 교수도 일본이나 중국이 펴낸 역사서를 가지고 한국을 이해하게 되는거죠. 일본에게 김구는 분명히 자국의 요인들을 암살하는 테러리스트이며 그러기에 당연하게 Kim Goo is a terrorist라고 일본인 역사가는 기술했을테고 영국인 교수는 그렇게 이해하게 되는 겁니다.
문제는 김구선생의 독립운동 활동내역이 소개된 책자 아니 팜플렛이라도 영어 또는 다른 언어로 찍어낸 적이 있을까요? 외국인의 입장에서 김구선생이 어떻게 활동을 했는지 알기가 힘듭니다…일본의 민간인들에 대해선 손가락 하나 안 건드신 김구선생의 숭고한 정신 같은걸 대체 어디서 찾아보라는 말입니까?
그 외국인 교수만 탓할게 못됩니다. 그런 외국 학자는 널리고 널렸습니다. 이를 방관한 우리에게도 어느 정도 책임이 있는겁니다.
…All of you just stick to the negative nuance that the word terrorist has. On the other hand, many people pointed out that the definition of terrorist is different depending on the period and by the countries.
I think that we should look at this issue from another perspective…
Scholars majoring in East Asia rarely focus on Korea history, compared to China and Japan. Of course they’re stronger nations and historically important… but most of all, historical materials about Korea are rare.
In order to study Korean history, they should learn the Korean language first, but the language is not so easy to learn and most of them don’t major in the language. Therefore, they lean on books in their own languages. English.
Then who publishes those books in English? Foreigners who have lived in Korea for a long time? Of course some of them are like that. But most books are from Japan.
Japanese historians with their own historical perspectives, they introduce Korea to Europe and America. Check foreign libraries for how many history books about Korea they have! You will understand compared to books of China and Japan, the quantity and quality of books about Korea are nothing. Do you think that Japanese historians would criticize their imperialism history? Of course, they will justify the history in their own perspectives and interpret other sides bad.
The professor could understand Korea through history books that Japan and China published. To Japan, Kim Gu is a terrorist who killed their people and therefore it is understandable why the professor thinks ‘Kim Gu is a terrorist…’
The problem is have we tried to make books or brochures about what Kim Gu did for the independence of Korea in English? It is impossible for foreigners to understand his activities… How could they know Kim Gu’s motto was not to touch even the fingers of Japanese civilians?
…We shouldn’t criticize the foreign professor. He wouldn’t be the only one. It’s our fault to have looked on with this issue…
Links for Wed, 2007-08
Olechko is in Lviv again - and is posting her lovely sketched of the city.
Random pictures from St. Petersburg, including one of a pub called Puberty - at Megan Case's blog. Also, a translation of A. Kostia's short story, Mama.
More on the video of the execution of two non-Russians - at The Accidental Russophile.
More on the Russian blogger facing a jail sentence for insulting police on his blog - at Publius Pundit and La Russophobe.
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