Car Cleaners

I am writing to you to express my despair regarding car cleaners who force their services on you, whether you need it or not. Cleaning your car becomes mandatory once you park in their “territories”. If you don’t let them clean your car, they get upset and abusive and damage the car, usually by making long scratches on the body or deflating the tire. I was a victim of these malicious deeds twice — once in Batha and, last night, in Olaya behind Jarir Bookstore.

Edwin • Riyadh, published 21 October 2004

‘Special’ Relationship

The “special relationship” between America and Britain is already dead and buried. It isn’t only British intellectuals who condemn America. The vast mainstream of quiet, fair-minded people in the UK are all in despair of America’s recklessly dangerous, neocon foreign policies. Witness the “silent majority” taking to the streets in demonstrations in hundreds of thousands. There was a time when Britain used to take a tougher line with America. We refused point-blank to be drawn into the war in Vietnam. We read the riot act to them over their invasion of Grenada.

So, what has changed since then? In Prime Minister Blair we have an obsessional control freak who is on a mission. As many recent biographies of Blair confirm, he came to power as an innocent in foreign policy. He had no opinions and no policy. Now, he is on a latter-day “Crusade” to engineer systematically, a root-and-branch change in the Middle East.

If a commanding majority of UK voters today abominates his policies and his autocratic behavior, how does he get away with it?

Two reasons: First, like Joan of Arc his “inner voice” tells him he is “right” and everyone else is “wrong”. Second, he assumes his huge parliamentary majority will protect him. Worst of all, Blair is ruthlessly exploited by an opportunist President Bush who, in turn, is manipulated by the neocons. Worse yet, there is no prospect of political change. Kerry and the Democrats and Howard and the Conservatives lack support. They both fail to offer a persuasive alternative. The result is voting apathy in both countries has sunk to an abysmal level. Mainstream Britain does not support Bush, the war in Iraq or the bestial policies toward the Palestinians. The only “special relationship” nowadays is Blair cozying up to Bush.

Leigh Vernier • UK published 22 October 2004

‘Revolt of the Zenj’

Amr Mohammed Al-Faisal’s “Revolt of the Zenj” (Oct. 17) was a great article. I hope many Saudis, specially those holding high authority, will think like him. We should go further by granting them citizenship. They are Muslims and our brothers and sisters. I am a Saudi living in Arizona and I can see the same issue being debated here in the US — with Latin illegals living here as the subject. I am in support of legalizing their status and believe it is the best solution.

Rashid Alhomaid • Arizona, US published 22 October 2004

‘Revolt of the Zenj’ [2]

Amr Al-Faisal’s humanitarian instincts are admirable. But if Saudi Arabia undertakes to legitimize the illegal immigrants already there, it will only encourage more illegals to come. Sooner than you think, the problem will be out of control to the detriment of all. The reality of the situation is that you must gain control of your borders before it is too late. You must persuade your government to secure your nation’s borders and deport people who are illegally in your country. It may seem cruel but you risk losing your country and your culture if you don’t.

Take it from me. I live in Texas. The best course of action is to try and improve conditions in the countries where the immigrants are coming from. Mexico in our case, West Africa in yours. Once your nation loses its sovereignty, there will be no gaining it back.

Ron Lawson • Texas, US published 22 October 2004

‘Revolt of the Zenj’ [3]

As long there is one Saudi child who cannot attend school because of poverty, one citizen who does not know how to feed his children, no electricity in every village and no hospital in every city, there is no way that we can afford to offer such charity to the foreigners who are illegally here. The way to tackle the problem is for the armed forces to surround the areas where these people are hiding and arrest them. If this is done, there will be a dramatic drop in the criminal activity we have been hearing about. Those found guilty by courts can be put to work cleaning up beaches and parks or be used on other projects benefiting the public. If every overstayer is put to work for six months to earn his passage home, we will solve the problem of illegal overstayers.

K. Alwassia • Jeddah published 22 October 2004

Somalia

My heart started beating wildly and my eyes welled up when I watched the hoisting of the Somali flag in Kenya, signifying that, after 14 years of meaningless fighting, we have resolved to put our house in order. It was our African brothers’ support that helped us to stand on our feet. We are deeply grateful to all IGAD countries and brotherly nations such as Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, Norway, Italy, US, China and the Arab world. We also remember with gratitude the contributions made by statesmen of international stature such as Amr Moussa, the European representative and many other men and women of good will. We are grateful to all of them and pray God that one day we may be able to pay this debt of gratitude.

This is just the beginning. Hijacked, robbed and held in bondage for a decade and a half, the country and its people have nothing — no food, no shelter, no security and no means of livelihood. We have to begin from the scratch. In this, I hope, we will receive help from our Arab brothers. I’m one of those few Somalis who were able to escape the wave of violence. Living in the Kingdom, I have seen the kindness with which the authorities and ordinary Saudis treat Somalis.

Our new President Abdullah Yussuf Ahmed is a statesman and visionary. We all hope that he will be able to lead our people to stability, security and development. A man untouched by any suspicion of corruption, he is the man who will be able to get the trust of the people of Somalia and the wider world.

Abdullah M. Abdi • Ras Tanura published 22 October 2004

Conspiracy Theories

I agree with Amir Taheri that the market for conspiracy theories is experiencing a steady growth (Oct. 18). However, my sense is that the views of Thomas Barnett of the US Naval War College should not be dismissed as one of those theories. They make for some very interesting reading when combined with the works of the neocons who currently populate the Pentagon and many of the nation’s top so-called “think tanks”. Every informed person should read this stuff and ponder a bit on the state of the world today.

Is the Pentagon’s new map merely a figment of our imagination? Isn’t so-called globalization just another name for President Eisenhower’s “Military-Industrial Complex”? It appears Eisenhower’s warnings were more than just the musings of a tired old soldier. Finally, is not there something about the 9/11 attacks that raises questions? Why did President Bush say that Osama Bin Laden was not a big deal? How can the fate of the man responsible for the terrorist attack not be a big deal? You don’t have to connect too many dots to see that the 9/11 attacks did more for Bush and Cheney and company than it ever did for Osama and the Taleban. Who was actually behind the attacks? Did we, the US, have anything to do with it?

And while looking for answers and before we dismiss everything, let us remember that Machiavellian politics is a product of Western, not Islamic, thought.

Bryant C. Mitchell • United States published 22 October 2004

Conspiracy Theories [2]

Amir Taheri is out to prove that George W. Bush is not an “Arabian”, “oil-cartel”, “Israeli”, or “big-money” candidate.

To prove that he is not “Arabian” — defined, I guess, as supported by Arabs in America and the Middle East — Taheri says that most Arab-Americans support Kerry and that the Saudis didn’t drop the oil prices. He is wrong on two counts: First, Arab-Americans’ vote is not aligned with business dealings in the Arab world. They vote more for their civil rights and conservative issues. They largely supported Bush in 2000. So, if they vote for Kerry, the liberal, it means that they are very worried about their status and civil rights. Secondly, oil production was increased from 9 million to 12.5 million barrel a day.

Arab elites and non-elites don’t hate Bush on personal basis. They hate him for his imperial policies. Unfortunately, these policies are institutionalized and shaped on a long-term basis and are unlikely to change any time soon.

Then Taheri claims that bush is not “ Israeli” because only 30 percent of American Jews plan to vote for him. Traditionally, American Jews vote overwhelmingly Democratic, so getting 30 percent of their votes is a major improvement over his 2000 election record. We need to consider that Kerry is a “Jew” from the Jewish point of view regardless of what he considers himself (Kerry’s grandparents were Jews, so he has Jewish blood, and his brother converted to Judaism). Also there is a rift between Jewish-American leadership who overwhelmingly support Bush — even Joe Lieberman does to a good extent — and ordinary Jewish citizens who support Kerry.

Taheri calls Michael Moore an “arch liar”. But Moore only makes movies. George W. Bush on the other hand, lied about Iraq having WMD. He spoke about a mushroom cloud over America and he is the president of the world’s only superpower. In a recent poll — after two American committees reports’ found no WMD in Iraq — 65 percent of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein had WMD and 22 percent believe that he used WMD against American troops invading Iraq in 2003.

I finally agree with Taheri’s statement that “American democracy is unwell” and I’m afraid its health may deteriorate further.

Alaa Eldemerdash • Jeddah published 22 October 2004

Iraqi Insurgents

Have these insurgents been in Iraq waiting for the Americans to come one day so that they can come out and fight? Or are they, maybe, enraged and displaced members of families that have been killed by US forces in air strikes and raids? Now are they being used as an excuse to ambush another part of the country? Whatever it may be, these insurgents were born with the “Episode Iraq” of the serial “War On Terror”, following the “Afghanistan Episode”.

Even though we don’t know what the conclusion or the next chapter of the story might be, we can be certain that the outcome of this war will not be felt now but in the future. This is a forest fire that has just started. Only time can tell us how furious it gets.

Shiraz Ghumman • New York, US published 22 October 2004