Saturday, January 05, 2008

Riyadh at-Turk versus Haytham Al-Manna`. When it comes to human rights in Syria and the Arab world, I have the utmost respect for Syrian dissident Haytham Manna`. And what is with the Syrian regime arresting writers and intellectuals right and left, no matter what one thinks of those people? The son of one of those arrested--I will not mention his name lest the family is made to suffer more--and you can only conclude that the lousy regime is so insecure. By the way, Human Rights Watch, which has a history of being influenced by the standards and guidelines in its attention to human rights violations around the world, always makes statements about human rights violations in Syria--as it should--but have they spoken on the arrest of the Saudi blogger? Manna`, who has full credibility when he speaks on human rights in all countries of the world has also criticized the recent statements by the lousy Riyadh At-Turk in which he called all critics of the US and its wars "agents of the Syrian regime." I never ejoyed At-Turk when he was a Stalinist communist, and now enjoy him less as a Bushist liberal. I think At-Turk lost it.