Sunday, November 29, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
from Nicolas Hénin, held hostage by ISIS for 10 months:
Central to their world view is the belief that communities cannot live together with Muslims, and every day their antennae will be tuned towards finding supporting evidence. The pictures from Germany of people welcoming migrants will have been particularly troubling to them. Cohesion, tolerance – it is not what they want to see.
Why France? For many reasons perhaps, but I think they identified my country as a weak link in Europe – as a place where divisions could be sown easily. That’s why, when I am asked how we should respond, I say that we must act responsibly.
And yet more bombs will be our response. I am no apologist for Isis. How could I be? But everything I know tells me this is a mistake. [...]
While we are trying to destroy Isis, what of the 500,000 civilians still living and trapped in Raqqa? What of their safety? What of the very real prospect that by failing to think this through, we turn many of them into extremists? [...] The Syrian people need security or they themselves will turn to groups such as Isis.
Central to their world view is the belief that communities cannot live together with Muslims, and every day their antennae will be tuned towards finding supporting evidence. The pictures from Germany of people welcoming migrants will have been particularly troubling to them. Cohesion, tolerance – it is not what they want to see.
Why France? For many reasons perhaps, but I think they identified my country as a weak link in Europe – as a place where divisions could be sown easily. That’s why, when I am asked how we should respond, I say that we must act responsibly.
And yet more bombs will be our response. I am no apologist for Isis. How could I be? But everything I know tells me this is a mistake. [...]
While we are trying to destroy Isis, what of the 500,000 civilians still living and trapped in Raqqa? What of their safety? What of the very real prospect that by failing to think this through, we turn many of them into extremists? [...] The Syrian people need security or they themselves will turn to groups such as Isis.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
i see that marine le pen has already hijacked the situation.
i can't believe.. i can't believe i even have to write such a thing--that the difficult task of keeping our humanity at the hardest, the most painful moments, is the most critical one; the one that should shape everything we do and think
it's beyond words disturbing that in this day and age, when the "muslim world" has so swiftly and firmly condemned the attacks--a world that includes both hamas and hezbollah--european muslims of all nationalities and refugees already ravaged by war have to experience the added fear of retaliation, of closed doors..
i can't believe.. i can't believe i even have to write such a thing--that the difficult task of keeping our humanity at the hardest, the most painful moments, is the most critical one; the one that should shape everything we do and think
it's beyond words disturbing that in this day and age, when the "muslim world" has so swiftly and firmly condemned the attacks--a world that includes both hamas and hezbollah--european muslims of all nationalities and refugees already ravaged by war have to experience the added fear of retaliation, of closed doors..
Friday, November 13, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
The open road was a relief from the isolation I felt in the city and a chance to reflect on the chaos of emotions that is love in Tehran. In the quiet I could listen to my own thoughts and I began to express them. At Kandovan, a village built directly into the mountains, I made a confession, the type you can make only to someone on the road.
-- bijan roghanchi
this is beautiful--and for some inexplicable reason, that upsets me
-- bijan roghanchi
this is beautiful--and for some inexplicable reason, that upsets me
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