COMMON SENSE
By Hassan Al-Haifi
As we approach the finale of the Holy Month of Ramadhan, it might be appropriate for Moslems - and to a certain extent non-Moslems - to focus their attention on the conditions facing the Moslem Nation and the Islamic religion. This focus should not be expected to follow a uniform perspective, even amongst the Moslems themselves.
Perhaps this would be the major impediment towards reaching a unified consensus as to what needs to be done to put the Moslem world back on track as a leading civilized movement that fosters peace, tolerance and the well being of all of humanity.
Many skeptics will come out and say that Islam is now confronting its worst and most serious conditions since the emergence of the religion as the most dynamic spiritual and social development in human history. They see the Islamic world fragmented, with 57 countries making up the Islamic World, each seemingly going in its own direction without any evidence of real unified feelings or actions, even when concerning Moslem issues and interests. Perhaps Iran is the only Moslem state that has managed to convey that Islam is the real raison d'être of the regime there, and that it seeks to follow through with the major task of protecting Islam and promoting the interests of the Moslems of the world, albeit in a civilized manner worthy of respect.
The rest of the Moslems are bogged down in political, social and economic disarray. Even in those Moslem states, which may be enjoying some semblance of prosperity and stability, one can sense that such prosperity and stability are respectively superficial and surely fragile. Furthermore, it appears that most of the Moslem states are far from being under the control and directions of their respective regimes let alone their respective constituencies.
It might be worthwhile at this juncture to take a glance back in time to understand some of the developments that brought on some of the predicaments facing the Moslem World today.
At the outset of the last Century most of the Moslem World was under Ottoman Turkish rule or Colonialist administrations of some form or another. With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War II, with the insistence and prodding of the West, the Caliphate in Istanbul was abandoned all together and the last semblance of a universal Islamic Nation was shelved. Moreover Islamic traditional institutions in most of the other areas of the Moslem World were either suppressed or subdued by the Colonialist administrations as part of the Crusader element in the "White Man's Burden."
In addition, with Western support (yes, with Western support) a puritanical movement emerged out of the Arabian Desert, and was allowed to take over the traditional regimes that used to prevail in the region. With British arms and early royalties from petroleum finds, this movement was able to establish firm footing in Arabia and institutionalized the movement to gradually take on international footings as well. With most of the traditional and more rational renditions of Islam either eliminated or weak, and surely marginalized, a religious vacuum developed in many of the Moslem countries. Armed with petrodollars and, again Western support, the excessively puritanical movement was allowed to establish breeding grounds for constituents of this dubious movement and thousands of schools were established in most Moslem countries, under the guise of teaching the Quran and the puritanical religious rites of Islam, as its propagators used to insist.
Most Moslem states that emerged, after the colonialists left, also carried on with the marginalizing and elimination of the remaining traditional Islamic institutions, although it was the constituents behind these Islamic institutions that played a pivotal role in the fight against colonialism. The succeeding regimes to these "liberated" Moslem states were usually helped to power by the former colonialists, who refused to ever deal with any of the sponsors of these traditional movements, notwithstanding their large popular backing. This is evidenced clearly by what happened in Algeria, Egypt and some of the other Islamic states, where the prevailing regimes suppressed the traditional Islamists to the point of excessive violations of human rights and civil liberties, which supposedly these regimes were established to uphold. We continue next week with the rest of the history.

MICHAEL BROWN
michael.brown@nhsarasota.com
When I want to read insightful, balanced news from the Middle East I always first turn to the Yemen Times. The opinion from the editor is always interesting and intelligent. However, in the recent editorial entitled "Limit not reached" I am quite surprised at the statements made by the editor.
The US government did not kill six Yemenis, it killed six terrorist who happened to be Yemeni. If the respectable people of Yemen, of which there are many, are concerned with this attack then they should also be concerned with Yemen as a source of terrorism.
This is not to say that America was completely right, because they were not. This particular situation should have been a united effort with the Government of Yemen leading the way. The suspects should have been captured and brought to justice in Yemen. However, given the fact that terrorists living in Yemen have little to fear from the Yemeni government, America must make decisions they would not have considered before 9/11.
So, yes the Yemeni people have the right to condemn the attack because it lack due process of law. But, do not condemn the United States because terrorist are given refuge within the tribes of Yemen and we must attack as we can.
And please do not suggest that because America must now attack Iraq that it is coming after Yemen next. Yemen is not Iraq, nor is it a government run by Saddam.
In the end, the people of Yemen are not weak. In this the editor is completely wrong and does great damage to the strength of the Yemen people. The Yemen people have great power to control US policy by simply controlling the fanatic elements within your country. The friendship of Yemen is important to the United States. Not because of oil, not because of Iraq but, because friends make friends stronger. That is power that should not be given away lightly.

YANA HYLTON
Yanaway2@cs.com
How I wish that I could apologize for all Americans, but I cannot. I have found in this last year who I truly believe are friends and those whom I can no longer morally bring close to my heart.
This is a great sorrow for me. I am a reformed person, you see. I voted for President Bush. I thought that he was as he claimed a true Christian. Look what my vote, and many like mine, have wrought upon the world and especially on the peoples of the Middle East. I fear this is only the beginning.
I fear that the day is coming when there isn't a nation on this planet that won't dread the name of our president. I wish I weren't saying this. I was raised a Republican. My whole family is Republican. We hardly can speak to each other anymore because I find their views so hostile, so ugly that I can't help but become angered with them all. They don't understand this. They think I have lost my mind.
They can't wait to wage war and show how glorious America is - how America stands for democracy and freedom. They have been so brainwashed by our media that they truly believe that waging war can accomplish their ends. I cry daily.
I have less reason to cry than most on this planet in physical terms. I know this. I do not suffer physically at all. I am lucky. I was born here in America. Not in a poor country or a struggling country or a besieged country.
And yet, I feel that in some ways, I have more to cry about. My country has so much to give and doesn't. We, here in America, could change the planet tomorrow if those of us with the most wealth would just do so. If most Americans would demand a stop to the self-righteous hypocrisy and say,
"We want to stand for democracy and freedom!" "We want democracy and freedom for all!"
But, unfortunately, most Americans don't know what this means. We don't know that our government has long been in the business of suppressing democracy and freedom for economic gains. Americans don't know that the feelings that our government deliberately instills in them are those that are racist and self-promoting. We are taught our lives are worth more than yours. Perhaps this is true in many countries. I am sure that it is. But we are the richest nation on the planet, bar none. We are the strongest. We truly do have an obligation to the world. But it isn't one of dictatorial mandates and war.
It is one of peace. No country has had the power the US has today since the Roman Empire. We can do what they did and self-destruct from hatred and greed. Or we can take the post Jesus route and love our neighbors as ourselves.
Which includes America believing that every child killed on this planet has the value of an American child...no more and no less. Until we can see that all children, all people are of equal value, than all is no avail. Nothing I say or you say or anyone says will change the ugly course of history. It is sad that most churches in America espouse what I am saying here and yet so few Americans actually hear their ministers talking to them.
I am sorry. I am in despair because my votes, my letters to Congress, to the president (and those from my friends who agree with me) go unnoticed. There are many here who want to reach out in peace and friendship - but not as many who are waving flags who believe that there is some glory in killing other country's children.

ALLYN CEE
AllynCee70@msn.com
There will be one major incident that will alter the appearance of the Middle East. That will be the installation of new governance in Iraq. This will happen very soon. From that event, new alliances will be formed to bring Middle East nations into compatibility with the rest of the modern world - specifically Europe.
Iraq will be governed by Iraq - with the assistance and guidance of France. The infrastructure and specifically oil production facilities will be directed by Russia. France will provide the communication link with the European Union since France will be pretty much in control of the EU. Germany will be a non-factor. The United States will be totally out of the picture. The Middle East will be Europe's problem.
Afghanistan will either again be a mess or it will split into two separate countries - one south and one north.
Pakistan will be a center for greater conflict with India and will cause yet another war.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan will align themselves with Russia for both military and economic benefit.
Turkey will not join the European Union and will form a Union with: Iraq, Syria, Jordan Lebanon and Isreal. A compromise will arranged for Palestine.
Iran will remain non-aligned but with excellent relations with France, Russia and China.
The terrorists, whatever their religious affiliation, will be chased out of the Middle East by the nations of the Middle East into north and central Africa.
Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the Emirates, Kuwait, will be independent nations, each approaching the route to democracy and modernity in their own way.
England and the United States will provide whatever assistance they can to help these nations - money, governmental expertise, educational system, infrastructure building, and without a military presence.
Russia and Iraq will provide the oil resources and transportation costs to supply Europe. The Caspian Sea oil reserves will be split up between Iran and Russia. Iran will provide some oil to Europe but mainly to all of Asia. The Saudi, Kuwait, Emirates coalition will provide oil supply to the US, Canada, and England.
The United States will (hopefully) dramatically lessen its dependency on oil over the coming years and provide the new technology to nations of the world (obviously for a price).
Russia recovers its position among the leaders of the world, France finds their "rightful" place as the true "emperor of Europe", and an Asian Economic Union challenges Europe and America for economic superiority.
This is what will happen to the Middle East. What do you think will happen by 2006?