The Legacy and Fallacies of Bernard Lewis

My article for Consortium News: "The Legacy and Fallacies of Bernard Lewis".

PS The site does not publish endnotes; you may obtain them by emailing me.

My article in The Intercept on Saudi-Qatari rivalry in Syria

My article in The Intercept on Saudi-Qatari rivalry in Syria.

Obama's foreign policy and Ben Rhodes account in his book: my weekly article

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "Obama's Experience in Foreign Policy (and its Difference from that of Trump).

Justice Anthony Kennedy on Islam and Muslims (from 1993)

From the French archives

From the French archives from 1934: my grandfather, Muhammad As`ad AbuKhalil (among other signatories from Tyre) asks the French commissioner for political representation of South Lebanon.

The funeral of Bazi Zaki Yusuf: a hero in the 1973 war

This is the simple funeral of Gen. Baqi Zaki Yusuf, the military brain behind the destruction (with water cannons) of the Bar-Lev line in the 1973 war.

Did protesters in this Iranian demonstration really chant "death to Palestine" as Drudge Report is claiming?

This is the story from the right-wing Zionist site, but the original video in Persian contains no such chant.

World Cup: Moroccan fans saw Israeli flags in the stadium and they took immediate action

Jammil As-Sayyid at the Hariri International (i.e. US-Israeli) tribunal

My weekly article for Al-Akhbar: "Jamil As-Sayyid at the Hague: Orientalism and Principledness".

"A US occupation soldier puts words in Sadr's mouth as only an occupation soldier can"

"He is a pragmatist, and while he would never say it publicly, Sadr appears to understand that Iraq alone — without the United States and its coalition partners — cannot strengthen its security forces to prevent another implosion like what happened from 2013 to 2014". This is incredible. He wrote what Sadr would NOT say, and not what he would say.  (thanks Basim)

The Israeli former minister spying for Iran: much bigger than Elie Cohen of Damascus

Notice that intelligence successes and breakthroughs of Israeli enemies never get any coverage of hype that alleged Israeli successes get. There were some four movies and plays about Elie Cohen (whose tale was largely fictitious and whose contributions were very highly exaggerated and whose exploits were really invented by the Mossad to cover up their failures) and I doubt that there will be one movie about this Israeli spy for Iran.  Notice how muted the Western coverage of the case has been.  This is the biggest but certainly not the only intelligence penetration of the Israeli military-political establishment.  The New York Times in its coverage today made the story about the great Mossad adventure in...arresting the guy and not in Iran's recruitment of the former Israeli minister.

US pushing for Islamic reformism

This is really not new at all: successive US administrations after Sep. 11 have been pushing for this.  In fact, special offices under different names were organized in various departments and agencies.  Also, what is significant about the leaked documents is that the US is blatantly engaged in what we call "colonial feminism"--when sexists and misogynists of Western countries exploit issues of Muslim women in order to dominate their nations.  Obama in his last interview with the former Israeli prison guard at the Atlantic was very clear about his view of Islamic reformism.  

Obama's foreign policy advisor, Ben Rhodes, really hearts Al-Qa`idah in Syria

In his book, The World as It Is, Obama's foreign policy advisor (who admits changing the speech of Obama at UN to make it more pro-Israel), Ben Rhodes, does not hide his admiration for Al-Qa`idah in Syria: "they were fighting for their lives". p. 197.

Obama's foreign policy: Ben Rhodes and his book

In Ch. 16 of his book, The World As It Is, Ben Rhodes (who admits he was a "member" of AIPAC) admits his role in lobbying against labeling Al-Qa`idah in Syria as terrorists because "it would alienate the same people we wanted to help". (can't cite a page number: it is electronic)

My assessment of the Lebanese elections, Part II, for consortium news

My assessment of the Lebanese elections, Part II. 

Grotesque in Mecca

This is almost unreal. What the House of Saud has done to the scene of Al-Ka`bah. Religion mixed with the aesthetics of Vegas.

Blogging, tweeting, etc

Some readers have asked: I have not been blogging as much as of late.  It is because it takes so much time and I now post in Arabic (and some in English) on Twitter primarily but also on Facebook.  My accounts are public if someone wishes to follow.  Also, I am now writing regularly at consortium.news  so you can read me there.

My blog is now banned from certain places in the US

From a reader in the US: " I tried accessing your blog at my job today (clerkship at ...Attorney General's Office) and at my local Target store. It keeps saying your blog is blocked on account of it being "hate and racism." 

Can you believe that. I'm so sorry for this bullshit you have to go through this crap. But yes, I can't read your blog at work or when I'm out anymore it seems. "

Saudi propaganda now talks about Taliban's Shi`ite clerics

"The Iranians let the Arabs and their Some graffiti in Tehran called for expelling Taliban’s Shiite clerics to Afghanistan because they provided significant support to Arabs in Zahedan and Tehran,” he added." (thanks Basim)

The professional liars and fabricators of Israeli propaganda industry: the Jerusalem Day in Iran

This Israeli propaganda site (carried over by many in the US media) claim that there was a low turnout in Jerusalem Day in Iran (and look at the picture they use).  The truth is in this source and this.

Nasrallah's unprecedented appeal to Israelis (not only to Jews)

One of the ways in which Zionists controlled the discourse about Arab-Israeli conflict in the West is by insisting on presenting to the West whatever they select (and distort and fabricate) about Arab discourse on Zionism and Judaism.  From the days of Yehoshovat Harkabi (former Israeli director of military intelligence and official expert on Arab statements on Judaism and Zionism) to the days of MEMRI--or even the writings of Bernard Lewis: there is a Zionist industry to produce only the ugly and hateful of Arab political discourse.  There is so much about Arab political discourse that is deliberately not being covered by MEMRI and the likes--because it does not fit into the Zionist political agenda.  On Jerusalem Day, Hasan Nasrallah concluded a long speech about Palestine with a direct appeal to Israelis. This is rather unprecedented from an Arab resistance group.  He said (my translation): "We don't want to kill, we don't want to destroy, we dont want to throw anyone into the sea. We say in a fully civil way, ride your ships and planes and return to your countries where you came from.  As for the indigenous Jews who are part of Palestinian people, those stay in Palestine...This is the message of Islam and this is the message of resistance, and this is the message of the people of the region.  No one wants to perpetrate a new Holocaust or anything like that as Netanyahu says".

Ahmad Sa`id is dead

My obituary of Ahmad Sa`id, director of Nasser's Voice of the Arab.

Features of the Classical Orientalism of Bernard Lewis

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "Features of the Classical (Zionist) Orientalism of Bernard Lewis".

This chant in Jordan today is unprecedented

Chants from Jordan (earlier today): O, Abdullah son of Husayn, listen to this couplet If the change doesn’t occur, big heads shall roll O, Majdi son of Yasin, from where are your millions?” (Reference to Yasin is to the family of Queen Rania). (Naturally, these rhyme in Arabic).

Jordanian protesters have not spared the monarchy in their chants this time around

Contrary to what she says: "stopping short of denouncing the monarchy", the protesters this time were explicit in denouncing the King and even the family of his enriched wife.  (See my twitter page for samples of the chants).

It is amazing how Jordanian regime is getting away with repression

Where are those who specialized in the West in mocking the speeches of Arab rulers when they face protests? Notice how respectful the tone of Western media toward the Jordanian potentate.  In this lousy speech, the King says blatantly that Jordan is not ready for parliamentary rule because there are no parties in Jordan.  Same colonial argument.

The same Arab media propagandists who supported Syrian rebel car bombs in Syria, are appalled that a Jordanian security forces was injured

See here.

Look at this benign definition of what the IMF does in developing countries

"IMF, which is seeking to reform Jordan’s deeply indebted economy. "

My assessment of the Lebonese election, part I

My assessment of the Lebonese election for consortium news, part I. 

Killed in Gaza

Razan Alnajjar, 21 years old, A Palestinian volunteer nurse, She was shot and killed by an Israeli solider today in Khan Younis south Gaza Strip.