TAIF (Thank Allah it's Friday)

Poisson d'avril (April Fish day)


I always thought Karol Jozef was an OK guy

Koran scholar: US will cease to exist in 2007
"It would be fair to say that the world would be better off with a US that is not a superpower and that does not take advantage of weak nations than a world where this country does not exist at all," he added."The world will certainly lose a lot if and when this disaster occurs because of the great services that American society has rendered to the economy, industry and science."

Islam
With 1.2 billion followers, Islam is the world’s second largest religion. It is also the fastest growing, having spread far from its origins in Saudi Arabia. Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh are now the three most populous Muslim countries. Another 380m Muslims are spread across Africa. Europe and America also have big Muslim populations.

Around 90% of Muslims belong to the orthodox Sunni sect. Rival Shia Muslims predominate in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan. Differences between and within these two groups has led to war and civil unrest (in countries like Turkey). But members of both sects abide by the Koran and follow similar Islamic traditions such as Ramadan and the haj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Islam enjoys an uneasy relationship with the West, and in particular America. Muslims cite many reasons for this—from the West’s support of Israel to its treatment of Iraq. The West meanwhile worries that Islam is hostile to democracy. This mutual enmity has led some to suggest that Islam and the West are on a collision course. But their religious differences are not unreconcilable and neither are political ones. Osama bin Laden's war has both helped and hampered militant Islam. (From Economist.com, March 5th 2004)


Increasingly, the Netherlands wonders whether diversity is always desirable
"FOR people who see themselves as the front line in an uncertain struggle to defend western civilisation—a struggle, moreover, which has already cost some lives—the cultural warriors of the Netherlands have a surprising spring in their step. “I see developments in the Arab world as very promising,” says Paul Scheffer, a journalist who is one of the leaders of an ideological movement that wants to counter Islamist extremism by putting more emphasis on the rule of law and less on accommodating differences." The Economist, March 31, 2005

Living with Islam - The new Dutch Model?

"Message," by Wendy Cope, from Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis © Faber and Faber.

Pick up the phone before it is too late
And dial my number. There's no time to spare—
Love is already turning into hate
And very soon I'll start to look elsewhere.
Good, old-fashioned men like you are rare—
You want to get to know me at a rate
That's guaranteed to drive me to despair.
Pick up the phone before it is too late.
Well, wouldn't it be nice to consummate
Our friendship while we've still got teeth and hair?
Just bear in mind that you are forty-eight
And dial my number. There's no time to spare.
Another kamikaze love affair?
No chance. This time I'll have to learn to wait
But one more day is more than I can bear—
Love is already turning into hate.
Of course, my friends say I exaggerate
And dramatize a lot. That may be fair
But it is no fun being in this state
And very soon I'll start to look elsewhere.
I know you like me but I wouldn't dare
Ring you again. Instead I'll concentrate
On sending thought-waves through the London air
And, if they reach you, please don't hesitate—
Pick up the phone.

Waiting for the thaw

Doors of 56572 (15)