absolutely alex’s adventures & times

While the US finally seems to be on the road to healing from its history of slavery by undergoing a revolution that could propel a black man towards the White House, Spain has unfortunately allowed racism to rear its ugly head again recently.

British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was at the receiving end of racist taunts while test-driving at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona a few days ago.

Not only were there rude words and gestures directed at the 23-year old star who is the circuit’s first driver with black heritage, a group of hecklers went as far as to wear wigs, dark make-up and signs that said “Hamilton’s family”.

No doubt Spanish fans are paying Hamilton back for the well-publicized bad-blood he had with former McLaren team mate Fernando Alonso, who is Spanish. Alonso had publicly stated that the constructor favored Hamilton.

But this is not the first time Spanish sports fans have displayed such ugly behavior. Black British footballers were also jeered when they played in Madrid in 2004. One of them, Rio Ferdinand, has called for tougher action to be taken against the fans’ boorish behavior.

Thankfully, Britain’s sports minister is on the case, writing to the Spanish government to express anger. Motorsports’ governing body, the FIA, has also threatened Spain with the loss of both of its F1 grand prix races, as punishment for the racist behavior of its fans. “We are surprised and disappointed at the abuse,” stated an FIA spokesman. “This is a clear breach of FIA principles and any repetition will result in serious sanctions.”

The Spanish motorsports federation were quick to offer their mea culpa but limited it to a condemnation of the bigots.

“The Federation wants to show its absolute repulsion at these incomprehensible incidents and demonstrate its support and solidarity for the McLaren team and especially their driver Lewis Hamilton,” it said in a statement. “This type of idiots that are confusing sporting rivalry with violence should be aware that the Federation has a zero-tolerance approach to this issue.”

Nice of them to throw out a statement but how about a more serious attempt to ban bigots?

It is disturbing that such racist behavior exists on such a regular basis, especially in a country like Spanish, which has a good mix of immigrants and different races. Interestingly, Spain is one of the few countries in the European Union whose citizens are still open to an influx of immigrants, as it continues to enjoy a strong economy, recently overtaking Italy in GDP per head.

But it has to make a bigger effort to stop such shameful attitudes and behavior of its people.

Ban those who are caught in the act of bigotry from ever attending a test-drive session again, let alone a championship match.

The sports’ governing bodies, be it FIA or FIFA in the case of football, could do more than fine the offending countries – they should strip them of the privilege to be the stage of the biggest games.

Players who are the target of the racist abuses should also fight back and insist on tougher action against offenders and countries.

And most of all, the likes of Hamilton and Ferdinand should win in their respective sports, which would be a great “take that” to their detractors and be the sweetest revenge against bigotry.

Salman Rushdie is one of the most sublime authors in the English language.

So no one should be surprised that he is granted a knighthood to honor his considerable literary achievements.

The British ought to stick to their guns on this one and refuse to give in to blackmail, even as Islamist elements in Pakistan and Iran are protesting their rage and demanding a retraction of the knighthood. The UK government is sovereign and has every right to knight whomever it chooses, not least Rushdie, because of his literary accomplishments but also for his moral courage to write exactly what he thought and for braving the fatwa issued by ayatollahs for his death for a decade. The fatwa was in response to his book The Satanic Verses, which Muslims had claimed is blasphemous.

While Muslims have a right to protest, some of their more extreme comments are unlikely to gain sympathy, but perhaps more fear, suspicion and revulsion across the world.

What’s more disturbing is that a Pakistani minister had actually said Rushdie’s knighting is “justification” for suicide bomb attacks and is the root cause of terrorism.

“If somebody has to attack by strapping bombs to his body to protect the honor of the Prophet then it is justified,” Pakistan’s religious affairs minister told the National Assembly. He went as far as to suggest that Pakistan and other Muslim countries ought to suspend ties with the UK if the knighthood was not retracted.

Iranian officials have issued similarly threatening and hardline threats to Rushdie’s life.

Another radical group, the Organization to Commemorate Martyrs of the Muslim World, even offered Rushdie’s successful assassin a $150,000 reward.

It’s bad enough when fringe groups like that get all hysterical over what they perceive are the smallest slights, but when government officials do so too, that’s downright frightening.

This is a serious step back for Islam and moderate Muslims. These extremists hijack the agenda and the religion, ruining things for the majority of moderate Muslim practitioners that are progressive and tolerant. Senseless calls for murder is not going to help Islam’s image anytime soon and would instead entrench stereotypes of its being radical, backward, and violent. This troubling standard of not only suppressing freedom of expression but also threatening to kill others for having a difference of opinion is deeply troubling, even barbaric.

There should be no justification whatsoever for senseless and indiscriminate murder, especially of innocent lives who might be lost should the attack be carried out by a suicide bomber. Until radical Muslims start respecting the beliefs and lives of others, there is no way they would gain respect.

In what is perhaps a setback for the release of kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston, his kidnappers have gone to the media, not with news of his freedom, but with threats to kill him if their demands were not met.

Gaza-based extremist group, the Army of Islam, which had said it has held Johnston since March, denied the Hamas’ line last Friday that Johnston’s release was imminent.

Hopes had earlier been raised that Johnston might see freedom soon after Hamas took control of Gaza late last week after a week of bloody fighting with its rival Palestinian faction, Fatah.

“Freeing this detainee has not been part of any deal with any faction or organisation. What appears on television screens and through the media here and there are untrue,” an Army of Islam spokesman said on al-Jazeera television channel. “If they do not meet our demands there will be no release for that detainee and if things become more difficult … then we would seek God’s satisfaction by slaughtering this journalist.”

The Army of Islam wants the release of Islamist prisoners, in particular Palestinian-born cleric Abu Qatada, who is detained in the UK.

Hamas has been anxious to secure Johnston’s release as it tries to show the world that it is battling the lawlessness in Gaza which its says is due to the lack of good governance by Fatah. It was also a sign to the international community that Hamas had no intention of threatening or holding foreign journalists.

In many ways, this would be a test for Hamas. It is anxious to prove that it has control over Gaza and has the ability to bring a semblance of stability there, even as most predict its failure, due to Gaza’s isolation and its dwindling supplies of electricity and food. International governments have reacted to Hamas’ victory there by bolstering their support of its rival, the Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas. The US has pledged to stop its embargo against the Palestinian Authorities, while Israel had said it could work with a Palestinian government that does not have Hamas as a part of it.

Treated as a pariah state by the international community, Gaza will face much hardship in the coming weeks. It would be to Hamas’ advanatage to score a public relations victory by securing Johnston’s release.

“I will defend my convictions while respecting others,” pledges French President Nicholas Sarkozy, declaring his guiding philosophy, as he plunges into his job with relish, giving an opinion on anything or everyhing.

This is a man who has the energy of a man half his age, seems like he is staying up all night thinking through all the biggest issues of the day and is keen to unleash himself and his ideas onto his first big international appearance, at the G8 summit in Germany this Wednesday, while simultaneously projecting the image that France is once again a major player in the world stage.

On the European Union and its role, Sarko has been urging that European leaders accept a new, simplified European treaty that will be ratified by member states through parliamentary votes rather than popular vote, which had sealed the fate of an earlier incarnation through rejection by French and Dutch voters. His philosophy towards the EU has also solidified around the idea of it wielding more power as an economic entity and less in political realms. But at the same time, he told the Financial Times he opposed EU’s trade policy, labeling it “excessively liberal”. It figures. Despite his reformist credentials, Sarko is at the core a protectionist when it comes to French industries, insisting on staying the course on French agriculture and justifying it by explaining that “the security of Europe’s food supplies was vital”.

On the incoming UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Sarko had this piece of advice. “Gordon Brown has advanced and modernized the British economy over 10 years. I hope that in moving from Number 11 to Number 10 Downing Street he understands that Europe is not outmoded.” But Sarko smoothly added, “Europe has need of the UK and the UK has need of Europe.” He further established the groundwork for a smoother transition in his dealings from Tony Blair to Brown, by telling the Financial Times that “I don’t think that everybody shares my opinion. I don’t have this arrogant vision. He is more liberal than I am.”

Sarko, who has long professed his admiration for the US, is also playing nice when asked about US President George W Bush, Iraq and Bush’s recently-announced environmental initiatives. Regarding Iraq, he pulled out the diplomatic card, professing to not being qualified to comment when he doesn’t have troops in Iraq and affirming French support in Afghanistan through continued troop presence. When it came to commenting on Bush’s environmental plan, Sarko called it an “encouraging evolutionary”. This guy looks set to have a great conversation on the sidelines of the G8 summit with Bush. Expect an invitation to Camp David in the mail for him soon.

But really, Sarko seems set to build consensus and make friends everywhere. It’s a smart move that will warm him to the leaders and create an easier basis for doing business. He was equally flattering about German Chancellor Angela Merkel, complimenting her on her leadership in the EU’s rotating presidency and expressing confidence of her ability to push for issues such as reform and the environment through.

The only person that might not get the full assault of Sarko’s charm is Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the latest hissy fit Russia is throwing about the US’ missile plan, Sarko said he plans to have a “frank and direct” discussion with Putin. Though professing to desire a strategic partnership and amicable relations with Russia, Sarko had came out strongly to condemn Moscow’s strengthening authoritarianism and human rights abuses in Chechnya while campaigning for the presidency. Russia is unlikely to forget that quickly.

So it looks like this upcoming G8 summit might be a little more than just boring business as usual with Sarko’s kinetic and involved presence. The attending heads of states will no doubt have to hear plenty of his opinions and contend with a French President with an assertive approach. While it remains to be seen if Sarko will wear them out, the media, especially the European ones, is still nursing its love affair with Sarko. You could bet on seeing, and hearing, a lot of the guy over the next few days.

At the very least, we can say that abducted BBC reporter Alan Johnston is probably still alive.

His kidnappers, the Army of Islam, have released online a videotape of the Gaza-based reporter, who went missing in early March.

Claiming to be in good health and that his kidnappers have been treating him well, Johnston was dressed reminiscent of the detainees of Guantanamo Bay in a bright orange shirt, looking thin.

More distressingly, Johnson was most likely compelled to make the case for the plight of the Palestinians, condemn the war in Iraq, and denounce the situation in Afganistan.

And in what’s sure to cause deeper anguish for his family, Johnston started to address his family on tape but was cut off.

The British government was united in their condemnation of Johnston’s abduction, calling for his immediate release while adding that his captivity doesn’t help the Palestinian cause.

His kidnappers had demanded the release of Abu Qatada, a Palestinian-born Islamic cleric suspected of having close ties to al-Qaeda and is under the UK government’s detention as a threat to national security.

The BBC said that it was not ascertained when the video was made and what kind of conditions Johnston was in.

For now, let’s hope he is still alive and well, with the right channels working hard to ensure he is freed at the soonest.

See the Alan Johnston video here.

It must be hard to be in Prince Harry’s position.

Today’s decision by the head of the British army, General Richard Dannatt, that Harry is not going to be deployed to Iraq, after weeks of mixed signals, seems like a blow to the Prince’s hope of serving in real combat with “my boys”.

While the reasons given for not sending Harry to Iraq are entirely valid, the decision will not only help insurgents in their propaganda, but also put Harry in a bad light.

It could eventually be hard for him to command the respect of those he leads, if he’s seen as being too vulnerable to be sent to a war zone. As a soldier, one trains to go to combat, so what is the point of being a soldier if one was trained yet shielded from action?

The prince himself is reportedly keen on going in Iraq, and could probably resign rather than take a desk job, the Washington Post reports.

One wonders how well the news will sit with the British public, especially those with sons and daughters serving in Iraq.

Would they feel a sense of injustice? Would they feel that a royal’s life is more valuable than their children’s? What kind of message will this decision send?

Of course, it didn’t help that he was under so much scrutiny by the British media, especially in recent weeks as this decision was pondered. As some have pointed out, it would have been wiser if this little detail of him possibly going to Iraq was kept under wraps because, how would terrorists or insurgents have identified someone in uniform, under a helmet?

Harry is duty-bound to serve his country and his people when and where he is needed, but he will no doubt be a valuable target. The risk not just for him but the troops serving alongside with him is likely to be high. If he was kidnapped or killed, the morale blow to the British army and the country would be severe. Even if he was kept safe, the effort and resources that are going to be needed for that would probably be unnecessarily wasteful and better deployed elsewhere to do more good.

It’s unfortunate that a choice like this had to be made. Perhaps difficult decisions like this will become history when the UK government finally understand the futility of the situation and bring all their troops home. Tony Blair, being too closely identified with Iraq and his loyalty towards supporting the US, might not have been able to reverse the decision. Hopefully, Gordon Brown will be the one who can make a clean break.

It’ll be bye-bye Tony Blair, come June 27.

Blair, who has served for ten years as UK’s Prime Minister and holds the distinction of being the only Labour PM to have won three consecutive general elections, today made his highly-anticipated announcement to step down.

Ambitious, brilliant and charismatic, Blair will most likely be remembered as the man who entered No 10 Downing Street in a landslide victory in 1997 and generated high hopes, but ultimately fell on the sword that’s the Iraq war, in which he relentlessly supported the US, even as the British people vehemently opposed the country’s participation.

Blair will most likely be replaced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, known more for his fearsome intellect and tremendous energy for work than for his ease at speaking in front of an audience. Brown is launching his campaign for the premiership tomorrow, even as it seems all but certain that he will be the new PM.

In the meantime, Blair says he intends to keep busy, such as meeting France’s president-elect Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris tomorrow, and attending the G8 summit in Germany.