Archive for January 1, 2007

“Saddam had been in American custody and was handed over to Iraqis just before his execution. It is therefore hard to dismiss the perception that the Americans could have waited, because in the end it is they who have the final say over such events in Iraq. Iraqi officials have consistently publicly complained that they [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

What people call “security advisers” in Iraq or in Afghanistan used to be called mercenaries in more accurate times.

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

The documentary about the history of Iraq “between two occupations” that aired on AlArabiya was pretty good, I thought. It was nostalgic to the era of the two `Arifs, I felt. (I still remember when `Abdu-s-Salam `Arif died in a plane crash in 1966. I was 6 years-old but it was one of my first [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

“What’s Good for Saddam May Be Good for Mubarak or the Saudi Royals” (thanks John)

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Look at this. A protest by 20 Muslims–20 Muslims for potato’s sake–is covered in the New York Times. Anything to put Muslims in a negative light. There are more than 20 people who protest the fast food joints in Berkeley demanding veggie alternatives.

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

“Mugabe attempts to close last remaining newspaper opponents” (Oh, yeah. The White Man is outraged. Well, there are no opposition newspapers allowed in Saudi Arabia or in Oman or in Libya or in…)

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

“Saddam shared with his nurse memories of when his children were young, and how he would tell them bedtime stories.” (You wonder what Saddam’s bedtime stories were. They probably went like this: And then we brought the prisoners and submerged them in large containers containing H2SO4, and then, they started to dissolve. It was so [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

This obituary of Saddam was posted on Tripoli in Lebanon by `Abdul-Majid Ar-Rafi`i. Ar-Rafi`i was a popular physician in Tropoli (studied medicine in Lausanne with my mother’s uncle) in the 1960s and 1970s and won a seat in the Lebanese parliament in 1972. He was a leader of the Ba`th Party in Lebanon–the pro-Iraq branch [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Some Jordanian opposition figures would not dare demonstrate against the king of Jordan, but are more than willing to demonstrate for Saddam Husayn. I was most disappointed to see Layth Shubaylat–one of the most courageous dissident in Jordan–offer words of praise for Saddam Husayn.

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Walid Jumblat has been saying that his camp (the March 14th movement) stands for “life, enlightenment, joy, and prosperity.” Oh, yeah. So true. When Jumblat’s militia ran Beirut in the 1980s, they imposed the rule of joy and enlightenment. So much so, that Beiruti Sunni families sent delegations to Damascus to beg Hafidh Al-Asad to [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

The Zarqawi of Lebanon. I have written before about the Shaykh Muhammad `Ali Al-Juzu, the Mufti of Mount Lebanon, and one of the most reliable stooges of the Syrian mukhabarat in Lebanon for years. In fact, he was made “the spiritual guide” of Khaliyyat Hamad by Syrian mukhabarat chief, Rustum Ghazalah. Khaliyyat Hamad was set [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

ُEstimates of Iraqi civilian casualties.

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

“As’ad AbuKhalil, a Lebanese politics lecturer at the University of California, criticised both channels in his popular blog site. “(Al Jazeera) is way too sombre and way too melancholic … just as Al Arabiya’s coverage is way too celebratory and fake,” he wrote.”

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

John Burns is the New York Times bureau chief in Baghdad. He was the most enthusiastic cheerleader of the war, and went to the George H.W. Bush library in Texas to praise Bush’s war, and got teary eyed even. Here, he provides an after-the-fact, hedge-your-bet defense or pretext for US behavior. Now, after the execution–like [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

I wrote before on the Qur’anic word “jahannam” (hell) in a post about those who shouted “Ila Jahannam” to Saddam at the time of his execution. Let me correct myself. Jahannam is of old Hebrew origin, another word for hell in the Qur’an (jahim) is of old Ethiopic origin. Ibn Mandhur in Lisan Al-`Arab notes [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

I read in Arabic newspapers but NOT in US newspapers that Saddam Husayn received the military salute from US soldiers who delivered him to the Iraqi government on the day of his execution.

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Since people are sharing their nostalgic moments with Saddam. This was a very nostalgic moment for the Jordanian king. (thanks Houssam)

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Yesterday, when I was on Aljazeera, the host, Abdur-Rahim Fuqara’ (the new bureau chief for Al-Jazeera in Washington, DC who I have never met before), interrupted me at one point to say something to the effect that “it is clear that you are not a fan of the Bush administration but we have people with [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Introduction to Lebanese journalism. Lebanese columnist Samir `Atallah has been working for Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat for 19 years. The newspaper is part of the media empire of Prince Salman bin `Abdul-`Aziz. He was interviewed on the cultural program, Rawafid, on AlArabiya. He was asked about the person who had the most influence on him throughout his [...]

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad

Azharite and Wahhabi clerics are mad at Qadhdhafi because he suggested that Christians and Jews should be permitted to roam the Ka`bah.

Posted on January 1, 2007 by As'ad