Welcome to Fry'd Daze - What is it.... Well, it is a long running diary series that is an Open Thread on issues around the Middle East. Anyhow, this is week 2.27
I don't want this to be a flame forum, Rather something we can exchange ideas about I/P and/or issues about the Middle East.
What I really want to try to do this on Fry'd Daze as a way to get people to talk about whatever comes into their heads regarding this subject... an open forum where people can meet and talk.
Let's get right to it...
Our first story is purely in honor of the World Cup (Good luck to all teams playing - go Oranj... The Dutch became my choice when the USA got knocked out).... From Ha'aretz: Jihad vs. the World Cup? Not if Bin Laden has his say
Last month an extremist Islamic organization in Somalia arrested two men watching a World Cup game between Argentina and Nigeria. The two were put to death. The organization, that draws its ideas from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, arrested ten others who were watching games and later released them with a warning: "World Cup games are a waste of time and money, they are immoral and un-Islamic. We warn Somali youth not to watch the games."
However, if bin Laden, from his hiding place somewhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan was to hear of the murderous attack, he would undoubtedly be dismayed. The reason? The leader of Al Qaida - whose conservative Islamic worldview outlaws music, women's education, gambling, alcohol, homosexuality and beard shaving - is a huge fan of soccer, and his favorite position is striker.
Ahh the power of Sport.... Even in the worst of times the World Cup brings people together. I have read things that talk about everyone waiting until the Cup is over before getting back to the business of taking shots at each other. If so, we should have a Cup every year. That was the initial intent of the Olympics, to bring people together every year. As those of you who regularly read my diaries know... I am a huge fan of Sports as good-will. GO ORANJ! GO ESPANA! GO WORLD CUP!
Our next story is out of Ma'an News Poll: For Palestinians, economy trumps politics
There is so much more to this story though:
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians are overwhelmingly concerned by the economic situation in the West Bank and Gaza, an opinion poll from the Arab World for Research and Development found.
With numbers near even over local and national political matters, a large majority of Palestinians - 75 percent across the West Bank (67 percent) and Gaza (87 percent) - believed the economy was declining, and 67 percent listed the creation of jobs and fighting poverty as their first priority.
Improvement of the educational system was ranked as the top priority by 16 percent of respondents, and development of health services was listed as number one by eight percent.
I thought this was telling:
Fatah came out on top amongst political parties, with an even 50 percent saying they would vote for the party if a municipal election was held the day they were polled, 25 percent would vote for a Hamas candidate and another 25 percent for an independent candidate.
Results were similar for PLC elections, with 54 percent saying they would vote for the PLO list headed by Abbas, 24 percent saying they would vote for the Islamist list headed by Haniyeh, and 22 percent for the independent list headed by both Salam Fayyad and Mustafa Bargouthi.
When asked to evaluate the overall situation of Palestinian society, approximately two-thirds of respondents said it was "moving in the wrong direction," while 27 percent said it was "moving in the right direction." The number was larger in Gaza, with 80 percent saying the situation was moving in the wrong direction.
Hopefully those more familiar with Palestinian politics will explain these results as I don't feel particularly qualified to understand all the nuance involved.
Finally, A hopeful story out Haaretz: Obama: Israeli-Palestinian peace possible before end of my first term
.....According to Obama, "There's a constant contest between moderates and rejectionists within the Arab world. And then there's the demographic challenges that Israel is going to be facing if it wants to remain not only a Jewish state but a democratic state .... We probably won't have a better opportunity than we have right now."
Obama also said he believed that Israel would not try to surprise the United States with a unilateral attack on Iran.
"I think the relationship between Israel and the U.S. is sufficiently strong that neither of us try to surprise each other, but we try to coordinate on issues of mutual concern," Obama said.
I would love to see a discussion tying this story into the one above.
Here's to a fun Fry'd Daze - Have at it.
***********UPDATE*********************
The latest from the Crazy man in Teheran Ahmadinejad questions 'fairy tale' Holocaust, denies being anti-Semite How will Juan Cole translate this one.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned the historic dimensions of the Holocaust but rejected the label of an anti-Semite, the Fars news agency reported Friday.
"The West made a claim - about the Holocaust - and urges all the people in the world to accept it or otherwise go to prison," Ahmadinejad told a group of Islamic scholars Thursday in Nigeria, where he attended a summit of the Developing Eight, a group of countries with large Muslim populations.
"The West allows everybody to question prophets and even God but not to pose a simple question and open the black box of a historic event," he charged.
But yeah don't worry about hearing "Dog whistles" or anything.