Ayoon Wa Aazan (The Objection Is Exclusively About the Methods)

Between now and then, I find something or someone to remind me of how certain statements are often taken out of context, as for example is the famous case with the Quranic verse “Woe to the worshippers.” Indeed, the full verse says, “Woe to the worshippers, who are distracted from their prayers.” Thus, some people deal with news,ideas, comments and statements in this manner of partial reading, just like those who stop reading the Quranic verse above after the first few words. I once said that if Israel continued to reject the two-state solution, then the region will one day witness terrorist attacks that use WMDs. But I was surprised after that to read on the website of the Jerusalem Post, a Likudnik-racist newspaper, that I was “a Columnist of Hate” who calls for using WMDs against Israel. This partial reading is repeated in some of the letters I receive from the readers. So much so that I dare say that every single piece I wrote on Bahrain has been received in the same manner as the verse of “woe to the worshippers”, or the other one that begins with “Do not approach prayer…”. About Bahrain, I say that the opposition has legitimate demands. Nay, I once even said that I would be willing to go with the dissidents to the king or the crown prince to discuss those demands with them. And yet, I have readers who talk to me about the demands of the opposition, as though I have denied them. I say that there are those among the leaders of Al-Wefaq in Bahrain who want to found a theocratic regime in the Iranian style in the country. In other words, they want to transform a prosperous country into a country under siege, where the people suffer every day, despite the huge oil reserves they possess. Yet it is not acceptable at all for someone to claim that all Shias in Bahrain want clerical rule. Instead, it is my opinion that the Supreme Leader of Al-Wefaq Issa Qassem along with other leaders in the group are indeed seeking that, and betraying the interests of the Shias in Bahrain. Nothing more, and nothing less. In neighboring Kuwait, I object to the belligerence of the opposition, and the exaggerations it makes and which border on lies in talking about corruption, even insisting on making claims that the courts themselves have rebuffed. Nevertheless, this does not mean that I object to the existence of the opposition itself, since that is part and parcel of the democratic process, and democracy would indeed not deserve its name without an opposition. No, my objection is exclusively about the methods. And yet, I have readers who bemoan, in private letters, the fate of the people of Kuwait, even when they are many orders of magnitude more fortunate than any other Arab people. I even wish for all Arabs to have half of what Kuwait has today.So to those in the opposition camp I say, put on something to ward off the evil eye from your country. The pro-Muslim Brotherhood reader who got in touch was even worse than the above. Indeed, he seemed to place the interest of the group above that of the country, and fails to see the massive economic problems that have gotten only worse since the collapse of the Mubarak regime. He even considers Egypt to be resting on its laurels, and swimming in milk and honey, as long as the Brotherhood is in power. I will follow the Muslim Brotherhood and I am even willing to wear the headscarf, if the Islamist group succeeds, since I am with the people of Egypt always. But until this happens, it is the duty of every person to see the situation, all the situation, as it is, and not as he wants it to be. Through my daily dealings with the readers, I find that the Arab situation in every country is divisive. And perhaps some of the readers have noticed a letter in Reader’s Mail that said an article was “magnificent,” while others said it was “terrible” or “horrendous”. An opinion is a sacred right to those who voice them, and it may be right or wrong, and reflects a subjective position. But facts must be accurate. Just like we must not stop at the first few words of a Quranic verse, we must not stop at half of the opinion voiced by a writer, and neglect the other half because it invalidates one’s claim against him. Since the fifth of last month to date, I have visited ten Arab cities, some twice, and collected information from senior officials for use in this column. It is they who are the newsmakers, not I. In the English school of journalism, where I started and got my training, I heard that the best opinion is that which the writer presents to the readers without it appearing to be an opinion, but one that is hidden between the lines. I don’t know whether I learned that lesson or not, but I can say that I am trying. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.