Sure to Rise

The only public evidence yesterday that it was Easter in Fujairah, UAE, was the sign, 'Easter Greetings' in a local supermarket.

The sign wasn't in the chocolate section because there were no Easter eggs for sale.

It wasn't in the fish area to recognize the Good Friday tradition of eating the harvest of the sea and Peter's 'I am going fishing'.

It wasn't in the section of detergents and bleaches to symbolize Easter's message of cleansing and forgiveness.

The sign, 'Easter Greetings' was in the bread section of the supermarket.

I wondered whether it was strategically placed there to proclaim, 'He is Risen'! But then, looking around at the piles of flat Arabic bread, it may just be that, tucked away in the bread section the shop assistant found a convenient space.

He is risen indeed!

Geoff Pound

Image: Arabic Bread.

Easter Hostage Release: Two Sides to Every Story

The Independent newspaper had an interesting slant on the release of the British hostages in Iran today.

For the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it was ‘Victory’ as he basked in the diplomatic triumph while announcing that the 15 British sailors and marines captured in disputed waters of the Persian Gulf two weeks ago would be freed.

For English Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the families and the hostages themselves, as they received the news and were putting the champagne on ice, the message was ‘Rejoice’.

The Independent was discussing, “Who came out on top at the end of the hostage crisis?”

It all depends which way you look at it.

For every event, even Easter, there are more than two sides to the story.

Geoff Pound

Source: Angus McDowall in Tehran and Colin Brown, ‘Both sides claim victory as Iran frees hostages’, The Independent, 05 April 2007.

Image: Front page to The Independent.