Well the US May Be 'Hated' Globally, But Something Is Going On

[Annie]

http://www.publiuspundit.com/?p=609

Links to all found at site.

3/8/2005

PROTESTS IN UNLIKELY PLACES

Now, we all know about the huge surge of protests in Lebanon. I have also reported on the protests in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova. But what else is going on in the world? Let’s take a quick look.

Kuwait


After years and years of waiting, the Kuwaiti parliament is speeding up legislation for women’s suffrage. About 500 women demonstrated.

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Around 500 Kuwaiti activists, mostly women, have demonstrated outside parliament to demand female suffrage amidst tensions in the Gulf Arab state over a government drive to grant women political rights.

“Women’s rights now,” chanted the crowd, which included women dressed in abayas, or traditional long black cloaks. Some of the demonstrators at Monday’s protest wore veils over their faces.

“Our democracy will only be complete with women,” said a placard written in Arabic. “We are not less, you are not more. We need a balance, open the door,” said one written in English.

The crowd later attended a parliamentary session which approved a state request for a committee to speed up reviewing a bill allowing women to vote and run for parliament.

“In all Muslim countries from Indonesia to Morocco, voting and running for office are among women’s rights but we in Kuwait alone say ‘No’ … Is it possible that 1 billion Muslims are wrong and we in Kuwait are right,” lawmaker Mohammed al-Saqr said to applause from female activists in the public gallery.

But the 50-man assembly, in which Islamists have a powerful bloc, did not set a date to discuss the draft law.

Egypt
Demonstrators here are protesting against the new election law that would have Mubarak run against other candidates. The basis? They believe it will be rigged. I tend to agree.

CAIRO — Dozens of supporters of a banned Egyptian party demonstrated yesterday in Cairo against President Hosni Mubarak’s proposed electoral reform which they slammed as a “masquerade”.

The supporters of the Hezb Al Amal, or Labour Party, chanted slogans against the president in front of parliament, some wearing badges that read “No to Mubarak”, a sign of defiance unthinkable only a few months ago.

The demonstration broke up peacefully but came amid an intense debate in Egypt following an announcement by Mubarak late last month that an amendment to the constitution would be made to allow multi-candidate presidential elections.

The move was widely hailed as a landmark step towards democracy but opposition members have warned that the restrictions imposed by Mubarak will effectively strip the reform of any credibility.

“We have obtained a victory by getting rid of the referendum but the proposal made in parliament yesterday goes against the will of the people,” said a leaflet distributed at the protest.

“The government has limited the number of possible candidates to three or four known figures. The result will be a masquerade giving Mubarak the pretense of having been elected by the people,” it warned.

Bolivia
A.M. Mora y Leon told of the socialist protests yesterday, but now we seeing the more democratic supporters of Mesa protesting for him.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Washington ‘’remains firmly and fully committed'’ to Mesa and expects “that the current political crisis will be resolved in a peaceful and democratic manner consistent with the Bolivian constitution.'’

Mesa also drew support from hundreds of Bolivians who stood in front of the presidential palace and chanted, ‘’Blockades no, democracy yes!'’ and “Mesa, friend, the people are with you!'’

Nepal
Even after the declaration of a military dictatorship and the oppression of media, the democratic opposition to the king is preparing for a huge protest tomorrow. There was one previously, but it was cracked down on. They are planning a bigger one today. Here they are, putting together campaign literature and fliers.

Taiwan.
Alright, this isn’t so rare to see, but they are pretty pissed about the new anti-secession law passed by China.

Morocco
Tens of thousands protest for prisoners held in Algeria.

Rabat — Tens of Thousands of Moroccans hailing from different parts of Morocco marched in Rabat to express their support for the Moroccans still detained in the Tindouf camps. They urged the United Nations and the international community to press on Algeria to set the prisoners free.

The March was organized by Collectif Watanouna - set up on January 20- calling on international organizations to “intervene to put an end to the sufferings of families and children, who are separated from their mothers, and to release all Moroccans held in Tindouf.”

These Moroccans were emprisoned for more than 25 years, following the artificial struggle over the Moroccanity of Southern Moroccan provinces. This struggle opposes Morocco to the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which has tried to separate the provinces, known as Moroccan Sahara.

Moroccan associations from all over the country, leaders of some Moroccan parties and Moroccan artists participated in this March. They chanted slogans accusing Algeria of maiming and killing Moroccan soldiers and civilians, violating the international law and Geneva Agreement for the treatment of prisoners of war.

Pakistan
You just have to read this to believe it.

MULTAN, Pakistan - Thousands of women rallied in eastern Pakistan on Monday to demand justice and protection for a woman who said she was gang-raped at the direction of a village council, after a court ordered the release of her alleged attackers.

The victim, Mukhtar Mai, also attended the rally in Multan, a major city in the eastern province of Punjab.

Waving signs and chanting, the demonstrators, many of them from nearby villages, joined the rally. Organizer Farzana Bari said more than 3,000 women were at the event.

“We will fight for justice for Mukhtar Mai,” the women chanted during the rally, while others carried placards reading: “Give protection to Mukhtar Mai.”

Some 200 policemen observed the demonstration, which ended peacefully.

China
Protest busted up in Tiananmen Square.

BEIJING Chinese police dragged about 20 screaming petitioners from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square yesterday after they staged a sit-down protest outside the venue of the annual session of parliament, witnesses said.

“We are innocent. We have been wronged,” screamed the petitioners, who appeared to have come from the countryside.

Uniformed and plainclothes police forced the petitioners, including children, into vans, which drove them away.

It was not immediately known what their grievances were or what happened to them. Police prevented reporters from interviewing, photographing or filming the petitioners.

The protest itself was not so big, but the most interesting part about the article was this little statistic:

Protests have become increasingly common in China, fuelled by corruption and a widening urban-rural wealth gap.

More than three million people staged about 58,000 protests nationwide in 2003, according to Outlook magazine, a mouthpiece of the Communist Party. The number of demonstrations jumped 15 per cent from the previous year.

Chinese authorities frown on public protests and arrest and jail leaders to try to nip organised dissent in the bud.

Interesting. Perhaps China is actually opening up more than just economically.

Now, going over all of this, look at what we just saw. Morocco? Egypt? Kuwait? Pakistan? Incredible stuff.

 

[Zhukov]

It makes sense when you read 'globally' as western Europe's elites, the Communists, and the Islamofascists.

As for regular people, well....

Mar 4, 2005 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American aid to tsunami victims has produced the first substantial shift in public opinion in the Muslim world since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, reflecting more support for the United States and less for Osama bin Laden, according to a poll released on Friday.

The poll of 1,200 adults in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, showed backing for bin Laden has dropped from 58 percent in 2003 to 23 percent today.

It also found that 65 percent of Indonesians view the United States more favorably after the superpower provided military logistic support and millions of dollars in private and government aid for relief after the Dec. 26 tsunami.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=551531

'Muslim opinion of US improving'


By Anwar Iqbal

WASHINGTON, March 5: Muslim opinion of America is improving gradually despite the war in Iraq and troubles in some Muslim nations, says an opinion poll released this weekend by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation.

The Heritage Foundation, a respectable conservative think-tank, reported the poll indicated "the first substantial shift of public opinion in the Muslim world" and said the findings revealed that pronounced Muslim distaste of the United States was waning.

Based on a survey conducted from Feb 1 to 6 of 1,200 adults in Indonesia, the poll found that 40 per cent favoured US-led efforts against global terrorism - up from 23pc in 2003. Another 36pc said they opposed those efforts; the figure stood at 72pc two years ago.

Confidence in Osama bin Laden had dropped. When asked if they thought Osama could "do the right thing regarding world affairs," 23pc agreed. In 2003, that figure was 58pc.

"The support base that empowers global terrorists has significantly eroded. This is a major blow to Al Qaeda and other terrorists," the poll said.

Discussing the cause of the 'dramatic' change, the Foundation said that American response to tsunami had inspired good feelings. The poll found that 65pc had a more favourable view towards the United States in the aftermath of tsunami, with 75pc saying Americans had done enough to help victims and 64pc deeming that assistance 'important'.

Polling was done face to face in both urban and rural areas of Indonesia. "This is just plain good news, and represents a huge sea change. Favourable feelings for the US have increased dramatically, indicating we may be on the verge of turning the corner in this region," said Ken Ballen, president of the Washington-based Terror Free Tomorrow, which had sponsored the poll.

The new poll represents a departure from recent opinion surveys of the United States, which often cast America in the role of an oil-seeking bully with questionable culture.

A 2003 British Broadcasting Corp poll of Indonesians had found that 69pc had described Americans as 'arrogant,' while 48pc said 'antagonistic'. Another 60pc said the US was 'more dangerous' than Al Qaeda.

http://www.dawn.com/2005/03/06/top11.htm

 

[Deornwulf]

And the Neo-Libs will still continue to decry the United States at every chance.

 

[Eightball]

Please don't take me as a Bible Thumping fanatic,,,,,,,but didn't Jesus say something about not being surprised if the world hates you?

Seems like the whole world is going secular, or fanitically towards Islam, and is hating America even more as this trend grows.

So many of the Christian tenets that made America what it is, is in turn vehemently hated by both European secularists, and radical Islamists.

 

[Merlin1047]

Let's see - under Clinton, everybody liked us, nobody respected us and no one feared us at all.

Under Bush practically nobody likes us, most people respect us and our enemies fear us.

I'll take door number two, thank you.

 

[dilloduck]

If folks will separate the idea of democracy from Americas' stereotype they may find it more palatable---if they go democratic, who cares if they are our best buddies?