Why Apologise? By Madeeha Ahmed

To my weekly readers I present another blog post courtesy of a great writer Madeeha Ahmed.. Enjoy and stay tuned for more blogs

Why apologise? 

What happens when people apologise for something that they did not do? Not directly anyway; I do not say that the apologists are not responsible, but why apologise for something that they did not do directly? Today I speak specifically of Mr Barack Obama, who so graciously apologised to his Afghan counterpart Mr Hamid Karzai over the recent civilian deaths by a disturbed American soldier.

I say 'disturbed' not because I am trying to be politically correct, but because I do believe that the accused was disturbed. Now, one may argue that this was a heinous and barbaric deed and no punishment is enough. However, the said person holding such a viewpoint will be overlooking major factor: the soldier was American. If you have read various political discourses and heard those phenomenal speeches with which the world's politicians fool us at every elections, then you should know that no American can be guilty of committing a barbaric crime. This is why, in my view, Mr Obama should not apologise, because his fellow countryman did not do anything that heinous.

IF and that is a big 'if'; If an Afghan, a Pakistani, an Indian, an Arab, an Egyptian, an Iraqi or an Irani national would have done this, THEN it would be rampant barbarism and my friends no amount of 'sorrys' would be enough. Even if a Russian would have done this deed, then it would be called- not barbarism- but the work of Russian mobs. When America kills, it kills to protect human rights, but when an Eastern kills, then it is a crime. When an American forces itself onto someone's territory, s/he is Bush or Obama, but when someone with a Muslim name does it, then it is Osama.

It is nothing to feel bad about, it is just geography. So all in all, Mr Obama really should not apologise. The soldier killed for a righteous reason: his countrymen were killed in response to 'mistaken' Qur'an burnings, but what he did was heroic; he was avenging his friends. It was not cowardly at all. It is not as if he crept into innocent peoples' houses and shot them while they were asleep and defenceless; or as if he killed innocent children. He killed Afghans and we know how barbaric those Eastern folks can be. Right?

So Mr Obama, please take back your heartfelt (superficial) and gracious (pathetic) apology; it wasn't your fault that some civilised soldier from the great ranks of US of A went a bit dotty and got carried away. It's not as if he killed Americans. He killed some Afghan civilians and we know how worthless their lives are in relation to the coveted Americans. So Mr President, don't lower yourself by apologising to some Eastern country; they are not worth it. Instead, go tuck your innocent children in bed, because no one will dare kill them; their lives are much too American and therefore important!

Maria Dimouli *HUMAN RIGHTS*

Hello Everyone! I have received a fantastic blog post by a dear friend of mine and wanted to share it with you all.. Enjoy

Human rights is not something that everyone understands but it is something that everyone needs. Knowing the words "human" and "right" is not enough! You have to know the value of these two words and then realise their meaning. People studying human rights, like me and my friends, have gone beyond this point and realised the necessity for a change. There are some common characteristics among these people like passion and fairness, will to help and altrouism, compassion and responsibility.

I feel that I am one of these people so, let me explain how I really feel about human rights. "To see the change you got to be the change" said Mahatma Ghandi so, I got to be part of the change I want to see in the world out there. And there are a lot of things that need to be changed. Studying human rights os the first step to gain knowledge on human rights issues and get worried about them. When worried, it's more likely to try for and get involved in change. First it's knowledge. then will and then you start searching for the ideal opportunity to actually get involved. So, I studied human rights to help the world and, as a graduate, I feel that the world does not help me help them!

Now that crisis is here people are worried more for material goods and less for concepts such as freedom, dignity and empowerment in life. They tend to focus on money and they strive to pay debts and buy food, and they forget the values and what really matters in life. I'm not saying it's right or wrong...but, for me, everything is relevant and interacting. In some countries, there are babies dying and children exploited; women raped or treated like objects and men working for a dollar per day. In other countries, there are spoiled children, women worried because they cannot afford to buy THE bag, and men who spend their life in an office to get the promotion and satisfy their ego.

Human rights made me re-consider and evaluate what I have. It's okay if you don't get a hundred toys/THE bag/the job/the promotion because what matters is that you are here and you have your life, your dignity, your family and friends, people around you who appreciate you and love you. You are free to think, to choose, to speak, to risk, to try, to fail, to be. So you have to be happy because, even if you have nothing, you still have a lot...and you know what?It is okay,too, if I don't get a job very soon or I don't travel around this year because I am living my life as I want and I have my family and friends supporting me!

Going back to the basics is something that our community needs to do!Forget about economic recession and think of a real crisis when a baby dies from famine or a woman is punished to death or a man is treated like a slave with no dignity. Think of homosexual who cannot express what he is and he is not free to choose the way of life he wants to live. Think of people living in the streets. Think of diseases which can be curred and situations that can get better. Think and worry, and then get involved!

I think, I worry and I am involved. I care about people who enjoy less rights than I do. I volunteer and help in charities to make their lives easier and better. I discuss my views with friends and I spread the two words, highlighting their true meaning.

Seeking Inspiration

Post coming soon!