It is without exaggeration that I say that you can't trust the New York Times on the Middle East, even if it is about non-political aspects of the region. Look at this obituary of Egyptian filmmaker, Yusuf Chahine. The longish piece does not do justice to the man, and even distorts his personality and political positions. I met Chahine once in Washington, DC and spent hours with him. He would rail for house about US imperialism and Zionism. This art critic for the Times (who has the political sensitivity of Meir Kahane) transformed Chahine into some lame Egyptian liberal, a la Mahfouz, to whom he audaciously compared him. Chahine was a socialist enthusiast, and categorically opposed any normalization with Israel. He even developed nostalgia for Nasser after the rise of the Sadat dictatorship. Compare this obituary in the Guardian (which took a break from its obsessive coverage of the plight of white farmers in southern Africa): "When I met him in Cairo in 2002 he had just hit the headlines of the newspapers after the police had used tear gas to disperse a peaceful demonstration against Israel: Chahine, suffering from heart problems, was carried from the scene by students." I have this question for the New York Times and like-minded Zionist fanatics: do they think that by ignoring the reality of popular and intellectual hostility to Israel and Zionism that they can wish it to go away just like that? Fat chance.