Archive for June 11, 2012
Meet a new clueless correspondent in the Middle East: Lucy Fielder of France24
So I watched this segment on Franc24 on Al-Mayadin: one of the worst pieces of journalism that I have seen, and I see lousy pieces of journalism daily, and in more than one language. 1) the “scoop” of the segment is a revelation that Al-Mayadin i…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Apologists of the Syrian regime posing as dissidents: the case Sami Moubayed
The chutzpah. The hypocrisy. Look at this piece by Sam Moubayed. I never met the guy but he has been a mild apologist for the regime and I know that he was in negotiations with Imad Moustafa (the former Syrian ambassador in Washington…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Repression in Bahrain
“An 11-year-old boy has been detained by Bahraini authorities for nearly a month for allegedly participating in an “illegal gathering” and for burning tires, an arrest that human rights groups say comes amid the country’s continued crackdown on anti-go…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Anti-Alawite bigotry in Australia
Hussein sent me this: ”Thought you might be interested in this – there is a campaign currently going on in Sydney, Australia by Salafi/Wahabis targeting Shia/Alawi businesses as a result of Syria. It is a Facebook page called Boycott T…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
The most brilliant insight on the Middle East
I mean this. I have never ever heard or read a more brilliant insight on the Middle East. Amazing. How original and refreshing.
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Robert Fisk: as anti-`Alawite biggot
“”So across town to the delightful apartment of my favourite Lebanese doctor, Mustafa Aloushe, half-Alawite himself but very firmly not in the Assad camp.”" First notice that he says “half-Alawite…but..”. Imagine if he were to say about…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Repression in Oman
“A poet and a blogger were among 10 people arrested in Oman in the past two weeks in what one source said was a police crackdown on dissent amid rising discontent in the small U.S. ally sitting near key Gulf shipping routes. Activists said on S…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Flash: NATO promised to not kill civilians
“Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, said Western troops would continue to pursue insurgents who hide in residential compounds, “but when there is concern over the presence of civilians, air del…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Women and suicide and Islam
Read this article about women and suicide and arranged marriages in Sanjar in Iraq. They tried to bring Islam in by talking about Islamic belief in the Yazidi religion, which is not an Islamic sect. They talk about suicide rates in the tow…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
secret
The new token leader of the Syrian National Council was asked about the fact that no one in the opposition knows about him. He said that he has opposed the regime in secret. Kid you not.
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
for BDS
Sign the petition. (thanks Mirvat)
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
likely
“Wherever the diplomacy is leading, within Syria the killings in Houla and Qubeir have changed the nature of the war. In both cases the killers are likely to have been militiamen from nearby Alawite villages.”
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
All quiet on the Libyan front
“Fighting between government forces and tribal fighters in the southern Libyan town of Kufra has continued for a second day, officials said. At least 16 people have died since the clashes began on Saturday, with women and children among the de…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Zionists for Shafiq
“Shafiq wins 100% of votes cast by Egyptians in Israel”. (thanks John)PS But most Egyptian voters in Saudi Arabia voted for the Ikhwan candidate.
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
The Vietnamese people
This is not said: the struggle of the Vietnamese people against French and American occupations is a human epic story of courage and persistence. Those poor and skinny people were able to achieve the defeat of the most powerful army which never h…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
assassinations
It can be said that Obama has ordered more assassinations than any president probably since JFK (who along with RFK loved assassinations and bombings as part of “covert operations”.
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
Racist festival in Israel
I would argue that there is today in Israel the most blatant anti-black, anti-African racist movement, the likes of which has not been observed publicly since the Apartheid regime. Yet, there is nothing about that in the Western press.
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
The most unreported story in the Western press from the Middle East
“Israeli authorities on Monday rounded up dozens of African migrants slated for deportation, most of them from South Sudan, as the government weighs tough penalties against Israelis who help illegal aliens.The Population and Migration Authority said in…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
This is liberated Libya
“eestablishing law and order has proved to be the hardest task, not least because many militias want to provide an alternative. The government has succeeded in cajoling the militiamen to make a formal decision to leave the capital’s airports. But who…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad
No condemnations for those crimes
“A combined force of the Israeli military, police and security services, kidnapped on Monday at dawn, a family in occupied East Jerusalem. Members of Rebah Abu Hums’ family were kidnapped and transported to the Russian Compound (al-Maskobiyya) pr…
Posted on June 11, 2012 by As'ad