Well, my current hero is, actually, the Emir of Qatar. It is rather strange as I have never met him, nor directly spoke to him – he has sent indirect messages and greetings. He is my hero because of his intense commitment to peace in the Middle East. Headlines of yesterday and today speak of his efforts which are in opposition to the UAE’s proposals. He gives sound, logical, historical reasons. UAE is playing a game, in my humble opinion.
“This from U.S, News, Qatar’s ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told White House adviser Jared Kushner on Wednesday that Doha supports a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, to end the conflict with Israel, his cabinet said.
Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, is in Qatar after a U.S.-brokered accord last month for the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize ties. The article further stated: “Sheikh Tamim told Kushner Qatar remains committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, in which Arab nations offered Israel normalized ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war.”
This from another news agency: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received senior advisor to US President Donald Trump Jared Kushner in the capital Doha on Wednesday, according to the official QNA news agency.During his meeting with Kushner, Al-Thani underlined Qatar’s position, which calls for “a just settlement of the Palestinian cause on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution” to provide security and stability in the region.The two sides discussed the close strategic relations between the two countries and a number of issues of common concern as well as the peace process in the Middle East region.Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates and Israel announced a US-brokered deal to normalize their relations, including opening embassies in each other’s countries.
It is interesting to note that Trump’s relative made Qatar his last stop, after all other countries. Was that a strategy Kushner, my dear? Do you have one? Or are you of the same ilk as your father- in law? No strategy, just knee jerk reactions. Most cruel, am I! What is ilk? sort, class, category, group, set, bracket, genre, kidney, grain, species, race, strain, vintage, make, model, brand, stamp, variety, family. Is Kushnerr of the same sort, species, genre made or model? He is of the same family. The question that remains: Should we trust that family of Trump? Ample evidence to the contrary.
Now I do admit that it is most unusual, even bizarre, that a woman born in Saskatchewan should somehow be involved, concerned and rather desperate for peace in the Middle East. It just happened and most coincidentally. Synonyms for Coincidence are: accident, chance, serendipity, fate, a twist of fate, destiny, fortuity, fortune, providence, freak, hazard; a piece of good fortune, (a bit of) luck, (a bit of) good luck, a fluke, a happy chance; happenstance.
So is this destiny, a flute or perhaps serendipity? Not altogether sure. But should not everyone be concerned with peace in the Middle East and throughout the world?
My sense of humour (and honesty) shall again comes into play. Many, many, many years ago I was the sef -appointed President of an Elvis Presley Fan Club. It appears that now, some sixty-three years later, I am the President of the Emir of Qatar Fan Club. But it is best not to take this too seriously as it does violate THE basic principle of the Islamic Faith. Within Islamic law shirk is an unforgivable crime since it is the worst sin: Allah may forgive any sin except for committing shirk. “Shirk is In a theological context one commits shirk by associating some lesser being with Allah. This sin is committed if one imagines that there is a partner with Allah whom it is suitable to worship. It is stated in the Quran: “Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives anything else, to whom He pleases, to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin most heinous indeed” (Quran An-Nisa 4:48)
An easier interpretation : “thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” I am safe, and on good ground, as I do not worship the Emir of Qatar, just being the president of his fan club is not the same..
No one can deny that my life is not interesting even though I have been in self isolation, home sheltering or in solitary confinement for a crime I did not commit for almost six months. It is because I am open to new thoughts and ideas. What should I be doing at the ripe old age of 77 – knitting, sewing, darning socks? I an incapable of all and not intending to learn.
Personal Driver now calls me Baby – making me laugh. He and his wife successfully raised three children, but they are grown. He wants to start over this process, one where they found so much success, So he has taken me on. It is rather fun, and believe it or not, I am most obedient. I am eating healthy food, going for daily walk, getting my rest. It brings him great joy – as well as his family because they laugh at the idea of acquiring a 77 year old sibling. I jokingly said to his wife: “No wonder the birth process hurt so much.”
Some day, in the future this all will be over. Did read some disillusioning news. Canada has contracted with USA manufactures for delivery of the vaccine from two American companies. What is disillusioning? Delivery not until spring of 2021. I was hoping for a reprieve before the end of 2020. A reprieve is a stay of execution, cancellation of punishment, postponement of punishment, remission, suspension of punishment, respite; pardon, amnesty, acquittal; let-off.
Does that not describe this situation, particularly in San Francisco? We need a suspension of punishment, a respite, a pardon, a remission, a let-off.
Oh in case any of you are feeling jealous of me – my PCP diagnosed a hernia yesterday. It is apparently not serious enough to require surgery at this time. It is hell getting old but what is the alternative???
By the way, Al Jazeera has become my new font of knowledge. They have resorted that: “The first shots of British drugmaker AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine could be on the market by the end of 2020, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said”.We are talking about a potential vaccine so we need to be extremely prudent, but … if the vaccine is confirmed as safe and able to meet its objective it will be already available by the end of 2020,” Speranza told parliament.The European Commission has paid 336 million euros ($398m) to AstraZeneca to secure at least 300 million doses of its potential vaccine for EU nations.”
So perhaps this hell may end by the ‘end of 2020’. But not entirely with those anti vaccine folk.
The photograph is a beautifully painted building in the Mission – taken on one my outings.
