Sunday 2 August 2009

Numbers

From the last The Economist, a statistic about the Arab death following the Conflicts in the Arab world since 1990
Sources: Algerian Government, British Council, B'T selem, Iraq Body Count, Kuwaiti Government, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Project on Defense Alternatives, Reuters, UN
Conflict in Darfur, since 2003 - 400,000
Algerian Civil War 1991-2002 - 150,000-200,000
Invasion of Iraq (since 2003) - 101,000-109,000
Iraqi Shia rebellion - 60,000-100,000
War for Kuwait (1990 and 1991) - 24,000-31,000
Second Palestinian intifada (2000-05) -5,500
Gaza war (2009) - 1,400
Lebanon war (2006) - 1,200
Every human being have its value and its story and the same right to live. The same right to have its life defended. Why the apparent solidarity in the Middle East when it is about opposing Israel is fading away when it is to help the lives of other Arabs? The same question for the human rights activitst across the world.
The same Economist is quoting Mona Eltahawy, relating to another issue, but still concerning the Arab world: "Israel is the opium of the Arabs".
Still related to the latest evolution in the Middle East: why any kind of solidarity - human therefore, whatever the race, origin and country - is almost absent in the case of Iran? Of course, the situation is not clear, mainly regarding who could take the direct advantage of any change of the current status. But, beyond the geopolitical and pollitical considerations, it is first of all a matter of respect for the human rights.

No comments: