What a wonderful world

Down at the bus station
Shark grins and sandpaper conversation
Men's faces women's bodies on the magazine stand
And a headline about Sarajevo and Tehran

The following should be read with this song playing the background:

Bob: I went for lunch at the cafe I often frequent, Cafe Crema in New Cross, and found the blackboard no longer says "Please boycott Israeli goods. Thank you." It now says "We do not use any Israeli products. We are not anti-semitic but anti-fascist. Jews are as welcome here as anyone else." So now, in my world, Israel is not just bad, it's bad and fascist.

Nidra Poller: Thugs throwing paving stones against Swedish police cars were, of course, furious at the police for keeping them from smashing the heads of Jewish Israeli tennis players. But that is just one small chapter of their gripe against Sweden, the country that took them in and now submits to their will. Their anger is directed against the whole free world, against the very democratic societies that allow that rage to materialize under cover of “peaceful demonstrations.” [--]

As the enraged mob defied the police outside the stadium, the Israeli team pulled off an incredible victory on the tennis court, eliminating the Swedes and qualifying for the quarter finals. In an unmistakable display of bad sportsmanship, coach Mat Wilanders—a legendary tennis ace—his team and tennis federation officials reportedly turned their backs on the Israelis and walked to the lockers.

Islam In Europe: Among Ramadan's statements: "A man is meant for a woman", "The message of Islam is very clear on this point. Homosexuality is not allowed, it is not something which is included in the general notion of man. Homosexuality is not something which we in Islam can allow" and "this problem appears to be a malfunction, bad functioning and an imbalance."

About women Ramadan says that "they may not draw attention with their appearance. On the street, such is the law, women must rigidly fix their eyes on the pavement."

UN Watch: During a debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council today, Islamic countries complained that a report on religious freedom did not adequately attack Israel, while daring to criticize Islamic countries. The report was presented by U.N. expert on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Ms. Asma Jahangir of Pakistan


Sign and Sight: Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy, Professor of Physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, caustically criticises the "grim and humourless" "Saudi-ising" of Pakistani culture and life in recent decades. "Total separation of the sexes is a central goal of the Islamists. Two decades ago the fully veiled student was a rarity on Pakistani university and college campuses. The abaya was an unknown word in Urdu; it is a foreign import. But today, some shops in Islamabad specialise in abaya. At colleges and universities across Pakistan, female students are seeking the anonymity of the burqa. Such students outnumber their sisters who still dare show their faces. While social conservatism does not necessarily lead to violent extremism, it does shorten the path. Those with beards and burqas are more easily convinced that Muslims are being demonised by the rest of the world. The real problem, they say, is the plight of the Palestinians, the decadent and discriminatory West, the Jews, the Christians, the Hindus, the Kashmir issue, the Bush doctrine, and so on. They vehemently deny that those committing terrorist acts are Muslims or, if faced by incontrovertible evidence, say it is a mere reaction to oppression. Faced with the embarrassment that 200 schools for girls were blown up in Swat by Fazlullah's militants, they wriggle out by saying that some schools were housing the Pakistan Army, who should be targeted anyway."

Terry Glavin: One World, Two States, Many Waves, One Voice.


Dreams into Lightening: Fascist tool Roger Cohen says he "doesn't know" what would happen to Israel if the Iranian regime acquired nuclear weapons. Jeffrey Goldberg covers an exchange between Cohen and Rabbi David Wolpe.

Shark Blog: Armed force is the ultimate defense of any nation faced with enemies who speak about destruction. Gaza shows what Israel may do when faced with seven years of rocket attacks, and little more than sympathetic words from foreign visitors. The continuing blockade against the import of material to repair the damage shows persistence in the face of Hamas' refusal to back away from its sworn commitment to destroy Israel.

What some see as unpleasant or reprehensible, others see a tough country doing what is reasonable.

Nizo: In the meantime, what I do demand is a reformation of the PA, the removal of all the bahayem who line their pockets with the aid money. Dollars we were very lucky to receive in the first place. Wallah, African nations with more pressing needs are starving while we sit back, multiply, beg for handouts and get angry at the world when it doesn't go that extra stepand wipe our asses for us.

Speaking of asses, or goats, I will continue to advocate for the removal of both leaderships and their replacement with the latter, and while I don't expect to succeed, I could at least convince some of our sheep-like cheerleaders, that support for the Palestinians should come with a condition that we reform and start treating our own people more like people, and less
like goats.

Global voices:

Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, who had been sentenced to 30 months prison for insulting Islamic Republic Leaders last month, died in prsion today.Human Rights Activists in Iran site says[fa] the reason for his death has not been announced but he was in very bad psychological condition.

Have a nice day.