posted 17/11/06
Aljazeera International was launched last week with generous funding by the Emir of Qatar. I have to admit I am one of those living in the west for such a long time, who simply stopped watching US television and CNN with the exception of PBS when I am home.
From what I read in the press and reviews, Aljazeera International will be broadcasting 24/7 and promoted as the international satellite channel with a mission to bring the views of those long neglected by the US and western media.
Shortly after September 11, the New York Times, CBS and ABC, the German and Japanese televisions visited our house in Fairfax, Virginia to see where someone like me, and Arab-American, professional and a US Army veteran gets the news and of course it is from Aljazeera, certainly not Fox News or CNN.
My biggest complaint about the US and western media is the fact that it does not give fair coverage of the Palestinians under occupation, Israel’s continued occupation, its destructions of entire town and villages and uprooting of trees and its failure to cover the crimes of Israel and its crimes of occupation and give coverage only to the “innocent” Israeli victims and its captive soldiers and never mention the more than 10,000 innocent Palestinians hostages in Israeli jails. Even an organization like the BBC gives 5% coverage to the Palestinians while giving Israel 95% of its coverage.
One of the main reasons that I watch PBS is the in-depth coverage of major news, its independence of certain pressure political and religious lobbies and groups and most of its famous program “Front Line” There is no other similar program with such in-depth coverage of issues and topic. If I want to get my information right, I turn to PBS and watch Front Line and of course I do watch Aljazeera. These are my two souce of news, with Alarabia to follow.
Yes, it is time for Aljazeera International and yes, it is also time for people of the world to have a different perspective on the news from that of CNN, Fox and BBC, and yes, it is time for the news from Africa, Asia and the Middle East to be a focus of an international news organization and not simple sound bites.
The Arabs should have invested in such an international news organization some 20 years ago. However all is not lost and it is never too late. Israel and its Zionist agenda always have an open forum in US media especially Fox News and major newspapers and the Arab point of view hardly ever get a hearing. There is never fair coverage.
I am watching Aljazeera International now as I write this note, and all I can say, it is very professional and yes, it does give major coverage to Arab and Muslim issues and yes, there is nothing wrong with that and yes it is time to challenge the primacy of the CNN.
I thank Qatar for the challenge it has taken to bring issues of concern by the people in the Middle East, Africa and Asia to the forefront and give the people of the world a different perspective on the news and issues coming out of the region. It is time for the people of Africa, Asia and the Middle East to tell their stories without going through censorship and without going through filters and too much editing by news editors sitting in New York, Washington or London and who can be fired at any time for taking Israel and its crimes on. News editors are always at the mercy of the Israeli lobby and serve its wishes.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
It takes Howard Stern 42 seconds to make $1,000 while it takes a policeman 43 hours to make the same amount. Something must be wrong!
posted 18/11/06
In its November 6 issue, Time Magazine, not only had an interesting cover and story on George Bush dubbing him the Lone Ranger, but it also ran an even more interesting story “Home Truth” about America; its politics, religion, income, population and population distribution and of course immigration, the subject of local election in the town of Herndon, Virginia, out to get those “illegal and dangerous immigrants”.
What struck me most about Time’s article was a little chart, a column of people, profession and income. It listed names and professions and the amount of money it takes to make $1,000. This is how it goes; Howard Stern, the radio host makes $1,000 in 42 seconds while a policemen and a teacher make the same amount of money in 43 hours. A janitor, no doubt an immigrant and possibly cleaning Howard Stern’ office makes that the same amount in 103 hours or 2.57 weeks and is at risk of being thrown out of country.
Of course all of us have heard of Howard Stern or even at one time or another watched his show late at night. But for someone to make that kind of money, $1,000, in 42 seconds is simply a telling a bout America and its core priorities. It takes Dr. Phil McGraw 2 minutes and 42 seconds to make a $1,000 and it takes an average doctor attending patients in a hospital or clinics 13 hours and 5 minutes to make the same amount of money that Dr. Phil makes telling people what they want to hear.
Howard Stern is the host of the Howard Stern Show on the subscription fee based Sirius Satellite Radio. He moved there on January 9, 2006 and his show is broadcast 4 times/week one week and 5 times/week another week.
Mr. Stern knew how to “outrage” America and how to insult its core sensibilities and laugh all the way to the bank. His show is all about things “outrageous” outrageous racial and sexual slurs and insults, and of course “outrageous” in the kind of people who appear o the show. That is where Americans seems not bothered with such payments.
With that kind of income disparity, it seems clear that America and its people put premium on outrageous things and do not give much value or don’t give a damn about critical services such as teaching, police and fire protection and of course medical services. It is hard to believe that our own teachers, policemen and firemen, the key elements in providing protection and education to our own families, children and homes are not thought of much and in most cases live on borrowed money and credit cards to make ends meet. I do not understand why we, in a county like Fairfax, perhaps the richest county in the US do not pay teachers, policemen and firemen, the average medium income for the county. What is wrong with policemen or firemen who put their lives on the line every day to make $80,000 or $100,000? I see nothing wrong with that. However I do see a lot wrong with someone like Howard Stern making $1,000 every 42 seconds only because he insults our sensibilities. It seems we always reward such TV and radio personalities for being outrageous and we do not reward our policemen, firemen and teachers because they are courageous and provide us with critical services. That is one reason why I do not subscribe to Sirius Radio, as I do not wish to contribute any money toward an ever-increasing income of someone like Howard Stern, but will be very happy to add few hundred dollars to my taxes to reward our own policemen, firemen and teachers in Fairfax County and across America. It is time to vote our dollars and recognition to those who deserve it and not to those who insult us.
In its November 6 issue, Time Magazine, not only had an interesting cover and story on George Bush dubbing him the Lone Ranger, but it also ran an even more interesting story “Home Truth” about America; its politics, religion, income, population and population distribution and of course immigration, the subject of local election in the town of Herndon, Virginia, out to get those “illegal and dangerous immigrants”.
What struck me most about Time’s article was a little chart, a column of people, profession and income. It listed names and professions and the amount of money it takes to make $1,000. This is how it goes; Howard Stern, the radio host makes $1,000 in 42 seconds while a policemen and a teacher make the same amount of money in 43 hours. A janitor, no doubt an immigrant and possibly cleaning Howard Stern’ office makes that the same amount in 103 hours or 2.57 weeks and is at risk of being thrown out of country.
Of course all of us have heard of Howard Stern or even at one time or another watched his show late at night. But for someone to make that kind of money, $1,000, in 42 seconds is simply a telling a bout America and its core priorities. It takes Dr. Phil McGraw 2 minutes and 42 seconds to make a $1,000 and it takes an average doctor attending patients in a hospital or clinics 13 hours and 5 minutes to make the same amount of money that Dr. Phil makes telling people what they want to hear.
Howard Stern is the host of the Howard Stern Show on the subscription fee based Sirius Satellite Radio. He moved there on January 9, 2006 and his show is broadcast 4 times/week one week and 5 times/week another week.
Mr. Stern knew how to “outrage” America and how to insult its core sensibilities and laugh all the way to the bank. His show is all about things “outrageous” outrageous racial and sexual slurs and insults, and of course “outrageous” in the kind of people who appear o the show. That is where Americans seems not bothered with such payments.
With that kind of income disparity, it seems clear that America and its people put premium on outrageous things and do not give much value or don’t give a damn about critical services such as teaching, police and fire protection and of course medical services. It is hard to believe that our own teachers, policemen and firemen, the key elements in providing protection and education to our own families, children and homes are not thought of much and in most cases live on borrowed money and credit cards to make ends meet. I do not understand why we, in a county like Fairfax, perhaps the richest county in the US do not pay teachers, policemen and firemen, the average medium income for the county. What is wrong with policemen or firemen who put their lives on the line every day to make $80,000 or $100,000? I see nothing wrong with that. However I do see a lot wrong with someone like Howard Stern making $1,000 every 42 seconds only because he insults our sensibilities. It seems we always reward such TV and radio personalities for being outrageous and we do not reward our policemen, firemen and teachers because they are courageous and provide us with critical services. That is one reason why I do not subscribe to Sirius Radio, as I do not wish to contribute any money toward an ever-increasing income of someone like Howard Stern, but will be very happy to add few hundred dollars to my taxes to reward our own policemen, firemen and teachers in Fairfax County and across America. It is time to vote our dollars and recognition to those who deserve it and not to those who insult us.
Why new Jewish immigrants are full of hate and racists, do they have a problem with being "Jewish" in the first place!
posted 19/11/06
“…. Settlement can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an IRON WALL which they will be powerless to break down. ….a voluntary agreement is just not possible. As long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not a rubble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they give up all hope of getting rid of the Alien Settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogan ‘No, never’ lose their influence, and only then their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against PUSHING THEM OUT, and equality of civil, and national rights.” With these word printed in Haaretz Daily 1923, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the father of Revisionist Zionist, later the Likud declared his “Road Map” to get rid of the Palestinians, making sure they have no other choice but to give up all hope and accept the conditions laid out by the Zionist settlers. Transfer or Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians from Palestinians is the hard-core philosophy and ideology of Zionists, whether on the liberal left or the extreme right. Zionist leaders from Ben-Gurion, Moshe Sharett, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Haim Weizman, Yosef Weitz, Avigdor Lieberman, Shimon Perez, and Bibi Netanyahu among others, all subscribe to the racist and fascist ideas of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, not only to achieve a “Jewish Majority” in Palestine, but also to enable Israel and the Zionist movement to steal their land and property. It is a double edge sword with two missions achieved in one stroke. Of course to do that, the Zionist have to implement harsh measures, including the killing and murder of the largest number of innocent people. This was the case back in the 40’s and this is the case now in Gaza and the West Bank. Except this time around the Palestinians are not going anywhere. It is so ironic that the most committed advocates of such measures against the Palestinians happened to be European and American Jews, who somehow have some real issues and problems with being “Jewish” in their home countries. How could any one explain the ideology of these “immigrant/settlers” coming from Moldavia, Odessa or Poland or Brooklyn? These Jewish immigrants are so hostile, full of hate with racist attitude toward the Palestinian, not only they wish Palestinians simply disappear, but they also advocate their liquidations, assassinations and targeted killing. Of leading Palestinians as the case with the new deputy prime minister, Lieberman. They must have some serious psychological problems, perhaps too angry with themselves being born Jews. How can any one explain such attitude, ideology and philosophy? More to follow.
“…. Settlement can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an IRON WALL which they will be powerless to break down. ….a voluntary agreement is just not possible. As long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not a rubble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they give up all hope of getting rid of the Alien Settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogan ‘No, never’ lose their influence, and only then their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against PUSHING THEM OUT, and equality of civil, and national rights.” With these word printed in Haaretz Daily 1923, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the father of Revisionist Zionist, later the Likud declared his “Road Map” to get rid of the Palestinians, making sure they have no other choice but to give up all hope and accept the conditions laid out by the Zionist settlers. Transfer or Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians from Palestinians is the hard-core philosophy and ideology of Zionists, whether on the liberal left or the extreme right. Zionist leaders from Ben-Gurion, Moshe Sharett, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Haim Weizman, Yosef Weitz, Avigdor Lieberman, Shimon Perez, and Bibi Netanyahu among others, all subscribe to the racist and fascist ideas of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, not only to achieve a “Jewish Majority” in Palestine, but also to enable Israel and the Zionist movement to steal their land and property. It is a double edge sword with two missions achieved in one stroke. Of course to do that, the Zionist have to implement harsh measures, including the killing and murder of the largest number of innocent people. This was the case back in the 40’s and this is the case now in Gaza and the West Bank. Except this time around the Palestinians are not going anywhere. It is so ironic that the most committed advocates of such measures against the Palestinians happened to be European and American Jews, who somehow have some real issues and problems with being “Jewish” in their home countries. How could any one explain the ideology of these “immigrant/settlers” coming from Moldavia, Odessa or Poland or Brooklyn? These Jewish immigrants are so hostile, full of hate with racist attitude toward the Palestinian, not only they wish Palestinians simply disappear, but they also advocate their liquidations, assassinations and targeted killing. Of leading Palestinians as the case with the new deputy prime minister, Lieberman. They must have some serious psychological problems, perhaps too angry with themselves being born Jews. How can any one explain such attitude, ideology and philosophy? More to follow.
Lebanon, more democracy to match it’s freedoms.
posted 19/11/06
In today’s Asharqalwsat, the columnist Samir Atallah used a quote from the former Lebanese prime minister, and I might add a Sunni, a quote that made me stop to think about writing this posting. Dr. Salim Al-Hos, alumni of Indiana University, was quoted as saying that Lebanon is about lots of freedoms and little democracy. How can any one disagree with that?
Lebanese, like Israelis always brag about their “democracy” and how their respective countries are a light unto other nations. Well, let us not take such statements too seriously otherwise George Bush might get a new ideas about democracy at home, in the US.
The sad facts and in both cases, in Israel and Lebanon, are built around and are “designer” democracy where ethnicity and religious affiliation, sectarian loyalty are at the core of such democracies. We know about the Jewish State and its special and selective democracy, where generals, murderers and criminals rule the country just like a mafia. In Lebanon, it “families” that rule Lebanon and it is the sectarian affiliation that is the basis for such a state. How can both countries, in the 21st century meets the requirements of modern day democracy, where citizenship, its rights and privileges are not based on religious affiliations and ethnicity, but where citizens are equal in the eyes of the law irrespective of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin.
In Israel non-Jews are thirds, perhaps tenth class citizens with rights and privileges are exclusive of Jews and where indigenous people, the “natives” Palestinians are at the mercy of the Jewish state every day of the week, with the possibilities of losing their property and land if not their lives to trigger happy and new Jewish immigrants.
Lebanon was and will always remain, a sectarian state, where citizenship and its rights and privileges are always defined by ‘religious affiliation” or “taifa”, not simply with the birthright. Where loyalties even among the most educated belong to the leadership of the “taifa” and not to the state. Lebanon is also most famous for its “families” like the Jumblat, Shamoun, Jemael, Arsalan, Asa’ad, Frenjeih and recently Harriri. So far Sayed Hassan Nasrallah and Nabih Berri did not try to build a ‘dynasty” where the mantle of power and authority is passed on from father to son irrespective of competence.
For a long time there was a collusion between the Maronite Christians and their Beiruti Sunnis where political and economic powers where shared between these two groups. The late Rafiq Al-Hariri changed all that being the son of Said and not Beirut. Lebanon is also the country, with the support of the late Hafiz Assad that appointed a criminal and mass murderer of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatilla as a minister. Also in Lebanon, leaders of militias responsible for the murder and killings of hundreds of thousands are the rulers and decision makers in the country, and where those responsible for the disappearance of tens of thousands roam free and are considered ‘socialites” invited to the best of restaurants and to national debates that determine the future of the nation.
Perhaps what Lebanon needs more of, is democracy to match its freedoms. Yes, there are lots of personal and social freedoms, but the most basic freedoms of all, the rights and privileges of citizens are dictated by old and rotten ideas of sectarian affiliations. Of course, unless and until such time, Lebanon gets over its “sectarian burden” Lebanon and its people will never be free and democratic. Of course Israel is a mental “Jewish” case and the only solution for Israel and its sectarian democracy is a one state solution, only then can the Jews reclaim the long stated phrase “a light unto other nations”. The only light now is the one coming from a tank and an F-16 killing and murdering people.
In today’s Asharqalwsat, the columnist Samir Atallah used a quote from the former Lebanese prime minister, and I might add a Sunni, a quote that made me stop to think about writing this posting. Dr. Salim Al-Hos, alumni of Indiana University, was quoted as saying that Lebanon is about lots of freedoms and little democracy. How can any one disagree with that?
Lebanese, like Israelis always brag about their “democracy” and how their respective countries are a light unto other nations. Well, let us not take such statements too seriously otherwise George Bush might get a new ideas about democracy at home, in the US.
The sad facts and in both cases, in Israel and Lebanon, are built around and are “designer” democracy where ethnicity and religious affiliation, sectarian loyalty are at the core of such democracies. We know about the Jewish State and its special and selective democracy, where generals, murderers and criminals rule the country just like a mafia. In Lebanon, it “families” that rule Lebanon and it is the sectarian affiliation that is the basis for such a state. How can both countries, in the 21st century meets the requirements of modern day democracy, where citizenship, its rights and privileges are not based on religious affiliations and ethnicity, but where citizens are equal in the eyes of the law irrespective of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin.
In Israel non-Jews are thirds, perhaps tenth class citizens with rights and privileges are exclusive of Jews and where indigenous people, the “natives” Palestinians are at the mercy of the Jewish state every day of the week, with the possibilities of losing their property and land if not their lives to trigger happy and new Jewish immigrants.
Lebanon was and will always remain, a sectarian state, where citizenship and its rights and privileges are always defined by ‘religious affiliation” or “taifa”, not simply with the birthright. Where loyalties even among the most educated belong to the leadership of the “taifa” and not to the state. Lebanon is also most famous for its “families” like the Jumblat, Shamoun, Jemael, Arsalan, Asa’ad, Frenjeih and recently Harriri. So far Sayed Hassan Nasrallah and Nabih Berri did not try to build a ‘dynasty” where the mantle of power and authority is passed on from father to son irrespective of competence.
For a long time there was a collusion between the Maronite Christians and their Beiruti Sunnis where political and economic powers where shared between these two groups. The late Rafiq Al-Hariri changed all that being the son of Said and not Beirut. Lebanon is also the country, with the support of the late Hafiz Assad that appointed a criminal and mass murderer of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatilla as a minister. Also in Lebanon, leaders of militias responsible for the murder and killings of hundreds of thousands are the rulers and decision makers in the country, and where those responsible for the disappearance of tens of thousands roam free and are considered ‘socialites” invited to the best of restaurants and to national debates that determine the future of the nation.
Perhaps what Lebanon needs more of, is democracy to match its freedoms. Yes, there are lots of personal and social freedoms, but the most basic freedoms of all, the rights and privileges of citizens are dictated by old and rotten ideas of sectarian affiliations. Of course, unless and until such time, Lebanon gets over its “sectarian burden” Lebanon and its people will never be free and democratic. Of course Israel is a mental “Jewish” case and the only solution for Israel and its sectarian democracy is a one state solution, only then can the Jews reclaim the long stated phrase “a light unto other nations”. The only light now is the one coming from a tank and an F-16 killing and murdering people.
Time for an Islamic Renaissance and to dump Al-Azhar.
posted 21/11/06
The case of the “top” Islamic cleric in Australia. Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly and his assumption that unveiled women invite rape and a similar retarded “fatwa” from Sheik Mohamed Kamal Mustafa, the former imam of the Spanish southern town of Fuengirola who published a book called” Women in Islam” in which he finds justifications if not promotion of “wife beating” as a way to solve marital problems and we need to add to that the likes of Syed Ikram Jilani of Oslo among others, raises serious problems and issues about how low can these “Islamic” clerics takes Islam.
Perhaps unlike other religions with a well defined hierarchy of “priest hood” and rabbinic hierarchy, there are no such hierarchies in Islam, and any Islamic hierarchy of “imams” is an invention of modern states but not of the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran has more faith and trust in the judgment of individuals that did trust in these new “inventions”.
These days, every Mohamed, Ali and Mahmoud or Taj eldin who failed at other professions becomes expert on Islam and takes over a mosques, such as the case in England, USA, Australia, among others, where mentally retarded and semi-illiterates becomes imams and start giving fatwas left and right and start to be the ugly, illiterate and retarded face of Islam.
As a testimony of how low these mentally retarded and illiterate imams came to be we are not surprise that some of these think that the mentally retarded and murderers Taliblans are the “perfect” caliphates putting forward the Taliban state as a model of an Islamic state. There must be something very wrong with these people. Simply mentally sick.
If Islam and early Muslims who opened the world to Islam where of such mentality and attitude, for sure Islam would not have left Mecca and would have been a religion that died before it started. These people and so many like them forget that Islam is a religion and faith of knowledge, of science, of education, of travel and most of all of social justice, with very strict and high standards of criminal accusation and convictions.
With so many of these illiterate and retarded imams, who not only hijacked our mosques, but also hijacked our faith, perhaps it is time for Islam to have another renaissance, similar to that of Europe in the Middle Ages. Perhaps what we need now more than ever is a “reformation movement” that will redefine again Islam as the way it was intended for “all ages”. Enough with today’s imams going back to thousands of years to find true and intelligent answers to days issue and concerns of Muslims. We all know that the “door” of “Ijtihad” or prudence was closed some centuries ago, as if modern day scholars are unable to reach for the truth except to going back in time. If Islam is the faith for all times, then we need scholars for the future and not only for the past and yes, why not for a new ‘reformation” movement that can take Islam to the future instead of keeping it in the past. Perhaps it is time for Muslims and those attending mosques to get more educated and more enlightened “imam:” than the retards we are getting these days to lead us in prayers. When I go to mosques I want to hear an intelligent and enlightened sermon, not to hear some imbecile who happens to recite few suras and never read another book in any language to give and share his ignorance with the believers. I am sure there are enough Islamic scholars in the US to take charge and lead us forward and liberate Muslims from retarded imams such as Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly or Sheik Mohamed Kamal Mustafa or someone like Abu-Hamza Al-Masry. It is time to throw out these retards out of the mosques and reclaims our mosques again. Who said that Al-Azhar have to be the only “religious” reference for Muslims. There are enough intelligent and smart scholars in the US and Europe to lead the way to an Islamic Renaissance.
The case of the “top” Islamic cleric in Australia. Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly and his assumption that unveiled women invite rape and a similar retarded “fatwa” from Sheik Mohamed Kamal Mustafa, the former imam of the Spanish southern town of Fuengirola who published a book called” Women in Islam” in which he finds justifications if not promotion of “wife beating” as a way to solve marital problems and we need to add to that the likes of Syed Ikram Jilani of Oslo among others, raises serious problems and issues about how low can these “Islamic” clerics takes Islam.
Perhaps unlike other religions with a well defined hierarchy of “priest hood” and rabbinic hierarchy, there are no such hierarchies in Islam, and any Islamic hierarchy of “imams” is an invention of modern states but not of the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran has more faith and trust in the judgment of individuals that did trust in these new “inventions”.
These days, every Mohamed, Ali and Mahmoud or Taj eldin who failed at other professions becomes expert on Islam and takes over a mosques, such as the case in England, USA, Australia, among others, where mentally retarded and semi-illiterates becomes imams and start giving fatwas left and right and start to be the ugly, illiterate and retarded face of Islam.
As a testimony of how low these mentally retarded and illiterate imams came to be we are not surprise that some of these think that the mentally retarded and murderers Taliblans are the “perfect” caliphates putting forward the Taliban state as a model of an Islamic state. There must be something very wrong with these people. Simply mentally sick.
If Islam and early Muslims who opened the world to Islam where of such mentality and attitude, for sure Islam would not have left Mecca and would have been a religion that died before it started. These people and so many like them forget that Islam is a religion and faith of knowledge, of science, of education, of travel and most of all of social justice, with very strict and high standards of criminal accusation and convictions.
With so many of these illiterate and retarded imams, who not only hijacked our mosques, but also hijacked our faith, perhaps it is time for Islam to have another renaissance, similar to that of Europe in the Middle Ages. Perhaps what we need now more than ever is a “reformation movement” that will redefine again Islam as the way it was intended for “all ages”. Enough with today’s imams going back to thousands of years to find true and intelligent answers to days issue and concerns of Muslims. We all know that the “door” of “Ijtihad” or prudence was closed some centuries ago, as if modern day scholars are unable to reach for the truth except to going back in time. If Islam is the faith for all times, then we need scholars for the future and not only for the past and yes, why not for a new ‘reformation” movement that can take Islam to the future instead of keeping it in the past. Perhaps it is time for Muslims and those attending mosques to get more educated and more enlightened “imam:” than the retards we are getting these days to lead us in prayers. When I go to mosques I want to hear an intelligent and enlightened sermon, not to hear some imbecile who happens to recite few suras and never read another book in any language to give and share his ignorance with the believers. I am sure there are enough Islamic scholars in the US to take charge and lead us forward and liberate Muslims from retarded imams such as Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly or Sheik Mohamed Kamal Mustafa or someone like Abu-Hamza Al-Masry. It is time to throw out these retards out of the mosques and reclaims our mosques again. Who said that Al-Azhar have to be the only “religious” reference for Muslims. There are enough intelligent and smart scholars in the US and Europe to lead the way to an Islamic Renaissance.
Time to bring the Lebanese civil war to an end!
posted 23/11/06
The assassination and cold-blooded murder of Pierre Jumael is a reminder that the Lebanese Civil War is not over yet and it will not be over until such time the Lebanese decide for themselves if they want a continuation of the war or they want a new, democratic and non-sectarian Lebanon.
I am one of those who may not forgive the Phalange Party and its leader Samir Geagea or the late Bashir Jumeal for the crimes committed in Sabra and Shatilla and the tens of thousands of innocent Lebanese killed during the war and the tens of thousands remain missing and specially their alliance with the criminal Israeli Defense Forces against Lebanon and against the Lebanese.
However the murder of the young and innocent Pierre Jumael is a cowardly act and it is intended to ignite the civil war again, and it is intended to make Lebanon again a blood path. I agree with Jihad Alkhazen when he said in his column today in Alhayat, that “ he does not accuse any one and does not exonerate any one” in this murder. However we know that both Syria and Israel have always played a major hand and roll in all political and sectarian assassination and always will have blood on their hands. The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad is not different from his late father’s regime, with many murderers and killers high in government.
The murder of Rafiq Harriri, Basem Flehan, Samir Qasir, Gibran Tueni, George Hawi and the attempted murder of Marman Hamadi and May Shydiaq is a reminder of the long and murderous arms of the Syrian Ba’athist regime. No one believes that the late Ghazi Kan’an simply killed himself; he was murdered by the regime. Who else but Syria that killed Salim Al-Louzi and the late Kamal Jumblat?
What is surprising is the fact than non of the above murders have been solved and non of those accused of these murders and the murders of thousands of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatilla and Tel –Za’ater have ever been brought to trial. This is the sad thing about Lebanon. No one within Lebanon either have the determination, the skills not the courage to come forward and open a board of inquiry into all these murder and bring these murders to close, even it the accused are in absentia. No one can convince me that in all Lebanon, there are no competent and qualified criminal investigators that can open public hearing into these murders and attempted murder.
The murder of the young and innocent Pierre Jumael must be urgent calls for all Lebanese from all walks of life and from all political persuasions and religious sects to rise up to the occasion and have the courage once and for all and bring about a closer for the Lebanese Civil War. The first step will be for the Lebanese to hold a “referendum” on ending the sectarian system that is the cancer of Lebanon. It is time to go beyond Taif and to come up with something more original. Taif was to end the civil war, but not to rebuild Lebanon into a new modern and democratic state with religious and sectarian affiliation have no place and no role in Lebanese politics. It is time for all Lebanese to be equal citizens with equal opportunities. Let us never forget that Israel is the enemy number one for Lebanon, and always makes sure that the civil war never ends. It is time for the Lebanese to tell Syria and Israel that they are mature enough and that they will rebuild a new Lebanon that will be a challenge to Israel, Syria and the US and to all Arabs. May Allah/God have mercy on the soul of Pierre Jumael. Yes, he died a martyr for Lebanon.
The assassination and cold-blooded murder of Pierre Jumael is a reminder that the Lebanese Civil War is not over yet and it will not be over until such time the Lebanese decide for themselves if they want a continuation of the war or they want a new, democratic and non-sectarian Lebanon.
I am one of those who may not forgive the Phalange Party and its leader Samir Geagea or the late Bashir Jumeal for the crimes committed in Sabra and Shatilla and the tens of thousands of innocent Lebanese killed during the war and the tens of thousands remain missing and specially their alliance with the criminal Israeli Defense Forces against Lebanon and against the Lebanese.
However the murder of the young and innocent Pierre Jumael is a cowardly act and it is intended to ignite the civil war again, and it is intended to make Lebanon again a blood path. I agree with Jihad Alkhazen when he said in his column today in Alhayat, that “ he does not accuse any one and does not exonerate any one” in this murder. However we know that both Syria and Israel have always played a major hand and roll in all political and sectarian assassination and always will have blood on their hands. The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad is not different from his late father’s regime, with many murderers and killers high in government.
The murder of Rafiq Harriri, Basem Flehan, Samir Qasir, Gibran Tueni, George Hawi and the attempted murder of Marman Hamadi and May Shydiaq is a reminder of the long and murderous arms of the Syrian Ba’athist regime. No one believes that the late Ghazi Kan’an simply killed himself; he was murdered by the regime. Who else but Syria that killed Salim Al-Louzi and the late Kamal Jumblat?
What is surprising is the fact than non of the above murders have been solved and non of those accused of these murders and the murders of thousands of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatilla and Tel –Za’ater have ever been brought to trial. This is the sad thing about Lebanon. No one within Lebanon either have the determination, the skills not the courage to come forward and open a board of inquiry into all these murder and bring these murders to close, even it the accused are in absentia. No one can convince me that in all Lebanon, there are no competent and qualified criminal investigators that can open public hearing into these murders and attempted murder.
The murder of the young and innocent Pierre Jumael must be urgent calls for all Lebanese from all walks of life and from all political persuasions and religious sects to rise up to the occasion and have the courage once and for all and bring about a closer for the Lebanese Civil War. The first step will be for the Lebanese to hold a “referendum” on ending the sectarian system that is the cancer of Lebanon. It is time to go beyond Taif and to come up with something more original. Taif was to end the civil war, but not to rebuild Lebanon into a new modern and democratic state with religious and sectarian affiliation have no place and no role in Lebanese politics. It is time for all Lebanese to be equal citizens with equal opportunities. Let us never forget that Israel is the enemy number one for Lebanon, and always makes sure that the civil war never ends. It is time for the Lebanese to tell Syria and Israel that they are mature enough and that they will rebuild a new Lebanon that will be a challenge to Israel, Syria and the US and to all Arabs. May Allah/God have mercy on the soul of Pierre Jumael. Yes, he died a martyr for Lebanon.
The recent election was a victory for America more than a victory for the Democrats.
posted 12/11/06
I have to admit, my entire family and I were so very happy with the Republican loss of both the House of Representative and the Senate and above all were very excited in particular with the loss of George Allen and the election of Jim Webb to the US Senate.
Yes, this past election was a referendum on George Bush and his policies of war on America, his war terrorism and his war on Iraq that his “Tel-Aviv” mafia got us in.
The election of George Bush was a declared war by the NeoCons and the evangelicals against American and all that it stood for. The election of George Bush in the first place was a war on a healthy and substantial budget surplus, which he and his friends squander on their own foolish adventure and it is nothing but a declaration of war on middle class American and the millions of taxpayers. George Bush chose greedy corporate American over his own people and we all know where did the hundreds of Billions of dollars left over from Bill Clinton went. It went to companies that took American for a ride and took the taxpayers for a ride.
The NeoCons declared war on America and its democratic values and tried to justify the erosion and suspensions of civil liberties and justified torture and abuse and murder of prisoners in the name of fighting terrorism and in the name of national securities. American, which was the most loved country during the Clinton years, became the most hated country during George Bush and Dick Chaney’s years. The NeoCons for their own personal and ideological gains which has nothing to do with the national interest of the US and it has every thing to do with “Tel-Aviv” made sure that George Bush followed their own path to self destruction and the war on Iraq, which was originally planned by Bibi and his Likkudist boys in Washington back in 1992-3 was a way to secure Israel and put American in grave danger. The war on Iraq did not provide the American people with more security, in fact it added a lot to our insecurity, and added a great deal to the resentment of America by so many people around the world.
The election loss of George Bush, his Republican Party, all of NeoCons and evangelical Zionists-Christians was a declaration of independence by the American people and a declaration and commitment to the moral and democratic values that made the US such a great country, admired for its democratic principals and more admired for its protections of civil and constitutional rights. The Republican Revolution was no less of a revolution than that of Hitler National Socialism and its war on the German people.
The Republican lost not because the Democrats put forward clear alternatives and put forward a clear plans to undo the damage done by George Bush in his 6 years in office, but because the American people no longer bought the lies of the White House and its political strategists. This election was a vindication that American will always be that great country with great values and principals and will always be the leader of the free and democratic world. Bush, Chaney, Rumsfled, Rice, Bolton, Faith, Edelman, Perle, Wolfowitz, Frumm, Robertson, Faldwell and all of the NeoCons are nothing but an exception to the rule and that American will always manage to make a self correction and bring back the country to the middle. Let us hope the Democrat will have the backbones to offer clear alternatives to George Bush and his NeoCons and offer a program of investing in American and its people and that exporting democracies is a good thing, when it is done by examples and not by B-52’s or F-16’s. Yes, there is so much good well out there for America and we hope the Democrats will make a good use of it. It is the good well of the people of the world that is the best guarantees for our security. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan proves the limited use and benefits of weapons and wars.
I have to admit, my entire family and I were so very happy with the Republican loss of both the House of Representative and the Senate and above all were very excited in particular with the loss of George Allen and the election of Jim Webb to the US Senate.
Yes, this past election was a referendum on George Bush and his policies of war on America, his war terrorism and his war on Iraq that his “Tel-Aviv” mafia got us in.
The election of George Bush was a declared war by the NeoCons and the evangelicals against American and all that it stood for. The election of George Bush in the first place was a war on a healthy and substantial budget surplus, which he and his friends squander on their own foolish adventure and it is nothing but a declaration of war on middle class American and the millions of taxpayers. George Bush chose greedy corporate American over his own people and we all know where did the hundreds of Billions of dollars left over from Bill Clinton went. It went to companies that took American for a ride and took the taxpayers for a ride.
The NeoCons declared war on America and its democratic values and tried to justify the erosion and suspensions of civil liberties and justified torture and abuse and murder of prisoners in the name of fighting terrorism and in the name of national securities. American, which was the most loved country during the Clinton years, became the most hated country during George Bush and Dick Chaney’s years. The NeoCons for their own personal and ideological gains which has nothing to do with the national interest of the US and it has every thing to do with “Tel-Aviv” made sure that George Bush followed their own path to self destruction and the war on Iraq, which was originally planned by Bibi and his Likkudist boys in Washington back in 1992-3 was a way to secure Israel and put American in grave danger. The war on Iraq did not provide the American people with more security, in fact it added a lot to our insecurity, and added a great deal to the resentment of America by so many people around the world.
The election loss of George Bush, his Republican Party, all of NeoCons and evangelical Zionists-Christians was a declaration of independence by the American people and a declaration and commitment to the moral and democratic values that made the US such a great country, admired for its democratic principals and more admired for its protections of civil and constitutional rights. The Republican Revolution was no less of a revolution than that of Hitler National Socialism and its war on the German people.
The Republican lost not because the Democrats put forward clear alternatives and put forward a clear plans to undo the damage done by George Bush in his 6 years in office, but because the American people no longer bought the lies of the White House and its political strategists. This election was a vindication that American will always be that great country with great values and principals and will always be the leader of the free and democratic world. Bush, Chaney, Rumsfled, Rice, Bolton, Faith, Edelman, Perle, Wolfowitz, Frumm, Robertson, Faldwell and all of the NeoCons are nothing but an exception to the rule and that American will always manage to make a self correction and bring back the country to the middle. Let us hope the Democrat will have the backbones to offer clear alternatives to George Bush and his NeoCons and offer a program of investing in American and its people and that exporting democracies is a good thing, when it is done by examples and not by B-52’s or F-16’s. Yes, there is so much good well out there for America and we hope the Democrats will make a good use of it. It is the good well of the people of the world that is the best guarantees for our security. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan proves the limited use and benefits of weapons and wars.
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