Owner: 13 Martyrs URL:http://13martyrs.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:39:30 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Daily commentary and analysis of political and social issues with an emphasis on the Middle East. We focus on Saudi Arabia, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Islamic issues. Site statistics:Click here
Muslim bloggers express disgust over Palestinian celebrations of seminary shooting 2008-03-08 05:52:00 Do celebrations like this one help the Palestinian
cause?A number of Muslimbloggers
have expressed their disgust over the unseemly street celebrations by Palestinians for the murders of eight young Jewish students at an Israeli seminary in Jerusalem. Abdur-Rahman Muhammad and Tariq Nelson, both Muslim bloggers based in Washington, D.C., see nothing heroic in the attack or anything honorable about these public displays of hatred. The comments sections, however, are much more interesting as many Muslims express sharply opposing views on the attack and the celebrations. Many rightfully complain of the lack of attention to Palestinian deaths, but seem to think that media neglect and Israeli attacks justify the shooting
s or excuse the celebrations. Then there are a fair number of other Musl
Saudi Arabia offers to rebuild Gaza homes 2008-03-08 03:19:00 King AbdullahHamas on Friday claimed responsibility for a gun attack which killed eight Jewish students at a Jerusalem religious school the night before. British and US media gave the shooting extraordinary front page coverage, and deservedly so. This tragic example of violence creating more violence needs examination. But Hamas did the Palestinians no favors with this attack. Reprisals from Israel is certain and the consequences will be far more deadly than the shooting itself. Lost in the media coverage is Saudi
King Abdullah's offer to rebuild every Gaza home destroyed by Israeli bombs.Abdullah Offers to Rebuild All Gaza HomesArab News JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the reconstruction of all demolished Palestinian homes in Gaza as a result of I Read more:Arabia
, Saudi Arabia
MSNBC's Carlson lectures reporter on ethics 2008-03-08 02:08:00 Here's a rather interesting exchange between MSNBC
's Tucker Carlson
and British journalist Gerri Peev, the reporter with The Scotsman who quoted Barack Obama adviser Samantha Powers calling Hillary Clinton a “monster.” Carlson accuses Peev of deliberately quoting an off-the-record comment. But Peev reminds Carlson that off-the-record agreements are made before the tape recorder rolls, noting rather haughty, "Are you really that acquiescent in the United States?" Carlson responds: "Since journalistic standards in Great Britain are so much dramatically lower than they are here, it's a little much being lectured on journalistic ethics by a reporter from The Scotsman." “Really!” Peev replies. "If this is the first time that candid remarks have been published about what one campaign
Swiss court states the obvious on veil issue 2008-03-07 06:22:00 Is this woman citizenship worthy?It's hard to believe there needs to be a court ruling in a democratic country that says that one's religious expression should not be an obstacle to citizenship. But here we are. Give the Swiss
high court credit for making the obvious ruling and overturning local authorities' decision to refuse citizenship to women wearing the veil. Sikhs wear turbans. Jews wear the Yarmulke. But, ouf! Muslim women wearing veils? We need a court ruling for that one. Swiss Court Rules Veil No Obstacle to Citizenship swissinfo.ch Switzerland's Federal Court has overturned two decisions by local assemblies to refuse citizenship on the grounds of women wearing a religious veil. Muslim organisations welcomed the rulings, which were announced on Wednesday, as a "step forward". Read more:issue
British tabloids pay sources to slant news 2008-03-07 06:01:00 Diana AppleyardI'm late getting to this, but this e-mail from British
journalist Diana Appleyard has been making the rounds on some of the UK Muslim blogs and websites. In case you missed it Appleyard offered last month £100 ($201) for anti-immigration “horror” stories from the public. I don't know much about Appleyard, but the few stories written by her that I have read seem to go for the sensational, if not obscure, aspects of Islam. The British tabloid press has been awash in anti-immigration stories for the past couple of years, especially as Eastern Europeans continue to find jobs in the UK. What is alarming about this e-mail, if it is indeed accurate, is that it confirms the worst about the British press. The tabloids establish a point of view, pursue that point of view regardle Read more:sources
Self-hating Muslim gets Al-Jazeera in hot water 2008-03-07 05:38:00 Wafa SultanThe notorious Syrian-born Wafa Sultan caused quite a stir recently with her harsh remarks on Islam and the Danish cartoon fiasco on Al-Jazeera television. The news channel was forced to issue an apology. Sultan, who considers herself a Muslim
but says that Islam is barbaric, argued that the Danish press has the right to publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad and that the issue is a “clash between civilization and backwardness.”In her interview, Sultan said: "All religions and faiths, throughout the history of humanity, have been subject to criticism and affronts. With time, this has helped in their reform and development. Any belief that chops off the heads of its critics is doomed to turn into terrorism and tyranny. This has been the condition of Islam, from its incepti Read more:water
Saudi princess sees women as key to economic future 2008-03-07 03:19:00 Saudi businesswomen leave a polling station in the Eastern Province in 2006 after voting in a chamber of commerce election.Princess Adelah bint Adbullah, daughter of King Abdullah, told a group of Saudi businesswomen this week that the key to the Kingdom's economic growth rests with the inclusion of women in the workplace. Although the princess was talking to a receptive and enthusiastic audience, her speech is vitally important because it is seen as the stamp of approval from the King himself on this issue of employment for women.Princess Adelah, a tireless advocate for women's rights, is immensely popular among Saudi women for her frank assessment of where women stand in Saudi society. She gives a handful of speeches each year that usually address the role of women's contributions to th Read more:Saudi
The Gaza debacle 2008-03-06 06:43:00 Photo illustration/Vanity Fair Vanity Fair's scoop that the Bush administration ignited the current bloodshed in Gaza by attempting to overthrow Hamas is making the rounds in the Arab press, but curiously is gaining little traction in the Western media.And you might want to read this from Surreal Soonee Sister. The Gaza BombshellAfter failing to anticipate Hamas’s victory over Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian election, the White House cooked up yet another scandalously covert and self-defeating Middle East debacle: part Iran-contra, part Bay of Pigs. With confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials, David Rose reveals how President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National-Security Adviser Elliott Abrams backed an armed force under Fatah strongman
Britain abolishes blasphemy laws 2008-03-06 03:46:00 The United Kingdom reacts to Sudaneseprotests in the most unexpected way. Here's an unintended consequence of the Sudanese protests last November over a British schoolteacher allowing her students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad: The United Kingdom abolishes its own blasphemy laws. It appears that the UK feels uncomfortable criticizing countries over strict blasphemy laws when it has its own on the books.Britain
's Blasphemy Laws No Longer Sacred By Kim Murphy Los Angeles Times LONDON — A funny thing happened in November when Britain launched a righteous protest over Sudan's arrest of a British schoolteacher accused of insulting Islam by letting her students name a class teddy bear Muhammad.The Sudanese ambassador was summoned; Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a protest. But it di
Al-Qaeda attempts to relaunch Saudi attacks 2008-03-06 03:10:00 Saudi security checkpoint in Jeddah.It appears that Al-Qaeda
is attempting to rebuild its Saudi Arabian operations following its defeat at the hands of Saudi security forces in the spring of 2005. This plot to attack Saudi oil installations, as reported by the Khaleej Times, is the second attempt by Al-Qaeda.Al-Qaeda Plotted Attacks on Saudi Oil InstallationsKhaleej Times A senior Saudi official said Wednesday that a terror cell uncovered this week was plotting attacks
on oil installations and security forces in Saudi Arabia and receiving instructions from Al Qaeda members operating from an Arab country.Saudis, three Palestinians and a Yemeni were among the 28 militants arrested Monday in a security sweep on suspicion of seeking to rebuild the Al Qaeda terrorist network in the kingdom, a Read more:Saudi
Independent thinking missing in Congress 2008-03-06 02:18:00 Reuters photoThere is nothing surprising in the House vote yesterday to support Israeli attacks on Gaza. The United States is by far Israel's most staunch ally. So, of course, the House of Representatives would pass such a resolution.But a 404-1 vote with only Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) casting the only dissenting vote? What does this say about Congress
in that there is no independent thinkers willing to break from the ranks to cast a vote for humanity? Even the Israeli public acknowledges that living conditions in Gaza are so desperate – power cuts of up to 12 hours a day and a sewage and water system near collapse - that it provokes violent reactions.Really, more than 100 Palestinians are killed and three Israelis died, yet Hamas is condemned for targeting civilians. Israel has the right Read more:thinking
US, Israel punish Gazans for exercising voting rights 2008-03-05 08:19:00 Seumas MilneSeumas Milne writes in The Guardian's Comment is Free section that the media have forgotten that Israel
's stranglehold on electrical power, commerce and the general infrastructure of the Gaza Strip is the starting point of the current violence between Gazans and the Israel Defense Force. Hamas is not the instigator. Milne observes: “BBC presenters have insisted that Palestinian rockets have been the "starting point" of the violence, as if the occupation itself did not exist. In the West Bank, from which no rockets are currently fired and where the US-backed administration of Mahmoud Abbas maintains a ceasefire, there have been 480 Israeli military attacks over the past three months and 26 Palestinians killed. By contrast, the rockets from Gaza which are supposed to be the j
US, not happy with democracy, brings out big guns 2008-03-05 07:27:00 The USS Cole is now off the shores of Lebanon.The US demonstrates its firepower by bringing in its big guns off the shores of Lebanon in an apparent signal to Hezbollah that the US will not tolerate Hezbollah's alleged interference in Lebanon’s struggle to elect a president by parliament. Oh, and as John Robertson points out in War in Context, Hezbollah is “a legitimately constituted, democratically elected political party in Lebanon’s political structure.” Hezbollah, by the way, gained 10 percent of the seats in the 2005 parliamentary election - an election process endorsed by the US to further democracy
. When Bullies ConvergeBy John Robertson War in Context28 and 29 February: the US parks the USS Cole off the shore of Lebanon. Uh-oh. 1 March: Israeli forces launch a major opera
The evolution of US policy on torture 2008-03-05 05:38:00 Steve Horton writes in Harper's Magazine one of the most compelling arguments I have read on how the US has lost its moral compass by adopting torture as an interrogation method. He notes that the Bush administration virtually destroyed the noble stand the US military took during World War II when it adopted a policy that banned torture with the belief that it was a tool of the enemy.He also points to the complicity of the US news media that tacitly keeps torture out of public debate by following Bush's lead that the US does not engage in torture. Instead, one cable news network insists that its anchors, reporters and guests use the term “coercive interrogation technique.”How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the (Ticking) Bomb By Scott Horton Harper's Magazine In the last ei
Saudi security sweep nets 28 Al-Qaeda suspects 2008-03-04 20:58:00 Saudi security
forces.Saudi security forces and the government's intelligence branch took a while to gear up to combat Al-Qaeda
attacks inside the Kingdom's own borders following the May 2003 bombing of a residential compound. But the Saudi government has done remarkably well in capturing or killing Al-Qaeda suspects
in the past three years as evident in this latest security sweep reported by Agence France-Presse. Saudi security men initially shot first and asked questions later, resulting in many bloody exchanges. But their methods have been refined and the results are more arrests while plots are in the planning stages rather than reacting to an attack. Clearly the Saudi government has something to offer American military leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan to deal with Al-Qaeda cells, but Read more:Saudi
Two days off 2008-03-02 23:39:00 I'm traveling over the next two days. I will resume posting on Wednesday.
Misplaced priorities over Danish cartoons 2008-03-02 11:13:00 Now this is something to be angry about. I dunno. I have to say that I am sick and tired of these Danish
cartoon protests. They remind me so much of the cockamamie priorities
people have. It's kind of like when hundreds of people call a newspaper after it publishes a story about a homeless and injured kitten. Everybody wants to adopt it. But when the newspaper publishes an article about a homeless and injured 3-year-old girl, the phones are silent. What are the issues facing Muslims today? - At least 54 Palestinians died in Israeli rocket attacks in Gaza. And that was just yesterday. - Iraqi civilian casualties jumped 33 percent over January. - Errant US missiles rockets continue continue to kill Afghan civilians by the dozens with no apparent accountability. - France has denied women t
Iraqi civilian casualties continue to climb 2008-03-02 09:41:00 As expected, surge or no surge, the cyclical nature of violence in Iraq continues. Civilian deaths are up by 33 percent over January.Iraqi
Civilian Deaths on the Rise Gulf Daily News BAGHDAD: The number of Iraqis killed in February rose by 33 per cent over January, reversing a six-month trend of reduced violence, in a setback to the US military plan to curb the bloodshed ravaging the country. The combined figures from the interior, defence and health ministries showed that the total number of Iraqis killed in February was 721, including 636 civilians, compared with 541 dead in January. Read more:casualties
Al-Qaeda operations in Saudi Arabia outlined 2008-03-01 11:35:00 Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin's Al-Qaeda
website. Bruce Riedel and Bilal Y. Saab write a compelling examination in a Brookings Institution report of Osama bin Laden's battle against SaudiArabia
. The authors characterize Saudi Arabia
as Al-Qaeda's third front. The PDF file is here. Riedel and Saab outline much of what we already know about Al-Qaeda's intentions to overthrow the royal family and the group's encouragement of Saudis to fight US and allied forces in Iraq. But the report also gives us a look into Al-Qaeda's extensive operations inside the Kingdom. And although Al-Qaeda has suffered many failures it remains a threat today to Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden has long hated the royal family for allowing Western nations to carve up the Middle East following World War I and allowing the British to es
'Honor matters even more than religion' 2008-03-01 09:25:00 Makeshift memorial in Berlin for Turkish woman slain as a result of an honor killing in 2005.Here we see Westernized Muslim teenagers acknowledge that honor killings have nothing to do with religion. Their argument is that honor is everything when one lives in poverty. This BBC report is a fine example of the complexity of the motives behind honor killings. The report, while relatively brief, at least goes beyond the simplistic arguments we hear from some quarters that this is solely a religious issue. German rescue from honor killing By Alexa Dvorson BBC News A volunteer rescue operation in Germany has sheltered more than 100 Muslim women who fear they will be killed if they do not go through with marriages that their families have arranged for them. I was unlocking my bicycle outsi Read more:matters
Saudi documentary filmmakers have an audience 2008-03-01 09:19:00 Image courtesy Arab NewsWell, I must admit that I didn't know there was a supervisor of cinema shows at the Saudi
Ministry of Culture and Information. Hopefully, the day will come when Saudis can show their films in their own country rather than Senegal.Saudi Films Project Society in Senegal By Lulwa Shalhoub Arab NewsJEDDAH — Short Saudi films have recently been successful in attracting many people to cinemas in Senegal where seven such films are currently being shown as part of a cultural event organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information. “People in other countries look forward to watching Saudi movies as they are eager to know more about the Kingdom,” said Mamdouh Salem, Saudi director and supervisor of cinema shows at the Ministry of Culture and Information. “They Read more:filmmakers
Time is right for humanitarian aid to Iraq 2008-02-29 13:18:00 I love this lady. And not for the reasons you think. Read on. Staying to Help In Iraq
By Angelina Jolie For the Washington Post The request is familiar to American ears: "Bring them home." But in Iraq, where I've just met with American and Iraqi leaders, the phrase carries a different meaning. It does not refer to the departure of U.S. troops, but to the return of the millions of innocent Iraqis who have been driven out of their homes and, in many cases, out of the country. In the six months since my previous visit to Iraq with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this humanitarian
crisis has not improved. However, during the last week, the United States, UNHCR and the Iraqi government have begun to work together in new and important ways.
Prince Harry media blackout explained 2008-02-29 10:37:00 Prince Harry
in Afghanistan./Associated Press photoThe British press, which is beholden to nobody (and that includes the royal family) went to extraordinary lengths to maintain a media
blackout on Prince Harry
's deployment to the front lines in Afghanistan. It's an admirable effort by the press given the highly competitive nature of British journalism. Give credit to the editors and top-level journalists for keeping their mouths shut. But a couple of things bother me about this. One, the blackout gives the impression to the public that the press is in cahoots with the government. It reinforces the mistrust the public has for journalists. Readers will believe that the press conspires with the government to withhold or distort information. Two, Prince Harry is being sent home. The British Read more:Prince
Condi Rice heads back to the Middle East 2008-02-29 09:55:00 Condoleeza Rice with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. Here comes trouble. Tardy as usual, Condoleeza Rice will visit Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt in an attempt to put an end to the violence in Gaza. Good luck. According to Reuters: Former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy said it was important for Rice to send a strong message to the Egyptians, either publicly or privately, that the United States supported a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. "The surest way to collapse Annapolis is you allow this escalation in Gaza to continue," said Levy, now with the New America Foundation. The Bush administration has already allowed that. So what now? Rice's only hope is to keep peace talks moving between the Palestinians and the Israelis. It's unfortunate that Rice's cont
OK, off topic - so what? 2008-03-13 02:02:00 John Lennon's ghost is part of this blog, so why not remember him from time to time.A Fond Look at Lennon's 'Lost Weekend' By Allan KozinnNew York Times If there’s one thing that May Pang has been fighting for the last 28 years, it’s the idea that John Lennon was depressed, isolated and out of control during the 18 months she lived with him, from the summer of 1973 to early 1975, when he reconciled with his second wife, Yoko Ono. Lennon himself fostered that notion by referring to the time as his “Lost Weekend” in interviews he gave in 1980, when he released “Double Fantasy,” a joint album with Ms. Ono that was his return to music-making after five years’ silence. And lurid, oft-repeated tales of a drunken Lennon’s being evicted from the Troubadour, a nightclub in Los Angel Read more:topic
, off topic
Carson becomes second Muslim in Congress 2008-03-12 02:50:00 Andre Carson
celebrates his victory on election night./Joe Vitti, The Star photo Andre Carson becomes the second Muslim
to be elected to Congress
. He follows Keith Ellison.Carson has previously described himself as "an Orthodox, universal, secular Muslim."Carson Winds Seat in 7th District RaceBy Mary Beth Schneider The Indianapolis StarDemocrat Andre Carson defeated his Republican rival tonight by a wide margin in a special election to replace his grandmother in representing the 7th Congressional District.With more than 99 percent of precincts counted, Carson had an 7,972-vote lead over Jon Elrod out of 75,347 votes counted. That gave him a margin of nearly 54 percent compared to Elrod’s 43 percent.
Human Rights Watch to meet with Saudis 2008-03-12 02:43:00 Saudi and Bahrain journalists attend a human rights seminar at the British Embassy in Riyadh in 2006.The Khaleej Times' headline is a little misleading. There will be no debate between Saudi officials and Human Rights
Watch over reforms, but an exchange of information and discussion about what Saudis
are doing to make improvements. Saudi Arabia up until recently has not taken human rights groups too seriously. But this meeting signals a shift by Kingdom officials to attempt to make good on their promises for reform. Saudi Arabia still has a long road to hoe, but this is an encouraging sign.Saudi Invites HRW Team to Debate Human Rights
IssueKhaleej Times Saudi Arabia, which is strengthening human rights and initiating appropriate reforms and regulations, has invited members of the Human R
Al Jazeera's anti-Muslim guest a 'fraud and opportunist' 2008-03-12 02:31:00 Sabria JawharSaudi Gazette columnist Sabria Jawhar has a few choice words for Wafa Sultan, the Syrian-born anti-Muslim
advocate who recently caused a ruckus on Al-Jazeera by managing to insult every Muslim on the planet in the span of about 30 seconds. Jawhar says that Sultan is a fraud
and an opportunist with suspect credentials and motives for her advocacy to reform Islam. Anger and an Agenda: An Explosive MixBy Sabria S. Jawhar Saudi GazetteAl-Jazeera was forced to apologize last week when guest Wafa Sultan on the segment "The Opposite Direction" defended the publication of the Danish cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), then spent most of her airtime insulting Muslims by saying the cartoons were reflecting the truth of Islam. The Syrian-born Sultan has been
Brotherhood's efforts at democracy stymied 2008-03-12 02:25:00 Khaled HamzaMarc Lynch over at Abu Aardvark writes of the Muslim Brotherhood
's attempts to become part of the democratic process, but is stymied by the Egyptian government, which has rolled back democratic reforms, and the passive, if not negligent stand, taken by the US government.Check out this sidebar on the Muslim Brotherhood from columnist Mona Eltahawy.MB and Democracy, AgainOne of the main axes of debate has long been the (Muslim) Brotherhood's commitment to democracy
, both as a process and as a normative ideal. I've argued throughout that at this point, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood - to say nothing of Islamist movements such as the AKP - have done pretty much everything they could reasonably do to demonstrate their commitment to the democratic process, often paying heavy costs
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