NH Dave needs to read the other thread, evidently. I still don't believe Saudi is doing what it should, but it seems some of the other Gulf states are digging deeper, so good for them.

"for many Arabs, giving to worthy causes is a luxury they can ill afford given the poverty and conflicts roiling the region, say observers."

Thanks to the guest who posted that article text, but this isn't really a valid comment for many of the Gulf states. Whilst there certainly are many poor people there, there are also many people wealthy beyond counting. Pretty much like anywhere in the West, really.

Also for the record, donation to charity is built into the Muslim religion, hence individuals seem to be really doing everything they can. The objection is with the governments of the Gulf states.

One of the more interesting things about what's going on in other parts of the world is that it has been reported that the earthquake & resulting tsunami are the result of the USA doing nuclear bombings, and evidently people are accepting this as fact instead of fiction.

I've seen this one brought up a few times in Mudcat threads, but so far, I haven't seen any substantiation of it anywhere. Unless someone can produce some legitimate documentation of this, I'd say it's probably just another rumor started specifically for the purpose of promoting yet more hatred towards Muslims and Arabs. This tsunami certainly has provided the people who want to do that sort of thing with a hell of a lot of opportunities.

Carol, how is a rumour that the *US* is doing nuclear bombings a slur on *Muslims*? I don't follow - to me that looks a total non-sequitur.

Graham.