Religion of peace on the march

In Scotland, where a film festival has asked a Jewish documentary director to skip this year. Reason: what else?

Israeli director Yoav Shamir said Thursday he has been advised by organizers of the Edinburgh film festival in Scotland not to attend the screening of his new work due to Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.

Shamir’s previous films include the critically acclaimed documentary “Checkpoint,” which showed the daily travails facing Palestinians at crossings in occupied territory interspersed with interviews with Israeli military personnel.

In an email seen by Reuters, Shamir was informed by the organizers that due to expected protests over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, “it might be in your best interest not to attend the festival this year for your own sake, rather than for ours.”

In Jerusalem, where the appropriately named Islamic Movement is pre-emptively trying ban Jews from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

In Pakistan, where Islamic dress codes may get in the way of Western aid workers:

The authorities in the Pakistani town of Mansehra say they are drawing up guidelines for aid workers helping victims of last year’s earthquake.
They want to ensure their dress and behaviour does not offend sensibilities in North West Frontier Province.

Some Muslim clerics accused women working for international aid organisations – including Pakistani women – of dressing improperly.

You can’t even altruistically help quake victimes without running afoul of the mullahs.

Want another dose of stupidity? I aim to please.

Israel is being criticized for not protecting aid convoys going into Lebanon.

Desperately needed food and supplies for trapped and displaced Lebanese are piling up undelivered because Israel won’t guarantee security for aid convoys, relief workers said Wednesday.

At the moment, Israel can’t guarantee security for hospitals in Haifa. How on earth can it guarantee security for aid convoys going right into a war zone?

And where’s the criticism for Hezbollah, Syria and Iran–the instigators of the war in the first place?

Their complaints came on one of the heaviest days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. The United Nations says 800,000 people have been displaced by Israeli ground, air and artillery attacks.

On Wednesday, the U.N. and Red Cross said they had delayed aid shipments. Private groups said they had difficulty moving personnel and material into the country.

How shocking–it’s hard to move truck convoys through an active war zone, where one of the combatants has a vested interest in delaying aid to make the civilized combatant look bad.

The world is mad. Positively and probably irretrievably mad.

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