Bush gently guided Karzai and Maliki--two puppets of occupation

"Every week he held a secure video conference either with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki or Afghan President Karzai, and I learned from his strong but gentle guidance of them – always respectful, firm, encouraging and non-condescending. I noted that even behind closed doors, President Bush strongly, ably and graciously defended America." (thanks Michele)

Israel's contirbution to UNESCO's budget

"The United States reacted to Unesco’s recognition of the Palestinians in 2011 by cutting off its annual contribution, which supplied 22 percent of the agency’s budget. Israel also cut off its contribution."  You know the size of Israel's contribution to UNESCO's budget? It was a measly $2 million.

On the inhabitants of Judaydat al-Fadl

From Edouard: "They are not Christian nor Druze.   They are Bedouins from al-Fadl tribe, which until the 1940s a semi-nomadic, wealthy, sheep-herding tribe present in the Julan, sometimes spilling over to the Southern Biqaa valley in the summer  (but also in Irak where they are known as al-Fudul,  in the plural form) and are part of the larger Bani Lam tribe, which is itself a branch of the historical Tayy' tribe. In the XIVth century, their ancestor Muhanna Aal al-Fadl was the ally of Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalaoun. They were displaced by the Zionist entity forces in 1967, and moved to  this area, which would literally translate as the "new area of al-Fadl"); they have historical a lot of ties with Saudi Arabia, where their leader resides part time. "

Aljazeera sneakingly changes its headline

The original headline was:  "Syrian bishops reported kidnapped by rebels".   (thanks Mirvat)

battlefield situation in Syria

My impression is that the recent successes by the Syrian regime forces against opposition armed groups are largely due to heavy infiltration of their ranks by Syrian regime intelligence. It seems that the Military Council's command are infiltrators.

accountability of regimes and revolutions

Comrade Fawwaz on accountability for regimes and revolutions

who runs "liberated" areas of Syria

This may not be suitable for Western media, but we know this: in all "liberated" areas of Syria, affairs are governed by the local clerics according to strict interpretation and application of Shari`ah.  Democracy my...potato.

US Foreign Policy Toward Syria and the Fertile Ground for Jihadi Recruitment

My latest blog post for Al-Akhbar English: "US Foreign Policy Toward Syria and the Fertile Ground for Jihadi Recruitment".

New Libya

I know that Libya is not in the Western news because you really want to believe that NATO just liberated the place, but it reminds me more and more of Afghanistan after Soviet withdrawal.

Bashshar's honorable foe

In his meeting with pro-Syrian Lebanese personalities, Bashshar praised Michel `Awn and said that he was an "honorable foe".  Honorable foe? He was aligned with the most Likdunik forces in Congress (who are now aligned with March 14) for years to impose pressures and sanctions on Syria. 

Qatar in Syria

"But its role has also caused tensions within the ranks of the highly fragmented rebellion and political opposition. Some rebel brigades complain they are left out in the cold from the flow of money and weapons, sparking rivalries between secular and Islamist groups. Fighters and opposition activists worry that Qatar is buying outsized influence in post-Assad Syria and giving a boost to Islamist-minded groups if the regime falls.  "Qatar is working to establish an Islamic state in Syria," Abu Ziad, the commander of a brigade in the Damascus suburb, said sullenly, his Kalashnikov rifle resting on a wooden chair next to his tea glass." (thanks Rabih)

Qardawi and Nusrah Front

"Influential Muslim cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi on Monday urged al-Nusra Front to stay loyal to the mainstream Syrian rebel army, describing its pledge of fealty to al-Qaida as dangerous. "Al-Nusra Front, which has done very well in its jihad (holy war) against the tyrant regime of Damascus, should ... remain within the ranks of the Free (Syrian) Army, to maintain unity," the International Union of Muslim Scholars which he heads said in a statement." (thanks Basim)

crackdown in Lebanon

Several club-goers were arrested and forced to undress in the municipal headquarters, where they were then photographed naked.  “I saw 25 men outside, or what looked like boys and men. I went inside... I saw people kissing, touching each other, and a man wearing a skirt. These homosexual acts that are happening... are scandalous sexual acts,” Antoine Shakhtoura said. ........Those arrested included “people from the Syrian community and a Lebanese transsexual woman, who was harassed and forced to undress in the municipal headquarters,” said Maydaa.   “Of course we made them take off their clothes,” Shakhtoura said referring to the people they transferred to the municipality’s headquarters who were also photographed there.   “We saw a scandalous situation and we had to know what these people were. Is it a woman or a man? Turned out to be a half woman and half man. I do not accept this in Dekwaneh,” he insisted.  ......In a statement the organization issued recently, they said, “witnesses confirmed that customers near the nightclub were frequently exposed to abuse because of their appearance. Some are transferred in car trunks to the municipality where they are physically and verbally abused.” (thanks Nikolai)

0.007 percent of Muslims in the United States

"And as RAND's Jenkins wrote in the 2010 edition of his report, "There are more than 3 million Muslims in the United States, and few more than 100 have joined jihad—about one out of every 30,000—suggesting an American Muslim population that remains hostile to jihadist ideology and its exhortations to violence." Using Bergen's figure of 203 jihadist terrorists, that means approximately 0.007 percent of Muslims in the United States have been involved in domestic terror plots since 9/11." (thanks Amir)

PS Fahd sent me this: "One in 30k is 1/30,000 is 0.00003333 and Not 0.007 which would correspond to 7 in a 1,000 or 210 in 30,000 – to complete the picture.  Let us remember the scandalous (intentional or not) mistake brought by economists who advised “austerity” to Western.."

Your obsession with the veil

"Just as some women feel strong and confident showing a little skin, veiled Muslim women feel strong and confident covering their skin—and there is nothing wrong with either. The West may see oppression in Muslim women covering their bodies at the will of a male-dominated society in the same way Muslim women may see oppression in the objectification of Western women's bodies at the hands of a male-dominated society. I am a veiled, Muslim-American woman, and I am also a feminist. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive."

And now a word on Syria from a neutral observer

"In a briefing in Tel Aviv, an Israeli military official was vague about the exact nature of the evidence, saying that it was drawn from an examination of photographs of victims and some “direct” findings that he would not specify."  Is it not amazing that the Times would publish a long article all based on the unsubstantiated claim by an Israeli official?  (The answer of course is: no, it is not amazing at all if you know anything about Zionist media).

A Syrina "revolutionary" at Cornell

From a reader:  "I am a student at Cornell University and avid reader. Last night, the Cornell Republicans brought Muna Jondy to talk at an event called 'Syrian Revolution: Dynamics of an International Crisis.' This woman was born in the US to a Syrian who fled the country in 1964. She is now deeply involved in the SNC. She told us she had been to Syria for the first time in 2007. Her talk was chock full of Orientalist tropes: Syrians want to have the same lives as Americans, if we help the rebels, Syrians (and the rest of the Middle East) will love the US, etc. She also said that Hezbollah is in control of a huge swath of Syria from the border with Lebanon to Hama and that the government's forces are only Alawites, Iranians, Hezbollah, and Russians with all other Syrians backing the rebels. Knowing just a sliver of truth from reading about events in Syria, I asked her in the Q&A about videos that show mob violence against Alawites for being 'shabbiha' and FSA kidnappings like that of the archbishops and I expressed by deep concern that the rebels are stoking sectarian tensions that could reignite Lebanon. She said that the archbishops had been captured by Russian mercenaries fighting for Assad. She also said that its the government that is stoking sectarian tensions because, she literally said this, "every general, every officer in the army is Alawi except the defense minister who is Christian and everyone knows his words mean nothing." She went on to say that the FSA doesn't deny when its troops commit atrocities because such things happen in war and that the sectarian violence will only get worse unless the US intervenes. She said that in a way that at least to me sounded more like a threat than concern about Syria. I don't know if the SNC is making some push to reach out to college campuses but I thought people should know that this happened. If reaching out to students was their objective, it was a mistake to co-sponsor with the Cornell Republicans; they are a tiny group and were only about half the audience of 15.  She also added how grateful she was to Israel intervening to destroy the arms convoy to Hezbollah.Here is a link to the event page:"

Bashshar and the pro-Syrian parties and organizations in Lebanon

I read the details of the meeting between Bashshar Al-Asad and the pro-Syrian organizations and parties from Lebanon. Much to be said but one thing got my attention: he mentioned his relationship with Walid Jumblat as an indication of his own flexibility.  Flexibility?  There are heroes and political prisoners languishing in Syrian regime jails, and you refer to Walid Jumblat as an example of your flexibility?  `Abd-`Aziz Al-Khayyir is still in your jail and you speak of flexibility?

that lousy Syrian regime

I just read that the lousy Syrian regime is about to launch two new satellite TV stations.  The Syrian people are starving and they stand in line for bread and for food rations, and the new regime has the funds for two new satellite channels. This is the money of the Syrian people, make no mistake about it.

Judaydat Al-Fadl and Judaydat Artuz

 Mohamed sent me a correction about my post yesterday about Judaydat Al-Fadl. He writes (my translation from Arabic):  "The inhabitants of Judaydat al-Fadl are not Christians and Druzes; they are all Sunnis, and from what are known as the displaced from Golan, and they are from Arab tribes...But most of the inhabitants of Judaydat Artuz (to which Judaydat Al-Fadl belongs) are Christian and Druzes.  The confusion in the media is purposeful and not innocent...It is noteworthy that the so-called commander of Nusrah Front identifies himself as "Julani", i.e., one of the displaced people from Golan according to the Syrian usage."

Dismissal of Prince Khalid Bin Sultan

I was away when Khalid bin Sultan was dismissed from his post in the Ministry of Defense.  Of course, it can't be said that his years of theft, embezzlement, and bribes were behind the dismissal.  It was more US displeasure with his lousy command of the Saudi forces during the war with the Huthis, and his recent missile deal with the Chinese government.  But the dismissal was very important: unusually, the royal decree did not say that he was relieved of his duties per his request.  It only said that he was relieved of his duties.  I don't remember the last time a dismissal of a prince used that blunt language.  This could deepen division within the royal family.  Of course, his replacement is a corrupt prince like him.  Here are informative mujtahid's tweets about the man and his successor.

What about Gulf regimes?

The Arab world remains predominantly nondemocratic, but none of its nondemocratic regimes is as sultanistic as was that of Trujillo. He treated much of the Dominican economy as his personal property, made no distinction between his personal regime and the state, decreed dynastic succession, and faced no coherent opposition from the military."

Kooks: Al-`Ar`ur goes nuts about Syrian developments

Oh, I forgot. This Salafite kook is--you guessed it--"pro-Western", according to the classification of Western media.

what happened in Judaydat Al-Fadl in Syria

Again, my only policy about Syria is to disbelieve both the Syrian regime propaganda and the propaganda of the armed group. But it is frustrating to follow Western media because they only report the propaganda of the armed groups. Take what happened in Judadat Al-Fadl: the Syrian Observatory left from his narrative that the inhabitants of the village are Druzes and Christians. 

PS The information on the sectarian make up is from As-Safir.  There are other sects as well in the village, I am told.

indiscriminate shelling of Hirmil

The forces of Free Syrian Army and Nusrah Front continue to shelling indiscriminately the village of Himril in the Biqa` valley.  Yesterday, they heroically hit the public school and almost hit the orphanage. More on the heroic deeds of the Syrian armed groups later.

Burhan Ghalyun's last words

Burthan Ghalyun alas attacks GCC countries and their intervention in Syria.  Let me translate his statement: I can't believe that I am not installed as president of the coalition.

Israel and Syrian opposition

This Syrian opposition activist who writes in the mouthpiece of Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, Al-Hayat, that in return for Western bombing of Syria, Syrian opposition can give guarantees for even better security for Israel (better than the one provided thus far from the Asad dynasty). Kid you not.  (thanks Tamim)

GCC potentates and Israel

"Israel should publicly commend Bahrain for labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization and it should try to build strategic alliances with all Gulf states based on a common opposition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a prominent American rabbi with ties to the Bahraini royal family said."

"What terrorism really means in American discourse"

"It's hard not to suspect that the only thing distinguishing the Boston attack from Tucson, Aurora, Sandy Hook and Columbine (to say nothing of the US "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad and the mass killings in Fallujah) is that the accused Boston attackers are Muslim and the other perpetrators are not."

"Peaceful Buddhists set Muslims on fire"

"The footage, apparently shot by police officers, shows Buddhist crowds looting and ransacking a Muslim jewellery shop, cheering when Muslims are attacked, and setting fire to mosques and houses. Later, a man who has been set alight and is believed to be Muslim can be seen lying in the road, surrounded by a crowd of people. "Pour water on him," a man in the crowd commands. "Let him die," shouts another. "No water for him." Both Buddhist monks and police can be seen through much of the footage – the monks often taking part in the violence, the police watching immobile as it progresses. The footage emerged on the day the EU is expected to permanently lift the remaining sanctions against Burma – which include travel restrictions on around 500 Burmese individuals, an asset freeze of 1,000 companies, and bans on EU investment in certain sectors such as timber and mining – in recognition of the country's "remarkable process of reform"."

oil and gas in Myannmar

""Myanmar boasts vast, untapped reserves of oil and natural gas, and with sanctions over and a world thirsty for new sources of energy, Western multinationals are eager to sign deals."" (thanks Amir)

Western journalstic standards: Der Spiegel

From Thea:  "This is from the German weekly DER SPIEGEL (April 23) about the kidnapping of two christian Bishops near the city of Aleppo. This is journalistic standard of Western press – dumb and rotten:

„Es wird vermutet, dass sie von einer Brigade verschleppt wurden, der Ausländer angehören und die von Oppositionellen verdächtigt wird, heimlich mit dem Regime von Präsident Baschar al-Assad zusammenzuarbeiten.“

Means in English „…it is presumed, that they are kidnapped by a brigade of foreign fighters which are suspected by opposition sources to cooperate secretly with the regime of president Bashar al-Assad.”  So they can do no wrong. Even if they kill and torture and lynch, they will blame the deeds by ONE OF THEIR OWN on the regime.

accidental prejudice

"Lawmakers OK Anti-Sharia Bill That's Accidentally Anti-Jewish, Too"

selling fake bombs to Iraq is a lucrative business

"James McCormick, 56, of Langport, Somerset, is said to have made £50m from sales and sold over 6,000 to Iraq...." (thanks Nu`man)

The job of a US ambassador is to defend Israel

"Susan Rice said a major part of her work as US ambassador to the United Nations is defending Israel’s legitimacy.

“It’s a huge part of my work to the United Nations,” Rice said Sunday evening, launching this year’s Consultation on Conscience, an event for Reform movement social activists organized by the Religious Action Center."

Iraq is ruled by a sectarian Shi`ite militia which answers to the cleric of occupation, Sistani

"Iraq's security forces killed at least 38 mostly Sunni protesters and gunmen in the northern city of Hawija on Tuesday, escalating months of brewing sectarian tensions and protests into outright armed conflict.  Antiriot security forces, responding to the killing of an Iraqi soldier several days earlier, raided the Hawija protest camp during the early morning hours of Tuesday, according to security officials, killing 25 people, burning tents and arresting 75. Three Iraqi soldiers were killed in the raid." (thanks Khelil)

How the New York Times tries desperately to asbolve the armed groups in Syria from the crime of kidnapping the two archibishops

As you know, whenever the armed groups in Syria kill a member or supporter of the regime, they all rush to Facebook and Twitter to blame the murder or the bombing on the regime itself, often claiming ridiculously that the victim had a change of heart days before he was killed (by them of course).  Look at this one about the kidnapping of the archbishops:  "Archbishop Ibrahim had been supportive of President Bashar al-Assad and had urged his followers not to abandon Syria, but he had recently turned critical of the government. In an interview with the BBC on April 13, the archbishop said that perhaps a third of Syria’s Christians had left the country and that he could not blame them, considering the “difficult circumstances in terms of security and the threats they face daily.”

In the same interview, the archbishop chided Mr. Assad’s government for “not dealing with the crisis in a better way.”  First notice that they recycle the lies from opposition Facebook sites and claim that the archbishop--a known supporter of the regime--turned critical.  But the evidence provided is so flimsy.  Even the agents of Syrian regime in Lebanon make that claim: that the regime could have handled the situation better. That is hardly an indication of a change of heart.  But most importantly: it is known that gangs of the opposition kidnapped the two men and killed the driver.   There is no independent reporting in the Times: it is all parroting of opposition unsubstantiated claims.

PS Even the pro-Syrian opposition, MTV in Lebanon reported that the church sad that they were kidnapped by Chechnyan rebels of the armed groups.

the bigot converted

"Arnoud van Doorn, former member of the anti-Islamist Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party and personal friend of his, has declared last month his conversion to Islam.
European media reported that Doorn, who was a member of Wilders’ right-wing Freedom Party until the end of 2011 and helped produce the anti-Islam film “Fitna,” said that he had made a fresh start by announcing on Twitter his decision to embrace Islam and took the Shahadah (Declaration of Faith).
Following his decision to become Muslim, Doorn was hosted in Saudi Arabia this week where he visited the holy city of Mecca and performed Umrah. He later headed to Medina to visit the Prophet’s Mosque. During his visit, Doorn met the imams of the Prophet’s Mosque as well as Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques, who reportedly gave Doorn an English translation of Quran. According to Islam Memo site, the visit was co-sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Interior." (thanks Khaled)

Mu`adh Al-Khatib: a principled man

Al-Khatib is a principled man indeed. He wanted NATO to bomb his country, but NATO was reluctant so he resigned.  This is what is called a nationalist and patriotic stance in Western media.

Tamerlane

One of the symptoms of bigotry is the notion that all members of the religion are united and are one and the same. Anti-Semites assumed that about Jews just as the professional anti-Muslim haters assume that about Muslims.  Take the name of Tamerlane: many experts in the media were pontificating about the significance of Tamerlane in Islamic history. I heard many talk about how Muslims regarding him as a hero. Anti-Muslim haters often are unaware of divisions among Muslims and are ignorant of the nationalist tensions in the body of Islam, so to say.  Tamerlane may be regarded as a folk hero in Central Asia but he is regarded as a butcher by Muslim Arabs. 

Shabbihah

In the ignorant Western media, the word Shabbihah is used synonymously with `Alawites.  There is no mention of basic facts: that Shabbihah in Aleppo are largely Sunnis, for example.

The battlefield situation in Syria

I mean, it has become clear. The army of the repressive regime has been advancing against the rebels in several fronts in Syria.  Yet, the Western media which feels compelled to only report "advances" by the rebels is silent.  Even some Arab media are admitting the new developments of this last week. 

It is not true that the US government does not monitor racism and bigotry in Israel

"Jews constituted approximately 80 percent of the population. There were some reports of anti-Semitic acts perpetrated by members of minority groups. In June vandals spray painted slogans about the Holocaust on the entrance to the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem. Police later arrested three Jewish youth who belonged to an anti-Zionist sect. A special department in the State Attorney’s Office prosecuted incitement-related crimes."

The Syrian who was humiliated and tortured by March 14 goons in Tripoli, Lebanon

The near lynching of a `Alawite Syrian in Tripoli: not a word from the "democratic" Syrian opposition

A Syrian yesterday stopped to buy cigarettes in Tripoli.  Somebody suspected that he was `Alawite: he was swiftly taken by the armed Salafite groups in the city (regarded as pro-Western March 14 in Western media) and tortured and dragged by a rope around the city before he was rescued by the Lebanese Army.  The ruling that led to his torture was vomited by the kooky pro-Saudi clerics that now rule the city.  On his chest, they wrote: "I am a `Alawite Shabbih".  Not a word from the Human Rights Watch office in Beirut, which doubles as a propaganda office for the Hariri movement.   (thanks Wael)

PS I should have a special series under the headline "The other side of your revolution".