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May 2006 Archives
May 30, 2006
Media Savior Secularism: Ruthless Business Empires & Making Liberalism in the Arab World
It is not often I have the occasion to combine three of my negative obsessions: secularist posing, corruption and Egypt into one comment. But uniqely an FT article from 21 May by Roula Khalaf and William Wallis allows me to do just that, covering Orascom, the Egyptian telecoms & everything else giant's plans to launch a Sat TV news channel.
Orascom, whose...non-virginal business practices in region (including some fine accusations of bribery in the context of Iraqi and North African cell tenders) do not immediately lead me to think of its owner as a secular savior - rather as part of the business as usual sorts.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:46 AM
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Filed Under: MENA Region General
, Media
, North Africa
May 29, 2006
On Iraq, Dinars & Informed Comment: Some Reflexions
Due to some misunderstanding, I thought I would make a follow-up comment on a semi-private email exchange on Iraq
The context then: I wrote Professor Cole of Informed Comment regarding a relatively tangential statement there regarding Iraqi dinars, monetary policy and some statement by Amer Taheri regarding the stability of the currency. Cole withdrew his original characterisation re Taheri, but then followed up with further comment, mentioning yours truly in both. Given the excuse, I thought I should correct some misapprehensions, as well as abusively ramble on, these being my core competencies, about currency valuation, Iraq and the like, perhaps secondarily some gratuitous abuse of various parties for my own personal entertainment.
Continue reading "On Iraq, Dinars & Informed Comment: Some Reflexions"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:21 PM
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Filed Under: Economic Policy
, Iraq War
, Op-Ed
Let’s Do the Time Warp, Part II: Russian Homophobia as Mainstream Political Culture
Some months ago, here at Aqoul I debunked Andrew Sullivan’s assertion that the Muslim mainstream is at the forefront of gay-bashing in the Russian Federation.
Well, it seems I was right – on Saturday the Moscow gay community did attempt to carry on with their observance of the 13th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Russia, resulting in beatings and scores of arrests (including those of the demonstration’s organizer and some participants, as well as counterdemonstrators), as the Mayor of Moscow had prohibited the demonstration on the grounds that homosexuality is “unnatural,” and was backed up by a court decision last week. Even some members of the Russian gay community had opposed the demonstration, fearing the violence that would result - Russia just isn't in the same sociopolitical place as the handful of industrialized Western countries that have visible gay activist movements, but then those are largely a development of the past couple of decades in any case.
Posted by evaluna at 12:20 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
, Op-Ed
, Political Development
, Society & Culture
Democracy in the UAE
Just over a year ago, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then the crown prince of Dubai and UAE’s defense minister, and now the UAE’s vice president, prime minister and defense minister of the UAE, and ruler of Dubai, said:
I say to my fellow Arabs in charge: If you do not change, you will be changed… If you do not initiate radical changes, responsibly discharge your duties and uphold the principles of truth, justice and responsibility, your people will resent you. More than this, the verdict of history on you will be severe.
Continue reading "Democracy in the UAE"
Posted by Top Secret Anonymous Guy at 12:00 PM
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Filed Under: Gulf
, Political Development
, Press Freedom
, Society & Culture
What the World Needs Now is Google, Sweet Google
A brief 'Aqoul self-referential moment, combined with the ideological exploitation of getting back in touch with my inner non-Lefty. As I write now, the Google Ads to your left offer "Sue the terrorists: US-based attorneys represent Israeli victims in US court" only one ad apart from "Quran Ringtones". Where else but the commercial "capitalist" marketplace do you get these two purveyor/consumer sets literally "on the same page"?
Continue reading "What the World Needs Now is Google, Sweet Google"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 11:43 AM
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Filed Under: Site News
May 25, 2006
"Dhimmi": Crock Quran? (And I don't care)
(Apologies to Southern African-American folk music.) The apparently false allegations that Iran was preparing a law requiring Jews and Christians to wear identifying symbols has not only resulted in a newspaper retraction, but also has led some to revisit an overused word among much of the Islamophobic blogosphere and elsewhere: "dhimmi". The term, in history applied to Jews and Christians in certain Muslim periods, appears to be derived from some type of legal inferior status imputed to non-believers in the early stages of the Islamic conquests. Lately, however, it has sort of become a kind of warblog/Little Green Footballs type of Islamophobic cult-jargon (cf. moonbat) for one who is a perceived "Uncle Tom", i.e. a non-Muslim who suggests that Muslims may indeed act with ordinary human motives, or that their faith is flexible and not pervasively malevolent.
Continue reading ""Dhimmi": Crock Quran? (And I don't care)"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 11:33 AM
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Filed Under: MENA Region General
, Media
, Society & Culture
May 24, 2006
You Say You Want A Revolution? Chechen Sufism vs. Islamist Terrorism
In a hilariously ironic turn of events, it seems that the Russian Federation central government is now encouraging Chechens to return to observance of their indigenous flavor of Sufism , after 200 years of official anti-Islam policy ranging from denial that observant Muslims even existed to active persecution of believers. Well, I suppose that if you think your alternative is acceptance of a line of thought held by the charming folks who held a theater full of innocent civilians hostage, anything must seem like an improvement.
Continue reading "You Say You Want A Revolution? Chechen Sufism vs. Islamist Terrorism"
Posted by evaluna at 09:59 PM
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Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities
, Islam & Politics
, Islamism
, MENA Region General
, Op-Ed
, Religious Minorities
, Terrorism
Iran & The Faux Law, Backtracking
The infamous Jews and Xians have to wear special clothes fiasco has now seen a full retraction, although for those looking for reasons to bash something, our dear Saudi cretins appear to be still in the business of producing hateful rubbish in the service of the Wahhabi hate mongers who so dearly love to dress themselves up in more-Muslim-than-thou clothing.
In other matters, Hirsi Ali - Magan has taken her US media campaign to a new level with a fine NYT piece of puffery about the poor oppressed media darling. Or as the phrase in the arty goes, "her daring approach to Islam, her arranged marriage in Africa, her exotic beauty." Sexy it is, Sexy.
A fair comment, however, from the arty goes:
"She irritates me deeply with her one-sided view of Islam," said Jan Beerenhout, a former Amsterdam municipal official and a convert to Islam. "But I feel ambiguous. She was offensive to the Muslims from rural areas who practice an archaic form of the religion. But if she had not spoken out, many wrongs would have remained taboo."
Certainly it does appear to the causal observer such as myself that Dutch society and social commentary suffers from a bit of constipation in re the Muslim minority - my impression is of little balanced convos, but rather black and white. Could be wrong, of course, relying on second hand knowledge.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:15 PM
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Filed Under: Gulf
, Islam & Politics
, Islam General
, Op-Ed
, Religious Minorities
May 23, 2006
Anger as Analysis: Part I
Irshad Manji, Wafa Sultan and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Why am I always picking on them?
Ostensibly, we have much in common. We are women born into faiths and cultures where gender inequality is widespread and can manifest itself in terrible ways. If anything, I should be able to relate to women who distance themselves from normative Islam (or renounce it altogether) and maintain a deep appreciation for the individualism, plurality and relative freedom found in Western societies.
Instead, I am appalled at how casually they draw conclusions about an entire religion based on narrow personal experience and the substitution of angry rhetoric for serious examination.
Continue reading "Anger as Analysis: Part I"
Posted by eerie at 09:14 PM
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Filed Under: Gender Issues
, Islam General
, Op-Ed
, Society & Culture
Morocco The Model! (Or Our Superficial Stereotypes Are Poorly Informed)
I stumbled across a funny (to me) "model" arty in the ideo-rag (I am not a fan of ideological papers) The Weekly Standard after stumbling across this attempt at writing on Islam, Elsewhere in Islam, itself deserving in comment (acerbic but fair comment, as I think the arty needs a whack in the side of the head on some factual and interpretive issues, but it's at least an honest effort): The Moroccan Model: A beacon of hope in the Islamic world.
I am sure regular readers are aware I am a fan of the Maghreb generally and Morocco in particular (although I have a warm spot in my heart for Tunisia as well, and why not Libya and Algeria as well?), so perhaps I should receive a fannish article on Morocco warmly. There is certainly something to be said for noticing that the Islamic or even the Arab or even the Mediterranean Arab world consists of countries besides Egypt and Saudi Arabia. And some of the article I agree with or perhaps better, some of the article did not lead me to think of running the author over with a car to spare the world further ill-informed bad writing.
Continue reading "Morocco The Model! (Or Our Superficial Stereotypes Are Poorly Informed)"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:40 PM
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Filed Under: North Africa
, Op-Ed
, Political Development
, Society & Culture
, US Foreign Policy
Dubai Glitter - Union troubles
While not having much substantive to add, I thought that before this aged too much, that some attention should be brought to a recent FT article on on unions, entitled "Union troubles start to emerge from Dubai's glittering facades' published 19 May.
The article covers material that we here at Aqoul have touched upon, effectively the signs that the impoverished sub Con workers who make up the spine of the vast construction site that is Dubai are finally starting to crack under the pressure of low wages, rising costs, and just plain near slavery conditions.
The article bears a quick reading, as well as pondering whether UAE aspirations (to US FTA, to other goodies) will force change. I would bet that the government takes a bail out angle. After all, among the drivers of the last few weeks of unrest has been that labourers have been crushed between escalating housing and general living costs, and low wages.
An obvious Dubai type solution is to have the Emirate provide mass worker housing somewhere, allowing companies to externalise housing costs (or continue to do so to be more accurate).
Part of the usual indirect and obscure subsidy approach the Emirates have grown to love. Might even be an efficient solution.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:56 PM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, Economic Development
, Economic Policy
, Gulf
Cole - Economic Illiteracy [Updated]
I ran across a piece of illiteracy on Juan Cole's blog that bears correcting. :
Taheri's standards of reasoning and evidence have recently been slipping. In a recent article on Iraq, he gave as good news the stability of the Iraqi dinar. But in fact the dinar is artificially pegged to the dollar. Its "stability" is the same "stability" that the Egyptian guinea used to have in the 1960s and 1970s when the government just arbitrarily set its exchange rate. When you do that, you get some apparent stability, but you also create a black market and a preference in the country for other currencies. If the Iraqi dinar was allowed to float, it would not be worth very much.
Contra Cole's statement, which I find bizarre and puzzling (and tending to support his critics that his hatred of the Bush Admin is pushing him into the realm of unanchored opposition. A pity as whatever his tediously predictable and stereotypical Left politics, his ability to comment on Sunni-Shia politics in Iraq is rare and valuable. It would be good also if he learned to keep his trap shut about all things economic, as his understanding is embarassingly superficial, even for a Lefist academic in social sciences).
[NDLR: I would be extremely remiss not to note that I sent the Professor a note on the side regarding the very subject of this post, and he very graciously accepted correction. Given the rather poor record of blogs as a general matter on the issue of correction, and the rather nasty (and usually overdone axe-grinding) attacks on the man by his ideological foes, I think I should note this. It's a pleasure to see (although it deflates me cranky 'beat him about the head' post on the matter, so I preserve the record and leave it to readers to flog me if necessary for being unduly negative)]
Continue reading "Cole - Economic Illiteracy [Updated]"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:51 PM
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Filed Under: Iraq War
May 20, 2006
Islamic Finance - Scholar Shortages
Some weeks ago one of your fine 'Aqoul authors raised the issue of Islamic finance, and its present situation.
While perhaps less sexy than the faux-reports of Iranian Nazi-esque clothing restrictions on minorities, understanding a bit about economic developments in the region is more useful to readers wanting to actually have a sense of MENA developments (as opposed to merely whanking on in general ignorance about the horrors of the Arab world, etc), and The Financial Times has been running quite a number of interesting articles on the region - well actually about the Gulf, but the confusion of Gulf with all of MENA/Arab world is so general I almost cannot complain.
Continue reading "Islamic Finance - Scholar Shortages"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:31 PM
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Filed Under: Economic Development
, Economic Policy
, Gulf
, Islam General
, MENA Region General
, Op-Ed
Further to Ignorant Whanking: Agitprop and Iran, False reports on
Of late there has been a spate of fine Islamophobic whanking, about Ms Hirsi Ali and about the supposed perifidy of Islam qua Islam (about which I don't have the energy to devote at the moment, our friend Mr Schuler does a good enough job for all I would write something different). Also see Dean Esmay's note, again I would take exception to a number of things - as anyone following our long running discussion at 'Aqoul about what I call 'The Pious Middle' - but like I said, I lack the energy. Suffice it to say, even those on the right side of this issue - that is the anti-Islamophobes - are very, very poorly informed about in MENA intra-Islamic dynamics: in general mistaking the politics of percevied Western intervention with that of Islamic practice. Another time, however.
Continue reading "Further to Ignorant Whanking: Agitprop and Iran, False reports on"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 09:56 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
, Op-Ed
May 19, 2006
Friedman's Iraq Predictions Gone Flat
Glad he's no obstetrician. For three years now, Tom "Flat Earth" Friedman has been declaring a six-month due date for Iraq to give birth to its definitive fate. Courtesy of our commenter, alle, we learn of this new release from lefty media critics FAIR, wherein they track these continuous past and present six-month-or-so predictions for Iraq's Decisive Moment. Samples:
Continue reading "Friedman's Iraq Predictions Gone Flat"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 09:01 AM
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Filed Under: Iraq War
May 18, 2006
The Lighter Side of Civilizational Warfare
Check out Lazy Ramadi, IED Production's Liberation rap.
You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'/ Insurgency, man it's happenin'...It's all about the plastic cards, Cletus/Throw the stash in the bag/And head out like a fetus.../But there's no need to moan/'Cause the US Army won't let me go home
Poached from Henley, as usual.
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 03:27 PM
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Filed Under: Iraq War
May 17, 2006
Ayaan and Lessons on the Blog Whankosphere
Some sad lessons pop up once in a while in "blogging" (I do hate the term), among the the written confirmation of the facile idiocy that passes for commentary online, above all "far away" things. The utterly idiotic, wrong-headed ignorant whanking about the supposedly "Islamic immigrant" "intefada" that popped up during the French minority riots last year. This largely among American commentators with fuck all of an any information about France, the socio-religious profile of "immigrants" (3rd generation French born 'immigrants') hysterically shrieking on about an Islamic radical 'intefada' (hello Andrew Sullivan et al -none of whom by the way ever corrected or retracted their... well distortions and outright lies).
Continue reading "Ayaan and Lessons on the Blog Whankosphere"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:56 PM
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Filed Under: Gender Issues
, Islam General
, Op-Ed
, Society & Culture
May 16, 2006
Maghrebine Media II
Now that we have had our little side trip on Somali-Dutch immigration politics (fulfilling all desire on my part to touch on the same, although at Reason.com one can pursue one’s desire to comment on the irrational reactions) , I thought I might return to something rather more profound, that being media in the Maghreb and the recent Moroccan steps to liberalisation.
Continue reading "Maghrebine Media II"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:52 PM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, Economic Development
, Economic Policy
, Media
, North Africa
, Op-Ed
Census and Sensitivities: UAE & Its Minorities
Towards the end of last year, the UAE carried out its first census in 10 years. Given both the rapid demographic changes here and the promises to share the (usually classified) general data collected with the public, things sounded promising- the information gathered would be invaluable to any number of people. As my colleague SecretDubai has documented, things didn't turn out exactly as planned, not least because those being counted feared the enumerators might report them for any number of offenses ranging from cohabitation to various kinds of illegal occupancy, despite government promises to the contrary.
Continue reading "Census and Sensitivities: UAE & Its Minorities"
Posted by dubaiwalla at 12:46 PM
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Filed Under: Economic Development
, Ethnic Minorities
, Gulf
, Op-Ed
, Political Development
, Press Freedom
, Society & Culture
It's a Magical Kingdom - the No-Loss Stock Fund
The Saudi king, in a shrewd political move, although one that does nothing to address the actual issues, has announced a risk free stock fund for Saudi citizens of modest means or maybe not so modest means. Actually it sounds like I win You lose trading scheme as described.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:14 PM
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Filed Under: Economic Development
Odd - Ayaan Hirsi Ali
A very queer bit of reporting on Somali-Dutch MP and possible immigration services deceiver Ayaan Hirsi Ali aka Ayaan Hirsi Magan, who appears to have not been quite in the situ she claimed re forced marriage when she won Dutch citizenship. The article is perhaps a lesson in the madness that is immigration laws and debates at present across the Developed-Developing world divide. It may, if the facts are right, also be a somewhat sad lesson in media hype as well.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:53 AM
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Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities
, Op-Ed
, Religious Minorities
May 15, 2006
Maghrebine Media Makeovers: Morocco Issues Radio & TV Licenses - Liberalising or Potemkin Media
Following up on some prior exchanges with Issandr Bey of The Arabist, I thought I might take a moment to give a summary of the results of an item we touched on, liberalisation of the Moroccan broadcast market. Let me also try to do some value added original commentary as well, if only for the novelty value – I have terribly neglected such in my long-whinging on about tumours and the like.
The Conseil supérieur de la communication audiovisuelle (CSCA) issued the first approvals for private broadcast licenses (excepting some limited prior efforts), one television via satellite by the Médi 1 group, Médi1 Sat, and 11 radio projects.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:43 AM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, Economic Development
, Economic Policy
, North Africa
, Op-Ed
May 14, 2006
Arab League
The BBC just ran a very interesting episode of the Doha Debates, a monthly discussion panel examining a motion. Hosted by Tim Sebastian, the combative interviewer whose previous gig was at the BBC's own HardTalk, the episode asked whether the Arab League ought to be disbanded. A clear majority of the people in attendance (and I note here that the elites of Doha are hardly representative of the teeming masses or the governments of the Arab world) seemed to think this was indeed the case. Notwithstanding the entertainment value of watching Qaddafi in a public forum, one is curious as to just what the point of the League really is; its accomplishments certainly haven't been all that spectacular, and its manner of (mal)functioning has annoyed more than one member state. Are there not already enough fora for a dialogue of the deaf?
Posted by dubaiwalla at 02:07 PM
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Filed Under: MENA Region General
, Political Development
May 13, 2006
Testing times
The news that Dubai is considering screening tourists for AIDS (or rather the HIV virus) is unlikely to help the emirate's campaign to market itself as an open and tolerant society:
It’s not clear how the tests would work, but anyone found to have the virus would be refused admission to the country, said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Al Mur, director of the human rights department at Dubai police.
Clearly it would be an unworkable policy: unless such information - god forbid - was contained in biometric passports, there is no practical way that immigration officials could test all visitors quickly and efficiently, let alone accurately.
The impact it would have on tourism would be catastrophic: "Fly to five-star luxury and sunshine in glorious Dubai! (If you don't mind being detained for 48-hours in the airport quarantine hotel while we verify your blood)" is a far from inviting slogan.
Continue reading "Testing times"
Posted by secretdubai at 07:23 PM
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Filed Under: Gulf
, Society & Culture
Ahmadinejad's 1953 Reference: The Skeleton in the Regime's Closet Reaching Out?
As a followup to discussion of Mr. Ahmadinejad's love letter to George Bush, I want to note a specific reference he made in the letter. That reference is to the 1953 coup by the Iranian military that restored the Shah of Iran. That coup ousted Mohammed Mossadegh, a nationalist figure who had forced the Shah to retreat to exile, and who had led the nationalization of British oil-company operations in Iran. It is no secret that the US CIA played a heavy part in the events of the 1953 coup.
Continue reading "Ahmadinejad's 1953 Reference: The Skeleton in the Regime's Closet Reaching Out?"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 01:06 PM
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Filed Under: Foreign Policy & MENA
, Islam & Politics
, Islamism
, US Foreign Policy
May 11, 2006
Dubai: Economic Cannibalisation?
FT's William Wallace - a reporter working from Cairo who I am coming to look forward to - has an interesting article on Dubai, Building ambition raises Middle East financial stakes, that merits a read by those of us who follow the place.
The shortest version, speculation that the Dubai model of free zones and specialised development "cities" is reaching the end of its logic with its proliferation in Dubai and copying of the concept among on the part of neighbours, as in Qatar. I beleive there is something to this, the issue of diminishing returns off of the strategy.
Continue reading "Dubai: Economic Cannibalisation?"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:10 PM
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Filed Under: Economic Policy
, Gulf
, MENA Region General
First As Tragedy, Then As Farsi: Ahmadinejad's Letter
For those interested, Iranian President Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush in English is here at CNN (via Jim Henley). Thanks to contributor Baleen, we find the official and somewhat better quality translation here.
Continue reading "First As Tragedy, Then As Farsi: Ahmadinejad's Letter"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 11:51 AM
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Filed Under: Foreign Policy & MENA
May 10, 2006
Sheikh Sultan's ripping read
Newly translated into English, the Sheikh of Sharjah has written a historical novel, "Deep-Seated Malice", about 15th-century Portuguese conqueror, Afonso de Alberquerque. It relates his "obsessive pursuit" to control and exploit the resources of the Gulf and India, and the fact that he was prepared to "ransack the Holy Ka'aba in the Holy City of Makkah, use the remains of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) as ransom for territorial concessions".
Alberquerque's ugly contempt for the Islamic world and his lust for the resources of the East are reminiscent of many similar attempts since his time. The book ends with the death of Alberquerque and the question: "But was the deep-seated malice buried with him? Or has it remained one of the characteristics of colonialism to this very day?"
It will be available from Saqi but isn't on their website yet.
Posted by secretdubai at 04:16 AM
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Filed Under: Reviews
May 07, 2006
Turkey: Anti-Western Sentiment and "Islam is the Solution"
Earlier this year I saw the Turkish movie Kurtlar Vadisi Irak (Valley of the Wolves - Iraq - Website). It is reportedly the most expensive Turkish movie ever made but that's not why it made a big splash. Being a movie spin-off from one of Turkey's most-watched TV series, addressing a very emotional topic, and playing to popular sentiments resulted in record audience numbers - in Turkey itself and among Turkish communities abroad.
Continue reading "Turkey: Anti-Western Sentiment and "Islam is the Solution""
Posted by raf* at 09:30 AM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
, Reviews
May 05, 2006
Suf's Up in Saudi: Greater Tolerance of Sufism in Kingdom?
This Washington Post piece by Faiza Ambah suggests that practitioners of Sufi Islam are being increasingly tolerated in Saudi Arabia.
The centuries-old mawlid, a mainstay of the more spiritual and often mystic Sufi Islam, was until recently viewed as heretical and banned by Saudi Arabia's official religious establishment, the ultraconservative Wahhabis. But a new atmosphere of increased religious tolerance has spurred a resurgence of Sufism and brought the once-underground Sufis and their rituals out in the open.
Chimera or progress? And for the less initiated, perhaps our wise commenters can explain Sufism and ihsan. A short explanation from the article follows.
Continue reading "Suf's Up in Saudi: Greater Tolerance of Sufism in Kingdom?"
Posted by Matthew Hogan at 12:36 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
May 04, 2006
Banking Services in KSA: A Rant - Part II
[See Women's Banking Services in KSA: A Rant - Part I]
I walked out, made my way round the corner and through the glass automatic doors of the men's banking halls upon which about one hundred employees, customers and floor staff looked up and fell silent.
At this early stage I should mention that the banking sector in Saudi Arabia has been subjected to the most comprehensive Saudisation process where only a few employees, and those only in the higher more strategic echelons, are non-Saudi. Since I had walked into a run of the mill retail branch, every single man who was looking at me was Saudi and in full white thobe and head dress, a daunting sight for any female.
Continue reading "Banking Services in KSA: A Rant - Part II"
Posted by bint ash-shaitan at 05:06 PM
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Filed Under: Gender Issues
, Gulf
Unspeakable Love: Gay MENA Culture Reviewed
I've just posted a review of Brian Whitaker's Unspeakable Love, a survey of gay and lesbian life in the Middle East. Although his book-blog says it's been out in Beirut since April 5, today was the first time I saw a copy in stores - Virgin had a ton of them, prominently displayed (albeit not as prominently as Walid bin Talal's puff bio).
Posted by tomscud at 12:54 PM
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Filed Under: Reviews
, Society & Culture
Sudan Tops Failed States Index
Another season another report. A failed states index compiled by the US Foreign Policy magazine and the US-based Fund for Peace think-tank places Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo atop the list.
Continue reading "Sudan Tops Failed States Index"
Posted by Meph at 12:53 PM
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Filed Under: Political Development
Morocco, Journos and Media bis, a reply
Encore comment
This is a bit tardy, but Issandr Bey of the Arabist had a comment on my somewhat ill-tempered take on the Moroccan journal, Le Journal Hebdo libel case judgment as well as more generally on the media there and some related developments.
As a distraction from working on a market proposal which I haven’t got the proper information on regardless, I thought I might expand on my comment on The Arabist reply.
Continue reading "Morocco, Journos and Media bis, a reply"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:47 AM
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Filed Under: Business, Private
, Economic Policy
, Media
, North Africa
, Op-Ed
, Press Freedom
May 02, 2006
America's great "success"
Government spin is always a wondrous thing, but rarely can one enjoy something so blatant as this:
Washington -- Thanks to the successes of the U.S.-led multinational counterterrorism effort, terror organizations are now smaller and more sophisticated, and more challenging than ever to bring to justice, says Ambassador Henry Crumpton, coordinator of the State Department’s counterterrorism office.
"Successes" that make an enemy more dangerous and even harder to fight? Yep, we're all immensely thankful for those.
Continue reading "America's great "success""
Posted by secretdubai at 09:14 AM
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Filed Under: Op-Ed
, Terrorism
, US Foreign Policy
New Month Open Discussion
As ancient tradition mandates, here's the new month's open thread, where you all can introduce yourselves, voice your disapproval, and make suggestions, and we can pretend to care.
Posted by tomscud at 09:02 AM
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Filed Under: Site News
May 01, 2006
Further on migrant labor: Lebanon
Went to a lecture and discussion by Tina Naccache, a woman who works with migrant laborers, and especially female maids, in Lebanon, sponsored by nahwa al-muwataniya. I'm just going to drop some sketchy notes here. The lecture and discussion were in Arabic so I might well have misunderstood some things.
Continue reading "Further on migrant labor: Lebanon"
Posted by tomscud at 05:02 PM
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Filed Under: Levant
The Pious Middle & Socio-Political Reform in MENA, or Real Roots Change in Islam versus Empty Alienated Posturing
Our dear Editor in Chief, etc, linked on the sidebar an arty from The New York Times that deserves to be highlighted and discussed further, above all in the context of our own Eva Luna's short note on Irshaad Manji's talk in Chicago, and my (our perhaps?) Pious Middle thesis: Ministering to the Upwardly Mobile Muslim, a story on the famous TV 'preacher' Amr Khaled.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:49 PM
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Filed Under: Islam & Politics
Lebanon: Basil Fuleihan and the Limits of Technical Reform
Basil Fuleihan (allah yarhamu) died a little over a year ago of wounds sustained in the Hariri assassination - he was in the same car as Hariri at the time. I interviewed a number of his former coworkers for an EXECUTIVE article that'll be up on the web in, oh, three weeks or so. Those of you in Lebanon who just can't wait can pony up at the newsstand like everyone else.
Even accounting for the inevitable rosy glow that accompanies memories of a dead man, much less a "martyr", Fuleihan's accomplishments were pretty amazing. He had initiated and overseen technical reforms across a wide range of the government's fiscal apparatus, including customs, the tax code, the land registry, a new insurance law, a new intellectual property law, a consumer-protection law (don't snicker back there), and also somehow convinced the world to kick Lebanon some loans at reduced rates at the Paris I and II conferences. He came across as a guy who knew how to fight, and win, bureaucratic battles, who was able to build institutions and motivate people, and who was genuinely committed to getting bureaucracy out of people's way.
In short, he was the model of an IMF economist.
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Posted by tomscud at 11:20 AM
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Filed Under: Levant
Irshad Manji: In the Beginning vs. The Trouble with Islam Today
True to my bleeding-heart Jewish agnostic hippie upbringing, and at the urging of both my even more bleeding-heart hippie mom and our Editor in Chief, last night I went to a talk by Irshad Manji, part of an interfaith lecture series held at a Reform synagogue and sponsored by several local religious institutions.
Ms. Manji opened with a hearty “shalom” to the audience, and launched into the tale of her disillusionment with the Muslim religious establishment, which began when, as a child growing up in the Vancouver area, her parents (ethnic Indian refugees who had been expelled from Uganda under Idi Amin) sent her to what she said was the one local madrassa for her religious education on Saturdays.
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Posted by evaluna at 12:20 AM
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Filed Under: Islam General
