'Aqoul: February 2006 Archives

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February 28, 2006

Political Blogreader Survey

Blogads is surveying political blog readers. If the spirit moves you, in an appropriate question, tell 'em 'Aqoul sent ya.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 09:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Site News

Polls Apart: Iraq-Deployed US Troops Queried

LeMoyne College and Zogby International have performed a poll of US soldiers in Iraq. Among the just-released findings, a majority favor near total withdrawal in a short or immediate period (within the next year). Also:

Nearly nine of every 10 - 85% - said the U.S. mission is "to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks," while 77% said they believe the main or a major reason for the war was "to stop Saddam from protecting al Qaeda in Iraq."

Note: I'm not making this up.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 07:37 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Iraq War

When Ideologies Collide: DPW, Israel & Everything

With the Israel card played on the DPW ports purchase, internally conflicting ideologies, loyalties, prejudices, and knee-jerks appear to be flying about, Left and Right, like a hockey/rugby rumble.

Aqoul's observations on the practical meaningless of current Right-Left distinctions in this controversy are confirmed here (thanks to a tip from Jim Henley).

[Note: as seen in comments, the issue boils down to a report from the Jerusalem Post on Dubai's maintaining a boycott on importation of Israeli goods, which by extension, Dubai ports participates in for Dubai. One may question the substantive connexion, but politically this is a death knell in re US domestic politics]

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 10:50 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Foreign Policy & MENA

Pre-stomped idiocy: Iran's Oil Bourse

The vast threat to the dollar of euro-denominated oil sales has been a sub-theme of some of the less reality-based discussion on the Left of the "true" causes of the Iraq war.

Now it's coming up again, but this time related to Iran's "oil bourse". John Pilger is apparently responsible for the latest round of hype:

Blair knows this. He also knows the real reasons for an attack and the part Britain is likely to play. Next month, Iran is scheduled to shift its petrodollars into a euro-based bourse. The effect on the value of the dollar will be significant, if not, in the long term, disastrous. At present the dollar is, on paper, a worthless currency bearing the burden of a national debt exceeding $8 trillion and a trade deficit of more than $600 billion. The cost of the Iraq adventure alone, according to the Nobel Prizewinning economist Joseph Stiglitz, could be $2 trillion. America's military empire, with its wars and 700-plus bases and limitless intrigues, is funded by creditors in Asia, principally China.

Fortunately, saner heads have already gotten to the question. I will refer all readers to Daily Kos contributor extraordinaire Jerome a Paris: Let me kill off once and for all the Iranian oil bourse story.

Continue reading "Pre-stomped idiocy: Iran's Oil Bourse"

Posted by tomscud at 08:58 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Gulf

Sullivan & Islamophobia: Petty Gangster becomes "brownshirt" (Updated 5 Mar)

Our dear Andrew Sullivan is at it again. Rational facts be damned, he makes a vile but pedestian crime into some wierd "fascist" fantasy as part of his most unenlightening Islamophobia.

The case is a murder in France of a young Jewish lad, as this Telegraph article describes reasonably well. The case involves a youth gang - as Muslim as the riots of the Fall, meaning some members are, some weren't, per French reports all black African though - with the brilliant sadism of kidnapping and torturing a young Jewish lad, "because Jews have money."

A gruesome crime, impregnated with easy street anti-semitism, but Sullivan is being an utter idiot (as he was during the "intefada") deluding himself into finding this to be a "brown shirt" Muslim plot.

Rather it is a disturbing evidence of the cancer of anti-social behaviour and general criminality that is sinking ever deeper into the ghettos where the non-White and non-Christian minorities (as well as Xian non-White, etc, etc) fester.

Brownshirts. Can't even get the bloody basic facts right.

(Update Fistful of Euros has a decent summary:http://fistfulofeuros.net/archives/002401.php

Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:29 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Religious Minorities

February 27, 2006

Lebanon: A Fairy-Story

Let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, there was a tiny kingdom where the people lived in freedom, prosperity and happiness. If they had any fault, it was that they were too busy enjoying their freedom to notice that the tyrant who ruled the neighboring kingdom hated them and was scheming to bring them down.

He schemed and built his armies, and one day he invaded, and his armies ground the nation down under the wheels of their fell war machines. The great nations of the world looked on, and made speeches about "sovereignty" and "freedom", and did nothing. And the tyrant's rule fell over the kingdom for a generation.

Continue reading "Lebanon: A Fairy-Story"

Posted by tomscud at 12:02 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Levant , Op-Ed

February 25, 2006

Right Punditocracy Defends UAE Port Deal

Not to sully Aqoul too much with USA domestic blustery, but it appears some of the heavy weight right punditocracy is weighing in against knee-jerk opposition to the Dubai Ports World indirect purchase of US ports operations via its purchase of a British company's interests.

Bill O'Reilly: "For now, the cold truth is that the U.S.A. will not win the war on terror without the help of nations like the United Arab Emirates. We simply cannot afford to fire that nation. If we lose these people, we'll lose the war."

Lawrence Kudlow: "This whole brouhaha surrounding the Bush administration’s green-light to a United Arab Emirates company slated to manage six major U.S. ports has nothing to do with protecting homeland security. Allow me to give it its proper name: Islamophobia."

Continue reading "Right Punditocracy Defends UAE Port Deal"

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 03:17 PM | Comments (25) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Development , Economic Policy , US Foreign Policy

Customary Marriage and Paternity Testing Laws in Egypt

A recent landmark case regarding paternity testing in Egypt has brought the issue of customary marriage and the backwardness of Egyptian paternity legislation into the spotlight.

The reason the case caught the attention of so many is that it involved the young son of a famous Egyptian acting couple. Sumia al-Ulfi and Farouq el-Fishawi are now estranged but their son Ahmed upon reaching his early twenties was propelled into the limelight due to his parentage and good looks. The twist that made the case even more explosive is the fact that Ahmed, just as his acting career was taking off, rejected his Westernised background and career and instead embraced the principles of Islam, becoming the poster boy for the Amr Khaled (popular noveau trendy preacher) generation and the campaign to call Muslim youth back to their roots.

Continue reading "Customary Marriage and Paternity Testing Laws in Egypt"

Posted by bint ash-shaitan at 01:00 AM | Comments (19) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Gender Issues , Media , North Africa , Op-Ed , Society & Culture

February 23, 2006

Iraq the . . . What? Post-Bombing Reports

The following collage of commentary from an on-scene blog is unremarkable in light of general news reports of tragedy after the Golden Mosque bombing in Iraq. Except the name of the blog is just getting too much for my irony meter.

As if we didn't have enough problems already! . . . The quality of the target and the timing of the attack were chosen in a way that can possibly bring very serious consequences over the country. . . The situation in Baghdad is so tense now, . . . Things look scary here . . . I hope there won't be more updates to report. . . I can't see a positive thing coming out of this. . . . I don't want to even think of what can happen if this situation lasts longer than this. . . . Radio Sawa reported a short while ago that the central morgue in Baghdad received some 80 bodies of people who were killed with gun shots since Wednesday afternoon.

Yes, that's from Iraq...The Model?! Name change suggestions, anyone? Meanwhile, I'd hate to see what "Iraq, The Clusterf**k" is reporting.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 03:12 PM | Comments (30) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Iraq War

February 22, 2006

Cartoons, Muslim Minorities in Europe and Holocaust Revisionsim

Recent shows and interviews on Arab media outlets have made much of the rather ironically timed conviction of David Irving. Many jumped on the most obvious contrast between the sanctity of the Jewish holocaust and that of the apparently much holier subject of the Prophet Mohammed. They took this case as the perfect example of the inherent contradiction and hypocrisy of so-called freedom of speech laws in Europe.

Continue reading "Cartoons, Muslim Minorities in Europe and Holocaust Revisionsim"

Posted by Meph at 04:59 PM | Comments (26) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics

February 20, 2006

Let’s Do the Time Warp: Gay Pride vs. Islamic/Official Intolerance in Russia

It seems Andrew Sullivan’s rant of the week is that Chief Russian Mufti Talgat Tajuddin has called for the prohibition of a planned gay pride parade in Moscow, recommending that marchers be beaten – and in a rare show of solidarity with the Russian Orthodox Christian community, recommending that they join together in beating gays. Tajuddin was joined in his opposition to the parade shortly thereafter by Russian Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar, though the Rabbi stopped short of recommending violence.

Before Andrew Sullivan leaps to the conclusion that Russian Muslims are at the forefront of homophobia and gay-bashing in the Russian Federation, he may want to bear in mind that the occasion for the parade was to be the 13th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexual behavior in the Russian Federation.

Continue reading "Let’s Do the Time Warp: Gay Pride vs. Islamic/Official Intolerance in Russia"

Posted by evaluna at 11:10 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Islam General , Op-Ed , Society & Culture

Invert This! Dangerous Yield Curves, Global Economy & MENA

Not to distract from the hot and overheated issues like the UAE -- excuse me, the {dramatic music} ARAB -- firm acquiring US port operations for its greasy Semite terror-mitts; or the obscure Danish cartoons wherein Muslims worldwide have found a cause for disproportionate outrage, in preference to their own local horrible conditions, or the tens of thousands of insulting movies, texts, speeches and fiction already out there.

But am I the only one noticing -- ok I am not, but it's sure quiet -- that the US Treasury yield curve is doing one of its periodic dangerous inversions? In a world of hyperliquidity and low real return (UAE equity market as MENA example?), and undervalued pressurized Chinese currency (my prediction for a bigger than expected global shock when the renminbi is properly revalued), could this mean a downturn that will affect the current climate in MENA, not to mention worldwide?

Eco-people: help me out. Should the prudent be stuffing their dirhams in the mattresses?

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 03:24 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Policy

February 19, 2006

Ports, Prejudice & Cartoons: On Hypocrisy, Xenophobia and Danger

The emerging US controversy over Dubai Port World (an atrocious name I may add, even DP World is bad - hereafter at 'Aqoul, DPW) buying out historic UK port operator P&O - which incidentally includes a portfolio of US assets.

That unfortunate fact - a portfolio of US assets, which is to say management interests in six US ports on the United States Eastern Sea Board - has occasioned the exposure of a vein of ugly sentiment and public commentary, as well as typical for the "blogosphere" blind and ill-informed reaction. Another confirmation that Right and Left blog authors’ sneering with respect to the real media is badly misplaced.

This post – which will be updated and moved forward as I develop it – is intended to correct the poorly-informed xenophobic knee-jerking on Left and Right.

(I note in the interim that the fine American habit of turning everything into a lawsuit has emerged already as Maimi "Firm Sues to Block Foreign Port Takeover" per the WP, which pimps the security fallacy.)

Continue reading "Ports, Prejudice & Cartoons: On Hypocrisy, Xenophobia and Danger"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:00 PM | Comments (34) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Business, Private , Economic Development , Economic Policy , Foreign Policy & MENA , MENA Region General , Op-Ed , US Foreign Policy

On Morocco, Investment & Islamist Promotion

Without further comment In Morocco, a Gray Area for Growth, by Hoagland, a not bad op-ed (if superficial factually) that at least poses challenges to some of the more simple minded phobia with respect to Islamism.

Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Business, Private , Economic Development , Economic Policy , Islam & Politics , Islamism , North Africa , Op-Ed

February 17, 2006

Geo-economics

Geo-economics is a neologism of which I'm inordinately fond. As a business journalist writing about the Middle East, I find it pretty much impossible to cover goings-on in the region without taking into account political or cultural factors in business decision-making. Take, for a couple of superficial examples, Saudi Arabia's difficult relationship with cameraphones; or the amusingly under-reported fiasco of Carlsberg's sponsorship of the new ski slope in Dubai. Not to mention Lurpack and cartoons.

But that's small fry, the marginalia of the spread of global capitalism. Far more interesting is the grand strategic recasting of the global economic order - something in which the Middle East is playing a part that, a decade ago, few imagined it could. Think of it as the Middle East coming of age.

Continue reading "Geo-economics"

Posted by yinshuisiyuan at 07:58 PM | Comments (22) | TrackBack
Filed Under:

MENA Investment & FDI: Oh my, they control our ports (Updated: Dubai & US Ports)

Foreign direct investment often provokes among the less than economically literate frightened reactions about loss of control - sometimes justified but in general, not. That politicians exploit tribal fears of foreigners controlling the jewels of the nation (whichever nation) is perhaps not surprising. It is always depressing. As we pass through a small storm of Islamic versus Western tensions, it is not surprising that the forces of unreason, emotive fear sweeping MENA, etc. have had an influence.

[Update: related post chez my Lounsbury den of iniquity, with respect to blog commentary and xenophobia, a small obs and question posed.]

[Update II: My coyness aside, a discussion of the Dubai Port World - US Ports issue broke at at the above commentary linked at Lounsbury - after some obligatory beating of a sensless commentator sensless.]

Continue reading "MENA Investment & FDI: Oh my, they control our ports (Updated: Dubai & US Ports)"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Policy , Gulf , Op-Ed , US Foreign Policy

February 16, 2006

Democracy as a Weapon

Recently there has been a fair bit of handwringing over both the Hamas victory in the Palestinian territories and the Muslim Brotherhood’s strong showing in Egypt’s parliamentary elections. US policymakers are likely not pleased by the fact that Islamist MPs outnumber secular ones by nearly two to one in Iraq, and that early hopefuls such as Ahmad Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress bloc failed to secure a single seat in recent elections.

In this context, it is mildly disturbing to see Farhat Asaad, a Hamas spokesman, point out this uncomfortable truth:

"First, I thank the United States that they have given us this weapon of democracy. But there is no way to retreat now. It's not possible for the U.S. and the world to turn its back on an elected democracy."

Continue reading "Democracy as a Weapon"

Posted by eerie at 09:02 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Islamism , MENA Region General , Political Development , US Foreign Policy

Contrarian Cartoon Commentary: Mechanics in Politics and Boycotts

Reluctant as I may be to go against my own disdain for the silliness and misdirection of the cartoon protests, I must in good Aqoul tradition be a contrarian even to some trends here.

Well-expressed (though I have many fundamental reservations) is an older Tim Cavanaugh article at Reason on the subject, saying the controversy is on the whole a good thing. But haste and time-constraints make me wish to concentrate on one aspect – one where I feel I can make more of a contribution than my mere better-informed-on-MENA-than-average-Yank-whiteguy status allows.

The silver lining I see has to do with the centrality to political development of the “mechanical” process of politics, with ideology or substantive focus only secondary. In the cartoon reactions, there are real signs of change, potentially for the positive. (I should come back and add links but time constraints are really bad at the moment personally, please be patient.)

Continue reading "Contrarian Cartoon Commentary: Mechanics in Politics and Boycotts"

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 06:55 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , MENA Region General , Op-Ed , Political Development

Propaganda, Iraq and Gaming - and Future Funds

Sadly I can not comment on this, other than to share the story and note that it confirms my observation months back that the Lincoln Group story was not a dark 'Neo Con' tale but one of dilletantes.

Quick Rise for Purveyors of Propaganda in Iraq

It is of course illustrative of the general problem with the Bush Administration's efforts in Iraq and MENA. Clumsy cronyism with amateurish dilletantes. A bit of cronyism here and there will happen. Human beings are human. The sins of the Bush Administration lie in their lack of competence in executing even cronyism, not as the simple minded Left would have it, in dark Right wing plots. A pity, I would enjoy a competent if unpleasant US government in world affaires. An incompetent, bumbling, often cretinously self-deluded US Government makes me life harder, and I don't enjoy that.

At least I can add that the Fund for the Future, that much vaunted initiative announced at the G8 meeting in Dubai is in fact a quietly dead letter for the moment. Ms Cheney got her panties all wet too soon. Perhaps the idea may get reworked to something vaguely rational.

Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:33 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Business, Private , Iraq War , MENA Region General , Op-Ed , US Foreign Policy

February 15, 2006

Maghreb & Rumsfeld (Updated)

Following up on my earlier post on Rumsfeld and his commenton the Maghreb, a somewhat clearer article from FT on the trip:

Rumsfeld treads warily to enlist north Africans in war against terrorism

A bit of commentary on the idiocies (required in large part, but still idiocies):

Continue reading "Maghreb & Rumsfeld (Updated)"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:12 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa , Op-Ed , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

Bungled Mideast Policy or Wrongheaded Criticism

I am not the biggest fan of the US Administration and its Middle East policy, that is certain. Indeed, I rather consider them a bunch of congenital and serial incompetent bunglers whose policies may be described with Talleyrand's "Worse than a crime, a blunder."

One might expect, then, I might be in agreement with the opinions voiced by the Democratic party opposition in this article from Reuters:

US bungles Middle East policy, lawmakers tell Rice
By Sue Pleming

Well, I am not. Sadly the criticism, rather than being well-founded, is largely based on the same kind of simple-minded magical thinking and wishful-thinking-as-analysis that has led the Bush Administration astray so very badly so many times. Criticism about Hamas rather than Fatah winning the elections in Palestine, for example. As if the US has a magic wand to wave to make the 'good guys' of the moment win (or forgetting that using such wands that do exist to achieve 'victory' for one's favoured side can be rather Pyrrhic, ending up with damaged goods).

Continue reading "Bungled Mideast Policy or Wrongheaded Criticism"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:39 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Levant , MENA Region General , North Africa , Op-Ed , Political Development , US Foreign Policy

February 14, 2006

Cartoons & Protest: Context, Hariri's Commemoration as a Benchmark

A brief comment if I may, on the cartoon controversy and benchmarking - in the context of the over-heated characterisations of the Islamic world and the protests against the Danish cartoons.

Among the items that have most annoyed me has been the lazy characterisations that had protests of mere hundreds or a handful of thousands as reflecting 'mass Muslim anger.' Mere hundreds is not mass anger.

I'd like to take Lebanon and the Rafiq Hariri Memorial demo as a benchmark for real mass movement: as one can gather from The Washington Post and better from the image with al Hayat's coverage, even allowing for large Xian and Druze participation, more than a few hundred Lebanese turned out.

I would hazard the opinion that one has a benchmark for what really is bringing people out, and what is not.

It strikes me that again and again, the largest demos one sees are not the ones supporting the radicals in the region. However, the radicals are good at turning out their troops more often, smashing things to get attention and generally bleating rather loudly claiming to speak on behalf of all. The squeeky wheel, as it were.

Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:44 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Islamism , Levant , MENA Region General , Op-Ed , Society & Culture

Working Diligently on Own Goals: Bringing Down Hamas

A report from The New York Times on supposed Israeli-US scheming to bring down the Hamas government and force new elections to allow a new Fatah/PLO government in is superbly disheartening if true. I certainly would suspect the Israelis of plotting the same as a certain percentage of Israeli officials have never quite gotten it into their heads that Palestinian society isn't completely manipulable quasi-tribal society Israel conquered in the 1960s, I would hope that the Bush Administration has a trifle more sense.

Continue reading "Working Diligently on Own Goals: Bringing Down Hamas"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:11 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filed Under: US Foreign Policy

February 13, 2006

Fistful of Euros - Satin Pajama Awards

Lounsbury has fobbed off on me the very gauche task of informing readers that we've been nominated for an award. A Fistful of Euros, a clever European blog (whose design admittedly served as inspiration for 'Aqoul), has placed us in the Best Non-European Blog category along with luminaries such as The Head Heeb and...actually, that's the only other one I recognize because it deals with similar topics.

Anyway, as the awards are based on user voting and Lounsbury rather likes the little bear...well, let's not belabour the point.

In other news, I have redesigned the 'Aqoul Syndicated Feed Aggregator as promised. In addition to a cleaner and more usable design, the Aggregator also fetches RSS feeds automatically every hour. Have a look and feel free to suggest worthy blogs/media outlets for inclusion.

Posted by eerie at 08:17 PM | Comments (27) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Site News

More Reasons Why Torture is a Bad Idea

Because junior military personnel can't be trusted to have the common sense to know when they are going to kill people, that's why:

The two Afghans were found dead within days of each other, hanging by their shackled wrists in isolation cells at the prison in Bagram, north of Kabul. An Army investigation showed they were treated harshly by interrogators, deprived of sleep for days, and struck so often in the legs by guards that a coroner compared the injuries to being run over by a bus...

But really, we can't blame the poor kids, can we, because how could they be expected to know what rules to follow?

Continue reading "More Reasons Why Torture is a Bad Idea"

Posted by evaluna at 06:55 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Central Asia , Foreign Policy & MENA , Op-Ed , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

February 12, 2006

Dim, Dim, Dim: Maghreb not an al Qaeda kinda place because...

Leaving aside the main thrust of the arty in question from The Financial Times (that being the US planning or considering to sell arms to the nasty little clique of generals in Algeria), the American Specialist in Idiotic Statements & Failed Occupations, had this to say about the Maghreb and al Qaeda:

Before arriving in Tunisia on Saturday, Mr Rumsfeld said he did not believe the Maghreb was a likely place for al-Qaeda to take root because extremism was not tolerated by the governments of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

Bloody idiot. What a complete bloody idiot. Why has this completely deluded fucking incompetent egocentric bumbler not been axed? Or in the alternative, how long can the American policy establishment continue its deluded focus on States alone?

Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:54 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Foreign Policy & MENA , North Africa , Op-Ed , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

Cartoons: Reasonable Protest

An item needing little added commentary, but something that deserves to be highlighted here in connexion with our prior comments: Muslim Crowds Decry Cartoons, Violent Retort.

Men and women, some pushing babies in strollers, crowded into Trafalgar Square as speakers not only denounced the cartoons as an unacceptable insult to the holiest figure in Islam, but also condemned the burning of embassies in Syria and Lebanon, deaths in Afghanistan and other violence that has come in response. "We want to move on to positive dialogue," said Anas Altikriti, a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, which helped organize the rally. Police estimated the crowd at 5,000.

Now, which is better, dialogue with the moderate pious middle, or juvenile gratitious mini-jihads to pointlessly offend more people (a la our fine little islamophobe, Andrew Sullivan) and pointlessly play into hands of the extremists?

Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:29 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Op-Ed , Society & Culture

French Sensibilités musulmanes

A brief object lesson on the ostentatious and willful blindness of the French elite
Combien Le Monde compte-t-il de lecteurs musulmans ? Je l'ignore, et, Dieu merci, la croyance religieuse — ou l'incroyance — ne figure dans aucune enquête statistique. "How many Muslim readers does Le Mond have. I have no idea, Thank God religious belief, or unbelief, isn't subject to any statistical inquiry." Yes, ignorance, willfull ignorance is a virtue in and of itself. Why then you can congratulate yourself on "repulican values" while simultaneously engaging in hypocritical discrimination.

Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:02 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities , Islam & Politics , Op-Ed , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture

Morocco: Democracy, Facile Journo Idiocy on Moderation and Islamism

As a general matter, English language materials on the Maghreb almost never fail to annoy me. Here The Washington Post manages to do so: Feud With King Tests Freedoms In Morocco.

Having long had ... how to put it? Contact? Yes, contact with the group in question (long story, goes back a long ways), Adl wal Ihsane and been familiar with the Yassines, I have rather mixed feelings about the conflict described in the article. On one hand, being generally in favour of bringing Islamist groups into politics, I am generally in favour of engagement with Adl wa Ihsane. On the other hand, this particular dispute and the disingenous spin the Yassines are using rather annoys - well more the gullible lapping up of the same in certain anglophone quarters rather annoys.

Continue reading "Morocco: Democracy, Facile Journo Idiocy on Moderation and Islamism"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Foreign Policy & MENA , Islam & Politics , Islamism , North Africa , Op-Ed , Political Development , US Foreign Policy

February 11, 2006

On Arab Weddings, Female Grooming and Ablutions

After spending the better part of six hours preparing for the wedding of a friend the other day, my entry into the wedding venue later that evening was almost totally overshadowed by how tired and irritated I was feeling. The length of the preparation and the reasons for it probably require a separate entry. Grooming, makeup etc were each respectively interrupted by prayers making for some absurd situations (such as praying 'Asr, the third prayer of the day with one eye fully made up and the other plain and bereft, somewhat reminscent of an injured pugilist). Nevertheless I was very proud of myself for timing it all impeccably, hairdressed after ablution in between 'Asr and 'Maghrib, makeup before 'Isha prayer and nails polished (nail varnish blocks water from reaching the nails and hence invalidates the prayer) after.

Continue reading "On Arab Weddings, Female Grooming and Ablutions"

Posted by bint ash-shaitan at 03:56 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Society & Culture

February 10, 2006

Site Updates, etc.

Since I like creating work for myself, and because yinshuisiyuan put a bug in my ear recently, I'm going to redesign the 'Aqoul Aggregator.

A quick review for new readers: http://syn.aqoul.com was an "experimental" subdomain for aggregating bits of news and bloggery from a variety of XML feeds on the web. Originally built for my personal use (still is, even though other people seem to read it), I soon realized that bloggers routinely screw up their XML output files and often disappear without warning. This is why the RSS feed generated by the Aggregator - the "feed of feeds" first requested by Dr Doug - is still broken. These annoying little bugs made the whole exercise somewhat tedious, so I left things alone for a while.

Continue reading "Site Updates, etc."

Posted by eerie at 01:03 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Site News

February 09, 2006

Open Discussion: MENA, Muslim Minorities & Moderation [Updated II]

Where Moderation? Which Moderation? What kind?

A short post, less of The Lounsbury banging on, and more some initial reflexions on the challenge of buillding moderation. Something I touched on in my little missive: Cartoon Outrage: Salafist Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Manufacturing Incidents & the Problem of Moderation, as have my colleagues.

The core problem is building moderate consensus, in the West - with or within a Muslim minority - and in the MENA region and Islamic world at large. There is much hand-waving out there (in the West especially) about "Moderate Islam" and the like by persons who seem to define moderation as being "just like us" - that is, being up to date the latest (newly acquired) socio-political fads in secular West with respect to religion, society and perhaps even economics (i.e. the cutting-edge values of the highly secularised commentariat of the West).

[Update: The New York Times features an interesting article of some relevance to reflecting on the subject of moderation and the cartoon controversy: At Mecca Meeting, Cartoon Outrage Crystallized. Have added to comment below]

[Further interesting commentary at our friend The Father of Aardvarks (I am inclined to agree with the Father of Aardvarks in re the media's poor performance as well as my lack of enthusiasm for the 'clash of civilisations' talk) pointing to this Egyptian blog post reproducing images from al Fagr that managed not to provoke great protest when first published in October 2005.]

[Further linking:our second favourite Frenchman, Olivier Roy, has a fine article very much in line with the 'Aqoul analysis, in grosso modo this again via Abu Aardvark, who also links to a somewhat boring Mona Eltahawy editorial that for me illustrates why liberal Muslims don't get a hearing. Moderation is boring. Lounsbury, 10 Feb 2006]

Continue reading "Open Discussion: MENA, Muslim Minorities & Moderation [Updated II]"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:53 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities , Op-Ed , Press Freedom , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture

February 08, 2006

'Aqoul quoted in Financial Times

After endlessly citing the Financial Times (especially the wise and tufty-haired columnist Martin Wolf) in our own entries, FT.com has decided to reference this little blog in its coverage of the Danish cartoon controversy:

Cartoon controversy: Middle East blogwatch
By Fiona Symon
Published: February 8 2006 12:43 | Last updated: February 8 2006 12:43

Continue reading "'Aqoul quoted in Financial Times"

Posted by eerie at 06:34 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Site News

February 07, 2006

Mobilisation and Redirection of Anger: The Emergence of a Common Message

To follow up on the exposition of the Salafi origins of the cartoon controversy, it is worthwhile to examine the unfolding address of religious figures and institutions in the Arab world and their follow up on on the manufactured and delayed eruption of the problem. A few weeks into the cartoon fiasco, there has emerged a clear message on behalf of religious figures and hardliners. The reduction of the cartoon controversy (or its inflation) into a matter of loyalty to the Prophet and Islam has developed into a campaign to present the whole affair as an indication that the West rejects the Islamic World. Overlooking the manner of demonstration called upon, both extreme parties (the Saudi Bin Baz organisation for example below) and non-official moderates (such as Amr Khaled) have ultimately seized upon the incident redirecting and channelling the anger into creating a sense of solidarity and identity.

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Posted by Meph at 12:58 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics

Salafist Entrepreneurial Behavior: A Previous Incident Noted

Reading through the responses to the idiocy that has stormed across the Muslim world over Danish cartoons, I was struck by the similarities between these events and the riots in Alexandria late last year:

For Ali Abdel Fattah, a spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood and one of the organization’s leaders in the Mediterranean port city, the violence was the result of political maneuvers ahead of the parliamentary elections. According to Abdel Fattah, the CD containing a filmed version of the play I Was Blind but Now I Can See, which was performed only once (over two years ago), was distributed in the neighborhood to sabotage the candidacy of National Democratic Party Candidate Maher Khilla (one of only two Copts running for the party). Khilla announced that he would step down last week in protest at the violence, but was later told by the ruling party leadership not to run anyway. In a common variant of the story, one of his rivals in the race (which will be held on 20 November) distributed the CD to incite Muslims against Copts.

Let's see: violence, directed against Christians (in one case, Europeans, in the other locals), prompted by the widespread distribution long after the fact of work that is genuinely offensive. Right.

Posted by tomscud at 12:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Filed Under: MENA Region General

In a Nutshell: Problems in US Guiding MENA

In USA political lingo, the author of the comment quoted below is a "paleocon" and not a neocon, and he is English not American in origin, but his observation fairly and honestly renders a mentality revealing why it is more likely than not that any effort at MENA management by people over here (USA) is going to hit a fundamental snag, or two, or three. The commentt does appear in the main blog of a leading pro-Administration neoconnish mag. And I can assure it is an honest assessment of far broader passive sentiment, but more bluntly expressed:

The lead story was about a ship disaster in the Red Sea. From the headline picture, it looked like a cruise ship. I therefore assumed that some people very much like the Americans I went cruising with last year were the victims. I went to the news story. A couple of sentences in, I learned that the ship was in fact a ferry, the victims all Egyptians. I lost interest at once, and stopped reading. I don't care about Egyptians

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 07:39 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Filed Under: US Foreign Policy

February 06, 2006

Cartoon Outrage: Salafist Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Manufacturing Incidents & the Problem of Moderation [Updated]

There seems hardly any reason to provide links to this ever-escalating cycle of utter contemptible idiocy, so let me make this more or less purely opinion and my own personal analysis. I would be remiss, however, if I did not pimp our very own summary page on the Danish – Mohammed Cartoon Controversy.

I also would like to point to a fine round up of online commentary as well as highlight our dear Raf Bey’s contribution: “Why do the Syrians burn embassies but the Iranians don't?” In addition, to return a citational favour well-deserved, I point to Clive Davis’ blog commentary, and in particularly this most recent summary of rational commentary on the riots. One has to agree with his observation that the commentary he cites is “more helpful than one of Christopher Hitchens' thunderbolts on "the case for mocking religion".” Juvenile exercise of expression, but then we should be used to Hitchens being a cretin with regards to the MENA region.

Onward, then.

The Lounsbury Discussion on the Issue

[Update: reading Wikipedia I found an online link - no longer working - to the/an Arabic dossier on the cartoons written by the Denmark group of Imams. Having given it a speed read, it appeared to me that while the dossier was written post-facto to their official meetings, its Arabic text did clearly indicate the incendiary 'extra cartoons' were not published, but were ones received by certain unidentified protest leaders, post their public protests in Denmark. That makes the provence of the cartoons less doubtful to me. The dossier was not inherently unreasonable in tone, although certainly disputable, and clearly reflected an agenda, one which I continue to think reflects the Salafist extremist fringe]

[Update II: A very interesting note thanks to Clive's comment, Danish paper rejected Jesus cartoons; they were apparently offensive and unfunny. Ahem. Well. In other notes re the same article, someone desperately needs to give Muslim activists a lesson in marketing: the European Committee for Prophet Honouring just sounds... silly.]

Continue reading "Cartoon Outrage: Salafist Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Manufacturing Incidents & the Problem of Moderation [Updated]"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:04 AM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities , Islam & Politics , Islamism , Levant , MENA Region General , North Africa , Op-Ed , Political Development , Press Freedom , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture

February 05, 2006

"No Offend Chinese Women": Denmark and the Mutation of Organized Protest

Before getting around to a somewhat longer entry or entries on the issue of the efforts to prune Danish blasphemy, let me begin a contrarian line (against the prevailing 'Aqoul trend) by examining a MENA issue in an appropriate place: China. Once upon a time, there was a great movement towards democracy by students in China. It failed at Tiananmen Square but it almost got off the ground. I bring this up because few recall the mass demonstrations by Chinese students a few months earlier around the country (but especially around Nanjing) that started the mass action process. These were not pretty; behavior was riotous and appalling. And the issue was rather vile: "No Offend Chinese Women", you black devils! More vile than the silly "No Offend Prophet Mohammed" over the Danish newspaper cartoons. As the referenced (and accurate) Wikipedia article is quoted below, I ask the question of those with better on the ground knowledge -- does the organiziing of MENA passions in this particular Danish cartoon issue bode well in a "silver lining" sense for creating spontaneously-organized networks of popular voices against repression in the region?

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Posted by Matthew Hogan at 09:45 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Political Development

February 04, 2006

Why do the Syrians burn embassies but the Iranians don't?

I find it interesting how the protests by Muslims against the "Danish cartoons" differ according to location. These two BBC News articles - 1st and 2nd - provide a good overview.

Of course, the gunmen in Gaza and the West Bank and the burning embassies in Damascus make the headlines and evening news, since they're the most outrageous images available to journalists. What bothers me in the coverage of the protests, however, is that nobody seems to analyze these protests not only within the global but also their local context, that they are all subsumed under the general "Muslims protest the defamation of the prophet Muhammad" heading.

Doesn't anybody find it at least noteworthy that the Danish & Norwegian embassies were torched in - out of all places - Damascus? That there were only small demonstrations in Cairo? That there were almost no demonstrations at all in Iran? That the number of Muslim demonstrators in Europe was - given the overall numbers of Muslim inhabitants - ridiculously low?

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Posted by raf* at 07:11 PM | Comments (26) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Levant , Press Freedom

Upon Leaving Foreign Climes, Gulf Hospitality and Sabotaged Reunions

Travelling to Saudi Arabia is always, to put it euphemistically, a rich experience. Travelling to Saudi Arabia from a Western European country as an unmarried fatherless Muslim female (on a direct flight that leaves no time for a merciful hiatus in a half-way house such as Bahrain or Qatar) feels like being beamed up by Scotty.

The trauma starts early, before leaving the faceless European airport. Travellers to Saudi Arabia are easily distingushable from other holiday makers and business travellers. They have that haggard look of the condemned about them, the look of the drowning man coming up for one last gasp of air before his frantic splashes subside. Saudi matriarchs sit apathetically as their children explore the terminal followed by even more apathetic Asian maids. Arab expat families and couples carrying their Harrods and Selfridges bags tour the duty free area refusing to sit down to roll over and die as the generic Lebanese looking woman circles the terminal in her high heels mindful of the fact that this is her last public performance for some time. Expat white workers are the most desperate of all as they sit in airport bars quickly and deliberately downing rounds of drinks, each one a different concoction. One doesn't know if this is to lull themselves into a stupor to soften the blow or if this is just a binge before the fast.

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Posted by bint ash-shaitan at 10:17 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Gulf

February 03, 2006

Background story to the "Danish cartoons" issue - and commentary

The German magazine Der Spiegel published a rather good article on the background to the "Danish anti-Muhammad Cartoons" story. I think it's worth re-publishing it here, with (my) commentary.

Alienated Danish Muslims Sought Help from Arabs

Twelve drawings of Muhammad printed in a major Danish newspaper have turned millions of Muslims against Denmark. And one man's mission has transformed the caricatures into the stuff of international diplomacy. The Arab world, though, isn't being given the full story.

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Posted by raf* at 09:03 AM | Comments (34) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islam & Politics , Press Freedom

February 02, 2006

Cartoons, Manufactured Outrage, Tolerance & Dissent

Well, reading the papers sadly the entire overblown cartoons of the Prophet controversy continues. Our dear Meph pointed me to this amibiguous but largely unfortunate French editor fired over cartoons news, and interestingly via trackbacks, I also ran across this article and a comment which I think needs blasting .

Now the, some further thoughts on this entire fiasco:

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Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities , Foreign Policy & MENA , Islam General

How not to pick me up: Lesson #1

I pass a number of upscale cafes and restaurants while walking home from work. Occasionally I'll duck into one of them and pick up a gourmet snack, the sort of thing that comes with blood orange dressing or gooseberry garnishes. Today I decided to try a little place that only served overpriced salad, no doubt on the vanguard of the silly raw food trend currently sweeping North America. The server chattered enthusiastically about various ingredients as he prepared my $8 takeaway dish, which is not altogether strange in places where customer service rules require you to be a talkative idiot. Not entirely unpleasant either, but I was only half-listening to the conversation because my thoughts were elsewhere.

At the cash register, he paused a moment with his hands protectively encircling the pretentious little salad. I waited for him to ring the bloody thing through, but he just stood there grinning foolishly.

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Posted by eerie at 07:57 PM | Comments (28) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Op-Ed , Society & Culture

The Monthly Readers' Feedback, Complaint & Suggestions Post

As is our tradition, to use the word abusively, at the start of any month we have a post where readers (and authors, why not?) can post suggestions, complaints, general feedback, pose questions (about the site, about the authors or an author in particular, etc), ask for subjects to be covered, etc. ad nauseum.

This is that post. As my co-authors are largely much better human beings than I am, please do feel free to expect some constructive feedback or responses from them. I am likely simply to ignore you, but no matter, everyone should be used to that.

Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:30 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Site News

Polio no longer endemic in Egypt

Says The World Health Organization. For the first time in a recorded history going back many thousand years, says some guy from the Egyptian health ministry. Huzzah, says I.

(Is there a point to this, other than it just being nice to report some good news occasionally? Maybe just that public health is one of those things that even the most godawful corrupt useless governments can get right.)

Posted by tomscud at 04:53 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa

February 01, 2006

Foreign Workers and Labour Rights in the Gulf

Last year I attended a Sunni-Shia wedding for an old friend of mine (this is an entry on its own, but for another time). It was a truly international affair with guests from North America, Europe, the Mideast, Africa and Asia. One of bride’s relatives flew in from the UAE with her husband, two young children and two nannies in tow. One nanny for each child of course: a young south Indian man for the boy and a Filipino woman for the girl. Both children were absolutely insufferable and threw tantrums constantly, only to be whisked out of sight or amused in a desperate fashion by their respective nannies until they settled down. After a time I began to suspect the boy was developmentally delayed (this is not simply because he was supremely irritating, there were clearly speech issues), but it seemed as though neither parent had noticed. His nanny, barely literate and sweet-natured, was tasked mainly with keeping the child happy, clean and well-fed. He clearly did not have the authority to discipline, a fact that the boy realized and used to his advantage. The girl was somewhat quieter, but the dynamic with her nanny was largely the same. Both nannies were subjected to verbal and physical abuse by their tiny and tyrannical charges, but they bore it gamely, if at times wearily. The parents, while not overtly classist/racist, were still very condescending when interacting with "the help". Naturally, their children noticed and imitated this behaviour.

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Posted by eerie at 09:35 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Development , Economic Policy , Ethnic Minorities , Gulf