Egypt
As the Arab Spring continues its momentum throughout the Middle East engulfing Syria, and with it the hope of greater democracy, it’s also worth reflecting on the consequences such as the ancient Christian communities which are becoming a disappearing minority.
Syria’s Christians, represent no more than ten per cent of the country’s 22 million people, tracing their origins two millennia to the beginnings of the faith. Apostle Paul is said to have converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus, from which he went on to spread the religion across the Roman Empire.
Christianity has its origin in the Middle East from the fourth century. Covering communities speaking Greek, Syriac, Armenian, Coptic, Georgian, and Arabic.
Continue reading "The Arab World’s Christian minority needs protecting" »
If badminton was the World Game there would probably be just as many riots as there are now with soccer. The graceful swoop of the goose-feathered shuttlecock would not calm the madding crowds.
If only badminton had the power to invoke the passion, it could rival the semi-religious fervour that soccer induces. If only. Then we could blame badminton for all violence in sport and stop making soccer out to be evil.
Soccer is, globally, inextricably linked to violence in people’s minds. But it’s not soccer’s fault. Soccer just happens to be the medium for the message. It is the excuse, the scapegoat.
Continue reading "Don’t blame the beautiful game for riot shame" »
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Andre says:
I watch soccer on TV all the time. I’m not a violent person Read more »
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Lance says:
Ben to a ton of soccer matches around Australia and also been to many AFL and NRL matches too. The Soccer crowds are better behaved and the atmosphere is amazing despite being smaller. I see more violence in NRL and AFL crowds, much like we do off the field with… Read more »
In the last few days we’ve seen that the rumours of the demise of the green movement in Iran have been greatly exaggerated.
With thousands taking to the streets with chants of ‘Mubarak, Bin Ali – It’s your turn Sayed Ali’, many are asking the question whether Iran be the next Egypt. The simple answer is no.
Iran isn’t the next Egypt. In fact, in a few months it’ll be more likely that Egypt will be the next Iran. To understand what I mean we have to go back a little more than three decades.
Continue reading "Tragically, Iran will not be the next Egypt" »
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DS says:
TheRealDave, that you put China in the same category as Iran and North Korea is absurd. As for the US, if you truly believe they are a peaceful rainbow, you are naive. Read more »
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DS says:
A friend who brutalised and oppressed his people. But who cares about that? Pathetic. Scot, considering that the West has supported corrupt and brutal dictators, are you really surprised if the next governments become ‘an enemy of the west’? Considering that you live with freedom in a liberal democracy, it’s… Read more »
Remember the sound of a telephone ringing through a hallway?
The kind that attached to the wall and had a long, curly, plastic cord that could wrap around your arm but never quite stretch as far as the couch.
It was bulky too; heavy enough to need its own table or a hall-stand that doubled as a storage cabinet for the inevitable pile of White and Yellow Pages crammed underneath it.
Continue reading "The romance of a phone with a curly wurly cord" »
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Sheila says:
There’s another thing landlines have going for them… if you have a household of more than one person, it’s a lot cheaper! At least, it is here in Canada, I dunno about other places… My mum had a household of like 10 people before we all moved out, and for… Read more »
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Reg says:
Hey come on, this is all modern stuff. Who remembers standing in a scorching telephone box, poised with two pennies in the slot waiting for the person on the other end to pick up the black Bakelite handset? The ear piece on a plaited cord and a fork to hang… Read more »
The Egyptian protests that have led to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak have produced some incredible media images, by photographers who often put their own lives in danger to bring us scenes from the streets of Egypt.
Here are some photos from the last two weeks, which culminated in celebrations on Friday night as Mubarak announced he would end his 30 year term.
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Luce says:
“Good to know Atheists enjoy living in western Christian democracies.” Zac, there is no relationship between the democratic system and religion. Neither was formed as a result of, or with influence from the other, and neither system has any say in the running of the other one. These so called… Read more »
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Zac de Spudnut says:
James, quotes from the same internet conspiracy nutjobs>>> My quotes were from “Atheist Foundation of Australia” and “federal court of appeals”. So if they are “conspiracy nutjobs” then Atheism and Atheists are in real trouble. I am an atheist, and I love democracy. It gives me the freedom to be… Read more »
One of the terrific luxuries of life in the democratic west is that we are free to write and say pretty much anything we like about our elected representatives.
In the space of one day this week, we saw a powerful demonstration of how blasé and indulgent some of us can be in exercising that freedom.
In Egypt, thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the removal of a politician who for 18 years has resisted any shift towards democracy, and is still refusing to stand aside.
Continue reading "S**t does happen when democracies get lazy" »
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Seano says:
@Ryan - You use a quote that say society expects more from people than it gets. You offer this pearl of wisdom in amongst abuse of those with whom you disagree as if those with a differing opinion are scum who have no right to exist and you sit there… Read more »
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Ryan says:
@Seano: yes Seano, clearly I am the one who has misquoted George Orwell, at least I am the one that knows where the quote comes from and the fact that George Orwell didn’t just author one book 1984. Perhaps you should read “Animal Farm” it has an uncanny resemblance to… Read more »
Many people assume that the events in Egypt over the last 18 days are a simple case of ‘people power’ seeking to remove a drained, corrupt, unpopular president, who is desperately clinging to power. Certainly the renewed vigour and importance of the Arab ‘street’, and the power of the protests in Egypt and Tunisia, have been important.
But what is really happening is a three-way tussle over the future political and economic structure of Egypt.
The protesters in Tahrir Square – and now across many cities and large towns in Egypt – and Mubarak, are indeed two protagonists, and the most visible ones. In one sense, the protesters have already defeated Mubarak: he has agreed to step aside in September after elections for a successor, and to the extent that the protesters were trying to get rid of the president, they have (almost certainly) succeeded.
Continue reading "The army will ultimately triumph in Egypt" »
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Brett says:
Damn straight!!! Besides the ideas behind democracy have to be bred into the populace. Democracy epically fails in a lot of countries because they are inherently corrupt or autocratic. Think of suggesting democracy in 14th century England, would the people know what to do or how to act? Or would… Read more »
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Brett says:
Why would anyone want to protect Israel? They’re bigger terrorists than the middle east combined. Plus they have proven they can fight their own wars (with American money) and if all else fails nuke the middle east since they never signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Then again America will protect… Read more »
After weeks of protests against his reign, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was expected set to step down this morning. But while celebrations erupted in Tahrir Square, the people were quickly disappointed to learn through a pre-recorded speech that he intends to stay in power until the next election.
While he did announce some changes in how Egypt will be ruled, he is clearly intending to cling to power. The world’s jubilation that he was cowing to pressure was shortlived indeed.
For all the latest, including links to live feeds from Tahrir Square, Twitter feeds, picture galleries and background, head to news.com.au.
Continue reading "Mubarak has once again disappointed his people" »
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monkeytypist says:
@Michelle “Bleeding heart”! Gosh! Well firstly, I think our own democracy could use some substantial clearing out of ideological baggage, like state funding going to school chaplains, the locking up of refugees in flagrant violation of basic human rights, etc. So it’s pretty imperfect. And I have no illusion that… Read more »
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Considered says:
America has been the worlds police force for far too long. The UN should have taken over this role ages ago. Should the imperialistic evil that manifested itself in WWII reappear, you would do well to have America there to defend democracy. What is the alternative for Australia when it… Read more »
The ABC’s London bureau was effectively in mourning when I arrived as a correspondent at the beginning of 1980.
Tony Joyce, a witty, talented and energetic reporter from the bureau, had been shot in the head in Zambia six weeks before.
The pistol bullet ricocheted inside his skull, and the unforgivable behaviour of the Zambian authorities meant that by the time he was medevacced to London, it was too late.
From November 1979 to early February 1980, he was in a coma. On February 3 - exactly 31 years ago - he died.
Continue reading "Danger in denial: Too soon to revel in Egypt’s revolution" »
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Hoods says:
Yes - both very holey books. God bless Atheism. Read more »
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Poo Pirate says:
I just hope they don’t burn down the pyramids. It took ages to reno them. Read more »
So, rad times in the Middle East? In the bright light of this historic moment can we assert that the Bush Administration’s neo-cons were partially right: the Middle East was ripe for a series of popular revolutions?
If only they didn’t have to destroy a country, countless people, and potentially the prospect for better relationships between the West and the region in attempting to prove it.
The farcical aspect of popular demonstrations in the Middle East is that although Western Governments and observers have for years mused about the notional benefits of individual will being translated into national policy through some nice democratic practices, the instant any such thing becomes a remote possibility, westerners start getting anxious.
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Truther says:
Sorry, my comment was not deleted. My mistake. Read more »
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Truther says:
truther, why do you assume that Israel and the USA’s interests are not the same? The lobbies, contributors to republican and democratic parties. The US media is Pro-Zionist also. You can also add Hollywood to the picture for war propaganda on their TV shows and movies. Eg Would be the… Read more »
“Give me Liberty, or give me Death!”
These infamous words of Patrick Henry resonated throughout the Western world and described in a nutshell man’s yearning for freedom.
This is also true in Tunisia, where Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26 year old university graduate who could not find work nor feed his family, sparked ‘The Jasmine Revolution’ by setting himself alight in protest to the now former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime. This protest sparked action in Egypt, which is now facing its largest uprising in three decades. There are reports of dozens of deaths.
Continue reading "In North Africa they are fighting for freedom" »
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Nancy says:
aolsmt precisely the same thing as Bill perhaps a year and a half ago in a committee hearing of the Canadian Senate. Since then the Canadian Banker’s association has asked the Bank to restrict mortgage lending and it has done so. Not surprisingly house prices have begun to weaken and… Read more »
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Waz says:
Khaled with respect, it is quite misleading for you to attempt to link free votes and democracy to the factually valid concerns of people about Islamic states appearing in the power vacuum. Muslims having a free vote in Islamic countries would be fantastic. Unfortunately it’s very rare, and the second… Read more »
Clad in his spectacular Bishop’s regalia, Greek Orthodox Bishop Ezekiel throws a cross in the water at the annual “Thefeonia” at Station Pier. This Greek “Festival of the Waters” is held at Port Melbourne in early January every year, where I’ve represented Federal Labor to the sometimes 5 to 6 thousand members of the Greek Australian community.
Usually I’m there with an array of local State and Federal Greek Australian politicians, but, in my own mind, my presence is emblematic of the natural tolerance and pluralism of modern Australia. All the politicians release doves and make brief speeches.
At the “Thefeonia” this year it seemed appropriate that I briefly expressed the nation’s solidarity with another ancient Christian community, Australia’s Copts, who are approximately 80,000 strong across Australia four of whose churches, in Australia were amongst the sixty four listed worldwide as targets by an Al Qaeda website.
Continue reading "Christians under attack in the Middle East and Australia" »
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Levi says:
Righto GingerKitty, Christianity has the same thing called a tithe, although obviously you know so much about Islam i assume you knew that about Christianity, but failed to mention it in order to strengthen your own lacklustre argument. A “pillar” consisting of an act of charity does not even come… Read more »
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youdy beaudy says:
Why can’t we all practice peace. Now, peace in our time would be good for a change wouldn’t it?. Anyone out there for peace!!!??. Read more »
One of the best jobs I’ve had was at the British Museum in London.
Trapped behind the counter of the downstairs gift shop it wasn’t selling over-priced plaster replicas that I enjoyed the most but the two hours a week spent roaming the museum as part of my training.
The Elgin Marbles, Egyptian mummy tombs and the glittering Cartier jewellery collection were among my favourites.
Continue reading "Museums should be allowed to keep their artefacts" »
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Kameron says:
I do not believe we should strip the museums bare but the supermely iconic artworks that are, in some cases, the symbol of the country of origin should indeed be returned. Nefertiti is the other well promoted artifact that really should be returned. She is one of the top five… Read more »
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Maria says:
Lucy, I disagree with what you wrote. How can you be so narrow-minded? 1) Does Greece have no proper museums? This summer I went to Athens, the new Acropolis Museums just left me speechless, it’s perfect, so please no more excuses. 2) When you recall the “poor” museum visitors that… Read more »
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