Monthly Archives: September 2012

Apartheid, Arab Revolutions, GCC

King of Hearts, King of Heartless, King of Apartheid in Bahrain………….

   

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Maryam Alkhawaja ‏@MARYAMALKHAWAJA: 
Tomorrow zainab alkhawaja will receive a verdict on the charge of ripping a picture of hamad, cud b sentenced up to 3 yrs #Bahrain

Bahrain Human Rights ‏@BahrainRights:  Activist Zainab Alkhawaja @angryarabiya Sentenced to two months in prison #Bahrain for ripping king’s photo.

Bahrain Human Rights ‏@BahrainRights: 
Tomorrow another hearing session in the appeal of imprisoned human rights defender Nabeel Rajab

Nabeel Rajab, is head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. He was sentenced to three years in prison for a tweet. Imagine: one tweet criticizing someone (I’m not sure it was the lousy king; I think it was his lousy uncle and prime minister of 42 years). The Alkhawaja family has been targeted for special treatment by the Al-Khalifa regime in its attempts to silence the people. Abdulhadi Alkhawaja was beaten, arrested, and reportedly tortured by the regime and its imported mercenaries last year. He is serving a life prison sentence passed by a military court. One of his daughters is facing sentencing tomorrow for ripping a photo of the shaikh king Saddam Hamad of Bahrain. I believe his son in law is also in prison. One of his daughters is wisely in exile campaigning.
Here are some photos of the king.

      
Dancing…….                                  Man in Red                        His Paliamentary speaker: al-Saidi

            
                                                         Sorry, Joe                      King Tight Pants?
           
Sorry, a nobody, just one of the many victims                     Educating the people

His paid fan club calls him King of Heart. Others call him King of Clubs or King of Spade. Yet others, many of his detractors, a majority of his people would call him other epithets: king of Apartheid, King of Heartless, King Saddam,Tr– d- c–?
God only knows what all his imported foreign mercenaries call him, the ones he imports from Jordan, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, New York, London, and a few other places.
Cheers
mhg
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Culture, Iran, Media, Qatar

Piers Morgan of CNN and Ahmadinejad: on LBGT in Egypt and Qatar and Jordan…………

   

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Piers Morgan on CNN tried to embarrass Ahmadinejad yesterday by asking him about homosexuals in Iran and their treatment. This is a question reserved by U.S. media only for the Iranian president. Of course the same treatment is common all across the Middle East and Africa and much of Asia (not just Muslims). Yet American media never ask other Muslim or Arab leaders about this crucial issue, saving it for Ahmadinejad. Come to think of it; they never ask other Middle East leaders about the Holocaust either, and I suspect some of them have even more controversial (call it more repulsive) opinions about it than Ahmadinejad. For example Shaikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi of Egypt, supported and sheltered by Qatar for years, publicly opines that Hitler was doing God’ work by extermination millions of Jews (His video clip here).

So
Piers Morgan of CNN was interviewing a joint session of President Morsi of Egypt, King Abdullah of Jordan, and the Emir of Qatar. The Jordanian king is a favorite interviewee of American media (they love his accent which makes him sound credible). He is third only to Netanyahu (apparently Ahmadinejad is the number one favorite because Ayatollah Khamenei refuses to go on CNN).

So
Piers Morgan asks his three guests about LBGT, about homosexuals (nobody cares about lesbians over there) in Egypt and Jordan and Qatar, and why they are persecuted and imprisoned (beheaded in Saudi Arabia). Mr. Morsi is confused: he was expecting a question about Hooters or some nude restaurant in Los Angeles (maybe a Sushi joint). The Jordanian king and Qatari emir respond in unison: I thought this question was reserved every year for Mr. Ahmadinejad?
Cheers
mhg
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Iran, Israel

Stop the Presses! Change of Plans: Iran-Israel War in is On Again………..

   

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“An Iranian military official has warned that military conflict between Iran and Israel could “turn into World War III.” He added that if Israel “is putting the final touches on attacking Iran,” a preemptive strike against Tel Aviv would ensue.
Israel “cannot imagine” the force of Iran’s response if Tel Aviv attacks it, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran’s Arabic-language television network. “It will sustain heavy damage and that will be a prelude to its obliteration,”he said. Hajizadeh added that Iran does not see this happening at the moment because he does not believe that Israel will conduct an attack without its strongest ally – the United States. If America does decide to back an Israeli plan to strike Iran, Hejizadeh insists Tehran will retaliate against both Tel Aviv and Washington. “Tehran will definitely attack US bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan…there will be no neutral country in the region,” Hajizadeh said. “To us, these bases are equal to US soil.” The statement comes after the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said that a war between Iran and Israel “will eventually happen.” Jafari did not speculate on a possible date or location of the war. ………….”

Some of these Iranians must have been listening and reading what Israeli officials have been saying since, oh, at least 1992. I posted on that here, and others have written about it. That they claim they would like to attack them at some point, not clear when, depending on how much prayers are performed in some royal palaces of the Middle East. That the Israeli leaders want a war and are not afraid to ask the Americans for it.
So, change of plans. Stop the presses, forget what I wrote in my previous posting. The war is back on track. Not only that, it is aiming at no less than World War III. Or maybe the Armageddon.
Cheers
mhg
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Iran, Israel

Iranians Declare Israel is not a Threat: Will the Tehran Embassy be Reopened?……….

   

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“The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has said that the Zionist regime no longer constitutes a threat to Iran. “Today, we have crossed the boundary of concern about the threats of the Zionist regime,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami stated in an interview published on Sepah News, which is the official website of the IRGC, on Sunday. “Israel has bitter memories of confrontation with regional (allies) of the Islamic Republic during the wars of the past decade. Now, how can it be a threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran?” Salami added, “Only a single infantry battalion of ours would be able to break the back of this regime, which only has a width of 24 kilometers in some areas, in a day.” “Iran has reached such a zenith that an attack on it is no longer put on the political agenda of the superpowers. The level of deterrence has risen to the extent that the idea of starting and imposing another war no longer exists in the mind and belief of all the major powers, and Islamic Iran is a known great power,” he said……………”

Okay, the Israelis are no danger to Iran anymore. I could have told this general a long time ago. I could also have told him to study the history of the Arab-Israeli wars, from before 1948 until now (leave out the 2006 war of Lebanon, that was exceptional defeat). So what does all this mean? Resumption of diplomatic relations? Full speed toward the nuclear bomb as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum and Don Rickles would claim? Can the Iranians breathe easier now that they have one less threat?
What about Dhahi Khalfan’s threat to storm the Persian beaches and re-establish true Islam for the second time? (FYI: Dhahi Khalfan is the Chief of Police of Dubai and UAE shadow foreign minister and shadow head of the UAE CIA and chief of the UAE Revolutionary Guard Corps (UAE RGC), among other things).
They also underestimated the Spartans so long ago (the Persians not the UAE), and eventually paid a price.
Cheers
mhg
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Prisoners of Conscience, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Dissidents: of Security Prisons and Mysterious Deaths………

   

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Re: my last post on Evin and al-Haer prisons in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Rights Activists Report that 13 prisoners have died recently in security prisons in the kingdom under what they call “mysterious circumstances”. They list the names of the dead, most of whom are Saudi citizens. This is something that would terrify the families of the thousands of detainees. They have been protesting outside the prison and being water-hosed and harassed by security forces, according to Saudi rights lawyers. There have been more and more protests outside security police headquarters and prisons.
Such public protests are unusual in Saudi Arabia outside the Qatif region in the Eastern Province. Change that: they used to be unusual, but not anymore. The fear is receding.
Cheers
mhg
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Corruption, Iran, Saudi Arabia

Chutzpah: Iranians and Saudis Exchange Political Prisoners……………

   

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“A large number of protestors staged a demonstration in front of a Saudi prison in Qassim province to demand the release of their relatives who have been arrested and locked up by the al-Saud regime for political reasons. The Saudi security forces blockaded the roads around a desert prison in Central Saudi Arabia on Monday where relatives of inmates were staging a demonstration to demand their release. The protestors had gathered since Sunday afternoon in the desert around the prison in Qassim province but were told by police they would be arrested if they tried to leave, protesters said by telephone. They complained they had no food or water because of the blockade but said they would keep up the protest……………..”

This was eagerly reported by Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. Here the Iranians are clearly enjoying this Saudi discomfort: people have been publicly protesting about their relatives being held for years in prison, often without charges. The Iranians of course have their own political prisoners, many of them. Some Saudi dissidents claim that the al-Haer prison, where many Saudi dissidents are held, is the largest in the Middle East. Most others outside claim that Iran’s Evin is bigger, it certainly is better known both inside and outside the country, more notorious. Iran’s population is more than three times that of Saudi Arabia, so it is more likely to have bigger prisons and more political prisoners by sheer numbers. On the other hand there are also many Saudi ways to get in ‘trouble’: there are thousands of corrupt princes (and princesses) that one can insult and get into trouble. Besides, the traditionally subservient Saudi citizens (not just in Qatif) are getting fed up and speaking out more often now.
Things can only get more exciting in the Arabian Peninsula, from the birthplace of Islam in Hijaz to the oilfields of the Eastern Province. Things can only get more exciting in Iran as well, perhaps after the 2013 elections.
I’d say, between the Iranians and the Saudis, it is a toss-up (as in flipping a fifty fils coin to see if it is “chap lo kittib”. You figure that last one out if you can, or call someone on the Gulf).
Cheers
mhg
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Iran, Israel, Libya

Breaking News: Netanyahu to Blame Iran’s Qassem Suleimani for Libya Terror Attack……….

   

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Breaking News: There are reports from my unreliable sources in Israel that Benyamin Netanyahu may announce later today that Iran is responsible for the murders of American diplomats in Libya. He will reportedly point the finger (you guess which finger) toward Qassem Suleimani of the Quds Brigade of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC). Netanyahu will quote an anonymous reporter of the New York Times who will be quoting an anonymous Israeli official who will quote a high Arab official in close contact with the Free Syrian Army. Brigadier General Suleimani will, as usual, decline to comment.
My Republican source in Berkeley (CA) also reports that Mitt Romney may jump the gun and publicly declare his support for Natanyahu’s pointed finger before the Israeli prime minister makes his announcement.
Cheers
mhg
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Iran, Israel, U.S. Politics, US Foreign Policy

Netanyahu Trying to Blackmail Obama, Help Romney in U.S. Elections……………..

   

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“The White House has rejected a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet President Barack Obama in the United States this month, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, after a row erupted between the allies over Iran’s nuclear programme. An Israeli official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Netanyahu’s aides had asked for a meeting when he visits the United Nations this month, and “the White House has got back to us and said it appears a meeting is not possible. It said that the president’s schedule will not permit that“…………”

Whining again. You’ve got to hand it to Netanyahu: as far as hitting low and dirty, he never disappoints. Even as he whines. This is clearly an attempt to blackmail Obama weeks before the presidential, and to give the Republican right-wing new ammunition for the campaign. I would not be surprised if this was closely coordinated with the Romney campaign. In fact I am almost certain this is the case. It is unlikely to sway many Jewish voters, but the name of the game is either Florida or cornering Obama into a promise to wage an unprovoked internationally illegal war of aggression in the Middle East. Most people in the Muslim and Arab world see it that way.
Will it work? It needn’t work: Romney looks set to defeat himself in the November elections. Yet he may get his wish to meet Obama.
 Cheers
mhg
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Arab Revolutions, Bahrain

The West vs. the People of Bahrain: from Hardware to Software to Malware……….

   

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“The UK firm Gamma Group has created malware that can turn a cell phone into a tracking device. A new report revealed that the Bahraini government used it to spy on dissidents, while the firm says the software was stolen. Husain Abdulla, a naturalized US citizen and director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHR, received an e-mail in May from a Bahraini opposition leader with an attachment entitled “Existence of a new dialogue.” Luckily for him, it wouldn’t open on his BlackBerry. “I couldn’t open the attachment, but took it to one of the people investigating malware,” he told DW. “They said it if you open it, it’s going to be able to spy on any kind of activity you do on your computer or laptop.” Abdulla said he is aware of at least seven people who received the same e-mail – “but I know it’s more than that.” The malware investigators were researchers at the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs’ Citizen Lab, who traced the e-mail to an IP address controlled by the Bahraini government, who, they suspect, intercepted the e-mail and added the attachment………..”

The people of Bahrain have gotten used to it by now. Western powers, and their Muslim allies like Turkey and Jordan and Saudi Arabia (and possibly Islamist Egypt soon enough), are sending all kinds of goodies to their captive island. From goons to interrogators to police chiefs and advisers to weapons to turning a very blind eye to outrages. They have gotten used to having the whole decades-long problems of Bahrain summarized in one word: Iran. From the apartheid policy of discrimination and repression to rampant corruption to absolute tribal sectarian rule, it is all summarized in one alibi, the same alibi used by many Arab despots, especially on the Gulf: Iran.
You’d think if Iran were nuked, the mullahs sent to the nether world, maybe then the besotted people of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and Yemen will become free and equal overnight. Maybe it is worth it if that means the princes and potentates and their retainers will also vanish to WTF they belong.
Did I just make a case for the “liberation” of Iran? I think I may have made the case for the “liberation” of Iran and several other countries.
Cheers
 mhg
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Arab Revolutions, Cairo, Libya, Salafi, US Foreign Policy

Back to the Shores of Tripoli: the Salafi Rampage…………….

   

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“From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine……..” U.S. Marines Hymn

Egyptian commentators noted that police and security were absent from the US embassy area in Cairo yesterday. Tweeters wrote that the Salafis had an easy job climbing the walls and taking the flag. Theories of conspiracy were all over the place. Overall, the Egyptians have managed to contain the backlash to this “mysterious” film.
Now this has become the most famous film in the world: free publicity by Salafi Wahhabi idiots. Just as the Ayatollah Khomenei gave free publicity to a little-known book by a British author three decades ago: and made it a worldwide best-seller.
The producer of this film wtf it is, couldn’t have paid for better publicity.

As for Libya: it is now becoming a failed state. It is getting the same disease as the Horn of Africa and the Sahel of northwest Africa. A ”potentially” rich failed state. Liberated from the Qaddafi dictatorship by NATO (NOT by the ragtag militias who marched in after the Western planes had done the job. Now it is beset with militia forces not bound to any authority, ideological, various Islamist, and tribal militias. The dictatorial glue that held Libya is coming undone, melted by the fires from NATO bombs last year. Now the marines again storm the shores of Tripoli, well, just to protect the embassy, a task the local “authorities” don’t seem able to do. The embassy killers were not just a “mob”. They were a heavily armed “militia”, not a popular spontaneous mob. Meanwhile, the Salafis, who ironically don’t believe in challenging any authority as long as it is Muslim, are poised to challenge the Arab system. This will not be the last in Libya (or in Egypt).
Salafis thrive on anarchy everywhere. Everywhere except in Saudi Arabia, their ideological mother and the teat that breastfeeds them with ideas and money.
Cheers
mhg
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