If only the Uighurs were Buddhists and China was Israel

The Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas put it bluntly on the micro-blogging site, Twitter -- where thousands follow him -- when he asked why no one was paying attention to the Uighur "intifada," the Arabic word for uprising that is usually associated with Palestinians fighting back against Israeli occupation.

That's precisely the problem -- the Uighurs are no Palestinians and the Chinese are not Israel. Many Muslims -- Arab Muslims especially -- pay attention only when the U.S. and Israel are behaving badly. Palestine followed by Iraq always take precedence leaving little room for other Muslim grievances.

Look at Darfur, where the suffering goes ignored because those who are creating the misery are neither Americans nor Israelis but instead fellow Arab Muslim Sudanese.

China is coincidentally one of Sudan's biggest trade partners and sells Khartoum plenty of weapons which Darfuris complain are used against them. So it's unlikely Sudanese President Omar Bashir, who declared himself the guardian of Islam in 2007 by putting on trial a British teacher for insulting Muslims when she named a class teddy bear "Mohammed", will condemn Chinese oppression of Uighurs.

Perhaps Israel can save the day and invade Xinjiang.

Mona Elthaway got it almost right, but not quite. If the Uighurs were Buddhist they would be in the same sinkhole as the Tibetans, whom she mistakenly enviews - their land occupied since 1949 with no recourse and no international backing, not UN Department of Tibetan Rights, no Tibet Day, no "Chinesism is Racism" resolution, no Boycott China and Divest from China (are you kidding?) movements.

If only the Palestinians were Uighurs and Israel was China. Or if only Israel was Sudan and the Palestinians were Darfurians. Or if only the Palestinians were Basques and Israel was Spain, or if only the Palestinians were native Americans and Israel was the United States...

-Ami Isseroff

Caveat Lector. Let the reader beware

Posted by David Harris

Say you're a newspaper editor.

You have articles and analyses that merit inclusion in the next day's edition.

They include: "At Least 56 Killed as Islamist Groups Fight Over a Somali Town," from Reuters; "New Focus on Settlements," a news analysis from your Jerusalem correspondent; "Iran Has Centrifuge Capacity for Nuclear Arms," based on a new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); and "US Charges Ex-State Department Official and Wife With Spying for Cuba."

Do any of the four warrant front-page placement? If so, above the fold, where they are sure to be noticed, or below, where they are less certain to catch the eye? If not, where should they be placed?

Should any have accompanying photos, which help draw attention and stimulate reaction?

And how many column inches should each piece get, as space is always at a premium?