This joke was put to the test when Israeli president Shimon Perez visited Egypt in November and told Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak that Israel’s government and people were standing by Egypt’s side in its row with Algeria. And what exactly happened between Egypt and Algeria to warrant political support from the Zionist state and its Nobel Laureate/War Criminal president?  If you haven’t heard about what happened between the two North African Arab/Muslim countries, you should kick yourself because you have not only been living under a rock, but also have missed out on the most exciting event in recent Arab and Islamic history. Two brotherly countries came within a hair of severing diplomatic relations over ... (you need to sit down for this) … a soccer game!!! 

If you don’t already know and want to know the particulars of this momentous event, you would have to do some research on your own. This writer won’t waste precious ink over the details of the brawl between the two grow-ups. However, the fallout from this vicious fight between two brothers is an enmity between two peoples that may take decades to forgive and forget. When Arabs hate, they hate like elephants. An article in the British newspaper The Independent pointed out that the soccer feud and bloodletting between Algeria and Egypt, both dictatorships, is one way for their rulers to let their oppressed subjects let steam off. It’s also a way for them to consolidate grip on power, unite their people behind the flag and stoke up the flame of nationalism that works like a charm on the sheep-minded masses. And what a better way to do it than a game of soccer!?

Ireland played France on the same day Egypt and Algeria played. France qualified but did it by cheating. Television replays showed a French player touching the ball with his hand before passing it to the goal scorer. The Irish were rightly incensed, and their prime minister no less demanded a rematch. However, soccer body FIFA refused and ruled the goal as legitimate. So what did the Irish exactly do since they were clearly cheated out of a place in world cup? Did they get rowdy and smash up and burn anything French? Well, not exactly. As the brain vendor would have put it, “The Irish didn’t have Arab brains.”