Archive for August 26, 2010
Turkey (the government) still hearts Israel
“Senior Turkish officials in Washington reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining friendly relations with Israel, Turkish media reported Thursday.”
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
A lousy writer for a lousy newspaper
Of course, An-Nahar does not complain about the religious police of the Maronite church in Lebanon. ““The shock of the [surreptitious] suggestion was stronger than the initial rejection. [It was] commercial malice [under the pretense of] coex…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Attack on women’s rights in Tunisia
“Today, though, Tunisian women are not spared from the long and ruthless war on freedom of expression and association, of a kind unseen even under the French protectorate and which can no longer be camouflaged by the personal status code or Ben Ali…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Saudi fatwawawas
“A Saudi scholar has broken the official rule restricting the issuing of fatwas to senior clerics and called for a boycott of a supermarket chain that has hired female cashiers, local media reports on Wednesday.”
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Racism/classism in a Lebanese news site
This is from the `Awni site: ”يضي٠الØاج: “طوني بطرس بقي يصادر المنزل وكان يرتداد الى البيت Øبشيات بأغلبيتهم من “Ùلاشا”. هذا الأمر كان واضØاً للجميع، …
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
MEMRI, again
Right after I posted the item below this on MEMRI, I received a MEMRI TV clip (with subtitles) from my Tuesday appearance on Aljazeera on Tuesday. Typically, the clip is out of context and without what I said before and after this segment.
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
When MEMRI brags
When Ghazi Qusaybi died, MEMRI sent out a special bulletin saying that it had played a role in his recall from UK as ambassador of Saudi Arabia. But MEMRI should have added that it suspiciously did not campaign against Prince Turki (Usamah Bin La…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
“Scum state”: too kind a description for Israel
“BERLIN – The head of Amnesty International’s Finnish branch, Frank Johansson, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that he stands by his statement that Israel is a “scum state.—
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Spying on Free Speech Nearly At Cold War Level
“The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released numerous reports of increased government spying on American citizens. Once upon an unhappy time, U.S. law enforcement agencies, from the FBI to local police, had a history of political spying durin…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
The ideal Republic of Salam Fayyad
“Crowds started to arrive at the Protestant church hall in downtown Ramallah in the West Bank shortly after midday Wednesday to attend an anti-negotiations conference. They were responding to a call by local Palestinian leaders opposed to plans by …
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Prince Al-Walid bin Talal
“Stewart showed clips from his show last week, in which he mocked Fox News for playing a dangerous game of association based on speculation, and wherein Fox continued to mention a nameless man with ties to Imam Rauf through the “Kingdom Foundation.”…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
CIA Red Cell Memorandum on United States “exporting terrorism”, 2 Feb 2010
“The report looks at a number cases of US exported terrorism, including attacks by US based or ï¬nanced Jewish, Muslim and Irish-nationalism terrorists. It concludes that foreign perceptions of the US as an “Exporter of Terrorism” together with US …
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
US and the Taliban
“The US commander in Afghanistan on Wednesday said he supported efforts to broker a settlement with the Taliban and that the United States had helped promote dialogue with militants in some “isolated casesâ€.” (thanks Nabeel)
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Maid ‘tortured’ with nails
“A Sri Lankan housemaid with nails embedded in her body is to undergo surgery, her doctors said.LP Ariyawathie, 49, said her employer in Saudi Arabia inflicted the injuries as a punishment, according to medics at Kamburupitiya Hospital, Sri Lanka. &n…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
The destruction of Nahr Al-Barid camp
“The army has already proved its usefulness — to both Lebanon and the West — in other ways. In the summer of 2007, it fought Fatah al Islam, a militant group linked to Al Qaeda, in a Palestinianrefugee camp in northern Lebanon.”
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
This is so true
“What American politicians often fail to understand is that even pro-Western Lebanese tend to regard Israel — which has repeatedly invaded and bombed its northern neighbor — as a hostile force. ”
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Lebanese Army command
“The army is still largely commanded by Christian generals who were trained in the United States.” This is no more true, of course. The command now has members from other sects, and he deputy director of Army intelligence (a Shi`ite) is pro…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Pro-Western factions
“The alternative, Lebanon’s pro-Western factions say, is much worse.” The pro-Western factions of March 14 movement include those Sunni fundamentalists (like Khalid Dahir and Mufti Al-Mays and others) who recruited Jihadist fighters for Al-Qa`i…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad
Robert Worth’s definitions
“Hezbollah, the Shiite movement that is committed to Israel’s destruction.” I mean, if that is the case, why would not Worth identifies Israel as the “Jewish state that is committed to the destruction of Hizbullah, Hamas, PFLP, and various othe…
Posted on August 26, 2010 by As'ad