Sisi regime covered up the statue of Ibrahim Pasha in Cairo in honor of the Saudi king

Ibrahim Pasha, of course, let his army against the (1st) Saudi state in the 19th century.  Sisi didn't want to remind the king of the humiliation that his ancestors suffered at the hand of Ibrahim.

Who is occupying whom in the Arab-Israeli conflict: some half of Americans think that Palestinians occupy Israel, and not vice-versa

 more here

eating meat

The United States is one of two countries out of 185 that do not have a national law providing some form of paid parental leave

"The United States is one of two countries out of 185 listed by the International Labor Organization that do not have a national law providing some form of paid parental leave. (The other is Papua New Guinea.)"

Here we go: Thomas Friedman's annual trip to Iraq

Once a year, the neoconservative board of the American University of Iraq invites Thomas Friedman to Iraq and he returns with praise to the tribal rulers of Kurdistan.  Notice that he is unaware of the protests and complaints about corruption and repression in the region: "Visiting here in northern Iraq, in Kurdistan, and talking to a lot of Iraqis leaves one thinking Obama is not entirely wrong. Sitting through a forum at the impressive American University of Iraq, Sulaimaniya".  It takes very little to impress Thomas Friedman: just excellent relations with Israel will do.

"Palestine chair": what it means

"AMY GOODMAN: And that’s Eric Fair, author of Consequence: A Memoir. Why did they call it the Palestinian chair?

ERIC FAIR: I was never clear on the actual origin. The rumors within the interrogation cell were that Army interrogators had learned to use this chair by Israeli interrogators, and the Israeli interrogators presumably called it the Palestinian chair because they were torturing Palestinians in it. I certainly don’t know if that’s true. And quite frankly, for my own story, I’m not sure that it necessarily matters."

Israeli terrorist occupiers shoot at Gaza fishermen like they are pigeons

"But Mr. Baker questioned whether there would be proper protection for the fishermen in the expanded zone, complaining that Israeli naval forces sometimes opened fire on boats even within the permitted area. He said most Gaza fishermen used GPS equipment to measure their distance from shore."

US media love those who pretend they speak for the Syrian people

And don't you like those who claim to speak for the Syrian people who seem eager to also speak on behalf of US empire? "“My people were asking, okay, where is the red line for America?” Mestow said."

religion and "sin" in the US

"Louisiana’s murder rate is comfortably the nation’s highest. Mississippi’s is second (most of the other states are not far behind). The same pair suffer the country’s highest rates of gonorrhoea; Alabama, Arkansas and South Carolina make the top ten. Meanwhile Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina feature in the top seven for the incidence of single-parent families. All those church-loving southern states rank in the top third for teenage pregnancy; several are prolific in divorce."

Little noticed in Panama Papers

"The head of the Chilean branch of Transparency International, which campaigns against corporate secrecy, resigned after being linked to five firms in tax havens."

Google comparisons of leaders and Panama Papers

Bashar Al-Asad and Panama Papers About 293,000 results 
Vladimir Putin and Panama Papers About 3,030,000 results 
King Salman and Panama Papers About 327,000 results 
Prince Hamad and Panama Papers About 250,000 results 

PS The first two are not mentioned by name in Panama Papers. Only the 3rd and 4th are mentioned.

Iran and the poor

From Alastair Northedge

Professeur d'Art et d'Archéologie islamiques

UFR d'Art et d'Archéologie

Université de Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) (I cite with his name with his permission):

"re your

"In her new book, Shirin Ebadi attacks the Iranian regime policies in support of the poor people."

Shirin Ebadi's accusation against the Iranian regime of being in favour of poor people is nothing new. Rather it is the basis of the success of the regime. The regime is populist, even demagogic, and has been since the revolution. Ahmedinejad was only an extreme. The exiles are mainly of the old upper class, and frequently anti-Islam, claiming that Iran was forced to convert by the Arabs. Not true. It's a history that goes back more than a millennium. Before Islam, the elite didn't pay taxes. I wouldn't be 

surprised to hear that Iran converted so easily to Islam, simply to get away from the taxes. Not much support in the sources, but then they are written by the descendants of the elite. The same happened in India, where many converted to Islam in order to escape the caste system.

The regime is very interested in pleasing "the people". It's what keeps them in power. If they didn't they would be out. Unfortunate that the policy's main visible product is the construction of new Shi'ite shrines. The exiles are not offering anything. Perhaps that will be another consequence of Rouhani's demarche, that Iranian society will come more together."

I always tell my wife that there are certain crimes which occur in the US, never happen in my ostensibly "savage" part of the world

"Turlock man convicted of holding girlfriend captive in dog crate" (and Turlock is my university town).

Two Washington Post headlines says it all

(thanks Joe)

Repression in Jordan goes unnoticed

A young man (a medical student) in Jordan was arrested by the secret police for writings on Facebook.  Here is a statement about it:
"إعتقال شاب أردني بسبب كتابات على فايسبوك: الملك الصهيوني العبيط يراقب الجميع. (نرجو التعميم لفضح نظام يحظى برعاية إسرائيليّة وغربيّة):

"قامت الأجهزة الأمنية ليلة أمس الثلاثاء بتوقيف الرفيق هيثم عايد عضو منظمة الزرقاءلحزب الوحدة الشعبية الديمقراطي الأردني في مركز أمن الرشيد، دون معرفة أسباب التوقيف. وعند مراجعة والده للمركز الأمني تم إبلاغه بأن الرفيق هيثم عايد قد تم نقله إلى دائرة المخابرات فرع العاصمة. حيث لا يزال الرفيق محتجزاً هناك حتى ساعة إصدار التصريح.

إننا في حزب الوحدة الشعبية نرى أن توقيف الرفيق هيثم عايد دون أسباب موجبة يأتي في سياق التضييق الذي تمارسه الحكومة على العمل الحزبي ويتناقض بالكامل مع الادعاءات الرسمية بخلق مناخي يشجع الشباب على الانخراط في الأحزاب.

كما يعتبر الحزب احتجاز الرفيق هيثم عايد مخالفة صريحة لقانون الأحزاب الذي ينص في المادة (19) منه على أنه (لا يجوز التعرض لأي مواطن أو مساءلته أو محاسبته أو المساس بحقوقه الدستورية أو القانونية بسبب انتمائه الحزبي).

إن احتجاز الرفيق هيثم عايد ما هو إلا استمرار لمسلسل التضييق على الحريات العامة الذي تنتهجه الحكومة والمتمثل بتوقيف الصحفيين والناشطين والتضييق على النشاطات والفعاليات الحزبية والوطنية، والذي كانت اللجنة المركزية للحزب قد حذرت في بيان أصدرته يوم أمس الثلاثاء، من تداعياته على الصعيد الوطني، خاصة وأننا مقبلون على انتخابات نيابية تجعي الحكومة أنها معنية بمشاركة كافة القوى السياسية والحزبية فيها.

إننا نطالب الحكومة بالإفراج الفوري عن الرفيق هيثم عايد وكافة الموقوفين من ناشطين وحزبييين على قضايا تتعلق بحية الرأي أو الانتماء السياسي والفكري.

يذكر بأن الرفيق هيثم عايد هو طالب في كلية الطب في الجامعة الأردنية وهو من المتفوقين دراسياً، كما أنه ناشط في مجال العمل الطلابي في الجامعة الأردنية"

حزب الوحدة الشعبية الديمقراطي الأردني

عمان في 6/4/2016"

FLASH: EXCLUSIVE. I was able to obtain pictures of the audience at Cairo University during the dissertation defense for an honorary doctorate by Saudi King

Bernie Sanders supports assassinations

"As a result, the next president will inherit Obama’s drone war policies, including the signature strikes. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, the avowed democratic socialist and presidential candidate, has given his blessing to the “targeted killings.”"

Shirin Ebadi: the Iranian regime is pretty lousy but...

It is a fact.  No matter how bad a regime is, the US is capable of replacing it with a worse regime.  It never fails really.  Look at Libya or the plans for Syria.  In her new book, Shirin Ebadi attacks the Iranian regime policies in support of the poor people.  

This news flash will put to rest all stories about Saudi King suffering from Alzheimer. Enough already

It says that Saudi King has just been awarded an honorary doctorate from Cairo University. 

Ilham Aliev is pious just like Arab tyrants

Azerbaijan officially responds to Kim Kardashian

"“She’s very famous and beloved by her fans, but matters of war and peace are a little too serious for a reality-TV star,” Elin Suleymanov said in telephone conversation."

Has Huffington Post ENGLISH been also taken over by the Qatari regime?

It is amazing how the coverage of Panama Papers in Huffington Post follows the lead of Qatari regime media.  Notice that Huffington Post ENGLISH didn't notice that the former Emir of Qatar and Saudi King are also cited in the Papers.

Usual cliches about arabs at NYT

From Sam: "When the NYT speaks about Yemen and presents yemenis protesting the criminal Saudi/UAE/US invasion of that sovereign country, the selected photo for the piece shows a group of women in burqas. As if it is the only photo they could show representing "people protesting"...Pathetic."

Israeli-made suicide drone kills Armenians

"Video of what appears to be an Israeli-made suicide drone flying over the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijan and Armenia have clashed in recent days, surfaced Tuesday, in what could be one of the first instances of such a weapon being used in combat." "In this instance, the Harop apparently targeted a bus full of “Armenian volunteers,” killing seven,"

Azeri despot counts on the support of Israeli friends

"Suleymanov reiterated what Ali Hasanov, a senior adviser to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, told the Post on Monday – that Azerbaijan expects Israel to publicly come out with support on the issue. “We expect and count on support from our friends, including Israel,” Suleymanov said."

Israeli tribunal about Lebanon

""In wantonly bombing Lebanese apartment buildings, family vehicles, and the like, Israel would seem to have terror down to an art. Israel, it bears mentioning, has been categorically exempt from suspicion in the Hariri killing, despite its history of interference in Lebanese politics and the fact that it benefited mightily from the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon—one outcome of the assassination."

Saudi Arabia and its links to Al-Qa`idah (part of the US axis in the Middle East)

"In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia worked with the U.S. and Pakistan to arm and train Islamic extremist groups in order to fight the Soviet Union. And today, the Saudi regime continues to support extremist groups like the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in Syria, which some analysts have argued is even more dangerous than ISIS. Saudi Arabia firmly rejects that any support for the Sept. 11 attackers came from its country. But 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for the attacks were Saudi citizens. Additionally, Zacarias Moussaoui, a convicted 9/11 plotter, confessed in sworn testimony to U.S. authorities that members of the Saudi royal family had funded al-Qaeda before the attack. Saudi Arabia strongly denies that this is true."

Israel sells weapons tested on the Palestinians to EU to fight refugees

"Israel's weapons sales to Europe more than doubled in 2015 compared to the previous year, in the wake of an unprecedented inflow of refugees into the continent and sporadic terror attacks." "The sharp surge in arms sales comes at a time when the European countries are battling to tackle refugee crisis." (thanks Amir)

A new attire for the anchorperson in Azerbaijan--kid you not

Robert Fisk being...Robert Fisk

"But I have to say that I don’t remember many Yemenis in Osama bin Laden’s camps – and I met the man twice in Afghanistan – so how come there are so many in Guantanamo?" (thanks Basim)

The US is a full partner in the war crimes in Yemen

"Yemen: US Bombs Used in Deadliest Market Strike"

Zaha Hadid in Cincinnati

"“I will not live by your fascist rules!” she shouted. “We can end this right now!”"

Pierre Bourdieu nous parle de BHL

Pierre Bourdieu explains why he would not debate Bernard-Henri Lévy. Bourdieu's intellectual arrogance can be delicious:

""Mais discuter avec Bernard-Henri Lévy ou avec… bon, je n'en ais aucune envie, je sais d’avance ce q'il va dire. D’ailleurs ça lui ferait tellement d’honneur, il en tomberait malade si je disais oui à une discussion avec lui. Il m’a supplié cent fois. Ca aussi c'est une des raisons pour lesquelles je refuse de parler avec certaines personnes, c’est que toute leur vie ils diraient "voilà, j’ai parlé avec Bourdieu", "Bourdieu m'a insulté", même, je pense qu'il s'en vanterait. C'est très arrogant mais c'est vrai, et lui aussi sait que c'est vrai." (thanks David)

U.S. officials declare friendship with brutal tyrants

"The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received the US Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan and other representatives at Al-Yamamah Palace on Wednesday. During the meeting, they reviewed the relations of friendship between the two countries and discussed a number of issues of common interest."

Panama Papers & ICIJ

" "That is what I’d want to see with these Panama Papers, they should be available to the general public in such a manner so everybody, not just the group of journalists working on the data, can search it." The reports are from a global group of news organisations working with the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)." "Presenter Rattansi mentions that the ICIJ is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment think tank, the Rockefellers and George Soros."

Execution of Palestinian exposes militarism & racism of Israeli culture

""All of this was captured on video, as was a trail of blood that leaked from Al Sharif’s head seconds later. This was not a killing in the fog of war; it was a cold-blooded execution. As Amnesty International noted, such an act constitutes a war crime. And yet, for most Israelis the soldier is the victim of this story." "The Israeli public did not reach this conclusion by accident. They have been schooled in a tribal idea of justice from a young age. Palestinians are not viewed as fully human or deserving of rights.""

The knowledgeable French ME expert, François Burgat, testifies on Saudi Arabia before the French parliament

America's friends praise Al-Qai`dah

""Al Qaeda’s organisation in Syria has been heralded as a vital, organic part of the uprising by many rebel groups over the years."" (thanks Amir)

Panama Papers: what is not being covered. The Israeli section

How come this guy is not being mentioned and his picture isn't in the logo of coverage anywhere? He is not friend of Ariel Sharon, and he is not his relative.  He is his office chief: "Among the Israeli names found in the leaked documents are that of top attorney Dov Weisglass, former bureau chief of the late prime minister Ariel Sharon," (thanks Gheith)

Panama Papers and Wikileaks

WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)

4/5/16, 2:05 PM #PanamaPapers Putin attack was produced by OCCRP which targets Russia & former USSR and was funded by USAID & Soros.pic.twitter.com/tgeKfLuROn

Our cat, Baby Aaden, dressed up

How Bernard-Henri Levy confronted ISIS head-on, and why he is not afraid of anything

"He laughs: "No. I have just finished making a film in Iraqi Kurdistan. I travelled 1,000 kilometres with my camera on the frontline between Daesh and the Kurds. I filmed the war, some battles."  Levy then took a sip of water and threw a grenade at ISIS.  

Benard-Henri Levy

"He suggests there are two ways in which this country is implicated: the first in its support for the BDS movement and the second in the alliance of parts of the left with radical Islam."  Can someone point to me one leftist person or organization which is aligned with "radical Islam"?  Who are those leftists?

PS By the way, in case you didn't know: according to Bernard-Henri Levy it is anti-Semitic to detest him.  You can only prove that you are not anti-Semitic if you admire him.

Bernard-Henri Lévy caught out by fake philosopher (repeat post)

"France's best-known philosopher, Bernard-Henri Lévy, has become the butt of intellectual ridicule after copiously quoting a leading authority on Kant who, it transpires, is a modern-day hoax."

The United States remained by far the world’s biggest spender in 2015

"The United States remained by far the world’s biggest spender in 2015, despite its expenditure falling by 2.4 per cent to $596 billion. Among the other top spenders, China’s expenditure rose by 7.4 per cent to $215 billion, Saudi Arabia’s grew by 5.7 per cent to $87.2 billion—making it the world’s third-largest spender—and Russia’s increased by 7.5 per cent to $66.4 billion."