Archive for September, 2008
I am speaking this Friday at this Mahmud Darwish event in San Francisco.
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
The Wahhabi clerics who still insist that the earth is flat (according to Bin Baz’s verdict) have just spotted the moon of `Id Al-Fitr.
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
My Berkeley email is not working. Use my other (Stanislaus) email. Good night.
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
You can never accuse Western media of ignoring the suffering of people in Africa (often due to Western interventions): “Elephants in Congo: Big and helples”
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“The Maoists say that the contest discriminates against certain ethnic groups and demeans women.” Notice that the BBC News item is totally outraged at the feminist complaints of the Maoists here. And why do Western media think that beauty pageants are a sign of women’s liberation? (thanks Hicham)
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
I don’t like this guy, but this is an important point that is not made in the media: “Less violence, however, is not the same thing as success. The United States did not go to war in Iraq for the purpose of ending violence between contending sectarian forces. Success has to be measured against US [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
Jerusalem Post is not pleased with how Islam and Muslim are presented in text books in the US: “The same glossary describes the Koran as a “Holy Book of Islam containing revelations received by Muhammad from God” – without a conditional qualifier.” And what do they mean by conditional qualifiers? Like the setence should add: [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“Doctors in Iraq will have the right to carry guns to protect themselves, the government said on Monday, in a bid to address the security concerns of a profession that has been targeted by gangsters and militants.” That is odd. Because watching the report on Iraq on 60 minutes yesterday made Iraq look like Disney [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
Just look at this paragraph by Ethan Bronner: “Some Muslims defy archaeology and history by saying that Jews have no link to the site and that it is purely Muslim sacred territory. The same problem exists on the other side as well — some Jews believe that the holiness here is theirs alone.” Notice that [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
There are stories that you read which give you goose bumps. This is one of them. “The Israeli and Palestinian leaders have called to congratulate each other ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Id al-Fitr, which ends the month of Ramadan.”
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“Iraq has taken delivery of U.S.-built Beechcraft spy planes to bolster its security forces, Defence Minister Abdel Qader Jassem Mohammed said Sept.”
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“But the project, begun early this year, was more than that. It was a challenge to long-held conventions regarding the roles of women and girls in the community. For some local residents, the sight of adolescent girls running and leaping on a basketball court was an indecent public spectacle, an affront to female modesty mandated [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
Hassan Fattah brings you hard-hitting, investigative journalism the likes of which the world media has not seen: “In a comprehensive address to the UN General Assembly, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, covered issues ranging from the measures needed internationally to deal with the crisis in world financial markets to efforts by [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
Robert Baer is very inconsistent: in some interviews with media outside of the US, he is willing to be critical of Israel. But in interviews and articles inside the US, he sounds like Joe Biden, or McCain, or Palin, or Obama, or Bush–you get the picture.
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“In short, today Dubai is in danger of loosing its lustre and has to work to maintain its brand reputation. Inflation is in double digits, regional competitors – like Qatar or Kuwait – are growing stronger, and India – which supplies thousands of low- and mid-level employees – is providing ever more well-paid jobs domestically. [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“It is believed to be the first time American personnel have been stationed in Israel since the 1991 Gulf war, when Patriot anti-missile batteries were deployed – to little effect – against Iraq’s Scud missiles. In spite of the close strategic relationship between the two countries, Israel has traditionally preferred to staff its own defences [...]
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
“A 20 year old resident of the village of Ni’lin was shot in the back of the neck by Israeli forces at around 5:30am.” (thanks Olivia)
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
Not worthy of national coverage: “Njie was one of several affected when a suspected chemical irritant was sprayed into the mosque at 26 Josie St., bringing Dayton police, fire and hazardous material personnel to the building at 9:48 p.m.” (thanks Emily)
Posted on September 29, 2008 by As'ad
This is a sample of the Lebanese press (by the dean of Lebanese journalists): “Le roi Abdallah Ben Abdel-Aziz, “Serviteur des deux saintes mosquéesâ€, n’a pas besoin d’être comparé à Bismarck qui a présidé l’Union prussienne en 1863, unifié le territoire de l’Autriche et du Danemark et vaincu la France. Puis, il s’est hissé à [...]
Posted on September 28, 2008 by As'ad
“An Egyptian appeals court on Sunday upheld a guilty verdict against a newspaper editor who wrote stories questioning the president’s health and sentenced him to two months imprisonment.”
Posted on September 28, 2008 by As'ad