Friday, February 22, 2008
This is just a quick link to follow -- an "aside." These are links to interesting things that, for one reason or another, I didn't place into a full posting. Click the link to visit the full article. Go to the blog index for a regular listing of posts.
MEMRI: Saudi Columnist Laments Expulsion of Christians from Arab Countries - 'In the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Saudi columnist Hussein Shubakshi discussed the phenomenon of Christian emigration from Arab countries. He criticized the fact that this trend was being ignored, and warned of its serious and far-reaching ramifications for Arab society as a whole. The following are excerpts from Shubakshi’s article...'
This is an important piece I think, and strikingly honest. There's an erroneous perception that the Middle East/North Africa are monolithically Arab, monolithically Muslim - when in fact there are many peoples, cultures and religious groups represented there - but also - that tolerance and respect for diversity, equal treatment of minorities and for "the other" - is just a huge problem in an enormous and enormously important region of the world.
People need to think about this also, in the context of accusing Israel either of apartheid or of "ethnic cleansing", and consider too the devastating effects of exclusion - exclusion of minorities, exclusion of women and gays - on the richness and creativity of local economies. Look at the problems with poverty and oppression throughout so much of this region, which has been blessed with a huge landmass and some of the most important and valuable resources in the history of man - think what could be accomplished if people would stop attacking each other on the basis of ethnicity, religion and sexuality.
Of course - this goes for the rest of the planet as well!