Kabul today - underlying tension

It’s amazing how the ill-advised actions of a very misguided man in one part of the world can have such a blistering effect on the other side of the world. Arriving in Kabul today, it feels very different from a few months ago, due largely to the work of an obscure American pastor whose actions seem such a long way from the Christ he professes to follow. Friday and Saturday saw riots in a number of Afghan cities and an attempted suicide bomb attack in the capital. Let’s hope that the passion cools down and isn’t used further by the evil people who are exploiting the bigotry of Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp, who clearly do not represent the view of Christians and whose attitudes and actions are positively un Christ-like.

Shocking reports of abuse by the Egyptian army are coming to light. From Cairo, the New York Times Opinion Editor columnist Nicholas D. Kristof reports that pro-democracy activists have been arrested and tortured.

Douglas Malton, a pioneer of international Christian broadcasting, a great man of great faith and a friend, died this week of heart failure, aged 82, at his Hampshire home. He was co-founder of Feba, a British Christian media organisation, which today serves audiences in many countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. More…

A friend pointed me to this Wikileaks disclosure – an e-mail from a former US ambassador to  Tajikistan.  It reminds me how much I miss Central Asia…

“The Ambassador lost track of the toasts after the tenth. His shot-glass held vodka. The minister’s high-ball glass was kept filled with un-cut Scotch. Late into the lunch, the minister was slurring badly and was not walking a straight line. Nevertheless, as the Ambassador kept attempting a gracious retreat, the Minister insisted on showing him “secret rooms” in the ministry. Each “secret room” was merely another public conference room with a large fresh flower display and – again and again – another round of toasts set out. This bizarre event was curious, because U.S.-Tajik military relations have incrementally been improving, especially with the National Guard, but also with the Russia-centric Ministry of Defense. Khairulloyev continues to make clear he serves at the pleasure of President Rahmonov and may be replaced after the November presidential election. Although this drunk-fest is how many old-guard former Soviets do mutual business, it was most unusual for an American guest. It was, to a degree, a mark of respect. We would not be surprised if President Rahmonov had ordered Khairulloyev to “do something for the departing Ambassador,” and we rather wonder if this may have been a sort of valedictory by an old-guard security minister who suspects his days of service are numbered. Whatever, we were pleased to have drunk Khairulloyev well under the table.”

Even the River Severn in Worcester, where we spent Christmas had frozen over, with temperatures reaching as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius.