Archive for June, 2007
This time Hamid Karzai will issue a very stern warning. Hamid Karzai is now angry. Hamid Karzai means business. “Air strikes in the British-controlled Helmand province of Afghanistan may have killed civilians, coalition troops said yesterday as local people claimed that between 50 and 80 people, many of them women and children, [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:13 PM 06/30/07
I am told by sources in Syria that my blog was blocked two days ago.
Posted by As'ad at 5:58 PM 06/30/07
“Iraq by the Numbers” (thanks Wissam)
Posted by As'ad at 5:10 PM 06/30/07
“Whatever the cause, Europeans embarked on one of their greatest policy mistakes in the region – second only to their support for the invasion of Iraq – with their dogged determination to isolate Hamas and attempt to return Fatah to power.” (thanks Ziad)
Posted by As'ad at 5:02 PM 06/30/07
Let it be noted that I found Soy Milk in Islamabad (but not Vanilla flavor).
Posted by As'ad at 4:54 PM 06/30/07
Yesterday, I was told that all the street sweepers, cleaners, and servants in Pakistan are Christians. That they were former Hindus who converted to Christianity to escape caste, only to face a rigid (albeit unofficial) caste system.
Posted by As'ad at 4:53 PM 06/30/07
This is really bothering me. Outside of my hotel, there is a man who spends the whole day (he works for the hotel) on his hands and knees, cleaning (with a broom) the…grass. Who come up with those jobs except capitalism?
Posted by As'ad at 9:50 PM 06/29/07
““There are serious concerns about our ability to recruit quality sources in the future,” the spy master said.“
Posted by As'ad at 8:33 PM 06/29/07
“At a mosque in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday, a preacher taunted his Fatah rivals in his weekly sermon. Two police cars were parked outside the mosque during the sermon. In the West Bank city of Jenin, a pro-Hamas preacher was replaced by a clergyman who spoke of the need to support [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:31 PM 06/29/07
“This review, published here in its entirety, was originally commissioned by The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, the official foreign-policy journal at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Between the time I was invited to write the review and the time I was told it would be published, over two months had passed during which [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:21 PM 06/29/07
These are the kids that were shot at by the Lebanese Army yesterday. The Lebanese press continues its unanimous endorsement of Army’s campaign of killing. Even Al-Akhbar still talks about the Army “being dragged”–yes, against its will. How many Palestinians will have to die in Lebanon before Al-Akhbar holds the Army responsible? [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:17 PM 06/29/07
““People fear they will never be able to return to the camp because of the level of destruction. They live here in hard conditions, sometimes 50 or 60 in one classroom, and wait in long lines to use bathrooms,” said Abu Jihad, an official from the mainstream group Fatah, who spoke by telephone from his [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:14 PM 06/29/07
“Four civilians were killed early Friday by American and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, according to the leader of a small human rights group who gave an account of the deaths entirely at odds with that of the United States-led coalition. “The soldiers claimed they were looking for three Taliban suspects, and they [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:11 PM 06/29/07
The entire collection: CIA’s “Family Jewels” (thanks N.)
Posted by As'ad at 6:33 PM 06/29/07
“A common thread involves creams and soaps that are said to lighten skin tone. Often they are peddled with a “power” message about taking charge or getting ahead.” (thanks Haytham)
Posted by As'ad at 6:29 PM 06/29/07
“Study Traces Cat’s Ancestry to Middle East“ (thanks Earl)
Posted by As'ad at 6:26 PM 06/29/07
“Or whether Europe’s friends in Fatah, such as Dahlan, with his claim to be able to deal with Hamas, persuaded Europeans to shut their eyes to the revolution in Palestinian sentiment. Dahlan, Al-Ahram Weekly recently reported, tacitly admits that he has been behind much of the lawlessness and security chaos in Gaza: ‘I just [...]
Posted by As'ad at 6:24 PM 06/29/07
HRW: “We Don’t Pick on Israel” (thanks Laleh)
Posted by As'ad at 6:22 PM 06/29/07
“Now Mithal al-Alusi is charging the US embassy with shielding Hashemi from arrest.” (thanks Amina)
Posted by As'ad at 6:18 PM 06/29/07
“The spy, known by the code word “Babel,” had warned Israel of the coming war, just hours ahead of time. But the warning was ignored because Military Intelligence believed the spy was really a double agent deliberately planting erroneous information.” (thanks Regan)
Posted by As'ad at 5:11 PM 06/29/07
This is amazing. Civil libertarians in the US should speak out. Lebanese who oppose the Sanyurah government will not be allowed entry into the US. (thanks Emily)
Posted by As'ad at 5:03 PM 06/29/07
Abbas Zaki on Lebanese Army shooting at Palestinian civilians: “ Abbas Zaki, the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) representative to Lebanon, accused “anarchic elements of provoking these incidents by infiltrating a peaceful demonstration”. He refused to blame the army. “We will give the army the time and chance to complete their mission,” said Zaki.” (thanks anonymous)
Posted by As'ad at 4:51 PM 06/29/07
“President Bush held up Israel as a model for defining success in Iraq” (thanks Kumar)
Posted by As'ad at 4:46 PM 06/29/07
Eyewitnesses’ accounts: Eyewitness Contacts: Caoimhe Butterly: Rasha Najdeh:
Lebanese Army Fires Live Ammunition at Peaceful Protest in Solidarity with Nahr el Bared Refugee Camp2 killed, *35* wounded, 7 critical cases shot above their waistToday, during the second day of a three-day peaceful protest in the [...]
Posted by As'ad at 4:29 PM 06/29/07
Young Muhammad Dahlan (thanks Hilal)
Posted by As'ad at 10:02 AM 06/29/07
Mirvat, my sister, sent me this: “I just received a phone call from Baddaoui [refugee camp]. It seems a half an hour ago (around 3.00 am Lebanon time), displaced population from Nahr El-Bared (and staying at Baddaoui) went on a demonstration heading from Baddaoui to El-Bared to protest their current conditions. The Lebanese Army shot [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:56 AM 06/29/07
I have arrived in Islamabad. I may be able to blog tomorrow, after I get my 24 hours of sleep that I so desperately need.
Posted by As'ad at 11:35 PM 06/28/07
“Three years ago, I was catching a plane at Boston’s Logan airport and went to buy some magazines for the flight. As I approached the cash register, a woman coming from another direction got there just behind me — I thought. But when I put my money down to pay, the woman said in a [...]
Posted by As'ad at 2:57 AM 06/28/07
Fath official, Husayn Ash-Shaykh, was holding a press conference–Al-Arabiya TV carried it live of course. He went on babbling and I did not know what he wanted to say. After talking for a while, it got to the point: it was an attempt to respond to Hani Al-Hasan. He is one of [...]
Posted by As'ad at 2:32 AM 06/28/07
““Jamais nous avions eu le sentiment d’un tel soutien, affirme un membre de la délégation libanaise. Il s’est formé un axe fort franco-américain appuyé par les pays arabes modérés contre l’axe syro-chiite.” (thanks N.)
Posted by As'ad at 2:06 AM 06/28/07
“We believe the ultimate success of Afghans and Iraqis will inspire others who want to live in freedom, as well.” Oh, yeah genius. All Arabs and Muslims are jealous of the car bombs, bombing of civilians from the air, looting, corruption, foreign occupation, religious fanaticism, sectarian warfare, shooting at civilians at checkpoints, 4 [...]
Posted by As'ad at 1:51 AM 06/28/07
Hayfa Wahbi reveals: she was saved from an accident by divine intervention.
Posted by As'ad at 1:37 AM 06/28/07
“Throughout this period, Bakhtin was at work on the doctoral dissertation that was to become Rabelais and His World; and in 1946 he submitted the work for examination. His examiners took offence at its scatology, sexual explicitness, folkloric sentimentalism and scorn for dogma, and he was granted the degree only 12 years later. It was [...]
Posted by As'ad at 1:23 AM 06/28/07
I find something very fishy about the coverage of Ashraf Marwan’s death. First, you find this sudden sympathy in the Israeli press for this Arab. Secondly, there is something very suspicious: none of the articles in the Arabic or Western press have talked about Marwan’s relationship with Kamal Adham–the Saudi intelligence chief during [...]
Posted by As'ad at 1:15 AM 06/28/07
Leftists-for-Rightists: “Various Palestinian left-leaning factions have been holding meetings in the West Bank city of Ramallah recently in order to discuss their position vis-à-vis the Palestinian president’s decision to declare an emergency government following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip. In their meetings, the factions agreed almost unanimously to demonstrate their support for President Abbas [...]
Posted by As'ad at 1:13 AM 06/28/07
“U.S. commanders plan a summer of stepped-up offensives against Al Qaeda in Iraq as they tailor strategy to their expectation that Congress soon will impose a timeline for drawing down U.S. forces here.”
Posted by As'ad at 1:09 AM 06/28/07
“President Bush announced plans yesterday to appoint an envoy to an organization of Islamic nations with the intention of improving the battered image of the United States in the Muslim world.” (Top candidates: Irshad Manji or Salman Rushdie).
Posted by As'ad at 1:08 AM 06/28/07
It is not true that there is no sympathy for Arabs in the Israeli press. I detect plenty of sympathy for this Arab…Mossad spy.
Posted by As'ad at 1:05 AM 06/28/07
Image of US around world.
Posted by As'ad at 12:58 AM 06/28/07
حكم إسلاميّ في غزّة؟ يا للهول
قرر النظام الرسمي العربي أن يرفع لواء العلمانية. هكذا فجأة: يبدي التحالف العربي الخاضع لقيادة آل سعود (والذي يضمّ أنظمة لا تزال تحاول أن تستمد شرعية ما من أنساب ذات صفة دينية، حقيقية كانت أم مزعومة) قلقاً من إمكان قيام إمارة إسلامية في غزة.
الصحافي جورج ناصيف (العلماني ـــــ أيضاً فجأة ـــــ ورغم كتاباته الملأى بالابتهالات [...]
Posted by admin at 12:00 AM 06/28/07
“An Egyptian billionaire financier who feared for his life after being accused of being a Mossad spy was found dead outside his Mayfair flat yesterday in suspicious circumstances.”
Posted by As'ad at 10:20 PM 06/27/07
“Visiting two of more than 500 roadblocks Israel operates in the West Bank, officials of the Peace Now group questioned the efficacy of many of the checkpoints that hamper Palestinians’ movement on roads that do not lead into Israel.” Peace Now officials that Israel should continue to oppress Palestinians, but that the oppression should [...]
Posted by As'ad at 9:45 PM 06/27/07
“The Gaza events were not a war between Fatah and Hamas; but between Hamas and Fatah collaborators who served the Americans and the Israelis, said a senior Fatah advisor on Wednesday. Hani al-Hassan, the Palestinian president’s senior political advisor and member of Fatah’s central committee said in a TV interview that what was happening [...]
Posted by As'ad at 9:41 PM 06/27/07
A headline from the New York Times: “Israelis Kill 11 Militants Inside Gaza; 2 Civilians Die”. So militants don’t die; they get killed. (thanks Amahl)
Posted by As'ad at 9:33 PM 06/27/07
My article in Al-Akhbar: “Islamic Rule in Gaza? Oh, What Horror”
Posted by As'ad at 9:25 PM 06/27/07
“Saudi Arabia execution toll tops 100″ (thanks Amina)
Posted by As'ad at 3:17 PM 06/27/07
Appointing Tony Blair as Middle East envoy is as offensive as electing Fouad Ajami as president of MESA.
Posted by As'ad at 3:13 PM 06/27/07
There is no question that Arabs and Muslims in UK feel more free and less constrained than Muslims and Arabs in US. I was walking down the street on Edgeware Road and saw this man who looked–well, like the stereotype of an Al-Qa`idah member (of course, the stereotype is not accurate or fair, but [...]
Posted by As'ad at 3:07 PM 06/27/07
“Civilian Death Statistics in Iraq & Afghanistan Compared” (thanks Alec)
Posted by As'ad at 3:00 PM 06/27/07
“It’s no coincidence that the class projects at Ben Gurion that so impressed Friedman have names like “Innovative Covariance Matrix for Point Target Detection in Hyperspectral Images” and “Algorithms for Obstacle Detection and Avoidance.” Thirty homeland security companies were launched in Israel in the past six months alone, thanks in large part to lavish government [...]
Posted by As'ad at 8:09 AM 06/27/07
I read the statement by Marwan Barghuti. He called on Israelis not to miss “this opportunity.” What opportunity do you have in mind, Mr. Barghuti? This only confirmed my suspicions. I was suspicious of his “arrest” and will be more suspicious of his release.
Posted by As'ad at 8:08 AM 06/27/07
” Burundian’s ordeal in Lebanon” (thanks Sara)
Posted by As'ad at 8:06 AM 06/27/07
“THE FBI IS visiting the nation’s top technical universities in a bid to stop students taking their holidays outside the country. MIT, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts, have all had a visit from the spooks to warn them about the dangers of foreign spies and terrorists stealing sensitive academic research.” [...]
Posted by As'ad at 5:26 AM 06/27/07
“Bolton: I’m ‘very worried’ for Israel”
Posted by As'ad at 1:55 AM 06/27/07
There is no leader–if that is what Fu’ad Sanyurah is–in the world who hugs other leaders more tightly and more affectionately than this dude. (Notice how proud his wife looks).
Posted by As'ad at 4:41 PM 06/26/07
Dazed and Confused. “The CIA was eager to examine the use of dangerous pharmaceutical drugs to modify the behavior of targeted individuals, and so it asked commercial drug manufacturers to pass along samples of medicines rejected for commercial sale “because of unfavorable side effects,” according to an undated memorandum included in dozens of CIA [...]
Posted by As'ad at 4:32 PM 06/26/07
Lie of the Year. Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmad Abu Al-Ghayt, told Al-Arabiya (he is interviewed at the station probably twice a day) that the Sharm Ash-Shaykh summit did not in any way deal with the internal Palestinian situation. He also said that Husni Mubarak is the most loved leader in the world. [...]
Posted by As'ad at 4:26 PM 06/26/07
“The paper, circulated as a UN official document at a time of turmoil in Lebanon, said that during the last three months alone, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) recorded 155 air, 34 maritime, and 48 land violations by Israel.” (thanks Mick)
Posted by As'ad at 4:07 PM 06/26/07
The colonizer and the colonized. It is amazing how the native can internalize the thought of the colonizer. I was just reading this news item in the Iraqi newspaper, Az-Zaman. It said that famed Egyptian belly dancer, Fifi `Abduh, received “the title of Best Eastern Dancer in the World in a ceremony [...]
Posted by As'ad at 3:03 PM 06/26/07
A Saudi man arrested for complaining about injustice. (thanks Haytham)
Posted by As'ad at 2:45 PM 06/26/07
