Reporters Without Borders reported the release last week of blogger Fouad al Farhan. He was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia since December, 2007 for posting an article on his blog discussing the “advantages” and “disadvantages” of being a Muslim.
Fouad al Farhan, 32, was one of the first Saudi bloggers to dispense with a pseudonym on his site. He was also the first cyber-dissident to be jailed in Saudi.
It's about freaking time!
Here in the wonderful Emirate of Dubai where, if I so pleased, I could order greezy-ass Burger King for delivery, ski down a fake mountain in the middle of the desert, sip coffee in a cafe fully made of ice, take a boat ride through "Venice" and then drink my liver to mush in any number of clubs til' 3 AM or later (depends on your game with the bartenders...)
Laundry? Pick up and delivery... Maid? She'll be at your door within an hour of your call... English Pub, Irish Pub, Italian food, Japanese, Chinese, Tiki bars your fancy? They got it... Kenyan and Somali clubs? They got that too (with a pool table, thank God).
You can sit at a beach-side bar for hours marinating about sports, business, British people, construction (the city itself is still being built...) Central London, and how much France "sucks." I even had someone believe that I bought a large swath of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (though that was the Stella Artois talking but.....).
You see, Dubai is the land of random, senseless acts of apathy. Everyone here does nothing, says nothing, nor believes in anything that really matters. It's Stella or Fosters, Jumierah Beach Hotel or Madinat Jumierah , Real Estate business or Real Estate Development business. Thats why I wasn't too surprised when a friend and I were out all night introducing ourselves as "Sykes" and "Pico"(spelling by author) and not one silly soul got it.
I'm no longer surprised when people haven't a qualm with treating service workers like idiots, nor am I surprised when people look at me like a jack-ass for treating those same workers with respect. It's also pretty sad that many here assume it's ok to ignore the droves of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi construction workers when they cross the street (I've seen these poor guys endure many a near-death experience courtesy of British-driven SUV's). There are so many mistreated, underpaid, overworked and unrepresented workers here and the only problem people seem to have with it is that they can't stand a new detour in the road every time a new "super development" pops up.
I am, however, surprised that I can be in a city where, for all intents and purposes (and if you can afford it), you can do just about anything, get anything (aside from illegal substances that make you feel like you're cooler than you really are) and generally have the time of your life. Prostitution is rampant, drinking is everywhere, excesses of materialism flow like the Nile, money and power are the drugs of choice yet I click a link (secretdubai.blogspot.com) and I receive that page above! It politely states, "The internet is a powerful medium for sharing, and serving our daily learning requirements. However, the page you are trying to access may contain content that is not consistent with the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE..."
Pretty fucking ironic isn't it?
What could possibly so "immoral" with that blog? Is it porn? No. Is it selling illegal substances? No... Oh! (and this is a true story) Maybe the blogger was the poor guy who farted in an elevator while an Emirati woman was present and received 6 months in prison for "polluting the environment." Of course, farting in an elevator pollutes shit loads more than those oil industry guys, right? They, needless to say, are truly a moral bunch.
Does the crazy nightclub full of soon-to-be-naked partiers have a sign at the door that reads "hello, we know that alcohol is really gonna get you in the mood for a night that violates the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE, however since you are assumed to not be from here, it will be overlooked for the sake of foreign investment, which does NOT violate the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE?" Probably not, at least I haven't seen that one yet...
Do the multitude of work sites post signs for the workers reading "Salam, NOT getting paid a fair wage (or wages at all) does NOT violate the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE, thank you and have a great day."
I haven't seen those yet either.
Does destroying the natural coastline and coral reefs with new "mega-hotels" violate anyones morals here? How about the air-pollution from the nearby refineries? Anyone's values?
So there... Perhaps that's my problem with it; there is no moral, cultural or social value in ignoring the most striking contradictions or banning their acknowledgment. However it does seem, and sadly so, that if you value truth and justice, there is somehow a contradiction with the "morals."
Oh, I get it now.
I just really wish I could read "Secret Dubai."
Starplex Cinemas may have tried to halt the screening of the film this past weekend in Irvine, California, but thanks to LinkTV, the whole world can watch the previously banned documentary on the Sami Al-Arian case online for free! I finished watching the hour-long documentary last night and was moved to tears.
And check out all previous posts by Emily, Will, Fadi (and some random KABOB-er named Ibrahim) and I on the case, the film, and petitions and community efforts to free Sami Al-Arian
Not content with stealing many aspects of Palestinian and Arab culture, from food to clothing to music, and then relabeling it as 'Israeli', the Zionut entity also has problems with Palestinians expressing said heritage. What if people found out falafel was actually NOT commissioned by King Soloman two thousand years ago?! The very fabric upon which Israel is built-lies and theft-would come crumbling down.
For this reason, Israel is very sensitive to the idea of Palestinians celebrating Palestine. Up until the 1990's, raising the Palestinian flag in public was considered enough of a reason to justify getting shot, and the world Palestine was banned from appearing in print. Books that mentioned Palestinian history were censored or banned, and Palestinians were not allowed to have their own media.
Paranoid, despotic fucks.
Anyway, the Hakawati Stage in East Jerusalem was set today to be the scene of festivities celebrating the appointment of Jerusalem as Cultural Capital of the Arab World in 2009. Foreign dignitaries, representatives of civil society and representatives of the Palestinian Authority were present when Israeli police stormed the venue soon after the celebrations started, arresting several Palestinian officials and civilians at the scene and closing down the Hakawati.
Israel wants to impose on the world it's desire to have all of Jerusalem as its capital city. This would include East Jerusalem and the Old City, which are predominately Palestinian, and a huge tract of the surrounding West Bank stretching from Ramallah in the north, Bethlehem in the south and Jericho in the east. As such, it feels extremely threatened by the Palestinians of Jerusalem when they celebrate their history and their culture, because none of it meshes very well with Zionism. It will rush to crush any such expressions of Palestinian of Arab identity.
Just another day in the only democracy in the Middle East.
Not only can you banned from entering the US for donating money to a Muslim charity a la the Muslim Martin Luther King Tariq Ramadan, but now you can be charged for "ideologically-based violence" in the land of the free and the home of the brave. The stuff of the fictionally-based Orwell political doomsday novel 1984, omnipresent big brother surveillance and thought-crime charges, is no longer contained in the realm of fantasy.
House Bill 1955, known on the hill as "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention" bill, and known in oppositional circles as the thought crime bill, amends the 2002 Homeland Security Act by adding the following provisions:
Enables the Secretary of Homeland Security to:The bill, sponsored and introduced by high-standing California Democrat Jane Harman on April 19, 2007, was passed this past October in the House, and now is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
(1) establish a grant program to prevent radicalization (use of an extremist belief system for facilitating ideologically-based violence) and homegrown terrorism in the United States.
(2) establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States.
(3) conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
The Christian Science Monitor ran a good article on Fouad al-Farhan, the Saudi blogger detained and charged by Saudi Arabia for non-security-related charges (okay?). They are seeking "an apology" from the blogger for his criticism of Saudi's arrest of Jeddah-based civil rights activists, who were charged with supporting terror. Al-Farhan, a visible blogger who blogged under his real name, is not clear on what he is supposed to apologize for. Man, it's like third grade all over again, but on a national level.
This has stunned Saudi's blogging community, though they cannot be too surprised. Saudi Arabia, which has not freedoms of expression or press, is supposed to be liberalizing since King Abdallah took over. This is a major test of just how far that is coming along.
Saudi Arabia must free Fouad now! See the website to support him.
The article points out that currently Egypt and Tunisia are holding bloggers, as well. These, and the many attacks on journalists, are egregious excesses by despotic regimes at war with their own citizenry. KABOBfest stands in solidarity with Fouad, Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer, and all bloggers being punished for their words.
ALERT - SAUDI ARABIA
Blogger arrested, his whereabouts unknown; news website and blog publishing service blocked by authorities
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
(RSF/IFEX) - RSF condemns the detention of blogger Ahmad Fouad Al-Farhan (http://www.alfarhan.org) since December 10, 2007. His family does not know where he is being held or what he is charged with. He said on his blog a few days before his arrest that he was expecting a summons from the
interior ministry.
"The reforms and the opening announced by King Abdallah Ibn Al-Saud have yet to have any impact on the lives of Saudis, including those who openly express their disagreement with government policies," RSF said. "After blocking the news website Elaph and the leading blog publishing service http://www.blogger.com, the authorities have now directly targeted a blogger for the first time. We call on the police to immediately reveal where and why Al-Farhan is being held."
Aged 32 and a resident of Jeddah, Al-Farhan was arrested at his workplace by police who first took him home to collect his laptop computer and then took him to an unknown location, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information said. His family still does not know where he is.
A note that he wrote a few days before his arrest has been posted on his website by a support committee. "I was told that there is an official order from a high-ranking official in the ministry of the interior to investigate me," he wrote. "They will pick me up any time in the next two weeks (. . .) This is because I wrote about the political prisoners here in Saudi Arabia and they think I'm running an online campaign promoting their issue. All I did is write some pieces, put up banners and ask other bloggers to do the same."
The Saudi government's official Internet blacklist affects more than 400,000 websites, ranging from the sites of political organizations to those of unrecognized Islamist movements and porn sites.
Saudi Arabia is on the RSF list of "13 Internet enemies" and was ranked 148th out of 169 countries in the RSF world press freedom index that was published in October.
For further information contact Hajar Smouni, RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: moyen-orient@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
That's great May, now back to things that actually matter…
This morning the NY Times reported that Ms. Debbie Almontaser, the founding principle of NYC's Khalil Gibran International Academy, filed a lawsuit against Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Education Department Chancellor Joel I. Klein for suppressing her freedom of speech and "conspire-[ing] to deny her the opportunity to regain her position as principle."
If you recall, a few months ago Ms. Almontaser was pressured into resigning after a few spineless officials - pandering to a gang of racist Zionuts and xenophobic turds who launched a smear campaign against her for explaining that the Arabic word for "intifada" literally means "shaking off" - made it damn near impossible for her to continue in her duties as school principle.
Well, she's suing now. And seeing as this is a clear cut case of her first amendment rights being violated, she's likely to win too. So in advance, I'd just like to thank all the racist douche bags (namely the Stop The Madrassa Coalition) who made it possible for another influential pro-Palestinian to turn millionaire. I'm sure Ms. Almontaser will use her new found wealth for something really evil and anti-Semitic too… like…gasp…education!
More KABOBcoverage on Ms. Debbie Almontaser and the Khalil Gibran International Academy.
The big day is upon us.
This event has gotten the kind of public fanfare, media coverage, sidewalk chatter, waiting line gossip, and impassioned outrage one would expect of a celebrity wedding.
I am of course talking about Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Bingu wa Mutharika's highly anticipated speeches at Columbia University tomorrow.
Actually, even though the Presidents of Turkmenistan and The Republic of Malawi will be gracing the lecture halls of one of the nation's most presitigious institutions of higher learning, media blitz is likely to be focused on another President with a name Americans will have trouble pronouncing: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic State of Iran.
Despite the news vans, cadre of national and international reporters, protesters expected to hit the streets and cobble-stoned walking paths of Morningside Heights tomorrow, you can expect one person not to step foot on 114th and Broadway, the Mayor of City of New York. "New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg," according to a Reuters story carried by Haartz, " said Friday that the city's Columbia University was free to invite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak, but "personally, I wouldn't go to listen to him - I don't care about what he says."
But public expressions of anti-Ahmadinejad-ness (the funniest dash-created word in the English language to say. Go ahead-try it!) are not confined to the realm of politics.
The headline on the front cover of the New York daily newspaper publication The Daily News lividly threatened Mr. Ahmadinejad, "If you even think of setting one foot in Ground Zero, you can...Go To Hell," and going as far to assert that "All of Manhattan south of Canal St. must be forbidden to him by the NYPD."
I love the reckless conflation that seeks to confound any of the necessary distinctions between Al Qaeda hijackers and the state of Iran. Are they really going to try to relate the two?
Then again, the majority of Americans still seemed to believe the specious connection between the B'ath-run secular state of Iraq and Afghanistan-based, American-trained, Saudi Muslims.
Surprisingly, Columbia stands resolute against public pressure and harassment to cancel the event. In a twist of irony, the Ivy League, embroiled in a Khaleeji summer hot debate over Barnard faculty member Nadia Abu El-Hajj's tenure bid, one under rigorous contestion for the scholar's writing of a book critical of Israel's archeological to exist, defended it's decision to allow the President of Iran to speak citing the school's commitment to promoting "free speech."
SIPA's (Columbia University's graduate School of International and Public Affairs) Dean, , the ones responsible for sponsoring the sold-out event.
The mission of the University is to educate citizens, train professionals, and foster research of the highest quality. This mission can only be served by providing students and faculty with untrammeled access to a diversity of views and opinions in an environment where every statement can be challenged
and debated freely.
Statement Regarding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Talk at Columbia University’s World Leaders Forum
On Monday, September 24th, 2007 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will speak and participate in a question and answer session with university faculty and students at Columbia University’s World Leaders Forum. His appearance is sponsored by Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, which is initiating a year-long series of lectures and events on thirty years of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The SIPA lecture series will include academic experts as well as former officials and critics of the Islamic Republic.
This opportunity for faculty and students to engage the President of Iran came about after Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee at the Iranian Mission to the United Nations initiated contact with Columbia through a member of the faculty, Richard Bulliet, who is a specialist on Iran. The event will be open only to university students, faculty and staff with Columbia University identification and invited guests.
President Bollinger emphasized that such World Leaders Forum events must allow ample time for students and faculty to pose questions that challenge the views expressed by the speakers. John H. Coatsworth, Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, confirmed that the Iranian president had agreed to this format. Dean Coatsworth will moderate the question and answer period following Ahmadinejad’s speech.
President Bollinger will introduce the event by challenging President Ahmadinejad on a number of his controversial statements and his government’s policies, including his denial of the Holocaust and his call for the destruction of the State of Israel. The US government has accused Ahmadinejad’s government of supporting terrorism and developing nuclear weapons capacity. Human rights groups have charged Iran with suppressing dissent and women’s rights. Columbia students and faculty will themselves
have an opportunity to question Iran’s leader on these and other issues.
Dean Coatsworth stated that “Opportunities to hear, challenge, and learn from controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of students for citizenship in a shrinking and still dangerous world. This is especially true for SIPA students, many of whose careers will require them to confront human rights and security issues throughout the globe.”
A front group created by former White House aides named "Freedom's Watch" began a $15 million, five week advertising campaign yesterday. Their goal? To apply pressure on Congressmembers who may be wavering in their support for the war in Iraq.
Their seemingly grassroots campaign provides viewers with a phone number to call Congress and voice their concerns. But beware: the special number isn't intended for everyone...
OPERATOR: Thank you for calling Freedom's Watch. Do you believe surrender in Iraq will increase the terror threat to America?
CALLER: No, no. I don't -- I don't agree with that.
OPERATOR: Oh.. kay. Alright. Um, what the center does is we patch through those in support of the war.
CALLER: You only patch through people who support the war?
OPERATOR: Yes.
-- click --
British newspaper The Times reported yesterday that James Hetfield, lead singer of the one and only Metallica, was recently detained and questioned at Luton airport for his "Taliban-like" appearance… he has a long and stringy beard.
Fortunately for him, he was able to convince airport staff and security that he was, in fact, not a hairy Mooooslum, but a rock god. According to The Times, he was released shortly after - just in time to play the London leg of Live Earth.
Interestingly, subsequent reports state that Hetfield denies the incident altogether. (It's likely that it didn't happen... cause let's be honest - the dude ain't brown)
Nevertheless, the fact that such a story would make international headlines is telling of the "sad but true" state of affairs that the Arab & Muslim communities are facing with racial profiling and numerous other infringements upon their civil liberties that seem to follow them "wherever [they] may roam." (HA! Ok khalus, enough with the cheese-ball Metallica jokes - I'm done.)
Last week, DePaul University in Chicago denied professor Norman Finkelstein tenure despite widespread support for him by DePauls faculty and staff.
Norman Finkelstein, author of The Holocaust Industry, now has less than a year remaining on his contract with the political sciences department of DePaul University in Chicago. He lost his bid for a lifelong post after a four to three vote of the promotions and tenure board.
The decision came at the end of several months of wrangling, both within the Catholic university and within the wider academic and Jewish communities in the US. Mr Finkelstein has argued in his books that claims of anti-semitism are used to dampen down criticism of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians and that the Holocaust is exploited by some Jewish institutions for their own gain.
Finkelstein, the son of Holocaust survivors, has been relentless in exposing what he calls "The Holocaust Industry": the institutions and organizations that have used the holocaust (the actual historical event) to justify Israel's criminal assault upon the Palestinian population and international law. Among these organisations, he includes the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and a host of other fellow travellers. There is no doubt that Finkelstein's work has stoked controversy. But that shouldn't detract from what makes his tenure treatment so worrying: Finkelstein is undoubtedly a path-breaking and serious scholar.
Finkelstein argues that most US commentators obscure or avoid the clear historical and diplomatic record in examining the Israel-Palestine conflict by ignoring or downplaying international law, fooling the US public into believing that Israel's occupation is just, necessary, and lawful. One such example is the failure of the 2000 Camp David talks - a failure that has been attributed, at least in elite circles within the United States, to Yasir Arafat's intransigence. In actuality, what Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak offered Arafat was something no Palestinian leader could accept: a Bantustan state reminiscent of the African national territories.
The Dixie Chicks have got nothing on binti Shams! In addition to dazzling us with some really dope eye-catching earrings, in the music video entitled "Ahlan Ezzayak" homegirl engages in some strong political commentary; commentary openly critical about the Bush administration's members and policies.
Some highlights: a dancing Bush, a heavy-set Arab man sports a flimsy blonde toupee (not sure what the specific satire is here), the "Ultimate Fighting Championship," and a cartoon cameo:
A Palestinian elderly man riding on a Israeli Border Police jeep during a demonstration against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in on Friday. (AP)
Thanks to some great Jewish lawyers, two Palestinian activists from the LA 8 - the last remaining with charges - can finally rest after 20 years of nonsensical governmental claims and ridiculous tactics. The scary thing is that this all stemmed from their participation in constitutionally-protected activities. Mabrouk to them and their families, who have suffered so much.
JUDGE THROWS OUT CHARGES IN “LOS ANGELES EIGHT” CASE
Los Angeles - In a decision received today, Los Angeles Immigration Judge Bruce J. Einhorn ordered an end to deportation proceedings against Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, members of the “Los Angeles Eight” (LA8).
In his decision, Einhorn said that the proceedings must be terminated because of the government's refusal to disclose evidence favorable to the immigrants in compliance with his orders.
Hamide and Shehadeh have been in deportation proceedings for 20 years, and their case has reached every level of federal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The government has been seeking to deport Hamide and Shehadeh since January 1987 based on their alleged support for the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine ("PFLP"), a group within the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The decision comes just after the January 26, 2007 20th anniversary of the arrest of the Los Angeles Eight.
read on
Read Judge Einhorn's decision in this case.
Check out an older Village Voice piece.
A jin? A goddamn jin? Are you f*cking kidding me? Someone needs to take this innocent little girl out of her parents' house and give her to social services ASA-freakin-P!
Not shocked enough? Yesterday I read an article that outraged me even further:
A Jordanian man fatally shot his 17-year-old daughter whom he suspected of having sex despite a medical exam that proved her chastity, an official said Thursday.
A state forensic pathologist who works at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Amman, where an autopsy was performed, said in a phone interview that the girl had run away from home several times for unknown reasons.
Weeks ago, the girl had returned home from a family protection clinic after doctors had vouched for her virginity and the father had signed a pledge not to harm her, the pathologist said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case.
The father shot the girl four times in the head Tuesday. On Wednesday, an autopsy showed "she was still a virgin," the pathologist said.
Interesting. Perhaps if she had entered into a mutaa marriage her virginity wouldn't have been such an issue...
They met one afternoon in May at the house he shares with his wife, in the room where he accepts visitors seeking his religious counsel. He had a proposal. Would Ali be his temporary wife? He would pay her 5,000 Iraqi dinars upfront -- about $4 -- in addition to her monthly expenses. About twice a week over the next eight months, he would summon her to a house he would rent. [...]
"It was designed as a humanitarian help for women," said Mahdi al-Shog, a Shiite cleric.
According to Shiite religious law, a mutaa relationship can last for a few minutes or several years. A man can have an unlimited number of mutaa wives and a permanent wife at the same time. A woman can have only one husband at a time, permanent or temporary. No written contract or official ceremony is required in a mutaa. When the time limit ends, the man and woman go their separate ways with none of the messiness of a regular divorce.
The nerve - "humanitarian help"? How about religiously sanctioned prostitution / economic exploitation? Yeah that sounds about right. But hey, who can blame them? With Viagra and dildos being illegal in Kuwait - how else are horny men supposed to spice up their sex lives?
National Guards assigned to work at the Ministry of Information have arrested an unidentified employee working for KTV’s Channel One for possessing sex boosting pills for women, sex toys including vibrators, Viagra and wireless devices, reports Al-Anba daily. A well-informed source told the daily the suspect looked confused when he approached the gate which aroused suspicion of the guards and this led to a thorough search of the vehicle. During interrogation he admitted to selling these products among his colleagues at work.
I would argue that sex-education is the answer, but then again people like Sheikh Youssef al-Badri know better...
THE Arab world’s first Muslim sexologist is breaking boundaries with a sex education TV show that has taken the Middle East by storm.
Dr Heba Kotb, 39, devotes Serious Talk, broadcast weekly on the independent Egyptian satellite channel Al Mehwar, to answering intimate sexual questions posed by curious young Arab men and women. [...]
Her show, the first of its kind in a region where sex education is rare, has provoked strong reactions. After each episode Kotb receives more than 70,000 text messages and e-mails from viewers.
Her critics say her programme is too explicit. Sheikh Youssef al-Badri, a radical Islamic cleric, said her show “invades the privacy of our bedrooms” and “increases the number of sex perverts”.
The fact is this: Ignoring, suppressing, or only conservatively and briefly touching upon the subject of sex is doing the Arab world a great disservice. Not only is it ruining families and marriages (and thus destabilizing the most basic of social structures), but it's also letting perpetrators of sexual assualt get away with crimes against humanity while reeking a disturbing and unbearable amount of punishment / oppression upon abuse victims.
It's evident that no government or religious institution in the Arab world is willing, prepared, or able to take on the subject of sex with its citizens in any substantial way. Therefore, it's up to us - ordinary Arabs - to initiate and facilitate a candid (and continuous) discussion about sex amongst ourselves until it is no longer considered taboo, and can be dealt with in a manner consistent with the individual and inalienable rights of all human beings.
Despite the negative comments that many Anti-Arab / Muslim commentators may post in response to this KABOBpost, can the Arab and Arab-American fans of KABOBfest have a discussion about this issue?
