Archive for April 4, 2012
Electric Bill for a Saudi Prince: Prince Abdul-Rahman Bin `Abdul-`Aziz
(thanks K.)
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Christians used as human shields in Homs
“”Some Christians who tried to escape a week ago were stopped from leaving by the rebels and were instead forced to go to a mosque to act as shields,” he said. “They thought that, because Christians support Assad, the government would not attack …
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Thomas Friedman sets conditions
“I can certainly see the efficacy of nonviolent resistance by Palestinians to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank — on one condition…” You set conditions on the Palestinians? Who are you to set conditions on the Palestinian people? Who? &…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
remaining Ba`thists?
Are there any Ba`thists left in the Arab world? Are they not ashamed? Has there been a worse model of government than Ba`thist models of government? Such good examples of utter failures. I can never ever imagine a young person joining a Ba`…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
THOMAS FRIEDMAN DOES WHAT HE DOES BEST: SNEAKILY RETRACTS SOMETHING HE HAD SAID
If you search this blog, you will learn that I had predicted that this would happen: that Thomas Friedman would soon deny that he had argued repeatedly that Arab uprisings have no foreign policy goals. I knew that it would happen because he has a…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
This is too hilarious for me
“After years of insisting that American forces end covert nighttime raids on Afghan homes, President Hamid Karzai’s government was close to completing a deal that would give the Afghan authorities legal oversight of the raids, while allowing Ame…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Israel’s dirty hands in US
“Shady Companies With Ties to Israel Wiretap the U.S. for the NSA”. (thanks John)
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
goons of Muqtada As-Sadr
“Youngsters in Iraq are being stoned to death for having haircuts and wearing clothes that emulate the ‘emo’ style popular among western teenagers. At least 14 youths have been killed in the capital Baghdad in the past three weeks in what app…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Iraq war: all the fault of "Curveball" says BBC, Independent.
Rob sent me this: “As`ad, look at this weasel language here in The Independent: “But Mr Janabi, speaking in a two-part series, Modern Spies, starting tomorrow on BBC2, says none of it was true. When it is put to him “we went to war in Iraq on a lie. An…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Crazy report about academic standards
Yaman sent me this: “I hope you are well. You have to post about this. A guy named Peter Berkowitz just published an op-ed for the WSJ to promote a “report” by the “National Association of Scholars” attacking California universities for alleged politic…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Change in the Gulf
“The reason why Arabs are not more vocal about change in their countries varies from state to state. In the wealthy countries of the Gulf a sense of apathy can be felt that may be associated with materialism. Noam Chomsky associates excessive capitalis…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
ICC
As if we did not know all along. ICC has no mandate against Israeli war crimes and massacres. US orders ICC.
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
CAIR and sudden courage
I see that American Islamists found courage against the Syrian regime, when they never ever exhibited courage vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia or any GCC country or, of course, Israel. I don’t mind the letter if similar letters were addressed Israeli or G…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Decline of Aljazeera
I watched yesterday Ibrahim `Allush on Syrian regime TV. I disagree with much that was said but he made a point about Aljazeera: he said that if you check on Alexa, you realize that Aljazeera website has sharply declined in popularity in Arab cou…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
4%
“Sixty-two percent of Jewish American voters would like to see U.S. President Barack Obama reelected in November, and only 4% define Israel as the most important issue influencing their vote.”
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
I am sick and tired of Western journalists writing about Arab culture without knowing Arabic
Here is a fawning, hagiographic profile of Syrian opposition writer, Yassin Hajj Saleh. Of course, for the purpose of full disclosure, I should state right at the outset that Yassin and I engaged in a bitter polemical-political feud last year. Bu…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Aljazeera responds
Aljazeera is feeling the heat. Here, it responds to the critics and singles out Al-Akhbar. It resorts to sectarian language that one is familiar with given the Salafis and Islamists who are influential at the station. It talks about i…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
The Decline of Political Islam in the Arab World
My latest blog post for Al-Akhbar English: ”The Decline of Political Islam in the Arab world”.PS After I sent it yesterday, I realized I have so many other points. This requires a long article in Arabic.
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad
Bassam in….Homs
“ As`ad Abukhalil was too angry to respond to the think-tank claims as he was counting the salafis in a picture from a Homs protest (sorry As`ad, couldn’t resist).” I was counting the Salafis in the picture, Bassam, and there I saw you in th…
Posted on April 4, 2012 by As'ad