My letter to the NYTimes RE An Islamic Reformer, Lashed by Nicholas Kristof

RE An Islamic Reformer, Lashed by Nicholas Kristof
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/opinion/nicholas-kristof-an-islamic-reformer-lashed.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Dear Editor,

It is horrifically tragic that the Saudi blogger, Raif Badawi, is being punitively punished - 10 years in prison, and 1,000 lashes for “insulting Islam.” FYI Badawi was also fined 1 million Saudi riyals (about $315,000 Canadian) and banned from traveling outside Saudi Arabia for 10 years after his release... all for a blog. 

Saudi Arabia is only one of many governments in today's world that legitimize and empower religious fundamentalism and intolerance rather than legitimizing and empowering the rule of fair and just laws- and governments aren't the only problem: If Obama had been in Paris with all the other world leaders in the Anti-Terrorism March, cynics worldwide with many different motives would have found reasons to condemn him for that. 

Our free speech here in the West gives a podium as well as ammunition to petty tyrants and hate mongers here and there, with petty tyrants and hate mongers spinning stories and campaigns aimed at generating hostilities rather than inspiring compassion and empathy for "others", whether that "other" is a leader, or a follower, an individual or a government or a religion.

Focusing in on ending the Israel-Palestine conflict with a fair and just, carefully negotiated fully secular two state solution ASAP would go a long way towards curbing the rise of religious extremism, sectarian strife, tyranny... and terrorism... worldwide. Yes there is a chance that Palestine will become a failed state run by apologists for Hamas and Islamic Jihad (thereby handing Israel an excuse to wage all out war, creating more hostility and despair with an even bigger refugee crisis- or worse the slaughter of countless men, women and children)...  BUT there is also a chance, a very good chance that Palestinians and their supporters worldwide will elect to empower dignity, decency, real freedom and a better future with the time tested idea that religion should be a personal private matter, not a requirement for citizenship rights or a tax payer funded mandate. 

The modern reality of Israel's Netanyahu and Palestine's Abbas walking with other world leaders in the recent anti-terrorism march “of defiance and sorrow” in Paris and the calm wise words of positive role models and heroes such as Lassana Bathily who points out that "We are brothers. It's not a question of Jews, of Christians or of Muslims. We're all in the same boat, we have to help each other to get out of this crisis..."  are obvious proof that there is hope.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine." Ziad Asali

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