Live 8 today

Live 8's happening today in all of the G8 countries plus some African locations. But Africa's problems are not going to be solved by money alone. If richer countries are serious about helping, they will have to commit to fairer trade with African and other developing nations. And in those nations themselves, there needs to be a concerted, long term solution to combat government corruption, crazed dictators and civil strife. How? I don't know, except that Iraq-style regime change is probably not the best idea.

The world might be singing to 'make poverty history' today, but really making a difference would involve sacrifices on the part of those of us who are on the greener side of the fence.

Another thing I would like to mention when talking about Africa. We Muslims are the first to express our anger at atrocities and injustices in places like Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. But when it comes to African nations, our sympathies and actions seem to get diluted, if not forgotten altogether. It's not that people in Palestine or Afghanistan are Muslims and the Africans are not, because hundreds of thousands of those suffering in Africa are Muslims too, but even if that were the case, it would not be a good enough reason.

For all the human rights stuff that's the hot topic for the past half century and continues to be so, Africa remains the dark continent.