Hayyakum Allah

Internet Filtering - Continued

Two more issues are worth mentioning on the subject of Internet filtering, in order to help in understanding the complexity of the ongoing debate, primarily in the US. What is the purpose of a corporation? And how can one determine the nationality of a corporation?

It is easier to answer the first question: the purpose of a corporation, as some might know, is to maximize shareholder value. Therefore, the executives of any corporation strive with all their talents and efforts to achieve the objectives of the owners of the corporation, as defined.

As for the nationality of a corporation, the possibilities are many: the country where the stocks are traded, the country where most of the shareholders are located, the country where headquarters are located, the country where most of the employees are located, the country where the most significant markets are located or the country that represents the values of the corporation the most.

In an increasingly global economy, it is hard to find an answer that satisfies everyone. My take on this, however, is that it is the country in whose financial markets the stocks of the corporation are traded.

Internet Filtering

The success of the Internet, without which you obviously won’t be reading these lines, is astounding and unprecedented in modern history. For this reason, the Internet brings to the forefront some new and, not so new, issues that are of social and global concern. In order to better understand the reason for the Internet’s popularity, one has to look at who is using it and how it is being used. Business to business commerce, for example, is more than one Trillion dollars in size. Business to consumer commerce, even though much smaller in size, is extremely popular. Email is clearly abundant, convenient and free. Millions of new sites popup daily throughout the world with minimum cost and supervision.

This brings us to the subject at hand, Internet filtering. It is safe to assume that content in all of its forms is controlled in some manner. In some cases the control exits directly from an external source, and in others it is exercised voluntarily by the individual. Some content is controlled by the nature of its medium, while other content is controlled by availability, or, more accurately, by the lack thereof. In any case, be sure that filtering exists and that there is no such a thing as a filtering free Internet experience anywhere, only degrees of filtering.

The global nature of the Internet puts us face to face with issues of global nature. Do all the nations of the world share the same sets of values and priorities? Clearly, they don’t. What is acceptable in one culture is unacceptable in another. Similarly, what is essential for one nation could be only secondary for another. Therefore, each nation’s leadership is free to protect its citizens’ values and to promote their best interest. The problem that arises from this simple truth is that not all leaderships are created equal.

In some nations, the leadership works tirelessly to solve the nation’s problems, while in others, the leadership is the nation’s biggest problem. Some leaderships are inclusive and representative, while others are neither. Some are far sited while others are inadequate. Therefore, and not to stray too far from Internet filtering, the Internet experience of citizens around the world will vary based upon who is actually doing the filtering. The best a global observer could do is hope and try to minimize this variation.

As to who should be intrusted with this monumental task, I see no difference between Internet filtering and other concerns like economic planning, political development and civil liberties. All these matters should be delegated to capable and representative bodies that are held accountable to the citizens they try to serve.

Terror Languages

Does terror have a language? According to the US government, Arabic and other languages like Farsi, Urdu and Pashto are strategic languages whose learning is an essential component of its war on terror. Millions of dollars are made available to schools and colleges in order to offer Arabic language classes to students. An often circulated reason for this spending is that there are thousands of security tapes in need of translation.

In the US, there are more than 8 million citizens who are speakers of these terror languages. The vast majority of this community love their country and work tirelessly for its prosperity. They made it their home and in it they are raising their children. The designation of their beloved languages, that are inseparable from their culture and traditions, as terror languages is unfair. Moreover, and at a time when the line between legal and illegal surveillance is blurred, the prospect of additional erosion of civil liberties among the members of this community is likely to increase, as a result of all this spending.

The problem with this attack on the Arabic language is that it extends beyond this country’s boundaries. It adds to the atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust that already exists between Muslims and the west. While some deemed it appropriate to grant the Arabic language this unfair designation, Muslims on the other hand, believe that the Arabic language is the language spoken in Heaven. Furthermore, it is the language of the Holy Quran and that of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), hence, the language of the Traditions. These cultural issues are helpful in understanding the complexity of this matter.

Other problems with the viability of this approach have to do with the fact that Arabic, today, is spoken in so many different dialects throughout the world. This makes the task of mastering even the conversation part of the language very difficult. Another complicating factor is that the spoken Arabic is often mixed with other local and foreign languages in the course of a normal conversation.

How do those who are involved in a major operational conspiracy communicate among themselves? Undoubtedly, the answer is: with great care! And definately not in the language that one might learn anywhere outside a terror cell.

A better proposal would be to encourage knowledge and specialization in Muslim and Arab affairs, including languages, for the noble purposes of more effective communication and the building of strong cultural and economic bridges between the two peoples.

This post refers to an editorial in the February 13, 2006 issue of USA Today.

A Proposed Solution for Denmark

The current unfortunate crisis has brought to the front the need for greater global understanding and cooperation for a more peaceful and civilized world. So far, it is apparent that:

Most of the world’s non-Muslim population does not properly understand Islam, Muslims and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
Freedom of expression is often used selectively and as a mask.
There is a great deal of tension and disrespect among the different nations of the world.
Cultural and intellectual challenges can result in violent manifestations on an unanticipated and massive scale.

Therefore, a proper solution is needed to bring together the parties to this crisis to ease the tensions and to prevent any additional complications or future occurrences. A solution would be the establishment of an international center whose mission is:

To educate people everywhere about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his successful life and profound impact on history, human civilization and the daily lives of so many followers today.
To encourage constructive dialog and cooperation among the adherents of the world’s great religions, and the utilization of the principles of free speech and free expression to generate respect for the world’s great religions.

The center’s mission is to be achieved through:

The publishing and distribution of original relevant works in various media and languages.
The establishment of a bibliographic database of existing relevant published works in various media.
The sponsorship of international conferences, seminars and workshops on relevant subjects.
The sponsorship of awards to individuals and organizations for their relevant distinguished contributions.

Democracy and Liberty

The big lesson that the world has learned at the beginning of the twenty first century is that feelings of humiliation and injustice by the weaker nations of the world do lead to retaliations of an unexpected magnitude. The best solution arrived at to this problem was found in the concepts of democracy and liberty. As with other major society and history transforming concepts, much time and care are needed. This path is not for the insincere or the impatient.

Enthusiasm for democracy and liberty in the Middle East is currently more present than in any other period in recent memory. What is needed, and for a few years, is resolve and encouragement. Respect for the individual and their democratic practices, choices and decisions should be the constant in the future. Obviously, this respect does not always mean agreement, but it should not lead to hostility either.

Freedom of Expression

Much has been written lately about the freedom of expression, opinion, speech and the press. Thanks mostly to the misguided actions of a certain small newspaper. Here is my take on this matter: one is within their freedom of expression rights when they tackle matters that relate to their own culture, traditions or religion, it is their own business more than anyone else’s. However, when the matter alluded to is that of someone else’s culture, traditions or religion, then they better be extremely careful not to offend, because it is not freedom of expression anymore, it is hostility that hides behind freedom of expression.