The Sudanese-Israeli Friendship Association

[asher553]

Via Big Pharaoh, at MEMRI-TV. Big Pharaoh says -

American-Israeli Friendship Association — very possible. Egyptian-Israeli Friendship Association —- hard but not impossible Sudanese-Israeli Friendship Association — Now that's impossible, but it happened.

Here's a snippet of the interview transcript:

Interviewer: Do you have any popular or official mandate to establish the Sudanese-Israeli Friendship Association, or is this your own personal initiative?

Taraji Mustafa: First of all, I do not need a mandate to talk about my personal beliefs, or those of some of the Sudanese people. None of the Sudanese friendship associations, like the Sudanese-Indian or the Sudanese-Swedish associations, and many others, needed a popular mandate. Why do I need a mandate to establish a friendship [association] with that part of the Israeli people that believes in friendship?

Interviewer: Would you agree that your comparison with the Sudanese-Indian friendship association and others is not appropriate in the case of Israel, in light of the Israeli-Arab conflict?

Taraji Mustafa: This question takes us back to another issue: Are the Sudanese Arab or not? Does membership in the Arab League mean Arab identity? In my opinion, despite all the years that have passed since we joined the Arab League and since we gained independence, we have failed, or rather, the Arab brothers have failed in making us feel we are Arab brothers. There has always been a stereotypical view of the Sudanese people... yes?

Interviewer: Did you examine the Sudanese public opinion before initiating this idea, this association, for you to be so confident in what you are saying?

Taraji Mustafa: I am talking about a very large sector of the Sudanese people. I am talking about awareness among the Sudanese intellectuals. I am talking about those Sudanese who had the opportunity to encounter the outside world, and I am talking about studies conducted among students. I did not have to feel the pulse of the Sudanese people. There are studies conducted at universities regarding the Sudanese people's readiness to establish relations with the Israeli people.

Interviewer: You founded this association in Canada. Would you agree with those who say that this diminishes its credibility, because such a step should have been carried out in Sudan, in order to have any credibility?

Taraji Mustafa: Not at all, because Sudan is currently ruled by an oppressive government. We Sudanese are prevented from even talking about our dreams, so how do you expect any association to be registered in Sudan today?

You are more familiar than me with the regime...

Whooooooo! One of many reasons I want to learn Arabic. This woman is another.