Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.07.2004, Blaðsíða 8

REVERSING HISTORY
by Paul Fontaine-Nikolov A Palestinian Icelander Calls for Peace
In Iceland, efforts towards interven-
tion began years ago, culminating
in the creation of the Icelandic-
Palestinian Association in 1987.
In a country where even the mass
media has a bias against Israel, the
potential for blanket generalisations
of all Israelis, if not all Jews, is ripe.
Fortunately for us we have Salmann
Tamimi as chairman of the Icelandic
Muslim Association, a man who,
while steadfastly devoted to the
Palestinian cause, continues to gently
remind us that in times when emo-
tions run high, the best thing we can
do is use our heads.
Born in Jerusalem in 1955, Tamimi
experienced his country go from
bad to worse when the 1967 war
broke out. The Palestinian univer-
sity system wiped out, he decided
to go to the United States to study.
In 1971, he stopped in Iceland on
his way over and promptly stayed
here. After working as a sailor and in
construction, he finished his studies
in computer science at Háskoli Ís-
lands and now works for Landspítali
hospital, which is where I met him to
get his take on the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict and Iceland’s role in it.
Israel and South Africa
In a recent opinion piece you wrote for
Fréttablaðið, you called for Iceland to
cut off all diplomatic and economic ties
with Israel. Do you think this a realistic
demand?
“Yes, I do. You can compare it to the
sanctions which were imposed on
South Africa in the late 80s, where
an oppressive government was forced
to step down due to international
pressure. Israel should be treated
no differently. This idea that Israel
is a tiny country trying to defend
itself from all sides is a myth. It’s the
most powerful nation in the region
militarily. Their policies against the
Palestinian people are in many ways
worse than those which South Africa
imposed upon the majority of its
own people. I made this statement to
get people thinking about this issue,
to think more deeply about Iceland’s
relationship with Israel.”
Many people argue that Palestine is not
ready to be an independent nation, that
a transitional period is required.
“The United States was less prepared
for independence after their Revolu-
tionary War than Palestine is today.
Iceland was less than 200,000 people
when they achieved independence.
My point is, we are better situated
for independence than many other
countries when they achieved their
independence, or even those who are
independent today. We want to join
in the United Nations, to be a part of
the world.”
Do you think that international pres-
sure will create peace in the region?
“Not in the near future, but one
thing to keep in mind is that 70% of
Israel’s trade is with Europe. The re-
cent UN resolution is very encourag-
ing and if pressure starts now, within
the next few years it will be too much
for Israel to bear. The wall isn’t the
only thing, either. There are also
the settlements to consider, which
also break international law. If they
want to build a wall, fine. We have
no problem with that. We just want
them to build this wall on the 1967
borders between Israel and Palestine.
I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
But even with all the demands met,
we still need the help of the rest of
the world.”
So you’re not opposed to even a UN
military intervention in the region?
“Not at all. We need to control
extremists on both sides. Even with
all the demands met, there will still
be people who won’t be happy. We
would like Palestine to be completely
demilitarized; to have no army, like
Iceland. To this end, we’ve asked
for help from Europe, from the US,
and from the United Nations. I don’t
think peace will come quickly, but
with such an intervention - coupled
with educating our own children to
turn away from hate - I think peace
is possible.”
Zionists and refuseniks
Many people don’t make a distinction
between Jews, Israelis, and Zionists.
What distinction do you make?
“I have many Jewish friends who get
very frustrated over this lack of dis-
tinction. A Zionist goes by the bibli-
cal definition of a Jewish homeland,
the belief that they are ‘God’s chosen
people’ who have the right to set up
a religious state. How can Israel call
themselves ‘the only democracy in
the Middle East’ when they want
to set up a religious state? I person-
ally wouldn’t want to live in any
religious state, be it Jewish, Christian
or Muslim. What frustrates many
Jews is how the Zionists try to make
them feel guilty for criticising Israel’s
actions towards the Palestinians, to
make them feel like traitors. Among
the frustrated is Uri Avnery, head of
the Israeli peace movement Gush-
Shalom, whom I’ve invited to visit
Iceland this winter. But there are
also the ‘refuseniks’, people who have
refused to serve in the Israeli army
and go to prison for it. Also, while
Israel says that all Jews are welcome
in their country, they’ve turned away
countless Jewish peace activists from
even visiting Israel. “
The image that many westerners have
of Muslims is that they are intolerant of
other religions in general, and Jews in
particular.
“What these people don’t realise is
that when the west was wiping out
Jews, such as during the Inquisition,
the safest haven for Jews was in Is-
lamic countries. There were of course
crazies who would do terrible things
from time to time, but Islam teaches
tolerance. Our term for Christians
and Jews - dimma - literally means
‘under the protection of God’. No
true Muslim would act in the way
Osama bin Laden is acting. It’s the
sad fact that while I do think that
one day Muslims and Jews could live
together peacefully in the region, for
now we need two countries, until we
get to know each other again.”
Do you think that Iceland is tolerant
towards Muslims?
“To an extent. They don’t have a
policy against us, but the church
by Eyvindur Karlsson
Is there life on other planets?
According to Dr. Eric Eidos, one
of the many speakers at the Astro-
biology 2004 convention held in
Reykjavík recently, research done
at Grímsvatn lakes, which lie
under hundreds of meters of ice in
Vatnajökull, supports theories that
microbionic life may exist on other
planets in our galaxy.
Among the many cycles of violence in the world, few approach
the level of immediacy which the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has
reached. The need for third-party intervention to end extremism on
both sides of the spectrum has been long overdue, and with the recent
ruling of the United Nations International Court of Justice calling
for cessation of the construction of the wall being built by Israel - as
well as the payment of reparations to the Palestinian people who
suffered economically as a result of this wall - it seems as though
Europe at least is taking steps towards just such an intervention.
“If they want to build a wall, fine.
We have no problem with that. We
just want them to build this wall on
the 1967 borders between Israel and
Palestine.”
to be true. The ultimate testing stone of these
theories, however, would be an investigation of
lake Volstok, which lies underneath kilometers
of ice in the Antarctic. This is, however, very
difficult to research, since even the slightest
disturbance could disrupt the entire eco-system
of the lake. This is not the case with Grímsvatn,
since Vatnajökull is much more mobile and less
stable, so disruptions are very frequent there.
The findings of the expedition give rise to
theories that organisms may live under simi-
lar circumstances elsewhere in the galaxy, and
poses the question of whether Mars may be host
to such creatures. We do know that there are
polar caps of ice on the red planet, and there
just might be water underneath. It is therefore
entirely possible that organisms similar to those
found in Grímsvatn might inhabit Mars.
A more distant, but just as interesting candidate,
is Jupiter’s satellite Europa. Far less is known
about the surface and conditions of Europa, but
what we do know is that its entire surface is ice.
It is believed that underneath the ice there is a
thick layer of water that could easily host these
organisms.
But while this is all well and good, one must ask
(and in fact, this question was posed at the Q&A
after Dr. Eidos’ lecture): Do we really need
this kind of research? Is this the most necessary
knowledge? We know about tiny little things
underneath our glaciers that might exist in space,
too. So what? Well, Dr. Eidos couldn’t provide
concrete answers. There is of course the obvious
and endless quest for knowledge, but that was
not the answer that I was looking for. What
practical use do we have for these organisms?
Well, the only answer for that was that there is
a slight possibility that they could be used for
making laundry detergent.
So while these newfound living things under
Vatnajökull might not put Iceland on the pages
of astrobiological history, it certainly might do
something for the future. Maybe we’ll all look
back thirty years from now and bless the day
when Grimsvatn gave us the little creatures that
make our sheets clean.
Research at Grímsvatn revealed that,
despite extreme conditions, the lakes
are inhabited by single cell organisms.
Whereas most known living organisms
convert sunlight to energy, these organ-
isms are believed to thrive off chemicals,
much like single cell organisms found in
hot springs. Much has been theorized
about life under ice and with the Gríms-
vatn expedition, much of it was proven
In space, no one can hear you clean
enjoys government sponsorship
whereas our temple does not.
Everything we do we pay out of our
own pocket. There are close to 700
Muslims living in Iceland now and I
think that if Iceland wants to show
the non-Christians living here that
this is a multi-cultural nation, then
all religions should be given the same
level of treatment. After all, a beauti-
ful garden has many different colours
of flowers growing in it. If you have a
garden with just one colour of flower,
it’s boring to look at.”
�������
�������
Icelanders working at NATO
base file suit
Icelandic employees of the NATO
base in Keflavík have filed griev-
ances with the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, stating that they have been
underpaid and that the base has
refused to honour their collec-
tive bargaining agreement for the
past two years. No statement has
yet been made on behalf of the
NATO base, but Kristján Gunnar-
son, chairman of their union, has
said that the workers are “furious”.
A response from the Minister of
Foreign Affairs is expected soon.
Hrísey Temporarily Secedes
from Iceland
Hrísey, a small island in Ey-
jafjörður, declared itself an inde-
pendent republic for the duration
of a festival which was held from
16 - 18 July. Passport control was
in effect, and Icelandic immigrants
took part in a karoake contest
and other events. The festival, in
its eighth year, has no reported
deportations and the prospect of a
permanent secession has not been
broached.
H
.S
.
8