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Pope's Visit Coincides With Campaign Against Christian School
by Khaled Abu Toameh
• May 27, 2014 at 5:00 am
"It is a Christian school and if you want to put on a
hijab, go to a Muslim school." — Razan, east Jerusalem.
Some Christian families said they tried to bring the issue to the
attention of the Pope and his entourage but were afraid to do so for fear of
retribution.
It remains to be seen whether the Pope or the Vatican will do
anything to help the school's administration in the face of the campaign of
intimidation and threats.
Three
of the hijab-wearing students pictured at a demonstration against Rosary
Sisters' School.
Pope Francis was probably unaware that during his visit to Bethlehem
earlier this week, a Christian school in east Jerusalem was being attacked by
Palestinian families for allegedly banning their daughters from wearing the hijab,
the veil that covers the head of Muslim women.
The families claimed that the administration of Rosary Sisters' School
had prevented their daughters from attending a graduation ceremony because
they were wearing the hijab.
The school decided several years ago that it would not allow Muslim
girls to attend graduation ceremonies while wearing the hijab. The
decision has triggered a war of words between supporters and opponents of the
ban and highlighted tensions between Christians and Muslims.
On May 22, the families, in an unprecedented move, staged a
demonstration against the Rosary Sisters' School, accusing its directors of
"racism" and "intolerance".
"Happy" in Iran
by Avideh Motmaen-Far
• May 27, 2014 at 4:30 am
"The regime has reached a point where both sides sacrifice
people: one side encourages the people to do unconventional things to show
that the situation has changed and the other side suppresses them to show
that nothing has or neither is going to change." — Reza Parchizadeh,
political analyst, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The Morality Police still haunt public places to arrest women
regarded as not conforming to the "Islamic" dress code; sham trials
and real executions have increased; writers and artists are still censored or
banned from work, and protestors are still arrested, tortured and kept in
custody.
Young
Iranian men and women dancing in their "Happy" video, several of
whom were later arrested for the act.
What is this fake charm offensive going on now in Iran? It seems the
regime is divided. It also seems that Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, voted
in nearly a year ago, made a considerable number of liberal-sounding promises
to attract voters before the election. The most important of these focused on
granting social freedoms to people, easing sanctions on Iran, and boosting
Iran's economy. However, on all three, the system has not budged an inch --
especially for women.
The Morality Police still haunt public places to arrest women regarded
as not conforming to the "Islamic" dress code; sham-trials and real
executions have increased; writers and artists are still censored or banned
from work, and protestors are still arrested, tortured and kept in custody.
European Elections and Geert Wilders
by Peter Martino
• May 27, 2014 at 4:00 am
Needless to say none of the European Union partners of the
Netherlands stands by the Dutch when they are confronting an illegal boycott
by Saudi Arabia. Common EU declarations criticizing Israel are so much easier
to make -- and need less courage -- than risking the anger of the Saudis.
Geert
Wilders is interviewed while campaigning, March 12, 2014. (Image source:
Video screenshot from Dutch Public News)
To the surprise of many, the results for Geert Wilders' Freedom Party
(PVV) in last Thursday's European elections in the Netherlands were
disappointing. Wilders blamed the low voter turnout and the fact that his
voters were not interested in the elections for the European Parliament (EP).
He may have a point. A poll taken on Thursday shows that the PVV would have
done much better in national elections for the Dutch Parliament. But there
are also indications of the opposite. Wilders did very well in the previous
European elections five years ago. Voter turnout was equally low then, but
Wilders' voters did show up despite their lack of interest in the European
Union.
So the question remains: Why did the voters, while remaining loyal to
Wilders, fail to turn out last Thursday?
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