Archives: May 2003

Three Shiite Young Men Were Killed By

*Three Shiite young men were killed by US troops in Samarra' according to az-Zaman. The local Shiite clergy called for calm in their Friday Prayers' sermons. There are various narratives about what…

Tony Blair In Southern Iraq Warned

*Tony Blair, in southern Iraq, warned Syria and Iran against interfering in Iraq or supporting terrorism there. There were demonstrations Thursday by Shiite clergymen who claimed that the Americans had imprisoned some…

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Have

Iranian Revolutionary Guards have stopped training Hizbullah fighters, according to Asharq al-Awsat. Correspondent Ali Nourizadeh suggests that this is a clear signal that Iran is taking the Bush administration's warnings seriously. The…

It Is Wrong To Attempt To Force Women

*It is wrong to attempt to force women to veil and to force men to wear long beards and "Islamic" dress in Iraqi public places and universities, according to Shaikh Muhammad Baqir…

One Gi Was Killed Monday And Another

*One GI was killed Monday and another was wounded when armed men fired on their convoy near the town of Hadithah, which is about 120 miles north of Baghdad. One report I…

Huge March Was Staged Yesterday In

*A huge march was staged yesterday in Casablanca, with tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of participants. Morocco's Jewish community was among the marchers. But the rally, led by PM Driss Jettou, excluded…

Us Has Been Pressing Supreme Council

*The US has been pressing the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq to disarm its Badr Brigade fighters, according to Charlotte Edwardes of the Daily Telegraph. In a tense meeting this…

Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Husain

*Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Husain Fadlallah of Lebanon has complained about Muslims engaging in violence, saying that they are aping Marxists in so doing rather than sticking to Islamic principles. Daily Star quotes…

Belgium Has Begun Trial Of 23 Suspects

*Belgium has begun the trial of 23 suspects it alleges have links to al-Qaeda. They belong to an obscure group that may have been involved in the bombings in Casablanca a few…

Daniel Pipes Who Has Thrown Around

*Daniel Pipes, who has thrown around accusations that academics critical of American nationalism or Likud aggression are “pro-terrorist,” has now openly come out in favor of supporting the Mujahidin-i Khalq terrorist organization…

Us Appears To Be Softening Its Stance

*The US appears to be softening its stance toward UN participation in the rebuilding of Iraq, in return for a UN Security Council resolution that ends sanctions on Iraq and phases out…

About 10000 Shiites Turned Out For

*About 10,000 Shiites turned out for peaceful demonstrations in Baghdad Monday against continued US occupation of Iraq, and against the American slighting of the Shiite leadership. One organizer had predicted a million…

Shaikh Muhammad Al Fartousi Friday

*Shaikh Muhammad al-Fartousi, the Friday prayers leader of the al-Hikmah Mosque in Shiite East Baghdad is one of many clergymen who have called for demonstrations against the US occupation in Baghdad and…

Three Of Most Senior Clerics In Najaf

*Three of the most senior clerics in Najaf--Ali Sistani, Muhammad Sa`id al-Hakim and Bahr al-`Ulum met for the past two days. They agreed that security needed to be returned to the entire…

Death Toll Of Bombings In Casablanca As

The death toll of the bombings in Casablanca as I write is being given as over 20, with 60 wounded. Casablanca is the Mediterranean commercial center of Morocco, a center of tourism…

Baghdad Mosques Are Emerging As Safe

*Baghdad mosques are emerging as safe places for civil society dialogue, according to Abd al-Latif al-Sa`dun in al-Hayat. In the Mosque of Umm al-Tabul in the middle of Baghdad, men of religion,…

Iranian President Khatami Praised

*Iranian President Khatami praised Lebanon for its traditions of multiculturalism and its brave resistance to Israeli occupation. He said it was impossible for a major group supported by the Lebanese people to…

What I Am Hearing Is That One Of

*What I am hearing is that one of the targets of the Riyadh bombing was the Saudi Arabian National Guard, which is headed by Prince Abdullah and which guards the royal family.…

Update Death Toll Of Riyadh Blasts Is

Update: The death toll of the Riyadh blasts is 20 noncombatants, with 194 injured. Nine of the dead are Americans. Nine bombers were killed by Saudi security.

Four Huge Blasts Shook Eastern Suburb

*Four huge blasts shook an eastern suburb of Riyadh where many foreigners lived on Monday night/Tuesday morning. As I write, three are dead (reportedly two of them Americans) and over 60 wounded.…

Shiite Leader Ayatollah Baqir Al Hakim

*The Shiite leader Ayatollah Baqir al-Hakim, newly returned from Iran, has said, "We reject an imposed government," and, "I fear neither the Americans nor the British." - Asharq al-Awsat.*A huge conflagration broke…

American Team In Iraq Is Being Shaken

*The American team in Iraq is being shaken up big time. Barbara Bodine, a long-time diplomat and Arabist, who has effectively been the US mayor of Baghdad for three weeks, is being…

According To Al Hayat Ayatollah

*According to al-Hayat, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, just returned from Iran, has called for a state in which all would feel secure and in which women would play a central role. He…

Breaking News

* Breaking news. Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim has returned to Iraq, stopping first in Basra with a hundred-vehicle convoy. He is reported to have addressed a crowd of 10,000. He spoke in…

Us Deputy Secretary Of Defense Paul

*US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz criticized Turkey in an interview on CNN for not giving practical support to the US war effort in Iraq. On Turkish news site said, '…

Jay Garner Has Added Two Further

*Jay Garner has added two further members to a nine-man leadership council (it is so far all men). One will represent the Shiite al-Da`wa Party and the other is a Sunni Arab…

Humanitarian And Security Crises

*The humanitarian and security crises continue to grow in American-occupied Iraq. Electricity has been returned to only 9 of 21 major cities, and much of the capital still lacks it. Lack of…

In My View Really Big News Today Is

In my view the really big news today is the growing rapprochement between Pakistan and India. On Tuesday, Pakistani PM Zafarullah Jamali put forth six steps to promote confidence-building between the two…

Afp Is Reporting That Jay Garner Head

*AFP is reporting that Jay Garner, head of the Pentagon's reconstruction effort in Iraq, has appointed 5 Iraqi leaders as the core of a new Iraqi government. He is said to have…

Emile Lahoud President Of Lebanon

*Emile Lahoud, the president of Lebanon, rejected US Secretary of State Colin Powell's demand that the Hizbullah militia in south Lebanon be replaced. He said that Hizbullah is a legal political party,…

Size Of Reconsituted Police Force

Size of reconsituted police force currently deployed in Baghdad: 3,000 Population of Baghdad: 5 million Days since new Baghdad police chief has resigned: 1 Size of police force in Chicago: 13,000 Population…

Heavy Exchange Of Fire Took Place

*A heavy exchange of fire took place between the volunteer Najaf police and an armed local clan on Friday morning. About ten men showed up, shooting off AK-47s in the area around…

Basra Has New Governor And It Is

*Basra has a new governor, and it is Denmark’s former ambassador to Syria, a convert to Islam. Ole Woehlers Olsen will be put in charge by the British, who conquered the southern…

There Was More Trouble In Falluja

*There was more trouble in Falluja yesterday, where US troops again fired on and killed civilians demonstrating against their presence. The troops allege that Baath loyalists fired at them from the protesting…