An excerpt from an article by Jimmy Kerr at the SSP blog.

I ACCUSE

In the spirit of Zola, I accuse several institutions of perpetrating a sustained character attack on the people of Palestine, the Arab world and Islam.

I accuse the corporations of propping up, what is almost universally recognized as a pariah state for having any dealings within that state and for making money out of that state.

I accuse the vast majority of our cultural leaders and so-called personalities, who are in a position to grab the media agenda of covering their mouths either in fear or in willful ignorance instead of speaking out as befits people of their stature

I accuse the vast majority of academics and other educated people, of similar crimes to celebrities, all the more heinous, given their intellect and their unique position in society as educators as well as agenda setters. I accuse them of refusing to engage with the issue in any meaningful way.

I accuse that fourth-rate estate of propagating an image of the average Palestinian as something separate from “us” in effect creating a false division, for underreporting the blockade and for blacking out the truth of the history of the Israeli/Palestine conflict

Finally, I accuse our so-called political leaders and elected representatives of tolerating the Pariah State of Israel and its long history of hideous crimes. I accuse those cardboard cut-outs of doing virtually nothing whilst this state gets away with mass murder.

Not once have any of those despicable cut-outs ever made an unequivocal statement against Israel. Anything that they say is tempered and undermined by support for Israel. They never mention injustice, only that the bombs and rockets should stop, they never mention the Palestinian dead. They never give the historical context. They are a disgrace, second only in their horribleness to their friends in the media.

Read the article in full here.

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“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is as the likeness of a grain [of corn], it grows seven ears and each year has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. And Allah is All Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:261]

“And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection,
so no soul will be treated unjustly at all.
And if there is (even) the weight of a mustard seed,
We will bring it forth.
And sufficient are We to take account.”
(Surah al-Anbiya 21:47)

“Oppression (dhulm) will be darkness (dhulumat) on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Bukhari & Muslim)

You will learn on the Day when Allah will gather the former and the latter peoples…
when hands and feet will tell about what they did,
then you will know!

That day the matter between you and us will be settled.

“Any person who betrays a Muslim whose sanctity is being violated and reputation is being dishonored, Allah will betray him when he is in need of help and any person who protects a Muslim whose sanctity is being violated and reputation is being dishonored, Allah will assist him when he is in need of help.” (Related by Abu Dawud)

May Allah give courage and fortitude to our brothers and sisters in Ghazza… May He forgive the shuhada of Ghazza and may He grant the mujahideen victory, ameen.

An excerpt from The Straits Times’ (Singapore) interview with Mr Simon Tay, Associate Professor of Law (National University of Singapore) and president of think-tank Singapore Institute of International Affairs. A master’s degree holder in international law from Harvard University, Mr Tay was a nominated member of parliament from 1997 to 2001. He is also a novelist – his book, City Of Small Blessings is published by Landmark Books.

His wife Jin Hua, who runs a natural health shop, homeschools their 10-year-old son, Luke.

“The Singapore education system seems to be a highway where you drive very fast and, if the car doesn’t overheat or get into an accident, you get to your destination very quickly. But you may not enjoy the drive and you may not see the sights. And if you do break down and overheat, you are in trouble,” he says.

“If you don’t like the highway, is there another path? My wife gave it a lot of thought. For me, I see this highway I am not certain about, and I see that my wife wants to beat this path over the hills.”

The fact that they learnt three or four years ago that Luke is dyslexic affirmed their decision, and Tay says they have not decided whether he will go to school or continue to be home-schooled.

“There are benefits to home-schooling. We can go on holiday any time we want,” he says.

“The downsides: Socially he is fine because people come by the house all the time and his character is outgoing. But his teacher always loves him and thus he is not used to indifference, which is a tough thing in life to learn.”

– 22 December 2008