Summing Up Casablanca

The trip to the beach was excellent, but that couldn’t be said for the weather! I’ve been to Morocco before, and it was just as non-threatening as Marrakesh was ten years ago.

One thing that I noticed, was that a lot of the young Moroccan women, don’t bother to cover their hair, as most women do in Muslim countries.  Coupled with the vast numbers of newspapers on the streets, does this show that Morocco is joining the modern world? Incidentally, I did hear a report on BBC World, that said that Morocco was one of the most welcoming countries in the world.

Let’s hope it stays that way! Or possibly gets even better!

I remember last time in Marrakesh that we had been recommended a restaurant by one of C’s colleagues in her chambers.  We asked the concierge of our five star hotel, how we could get to the restaurant and he said to take a taxi, as the restaurant was difficult to find. We then asked how we got a taxi to get home and he said, that if we felt up to it the best way was to walk, as Marrakesh was a safe city.

So after an  amazing meal, we walked back to the hotel!

The only interaction we had on the walk, was when a guy courteously waved us through, as he was in a hurry.

A History Of Syria With Dan Snow

I am watching this program on BBC2 as I write this and I’ve never seen a program that explains the tortuous history of the troubled country of Syria so well.

The program is being repeated tomorrow at 23:20 according to this page and is an absolute must see!

If you don’t see the program, your ideas about and solutions for Syria won’t be correct. Unless of course, you are someone who has studied the country and its history and problems for years.

It has been some time, since I’ve seen such an informative and well-made documentary on such a terrifying subject, that might boil over on all of us!

And to think that one of the causes of the current round of troubles in Syria, is the bad doctor, Bashar-al-Assad!

One phrase from Dan Snow summed up the mess.

The threads running through this conflict, mean there is no simple solution.

As he finishes the program, he does at least feel that there is some hope, because of the resilience and experience of the Syrian people.

I hope he’s right!

Is David Cameron Satanic?

It has been reported that Anjem Choudary has called David Cameron satanic.

Quite frankly, David Cameron is one of the least satanic prime Ministers we’ve had.  I suppose though, he shares with John Major and Margaret Thatcher, no outspoken religious views, which must make him satanic to some.

Choudary was on BBC Radio 5 this morning and Phil Williams asked if he was on benefits. He refused to answer. Judging by the texts read out on the program,  Choudary doesn’t have much support.

Let’s hope it stays that way and we can file him and his movement in the same dustbin as those of the Far Right.

Surely though after another atrocity in Pakistan yesterday in the centuries-old feud between Sunni and Shia Muslims, Islam needs a few men of peace with vision. On the subject of the rivalry between the two parts of Islam, read this.

Food Wars In Israel

Most stories to come out of Israel are not about how well Orthodox Jews and Muslims get on, but this one  from The Australian is.  Here’s the introduction.

IT was meant to be a battle for supremacy in the kitchen and, perhaps, for the right to claim ownership of the cuisine.

But Israel’s most popular cooking contest has achieved what decades of peace talks have failed to do after turning an orthodox Jew and a Muslim Palestinian into firm friends.

As Jackie Azoulay and Salma Fiyumi completed their dishes in the Masterchef final on Wednesday, they cheerfully embraced on national television.

It’s just a pity that the leaders of both sides can’t sit down with these two women and have a really good meal.

My next door neighbour years ago, had been a Colonel in the British Army.  At one time, he had been enforcing the British mandate in Palestine, so he knew the area well.

He said that the only way to tell if the various people in the area, were Jew or Arab, was from their surname.  It would appear, these two women have performed that wonderful feat of turning the clock back constructively.

 

What’s Wrong With Snooker?

The news from Pakistan just seems to get worse.

The latest was this bombing of a snooker hall in Quetta.

I doubt that any religion or sect could be against such an innocent game of snooker and it looks like Sunni Muslims were attacking Shias.

I just can’t understand anybody wanting to kill anybody, except in exceptional circumstances!

A Very Dangerous Religious Law

This story on the BBC’s web site, just shows that religious zealots are alive and well and living in Indonesia.

They want women to sit on a motorcycle side-saddle.  What about women, who want to actually drive the bike?

Incidentally, I know several women, who’ve been on the back of motor-bikes side-saddle, as it was seen occasionally in the 1960s.

I think we’d all agree it’s not a sensible idea, but then in India and I suspect Indonesia, you see  lots of people riding motor-bikes in unusual and to us dangerous ways.

The interesting last word is these paragraphs from the article.

The regulation has been met with criticism from well-known Muslim activists like Ulil Abshar Abdalla, who is based in the capital, Jakarta.

“How to ride a motorbike is not regulated in Sharia. There is no mention of it in the Koran or Hadiths,” he said on his Twitter account, referring to the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran.

You could also ask, how crash helmets fit in with Muslim and other religious views. I think for instance in the UK, that male Sikhs who adhere to their religious views, also follow the crash helmet law or don’t ride motor-bikes. Or at least, I haven’t seen a Sikh in a turban riding a motor-bike in years. Perhaps, they wear a patka underneath like some Sikh sportsmen do.

The Ramadan Rush

It would appear from The Times, that rich shoppers from the Middle East are getting their shopping in before Ramadan starts on July 20th. They also claim that France’s burqa ban, means that shoppers now prefer London.

The French really know how to create laws that help their business sector, especially as they are bringing in a financial transaction tax.

Ben Macintyre on the Alawites

If you wonder what’s going on in Syria, an article in The Times today, by Ben MacIntyre gives a very sound and fearful insight into the world and history of the Alawites. One quote from the article follows.

Many fear the fall of Assad will give rise to wholesale retribution.

Everybody who wants to make a statement about Syria, should read this article. If you can’t get hold of a copy, at least read the Wikipedia article.

I doubt that we’ll ever get anywhere with Assad and this bunch.

Government To Ban Forced Marriages

Both The Times and The Guardian are saying that the Government is to ban forced marriage. The report in the latter is here. This is the first paragraph.

PM to announce whether forcing someone to marry should be outlawed amid speculation it could carry jail term.

We should have had this law in place several years ago.

Some might thing that The Times is particularly anti-Muslim today, as in addition, it has a leader very critical of Rotherham Council about covering up a report about the grooming of young girls by men of Pakistani origin and a report about Muslim thuggery in Whitemoor Prison.

I don’t.

All of these abuses must be removed from this country and I support those devout Muslims, who are working to that end.

Beware of Bulls

I’ve not heard of this quote before.

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person, is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.

It is from the American writer, Dennis Wholey, and is used in a leader in today’s Times, about Khalil Rasjed Dale. The leader says that the Red Cross were right to not pay a ransome.

The paper has two other stories of ransoms in Islamic-controlled territory.

One concerns a holidaymaker, Steven McGowan, held with others in Mali and reported being ransomed in exchange for allowing Abu Qatata to go anywhere he wants.

The other concerns a British mine clearing expert, Chris Fielding, on a UN mission, held with others in Khartoum.

Islam is losing all respect among many people for not imposing Islamic values on thugs, who see Westerners as easy money.

There is also another story about Lloyds of London backing a private force that will act against Somali pirates.

And politicians in the UK and Europe, wonder why people vote for the far-right like the BNP in the UK and the Front Nationale in France.