Media focuses on women’s rights in Kabul, why not in Palestine?
“THE Americans did not heed the demands of their European allies to extend the withdrawal period from Afghanistan beyond August 31, 2021, as the Americans no longer wanted to bear more of the cost of their two-decade occupation of Afghanistan,” columnist Sultan Al-Khalaf wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“Thus, the Taliban has won the war against the Americans and their European allies, after taking control of the entire Afghan territory, and this was confirmed by the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the European Commission, Mr. Borrell, when he declared that (the Taliban won the war and we must negotiate with it).
“The military war in Afghanistan is over, but the media war against the Taliban has not ended and it continues to raise one issue, which is the violation of women’s rights and freedom. It still shows many interviews with Afghan activists, members of parliament and former officials, who warn of losing their human rights gains under the Taliban rule.
“The issue of Afghan women’s rights in the Western media represents a rich material, to obscure painful facts from the Afghan scene during the past twenty years of the US-European occupation of Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of Afghan civilians were killed – many of them women and children – and dozens of villages were destroyed.
“With this the economic situation of Afghans deteriorated and the numbers of Afghan refugees piled up in neighboring countries in the midst of war crimes committed that are not allowed to be circulated in the media in order to avoid embarrassment and accountability, which calls for an apology to the Afghan people for that war, while paying compensation to the poor Afghan state, for the destruction caused by the occupation and its military operations on its lands, and refraining from freezing Afghan state funds in international banks, because they need that money for reconstruction.
“Certainly, if the Taliban were an ally of the Americans, the relationship between them would be based on mutual respect and courtesy, and the issue of women’s rights and freedom would not be raised, as interest in those rights fades, in the midst of those intimate relations that serve American interests and its allies.
“As it is clear, there is no deafening ear for the rights of Palestinian women or Palestinian children, under the Zionist occupation, its suffocating siege and its policies that violate international law, and its assault on worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“The issue of supporting women’s rights, which has become just an American media scare, to deceive world public opinion and cover up its destructive policies in the region, no longer has any credibility.”
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“When I read that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to make a statue of the great Kuwaiti artist Abdul-Hussein Abdul-Redha, which will be displayed in an upcoming artistic celebration in Riyadh, I felt a mixed feeling between joy, shame, heartbreak and loss of hope. Especially since this announcement came during a period of rapid and great achievement in removing a statue symbolizing beauty, which was displayed within the decor of one of the famous and upscale stores in a respectable complex,” columnist and former editor-in-chief of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Iqbal Al-Ahmad wrote for Al-Qabas daily.
“I also remembered statues created by Kuwaiti artists, such as the plastic artist Sami Mohammad who is still, after a long history, witnessed by the far before the near, looking for a place to display all his works that honor Kuwait and the art in Kuwait.
“The statue of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem, may God have mercy on him, the pioneer of the renaissance in Kuwait is still collecting dust due to neglect because one official, if he was an authority or competent, has not yet dared to take the decision to move this wonderful edifice from its current cemetery to a place that shall remind us and whoever visits us that our democracy and our renaissance had great men behind it, and we are honored to introduce them to the entire world.
“The statue of our great artist Abdul-Hussein Abdul-Redha, which will be exhibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is something we in Kuwait highly value. We are also proud and also feel ashamed and frustrated that others around us appreciate our art and artistes more than our government, representatives and officials in general and those who have no specialization.
“A deputy remains seated when the national anthem is played, completing the thought of one of the former MPs who disregarded and underestimated the Kuwaiti flag, which he said about him while he was in the middle of Abdullah AlSalem Hall (the maximum is Kharga).
“In this context, we cite the story of one MP who preferred to remain seated during the playing of the national anthem because one of his predecessors – the former MPs – once sarcastically described in Abdullah Al-Salem Hall at the National Assembly the Kuwait flag ‘as just a piece of cloth’.
“What happens from time to time at the hands of some representatives or officials in some cases is not considered a private opinion as much as it is a disregard for a country that has its symbolism and sanctity.
“The homeland, regardless of whether we are 100 percent satisfied with it or less, is our pride and glory, and it is security and safety. What it needs from us is respect and defense of its symbolism.
“All of the above topics, used to be ascribed by the people of the relevant denomination to what they used to call as heresy may and may not fall within what they believe in, but nobody, has encountered these people and this means that we at the moment are moving backwards because the road is opened for this denomination of people and closed before all the opposition that may be raised against them.”
“The situation in Lebanon can no longer be met with silence as the knife has reached the bone. As they say, it has become necessary for the international community to unite in saving this country which was once the destination for tourism, culture, media, art, literature and for everything that radiates beauty, taste and sophistication,” columnist Abdulrahman Al-Awwad wrote for Al-Sabah daily.
“The first people to rush in helping Lebanon are the Arabs. It is shameful that the nation fails to perform this duty, rather this obligation towards our brothers who are suffering. They hardly finish a crisis until another more severe and costly crisis surprises them.
“After the gasoline crisis, or rather, along with it because it is still present and unresolved, another crisis related to the previous one arose, that is, the bread crisis. The mills will gradually stop working as of Tuesday after supplies run out.
“The financial collapse in Lebanon is reflected in a severe fuel shortage, which brought many aspects of daily life to a standstill. The State-owned Electricité du Liban barely secures electricity for a few hours a day.
“Lebanon stands on the brink of a catastrophe, in which all the parties will realize that they are rushing towards it as if they are blindfolded. Without a doubt, the politicians of this country bear full responsibility for what happens to their people.
“However, this does not absolve us, Arabs, of responsibility. It is neither reasonable nor acceptable to link our assistance to Lebanon to the type of its government and the majority in decision-making, control and possession. First, save Lebanon from a looming famine that threatens its entire people. Then, let us sit down and be held accountable for what has passed and think about what is to come.”