3.13.11 // Japan disasters

The entire world has watched as Japan has suffered tragedy after disaster – the 8.9 magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit Japan and one of the strongest on record, followed by the tsunami, aftershocks, and now nuclear meltdowns and radiation leaks… all this as millions of people are left without electricity, hundreds of thousands are homeless, and unknown thousands are missing, injured or deceased. As usual, The Big Picture has come through with an incredible series of photos documenting the events of the past few days. The aerial shots of the tsunami sweeping through Japanese cities, with what looks like small debris floating in it but are actually cars and houses, planes and boats, are a strong reminder that no matter what humanity does on this earth, no matter how many cities we build or what advances we make in science, who lives where and when, the earth is a massive, insurmountable force in itself. Before evolution, there were volcanoes and earthquakes and floods; now that the earth is older, it’s calmed down. But we still get reminders of what nature is capable of every now and then – and this is definitely one of those reminders.

The whirlpool that formed not too far off the coast.

Also see this video, among others, of the tsunami coming in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3AdFjklR50

~ r

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2.1.11 // Mubarak’s speech

Egypt’s Mubarak -hopefully soon to be ex-president – just wrapped up his speech (video, transcript) in which he announced that neither he nor his son would seek election in the next election, and that he would speed up the election process. However, he also tried to paint a picture of himself as a great leader, keeper of safety and protector of the public – definitely not what he’s been for the last three decades. He also subtly implied that the Egyptian people had a choice between security, stability and chaos – him or the next government, whether it be the Brotherhood or otherwise. A clever turn of phrase on his speechwriter’s part, but it obviously wasn’t good enough for the protesters (it’s long been used by the regime as a way to prevent or counter any opposition – the idea that if anyone but Mubarek were to run the government, the country would collapse). Those in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria are not satisfied; chants of “Leave, leave!”, “Not enough, not enough!”, “Revolution until death!” and “Get out, Mubarek!” are still being chanted by the thousands. Even as Mubarak was speaking, the crowd was booing and heckling. When Mubarak said that he’d lived on Egyptian soil and he would die on Egyptian soil, it could be read as a counter-threat, almost: Mubarak will not be another Ben Ali. But the crowds countered that with their own “Revolution until death!” chant. They want their change now, not in September, and they’re sticking to their demands. But Mubarek wants a clean exit, an honorable one – not being ousted by protesters and forced from his country. But someone will have to give.

Watch a live feed from various major Egyptian cities on Al Jazeera’s English live stream.

State-run news shows are now running a kind of video montage in tribute to Mubarak.

This is a ridiculous situation – or, if not ridiculous, certainly historic. First Tunisia (Ben Ali), then Egypt (more than 200 protesters killed in the past week), now Jordan (the king revamped his cabinet), Syria, and Yemen. Absolutely a domino effect. Until this gets settled – however long that might be, days, weeks… – my eyes and the eyes of the world will definitely be glued to Egypt (and Al Jazeera).

CNN has a helpful page full of breaking updates in chronological reverse order (newest first). Here.

~ r

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9.18 // Thoughts on the proposed community center/mosque

Before I get into the issue – which really shouldn’t be an issue at all – I’d like to share this image and caption, found on Boston.com’s fantastic photography blog, The Big Picture.

Photo #38: Open doors, open minds: Emiratis and expats share an Iftar and talk about Islam and about the things that make us different and the things that make us all same – at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, in Dubai on September 3rd, 2010. (© Borisz Merei)

I strongly encourage everyone to go and look at the 40-odd public-submitted photos of the month of Ramadan. Having said that…

(Note:  debate is welcome, but keep it civil.)

The building of this mosque (and community center) is obviously an extremely inflammatory issue. Many Americans – 61%, according to a recent TIME poll – believe that building the mosque four blocks away from Ground Zero would be wrong: some merely view it as an action disrespectful towards those who lost their lives saving others’, while others go to an extreme, calling it a “monument to terrorism.” Because it is such a personal issue for so many, I’ll first delve into the purely legal aspect.

Freedom of religion is one of the most important beliefs in the US, one of the cornerstones of the Constitution. The freedom to practice any religion here is not limited to being allowed to enter a church, synagogue, mosque, or any other worship space. It also forbids anyone from being subjected to discrimination based on religious beliefs. If the ongoing debate over whether or not a mosque should be allowed to be built isn’t an example of religious discrimination, then I don’t know what is. Freedom of religion is freedom of religion no matter what the circumstances. The question posed is “Should the government allow the Islamic Center and Mosque to be built?” That should not even be a question. It is not the government’s right to censor, in any way, which religious buildings can be built. The matter of sensitivity is an entirely separate argument; however, that is the argument with which most people have come to associate the proposed mosque and community center.

One of the sadly ironic points of this situation is the fact that those who protest the mosque are exercising their freedom of speech to the fullest extent; however, rather than using that fought-for right to further promote justice and freedom, they are using it to condemn a religious group that is doing no more than exercising its right to freedom of religion. Why should one group be protected by both of those rights while another group is criticized and rebuked for doing the same?

Now on to the opinion/emotional aspects of the issue. Just like the Floridan pastor Terry Jones does not accurately represent the views of his entire religion, the 9/11 bombers – and indeed, every other radical Muslim – do not represent the beliefs of Islam’s followers or, necessarily, the Qur’an’s teachings. ‘The squeaky wheel gets the grease,’ the saying goes. Terry Jones received a ridiculous amount of attention for his stunt; now, religious (and otherwise) radicals across the country are planning Qur’an burnings of their own. Amazing how similar the situation is to that of the Islam extremists: the suicide bombers, hijackers, flag burners (hmm…) and crazed rally-holding members end up in the news, on television, and ultimately in people’s heads. The Muslims who say their prayers and don’t blow things up don’t get on the news. Consequently, the only image many Americans have of Muslims is that of the extremists. All Muslims are not related to al-Qaeda, just like all Catholics are not pedophiles. (Disclaimer: yes, I am Catholic. No offense meant to anyone else.) One’s perspective on an entire culture cannot be based off of a few of that culture’s outliers.

Another perfect analogy for the “Islamaphobia” today is the Japanese internment camps of World War II. While the US hasn’t quite reached that stage of unwarranted fear and hate, the situation is scarily similar. After Pearl Harbor, all Japanese Americans were viewed with suspicion. They were not to be trusted; they were viewed as threats to our safety. This wasn’t a matter of mere stereotypes, this was a matter of sweeping generalizations about an entire culture, an entire people. Now, we see the same thing happen with Muslim Americans. After 9/11 – and still to this day – there is an unfortunate (to say the least) generalizing view that all Muslims want to wave guns around a burning American flag, chanting “Death to America.” An infinitesimal minority of that culturedoes feel that way; however, the vast majority – the other 1.5 billion Muslims in the world – are just like us, simply living their lives and adhering to their religious beliefs.

The issue we are faced with is a matter of narrow-mindedness and lack of acceptance – for the most part. For those who lost a loved one on 9/11, building the mosque so close to Ground Zero may seem insensitive. However, insensitivity – a purely subjective thing, I might add – does not make the Muslims who would like a mosque terrorists. That view is simply a bigoted, uninformed one that should not hold as much weight as it currently does; it should not influence the implementation of a fundamental right.

~ r

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