Tripartite Confusion

There’s a proverb in Urdu that goes, ‘Aik paan ke dus tukdey’ (10 portions of one leaf). The gist of this saying is that all 10 portions of the leaf are of the same nature since they all belong to one leaf.

This saying wholly matches the current election scenario in the United States. Be it Hillary Clinton, Mc Cain or Obama, it’s all the same. Everyone makes claims and promises for the people but the execution goes missing. However, each of these American candidates have their own reasons to grab power.

If Mrs. Clinton comes to power . . .

The Clinton name has been recognized in the US politics due to which Hillary may have the driver’s seat to sweep victory in the Presidential race. She perpetually has her husband’s drawing card to play with and earn support from voters. Though, the battle has a long way to breathe, the popularity element to secure victory is beginning to neutralize. One reason for her success, if at all, might be the towering support from Whites and Latinos who make around 80% of American population compared to African-Americans who are currently the staunch supporters for Obama in minority. Being the first lady in the US to compete for presidency, people may vote her to advocate women’s rights too.

If Obama grabs the seat . . .

If granted the presidency, I feel Obama has a sound reasoning to the issues he shall venture. He is the first nominee for the US president who is willing to talk with leaders of US foes such as the Islamic Republic of Iran and North Korea. He has minimized the ‘supposed’ self-created threat from Iran which presently is an extremely sensitive issue with the Bush administration. Bush is panicky over the possible alliance between Obama and the Iranian President Ahmadinejad who is a blow to the American policies. Probably Obama would also try to build the country’s image that has been tarnishing with the course of war with Iraq.

If McCain is the big man . . .

McCain has a lot of backing from people involving advisors who are pro-war, anti-Islam, conservatives and American allies who support the current policies of the Bush government. Probably he will survive only if unfair elections take place like the previous one. He seems to be the next Bush in place.

What happens to the guiltless Iraq?

The Bush administration has already played very dirty with the Middle Eastern loop. Hillary Clinton supported George W. Bush to invade Iraq back in 2003 and still considers the country to be a danger to the American government interests. So, naturally Clinton’s victory as a president will further upsurge the scores of people butchered in Iraq and mess the status quo further since she favors no timetable for a complete troop withdrawal.

However, Obama strongly opposed war with Iraq prior to the invasion. But even if he comes to power, the war may halt initially but it won’t cruise to a complete halt because reports mention that war with Iraq was planned long back under Clinton’s presidency but implemented in Bush’s government.

But in the end I’ll be surprised if McCain bags the presidential race because his policies are very similar to Bush’s policies that have left the nation at wit’s end. It would also be surprising if Obama comes to power due to his Afro-American background and his willingness to talk to the country’s major foes that is currently out of the question with the Bush administration. But personally speaking, he seems the best option from the triad.

-SJ

What makes that woman to detonate her own self?

She is 18, 30 or at times even 50. Sometimes she is a daughter, a sister or a wife. Or even a mother who blows herself up with explosives. She is not doing this with the purpose of taking her own life. She is detonating herself with heavy explosives primarily to take the lives of others. In short, she adopts the path of suicide bombing.

What really makes someone who is in this golden age of her life to do this? When the thoughts of a beautiful life fly like a butterfly over different colours of life. What really makes these women to take such steps? Is life not precious for them? We adopt so many personal and social measures to protect life from all forms of dangers but then we witness these young ladies and even men give up their life so easily just for the sake of taking the lives of few others who they consider as enemies.

The world condemns and considers these acts of suicide bombing as terrorism and presents fundamentalism and extremism of religion as the root cause behind such actions. Suicide bombings have been witnessed by many. Like the Sri Lankan LTTE lady’s attack on India’s late Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi, in Palestine-Israel conflict, Iraq and elsewhere. Muslims are seen in the front line of such actions, not because their religion teaches them to do this but due to some other reason which lies deep inside the human innate nature which can take any human being to such a stage. Why don’t we realize or consider to dig deep inside the cause as to why this bomber killed herself. Why did she not care for her life?

We have made suicide bomber an object of concern but we have not looked at those parameters which have become cause for this action by this person. This bomber commits suicide bombing because she has suffered a loss, much greater than her life. She is oppressed. Her faith is oppressed. Her value system has been tarnished by others. She is helpless; she does not possess weapons to fight wars which other nations possess. The only thing she has is her own life. By blasting herself amidst others and taking lives of others, she is not telling the world to count how many bodies have fallen out. She is sending a message to the imperialists of the world that her faith and ideology is much beyond life and their faith is now under oppression. If the world remains silent to the oppression of one group over other which is helpless and powerless, what can then be expected from the oppressed class? Rather than giving their lives by just being oppressed, they prefer to give their lives on their own along with taking lives of the surrounding people.

When a woman suffers atrocities of life, she at times commits suicide to get relief from the pain of this world just because she cannot remove her worries. She prefers to kill herself. Synonymous is this with the case of suicide bombing. A woman goes for suicide bombing in tense situations. The sound of these suicide bombings will still be heard if a woman adopts to express her annoyance with life this way. Children will continue losing their mothers, husbands will lose their wives and daughters will depart from their mothers in this entire life’s game of expressing catastrophic troubles in their lives.

-SJ

Any dissimilarity between Kosovo and Palestine?

"..........Therefore, we call upon our great people to rally to the banner of Palestine, to cherish and defend it, so that it may forever be the symbol of our freedom and dignity in that homeland, which is a homeland for the free, now and always." -
An extract from Palestine Declaration of Independence (15 November 1988)

In pursuit of peace and goodwill, Palestine declared independence from Israeli occupation on 15th November, 1988.

Resolution 3236 of UN General Assembly, issued on 22nd November 1974, discusses the 'Question of Palestine' and earmarks the right to 'independence' of the Palestinian state. The excerpt of the resolution is as follows:

Expressing its grave concern that the Palestinian people has been prevented from enjoying its inalienable rights, in particular its right to self-determination, it has the right to national independence and sovereignty. It reaffirms also the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted, and calls for their return.

The hegemonic powers refuse to abide by the UN charter and the Palestinian-Israel conflict remains unsettled. It is abnormal to see a country's proper recognition under international law and yet it is battling for freedom from those occupations that are illegal under the same international law.

But when it comes to Kosovo seeking independence from Serbia, the hegemonic powers quickly recognized Kosovo's declaration. And here the issue of Palestinian independence still remains up in the air since 40 years and on.

-SJ