14 December ...Kundara Day

And so it was that I found myself on Fuerteventura, seeking a bit of peace and quiet on an island of rock and undulating barren hills, devoid of vegetation but replete with twentieth century touristic development, when hubby receives an sms message on his mobile:

¨Celebrate 14 December as Kundara Day - nominated as the Arab world´s national day of freedom of self expression¨

... and I could hear the howls of laughter tinged with satisfaction reverberate around the Arab world as we eventually caught up with the news .... Iraqi journalist throws shoes at President Bush ... such a simple, symbolic act, but oh so loaded, and the Arab street got the message loud and clear, did the leaders though, I wonder?

Al Zaidi said it all without the need for words deemed useless, and it will go down in history as the best bit of unorthodox journalism an American president has ever seen! It will also be a time for reflection on Al Zaidi´s other statement: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq," and I pray that his name will not join the list.

Let´s hope that new found sense of freedom of self expression will help turn the tide away from extremism, death and destruction and a sense of peace ultimately prevails. J