Archive for January 21, 2012
European students of Arabic
For the life of me, I don’t know why European students of Arabic fare so much better than American counterparts. I was talking to Kate yesterday: she teaches Arabic here at Oxford after finishing her undergradaute degree in Arabic. Her Arab…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
The stupid lies of AlArabiyyah TV and their source
Without a doubt, Saudi media are the dumbest on the planet. Without a doubt, Al-Arabiyyah TV (the news station of King Fadh’s brother-in-law) is the dumbest of them all. They just make up stuff about Syria and Iran (that suits Saudi foreign…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
laughter
I won’t be surprised if the Islamic Republic of Iran eventually bans laughter.
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
NATO-Bin Laden gangs in Libya at war
I wonder why no journalist ever asks those NATO rebels of their opinion of Bin Laden. You bet that they are all fans? There are reports that Mustafa Abdul-NATO has just resigned. He may be replaced by Ayman Al-Dhawahiri.
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
To my hosts at University of Edinburgh this week
Since I don’t know my hosts at the University of Edinburgh, is it possible to arrange for me to see the private book collection or papers of W.M. Watt? That would be great. By the way, people may not know that Hamilton Gibb did his undergra…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
a student versus Oxford University
“A student has sent her own rejection letter to a prestigious university criticising it for “intimidating” pupils from comprehensive school backgrounds during the interview process. Elly Nowell, from Winchester, Hampshire, wrote in her letter to …
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Medieval England
I finished reading a book on the history of England in Medieval times. I have reached this conclusion: I can only survive in medieval England if I am the king–provided I don’t face the threat of beheading.
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
The poll in Syria is not credible
“It is astonishing that you publish an article based on such poor evidence (Most Syrians back Assad, 18 January). We have no doubt that the Doha Debates are a respectable forum for dialogue, but in the poll Jonathan Steele quotes, 1,012 respondents com…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
67%
So 67% of the seats of the new Egyptian parliament goes to Islamists of various sorts and shades. You still wonder why elections have never been my priority, especially with the lack of control on foreign financing and campaign financing in those …
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Oxford University
Historically–if you read about the history of the university–the university has had intense hositiliy with the people of Oxford. Wars were fought in medieval times. You can still see that: the university (through its various colleges and …
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Khalid Mish`al
Khalid Mish`al said that he won’t seem renomination as leader of Hamas. Let me translate: he will seek renomination as leader of Hamas. To understand Mish`al, I only have to remember Arafat. I think that he should start dressing like him.
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Closer? how could it be any closer? there would be combustion
“U.S. General Urges Closer Ties With Israel”
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Nada Barki finds her source
On Arab economic woes, Nada Barki finds that the Khalid bin Sultan’s favortie columnist, Jihad Al-Khazin, is the best source on economic inequalities in the Arab world. “.“The living conditions of so many have become miserable,” said Jihad al…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
House of Saud’s columnist and his dumb expert
“I asked a friend of mine, a Ph.D., Canadian engineer who is specialized in the security of cyber information, to clarify the saga of hacker OxOmar who went after the Israeli credit card holders and managed to penetrate an Israeli bank with the purpose…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
House of Saud’s columnist and his dumb expert
“I asked a friend of mine, a Ph.D., Canadian engineer who is specialized in the security of cyber information, to clarify the saga of hacker OxOmar who went after the Israeli credit card holders and managed to penetrate an Israeli bank with the purpose…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
House of Saud and their medieval reforms
“Following her description of the religious police as “ex-convicts and drug addicts”, Saudi judge demands withdrawing the nationality of a female journalist, and a Saudi male journalist responds by publishing an article about her, using explicit s…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
House of Saud and their medieval reforms
“Following her description of the religious police as “ex-convicts and drug addicts”, Saudi judge demands withdrawing the nationality of a female journalist, and a Saudi male journalist responds by publishing an article about her, using explicit s…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Saudi opposition
I have a question for the Sadat diplomat, Nabil Al-`Arabi: will he meet with a delegation from the Saudi opposition, or the Qatari oppostion or even the Jordanian opposition? I know that he will have to get clearance from Doha, but will he?
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Syrian rebels in Zabadani
`Ali sent me this: ” About the picture of the “unshaved” Syrian rebels, They seem to be carrying “G3A3″ assault rifles, a German model used by only it’s two neighbors, the Lebanese Army, and the Royal Jordanian Land Forces, The Syrian Army is equ…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad
Syrian rebels in Zabadani
`Ali sent me this: ” About the picture of the “unshaved” Syrian rebels, They seem to be carrying “G3A3″ assault rifles, a German model used by only it’s two neighbors, the Lebanese Army, and the Royal Jordanian Land Forces, The Syrian Army is equ…
Posted on January 21, 2012 by As'ad