[zzze]

Assalamu alaykum

A book fair in Paris has become the subject of controversy with several Muslim countries announcing boycotts because the guest of honour is Israel.

Saudi Arabia has become the latest to withdraw, following Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) has also urged its 50 members to pull out from the fair, which starts on 14 March.

Isesco said Israel had committed crimes against humanity in Palestinian areas.

The organisers of the book fair have said their aim is to honour literature and promote dialogue between cultures.

Israel 'unworthy'

This year, the Paris book fair is honouring 39 writers from Israel including well-known figures like David Grossman and Amos Oz.

The organisers have said it is merely a coincidence that this happens to be the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence.

They have claimed the aim is to honour literature, not trigger a furious political row about the state of Israel.

Indeed, they have argued that many of the Israeli writers involved support the idea of Palestinian statehood.

But Isesco called for a boycott, saying "the crimes against humanity that Israel is perpetrating in the Palestinian territories... constitute, in themselves, a strong condemnation of Israel, making it unworthy of being welcomed as a guest of honour".

This prompted Lebanon to announce it would stay away from the fair - a decision a French foreign ministry spokeswoman called "extremely regrettable".

National publishing houses from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have cancelled their stands at the fair, though it is possible some writers and individual booksellers might still attend from those countries.

And if this was not enough, a similar row is brewing over the Turin book fair in May in Italy.

British-Pakistani writer Tariq Ali has said he will boycott the event because the guest of honour will be Israel and because there has been no attempt to invite an equal number of Palestinian writers.

Prominent Swiss Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan has supported the boycott , saying it is not decent to commemorate Israel when it shows no respect for the Palestinian people.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Muslim protest at Paris book fair

Here's a link to more on amos oz (israeli writer) if anyone wants it:

Amos Oz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We had to study his book 'my michael' - (yep the teacher was israeli) very sad and disturbing. I don't understand why Saudi are even bothering to boycott it , such hypocrites.

[Jamroll]

This is a tricky one, given that many Israeli writers are, as the article mentions, supportive of the rights of Palestinians.

[zzze]

assalamu alaykum

Well, i know that amos oz is in favour of a two-state solution but I think he's just a 'liberal' zionist.

I found this on wiki,

In July 2006, Oz supported the Israeli army in its war with Lebanon, writing in the Los Angeles Times "Many times in the past, the Israeli peace movement has criticized Israeli military operations. Not this time. This time, the battle is not over Israeli expansion and colonization. There is no Lebanese territory occupied by Israel. There are no territorial claims from either side… The Israeli peace movement should support Israel's attempt at self-defense, pure and simple, as long as this operation targets mostly Hezbollah and spares, as much as possible, the lives of Lebanese civilians [14][15]

Like fellow Israeli novelists David Grossman and A.B. Yehoshua , Amos Oz changed his position (of unequivocal support for a military act of self-defense at the outbreak of the war) in the face of the cabinet's decision at a later stage to expend operations in Lebanon. Grossman put their shared view into words at a press conference as he argued that Israel already exhausted its self-defense right

Exhaused its self defense right? the above novelists only took this stance After israel decided to 'expend operations in Lebenon.' It says here: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...290763,00.html that grossman's son was killed in Lebenon and the article ends with

''There's no chance for dialogue with Hizbullah, but there's certainly a chance with the Lebanese government and with Syria."

"Maybe it's worthwhile for us, for a change, not to break their arm during negotiations, but rather, engage in genuine dialogue," Grossman said. "This is a weapon we haven't used yet, and when an enemy turns to an enemy out of respect for the other's anxieties, it could have an immense impact."

Hmm :/

[Variable]

The guest of honor is Israel? The country itself?

[Bluestar]

Originally Posted by Variable

The guest of honor is Israel? The country itself?

Yes and he's big, fat and ugly, ok?

(kidding)

Originally Posted by zzze

'There's no chance for dialogue with Hizbullah, but there's certainly a chance with the Lebanese government and with Syria.

Errm, no there isn't going to be a chance of dialogue with Hizbullah after they were the only people who defended the south of lebanon during the attacks and lost a lot of people and homes.

Silly bugger.

[Laimuun]

so these countries will unite to boycott a book fair.. and yet, we can't get any muslim countries to unite and actually help resolve the whole israeli-palestinian crisis?

brilliant.