Middle East Focus- Arabia Deserta

The Genesis of Hamas- On Charlie Wilson, Gaza and All That- An Egyptian Husni Chi Minh Trail? Islamic Monuments Endangered by Greed

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com (Mohammed Haider Ghuloum) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:03:57 GMT

The Genesis of Hamas and World media:

Gaza 08: End this war
The war in Gaza is widening the rift between Arab rulers and the ruled. There are exceptions, like some pockets in the Gulf region, where the issue of Iranian influence and the Shi'a-Sunni rift is always important. Hamas is a totally Sunni organization, a local offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that had strong support in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region during the eighties when the oligarchies feared the secular PLO and its various factions. There probably is no such thing as Palestinian Shi'as. But yes, Virginia, there are Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia.
Hamas gets some financial aid from Iran, and perhaps some weapons, although it is puzzling how they get through the tight Israeli-Egyptian blockade.
One plausible Arab legend about the fundamentalist group has it that the Israelis supported the growth of Hamas as a useful rival to the secular PLO during the first Palestinian Intifada (uprising) of the 1980s. Like the fundamentalist Mujahideen in Afghanistan, the fundies of Palestine have come back to bite those who supported them. No, Charlie Wilson had no hand in the genesis and rise of Hamas. Many conservative Arab regimes, of the polygamous tribal types, supported and nurtured it as well, fearing what they considered the 'socialist' PLO types. Incidentally, most of those 'socialist' PLO types turned into entrepreneurs during the 1990s under Arafat and his pals. With the flow of post-Oslo Western aid they discovered the joys of kelptocracy.

“A street war in Gaza. Israel is assassinating whole families.…” al-Qabas

“The forces of the Zionist occupation have deliberately bombed the mosques in Gaza with heavy bombs. They bombed them over the heads of the people praying inside. They did not deny it: the claimed falsely that Hamas followers were hiding in them….This is, then, not a war on Hamas or on terrorism, it is a war on Islam….It is time to rise in support of Islam and Muslims…yada, yada, yada.” alwatan
This chap is not exactly volunteering to go to Gaza. He is urging the umma, that means others, to go and fight.

“Iran seems to be very clever in investing her foreign policy through regional extensions that try to win her more loyalties in the region- with the goal of influencing domestic Iranian politics…”Alarabiya.

“After the ground assault, what has Ehud Barak got left?...” Elaph, quoting alQuds alArabi

“Why don’t we dissolve the Arab League? Have the Arab states resigned from history as well, just after they seem to have resigned from geography? Having left their lands and borders for the two empires that still long for regional hegemony: the Ottoman and the Persian Empires…..” Elaph, quoting the conservative Lebanese daily al-Nahar

“The Chief of the Supreme Judicial Council in Saudi Arabia, Shaikh al-Lehaidan has called the demonstrations against the Israeli assault on Gaza a ‘corrupt practice that distracts people from worshipping Allah’….” alQuda alArabi.
I knew they had some free speech somewhere in Saudi Arabia.

“An American television network reported that officers of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers are currently in Egypt helping monitor the border with Gaza and prevent arms smuggling to the Palestinian resistance through tunnels.” aljazeera
But how do these weapons get to Egypt? And from where? How do they enter past the all-pervasive security services, the multiple and rival security services to keep things nice and balanced. None of that American nonsense about team-players in Arabia.

“al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, promised to defeat the Israeli army….It promised more surprises… and claimed that the occupation is covering up and downplaying its losses.” Aljazeera
Maybe, but I shall believe it when I see it. I need to be shown the proof (I am not from Missouri either).

“His unconditional approval of Israel's brutal invasion of Gaza could be Bush's final war crime. Will Obama choose a different path?....” Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation.

“A Memo to Obama on Israel: The following humble suggestions are based on my 70 years of experience as an underground fighter, member of the Knesset and founding member of a peace movement in Israel.” Uri Avnery, The Nation.

“Leader of the Society for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Mecca has called for erasing such historic Islamic landmarks as the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed in Mecca. He said that some ignorant people and those who ‘innovate’ practice pagam-like and polytheistic practices at these sites….”al-Rasid
These people have been busy for years trying hard to destroy all historical monuments of Islam, with some success- and to the despair of the few liberals in the country who dare speak about it. In Mecca they have had a strong ally called “boundless greed of developers” whereby the small town of Prophet Mohammed’s birth looks like a huge strip mall.
Remember how the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddha monuments in the nineties? They used explosives, but their Saudi mentors use bulldozers financed by the greed of the potentates. This is where the Taliban got the ideology from. If they had their way the Via Dolorosa would be diverted and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher would be leveled to make room for a five star hotel.

My two cents:
There are some similarities between the Israeli campaign in Gaza and its 2006 campaign against Hezbullah in Lebanon. In both cases the Israelis were trying to defeat a local armed force with strong support among the population under attack. In both cases there was some provocation by the other side. In the Lebanese case, the Israeli reaction to the provocation was overwhelming but the results were quite underwhelming. Hezbullah clearly won that battle to such a worrying extent that Saudi and other satellite Gulf media now regularly call it the “defeated Hezbullah”: a clear sign that it won that round.

It is not clear yet how the Gaza campaign will fare: probably better, from an Israeli point of view, than the Lebanon campaign. Hamas probably does not have the assets that Hezbullah had, including the rugged Lebanese landscape and the easy access to weapons. During the 1967 War, Gaza was taken within hours from Egypt- in fact the fate of the whole thing including the West Bank and Sinai were decided withing a few hours.
In addition, the only source of arms into Gaza now would be Egypt, which is hostile to Hamas: which deepens the mystery as to how Hamas got all those rockets. Israel tightly controls the land and sea routes, except for a sliver of border with Egypt. Are there 'renegade' military and security elements in Egypt that turn a blind eye to Gaza-destined weapons? Is a police state really unaware of the movement of rockets through its territory?

Meanwhile, much of the pro-Saudi Arab media is focusing on Iran rather than on the two warring sides. Hamas is talked about as a surrogate for the mullahs in Iran, which is most likely highly exaggerated. The Muslim Brotherhood are as doctrinally hostile to the Shi’as as the Wahhabis of al-Qaeda types. Still, anything is possible in politics: politics makes strange bedfellows (a la Stalin, Churchill and FDR).
It is still a great mystery how Iran smuggles such large rockets into Gaza through Israeli and Egyptian hostility. Is there a secret Husni Mubarak Trail across, or underneath, the Sinai? Imagine a Husni Mubarak Trail, and he probably doesn’t even know it, even when he is awake. But he ain’t no ‘Ho’, as in Chi Minh of course.
Cheers
mhg
m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com

Eyeful in Gaza- Durable Ceasefire, Illusory Peace- AirTran To Start New Hajj Route

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com (Mohammed Haider Ghuloum) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:42:40 GMT

Ich bin ein Berliner? Ich bin ein Wiener (Schnitzel, naturlich)?
(Aus Berlin) (Aus Wien)

Gaza, the word, in the Arabic slang of the Gulf region means a poke, as by a needle or a thorn. It is pronounced 'Ghazzah'. This seems quite appropriate these days from any point of view: Palestinian, Israeli, Arab, or American. The word itself may have come from some other source, some other root, but it has found a good home in its Arabic incarnation.Meanwhile Condi Rice is calling for only a 'sustainable durable ceasefire', just like she did in Lebanon in 2006. It didn't work in 2006: Hezbullah is stronger than ever. By the way, ceasefires by my definition are not necessarily supposed to be 'durable', they are just temporary cessation of fire, perhaps as a prelude to peace in civilized places like Europe and Zimbabwe. Peace agreements are supposed to be durable.

Is it true that AirTran plans to start direct flights from various East Coast airports to such exotic destinations as the Gaza Strip, Baghdad, Kabul, and Peshawar?

In trying to repair the damage to its its reputation and hold on to the 100 or so Muslims who fly with it each year, the airline is also reported by highly dubious sources to be going all out in a new direction. It is reported to have decided to apply for direct access to the lucrative Hajj route to Mecca next season. Hijab, white ihram sheets, white yarmulkes, and other Muslim paraphernalia that are considered highly suspicious in some circles outside Washington (DC) will be allowed on board.
The airline may even get an investment from a certain Saudi prince who got stung by Citigroup in the past two years. Meanwhile, as sensitivity training, the official at National Airport (Washington) responsible for ejecting the Muslim family of 8, including several children, will be given a very small tooth brush and told to clean the toilets.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com

Graphic Middle East 2008- In Search of Political Humor In a Sad Time of Surly Gods- Of Old and New Battles in Arabia

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com (Mohammed Haider Ghuloum) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:59:24 GMT

Man of the next four years? Why not?

Arab media intellectuals as selected by Elaph. They, the media types, may be the only kind of intellectuals available in the region these days, the only kind the petroleum barons and the other oligarchs are willing to patronize, i.e. pay for their 'services'.
Webster's New World Dictionary: Intellectual (intellectualis), 1)of or pertaining to intellect. 2)appealing to the intellect,
3)requiring or involving the intellect, 4)guided by the intellect rather than feelings, 5)having or showing a high degree of intellect;having superior reasoning powers. That last one clinches it: back to the drawing board.

Dominatrices of Arabia: one out, two new ones in. Just another jackass?
The not-so-potent potentates will may get two new bosses.

Bubba of Arabia Holy Angela Merkel ! Our milkshake is better 'n yours

Bush of Arabia .....and Africa......and Beijing

addustour, Jordan alHayat, KSA Who is responsible?

Political Humor 2008:

I was interested in humor, wanted to see if it has improved in the Middle East during this fading and sad year, by looking through newspaper political cartoons. I found some, but there was little real humor in most of them. Fear of the censor has made the artists timid, or maybe all the good ones are dead: I know of at least one who was silenced with a bullet in London.

Looked through newspapers from Iran, Syria, and Israel online: I was surprised that I could not find any cartoons that are even mediocre. I can understand that many Arabs and Muslims have lost their sense of humor long ago, if they ever had any- but Jews? And I thought Jews had a good sense of humor- at least in the USA they have the best sense of humor around. Maybe in Israel their sense of humor has been Arabized or Islamized, or maybe it was their traumatic European experience.

What is worse: I was unfortunate to find some cartoons in Jordanian newspapers, but I found their sense of humor rather surly, in a way that only Jordanians can be surly. No humor there. It convinced me that there is something worse than not to have a sense of humor, and that is to have a Jordanian one. Come to think of it: I have never seen a picture of King Abdul (de Jourdanie) when he is not grimacing. I expect most of his loyal people follow his lead. Maybe it is possible to find some humorous side to surliness, but it requires an effort.

I tried the North African media, but I already knew what I would find. The Algerians I already knew for certain to be a humorless people, and they did not disappoint. Ditto for the Libyans. That left the Moroccans and Tunisians, who do have some sense of humor, although it is heavily accented with the Maghreb dialect and I would not fully understand it anyway. Besides, they tell their best jokes in French and in private: their major newspapers are in Arabic.

Egyptians have traditionally been the kings of Arabic humor- actually the only Arab people with any real sense of humor that I noticed over the years. But I have concluded, sadly, that after 27 years under the stagnant and stifling rule of Husni Brezhnev Mubarak and his security agents they have lost much of their sense of humor. They are moving dangerously closer to the sense of humor of most other Arab countries, which bodes ill for everyone. An element of surliness is creeping into the Egyptian character as well, something I can never forgive old Husni for.

As for the Gulf GCC states, my native land, where I was born and raised, well, the good Lord must have been in a real bad mood that day- if indeed it was only one day. Maybe His mood was not as surly as when he dealt with places like Jordan and Algeria. But that is not really saying much: any people that takes itself too seriously, and as unjustifiably so as my fellow Gulfies do, is doomed to a mirthless life.

A Battle for Saudi Arabia 2008:

Saudi media, relatively more liberal than the ruling classes, even if it is mostly controlled by them, tried hard to force some change this past year. Not political change, that is a no no: but some reduction of the long-standing claustrophobic social atmosphere that pervades the country. A war for the ‘social agenda’ of Saudi Arabia has been waged by the media, led by offshore newspapers and television channels, and clearly supported by part of the ruling family. Part of that has also been a rather slow and lukewarm war for the educational system. That one is a tougher battle: the Wahhabi ulema shaikhs, long political allies of the al-Saud family, will not easily relinquish control of the minds and hearts of the young. The media excerpts below are indicative of the general thrust of the attempts at reform:

“The Organization for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV?) has closed a women-only private park that opened only last September. The religious police used the regular police and four prison wardens to vacate the park and close it. A leader of PVPV claimed that the governor ordered the closure, that the park was closed because the sound of music and tambourine was heard from it and that it annoyed the neighborhood. The owner said she ran a pious park, with a religious library and hosted religious lectures every week.” Alarbiya.

“Saudi cleric Shaikh A. al-Abeikan issued a fatwa allowing women to travel alone, without a father, husband or brother, provided she feels safe for her person and her ‘honor'. He said that in the old days women were exposed to ‘assaults’ when travel was risky. These days, he says, travel by airplane is safe since a woman can’t get assaulted because of the cabin crew who will protect her…..” al-Hayat.

“An increasing number of Saudi women are risking driving on the streets of some major cities, even though they are not allowed and can risk punishment…”

“Saudi judge refuses to divorce eight-year old girl forced to marry man in his fifties….”

“Saudi cleric opposes ban on marriage of young girls to older men. He says there is no age limit to marriage of a girl, as long as she can ‘bear’ the physical side of it.”

“King Abdullah to reform the judicial system…”

“Famous Saudi writer calls for disbanding the Organization for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice…”

A Battle for Iran 2008:

It looks like one battle for Iran has ended before it started. The war of words over Iran’s nuclear program has calmed down in recent months. The prospects of a real shooting war have also dimmed, probably because a few bombing sorties are unlikely to achieve the desired results. They may give the mullahs a bloody nose, but that would be about it. There are other methods.

The other battle for Iran has not started seriously, yet. During 2008, as president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has continued to put his foot in it, embarrassing the country and screwing up the economy, rivals from both the 'moderate' and ‘reformist’ parties have pounced on him. Public figures like former presidents Rafsanjani (more active on the domestic and Gulf levels) and Khatami (more active internationally) have led the criticism. Elections are set for June, and Ahmadinejad may be in trouble if one of those decides to run against him.

Historically high petroleum prices helped him offset the effects of his mismanagement of the economy last year- just like in the rest of the Gulf oil states. But the high oil prices are gone for now: he will have to use extensive deficit spending, or get the central bank to cooperate in expanding money supply. And Iran has an inflation problem. Normally not a good thing for an incumbent during an election year. Unless the extreme right-wing mullahs, the clerics, can manage to save his hairy hide. Unfortunately they have the power to do it.

On Gaza, Real Kings, and Derogatory Kings:
A war of words has erupted between various Arab parties, especially between Egyptian and Saudi Arabian leaders, suspected by some of complicity in the Israeli attack on Gaza, and the Lebanese Hezbullah leaders. Saudi media are back to slamming Hassan Nasrallah for criticizing the Egyptian government.
Asharq alawsat, the leading Saudi newspaper, has focused its “Saudi” editorials almost exclusively on criticizing Hamas and Hezbullah, while the task of criticizing Israel is left for some of its foreign Arab writers.

“The war of ‘King’ Hassan Nasrallah’s of the Iranian Hezbullah on Egypt…” Asharq alawsat, chief editor. I didn’t realize that the title ‘king’ is considered derogatory in the Saudi press.

“A season of attack on Egypt” Another Saudi editor of Asharq alawsat.

“How did Hamas miscalculate: Hamas says that it did not expect the attack, and the Israelis boast that they win by surprise…?” Yet another Saudi editor of Asharq alawsat.

“It is useless to demand from Israel self control and cessation of aggression. It is useless looking at the America of Mr. Bush or Mr. Obama to pressure Israel. There is a decisive and available mechanism to stop Israel. In summary: the solution lies in Europe……Europe has a much political and, especially economic leverage on Israel…” Lebanese columnist in Asharq alawsat. And what he says here makes some sense.

“A Gaza Christmas: Israeli generosity insists on presenting the Palestinian people with special Zionist gifts labeled ‘Made in Israel’. The gift was delivered on Saturday, the Sabbath, and against all rules of the Torah…” Columnist in al-Hayat.

Cheers and Happy New Year

mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com