I will buy you the ticket to Tehran myself or would you like one to Beirut instead? Easy to make such stupid statements when you live in the West. Those Iranian students may have some harsh words for you Anas.

Me too, but it’s not the kind of preference you can impose on others if they generally don’t want it. At the end of the day that’s what at issue here.

Sure – but the issue then is, what happens if they change their minds. The one man, one vote, one time, doesn’t really cater for change. Nor is it intended to.

I think he is lovely.

“But politically, you’re a firebrand.”

In a past life.

Smiles back.

Me too, but it’s not the kind of preference you can impose on others if they generally don’t want it. At the end of the day that’s what at issue here.

What’s the country that hasn’t been invaded and faced imperialism and yet runs its country on ‘Islamic principles’? Iran. And they have lots of freedom for their people don’t they?

Huh, didn’t I mention Mosaddeq above? I tell you I’d still rather live in Iran than in some of countries that are our closest allies, Saudi Arabia being a prime example.

You yourself are conservative in every way except the political one.

Like me, you don’t like the bad language and smutty talk in mixed company that our children take for granted, we both like modesty, although we might culturally have different perceptions of it, and we understand what that much-abused phrase ‘family values’ actually mean (we are also more tolerant of a certain erstwhile commenter who shall remain nameless).

But politically, you’re a firebrand.

I am with you on that. He could very well end up being the Chalabi of Cairo.

As ever you astound us with your incisive facts and commentary Bijna. Are you Amir’s cousin by any chance?

Anas: or even what Western commentators think would be the best idea from their point of view.

I’m biased towards democracy, so sue me. I know its also a wacky idea but I get the inkling people generally like living in countries where they can broadly do what the like within the law and have religious freedom. What’s the country that hasn’t been invaded and faced imperialism and yet runs its country on ‘Islamic principles’? Iran. And they have lots of freedom for their people don’t they?

Yeah, laudable aims, but I have this wacky notion that the people of a country should actually decide the direction they want their country to go in based on what they want, and not — and this is almost always been the case — what’s in the best interests of a small rich western elite and its continued need to control the country’s resources; or even what Western commentators think would be the best idea from their point of view.

You want clear statistics? In English? There are none. Still it is blatantly obvious, just by walking the street.

One prison imam has said that 1 out 3 juvenile delinquents in Holland also has a Maroccan passport.

Just a random page:
http://www.scp.nl/publicaties/persberichten/9037702376.shtml
sais that 1 out of 5 Maroccan Dutch is suspected of a crime, compared with 1 out of 25 native Dutch.

Here is something in English:
http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/mmore.htm

Yeah, cause Turkey has a great human rights record doesn’t it. It’s not like writers get threatened with jail for making un-Turkish statements.

Would’ve thought that would convince hardliners that Turkey was ready for Europe…..