"Printing the image of ‪#bahrain‬ king on the roads is becoming very popular these days"

Bahrain and Syria

From Angry Arab's chief Bahrain correspondent:  "I have no idea why you keep saying that the Syrian uprising is the least supported uprising in the arab world. The least supported uprising is Bahrain's because of the sectarian coverage of the saudi and qatari media (and yemen is the most ignored). Lack of support is especially prevalent amongst religious arabs. Tell me of one mosque in the US or the arab world which has a prayer for those killed in the Bahraini uprising. Also I'm sick and tired of syria being the litmus test for everything. A couple of days ago Faisal of aljazeera (forgot his last name) criticized bahraini protesters on twitter for supposedly not supporting the syrian uprising. He blocked anyone responding to him telling him that isn't true. WTF is he talking about???? I want to know how he gathered the data to make such an incorrect generalization. Since you know him please send him this message: Did he forget that Bashar alasad supported the Saudi invasion of bahrain. And I guess he forgot to read the tweets of Zainab alkhawaja, mariam alkhawaja, nabeel rajab and other prominent protest leaders concerning syria. Or perhaps he should search for Syria in the websites of alwefaq and waad and see the numerous statements in support of the syrian people/uprising. The only political opposition society that supports alasad is alwahdawi which is a small arab nationalist opposition society. That's it. I challenge faisal who works for the propogandist media station of aljazeera and who would never dare criticize qatar to find one statement from the syrian national council or other large syrian opposition groups supporting the bahraini uprising. Of course he won't find any and even if he did he would dare tweet that would he. Let me tell u a story about Mariam Alkhawaja. I'm fuzzy on the details. Mariam was at some amnesty rally/conference (might be another organization I'm not 100% sure) about the so called arab spring. When she started speaking, a group of Syrians started booing. So she responded to them and told them that she doesn't support any dictator and that they are all bad or something like that. So another group of people started clapping and chanting elwi7da elwi7da el3arabiya." 

Putin

Supporters of the Syrian regime conveniently ignore the fact that Putin is very pro-Israel.  Or maybe they don't care.

Exploring occupied lands

Look at this arrogant American.  Casually exploring occupied Palestinian lands.  (thanks Chathan)

The new Egypt

From the largest Algerian French daily.  It says: Egypt of yesterday, and then Egypt of tomorrow. (thanks Redouane)

Briefed and informed

"Mitt Romney told donors attending his campaign's Utah retreat that he is briefed on the Middle East by Israeli government officials."

There is a new expert on Syria at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

"Jeffrey White, a defense analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who tracks videos and announcements from self-described rebel battalions".  So this guy, who is no expert on Syria, simply watches videos on Youtube and that qualified as an expert and the New York Times now treats him as an expert? Hell, all Arabs watch videos on Youtube, why can't they be cited in the Times?

What is happening in the Lebanese Communist Party

There is turmoil in the Lebanese Communist Party.  It seems that comrade Khalid Hdadah has fired a member after he posted on Facebook about how Hdadah used his influence to have his son appointed at the Lebanese University.  It seems a few have been fired as well in preparation for the next party congress.  Dissidents have been sending me information and I shall post more later.

Khalifah bin Zayid

Yesterday many Arabs on twitter were intrigued when I said that Muhammad Mursi is qualified to be the second most dumb Arab ruler.  The top honor goes of course, to Khalifah bin Zayid--even when he is sober.  Notice in Wikileaks that Khalifah does not meet or talk at length with officials.  His brother, Muhammad, runs the show.  I am told the brothers don't let him speak to the media given how dumb he is.

The US government is in panic

I read the New York Times daily but I don't recall more lies in one day about the Middle East as in today's issue.  Reason? The US is really in panic over the victory of Mursi.   Look here:  " At the same time, the administration was chastising the Egyptian military".  Where and when did the US chastise the Egyptian military? Where?

Barry Obama and the "Arab Street"

Look at this line in the New York Times:  " the Obama administration continued its defense of the Arab street".  Where is Barry Obama defending the "Arab street"?  In Palestine? In Saudi Arabia? In Bahrain? In Jordan?  In Morocco? In Algeria?  In Oman? In Kuwait? In Iraq?  In UAE?  In Kuwait? Where? Where, damn it?

more lies

"For President Obama, who telephoned both Mr. Morsi and General Shafik on Sunday, the crisis under way in Egypt has put him in an awkward position: champion of America’s longtime foe, and critic of America’s longtime ally."  Again, the US government is lying in pretending that it favored Mursi over Shafiq?  How obvious is this lie?

Lies of the US government on Egypt

See the post below this.  The US government is really lying about its goals and intentions in Egypt:  "The election results dissipated mounting fears inside the administration that the country’s election commission would invalidate the recent presidential runoff and declare a former air force general, Ahmed Shafik, the next president."  Look at this lie.  The US was worried that its candidate, Shafiq, would be declared president? You really think that Arabs are idiots and would fall for those dumb lies?

There is an American propaganda trick appearing in the US press

Preparing to adjust to the new rule in Egypt, the US government is playing a clear propaganda game trying to present itself falsely as supportive of the Brotherhood.  Look at this line in the New York Times:  "the secular lawmakers argued that the United States had improperly tried to sway the presidential race in Mr. Morsi’s favor."  What on earth is that? Everybody in Egypt and the Arab world know that Shafiq was the candidate of the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Everyone knows that.  Also, do you know how unusual for the US president to call Shafiq yesterday although he did not win?  Did the US president call losers in presidential elections before?  

the analytical dude

Look at this guy:  "“He has a chance to become his own man, but he has to distance himself from the Brotherhood,” Mr. Hamid said. “At some point, Mr. Morsi is going to start making his own decisions, and sooner or later, there will be tensions between Shater and Morsi.”"  How wrong is he?  How off is he?  But that totally fallacious notion made me think: he is now one of the most cited analysts on the Middle East.  So I am exposed to his commentaries in the Western press.  I can say that you can classify his comments into three categories: 1) conventional wisdom.  He often produce typical conventional wisdom along the lines of: yes, the US can't rule out military action against Iran, for example. 2) platitudes.  Like he would say: well, it seems that the Muslim Brotherhood has actually won.  Let us face it.  or something like that.  3) it is when he strives to be original: and it is the worse part of his commentaries.  He tries to be original so he offers something totally nonsensical as the one above.  Please enjoy him, along with the commentaries of WINEP Zionists. 

Mustafa Abdul-NATO

I am watching Mustafa Abdul-NATO on Al-Arabiyyah TV (the news station of King Fahd's brother-in-law): 1) he is so dumb. It is uncanny.  Now we know why they like him in Western capitals.  2) He admits that he was part of the entourage of Sayf Al-Islam.  3) He can't produce one insight.  4) He is such a religious fanatic: he praises Al-Mu`tasim Al-Qadhdhafi but then says that he later saw footage of his parties and that he was upset with his non-Muslim lifestyle. So the crimes of Qadhdhafi did not bother him but living in violation of Shari`ah bothered him.

Does Egypt have a new president?

My latest post for Al-Akhbar English: "Does Egypt have a new president"?

US plotting

A colleague sent me this:  "The Americans and the SCAF will make sure that Mursi cannot do anything. If he mobilizes against them, they will assassinate him, and if he does not , he will have no power and will lose any popularity. The Americans screwed up, had they allowed Sabbahi to win with these restrictions, he would not have been able to mobilize the population against them, this guy will, but it will be a game.  The delay in announcing the results was clearly spent deciding what is riskier: to have to completely crack down now and have Shafiq assume power, which was a risk whose outcome was uncertain; or give it to Mursi and choke him slowly with the possibility that he could mobilize against them at which point they would crack down."

Children who are 9 years old can smoke in Amman Airport

This is at Amman airport. (thanks Laure)

PS OK, As many alerted me, it seems some funny person removed 1 near the eight and that it was supposed to say 18.

Jittery???

"Israel jittery after Brotherhood victory in Egypt".  Jittery? More like alarmed? Scared? Horrified?  

Flash: Mursi newsreel

Egyptian Caliph, Muhammad Mursi, said that the US had offered him a starring role with Lindsey Lohan but that he refused.  

Flash: Caliph Mursi again

Egyptian Caliph, Muhammad Mursi, said that the US had offered him to be a singer in Las Vegas but that he refused.  More on this developing story of principle.

Flash: Caliph Muhammad Mursi

The new Egyptian caliph, Muhammad Mursi, said that the US had offered him the presidency but that he turned it down.

Lies of Mursi

The campaign of Muhammad Mursi says that he was "offered" US citizenship but that he turned it down, as if citizenship is "offered" here in the US.  

Flash: a new prime minister in Egypt

Muhammad Mursi has just asked Ayman Adh-Dhawhiri to form the first Ikhwan government.  Adh-Dhawahiri demurred.  

Egypt under the Islamists

OK, the guy in the pocket is Mursi and is saying: "I am president", and the guy (in whose pocket Mursi is) is the Field Marshal Tantawi (sorry, upon careful examination by readers, it says "Murshid" and not Mushir"--murshid is a reference to the Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood).  The carton below says:  "Egypt after the victory of the Ikhwan".  Egyptians have the best political humor (or humor period) of any people I know.

Prisoner and ruler in Egypt

Mossad tales

I must confess that I was not pleased at all with the coverage by As-Safir and by Al-Akhbar of this tale of Mossad success from the 1950s.  The source is an Israeli newspaper and can't be corroborated by any other sources.  This coverage only unwittingly gives a platform to Mossad propaganda.  Even when you read the story, you don't get one evidence of success of this spy.  I mean, the claim to fame is that he shook hands with foreign ministers.  In the 1950s, any creature--including monkeys--would have been able to walk to a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and shake hands with them.  I say: such stories should be ignored. 

Clownish media

CNN continues to promote Gene Sharp.

Prince Salman's health

An Asian colleague sent me this:  "But this note is in re to the story on Prince Salman's health. I was at Hajj last year and attended a meeting that was scheduled to be addressed by King Abdullah. The king didn't show up (although he was reported to be in the palace); instead Crown Prince Naif came. He read his speech most incoherently, often gobbling the words, repeating sentences, and taking long pauses. I told my friends after the meeting that they should start looking for his successor. I saw Prince Salman only three days after that. He looked fit and healthy and I didn't notice any symptoms of Alzemeir, although not being a physician I couldn't be a good judge of that.  You may publish this in your blog without mentioning my name."

Sa`d Id-Din Ibrahim making a fool of himself

I detest the Ikhwan but this is ridiculous:  A. sent me this:  "This article is full of Saad Eddin Ibrahim's latest idiotic theories, like his claim that 'Islamists, either MB or Salafists, laid siege to whole villages of Copts to prevent them from voting in the presidential elections'".

Doubts about Hula?

Joerg in Berlin sent me this:  "there are now more journalists with doubts about Houla. A. Hackensberger for example is a trustworthy journalist, here is his account:
I guess one of the main questions remains: If the Syrian army checkpoint was attacked by several hundred FSA fighters, where were they when the killings of the innocent people began?"

oil and gas media

I notice lately that on Saudi and Qatari media they say (daily) that the Syrian regime killed some 130 people and injured 343 and then they add: "at least".  

Zionist terrorist games

"As the Shawakha brothers rushed to protect their home from intruders, they had no clue they were unwitting participants in an Israeli army exercise that would leave one of them dead.  "I saw two men dressed in ordinary clothes near the entrance," said Akram, a cement factory worker who was taking the first shift on guard duty to keep an eye on the family's 10 sheep and their car from would-be thieves.

"One of them said: 'Don't worry, we know everyone in Rammun.' We insisted on seeing their identity papers, and they put their hands in their pockets and pulled out their guns, not to threaten us, but with the intention of shooting."  Gunfire erupted and a confused melee ensued. The three brothers suffered bullet wounds although they managed to throw blows of their own as they fought.  The story was picked up by the Israeli media, which soon discovered that the two "intruders" were in fact soldiers participating in a training exercise by the "Dudevan" military unit, which specialises in infiltrating Palestinian areas disguised as Arabs.  "When you control people under military occupation for so long, you're starting to play games. Individual soldiers play games at checkpoints with people, and the big army plays games with villages."" (thanks Basim)

Mursi's PhD

Correction.  I have received evidence that Mursi had received his PhD from University of Southern California.  The title of his dissertation in Engineering was:  "The caliphate and engineering and the respect by Ikhwan for Egypt's international treaties".  (thanks Adam)

Qadri Jamil: exposing the official Syrian opposition

Akram sent me this:  "Qadri Jamil is playing politics. So let's play politics starting with the following question: Is this "man of principles" starting to make "concessions" and "understandings"? And let's talk about two subjects: The corruption and the national coalition cabinet

1- The corruption

Jamil is known to be the let's-root-out-the-high-profile-corruption man. During a debate organized by NBN TV (of Nabih Berri) just before the legislative elections, Qadri Jamil said (Arabic):

Our program can be summed in two points: hitting the high profile corruption centers, and recuperating the looted money…. I'm saying high profile because there's also the low profile corruption. The thing is that the high profile corruption covers about 80% of the whole corruption cake. High profile corrupts are limited to no more than few hundreds. I think a bold step in this direction is necessary… The parliament bears a historic responsibility of opening these files and holding those corrupts accountable before the people in a transparent and public manner…

In a previous editorial of Kassioun, Qadri Jamil wrote (Arabic):

The sole necessary solution is to strike the high profile corruption centers and to, promptly, redirect the (recuperated) resources towards the national economy… Some say such radical measures aren't affordable considering the current situation, but I say similar measure can have great social and political consequences that can, greatly, affect the course of crisis in Syria

An endless number of examples of this rhetoric can be found. Now let's look at what has been modified during Jamil's first five minutes in the office. In a recent interview with Qassioun (Arabic):

The vision, the concepts and the program are all there, starting from fighting corruption of all levels

Aha!!! So where the "high profile corruption centers" have gone?

2- The national coalition cabinet:

Qadri Jamil always says his party will never participate in less than a national coalition government. According to a statement of the Popular Will Party in June 6 (Arabic):

The party's leadership thinks participating (in the government), in the framework of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, is possible only if it was a government of national unity that includes representatives of both the parliamentarian majority and the opposition

And then watch this trivial shifting (Arabic):

We haven't decided yet. When the agenda of a national coalition-like cabinet is agreed on, then we can talk about seats

And finally the confession (Arabic):

This isn't a cabinet like the previous ones that were based on the old 8^th article logic, but it isn't either the national coalition cabinet that we are looking for… Given that conditions for a perfect national coalition cabinet aren't available enough, we accepted to participate in this cabinet in the hope that it will grow up to be a full national coalition cabinet when the objective conditions are there.

Slight shifting? Could be and could be not. But let's not forget that this is the beginning only. What I'm quite sure about is how sad and funny, at once, will be watching this man getting rid of all those big words (weighs) in a gradual manner so he can keep flying while the country is sinking and the "high profile" corrupts are flourishing."

elections in the Arab world

So elections in the Arab world are now reduced to a contest between Saudi money and Qatari money.  Congratulations to Qatari money for winning the Egyptian election.

options

"If the Turkish jet was the first foreign aircraft shot down in the Syrian conflict, the incident would serve as a reminder that the Assad regime has much stronger air defences than the former Libyan dictatorship, a factor which may be discouraging a Libya-style intervention.""

Did NATO meet when Israeli military terrorists attacked a civilian Turkish ship?

"NATO said it will hold an emergency meeting after Ankara on Sunday accused Syria of downing a Turkish jet in international airspace, raising fears that tensions could soar in the tinderbox region." (thanks Al)

Prince Salman

This is a Saudi Islamist: 

It reads:  I distinguish what was said about Crown Prince, Salman: (Historian, thinker, and the intellectual of the third Saudi state).  Go play in the sand dunes.  

A new caliph

Muhammad Mursi thanked the Egyptian people for electing him caliph.  (He later corrected himself and said "president").  

Mursi

I was watching the live speech of Muhammad Mursi.  He never disappoints: he always manage to exceed the bad expectations that we have for him.  He does manage to impress in this way: I had said that he has the charisma of a cucumber and now I feel I misjudged the cucumber.  We need to find more about his educational credentials: the claims--at least I read in some Egyptian newspapers--that he has a PhD form San Jose State? San Jose State does not offer a PhD in engineering.  We need to verify his claims.  The speech was empty and non-inspirational and delivered with the oratorical skills of Husni Mubarak.  The only thing that was noticeable is that he did not address foreign policy except to stress his respect for "international agreements"--in clear reference to the peace treaty with the Israeli enemy. That shows that this is a president who rules at the mercy of the Military Council.  And most importantly, the Muslim Brotherhood would trample on Palestine on the way to power.  

History

This was in Cuba.  Would you not want to be present?  (thanks Ali)

Grotesque Saudi media: Al-Arabiyya

Saudi media are all grotesque of course.  But today, the anchorwoman of Al-Arabiyya TV (the news station of King Fahd's brother-in-law) asked an Egyptian: what will happen to the role of women in Egypt.  I kid you not.  This from an anchor woman of a Saudi station.  

Saudi Arabia versus Qatar

I will write soon (today) on Egypt for Al-Akhbar English.  But let me say this: I am not congratulating anyone.  There was a contest between Saudi Arabia and Qatar and Qatar one.  Simple as that. Look at Arab media and at tweets by propagandists for House of Saud and propagandists for House of Thani: Qatari propagandists are ecstatic and Saudi propagandists are very upset--it is not about secularism of course.