Wednesday, July 05, 2006

July 2006

Vol XXIX NO. 128 Wednesday 26 July 2006

Lebanon 'facing its darkest hour'

LEBANON welcomes all the support it can get at this dark hour of need, Lebanese Special Envoy to the United Nations Nouhad Mahmood told the GDN.

He said all funds received would be handled by humanitarian organisations on the ground, which are working relentlessly to help tens of thousands of people caught in the crossfire and internally displaced by the continuing hostilities against his country.

Mr Mahmood was speaking to the GDN in a telephone interview following the launch of a UN appeal for $149 million (BD56.322m) in humanitarian aid for Lebanon to combat the worsening crisis gripping the country.

The appeal covers an initial period of response of three months in priority areas including food, healthcare, logistics, water and sanitation, protection and common services.

Of the $149m, $5m (BD1.89m) is being allocated from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for logistics, water and sanitation and healthcare.

"At present we need all forms of help, whatever they maybe - either bilaterally from governments to the Lebanese government or through local and international humanitarian relief agencies, working in Lebanon," said Mr Mahmood, who thanked Arab and Gulf countries for their solidarity, support and aid pledges.

"We have no complaints about the way Arab governments reacted to the crisis," he continued.

"The civilian stance towards the conflict and the pledges of support we are getting from civilian and humanitarian groups is a natural reaction to the atrocities we are facing.

"All the aid will go to humanitarian and relief groups on the ground, which are carrying the burden at present and working hard to help whoever they can reach.

"We would like to thank all those who stood up to help Lebanon at this difficult time.

"Our Arab brothers and the international community have rallied behind us before."

The Flash Appeal for Lebanon, which was launched at the UN, seeks to meet the needs of some 800,000 people over the next three months.

Funding for the appeal will enable aid groups to carry out programmes to feed, shelter and protect civilians caught in the cruel conflict.

"Lebanon is yet again experiencing devastating cycle of violence, with the civilian population caught in the middle," said a statement issued by the UN.

"With the conflict now in its second week, the humanitarian situation continues to worsen.

"Hundreds of people have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded.

"Moreover, an estimated 700,000 people have fled their homes, including some 150,000 people who have crossed the border into Syria.

"The conflict has also affected more than 100,000 people from 20 different countries who had been living in Lebanon, a large number of whom require assistance to evacuate.

"In Lebanon, ongoing hostilities between Hizbollah and Israel have resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people (45 per cent of them children, according to Save the Children) and more than 1,500 injured," added the statement.

Mr Mahmood also expressed his thanks to Bahrain and its people for their moral and financial support to Lebanon.

"The whole of Lebanon is in crisis now and thousands of people are displaced and facing a real humanitarian crisis," he said.

"All organisations collecting aid for Lebanon should know where it is going and even if the funds get to Hizbollah, everyone knows that they have a wide range of humanitarian aid and social programmes and it doesn't mean that they will use the funding for other purposes.

"What is more important than pointing fingers now is to stop the humanitarian crisis unfolding, obtain a ceasefire and halt Israel's expansionist plans in the region from seeing light."





Vol XXIX NO. 117 Saturday 15 July 2006

Who are these tired Mps trying to kid?


Amira Al Hussaini

Give us a break !" This is the heartbreaking call made by MPs as they prepare to wrap up a four-year term of fist fights, meaningless arguments and endless amusement to those of us following their petty exchanges.

While I totally understand that the marathon meetings may have put pressure on our esteemed MPs, I really don't know who to feel more sorry for, them or us!

Should my sympathy go to those paid people's representatives whose main goal seemed to be to fulfil their own private agendas, or the general public, whose hopes were dashed by theatrical performances which could grace the Broadway stage.

"Give us a break indeed!" I can hear the Bahraini public echoing in chorus in reply.

It will be especially loud from those of us whose voices have become hoarse screaming for sanity in a mad, mad world and urging MPs to live up to their role as representatives of the people and stop embarrassing a nation which had high hopes for democracy and transparency.

Off the top of my head, all I can think of is what a waste of valuable time and financial resources those four years have been in the progress of a modern nation like Bahrain.

Have we unwittingly over-estimated our democratic progress? Were the 2002 elections a trial-run for a better performance next time round, or a sample of what we are to taste for the coming years?

Is the performance of this assembly a reflection of the true level of Bahrainis and the expertise this nation has to offer a new democracy ? Did qualified candidates shy away, in order to stand back and make their presence felt come the next elections?

The answers to these questions and the outcome of the next elections lie in our hands, no matter what people supporting or boycotting the parliamentary elections have to say.

For the Constitution gives every Bahraini man and woman the right to make their voices heard and elect the most deserving candidate to speak on their behalf, in this 40-member parliament.

As candidates and voters, it really would be a shame if we let our nation down a second time by not standing for elections and ensuring that our voices count in bringing the most deserving candidates to office.

Sporting a beard and having affiliations and connections to Islamic societies don't make a candidate knowledgeable in legislation which has a direct impact on our everyday lives.

Being from the same tribe or ethnic background as the majority of constituents shouldn't also automatically guarantee a candidate a seat in parliament.

My only wish is that constituents use their votes wisely this time, for Bahrain certainly deserves much better than the sorry show our parliament has put on for four consecutive years.

If we are to have a repeat performance, perhaps democracy needs a break too, for it is pointless to add more insult to injury!

Amira Al Hussaini currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada



Vol XXIX NO. 111 Sunday 9 July 2006

Still hooked... but not taking the bait

By Amira Al Hussaini

Long gone are the days when I could just call up friends, pick up some bait and drive to the Bahrain Yacht Club, where a humble boat was waiting to take us to nearby fishing spots to spend a few hours away from the office and the clutter of everyday life.

It really seems like a lifetime away, a previous surreal existence which I can only cherish as a fading memory, now that monotony, boredom, red tape and regulations suffocate every other breath I take.

Here in Canada, with winter, snow and dark unpredictable weather finally out of the way, I found myself walking around a pristine nearby park, which was dotted with chairs, trees which provide lots of shade from the scorching sun and delight, delight... lakes with the young and old trying their hands at landing the catch of the day.

You should have seen the smile, which moved muscles I no longer knew existed in my face and the tears which clouded my eyes, when I realised that I could once again lose myself in fishing, a pastime I took for granted in Bahrain.

My happiness was, as expected, short-lived after putting my journalistic curiosity into first gear and chatting up some of those fishing about the catch, gear needed and where to get the squiggly moving bait they were - to my disgust - cheerfully stringing onto their hooks.

"You new here?" asked an older man.

"Sort of. I was hibernating at home throughout the winter and the sun has brought me out," I sheepishly replied.

"Well, before you go out buying rods, bait and picking your fishing location, you will have to get a fishing licence," he advised.

A fishing licence? After my six-month quest to get an Ontario driving licence (which I now finally have), I really couldn't stomach the idea of studying for a fishing exam and then sitting a practical fishing test under the watchful eyes of an examiner, who secretly harboured sympathies for the hard-line animal protection rights fanatics.

No. It really wasn't as dramatic as I make it sound, but for a fee, you can seriously get a recreational fishing permit, available in two categories: one allows you to catch and keep three fish and the other gives you the option of keeping up to six fish - provided you don't fish every day!

The permit should be renewed annually and each person fishing should have his own permit, just in case an inspector passes by the creek you are looting in broad daylight.

These and other regulations are all available for people to read online before venturing outdoors to simply kill time killing fish and squashing live wriggly worms used here as bait.

Still want to go fishing? I don't know about you. As for me, I will pack my fish cakes and tuna sandwiches in a picnic box and spend what is left of summer soaking in the sun in the park, by the lake, surrounded by the fish killers.

At least I won't have blood on my hands!

Amira Al Hussaini currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.


Humiliated in America for simply being Arabs...

Vol XXIX NO. 107 Wednesday 5 July 2006

BY AMIRA AL HUSSAINI

Has your heart ever beaten so fast, you actually felt it pounding hard in your chest?

Have you ever been terrified even when you knew deep in your heart - the one beating with fear and anxiety - that you haven't done anything wrong?

Have you ever been paraded in a flock like cattle to the slaughterhouse in front of people following you with prying eyes, accusing you of things you have had no hand in?

Have you ever felt like you were Public Enemy Number One and had to smile extra hard just to show others around you that even if you are coloured and Arab-looking, you were still a normal, law-abiding, fellow human being?

A recent trip to New York, which is just across the border from where I now live, conjured all those feelings and much more in split seconds.

No matter how many horror stories you hear, nothing prepares you for the encounter with the awe-inspiring immigration officers who greet you with a frown at the border.

The reception is certainly worlds apart from the warm welcome Americans get when they visit our countries, except perhaps Iraq, where fundamentalists and other fanatics quite wrongly view the courageous liberators as mercenary occupation forces.

While I am in absolutely no position to debate the practices of the Homeland Security officers, in charge of investigating people entering the US from select countries, I would like to share with you the surreal experience of being paraded in front of hundreds of passengers, on the train which took me to the Big Apple for a short break.

First a shouting officer came on board yelling questions at us. I still don't understand why he was shouting and can only assume that he perhaps thought we were deaf, or was doing it for the amusement of his colleagues or the other passengers.

After all, he knew those travelling to Manhattan would be spending at least 12 hours on the train and needed some entertainment.

After showing him our return tickets and visas to the US, he confiscated our passports without telling us what was expected of us. Following about 40 minutes of suspense, another officer asked us to follow him to the back of the train.

On our long march, I saw the line getting still longer, with others pulled out from their seats.

Soon we were all in a room, where two officers were already screaming at an Indian, calling him 'dude' and 'yo' and threatening to send him to jail.

After further questioning, filling out forms, listening to everyone else being interrogated and embarrassed, finger-printed, photographed (Arab males were apparently so photogenic they had to be photographed twice) and three hours, we were back in our seats en route to our relaxing holiday.

What a way to start a vacation!

If I only had the authority and any respect for my citizens, I would have a shed outside every Arab airport and point of entry and give all visiting Americans a similar welcome, especially now that 'home-grown' terrorists have become fashionable in those parts.

* Amira Al Hussaini currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

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