In an era when Islamophobia has become a sin punishable by death or mere career ruination--depending on who's doing the punishing -- it is remarkably hard to get people to understand how widespread is anti-semitism in the Arabic-speaking world and in the Muslim-majority world in general. One always wants to believe that there are many exceptions, which is why I find the case of Mr Zahi Hawass so discouraging.
I've often seen Mr Hawass on television shows about ancient Egypt or antiquities' smuggling. He is Secretary-General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and gave US President Barack Obama a tour of the Pyramids when he visited Cairo in June 2009. I presume that Mr Hawass was an honoured guest when Mr Obama gave his famous speech in Cairo, which included a discussion of anti-semitism.
But here he is four months earlier on official Egyptian television, which gives his remarks the air of Government endorsement. And note how what the interviewer says reinforces the idea that these are official positions. Presumably, Mr Obama's speech didn't change his mind. The irony here is palpable: One of Mr Obama's main hosts had just shown that his views are poisoned by an extreme form of systematic anti-semitism that no one can pretend was merely dislike for Israel.
If one thinks of the conflict as merely a normal one over boundaries or the need for confidence-building measures understanding this profound hatred coming from one side -- and not matched at all by the Israeli world view -- makes a real resolution of the issue extraordinarily
The translation is by MEMRI:
Zahi Hawass: "For 18 centuries, (the Jews) were dispersed throughout the world. They went to America and took control of its economy. They have a plan. Although they are few in number, they control the entire world."
Interviewer: "With regard to Israel and Zionism we are talking about seven or eight million. How is it possible that these seven or eight million have taken control of the entire world, and have convinced the world of their cause, while we, over one billion Muslims, cannot convince the world of our cause? How would you explain this from a historical perspective?"
Zahi Hawass: "The reason is that they are always united over a single view. They always move together, even if in the wrong direction. We, on the other hand, are divided. If even two Arab countries could be in agreement, our voice would be stronger. Look at the control they have over America and the media."
Interviewer: "So in your opinion, the secret lies in unity?"
Zahi Hawass: "Yes. It was unity that gave them this power..."
Note that his main theme is precisely the main theme of historical anti-semitism (Jews control the world and use this power for their own benefit, thus they are the humanity of humanity and should be -- what? -- wiped out?). His secondary theme -- Jews always working together -- is that of the Russian text I analysed as typical of how anti-semitism so often passes unnoticed in the West.
Of course, regarding Israel the Arabic-speaking world has been about as united as anyone can be over as long a period as anyone could imagine on this issue. Mr Hawass is dead wrong from the standpoint of historical accuracy on both sides of the equation. Or perhaps the obvious implication is that Egypt should end its peace with Israel and join in a war to exterminate that country?
Equally, regarding alleged Jewish control of the media, given coverage of Israel, this charge must be seen as amusing as well as sinister.
As a bonus, note the third theme which is so essential in Arab nationalism: Arab unity is the key to success. Even in 2010, after about 60 years of experience regarding both the failure and disaster of this idea, it is still tremendously powerful in shaping thinking in the region.
That these notions can be taken for granted by a man who is seen as a great scholar in a country which has been at peace with Israel for over two decades is very telling. But then not long ago Egypt's candidate to be the world's cultural "czar" (head of UNESCO) said that he would burn Israeli-authored books found in any library he supervised.
To put it another way, if Mr Hawass and official Egyptian television can be openly antisemitic in this way (and, of course, this characterises their attitude toward Israel) what hope can there be for more than a handful of others in that vast Arabic-speaking area to think otherwise?
-- The writer is director of the GLORIA Centre, Tel Aviv, and editor of the MERIA Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader and The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle-East.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/21/2010 18:37 ||
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#1
I've often thought that the most dangerous place in Egypt to be is to be standing between a video documentarian's camera lens ... and Zahi Hawass. There's not a program on the History Channel about ancient Egypt, but there he is!
#1
The dangers of marriage between first cousins are to be highlighted by a leading professor, with a warning that their children are at risk of genetic defects.
Baroness Deech, a family law professor and crossbencher, will call next week for a vigorous public campaign to deter the practice, which is prevalent in Muslim and immigrant communities and on the rise. She will reignite a debate started five years ago when Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley, drew attention to the number of disabled babies being born in the town and called for cousin marriage to be stopped.
Fifty-five per cent of British Pakistanis are married to first cousins and in Bradford the figure is 75 per cent. British Pakistanis represent 3 per cent of all births in Britain but one third of children with recessive disorders.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2010 11:46 Comments ||
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#6
In high school social studies class the kids had to make and display family trees - daughter's friend said "that's not a family tree, it's a family vine!"
The young, urban, middle-class Pakistani's manifesto:
1. Asif Ali Zardari is the devil incarnate.
2. The Pakistan Army is the saviour.
3. The Taliban are resisting American imperialism.
4. We hate American foreign policy unless it suits us. We are against American imperialism if it means we have to ditch the Taliban as that would be against the aspirations of our founding father, Mohammed Bin Qasim. We will no longer shop at Marks and Spencer because they are somehow connected to Israel. However, that does not mean we will switch off our computers and cell phones whose chip technology has been made possible due to major contributions from Israeli scientists.
5. We don't want to sell our honour for American money unless it is for our private hospitals, textile exports, NGOs, or for completing degrees at American universities.
6. It's not just Zardari who is the culprit. It's also Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Fatima Bhutto is fine, though; she is dating George Clooney.
7. It was all milk and honey till Bhutto came along. Damn him for nationalising my father's 15 mills, seven textile units, and 11 banks! I still remember the good old days when Nani ji, Dada ji and their friends brought hundreds of textile licenses from Gohar Ayub for US $ 200,000 a pop. There was no corruption and no labour unions until this Sindhi feudal and closet Hindu agent named Z.A. Bhutto came along and enforced his Zionist agenda and made all our urban serfs so uppity.
8. We are against feudalism unless the feudals in question do not support the PPP and allow us to rape the ecology of Sindh and the Punjab on our weekend hunting trips. Some crates of mangoes from their farms also help.
9. Some of us feel we know what's best for the PPP, i.e. to banish Zardari and his kids and ditch the legacies of ZAB and BB. We have never voted for or supported the PPP (actually we never vote all!) but we still feel that we are in a better position to understand the party's dynamics.
Also, as educated, refined and objective leaders and captains of industry, we are against dynastic politics. However, we are fine with Fatima Bhutto, Hamza Sharif, Solaiman/Essa Khan, Monis Chaudhary as well as the privileged alumni of Karachi Grammar School, Aitchison and Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, ruling us. Just as long as they are not descended from the Zionist agent Benazir and her corrupt husband, Zardari.
10. Democracy is a deeply flawed system that has destroyed the world. Totalitarian monarchies with entrenched security and bureaucracies are much better and in line with our Arab origins. Please do not compare us to India. We have nothing in common with them except our DNA, culture, cuisine, language, music, and geography.
11. Our ideal form of government is the modern day Caliphate, or, as we like to call it, the rule of technocrats. In this form of government, our posh uncles will pass stern orders in their clipped Oxbridge accents and Italian suits that will be supported by a medieval council of jurists whom we like to call the independent judiciary.
12. Lately, we have been reading some Chomsky, Klein and Zinn (all five articles) and appreciate how these believing Muslims provide us with the intellectual ammo on exposing how the perfidious Jews conspire to rule the world.
13. We are essentially a good people who are suffering because the world wants to take over our nukes and is conspiring to destroy our country. They are using the Taliban, who themselves are essentially good people who are bravely fighting American imperialism.
The Taliban just suffer from bad press, and we know who controls the press abroad. Here, the press is controlled by democratically elected anchors and media analysts who are fighting for justice and against corruption.
14. The Taliban who are killed in the drone attacks are simply pious Muslims who are doing charity work, such as digging canals in arid, mountainous zones it's called the Mars project.
Also, the burning of Christian villages by Taliban affiliated and state-sponsored sectarian militias is a figment of the imagination of the liberal fascists. They are doing their best to curb crusaders of truth and justice such as Geo TV. The real problem is Blackwater/Xe, fools.
15. The Taliban are an expression of Pushtoon nationalism as they have done their best to cleanse the United Emirates of Peshawar and FARTA from pagan Pukhtoon influence. The Taliban are a legitimate resistance movement against the occupation of the United Emirates of Peshawar and FARTA by ANP, Shia parachinaris, Sikhs and, of course, female students. The only genuine Pathans are Imran Khan, Hamid Gul, and Zaid Hamid.
16. Sipah Sahaba, Jaish, Lashkar Taiba, Lashkar Jhangvi, Jamaat Islami who the are they? Figments of the imagination of liberal fascists. We should be more concerned about the Ahmed Rashids, Kamran Shafis, Amir Mirs, Arif Jamals, Najam Sethis, Tarek Fatahs, Irfan Hussains, Pervaiz Hoodbhoys, Fasi Zakas, Ayesha Siddiquas, and Nadeem Parachas. They are CIA agents.
17. India is stealing our water and is destroying the country via its Sindhi/Balochi/Pushtoon/Gilgiti/Hazara/Hingora/Makrani/Seraiki proxies. Damn this fifth column riff-raff. We brought them the glorious Islamic civilization from the latest Nasim Hejazi novel and look at how uppity they have gotten since. We gave them commerce (Gujrati), language (Urdu), and agriculture (Punjabi) and they still want to maintain their identities and celebrate their vernacular religious practices which our pure Arab background forbids. Feed them to the Taliban.
18. We, the members of civil society, are essentially a liberal lot who are imbued with socialist values. Our ability to engage in massive socialising (through Facebook) makes us socialist in the true sense of the word. Lately, we have also dabbled in Marxism at cafes where we blow off half a month's average national salary on lattes and cappuccinos whilst we construct our neo- Marxism around the tacit acceptance of the Taliban's superior Arab cultural identity. We salute Abul Ala Marx, Lenin Bin Laden, and Mulla Mao!
19. These are difficult times for civil society. While the tyrant Zardari is destroying the country with a progressive agenda' (another Zionist conspiracy) that involves legislation about women's rights and the enfranchisement and autonomy of minority provinces, our brave and independent judiciary is fighting a Herculean battle to free the champions of our true Arab identity like Hafiz Saeed, Maulana Aziz, and Masood Azhar. These tireless crusaders are fighting our battle against Hindu hegemony in Pakistan. We need to applaud the efforts of the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court in exposing the Hindus.
20. As Zardari loots and pillages Pakistan via the nefarious use of his handle bar moustache and cheery demeanour, we have to appreciate how our Taliban investment is saving our economy by killing thousands of our citizens and costing billions of dollars in damages and lost investment and trade opportunities. We are a financially and arithmetically gifted segment of society that can expand US $66 million to $1,500 million if it means that we can lynch Zardari (and free Aafia).
21. While our existential adversary India is investing billions of dollars in Afghanistan's infrastructure and municipal training, we are using our billions to create the ultimate strategic depth in Afghanistan: macho Islamist brutes who will eventually recreate the Islamic State that made Afghanistan the model of peace and prosperity from 1996 till 2001.
In conclusion we would like to part with a speech from one of our greatest representatives, Zen Farman Wamid, which he made at the historic Dillee Kebab House. The topic of this grand speech was, Today Dillee Kebab House, tomorrow Delhi Fort':
Assalamualaikum, my dear and superior Muslim Pakistanis. By the grace of God, I am proud to announce from this wonderful kebab house that we are now ready to invade India. This invasion has taken a lot of planning and effort by my young upwardly mobile comrades and for this we would also like to thank our friends in the electronic media and inspirations such as Yahya Khan and Ziaul Haq.
Dear muscular Muslim boys and petite Muslim girls, I had been planning this invasion for a very long time, even before my blessed birth when I was just a spirit floating over Pakistan even before Pakistan was made. My spirit swooped down when it saw the great Muhammad Bin Qasim invading Sindh and defeating Hindu scoundrels as well as Mohajir, Sindhi, Balochi and Pakhtun nationalists.
We will vanquish them in the Islamic Emirate Caliphate of Punjab I mean, Pakistan. Damn those who say that Pakistan was made in 1947. That's a lie, I tell you. It was made in the seventh century, when Kalashnikov Bin Qasim, Allama F-16 Iqbal, and Inzimamul Haq defeated a million-strong army of that secular tyrant and usurper Raja Bhutto and his side-kick Mohindar Singh Dhoni and announced the creation of the Islamic Caliphate of Punj I mean Pakistan.
So wake up, Pakistan, and let's invade, loot and plunder like those great Muslim leaders, Mahmud Ghazni and Mr. T.
My next address to you all will be from Delhi Fort and anyone who disagrees is a traitor, a Hindu agent, or a student of the Peshawar University. Allah Hafiz! Punj I mean, Pakistan, marhabba marhabba.'
Posted by: john frum ||
03/21/2010 07:56 ||
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What a self-serving, narcissistic, selfish manifesto. Apparently Pakistan allows idiocracy.
#3
Reads like an Onion® editorial, Iowahawk column or a Scott Ott diatribe.
Methinks Mr. Paracha writes 'tongue in cheek'.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/21/2010 13:26 Comments ||
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Probably Mullah R. When an appeal is made to invade, loot, and plunder like the great muslim leaders....got to be tongue in cheek since everyone knows there are no great muslim leaders.
#5
My comments are probably an invitation for a muslim hit squad visit in the middle of the night. They will have to make it through my head of pigs and 16 pit bulls.
"As Zardari loots and pillages Pakistan via the nefarious use of his handle bar moustache and cheery demeanour, we have to appreciate how our Taliban investment is saving our economy by killing thousands of our citizens and costing billions of dollars in damages and lost investment and trade opportunities."
that gave him away.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/21/2010 14:40 Comments ||
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#8
This is obviously tongue and cheek... and pretty damn funny, too. This bit is a classic:
"Lately, we have been reading some Chomsky, Klein and Zinn (all five articles) and appreciate how these believing Muslims provide us with the intellectual ammo on exposing how the perfidious Jews conspire to rule the world."
#9
ERGO DAILY TIMES.PK > JIRGA DECLARES: PAK ARMY MUST DESTROY THE TALIBAN [like Sri Lanka did to the LTTE = Tamil Tigers], NOT merely to forcibly send the Talibs packing over the Borders to attack PAKIS another day, nor to allow the Talibs to share in Public Governance.
IOW, JIRGA = D *** NG IT, DON'T JUST "ATTACK", A-T-T-A-C-K AAAATTTTTTTAAAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK, D-E-S-T-R-O-Y DDDDEEEESSSSSSTTTTRROOOYYYY!
* WARD BOND in "THE SEARCHERS" > "MOUNT, D **** NG IT, MOUNT, M-O-N-T, MOUNT!
Some days ago, while waiting in my car for a traffic signal to turn green, a young kid nonchalantly stuck a flyer under one of the car's wipers. Usually I throw away such pieces of paper, but this time I decided to take a look at it. It was a flyer advertising a Montessori school called Model Islamic Montessori.'
Once home, I decided to call the school and asked to be connected to the principal.
Hello, Asalamwualaikum,' I said.
Walaikumasslam,' came the reply. It was a lady.
Is this the principal of Model Islamic Montessori?' I asked.
Yes, how can I help you?'
I have a three-year-old son whom I wanted admitted in your school,' I said.
Okay, he's most welcome,' she replied.
But I have some questions,' I said.
Sure, you can ask us anything,' she offered.
How is your school different from the non-Islamic Montessori schools?' I asked.
What do you mean?' She responded.
Yours is an Islamic Montessori, right?' I said.
Well, yes ' she hesitated a bit.
So how is an Islamic Montessori different from a non-Islamic Montessori?' I asked again.
Well we teach children about their Islamic heritage and the basic principles of Islam, like roza (fasting), salat '
You mean namaaz?' I interrupted.
Yes, namaaz, it's the same thing' she explained.
Fair enough,' I said. What else do you guys teach the children?' I asked.
Well, we teach them good manners and '
Islamic manners?' I interrupted.
Well yes,' she hesitated again.
That's good,' I said. Islamic manners are so much better and civilised than non-Islamic manners.'
Err, sir may I ask you a question?' She asked, politely.
Sure, madam."
Why are you going on and on about Muslim and non-Muslim?' She protested.
Well, I want my son to be in an Islamic school. And since yours says Model Islamic Montessori', I am just trying to make sure it is not like all these other non-Islamic Montessori schools out there.'
How old is your son?' She asked.
He's three.'
Why don't you come over and we'll take you around the school," she said.
Do you teach them how to recite naats?' I asked.
Yes, we do,' she replied, proudly.
And you don't teach them those stupid old English nursery rhymes that have sinister hidden Zionist messages in them, right?' I said.
She snickered: Don't know about that, sir, but yes, we do discourage teachers from teaching children nursery rhymes.'
That good to know,' I said. What about qawalli? Are the children taught any qawalli? I love qawalli.' I started to hum one, Bhar do jholi meri '
Err no, sir,' she interrupted. Just naats and basic Islamiat.'
But doesn't a kid usually study and learn all this in a non-Islamic school as well? How is your school Islamic?' I asked.
Sir, why don't you come over and see for yourself,' she insisted. No other montessori has young girls in hijab and boys in traditional Islamic dress. Come and see for yourself. You'll be impressed,' she explained.
Young girls in Hijab!' I sounded delighted. Wonderful. What about the young boys?'
They are only allowed to wear shalwar-kameez and praying caps,' she said.
But shalwar-kameez is a national dress, not an Islamic dress,' I said. You should have the boys wear Arabic choghas! I will make sure my son wears one.'
What's his name?' She asked.
Paul Neil Fernandes Jr.,' I said.
Silence.
Hello? Madam Principal. You there?'
Is this a joke?' She responded, somewhat sternly.
No, madam. Not at all. I am very serious,' I replied.
You are Christian. Why would you want your son in an Islamic school?' She asked.
That's simple. Because I am Christian in an Islamic Republic. Do you know how it feels like being a religious minority in an Islamic Republic, madam?'
Silence.
Well, I want my son to learn all the mannerisms of a good Muslim so he does not feel like a misfit!' I continued.
Why don't you convert then?' She replied, in a matter-of-fact manner.
Why should I?' I said.
Because of the way you feel,' she said.
Why don't you change?' I replied.
Change?' She asked.
Yes, change the way we are sometimes treated here.' I said.
Sir, I don't want to get into all this,' she announced. And anyway, I don't think we can accommodate your child in our school.'
Just because he's Christian?' I asked.
I'm afraid so,' she said.
But a lot of Pakistani Muslims are accommodated in Christian schools,' I protested. Why not treat my kid as a Pakistani and more so, a human being?'
Sir, I am sorry, but we can't help you,' she lamented.
What if I give you double the usual fee of your school?' I offered.
Sir, that would be seen as a bribe,' she said.
Not really,' I replied. Take it as jaziah!'
Posted by: john frum ||
03/21/2010 07:45 ||
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On the one hand, we already knew that Muslims are entirely one-way, to them and NOT from them.
That said, great idea and funny 'Phone conversation with a Rigid minded asshole-in-power minor official who thinks they're God.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/21/2010 11:48 Comments ||
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In Islamic lands, they won't want converts because there is no one left to pay Jizza tax - takfir.
It's an impossible nightmare they had when they wrote the koran - enslave others, and do not let them change their situation.
There are many aspects of the Indian rule in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that are morally indefensible. India treats Kashmir as if it were an occupied territory. It frequently holds rigged elections. Disappearances of anti-Indian individuals are common as well as extra-judicial killings and detentions without trial. Thousands of people have disappeared in the last 20 years. There are frequent restrictions on movement and body checks of innocent civilians. People can be detained on mere suspicion by the Indian security forces. But, despite all this, there is one thing that goes to India's credit. I am referring to Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which is almost as old as the Indian constitution itself. Under this Article, the Kashmiris have been given the following protections:
* Non-Kashmiri Indian citizens cannot permanently settle in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
* Non-Kashmiri Indian citizens cannot purchase immoveable property in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
* Non-Kashmiri Indian citizens cannot vote in the state assembly and/or municipal councils and panchayats.
* Non-Kashmiri Indian citizens cannot get jobs in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. All the jobs in the state are reserved for the citizens of the state.
* The Indian government cannot alter the geographical boundaries of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
These protections are a great source of moral legitimacy for the Indians. The total population of the Indian Kashmir is less than 11 million according to the census of 2001, out of which just 67 percent is Muslim. It was, theoretically, possible for the Indians to solve' the Kashmir problem once and for all by just flooding in just 3-4 million Indians from the rest of India, which would effectively make Muslims a minority in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. India could have easily taken a leaf from its strategic ally Israel, which has been able to successfully decimate the Palestinian cause by building settlements on the Palestinian territories and then enlarging them in the name of natural growth'. But, despite all the cost it has had to suffer at the hands of insurgency in Kashmir and the pressure by the Hindu rightwing, India did not touch Article 370 or amend it in a way to extend the Indian citizenship laws into the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
We Pakistanis can take a great cue from the Indians. Demographically, Balochistan is the smallest province of Pakistan with a population of less than seven million according to the 1998 census. Of these, only a little more than 50 percent are Baloch. For the last several years, there has been severe unrest and violent activities in Balochistan that has done a lot to damage the good name of Pakistan and its citizens. The Baloch always had grievances against the government of Pakistan but what, finally, made many Baloch youth cast their lot with the separatists is the fear that their province will be swamped by people from other provinces after the Gwadar port is completed and they will become a minority in their own province. The population of Gwadar is no more than 300,000 and it is almost entirely Baloch. A mere movement of a few hundred thousand can make our Baloch brethren Red Indians in their ancestral lands! This has happened before. Before partition in 1947, the ethnic Baloch were a significant group with considerable numbers in Karachi. In just 10 years, they became a minority and were confined forever to their ghettos' in Lyari.
I propose an Article 370 type provision in the constitution of Pakistan to satisfy the Baloch. There should be a bar on people from other provinces on voting or buying property in Balochistan for a period of at least 25 years. If the Hindu-majority India can provide such a safeguard for a hostile Muslim population in Kashmir for the past 63 years, why can we not do the same for our brothers-in-faith in Balochistan for a few decades at least? It will be a great propaganda coup for the Pakistani state and will provide decisive help in weaning away the Baloch youth from the separatists. The Baloch have been living in Gwadar, Pasni, Turbat and in Balochistan for millennia; they have every right to retain their demographic majority in their ancestral areas.
I request Senator Mian Raza Rabbani and Mian Nawaz Sharif to seriously consider the above proposal. It will be a concession greater than the abolition of the concurrent list and increase in share in the NFC Award. In fact, it would be a great antidote to the anti-Punjab sentiment in Balochistan if this proposal was moved by the Sharif brothers, who hail from the bigger province.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/21/2010 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
