tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post179791860224326258..comments2024-02-10T07:26:14.917-05:00Comments on Baha'i Faith in Egypt: Egypt: Freedom of Expression & Freedom of Religious BeliefsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-1703185839336518942007-03-19T05:04:00.000-04:002007-03-19T05:04:00.000-04:00nice article about current Egypt.http://www.washin...nice article about current Egypt.<BR/>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/18/AR2007031801196.htmlAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14948341359264244662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-4632566020542420102007-03-18T20:47:00.000-04:002007-03-18T20:47:00.000-04:00from my experience, it takes time and patience bec...from my experience, it takes time and patience because God is working His will not with the kings and rulers, not with the educated elite generally speaking, not with the captains of industry, but with the meek and lowly, and the ones who have other personal issues that delay the full flowering of their unrealized potentialAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14948341359264244662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-8972973009103734142007-03-18T13:44:00.000-04:002007-03-18T13:44:00.000-04:00r.a.,Actually, action oriented efforts are underwa...r.a.,<BR/>Actually, action oriented efforts are underway, but this takes time & patience. Meanwhile, raising awareness and close monitoring must never cease until a resolution is reached.Bilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08060802520953738221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-1249582996408185792007-03-18T03:33:00.000-04:002007-03-18T03:33:00.000-04:00The honorable Congressman Trent Frank exemplifies ...The honorable Congressman Trent Frank exemplifies a progressive model of diplomacy where the scope of involvement is global, rather than confined to national or regional interests. It is a rare thing to see members of government from other nations actively concerned with the welfare of others who are beyond their borders and are detached from selfish, profitable or self-serving ambitions. One would wonder why this has not been the observed practice from leaders of the Middle East region.<BR/><BR/>Nabil makes a direct and clear statement regarding the urgent requirements of universal duty and responsibility. What happens in one region of the world is not isolated from, or ineffectual to the organic body of the global community. Such as the human body receives harm or acquires disease in a particular area, if left untreated, its influence will spread and weaken other healthy organs. In this day, it is everyone’s responsibility to maintain the healthy progress of humanity.<BR/><BR/>What is still unclear is the organizational structure, the system of collaboration whereby remedial actions and their progress are initiated, tracked and seen through to final resolution. There are numerous reports, news releases, however, who can say what followed, what is the progress to date, what are the obstacles, and what is the current path to follow if a particular plan has not succeeded? It is one thing to monitor, and another to manage and implement an effective program of resolution. There is confidence in knowing that if the structure and dynamics of the system are clear and organized, that many more qualified and sincere people – such as Congressman Trent Frank - would participate in and eagerly pursue what is now emerging from the realm of an impossible vision to becoming a critical and absolutely necessary fulfillment: universal justice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-53096508213516487922007-03-17T16:24:00.000-04:002007-03-17T16:24:00.000-04:00An interesting post on 13 March by Congressman Fra...An interesting post on 13 March by Congressman Franks can be seen <A HREF="http://blog.thehill.com/2007/03/13/2654/" REL="nofollow"><STRONG>here....</STRONG></A><BR/><BR/>In it, he writes: "Only through the genius of “sophisticated, enlightened men and women” can a self-evident truth be denied. The self-evident truth to which I refer is that all men, women, and children regardless of race, monetary worth, or station in life are created equal and possess a sacred dignity intrinsic to being creatures made in the image of God Himself.<BR/><BR/>Because of this truth, one of the most fundamental natural rights of every individual is the right to freely worship and think according to one’s conscience. It is the cornerstone of all human freedom. <BR/><BR/>If Egypt is to be considered a vibrant and tolerant society, it must be a pluralistic one that protects freedom of speech and tolerance of religious diversity. Every year I am forced to make the difficult decision as to how I will vote on the foreign operations bill that authorizes the way American tax dollars are spent to aid our friends and allies. Some of the countries in that bill, including Israel and Jordan, meet those standards that protect basic human rights, and I wish I could vote separately for their aid; however, I have time after time voted against final passage of the bill because of instances in which countries receiving aid, stifle basic human rights and fail to seriously combat terrorism...."Bilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08060802520953738221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-20852384424925203402007-03-17T09:45:00.000-04:002007-03-17T09:45:00.000-04:00This is very very true,Bilo, Something good can (a...This is very very true,Bilo, Something good can (and will) come out of anything.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14948341359264244662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-67815282262608309232007-03-16T09:59:00.000-04:002007-03-16T09:59:00.000-04:00We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the Congr...We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the Congressman is speaking of the principle more so than making a judgment as to the specifics of the cases mentioned. It is not up to us to judge either, particularly when all the facts are not known to us.Bilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08060802520953738221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-46616498650929144392007-03-16T02:03:00.000-04:002007-03-16T02:03:00.000-04:00Edoriver,Who is Esra and who is Kareem? Could you ...Edoriver,<BR/><BR/>Who is Esra and who is Kareem? Could you explain your comment?<BR/><BR/>Thanks,Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17133352683952286919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-89651921811879316322007-03-16T00:34:00.000-04:002007-03-16T00:34:00.000-04:00Over at mideastyouth.com Esra'a has worked incredi...Over at mideastyouth.com Esra'a has worked incredibly long hours on email and on the phone and making personal contact for Kareem's sake. She is largely responsible for this international recognition of the Egyptian Blogger. I respect her for this effort. But I never could join the protest, because I read the comments and postings of Kareem's blog when she first mentioned his troubles with authorities.<BR/><BR/>The comments were very acid and perhaps slanderous, even if the posts stopped short of personal insults. Kareem even added his approval of the basic direction of the comments.<BR/><BR/>In my humble opinion he was asking for trouble. And I mentioned this to Esra'a--didn't win me any friends, but I felt I had to say something.<BR/><BR/>So I wouldn't put the Bahais in the same box with Kareem.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14948341359264244662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-38954262495210036082007-03-15T13:18:00.000-04:002007-03-15T13:18:00.000-04:00Nabil,I can tell you that these news and developme...Nabil,<BR/>I can tell you that these news and developments are currently under close watch and monitoring by the United Nations, world governments and international human rights organizations.Bilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08060802520953738221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-92167958228280593142007-03-15T13:07:00.000-04:002007-03-15T13:07:00.000-04:00Adolf Hitler and the NAZI'S had a name for it..."t...Adolf Hitler and the NAZI'S had a name for it...<BR/>"the Final Solution"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29145551.post-59832523524338121712007-03-15T12:52:00.000-04:002007-03-15T12:52:00.000-04:00Congressman Trent Franks' letter to the editor is ...Congressman Trent Franks' letter to the editor is timely, asking to free an Egyptian blogger. Mr. Franks also mentions religiously based discrimination, including the denial of human rights to Egyptian Baha'is. <BR/><BR/>The Baha'is in Egypt are not supposed to even exist in that country and at the same time those who could leave are forbidden from doing so! This has got to be the worst Catch 22 designed by a country claiming to respect human rights. This goes beyond religious discrimination! It is a systemic approach by a government determined to eliminate the presence of any but three religions in Egypt, to discriminate against two of them, and to deny the presence of Baha'is in Egypt who span six or more generations. Since the government has the illegitimate power to do so with the support of the opposition, one has to ask:<BR/><BR/>a) What is the world (or the UN) going to do about this?<BR/><BR/>b) Can a government commit systemic denials of civil and human rights based solely on religious beliefs, deny its discriminatory practices, and not be held accountable?<BR/><BR/>c) Has not the situation become flagrant enough to require systematic responses from those countries who support human rights?<BR/><BR/>d) What will Islamic authorities do to undo the wrongful hijacking of Islam by those intolerant elements who replace the compassionate spirit of Islam with their own narrow version of sectarian political Islam?<BR/><BR/>e) What will other world religious authorities (including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, and Hindu, as well as Baha'i) do to ensure that all nations, including Egypt, tolerate all religions?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17133352683952286919noreply@blogger.com