english.daralhayat.com 2008/12/04 19:50 GMT

Ayoon wa Azan (Patience Rewarded)

Jihad Al Khazen Al-Hayat 2004/09/5

In an attempt to trigger the interest of the reader, I will start lightly, with an e-mail I received which briefly said: "I love you."

I said to myself: my patience was rewarded, as on the top of the e-mail was a nice female name. After I cooled down, I discovered that the name belonged to a colleague who works at Al-Hayat in Beirut, and who forwards me the feedback I receive on my columns. As for the "I love you" message, it turned out to be from reader Cesar Brauer, which I expect, and I hope that what he meant is figurative.

Not all e-mails I get are this exciting, as they sway between support and opposition to what I write; opposition is usually harsher, because the reader, who is irritated by my opinion, replies violently; whereas the supporting reader replies quietly.

Reader Radwan wrote in reply to my column about the Kabbalah, the sect adopted by celebrities such as Madonna, Elisabeth Taylor, Victoria Beckham, and Naomi Campbell. Since he was very angry, he did not talk about the sect, but compared between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

I do not think that the reader's name is Radwan, and I will not publish any word from his e-mail, in hope that he would get angrier.

Reader Daniel Sharon welcomed what I wrote about the outline of a solution between the Palestinians, Israel, and Egypt. He said that this is "a realistic proposal which replaces rhetoric with common sense. It has long been one of the fallacies to believe that even a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip could form the basis for a viable Palestinian state and end the conflict. It is obvious that such a small territory, half of which is landlocked desert, cannot support 3-4 million people. The only rational solution - if we are going to address the needs of the Palestinians - is to accord them with a sufficient territorial base to create a viable state; without destabilizing existing states."

The reader closed his letter by saying that "Israelis have often talked of the "Jordanian Option" -- and some federation between the Palestinian and Jordanian states. Additionally, the underexploited Sinai can provide the mineral and territorial resources to create an economic base for the Palestinians."

I would like to say that the outline of a solution that I talked about over two days, would not succeed as it is; I heard that work is underway in order to amend it and make it acceptable for Egyptians, Palestinians, and Arabs, along with amending the suggested map.

I will continue with the same issue, as reader Natalie A. Sera, wrote saying that she supports a peaceful resolution between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and that she is "in favor of a peaceful, well-ruled Palestine in which the people were prosperous and comfortable and felt no need to attack Israel or Jews." She asked "why not include the settlements in the new state of Palestine, and offer the people who live there full Palestinian citizenship -- then they could choose to stay or leave themselves."

I agree with Natalie, and thank her for her suggestion; but the problem is that most settlers are extremists, driven by religious fervor. I do not think that they would accept such a suggestion, no matter how rational it may sound. As there are Palestinians in Israel, the presence of Jews in Palestine would be a fair treat.

Another e-mail raised a point I have heard previously, the "dictatorship of the majority;" and since Jews are a minority in the Middle East, they will fear for themselves from the tyranny of the Muslim majority. This is why the writer of the e-mail sees that the fears of Israel are justifiable.

I will not claim that there is some kind of democracy that protects the right of the minorities in our countries, but I would tell the reader that Christian Arabs are a small minority in the Arab countries they live in, but they were not treated worse than the majority is treated; when there is no democracy, the problem is that no one is treated the way he ought to be.

After I advised Yasser Arafat to resign, and Dr. Iyad Allawi to watch out in dealing with the Shiites like him, I received an e-mail from Hassan Kobaissi, saying that "At first, I agreed with you, but then: even if Arafat applied for the Israeli citizenship...they will still ask for his resignation."

As for Dr. Allawi, the reader considered him to be one of the "Neo-Idiots." I do not think so; we could accuse the Prime Minister of the interim government of many things, but idiocy is not one of them.

I will close with reader Masami Hirata, who sent me an English e-mail, commenting on my column about late Prince Ahmad bin Salman. He wrote:

"I was shocked when Prince Ahmad bin Salman passed away and even more so when it was "reported" that he had ties with Al Qaeda. Your strong denouncement of such ties is the first time I have heard someone stand up for the late Prince. I admire your loyalty and sincerity. I have been involved in the racing industry for 26 of my nearly 44 years and know that Prince Ahmad bin Salman was truly an outstanding sportsman. I have always said that the racetrack is one of the few places where people from different races, religions, and backgrounds can come together and just enjoy. Also, after listening to Richard Clark address the ACLU, he reiterated that the Saudi citizens on the plane had nothing to do with terrorists. It is amazing, and fearful, what kind of rumors can spring up from false statements and half-truths."

The reader ended his e-mail by saying that "Since you were a trusted friend of Prince Ahmad, I wish I could read or listen to some horse-related anecdotes you may have." Indeed I have some anecdotes that I wish to talk about in the future, and if I am going to write my autobiography one day, I would certainly include these stories.

What I could tell the reader today is that Princess Lamia, widow of late Prince Ahmad, replied to Gerald Posner after he published his book Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11. Also, Prince Sultan bin Salman replied to Posner's article in The New York Times, where he repeated his accusation. I commented on the book because I used to know Prince Ahmad bin Salman the way a Sharonian writer never knew him; and I commented on the article because I saw in it a Gobelsian attempt to prove the accusation by repeating it until people believe it.

<h1>Ayoon wa Azan (Patience Rewarded)</h1><h4>Jihad Al Khazen      Al-Hayat      2004/09/5</h4>In an attempt to trigger the interest of the reader, I will start lightly, with an e-mail I received which briefly said: "I love you."I said to myself: my patience was rewarded, as on the top of the e-mail was a nice female name. After I cooled down, I discovered that the name belonged to a colleague who works at Al-Hayat in Beirut, and who forwards me the feedback I receive on my columns. As for the "I love you" message, it turned out to be from reader Cesar Brauer, which I expect, and I hope that what he meant is figurative.Not all e-mails I get are this exciting, as they sway between support and opposition to what I write; opposition is usually harsher, because the reader, who is irritated by my opinion, replies violently; whereas the supporting reader replies quietly.Reader Radwan wrote in reply to my column about the Kabbalah, the sect adopted by celebrities such as Madonna, Elisabeth Taylor, Victoria Beckham, and Naomi Campbell. Since he was very angry, he did not talk about the sect, but compared between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.I do not think that the reader's name is Radwan, and I will not publish any word from his e-mail, in hope that he would get angrier.Reader Daniel Sharon welcomed what I wrote about the outline of a solution between the Palestinians, Israel, and Egypt. He said that this is "a realistic proposal which replaces rhetoric with common sense. It has long been one of the fallacies to believe that even a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip could form the basis for a viable Palestinian state and end the conflict. It is obvious that such a small territory, half of which is landlocked desert, cannot support 3-4 million people. The only rational solution - if we are going to address the needs of the Palestinians - is to accord them with a sufficient territorial base to create a viable state; without destabilizing existing states."The reader closed his letter by saying that "Israelis have often talked of the "Jordanian Option" -- and some federation between the Palestinian and Jordanian states. Additionally, the underexploited Sinai can provide the mineral and territorial resources to create an economic base for the Palestinians."I would like to say that the outline of a solution that I talked about over two days, would not succeed as it is; I heard that work is underway in order to amend it and make it acceptable for Egyptians, Palestinians, and Arabs, along with amending the suggested map.I will continue with the same issue, as reader Natalie A. Sera, wrote saying that she supports a peaceful resolution between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and that she is "in favor of a peaceful, well-ruled Palestine in which the people were prosperous and comfortable and felt no need to attack Israel or Jews." She asked "why not include the settlements in the new state of Palestine, and offer the people who live there full Palestinian citizenship -- then they could choose to stay or leave themselves."I agree with Natalie, and thank her for her suggestion; but the problem is that most settlers are extremists, driven by religious fervor. I do not think that they would accept such a suggestion, no matter how rational it may sound. As there are Palestinians in Israel, the presence of Jews in Palestine would be a fair treat.Another e-mail raised a point I have heard previously, the "dictatorship of the majority;" and since Jews are a minority in the Middle East, they will fear for themselves from the tyranny of the Muslim majority. This is why the writer of the e-mail sees that the fears of Israel are justifiable.I will not claim that there is some kind of democracy that protects the right of the minorities in our countries, but I would tell the reader that Christian Arabs are a small minority in the Arab countries they live in, but they were not treated worse than the majority is treated; when there is no democracy, the problem is that no one is treated the way he ought to be.After I advised Yasser Arafat to resign, and Dr. Iyad Allawi to watch out in dealing with the Shiites like him, I received an e-mail from Hassan Kobaissi, saying that "At first, I agreed with you, but then: even if Arafat applied for the Israeli citizenship...they will still ask for his resignation."As for Dr. Allawi, the reader considered him to be one of the "Neo-Idiots." I do not think so; we could accuse the Prime Minister of the interim government of many things, but idiocy is not one of them.I will close with reader Masami Hirata, who sent me an English e-mail, commenting on my column about late Prince Ahmad bin Salman. He wrote: "I was shocked when Prince Ahmad bin Salman passed away and even more so when it was "reported" that he had ties with Al Qaeda. Your strong denouncement of such ties is the first time I have heard someone stand up for the late Prince. I admire your loyalty and sincerity. I have been involved in the racing industry for 26 of my nearly 44 years and know that Prince Ahmad bin Salman was truly an outstanding sportsman. I have always said that the racetrack is one of the few places where people from different races, religions, and backgrounds can come together and just enjoy. Also, after listening to Richard Clark address the ACLU, he reiterated that the Saudi citizens on the plane had nothing to do with terrorists. It is amazing, and fearful, what kind of rumors can spring up from false statements and half-truths."The reader ended his e-mail by saying that "Since you were a trusted friend of Prince Ahmad, I wish I could read or listen to some horse-related anecdotes you may have." Indeed I have some anecdotes that I wish to talk about in the future, and if I am going to write my autobiography one day, I would certainly include these stories.What I could tell the reader today is that Princess Lamia, widow of late Prince Ahmad, replied to Gerald Posner after he published his book Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11. Also, Prince Sultan bin Salman replied to Posner's article in The New York Times, where he repeated his accusation. I commented on the book because I used to know Prince Ahmad bin Salman the way a Sharonian writer never knew him; and I commented on the article because I saw in it a Gobelsian attempt to prove the accusation by repeating it until people believe it.