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March 2006 Archives
March 30, 2006
Scionism is Race Schism: Gamal Mubarak & Egypt's Future
This recent report on the scion of the Hosni Mubarak family, the President's son Gamal, suggests that he is increasingly gathering offices in the government's ruling National Democratic Party. This means, according to the perspective offered in that report, that his advantage in a future race for President is assured, dividing internal and external opposition. That development is also augmented by renewed potential charges against jailed never-as-popular-as-hoped electoral challenger Ayman Nour, and the allegedly fleeting nature of previous promised reforms. Is MENA to be relegated to the scions of the previous generations, and is that always bad?
Continue reading "Scionism is Race Schism: Gamal Mubarak & Egypt's Future"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 11:03 PM
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Filed Under: Political Development
March 29, 2006
On MEMRI & Translations: Winds of Change, a Thread Reply
While we have an upcoming article on MEMRI itself, I was sucked into (well rather I wanted to avoid working on the Quarterly Reporting rot for the US overseers) a discussion of our Wafa Sultan transcript translation at the American Righty blog, Winds of Change. I frankly know fuck all about them so I rather think I annoyed the hell out of them, but no matter. I've decided to reproduce here my last comment, replying to an intriguing example of thinking that perhaps typifies the ideological MEMRI consumer. It certainly was queer. I also note that throughout the conversation I had to urge them to come over and ask questions of Meph et al re partciular points of usage in the translation, etc. Queerly no one seems to have followed up on that. Since I rather slacked on lending Meph a hand due to other obligations, I declined to play the translator.
Continue reading "On MEMRI & Translations: Winds of Change, a Thread Reply"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:36 PM
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Filed Under: Media
March 28, 2006
Rumsfeld notices US particularly unskilled in agitprop.
I've noted this any number of times, so it's not particularly news, however I was touched when I saw Rumsfeld: U.S. Struggles to Combat Anti-American Propaganda.
Continue reading "Rumsfeld notices US particularly unskilled in agitprop."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:09 PM
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Filed Under: US Foreign Policy
On Apostasy and Moderate Islam
Stacy Yadav summarizes the argument of Muhammed Abd al-Malik al-Mutawakkil on apostasy and sentencing, from his book Islam and International Human Rights Declarations. Rather than summarize a summary, I'll just say, "Go read it." I don't know much about Mutawakkil, but from Stacy's description he is making the kinds of arguments that actually have a chance of reaching the "pious middle".
Posted by tomscud at 11:40 AM
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Filed Under: Islam General
March 23, 2006
Wafa Sultan: Bigger, Longer, Uncut - The Full Sultan Jazeera Transcript
Due to the tempest created by Wafa Sultan, 'Aqoul has decided to translate the Arabic transcript of the Al-Jazeera show on which Wafa Sultan for most intents and purposes made her debut. Hosted by Faisal al-Qasim, The Opposite Direction is held in debate format and usually deals with controversial issues touching upon taboo subjects like the Saudi royal family.
Continue reading "Wafa Sultan: Bigger, Longer, Uncut - The Full Sultan Jazeera Transcript"
Posted by Meph at 04:04 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
, Islam General
, Media
, Society & Culture
America bombing Dubai's Doncasters
Back in December 2005, Dubai International Capital, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, the investment vehicle that owns most of everything that's anything in Dubai, signed an agreement to buy Doncaster Group, an engineering firm, from Royal Bank of Scotland Equity Finance for AED4.5bn.
Continue reading "America bombing Dubai's Doncasters"
Posted by yinshuisiyuan at 08:45 AM
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March 22, 2006
Al Bawaba's interesting reading
A glance at Al Bawaba English blogs section's Most Read Articles is somewhat disturbing. All five of them come from the same blog:
Continue reading "Al Bawaba's interesting reading"
Posted by secretdubai at 06:38 AM
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Filed Under: Media
March 21, 2006
'Aqoul Books & Media, Guest Author, etc.
Now that the bloodletting has abated somewhat, I thought it would be a good time to formally launch 'Aqoul Books & Media. This new "sub-blog" replaces the Select Bibliography page (which used to be manually updated, or sadly neglected, by yours truly) and has a number of useful features, including the ability to pull product information directly from Amazon. Raf* and Tamerlane are the editors, so please direct all whiny complaints to them.
Also (and I do hate to bring this up but I will have to pay for another year's hosting very soon), making purchases via 'Aqoul will generate a little bit of referral revenue for us. Not that there is any expectation to do so, mind you. Books & Media is primarily a resource for 'Aqoul readers who wish to learn more about a MENA/Islam-related topic, but have no idea where to start.
In other news, guest author Shaheen will be publishing an entry very shortly on the enigma that is MEMRI.
Oh yes, we're going there.
Posted by eerie at 06:52 PM
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Filed Under: Site News
March 20, 2006
Florence Eid on Development
So what CAN be done to help the Middle East in a more liberal, prosperous, etc direction? One person who's been approaching it from an entiredly different direction from the political reformers is Florence Eid, who as a professor at the American University of Beirut pushed hard on the idea of entrepreneurship education.
In her major paper on the subject, which is available in a couple different forms on the net (this one is a straight PDF download; this one has been somewhat revised but requires a free registration to access), she argues that what the region needs right now is NOT more financing - liquidity (as has been noted elsewhere on this blog) is very high in the region (though a bit lower now than it was three weeks ago, thanks to the Gulf markets' "corrections"). Instead, what is needed is
to create the "institutional complementarities" necessary for the financial sector to leverage [entrepreneurial] talent... if financial institutions are not "complemented" with the right skills and know-how, they cannot create private sector activity; vice versa, if finance and skills are not "complemented" with regulatory institutions that serve their needs, they cannot create businesses that make profit, and drive the economy forward.
Continue reading "Florence Eid on Development"
Posted by tomscud at 03:39 AM
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Filed Under: Economic Development
March 19, 2006
Financial Times Bitten By the Wafa Bug
And our co-founder tells us to subscribe to FT! Not for this.
[Via Arabist]
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 06:14 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
Women's Banking Services in KSA: A Rant
Due to a prolonged absence from the Kingdom of Saud my bank account (hosted in a financial institution the child of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and what was an infidel country last time I last looked) was frozen as no transactions had been conducted in over a year. Getting it unfrozen I assumed would be a straightforward enough matter as I made my way to the women's branch. Upon entering a small marble floored hall I beheld two female employees seated in workstations each side of an idoor floral plant arrangement and about a dozen other female clients seated atop plush leather furniture each apparently suffering from some degree of exasperation. I took a seat while trying to fathom what system of queueing was in use. As one client emerged from one office and another waiting sprung to her feet and darted in behind her, I surmised it was every woman for herself.
Continue reading "Women's Banking Services in KSA: A Rant"
Posted by bint ash-shaitan at 10:15 AM
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Filed Under: Gulf
, Society & Culture
March 18, 2006
The Kills Are Alive With The Sound of Music: The Al-Qaeda Soundtrack
Fellow blogger, Chris Roach, an American paleoconservative*, writes a relatively nuanced reflection on the use of music in al-Qaeda recruitment/propaganda videos. Although his recurrent Islamophobia (more in other entries) can be irritating at times, allowing for that, this attempt to get at the stylings of Arabic music and the esthetics of Islamic art may contain some thoughtful criticism of music or good artistic debate fodder, even if wrong. "There is something jarring about this experience," he writes, "listening to lyrical and well-crafted music, most often in the classically minor key of the orient, while viewing awful images of murder and mayhem."
Continue reading "The Kills Are Alive With The Sound of Music: The Al-Qaeda Soundtrack"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 08:57 AM
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Filed Under: Islam General
, Society & Culture
, Terrorism
March 15, 2006
Fatwas and Wafa Sultan
Responding to a comment on my sarcastic 7-step guide to becoming a Muslim reformer, it occured to me that most Westerners have no idea what constitutes a fatwa, and that Wafa Sultan has used this misconception to her advantage in the New York Times.
First, the comment about my entry:
Crooning “Oh, oh, I’m under a death sentence, oh, oh, they’re coming to chop off my head, oooooh I’m so scaaaared” is lame snotty mockery when the target of your mockery actually is under a death sentence and people actually are getting killed.
I admit my comments were flippant and not intended to trivialize the problems faced by people who are intimidated and threatened by both secular and Islamist entities in the Middle East (such as the lovely and very brave journalist, Mona Eltahawy). Still, the ensuing debate has uncovered a number of popular and dangerous misconceptions, which will be cleared up here and there as I find them.
Continue reading "Fatwas and Wafa Sultan"
Posted by eerie at 12:52 PM
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Filed Under: Islam General
, Islamism
, Media
, Society & Culture
Observing Other Societies: The Limits of Direct Contact & Idealistic Presumptions
I sincerely hesitate to endorse the genially and serially bigoted John Derbyshire but this rather good column about how visitors and observers of other societies can be dangerously wrong is actually rather good. It does explain alot of presumptive well-intentioned idiocy(blogosphere and printosphere) that masquerades as informed commentary on MENA, and Iraq in particular.
Continue reading "Observing Other Societies: The Limits of Direct Contact & Idealistic Presumptions"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 10:12 AM
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Filed Under: Society & Culture
, US Foreign Policy
March 13, 2006
Amr Khaled, Yousuf al-Qaradawi and Danish Muslims: Fragmentation and Lost Opportunities
As the cartoon controversy dies down another rises in its place as a struggle over the representation of the Muslim world gathers momentum. Muslim cleric al-Qaradawi and the younger preacher Amr Khaled have been sparring over the past three weeks over the latter's endeavour to start a 'dialogue' with Denmark and the West in general.
Posted by Meph at 11:10 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
How to be a Muslim reformer
After reading an article on Wafa Sultan (the up-and-coming Muslim reformer) in the New York Times today, it occured to me that I should get on this reformer bandwagon before the market gets saturated. I'm articulate, telegenic, exotic (yet oh so fluffy and Westernized), not to mention female (oppressed by rigid Islamic paternalism, naturally). Too bad I've got so many other little schemes on the go and can't spare the time for this one. However, I've written a handy little guide for aspiring refuseniks, male or female, Muslim or non-Muslim. Hopefully it will inspire readers to lead the charge in enlightening the benighted Islamic world.
Continue reading "How to be a Muslim reformer"
Posted by eerie at 04:22 PM
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Filed Under: Islam General
, Media
, Op-Ed
, Society & Culture
March 11, 2006
Danish Cartoon Protests: Roundup
Continue reading "Danish Cartoon Protests: Roundup"
Posted by eerie at 06:13 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
, Islam General
, MENA Region General
, Media
, Society & Culture
March 10, 2006
DPW, Some Round Up Thoughts on the Blow Back
I shall make this briefish note as the DPW fiasco continues to steam ahead. In many ways this is good for me personally as I expect increased in-region / non-US flows for MENA money. But it is bad for investment in the US, bad for US MENA policy and reveals as clearly as clear can be the deep vein of anti-Arab bigotry hiding beneath the surface in the United States. A loss for moderation, a loss for state security interests and a loss for economic efficiency and investment in key assets. Yes, bravo to ignorant know-nothing racist jingoism. This blows back not only to commerce, but also to our pious middle conversation, make no mistake about it.
Continue reading "DPW, Some Round Up Thoughts on the Blow Back"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:35 AM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, Economic Policy
, Gulf
, MENA Region General
, Op-Ed
, US Foreign Policy
Pop-Inshaad: The Rise of Islamic Singers
As contemplating Irshad Manji and the DPW caving have taken their toll upon my will to live I thought Aqoul would turn to issues of pop-culture. A recently emerging trend has received plenty of media attention since the rise of the Azerbaijani born British Islamic singer Sami Yousif. Islamic 'inshaad' or religious singing has become a massive market in the Gulf and the Middle East and it is not simply a matter of Wahabi defintions of what is religiously compliant catching on, although that is partly the case. Islamic singers have produced anything from totally instrument free multi-harmony based songs (spearheaded mainly by Ahmed Bukhatir, actually quite good if slightly melancholy in my view) to full orcherstra backed-albums such as those released by Yousif, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London and a piano virtuouso.
Continue reading "Pop-Inshaad: The Rise of Islamic Singers"
Posted by Meph at 11:10 AM
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Filed Under: Media
, Society & Culture
March 09, 2006
Irshad, Ijtihad and Irony
Don’t ask me why, but every once in a while I like to irritate myself by reading about Irshad Manji. Watching the surprised reactions to the recent Hamas electoral victory made me realize that in many Western circles, there is a naive belief that democracy & freedom = liberalism and that encouraging democracy in the Middle East will automatically result in secular, liberal (and by extension pro-Western) utopias. Visiting Irshad Manji's website the other day, it occured to me that the same sort of muddled thinking is behind her Project Ijtihad initiative to “support the liberal reformation of Islam”.
According to Manji, recovering the "lost" tradition of ijtihad will somehow free Muslims from their intellectual slumber and result in the widespread acceptance of so-called liberal values. Naturally, she doesn't define the term "liberal", but based on her highly biased and monolithic description of Islam (obviously derived from personal experience more than actual research on regional/cultural variations, historical context, etc), one expects that she would use some sort of handwaving “politics I agree with” definition. Manji also doesn’t bother to elaborate on the concept of ijtihad (which is a rather complex topic in Islamic legal theory) beyond the vague exhortation that Muslims start “thinking independently”.
Continue reading "Irshad, Ijtihad and Irony"
Posted by eerie at 07:10 PM
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Filed Under: Islam General
, Society & Culture
Score One Own Goal for US Know-Nothing Nativist Bigotry & General Islamophobia
Well, the irrational forces of bigotted know-nothing nativism and bigotted Islamophobia won out, DPW has finally said fuck it, keep poorly run ports, we'll take the profitable parts of P&O , or as the statement went,
“Because of the strong relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the US, and to preserve that relationship...DP World will transfer fully the US operation of P&O Ports North America Inc to a United States entity,” Edward Bilkey, the company’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.
Only yesterday the head, Mr Sharaf,
acknowledged ... that the US facilities were a small part of the deal and less profitable than other P&O container terminals. His remarks came as the White House appeared to soften its support for the deal and the House of Representatives pressed ahead with plans to block the transaction.
It is also of note that private equity groups, smelling blood in the water,
have approached DP World about buying the US operations, people familiar with the matter said. Industry observers said logical candidates included Blackstone and Macquarie, the Australian bank.
Well, mark one of up for the forces of blind bigotry and irrational anti-Arab xenophobia with all the dark hand waving about "connexions" and "associations" and the utter inability to distinguish between Saudiyah and the rest of the Arab world.
Continue reading "Score One Own Goal for US Know-Nothing Nativist Bigotry & General Islamophobia"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:08 PM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, Economic Development
, Economic Policy
, Gulf
, MENA Region General
, Op-Ed
, US Foreign Policy
Bye, Bye Dubai Buy: DPW Bows Out of US Leases
Dubai Ports World (DPW), the United Arab Emirates firm that bought a British ports operating company which owned operating leases in some USA ports, has just agreed to relinquish those interests. This will probably end a political firestorm that {irony}had absolutely nothing to do with anti-Arab or anti-Muslim xenophobia, ignorance, racism, or other factors.{/irony} It is not clear what it could be that DPW is getting in exchange for divesting itself of about 10% of its newly acquired assets, but, if {irony} US Senator Chuck Schumer is right: Could it be . . . Satan?* {/irony}
"This is obviously a promising development, but the devil's in the details," he said. "Those of us who feel strongly about this issue believe that the U.S. part of the British company should have no connection to the United Arab Emirates or DP World."
*Apologies for possibly obscure reference to a catchphrase of an old character on USA "Saturday Night Live".
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 06:41 PM
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Filed Under: US Foreign Policy
March 08, 2006
Of pride and protest
The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research has this comment on the Danish cartoons controversy:
"The blame for the events cannot be placed on one party. Still one cannot negate the important fact that we are the party that needs to present ourselves in a better manner. We need to negate the tarnished image which many people project about Arabs and Muslims. Certainly, the Arab and Muslim behavior during this crisis will give credence to our false image of being a bigoted, narrow-minded people who have an inherent tendency towards violence and hatred for others. It is sad to note that the circle of enemies has expanded in the aftermath of the crisis. American and European media have started to support of the Danish newspaper that violated our religious sentiments, and this is an unwelcome development for our cause."
Continue reading "Of pride and protest"
Posted by secretdubai at 05:23 AM
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Filed Under: Media
, Op-Ed
March 06, 2006
Poll: Oh My Iraq, Civil War (ho hum)
In the news today is the stunning, shocking news, that, ahem, Iraq is sliding towards outright civil war (according the sharply sensitive and informed American people) I simply thought this should be an opportunity to say, well, no kidding:
Continue reading "Poll: Oh My Iraq, Civil War (ho hum)"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:00 PM
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Filed Under: Op-Ed
, US Foreign Policy
Strong words in Saudi
A startlingly strongly-worded editorial in the Saudi English-language newspaper Arab News, criticising the muttawa after various embarrassing disturbances at the recent Riyadh Book Fair:
"This can’t be good, especially in such a gathering. In this time and place, when the whole country is moving toward modernity, globalization, democracy and reforms, we still have people going around with sticks and unquestionable authority to enforce their narrow view of the world. They only represent a minority of the Muslim world but behave as though there is no Islam but theirs."
Link via the Religious Policeman, who comments:
"...maybe the press are just starting to mount a campaign against the Muttawa. Someone in very high places will have sanctioned the Riyadh International Book Fair, and they may be less than amused at the antics of Brother Naif's Muttawa. So perhaps they authorized this article in the "Arab News"."
The RP is watching "with bated breath". He is not the only one.
Posted by secretdubai at 03:54 PM
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Filed Under: Gulf
March 05, 2006
Dubai: Some Background
For those members of our readership who hadn't come across Dubai before the P&O deal hit the headlines, here is some basic information about the city.
If you were to arrive in Dubai and look at all the glass and concrete buildings, you might easily believe yourself at first to be in a medium-to-large American city. This is not true – the city runs along rather different lines from any in the West, and similarities are often only superficial. However, there is one important way in which Dubai resembles the United States: the business of Dubai is business.
Continue reading "Dubai: Some Background"
Posted by dubaiwalla at 10:43 PM
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Filed Under: Economic Policy
, Gulf
Bedfellows & Commerce: Israel's Zim Lines Supports DPW (Updated)
Sadly my work is distracting me from the fun of the ongoing Bigotted Know Nothing Nativist Ignoramus Mob Madness surrounding DPW's takeover of UK's P&O and the incidental acquisition of the operating leases for port operations at six major US ports (although in the UK and globally sanity has prevailed*), I wanted to augment my dear friend and colleague, Secret Dubai's post on Israeli support for Dubai and DPW with specific reference to the Israeli shipping line Zim's statement of support; I should say it comes as no surprise to anyone with experience in the region that some Israelis would step forward on this, even in a politically delicate situation - not so oddly it is the moderates on all sides trying to do business that know each other.
Continue reading "Bedfellows & Commerce: Israel's Zim Lines Supports DPW (Updated)"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:57 PM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, EU Foreign Policy
, Economic Development
, Economic Policy
, Foreign Policy & MENA
, Gulf
, Islam General
, MENA Region General
, Op-Ed
, US Foreign Policy
Quinquireme of Ninevah
For all the Americans wailing and flailing their arms over the Ay-rabs taking over their entire homeland security, here's one less reason to fret.
It appears that DPW is prepared to do business with the "Zionists". In fact, it already is:
Mohammed Sharaf, CEO of Dubai Ports World, told CNN on Sunday, "I have no problem doing business with Israelis; I do so on a daily basis all over the world. Zim and its subsidiaries, and their cargo, enter our ports and use our services.
"I don't deal with the political issues, I deal with the commercial interests. The other issues [boycott] are dealt with on the political level," he said.
This will surely go down a literal storm back home - if it's reported.
Posted by secretdubai at 02:37 PM
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Filed Under: Op-Ed
March 04, 2006
Site Updates
Due to extensive whining on the subject in this month's open discussion thread, I've set up an "Author Picks" section in the sidebar. This will allow authors to post interesting/useful links without the need for a separate blog entry.
I will write up an email with more specific instructions shortly, assuming all the authors have joined the Yahoo group (btw Tom, that email was most charming).
Also, TypeKey authentication is now enabled for all aqoul.com blogs. Anon comments are still permitted, mainly because we seem to have so many clever yet terribly paranoid commenters.
Posted by eerie at 10:37 PM
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Filed Under: Site News
March 03, 2006
The "moderate Muslims" strike back ... yeah, right.
Remember when everyone asked "When do the non-extremist Muslims finally say something?" Well, look no further, THEY HAVE!!! And in ENGLISH, TOO!!! Yippieh!!! (Dammit, where IS the "sarcasm key" on my laptop's keyboard???) Over the last week, two pamphlets have been published that will be presented allover the Western media as examples for "enlightened", "moderate", or even "good" Muslim attempts to counter the religious zealots burning down embassies and calling for the beheading of everyone who doesn't want to live under shari'a law.
Continue reading "The "moderate Muslims" strike back ... yeah, right."
Posted by raf* at 09:26 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
March 01, 2006
New Month Open Discussion
Yes, it's that time again.
The purpose of this entry is to give new readers an opportunity to introduce themselves, while at the same time giving regulars a chance to whine about something or other.
I will now open the floor to reader questions, comments, perverted remarks, etc.
Posted by eerie at 06:18 PM
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Filed Under: Site News
