Archive for January 26, 2007

Another brilliant Bush’s plan: have House of Saud represent the “Arab street”: “These critics may also question the central role of Saudi Arabia, a conservative Islamic monarchy that many Arabs regard as a bastion of the status quo.”

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

America: Sen. Obama. Are you, or have you ever been, a Muslim? Sen. Obama: “To be clear, Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago. Furthermore, the Indonesian school Obama attended in Jakarta is a public school [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

Suha Arafat said to Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat that the PA has stopped her salary. I felt really bad. I have recently received a large sum of money from the widow of a Nigerian dictator, so I am planning to forward the money to Ms. Arafat.

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

“G.I. Gets 18-Year Prison Term for Killing 2 Captive Iraqis” (He may actually serve two months).

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

“The donors in Paris took pains to deflect criticism that their aid pledges were solely meant to prop up Mr. Siniora. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, when asked whether the United States pledge was contingent on Mr. Siniora remaining in power, deflected the question. Mr. Siniora, seated beside Ms. Rice during an early morning news [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

“He said he had intended to describe conditions not in Israel but in the occupied Palestinian territories, and had not meant to “equate Zionism with racism,â€Â

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

“The U.S. opposes early elections because they could hurt the Siniora government, but in Palestine, supports early elections because they could weaken the government of Hamas.” (thanks Melani)

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

For the best movie ever made, it is either Citizen Cane or this movie. Enjoy. (thanks Marc)

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

Oh, yeah. The guardian of the two holy things has spoken. So the Saudi king gave an interview to a Kuwait newspaper. He said, among other things, that Sunnis are the majority of Muslims and that they will not deviate from Sunni Islam. Oh, yes, precious king. Your talents and skills are so impressive that [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

The atypical and uncharacteristic amount of US aid pledged for Lebanon made me wonder. Somebody should calculate how much it costs us US taxpayers to prop up puppets in the Middle East. Really? It is a very costly undertaking you know.

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

I ran into Seymour Hersh today. I was thrilled that he is working on an article related to Lebanon (for the New Yorker). He was in Lebanon recently and met with Nasrallah and Jumblat, among many others. Whenever I hear some juicy story from Hersh, I ask him whether I can use it for my [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

Today I met the Arabic-speaking, State Department’s spokesperson, Alberto Fernandez. I must say that he is a very nice guy–but I will not say more so that he will not get into more trouble. But he categorically denied reports on the Angry Arab News Service that he was forced to spend time in Guantanamo for [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

Well, well, well. You can’t accuse CAIR and other equally lousy Muslim organizations in the US of too much attention to Danish cartoons and to pleasing the Bush White House. They have their priority clearly delineated: “The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held at the council’s headquarters in Washington last night a reception party in [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

Olmert’s speech before the Knesset in August: Members of the House, I see and hear those voices which state — I see and hear those self-same (ph) voices that make one feel uncomfortable, even disappointment. They say they’re dissatisfied, they’re disappointed, even those whose expectations have not yet been met. And I say to them, [...]

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

“Six Saudis have reportedly been jailed in connection with an attack on actors taking part in a play critical of hardline religious attitudes.” (thanks Ali)

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

Maybe this will get Western public attention–maybe: “Bomb in box rips through Baghdad pet market, kills 15.”

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad

“Haredi extremists in Jerusalem discover reason for troubles befalling Israeli people: Immodest clothes worn by women. For months, activists go door to door collecting clothes that don’t hold up to rabbis’ modesty standards. Thursday confiscated clothes set ablaze, pamphlets with list of forbidden clothes distributed.” (thanks Maryam)

Posted on January 26, 2007 by As'ad