Monthly Archives: May 2013

Charms and challenges of “rainbow nation” – II

But my excitement at reaching “God’s Window” after a long drive followed by a steep climb quickly turned into disappointment.  For some reason – and I hope it had nothing to do with me – God had pulled the curtains.

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Charms and challenges of “rainbow nation” – I

Spread over an area of 19,485 square kilometres, the park extends 360 km from north to south and 65 km from east to west, being 90 km wide at its widest point. Which makes this sanctuary for wild animals larger … Continue reading

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Myth of Buddhist non-violence

Neither the Buddhist scriptures nor Buddhist history is free of violence. In a world filled with hate and violence on account of religion, race, ethnicity, etc., Buddhists are no exception, despite their contrary image.

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Confusion in the Republic of Konfuzistan

There is strategic confusion and there is tactical muddle.  We don’t know what it is that we want and we don’t know how to get there.  Yet we seem to be sure what everyone else wants from us and from … Continue reading

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Parochialism in a global village

It can be assumed that Muslims would remain indifferent when oppression is perpetrated by Muslims against non-Muslims (a matter of course in every Muslim country) or by non-Muslims against non-Muslims (as in Rwanda or Congo)

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The hypocritic oath

It is increasingly common among immigrant Muslims in the West to claim that one is carrying the banner of Islam to these lands, or that Islam does not recognize national boundaries and, since all land belongs to Allah, there was … Continue reading

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Strange borders, arbitrary frontiers

Chile has no “strategic depth” and yet it has won all its wars against its larger neighbours!  Poor Bolivia, with plenty of “strategic depth”, not only lost 120,000 mineral-rich square kilometres of its territory (an area about the size of … Continue reading

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