h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4682560.stm

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/printable.asp?art_ID=21971&cat_ID=2

Not a brilliant start to the Chinese New Year is it?

No.... it makes me sick with fear... The capacity of humans with maternal instincts and filial love to then be so blinded by the joint power of hatred and rage is truly frightening.

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&7C77A57ACE8640C3C225710C002E529D

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=21964

Good grief, how sad that is. I had an argument with my husband abbout this last night, he said they shouldn't have published the cartoons, because they should have expected these violent reactions, and I said it was but a few fundamentalists, and we shouldn't be terrorised by them. It looks as if he was right after all, though.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&article_id=21970&categ_id=17

I think we need some www.bigassfans.com soon, too. No normal sized fan's going to cope with the kilotonnage of shit that I fear is about to hit it...

I'm going to have a nice warm bath and forget I'm human for a few hours

Well,there is no doubt that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy being shown by the so called fundamentalists in all this.It would seem the West and it's religions are fair game for Muslims to attack as disbelievers yet any criticism of Islam, whether irony or otherwise is met with violence, threats of violence and total mayhem.The demonstrations in London showed quite clearly that there is a minority of crazed fundamentalists who seem to forget that the roots of Islam are in peace and tolerance.The moderate voices of Islam now need to make themselves heard by condemming the actions of the few and try to put the positves back in Islam.

Here's hoping for

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/printable.asp?art_ID=21966&cat_ID=2

This is all certainly a cause for despair. It's terrifying that people are so easily manipulated.

It certainly is. How on earth did I vote for that Hypatia in the hootoo election? sheesh.

I find it hard to see the re-publishing as anything other than an act of outright provocation - the cartoons were published once, fair enough. But publishing them again is just like saying "I know this pisses you off. But I'm publishing it again for that very reason, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it".

The thing is, these were first published back in September. Why the hoohaa now? That's my first point of total confuzzlement.

Second, the Islamic press is constantly ridiculing jewish and christian symbols and images... how come they think that's ok and this is not?

My fear is that once again there is an invisible hand behind this all - something is being cooked an it smells pretty bad from where I am sitting.

My real terror is that my country is the testing ground for a lot of political weirdness - being a non-islamic arab nation - a pretender to the throne of arab democracy. Combine the hotbed of islamic passion at present with the hizballah "freedom" movement, Hamas' extremism and current political validity and you have a potentially rather ugly situation brewing.

We have a saying in Lebanon that if you want to know the face of God, come to the triangle of his birthplaces: Judaism, Christianity and Islam all source here because it is the source of all iniquity

I wonder what the future will hold for us all. It feels very weird being a British Arab Christian right now.

W

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/02/interior_minist.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/01/lebanon_pro-syr.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/01/shebaa_farms_ar.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/01/un_reports_broa.php

Thank you, Annie, I needed that hug... I hope you are well?

Don't mind me, I am just dumping some furniture down in the corner of this thread for later use

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=22018
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=22023
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=21950
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/briefs.asp?edition_id=1

The Youth will save us:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=20&article_id=21699

The apology: too late....
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10015674.html

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=84976

Lebanon becoming secular state? double blimey



http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=13791

How's your family ?