Will this increase or decrease the likelihood of terrorist actions in America, Europe and the rest of the world?

If you were a member of a family murdered in this conflict, would you be seeking revenge?

Should Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert, be tried for war crimes if or when this conflict comes to an end?

What will the price of oil be in 4 weeks time?

Interesting speech.

Can he deal with those who are out of touch and shout the old rhetoric.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090604/wl_afp/usdiplomacymideastislam_20090604140437;_ylt=An2lK.6m5mD7vF_K.5xzhS6sOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1bzM5aWIyBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDA5MDYwNC91c2RpcGxvbWFjeW1pZGVhc3Rpc2xhbQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNvYmFt

CAIRO (AFP) US President Barack Obama on Thursday vowed to forge a "new beginning" for Islam and America in a landmark speech to the world's Muslims, evoking a vision of peace after a smouldering cycle of "suspicion and discord."

In what may be a defining moment of his presidency, Obama laid out a new blueprint for US Middle East policy, vowing to end mistrust, forge a Palestinian state and defuse a nuclear showdown with Iran.

"So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace," said Obama, who was greeted with a standing ovation as he stepped up to the podium at Cairo University.

Obama's long-awaited speech fulfilled a campaign promise and came after he held talks in Saudi Arabia Wednesday with King Abdullah and Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak aimed at reviving Middle East peace moves.

In the university's imposing domed Great Hall, Obama said the US bond with Israel, the source of much Arab distrust of the United States, was unbreakable, and rejected "ignorant" rants by those who deny the Nazi Holocaust.

But, breaking from policies of his predecessor George W. Bush, Obama also rebuked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt West Bank settlement expansion and reiterated his backing for a two-state solution.

"I have come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world," Obama said in a speech targeting the globe's 1.5 billion Muslims on television, the Internet and on social networking sites.

"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," said Obama vowing to fight "negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

"But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America," he said, and touched on contentious regional like democracy and women's rights.

Quoting the region's three holy books, the Koran, the Torah and the Bible, he evoked a future of "mutual interest and mutual respect, examining all sources of tension between America and the Muslim world.

The US president, laying out an ambitious foreign policy, to match the audacity of his domestic program, spoke directly to Muslims on their arguments with America.

....and the Iranians poured cold water on the idea before they even heard the speech. That tells me something. It takes two to tango as they say. I also noticed the 'showman' symbolic visit to a concentration camp in Germany immediately after to let those of Jewish persuasion know he hasn't cast them aside.

I find this interview far more interesting and offering much more hope....

http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1363wmv&ak=null

Obama will be loved in the Middle East. USA image is going to be changed soon and the world recovery will start as a result, IMO.

Obama may be loved by the people of the ME but not necessarily by some powers. Therein lies the problem. I can't see what the ME has to offer that would kickstart the world economy.

Oil !!!!!

Oil !!!!! itself won't kickstart the world economy but it certainly has the potential to slam the brakes on VERY hard. Oil just sits in the ground minding its own business until things are moving.

Do you know what the opposite of this thread is ? answer : talking about finance on a girlie website !....... example : Don't you just love the way Brad Pitt dresses ?.....and the opposite follow up like you lot would be : they have frozen interest rates today !.

RF, Phew, that was well thought out.
Must read more of your financial words of wisdom.

The financial markets are not in a world of their own.

Interesting, rebuke of Israel's Settlement policy by Clinton within the last 48hours.

Israel, may have to come of age and respect its responsibilities.

So what will happen to price of oil in four weeks Fred?

Any advice on how best to play the financial angle regarding Clinton's rebuke much appreciated.

Much as I enjoy a bit of non-trading banter like many Required Field does have a point. Looking at the top 11 threads only 2 are really related to trading and they are not really a hive of activity (maybe 3 or 4 if you include the PC thread and SW meeting.) I guess we are all a bit more willing to share views on Gaza, British politics, TV programmes, rugby, beer, etc. than trading. I don't really mind but I can see how somebody coming to the Traders Room for discussion on trading might think he is in the wrong place.

Israeli Gaza conflict??????
MP"S expenses, laughing all the way to the bank MP
More responsible parenting froms Brits in Portugal....
The "Ask" Kayak thread :-)
PC & MAC CLINIC
The Apprentice - series 5
The Traders Thread - Friday 5th June
The SIPP and ISA thread
South-West meetings SW
Bunny's Beer Basement
Rugby Thread

Isaccs and RF, Post a little more of financial interest and your offerings will be at the top of the page. It is up to you.

But as you suggest, there are many threads which may provide a little light refreshment for some and rattled the cages of others.

If you don't wish to read the thread. Simple, don't!

Personally, I peruse quite a lot of threads without commenting or having any real interest in their topic. It is up to you.

If the Middle East doubled the price of oil, it would have an effect on the economic recovery.

Don't deal in commodities , but guess that oil may hit 75$ a barrel.

Fred you missed my point. I am not bothered either way but don't think it is fair to ridicule somebody who raises a valid point.

Isaacs, Who was I ridiculing?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7459669.stm

Sarkozy says burqas have no place in France

Burqas are not welcome in France because they are a symbol of the subjugation of women, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday.

In his first public comments on an issue fuelling passionate debate, he backed a group of French legislators who expressed concern last week that more and more Muslim women were wearing the garments that cover the face and body from head to toe.

"The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue, it is a question of freedom and of women's dignity," Sarkozy said.

"The burqa is not a religious sign, it is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission of women. I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory."

His remarks won strong applause from legislators during a wide-ranging speech at the grandiose Palace of Versailles.

France, home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, is divided over how to reconcile secular values with religious freedom.

Many see the burqa as an infringement of women's rights and say it is being imposed on many Muslim women by fundamentalists.

"We cannot accept that some women in our country are prisoners behind a grille, cut off from social life, deprived of their identity," Sarkozy said.

He backed a cross-party initiative by some 60 legislators for a parliamentary commission to find ways to stop the burqa's spread.

Well said, Sarko. France has a leader, unlike us.

Sarkozy, a man who shows leadership with courage and common sense.

Can you imagine the reaction in Saudi or so many other Muslim states if western women walked around half naked? They would find that offensive to their religious, cultural and social mores. Fair enough, that's their country. Their business.

Why then do they think they can imprison "their" women in such clothing when it offends our cultural and social mores in this country? Our business.

And why do all those left liberal Israel haters condemn Israel when they want to keep their Jewish identity in their country. Up to them. Their business.

I'm all for real multi-culturalism where other groups, religions etc are tolerated and live together happily as long as what they do isn't offensive to the rest of the population. For example we in the UK should and do tolerate many other cultures and they often enrich our society - and most of those groups do it without causing offence.
Personally I have no problem whatsoever with Muslim women wearing head scarves, but full body coverage produces a sense of unease and alienation - just as it would if UK nationals walked around in Ku Klux Klan outfits.
Equally I have every sympathy with the populations of religious Muslim countries feeling that Christian missionaries trying to convert locals is offensive to them - very understandable.

If missionarys tried to convert people in Saudi, they'd be beheaded.
That is their law.

Interesting letter in the Times today.
I don't often paste second hand opinion, but here's one of the many moderate people whose views are often overlooked.

Sir, While I oppose Nicolas Sarkozys right-wing and pro-American agenda, I commend the French leader for questioning the validity of full-face veiling for Muslim women (report, June 23). The Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford (Meco) has championed the unequivocal right of Muslim women not to wear either the hijab (headscarf) or face covering (niqab/burka) in the light of pristine Koranic teachings.

For too long a foreign-inspired Muslim clergy that defends female inferiority and gender discrimination has subjected Muslims in the West to virulent indoctrination. This brainwashing stems from the Middle East and South Asia but has no Koranic foundation. It is propagated by nefarious factions, including the hardline Wahhabi-Ikwani-Salafi-

Deobandi sects. These currently ascendant sexist groups in Europe peddle the myth that full body covering and face concealment for women is a religious requirement. On the contrary, it is nothing more than a cultural choice, a personal preference. The mullahs fail to tell their flocks that nowhere in Islams transcendent text is there any mention of the word burka or niqab. Since the Koran declares itself to be immutable and that nothing has been omitted from the scripture (vi, 38), why is there a need for latterday misogynists to impose a draconian dress code that is not specifically sanctioned by the holy book? Other than calling for public modesty of both sexes, Islams sacred scripture does not prescribe any specific sartorial code.

As with everything else that brings Islam into disrepute today, the Muslim clergy relies on secondary sources, particularly the hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) to support their questionable theological views, including the need for women to hide their faces. But it is a historical fact that the hadith, many of which are suspect or spurious, were compiled about 250 years after the death of the Prophet. Clearly, where these human statements conflict with the divine text, they have no legitimacy.

While Muslim women should be at liberty to decide what to wear, they have to be truthful and say that they are upholding cultural mores and tribal traditions when they veil their faces. They cannot honestly claim that this trendy fad, which evokes understandable fear and negativity in European society, is a koranic imperative or a religious duty.

Only with the emergence of an indigenous British Islam that is faithful to the uplifting tenets of the faith in restoring the Korans total primacy will there be advances in the status of Muslim women in Britain. This naturalised Islam firmly rejects the fabrications and fallacies of a Saudi-funded clergy and will expedite effective Muslim integration into the British mainstream.

In the meantime, the French President should be applauded for initiating an essential public debate about the non-koranic burka and niqab.

Dr T. Hargey

Chairman, Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford

quite so, but it conveniently overlooks the fact that it is the men in islamic countries - and indeed most others - who set down what they consider their womenfolk should wear ...... indeed, that is even still the case in UK in many branches of (white) society.

Yes, there are even men in the UK who ask their women to go around the house naked.
Much more civilised here in the West.
Especially in Surrey.
;-)