Gender Segregation

I was pleased to read in Maha Akeel’s report “Saudi, Gulf Women Disagree Over Segregation Issue” (Jan. 3) that the Gulf women refused to join their colleagues in the women’s section and remained with the men. I find their act courageous and challenging. It has sent a message to our society that racism and segregation “must” be eliminated once for all. Are those Gulf women “less of Muslim” than Saudi women”? The answer is surely “No.”

The statement of Dr. Afaf Al-Bar, a Saudi woman participant, reacting to what Dr. Rafiea Ghabash, president of Gulf University of Bahrain, that “Dr. Ghabash’s criticism reflects her opinion, but we have our traditions and customs here” was the stock response of all those who have no argument to justify their positions. I would like to remind her that these traditions and customs are man-made and have nothing to do with Islam. It is high time that our society updated our old traditions and customs. And, honestly, are we all that keen on preserving traditions? Saudi society has widely accepted satellite channels and Saudis on the programs where women appear almost naked, singing and dancing. Does that conform to our customs and traditions? Has anyone stopped watching them because of traditions?

Let us stop practicing hypocrisy. Let us say what we feel and stop pretending. Let us also accept the reality that we are the only country in the world that practices gender segregation. Unless we end it, we will remain weighed down by our own fallacy of customs and traditions.

Abdelmenem Jamil Addas, Jeddah published 5 February 2005

Taiwan-China Flights

The deal struck by negotiators from Taiwan and China to allow round-trip charter flights between them brightens hope for improved interaction across the Taiwan Strait. By the terms of the agreement, air carriers from both sides will, for the first time, fly directly to destinations on the other side. According to an earlier accord negotiated in 2003, only Taiwan-based carriers were providing this service, operating under restrictions — a one-way charter service from China to Taiwan, which had to touch ground midway in either Hong Kong or Macu. The breakthrough was made possible when Taipei dropped its objections to Beijing’s demand that Chinese airliners should be allowed to fly to Taiwan through an arrangement to be negotiated by nonofficial civil groups or business associations. This, Beijing stressed, was in keeping with its “one-China” ideological framework. Cross-strait flights are considered a domestic affair, requiring no direct involvement of governments or semiofficial agencies.

Until last year, it had been Taipei’s attitude that Beijing’s demand was unacceptable for reasons of national security. Beijing was keen to avoid any appearance of negotiating an “international” accord or doing anything that might be construed as tacit acknowledgement of the legitimacy and equality of the government in Taipei, which it has consistently denied.

At the Macu meeting, Beijing showed flexibility in two ways. It allowed a top Taipei government official, Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Chang Kuo-Cheng, to act as on-the-spot leader of the Taiwanese team, although the one who did the talking was a nonofficial representative — Lo Ta-Shin, chairman of the Taipei Airlines Association. Furthermore, although the text of the provisional agreement has not yet been made public, it appears that it includes no wording that characterizes the charter flights as domestic. Of course, Beijing is free to continue asserting it is so, and Taipei is free to call them “special cross-strait flights” or whatever.

The accord sets an example of what can be achieved when pragmatism rules, emphasizing the achievement of clearly defined, shared goals and when all are prepared to put aside undue worries about how this or that action might be symbolically misconstrued.

Fareed Hwang Jieh-Shan, Taipei Office, Riyadh published 5 February 2005

Environmental Issues

Misplaced sarcasm, the kind Dr. Mohammed T. Al-Rasheed used in his column “Of Desert Truffles and Regulations”(Jan. 27), cannot substitute for informed and objective arguments. It is good to remember that environmental writings have graduated from emotional outbursts and vague anti-establishment postures a long time ago.

The press release in question issued by Dr. Abdulaziz Abuzinada, secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD), was a seasonal clarification in advance of the truffle harvesting period in order to manage it efficiently. Of particular concern was Harrat Al-Harrah, a key protected area where vegetation and wildlife had made a remarkable comeback. While the local people respect the principles of nature’s rhythm, there have indeed been instances where extensive damage was caused to the protected area. It is in this context that the ground rules for truffle collection set by NCWCD have relevance. Only the points of entry and period of collection for each collector are regulated so that damage to the vegetation and wildlife would remain the minimum. These rules do not apply to areas outside the Harrat Al-Harrah reserve.

As a person who has worked in several countries on conservation, what I found particularly attractive in my assignment with NCWCD is the respect the organization has for the traditional knowledge of the Bedouin. NCWCD, as well as a good segment of the global conservation community, clearly recognizes that conservation can succeed in the long run only when it is practiced in partnership with the local people.

It is this paradigm that is at the core of whatever success NCWCD has achieved, and to attempt to paint the agency in another color is certainly not a worthy endeavor.

S. Faizi, Technical Consultant, NCWCD, Riyadh published 5 February 2005

Western-Style Democracy

In spite of the mounds of media attention showered on the Iraqi elections, nothing has been said about the differences between the candidates and the policies which they stand for.

If there are little or no differences among them, then this must indeed be “Western-style democracy”. After all, is there any difference in essence between the Republicans and Democrats in America? And the negligible differences between Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat make Britain a virtual one-party state. The British people are essentially disenfranchised, so how can Blair bleat on about democracy in the Middle East? No wonder the single “Conservative-Labour-Democrat Party” in Britain is worried about the rise in the popularity of the BNP.

Francis Andrew, Zarqa, Jordan published 5 February 2005

Ghailani’s Arrest

This has reference to the letter “Partners or Slaves?” by Azad Miah (Jan. 29) regarding Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who was arrested in Pakistan and handed over to US authorities. Ghailani, a Tanzanian, was the prime suspect in the US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Pakistan tried to hand him over to his country of origin, but Tanzanian authorities refused to accept him. Further, the crimes he was accused of were committed against US assets and citizens and it is they who should try them. In such cases, international law specifies the procedure that should be followed by the country apprehending a suspect, and it was that procedure that Pakistan followed in this case. It was acting as a responsible member of the international community; it had nothing to do with slavery as commented by Miah. To claim that Pakistan is selling human beings is an insult to the country.

Zafar Raja, Alkhobar published 5 February 2005