Dear Yohai, I thought it was pretty clear that this has nothing to do with me personally. But just to emphasize, and not to yell or anything like this: THIS DISCUSSION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME PERSONALLY!
Most appreciatively, -- Maysara "All that is necessary to right action, is right judgment." _Rene Descartes 2010/8/12 Yohai Edery <[email protected]> > Hello Maysara and all, > > > > I feel like I have to send an e-mail again regarding what you wrote below > as there is a lot of miss information in what you wrote. > > > > Firstly, let's put things on the table, as an Egyptian you are not feeling > good with coming to Israel as it would seem to your friends back home like > you are trying to "normalize" relations with Israel. Although there are > almost 30 years of peace between our countries, Egypt and Egyptians have > been always against normalizing relation with Israel and in fact there is a > lot of incitement towards Israel and Jews in general in Egyptian media, > books, cultural events and so. Israeli cultural products (movies, music, > theater and such) were band from participation in festival in Egypt even > international ones held in Egypt. The situation with Jordan is not > better…unfortunately. On the meantime, Israel has welcomed movies, music and > artists from Egypt and Jordan that have participated in festivals and events > in Israel. > > > > I can guarantee that people from all over the world will have no problem > coming to the event in Israel. Israeli authorities will allow everyone from > everywhere to come to Wikimania providing he/she has not been engaged in > terrorist activities…which I believe is not the case for the participants of > our event….I doubt Al Qaida, Hammas and Hezbollah care about Wikipedia. I > can tell you from past experience that people from Libya and Lebanon came to > conferences in Israel without any trouble. The problem maybe with their own > home government….but that, unfortunately, we can't control. > > > > Again, accusation bout maltreatment and confiscation of belongings are > *NONSENCE > *I want to remind you that Israel is a full functioning democracy!!! We DO > NOT do things against the law and will not confiscate anything from anyone > unless there is a solid reason. Again, I have been involved with tens of > conferences in Israel and had many friends from all over the world coming to > Israel, none of them suffered from any of those things you maintained. I > would like to kindly ask you to stop with those accusations. > > > > Regarding arriving to Israel from Cairo, again, you don’t have to do that > by bus or car only like you said….you can easily fly to Ben gurion > international airport in Tel Aviv on a non-stop flight from Cairo with El-Al > Israeli airline or Air Sinai (part of Air Egypt). If you need help with > making the reservations, I would love to help…. > > > > I think that change comes from people and not for the leaders….I would > expect you to see this event as a great opportunity to start real dialogue > between people in the Mideast and use such an important source of > information like Wikipedia to a good use as a tool to bring people together, > break stigmas and fight prejudice. The only way we can live together in > peace is if we will get to know each other….I have visited Egypt and Jordan > as well as the Palestinian territories…I know a lot about the Arab > world…what do you know about me? > > > > Hopping to show you all the real face of Israel when you are hear... > > > > Good night from Haifa, Israel > > > > > > > > > > *Yohai Edery* > > *יוחאי אדרי * > > > > E-mail: [email protected] <http://[email protected]%20> > P Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to > > > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Maysara Omar > *Sent:* Thursday, August 12, 2010 5:46 AM > > *To:* Wikimania general list (open subscription) > *Subject:* Re: [Wikimania-l] Problematic aspects of hosting the next > conference in Haifa, Israel > > > > Hello to All :) > > > > 1) Of course i am aware that the decision has already been made. I would > not have brought this issue had i not thought, (along with many others by > the way who are unfortunately not here to express themselves about this) > that whatever jury took that decision has fallen into a manifest error, that > justifies a look back and reconsideration, rather than be ignored, and > regardless of whether this will change things or not. The issue needs to be > addressed, because it is very important. It is a fact, that participants > from Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and possibly other countries, will > never have the chance to attend the next wikimania conference should it be > held in Israel. Further, other participants from other countries, > particularly "Arab" countries whose citizens do not usually go to Israel for > any purpose, and this applies to both Jordan and Egypt with whom Israel is > in diplomatically fine terms, will find many troubles from both the Israeli > and their own governments. This is no speculation, there are hundreds of > accounts on the internet of maltreatment and confiscation of belongings of > passengers for all sorts of reasons by Israeli officials at entry/exit > points. Questions asked in such aggressive tonality and attitude regarding > the passengers' views and opinion of Israel and the conflict in the middle > east. Please ask the ministry of foreign affairs, whether they will let some > attendees in, if they answered these questions as they do believe rather > than fake a friendly answer! > > > > 2) If even presidential elections can be repeated because their results > were doubtful, i cannot see why everyone here so far is talking about the > "impossibility" of reconsidering the validity of the decision made by the > jury, as though it is a sanctified or infallible one! Somehow it seems that > so far no one apart from myself, who could get into Israel only following a > car or bus ride of 8 hours from my very home in Cairo, took the time to > think of the position of those who will never be permitted into Israel, or > who will avoid doing so because Israel is in fact a problematic destination > for them. And regardless of whether any of this is fair or not, we currently > do have a realistic situation that is laden with injustice and great > potential of practical disorder, which somehow was not raised during the > decision making process, although it is no secret or news! This suggests > that non of those who will be negatively effected by the decision, were > present when the process of deciding was ongoing. One of the benefits of > this discussion then, is perhaps to give more attention to such matters as > representativeness, inclusive deliberation, and outreach, in further such > processes of wikimania biding and decision making. Perhaps from now on, we > should make more effort in reaching out for, you know, "all the people on > Earth" who might want to come to wikimania with their experiences, etc. > Unfortunately I was not there then, and maybe i won't be able to be there > later, but I do not believe that it is too late to bring this issue now, and > to attempt to correct what is wrong even by those who, understandably, love > their own country and would have loved to see it hosting such a wonderful > event. It is for a clean, freeing, progressive, and Humanistic experience > and social process that we commit ourselves; the passing-by moments in this > experience will be destructive if they are absorbed only in the passing-by > moment! > > > > Finally, Wikimania conferences must be accessible to everyone, without > having to speak of making "exceptions" and taking extra measures to smoothen > the passage of those who participate together everyday in creating and > making the new free knowledge and culture of our age and the future. This is > the position that I have chosen for myself, rather than the one that you ask > me to adopt, that is, to suggest solutions to numberless problems and to an > erroneous and unfair condition and situation. And now I ask you, what is > YOUR position? > > > > :) > > -- > > Maysara > > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimania-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l > >
_______________________________________________ Wikimania-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l
