The preferred solution, a grand governing coalition which includes Hamas. Clearly, Gazans hope that giving Hamas a piece of the pie would tame it. I do not blame them. The looting and increased flow of weapons from Egypt to Gaza hardly serves to calm their concerns.

Here are some recent headlines:

1.Ruined Gaza fun park now waits for aid

2.Israel Fears al-Qaida Infiltration in Gaza

3.Palestinian political crisis brewing over Gaza chaos

4.PA lawmakers request no-confidence vote against PM Qureia

5.10,000 Gazans cross Egypt border

6.The hard part begins

Let's hope its not too late and somebody will stand up for the moderate majority.

Its time to end meaningless threats and endless patience. They simply embolden those at whom they are directed. The US may not be able to remake the world but she sure can blow-up the status quo!

I cannot and do not recommend having cities totaled. But the economic value of rebuilding cannot be overstated. The building of infrastructure is the best type of investment govenments can make and if you wish to see real free enterprise zones at work go to China. That is the strategy it uses so successfully.

The deficits have been dropping, they will go up again but, no problem, money remains very cheep and, hence, this is a good time to rebuild.

Sharia courts must be stopped!Our fight must go on!

This is a speech made at 8th September protest meeting against Sharia courts in Paris by Azar Majedi and emailed to me because I wrote about the subject. Muslim women today, like Black women earlier are asked to put their own interest aside for the sake of the"larger community." Some do as the recent arrest for terrorism of a woman in Spain demonstrates. But other do not:

September 11th brought a terrible reality home to many who had chosen to see political Islam as something belonging to those strange so-called Islamic countries. With the aid of a self-serving theory of cultural relativism minds could be set at ease while brutality, torture, stoning and terrorism were taking place in those “exotic” places. By saying that, it is “their culture” and “their religion”, heads could be turned the other way. As though some masochists inhabited those countries, who like to practice “their culture” and “their religion” by being stoned,flogged, maimed, executed and terrorized. “It is not our business,” was the response to all these horrendous acts. However, I am happy to see that our 27 years of struggle is paying off. We are now able to mobilize a great force against political Islam, we are able to organise a great force to defend secularism and universal laws for all citizens.

I am pleased to witness this vibrant global movement against establishment of Islamic courts and laws. We are gathered here today to voice our deep concerns against the interference of religion in social and political life, in state and judicial system. Religion poses a great danger to the important principles of freedom and equality, to civil rights and human rights and to the rights of women.

The introduction of Sharia courts is being justified as respect for different cultures and ethnic minorities. It is said by leaving every ethnic group to settle their disputes according to “their culture and religion” we have a better, more egalitarian society, and less racist society. This is totally false. By creating different laws and judicial systems for each ethnic group we are not fighting racism, in fact we are institutionalising racism. We are creating different class of citizens, putting them in different ethnic boxes.

By allowing sharia courts to rule, we are allowing some antiquated laws to govern our modern society, and thereby disregarding all those laws and principals humankind has fought for in the past 2 centuries, principles of equality; women’s rights, rights of children, freedom, and the principle of citizenship and secularism.

This is going back to the middle ages, to the dark ages under the fancy façade of multiculturalism, cultural relativism, and respect for rights of minorities. We should expose this reactionary practice as it really is. Establishment of sharia courts is nothing but to leave the members of these so-called Moslem communities to the mercy of the Imams and so-called leaders of the communities. By doing this, we allow a great injustice to take place, total disregard for women’s rights, children’s rights, the interference of religion in people’s lives, and we create an insurmountable gap between these communities and the larger society. This act must be stopped.
The fact that we are gathered here today in Paris to oppose the establishment of Islamic courts or the so-called Sharia courts, in Canada, is historically significant. It shows that the threat of political Islam has been felt deeply across the globe, and therefore this international movement and solidarity,which is very exciting. I am very pleased to be part of this movement.

It is a pity that we needed 3 decades of brutality,killing, maiming, torture and reduction of women to less than 2nd class citizens by Islamic states such as Islamic Republic of Iran, Taleban and Islamic state in Afghanistan, and now Iraq and the reign of Islamic terrorism in order to awaken to the threats of political Islam and its inroads into society. Whatever the circumstances, it is important that a strong secular movement is taking shape internationally.
September 11th brought a terrible reality home to many who had chosen to see political Islam as something belonging to those strange so-called Islamic countries. With the aid of a self-serving theory of cultural relativism minds could be set at ease while brutality, torture, stoning and terrorism were taking place in those “exotic” places. By saying that, it is “their culture” and “their religion”, heads could be turned the other way. As though some masochists inhabited those countries, who like to practice “their culture” and “their religion” by being stoned, flogged, maimed, executed and terrorized. “It is not our business,” was the response to all these horrendous acts. However, I am happy to see that our 27 years of struggle is paying off. We are now able to mobilize a great force against political Islam, we are able to organise a great force to defend secularism and universal laws for all citizens.

Here I like to thank anyone who is adding their voice to this movement, to stop Islamic courts, to defend secularism, freedom and equality. I like to thank my old friend and comrade Homa Arjmand for her untiring efforts to stop the formation of these courts. We are only 3 days away from September 11th, I like to remember all those who fell in the face of terrorism and send my sympathies to all who lost a loved one.

I like to take this opportunity to remind you all that our fight is not going to end by stopping the Sharia courts in Canada. This is an important achievement,but we, as the conscious humanity have the duty to stop all religious states and political Islam all together. I like to remind you of the plot of Iraqi people, an Islamic state is being established in Iraq,much worse than the establishment of Islamic courts in Canada. People of Iran are fighting to rid themselves of the horrendous Islamic Republic, they need your support and solidarity. I call upon you to come to the aid of people of Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan to free themselves from the Islamic states and laws governing their lives and depriving them of a humane existence.

We should all call for a no to Sharia courts, No to political Islam, Long live freedom and equality; long live secularism
Organisation for Women's Liberation

womensliberationiran@yahoo.com

http://www.azadizan.com/english

http://www.irandwr.org

The Iraqi Sunni are facing a stark choice, go along with a new Iraq or engage in a lengthy war in which the best they can hope for is to be ruled by Zarqaui.

The Iranian revolution demonstrated that any idea of using the Islamists to win power in the hope of outwitting them is a pipedream.

My condolences to the victims. It is an ugly, ugly war in which an international intent on an American defeat is Zarqaui's best ally.

(Prime Minister) Bondevik said his alliance and Progress had apparently won more votes than the"Red-Green" coalition, about 1.27 million to 1.25 million. Election rules give more weight to voters in remote rural districts, like the Arctic north.

Hence, the power in Norway will shift to the Red-Green coalition. Unfortunately, one of the reasons for Bondevik's defeat is his unwillingness to cooperate with the far right, anti-immigration party or, apparently, deal with the unease many Norwegians feel about immigration. The result, the big winner in the past election is the Progress party which more than doubled the number of its voters. In fact, it became the second largest party in the Norwegian parliament.

Norwegians do not mind paying taxes. Indeed, a Norwegian friend told me that the problem with Americans is the fact that they do not like paying taxes. But Norwegians do not like foreigners. When I was in Oslo, people who I know voted labor, told my husband and me that they used to go to the market but they no longer do because it is filled with foreigners.

I hope the new government will tackle the issue before Progress' Hagen becomes the only alternative.