Things were stired up by hardline muslims and IMO the Sudanese goverment. That part of what you say Pro is true the bit about stopping the aid going there shouldn't even be considered, the horrors the people in Darfur are going through is unbelievable, we shouldn't let these people suffer just because of some religeous zealots.
The people who are suffering today will probably become "religous zealots" after the aid has made their lives easier and they have more time to think about it. Its hard to be a religous fanatic when your starving, much easier with a full belly.
I can't agree with that. Where's the evidence. That is almost like something the Daily Mail would write. Bangladeshis have put up with much suffering and are muslim and yet the ones I have met have been most gentle, polite and deeply religious.
Just a thought Geoff, Can you come up with any country where our aid has made a long term difference for the people. The only way to "help" these people is to go in there and take over their governments. But, getting back to good old tony, and Iraq, that dont work. So the only reason for the aid is, they have something we want, or we want to keep the Russians out or the Chinese. Do you think I could get my own column in the Mail? :D
Agree with all of you. (Unusual for me to agree with anybody). Most revolutions (some justified) and extremist actions occur not when the oppressed are kept right under, but when they are allowed a little freedom. On the other hand not every society turns nasty when it is allowed something better. I think it is a matter of hope. If Western society can't provide hope for the oppressed then they turn to lunatic creeds that offer them hope for 'Heaven on Earth.'
I agree Pete. I would rather any aid be spent in THIS COUNTRY were we might actualy see a benifit. Im not even 100% sure that forighn aid actualy benefits a countrys economic state as it mearly prolongs a unnsustainable situation. Bailing out a sinking cruise liner with a bucket springs to mind. I could make a list of deserving charitys in THIS COUNTRY many pages long.
My view has always been that the long term solution to religeous extremism is education. I was always sorry that they didn't integrate the schools in Northern Ireland. Children have to be taught to hate. To that end, I would support all educational aid, even if it took a long time to become effective. The Christian world has been through it all, burning heretics, drowning witches etc. There is nothing wrong with the Moslem world that another 500 years won't put right.
Pro Gard. Sort of disagree with you. Foreign aid is necessary for economic reasons. The problem is that current aid is wrongly targeted. It is sent to help a country's economic state and is then mis-spent by people who have an interest in maintaining the status quo.
Also agree with what your saying John. But cant help thinking that we are not welcome in their countries, it has to be all or nothing for me, and if were not wanted then its nothing. These problems have been going on for centuries in most of these countries and all we do is make the situation worse interferring. Afterall what right have we got to interfere.
FYI I am selling my childhood teddy 'Mohammed Mustapha Matel' for �£500. I am hoping to make a monumental Prophet. They are all mentalists, which is my informed opinion of any nation that equips their armies with children carrying machine guns !
