AFP[ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2004 04:19:10 AM ]
NEW DELHI: India has cautioned the United States against a decision to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to arch-rival Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said Wednesday.
"We have cautioned the US against such a decision," Singh told Parliament just hours before US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was due to arrive for talks with the Indian leadership.
"We have also conveyed that US arms supply to Pakistan would have a negative impact on the goodwill the United States enjoys in India, particularly as a sister democracy," he added.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met US President George Bush last Saturday during which he said he discussed the potential purchase of the F-16 fighters.
Singh said New Delhi has pointed out that the supply of arms to Pakistan by the United States at a time when the dialogue between the two countries is at a "sensitive stage" would have a "negative impact".
Pakistan reportedly wants to buy up to 25 of the F-16s, which cost around 25 million dollars each, by mid-2005 to add another squadron of such planes to its existing fleet.
Musharraf has won Bush's firm support since he sided with Washington to oust Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, originally backed by Pakistan, after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Singh termed India's relations with Pakistan as "accident-prone".
"We have therefore to deal with this matter with great restraint, great wisdom (and) patience," he said. The minister, who was India's Ambassador to Pakistan during the mid-eighties, said that of late relations had improved.
"... I must say that the atmosphere between the two countries has considerably improved and it is our endeavour that it remains so. There are complicated issues going back many decades. There are no quick fixes, no magic solutions available. All we can do is try," Singh said at the end of a two-day debate on foreign policy.
Religion Of Violence And Death
By: Aram Tofi
Dec 7, 2004
Islam started with war and killing. Muhammad as god’s prophet, spread over Islam with a bloodied sword in his hand. At that time, the Islamized primitive Arab clans were settled in current Saudi Arabia, which was well meant and well suited for them. More than a thousand years later, however, nothing special has happened but Islam is still considered to be a religion of violence and destruction. This is not assumption or baseless accusation, this is a fact. It took Islam six hundred years to destroy the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Moreover Islam spread slowly to other peace loving nations such as India and Kurdistan. Consequently they destroyed sophisticated and well developed cultures in the regions such as Iran (which is still in progress, being conducted by the Mullahs in Tehran).
The second destruction by Islam is Kurdistan and the Kurdish identity.
The Islamizing of Kurdistan started with war in the heart of Kurdistan and the mutilation of children and women. The evidence of this is thousands of tombs of (Ashaaba) Muhammad’s followers who were buried everywhere in Kurdistan.
Those people were killers and rapists just like Saddam’s mercenaries. The irony is these murderers are now considered to be holy men. However, the spirit of the Kurd has survived the bloody history of Islam. To justify this opinion, we need to examine the countries that are ruled by Islam. I can tell you directly it’s really hard to find one single country that has democracy and respect for human life. The best one is Saudi Arabia. It’s now year 2004 and still women CANNOT vote, nor be allowed to drive cars, or have a simple conversation with men.
This is a fundamental of Islam and the rules are not exaggerated. Because this is the nature of Islam (which is narrow minded, judgmental, and based on the Quran). In turn, it reflects a desert values and chauvinistic ideas.
Now my point is, those values and the degradation of human beings don’t match the Kurdish values. The Kurd, with a history of more than 6000 years with a profoundly developed culture and respect for women, also has admiration for all living things.
Kurds have writers and poets such as Goran, Wafai and Qanik; they have poems of love, passion, beauty of women and body, and about nature and affections. In contrast the Quran never mentions one single word of love; it’s always about hate and killing. It’s about how God will burn them if they don’t do this and that.
Before islamization and arabization of Kurdistan the people had a greater role in the area. Then, the Islam invaded Kurdistan, consequently the violence of the Quran was implemented over Kurdistan. The Sura Al anfal was latterly redeployed by Saddam with great pleasure.
Surat Al-Anfal
Remember, when your Lord revealed to the angels, “Verily I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks and smite over all their fingers and toes. This is because they defied and disobeyed Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad). And whoever defies and disobeys Allah and His Messenger, them verily, Allah is Severe in punishment. This is the torment, so taste it and surely, for the disbelievers is the torment of the Fire.
(Surat Al-Anfal – Spoils of War- 8:12-14)
Now, it is high time to abandon the religion of killing and hate. The religion was never actually chosen, it was compelled, and that is why it should be removed. My appeal to the Kurdish authorities and politicians is to act now and don’t miss this golden opportunity! Here is what they can do to repair the damage and build a society without bloodshed and hate.
Do not allow Islamic aid organizations in Kurdistan to build mosques. How about building Kurdish schools instead. (NOT religious)
• Have a policy that every village must have at least one school.
• Yazidi should be recognized as the main Kurdish religion and be included in the school books.
• Expel the Turkish based language centers. They could open a Kurdish languages course in Turkey (if they want to help).
• Political parties should build upon the ideology of constructive ideas. NOT religions!
• Debunk the violence of Islam in the history books and their genocide of Kurdish people.
• Develop a Kurdish related alphabet and get rid of the Arabic. In addition, merge Sorani and Kirmanji and purge the language of any Arabic influence.
• Computerize and industrialize Kurdistan and make it’s agriculture independent
• Develop a good relationship with Israel (Kurds and Jews have more in common than Arabs and Kurds)
• Don’t ever put your destiny in your neighbor’s hands (such as Turks and Arabs)
• The Shiites and Sunni Arabs are NOT your friends (as soon as they build an army they are going to send it to Kurdistan for jihad)
• There are thousands of highly educated Kurds abroad. Invite them back home and employ them as political science advisers, pedagogical instructors. Etc.
• Have one army of Kurdistan with Special Forces (politically independent)
• What ever happens in Iraq, don’t follow the rules of the Islam.
• If you stay in the federation of Iraq, demand the change to have your own flag and change the name of IRAQ
• Make a deal with the USA and continue to struggle towards a “Kurdish state,” (it’s your legitimate right!) You don’t need to declare yourself to the Turks, saying that you don’t seek self independence.
• Develop and construct highways, bridges, and AIRPORTS (NOT with Turkey BUT with Greece or Israel) to interconnect the entire Kurdistan into one unit and connect to the rest of the world. Why do you have to justify and apologize if you have relations with Israel?
• Have an independent media (Not politically related)
• Expel all foreigners from North Africa: e.g. Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Syrian, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. (this includes the Turks)
• To the Kurdish leaders: Stop idealizing Syria, Turkey and Iran. Iran and Syria is the base of terrorists. Turkey is a land of prejudices.
• Leave Baghdad and concentrate every effort on rebuilding Kurdistan. (while Shiites torture themselves to commemorate Hassan and Hussein)
• The collaborators with Mukhbarat should be suspended and debarred from their party and government offices. Reveal there names and bring them to justice. Finally, make the files of perpetrators official.
• Combat corruptions. Now it is easy for everyone to get a piece of mark for free, this is supposed to be allocated for the victims of Saddam's crime. Even I got an offer to receive one, only if I know someone in PUK’s hieratical. This shows how corrupt these administrations are.
Finally it seems that Mam Jalal has got the Arafat syndrome, namely, he will die and take the power and the money into the grave. The Kurdish leaders must act now, and stop humiliating themselves and the Kurds in front of Turkey. To Mam Jalal, please don’t talk too much when you meet the media in Arab countries, it only leads to more stupid comments. The last comment of Mam Jalal in Egypt was that he condemned the coalition force for using obsessive force. Why doesn’t he ask about the fate of young Kurdish girls that were abducted and sold to Egypt? In a visit to Turkey Mam Jalal made this comment “Turkey is a great democracy” That is ironic as the rest of the world considers Turkey to be a corrupt and fascistic regime.
The Kurdish leaders need to open the doors and allow other more intelligent people to have a chance to make a contribution.
KurdistanObserver.com
http://home.cogeco.ca/~kurdistan5/7-12-04-opiniopn-aram-religion-of-violence.html