Ignorance of Robert Fisk

It has become impossible to read one article by Fisk and not be irritated by his deep ignorance of Middle East politics and Arabic language, his subservience to the Hariri machine notwithstanding.  Look at this:  "sad is turning into an armed insurrection, with previously peaceful demonstrators taking up arms to fight their own army and the "shabiha" – meaning "the ghosts", in English."  Mr. Fisk is here trying to impress Westerners.  Most likely he asked his driver Abed and he thought that Shabihah is the same word as Shabah and Ashbah (which means ghosts), while shabbihah is a word used by Syrians to refer to the thugs of the regime.  Literally, it means show-offs.