Eloquent Incoherence

Romania and Bulgaria officially become members of the European Union at midnight tonight. Both are former communist states and members of the Warsaw Pact. Both are relatively poor nations whose GDP per capita is about 33 percent of the EU average. Both have governments that are chronically plagued by corruption and mismanagement. And yet, none of these concerns were deemed serious enough to block Bulgaria and Romania’s entry into the EU.

Contrast this with Turkey. Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952. Its economy is comparable to those of Bulgaria and Romania, and has grown at a faster rate. It has maintained the same system of government since 1923. Its cultural influence on Southeastern Europe (including Bulgaria and Romania) dates back several centuries. And it has sought entry into the European Union since 1987, when Bulgaria and Romania were still under communist governments.

There are many concerns cited by European officials who oppose Turkish membership in the EU. Some of these are legitimate, such as Turkey’s treatment of its ethnic Kurds and its refusal to recognize the government of Cyprus. However, others, such as its relatively weak economy and assertions that it isn’t sufficiently ‘Western’, are questionable in light of the accession of two poor, former communist nations. Other objections to Turkey’s entry are flagrantly hypocritical, such as concerns over its commitment to free speech. While Turkish laws criminalizing the expression of certain political views are indeed outrageous, are they any more so than Holocaust denial laws, which exist in prominent EU nations France, Germany, and Spain? Similarly, if Turkey’s acknowledgment of a genocide committed by a previous regime should be a condition to its entry, then why was France never pressured to acknowledge its collaboration with the Nazis as a condition to its entry?

As a Muslim, I have mixed feelings about Turkey’s EU dreams. On the one hand, the accession of a prominent Muslim nation to the EU could be a positive step in improving relations between the West and the Muslim World. On the other hand, Turkey’s desperate courting of the EU is yet another chapter in the sad story of its dramatic transformation from a vanguard of Islamic civilization to a fanatically secular state hostile to all things Islamic. I hope the success of the AKP is an indication that Turkey may embrace a moderate form of secularism and that its accession to the EU would have positive consequences for Islam and Muslims.

(Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein during a visit to Baghdad in 1982)

Now that Saddam is gone, we should reflect on where his power came from and what responsibility those who supported him bear for his atrocities. These thoughts should influence how much we trust our leaders when they wage wars and make enemies and friends in the name of “freedom” and “democracy”.

(courtesy of Abu Sinan)

Of course Michigan is America’s team. If you root for Southern California, you’re rooting against America. It’s as simple as that, really.

Manal (a.k.a. Umm Sinan) has provided some tips for Muslim women who use or are considering using Islamic matrimonial websites.

Rabbis in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak have signed a statement declaring it forbidden for Jews to sell or rent property to Arabs. The statement echoes sentiments expressed in racist fliers distributed in the city last month. The Hebrew-language fliers read:

Our homes have become non-Jewish. In Pardes Katz, there are hostile Arabs, not of our people, who have brought to our streets intermarriage, destruction and fear… We must not agree to an atmosphere so dangerous to our souls and bodies! We cannot allow them to destroy the education of the youth in our neighborhood!

But I guess it doesn’t matter, since 68 percent of Israelis already refuse to live in the same apartment building as an Arab.

This latest bit of racist bile comes on the heels of Israel’s bombing of Lebanon this past summer, during which the Yesha Rabbinical Council declared, “according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as ‘innocents’ of the enemy.” Perhaps Yesha’s ‘fatwa’ is simply a reflection of the prevailing attitude toward non-Jewish life within the Israeli Defense Forces, as evidenced by the alarming practice of IDF soldiers posing for pictures with dead Palestinians (Of course, CNN somehow missed all of these incidents, though they did report on this in great detail)

How is it that racism and religious extremism are so pervasive in the “only democracy in the Middle East”? I wonder if MEMRI will translate and distribute these statements…

(courtesy of KabobFest)

Kul ‘am wa antum bi khair (”May every year find you well”), wa taqabbul Allahu minna wa minkum (”May God accept from us, and from you”).

Information about Eid al-Adha

According to news reports, Saddam Hussein was executed at 6:00 AM this morning. State-run Iraqiyya TV is reporting the execution with the byline, “Saddam’s execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq’s history.” With that sentiment, I agree. Saddam was a brutal tyrant who will surely not be missed (especially by the Shi’a and the Kurds). Unfortunately, the darker period that has followed it–that of the American occupation–has no end yet in sight.

Reflecting on the war, Saddam’s fall, and the current situation, I’m reminded of the maxim that pervades much of classical Sunni political thought: “sixty years of tyranny are better than one night of civil strife.”

Maleeha left for Pakistan today with her family. I humbly request that all my readers (all three of you) pray that she has a safe and enjoyable trip, insha-Allah (God willing). She’ll be back on the 12th.

In the meantime, my mother and I will be visiting my aunt in Houston. Going on a trip to visit family with my mom makes me feel like a little kid again. I’m looking forward to seeing my cousins, but part of me doesn’t really want to go without Maleeha. That, plus I might miss the Rose Bowl since our flight is on the 1st (flights on the 2nd were much more expensive for some reason), which I am not happy about. I’m taping it just in case, though. We’ll be back on the 6th, and classes start on the 10th.

Israel killed three times as many Palestinians (660 to be exact) in 2006 as it did in 2005, according to annual statistics published by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. Meanwhile, the number of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants dropped from 50 in 2005 to 23 in 2006. In addition, 9,075 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli jails, of which 345 are minors and 738 have not been informed of the charges against them, if any.

Illinois, which won only 8 games the past four seasons combined, is poised to pull in a top-10 recruiting class this year. Martez Wilson, a 5-star prospect and arguably the nation’s top defensive end, recently committed to the Illini. Wilson joins fellow 5-star prospect Arrelious Benn, the nation’s top wide receiver, in a class ranked alongside the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan, and Auburn. A lot could happen before signing day, but the fact that a school like Illinois has managed to attract so much talent is nothing short of amazing. Normally, pulling in just one 5-star prospect is a major coup for a school of Illinois’ caliber, and yet Illinois has managed to attract two. As bad a coach as Ron Zook is, he must be one hell of a recruiter.