Category Archives: GCC

Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Bahrain, GCC, Human Right, Salafi, Torture, US Foreign Policy

In the Shadow of the Fifth Fleet: “five months in custody, enduring beatings, torture, sexual assault and threats of rape……..”

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“When a Bahraini hospital started to take in casualties from the violent crackdown on protesters earlier this year, Rula al-Saffar was one of the first to volunteer. As a medical professor and president of the Bahraini Nursing Society, she was not on the staff of the overwhelmed Salmaniya hospital, but doctors needed all the help they could get. Saffar could not have known at the time that in stepping in to help save lives she was endangering her own. Within weeks she would be arrested, charged, convicted in a trial lasting minutes and sentenced to 15 years in prison, along with 19 other hospital medics………. Saffar was arrested on 4 April after receiving a late-night phone call ordering her to present herself to Bahrain’s Central Investigation Department for interrogation. “The minute I entered they just closed the gate, and suddenly I was blindfolded, handcuffed and started being pushed and cussed at the whole time. “I never knew why was I there. And then this woman started shouting at me, that you hate the system, that you were a protester against the system, against the king. “I kept saying: ‘No, this is not what happened,’ and of course the minute you say no they beat you up and they electrocute you … And I thought: ‘How dare you do this?’ Interrogation … as you see in a democratic country, I thought my country had the same thing, where you have a right for your lawyer, they read your warrant. But this is not what happened to us.” Saffar spent five months in custody, enduring beatings, torture, sexual assault and threats of rape… ……”

Yes sir, those mercenary interrogators from Pakistan and Jordan are sure earning their pay. As do the local thugs of the regime. That must be what the billion-dollar a year GCC aid was intended for. I wonder if they had some of those Salafi shaikhs they have in their pockets sanction such behavior as kosher, in a Salafi Islamic sense. For a price, of course. As for our Wahhabi faux-liberals on our Gulf, many of them think it is alright, as long as the Salafi shaikhs say so. In the shadow of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

Cheers
mhg


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Culture, GCC, UAE, US Foreign Policy

Kim Kardashian Invades UAE: a GCC Invitation? About Snooki of Arabia………….

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“Kim Kardashian says beauty of Arab women ‘unique and exotic’. During her first visit to the Middle East, reality star Kim Kardashian told Al Arabiya morning show that the beauty of Arab women is “unique and exotic,” adding that she was inspired by their love for fashion. “I was seeing a lot of different women today and they are so stylish and so beautiful and I like how they do their makeup and just how they dress. They love fashion here, which really inspiring to me,” Kardashian said, Asked about what she does to maintain her body shape, the reality star said, “I work out a lot and I also take vitamins and supplements. I take Quick Trim if its bikini season and I want to really get in shape quickly.” The reality star and her mother, Kris, on Friday evening opened the Millions of Milkshakes store in the Dubai Mall. Regarding her reality television series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” the reality star said it was her mom who came up with the idea brought to producer Ryan Seacrest…….. Kim was seen wearing a traditional burqua and a niqab in Dubai. She tweeted on of her pictures wearing the dress……………..” Alarabiya (Saudi)

No doubt she met the potentates of the UAE. I recall Michael Jackson went to Bahrain and met the king, who seemed to be beaming with excitement. That was just before the King’s wacko son decided to sue Jacko for several million dollars he had given him with the idea that they would become an item, professionally and musically speaking. Jacko probably realized that if these people had any talent at all it is for repression, corruption, and kleptocracy.
No news yet if Kardashian plans to visit Riyadh and feast on camel ‘qoozi with the potentates over there. Who knows, with the Jordanian and Moroccan GCC membership bid going nowhere, they might offer membership to Kim. Maybe they ought to invite her to the next summit. And what about Snooki?
Cheers
mhg


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GCC, Human Right, Muslims, Persian-American Gulf, Religion, religious police, Salafi, Saudi Arabia

Saudi offshore Tolerance Center in Vienna? What about Riyadh?………….

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“Saudi Arabia and Austria are launching a Vienna-based inter-faith and tolerance center with the goal of promoting tolerance in Saudi Arabia. Many critics of the initiative have pointed out that the Gulf kingdom prohibits any religion from practicing in the country besides Islam and say the center is a futile attempt to support the country’s radical views. “Saudi Arabia is willing to financially participate in this project, and to place all its moral and political resources behind such a center, without infringing … on its autonomy or independence from any political interference,” King Abdullah told officials and reporters on the project……..……”

This is truly a joke of the week. Saudi Arabia is the most intolerant country in our galaxy. It has no citizen who is not a Muslim. It does not allow any other religion to be practiced. There are no churches, no synagogues, no temples, no pagodas, no ashrams. Bibles and Torahs and Hindu and Buddhist books are banned. Foreigners who practice their faith at home occasionally have their homes raided by the religious police (Committee for the Propagation of Vice). Santa Claus would be beheaded in a public square if he showed his jolly tubby self in Riyadh (so would Burl Ives). This is truly offshore tolerance: “stay tolerant in your country and we remain intolerant in our country”.
Not only that: they have spread their extremely intolerant Salafi ideology to other places that now have become intolerant. Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Malaysia, some half-witted Egyptians and Lebanese and Syrians. All that in addition to their Salafi and Muslim brotherhood “fifth column” in some of the GCC states of the Persian-American Gulf.
This whole public tolerance campaign is just a prepaid public relation stunt that reeks of bullshit. Spelling hypocrisy the Wahhabi way.
Cheers
mhg


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GCC, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, US Foreign Policy

Reactions: Middle East Region, Saudi Region, Georgetown Think-Tank Region, Cafe Milano Region………….

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“Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said on Tuesday that such ‘ludicrous’ claims hinged on the hostile joint stances adopted by the US and Israel against the country. “These threadbare attitudes, which are based on the age-old and hostile American-Zionist policies, are a ridiculous show in line with certain [instances of] scenario fabrication of divisive ends on the part of the enemies of Islam and the region,” Mehmanparast said. He also condemned all acts of terrorism, adding that Washington was employing the legerdemain to divert attention from the growing domestic protests it was facing. The Iranian official asserted, “Plotters of such manufactured scenarios seek to sow division and help the Zionist regime [of Israel] out of its current isolation.” He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran was an establishment founded on Islamic ethics and values and that the country had always warned that the enemies of the region were plotting against it……….”

He gave the usual boring expected Iranian litany of explanation. But his claim that it is a fabrication is a point to consider: it will resonate strongly in most of the Arab world, except for the Saudi part on the Gulf. I expect that most Arabs tend to think it is either a fabrication produced in Washington (and/or Riyadh) or grossly exaggerated. Contrary to what we see on CNN from Middle East “experts” opining that it will help discredit the Iranian regime in the region. They must mean the “Georgetown think-tank region”.
At least he did not blame Israel directly: that is so old and uncool these days. He did however say that it was aimed to help Israel. It no doubt does, but only in Saudi Arabia and the “Saudi part” of the Gulf GCC. A Saudi man-about-town related to the royal family (Turki al-Sudairy) wrote a column yesterday saying that Iran was enemy number one and Israel enemy number two. He did got some strong critical reaction from Saudi dissidents on the Internet. He also mentioned some nonsense about the Iranian “prime minister”. Iran has no prime minister, but our Gulf palace faux-liberals don’t read enough to know that.
Cheers
mhg


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GCC, UAE

The Dubai Metro: Possibly Mayhaps a Pleasant Surprise…………..

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“Riders of the Dubai metro were surprised to see the vice president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum among them as he was heading to the house of a leading citizen of the city. What was interesting is that Shaikh Mohammed did not have any assistants or aides or guards with him. He stood all alone throughout the trip………”

It probably was a surprise alright. It doesn’t say if it was a pleasant or an unpleasant surprise. But I am not sure if it was a pleasant surprise. What do you think (he probably does smile occasionally)?
Ruler of Dubai
More seriously, it was a good move on his part to encourage people to ride the metro. He wanted the citizens to start using the expensive metro, a good cause. Gulf GCC citizens, and I should know, are notorious for eschewing any form of public transport; thinking it is beneath them to share public transport with lowly Asian and Arab laborers who are a majority of the population anyway. Once during rush hour I recall riding one of those smoky tuk-tuks in Southeast Asia and had it drive me to the door of our IMF-World Bank conference hotel. Shocked the hell out of the Gulf potentates.
The metro may become the exception if the potentates keep on riding it. Besides, Gulfies have no problem riding public transport in Europe. See? Stupidity, nay asininity, is thriving on the Gulf. Plenty of it on the shores of my Gulf.
Cheers
mhg


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Bahrain, GCC, Kuwait, Persian-American Gulf, Salafi, Saudi Arabia, WTF

Kuwait Protests? about Saudi Protests, Bahrain Protests, Salafi Uprising………….

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“Meshal al-Zaidi says he was drawn into Kuwait’s protest movement by political ideals, not the economic grievances that helped spur revolts in poorer Arab countries. “My friend drives a Porsche Cayenne, another a Porsche Panamera, you’ll see the best cars at Kuwaiti protests,” said al-Zaidi, a 25-year-old who runs a public relations firm and attends rallies seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah. “It’s not about money, it’s not about oil, it’s about real democracy.”………” Bloomberg News

No, it is not all about real democracy. It is hardly about democracy. God knows there is plenty of corruption and mismanagement in Kuwait, although not nearly as much as in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain. Hell, they even hired Tony Blair as a consultant: now that can’t reflect any true commitment to honesty and clean management, can it? But then all that is really lowering the bar.
Although some, a few, of the protesters want more freedom and accountability, there are many more among them who have no desire for democracy. Just ask almost anyone who shows up at these small events about Saudi Arabia, and they’ll either praise that country’s regime or get evasive. Unfortunately most of the so-called protesters are either of the local Wahhabi faux-liberals or the Islamists (die-hard Salafis) with a few bored-to-death others thrown in. Some may be part (pawns) of an intense power struggle within the ruling elite.
 
The Wahhabi faux-liberals are already tweeting and ‘column-izing’ against the currents protests in Saudi Arabia, labeling them an “Iranian” plot, just as they do in Bahrain. I don’t think they are stupid, nobody can be that stupid (or can they?). The Salafi Islamists among them have no desire to have any form of enhanced democracy, but they are great opportunists. Some of these Islamists seem to be the loudest, more media-grabbing among the “protesters”. They failed to get rid of the current prime minister through a parliamentary vote since most members voted against them (either out of conviction or for self-interest). That is when they tried the street. Many of these same Salafis have pushed for more restrictions on the freedom of expression in the legislature. They mostly look toward Salafi Wahhabi corrupt Saudi Arabia as the “model”, to the extent of pushing for some form of political ‘consolidation’ presumably under some form of Saudi rule (perhaps a satrapy like Bahrain?).
This local columnist here gives a glimpse into some of the “Saudi” loyalties at work. He is too shy to mention the country’s name directly. He points out that the government is guilty and responsible for past policies that created the current atmosphere of corruption and unrest.
Cheers
mhg


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Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Bahrain, GCC, Saudi Arabia

Arab Spring Finally Reaches Eastern Arabia? Wahhabi Faux-Liberals of the Gulf………..

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“Security forces in eastern Saudi Arabia clashed with armed people provoked by a “foreign country,” the Saudi Press Agency said Tuesday, citing an official source at the Interior Ministry. The incident occurred Monday night in Awamiyya, in the Qatif region of Eastern province, where many Shiites in the predominantly Sunni country live. At least 14 people were wounded. “A group of instigators” congregated in the town’s roundabout and “used motorcycles and Molotov cocktails to undermine security and interfere in national sovereignty,” according to the report…….The ministry said that it “will not tolerate any threat to the security and stability of the homeland and its citizens, and will respond with an iron fist.”………”

“Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that clashes on Monday night that injured 14 people including 11 policemen in its oil-rich Eastern province, home to a large Shi’ite population, were the work of an unnamed foreign power, usually code for its rival Iran. Saudi Arabia applies the Wahhabi austere version of Sunni Islam, and minority Shi’ites say that, while their situation has improved slightly under reforms launched by King Abdullah, they still face many restrictions and discrimination. The government denies these charges. Shi’ites have long complained of second class status in the absolute monarchy. They also want the release of Shi’ite prisoners, some of whom were arrested during previous protests. Shi’ites, who make up to 15 percent of the 19 million Saudi population, say they are not represented in the cabinet, they struggle to land senior government and security jobs and are viewed as heretics or even agents of Iran by the Saudi authorities and hardline Sunni clerics. …………”


The fear is also vanishing in Saudi Arabia, just as it did in other places from Tunisia through Libya and Egypt and Syria and Yemen and Bahrain. The fear is gone or going away. Now the “Saudis” even have a Facebook page for what they call their “revolution”. Today it is Qatif, but who knows, maybe tomorrow it will be Riyadh and Jeddah in spite of the many who have vanished, like Khalid al-Jehany and Ashmawi and many others. The regime is already claiming that the protesters are “Iranian” agents, a predictable claim for Gulf absolute polygamous monarchs when they are in trouble. This old tune of the despots has lost its charm. Only the so-called self-styled palace liberals, really Wahhabi faux-liberals, in the media of some GCC Gulf states, including my hometown, pretend to believe this nonsense anymore. The despots can fool their people only so many times with the sectarian card that they and the Bahraini rulers have overused.

The solution can be simple: give people back their full God-given rights, the rights they were born with before you usurped them.
Cheers
mhg


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Arab Politics, GCC, Gulf states, Humor, WTF, Yemen

WTF: Railway Link to Yemen? From Funny GCC to Asinine GCC…………

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“Transport and Communications Undersecretaries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states discussed here Monday the establishment of a railway authority, as well as linking Yemen with the yet-to-be-established GCC railway network. Director General of UAE’s national transport authority, Dr. Nasser Al-Mansouri, in a keynote speech to the meeting, underlined importance of the railroad project that would link the six GCC countries. He said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has established the federation trains company and issued relevant legislations to pave way for the construction of the UAE’s railroad network. GCC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs Abdullah Al-Shubaili, in remarks on sidelines of the meeting said the officials discussed feasibility study of the railroad linkage with Yemen, safe regulations of small ships and inspection on vessels…..….”

I can’t believe these F-heads seriously talked about a rail extension into Yemen. Yemen is having a popular rebellion, nay multiple rebellions, against their favorite dictator. Yemen is experiencing several civil wars on several fronts. Yemen has a serious al-Qaeda presence. Yemen faces American drone bombings from bases most likely in Saudi Arabia. Yemen will be unstable for years to come mainly because of the dictatorship. It is absurd enough that they want to invite Morocco and Jordan and Monaco and Brunei and Zimbabwe and Colombia to join. And now this. What is the matter with these watermelon dignitaries of the GCC?
Cheers
mhg


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Apartheid, Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Bahrain, GCC, Human Right, Iraq, Racism, Saudi Arabia

Sectarian Wahhabi Logic of a Saudi Mouthpiece………….

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“These words mean that the al-Assad regime is trying to win over the minorities by scaring them of the dangers posed by the majority. Yet the real problem here is not the al-Assad regime, but rather what the minorities themselves have done in our region; the Christians in Lebanon and Iraq, even the Shiites in Iraq and Bahrain, who are committing a grave mistake by sliding into the quagmire of supporting dictatorships, under the pretext that they will be protected against the majority. It is important here to repeat what I heard from a rational, liberal friend, who is far removed from sectarian views, about his reaction to the actions of minorities these days in our region. My friend’s opinion reflects the view of a substantial portion of the rational liberals in our region……….This is the mistake which befell the Shiites in Bahrain, and although they are not a minority in their own country, they are amongst their Arab surroundings. The same thing happened with the Shiites in Lebanon, given their surroundings, especially because they believe that there are embers [of an uprising] under the ashes in Iran…..” Asharq Alawsat (Saudi daily)

This from one of the chief editors of the semi-official Saudi daily Asharq Alawsat. His masters’ voice. He is blaming the people of Iraq for again not letting the remnants of the Ba’ath regime, those who would not even defend Baghdad against the invaders, maintain power. He is blaming the people of Bahrain for resisting the Wahhabi-inspired policy of discrimination and Apartheid applied by the Al Khalifa rulers. He is drumming up that old sectarian and racist nonsense that his Saudi masters and their paid Salafi agents and fifth columnists have used effectively around the Gulf. He is urging the oppressed people of Bahrain to co-exist with others, meaning that they should accept second class status under an unelected minority regime (he might add: worse than the one in Syria which is repressive and dictatorial but does not apply a policy of Apartheid).
He is also taking a swipe at Christians and a few other minorities in the Arab world, perhaps because they are not allied enough with his Wahhabi masters.
Cheers
mhg


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Apartheid, Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Bahrain, GCC, Saudi Arabia

New Rumble in Manama: People to Face Regime & Imported Mercenaries & Western Arms……….

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“Chief of Public Security Major-General Tariq Mubarak Bin Daina
on Monday ordered a ban on forming human chains, a notification
for which was submitted by three citizens to the General Directorate
of the Capital Governorate Police in view of Al Wefaq National Islamic
Society’s plan to form a human chain along a vital road in Manama
tomorrow.
Major-General Bin Daina said that the ban had to be imposed since
the notification does not fulfil the criteria laid down in Decree Law
No. 18 of 1973 on public gatherings, rallies and processions……….”

The people of Bahrain are planning what they call “the Deluge of Manama” or “Manama Tsunami” while the regime calls it by other names. They have drawn a map of the “human chain” route they plan on taking tomorrow. The regime forces, mostly consisting of imported foreign mercenaries and possibly Saudi forces, will be waiting for the people with the best weapons that the freedom-loving West can produce and export.

(This worthy is not even of the ruling family, just a retainer. He is one of the very few top fuckheads I have seen whose last name is different. Must be some in-law).
Cheers
mhg


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