Je suis Margot

[Ramrod]

Taken from here

A few weeks ago Margot Wallström, the Swedish foreign minister, denounced the subjugation of women in Saudi Arabia.<snip>
Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador and stopped issuing visas to Swedish businessmen. The United Arab Emirates joined it. The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, which represents 56 Muslim-majority states, accused Sweden of failing to respect the world’s ‘rich and varied ethical standards’
<snip>
Outside Sweden, the western media has barely covered the story, and Sweden’s EU allies have shown no inclination whatsoever to support her. A small Scandinavian nation faces sanctions, accusations of Islamophobia and maybe worse to come, and everyone stays silent. As so often, the scandal is that there isn’t a scandal.

Well this stinks. Obviously, money talks.

[Osem]

Some things never change. We're told we should be able to have a full and frank debate about such things but can we really? Some people are too powerful to offend.

[richard s]

Good for her and bum holes to the Arabs.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by richard s

Good for her and bum holes to the Arabs.

We can only do that once we've weaned ourselves from utter dependency on Middle East oil and gas. When that happy day comes we can dump the Arabs and let them go full throttle back to the middle ages.

[papa smurf]

ethical standards my ass , islamophobia my ass they treat women as property its time it stopped

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

We can only do that once we've weaned ourselves from utter dependency on Middle East oil and gas. When that happy day comes we can dump the Arabs and let them go full throttle back to the middle ages.

Indeedio, lets get fracking then.

This is a pathetic response from Arab states and in this day and age they shouldnt be able to close issues like this down and the lack of support from other western nations demonstrates how cowardly our politicians are in confronting and standing up for what's right when it involves islam. This sort of political cowardice is what is leading to the rise of extremist anti Islam groups and the growing numbers of people supporting them.

[greeninferno]

accused Sweden of failing to respect the world’s ‘rich and varied ethical standards’

actually laughing out loud here.

I'm not sure why anyone's surprised?

Yes, it stinks. It is also how the world works. International diplomacy is laden with certain rules and conventions. You can't be both on the barricades and in front of them. If you seek to pursue your agenda by accepting high political office, then you accept the conventions and restrictions that come with it. If you want to go about denouncing things, then you do so from a position where those you are denouncing can't cause widespread damage when they come after you.

Wallstrom has failed the Swedish people by carrying on like a student union rep rather than the foreign minister of a respected European nation.

Not really our international politicians are the same as our domestic troughers more interested in staying on the gravy train then actually having a principle and expressing it or fighting for it, the fact they have created treaties and conventions to allow for an easier life doesn't make it right. Fact is in this day and age the Islamic view and treatment of women is abhorrent and the polar opposite of what the west supposedly stands for it should be commented on and opposed where possible I see no problem with that. Hell if women were oil the Islamic states would soon feel how the west can respond but they are not so for political expediency we shut up and just let it happen.

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

Not really our international politicians are the same as our domestic troughers more interested in staying on the gravy train then actually having a principle and expressing it or fighting for it, the fact they have created treaties and conventions to allow for an easier life doesn't make it right.

Do you think their electorate would accept the potential consequences of our politicians fighting for principle on the world stage?

The loss of access to some markets, a lack of cheaper oil, a lack of support when it comes to international diplomacy? I don't think voters would excuse their leaders of the loss that could accompany the principles. We seem to elect politicians not just to run the country but also to get their hands dirty so we don't have too.

Actually Damien I think more people then you or I think would be happy to see some true conviction on issues from our politicians probably not the majority yet but a sizeable number thankfully I think more and more people are moving away from the way things have been for far too long.