Libya cuts off Internet; death toll past 100

From AFP:

Internet service was cut off in Libya on Friday as the regime evidently moved to strip anti-government protestors of ways to organize and communicate, according to Arbor Networks.

From Newser:

[T]he death toll keeps climbing in Libya's protests. Moammar Gadhafi's minions killed another 20 people today, bringing the five-day total to at least 104, says Human Rights Watch. Gadhafi has effectively shut off Internet service and forbid media coverage, but witnesses told AP of attacks by police and government loyalists wielding guns, knives, and even anti-aircraft missiles.

Read More

Islamists 1, young secular Egyptians 0 (SoccerDad)

Thomas Friedman:

Indeed, it is no surprise that the emerging spokesman for this uprising is Wael Ghonim — a Google marketing executive who is Egyptian. He opened a Facebook page called “We are all Khaled Said,” named for an activist who was allegedly beaten to death by police in Alexandria. And that page helped spark the first protests here. Ghonim was abducted by Egyptian security officials on Jan. 28, and he was released on Monday. On Monday night, he gave an emotional TV interview that inspired many more people to come into the squareon Tuesday. And when he spoke there in the afternoon, he expressed the true essence of this uprising. 

Roger Cohen:

The sea of people pulsated with energy, galvanized by the words of Wael Ghonim, the young Google executive who got the Mubarak treatment — 12-day disappearance, blindfolding, interrogation — before a tweet that will one day be etched in some granite memorial: “Freedom is a bless that deserves fighting for it.”

Reality:

Google executive Wael Ghonim, who emerged as a leading voice in Egypt's uprising, was barred from the stage in Tahrir Square on Friday by security guards, an AFP photographer said. Ghonim tried to take the stage in Tahrir, the epicentre of anti-regime protests that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, but men who appeared to be guarding influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi barred him from doing so.

Ghonim, who was angered by the episode, then left the square with his face hidden by an Egyptian flag.

(from SoccerDad via email)

Read More

So the Iranian ships are coming through Suez after all

Although it looked for a little while that this was a false alarm, it looks like it is true.

From YNet:

Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal, a source said on Friday, a move that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman previously described as "provocative."

"Egypt has agreed to the passage of two Iranian ships through the Suez Canal," the security source told Reuters.

The two ships would be the first Iranian military vessels to pass through the canal since Iran's 1979 revolution.

To navigate the strategic waterway, naval vessels need the approval of Egypt's Foreign and Defence Ministries.

J. E. Dyer at Commentary describes why this is a big deal:

The big shift here is in political perceptions of power. The important facts are that revolutionary, terror-sponsoring Iran — under U.S., EU, and UN sanctions — feels free to conduct this deployment, and Syria feels free to cooperate in it. Egypt’s interim rulers apparently saw no reason to block the Suez transit, in spite of the Egyptians’ very recent concern over Iranian-backed terrorists and insurgents operating on their territory. Saudi Arabia, for its part, considered it prudent to host the Iranian warships last week — in spite of the Saudis’ own conviction that Iran has been aiding rebel groups that threaten Saudi territory. 

The cooperation from the Arab nations should not be misread, however. The Arabs have no desire to see Iran in a position of regional hegemony. The threat of that prospect will raise the stakes for the governmental turmoil in the Arab world. The view is likely to gain momentum that Arabs need to organize as much to counter Iran as to address their own domestic issues. That factor — so inimical to the unforced development of political liberalism — was never going to be dismissible; the Iranian warship deployment makes it inevitable. 

In information-speak, Iran is “inside our OODA-loop” right now: acting faster than we have prepared to react. Complacent assumptions about inertia in the status quo will not be borne out. Iran’s proximate strategic objective is consolidating the rule of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Former prime minister Saad Hariri declared his opposition to the Hezbollah-backed government in a speech on Monday; Hassan Nasrallah is promising that Hezbollah fighters will occupy Galilee; Ehud Barak warned on Wednesday that Israel might have to enter Lebanon again to counter Hezbollah. With the battle lines being drawn, Iran’s posture is hardening: the Islamic revolutionary regime is “all in.”

Read More

Djibouti,Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Kuwait protests

From Al Arabiya:

Thousands of opposition supporters, mainly students, gathered in Djibouti Friday to demand President Ismael Omar Guelleh step down, witnesses said.

The rare demonstration in the tiny Horn of Africa country was organised amid mounting opposition to the president, who last year had the constitution amended to allow him to seek a third mandate in upcoming April elections.

"IOG out", read one banner, using the president's initials, as most Djiboutians do. "No to a third mandate", read another banner.

Amid a tight police deployment, the demonstrators gathered at a stadium with the intention of staying there until their demands are met.

---

Hundreds of Syrians staged a protest against security forces after traffic police beat up a young man in the capital's Old City, an opposition website reported on Friday.

The Dubai-based all4Syria.info said Imad Nasab, son of a shopowner in the cobbled commercial strip of Hariqa, was assaulted by traffic police officers, sparking a spontaneous rally on Thursday in solidarity with the victim.

"The Syrian people will not be humiliated," chanted the crowd.

"Police, thieves" and "We will sacrifice our soul and blood for you (President) Bashar (al-Assad)" were some of the slogans used by the demonstrators.

Also...

Clashes broke out Friday in Jordan's capital between government supporters and opponents at a protest calling for more freedom and lower food prices, injuring eight.

The Amman protest drew about 2,000 people, including hard-line leftists, Muslim conservatives and students calling for reduced power for the king and the chance to elect members of the Cabinet.

Students from the growing "Jaayin" or "I'm Coming" movement chanted: "We want constitutional reforms. We want a complete change to policies."

"They beat us with batons, pipes and hurled rocks at us," said Tareq Kmeil, a student at the protest. "We tried to defend ourselves, to beat them back."

---

Meanwhile, at least two people were killed in Yemen on Friday when clashes broke out between police and protesters.

Also Kuwait, where the protesters are stateless Bedouin.

Death tolls are mounting in Bahrain and Libya.

Read More

Danny Ayalon on the Arab world's upheaval

From Danny Ayalon in the Huffington Post:

[S]ome [European and American analysts] still see every event in the Middle East, minor or major, as connected to Israel. Many of these analysts are so preoccupied with Israel or the so-called "Middle East conflict", a term that ignores or dismisses all other conflicts in the region as irrelevant and non-newsworthy, that they have no understanding of the region beyond Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

One would think that the recent events in Tunisia, Cairo, Yemen and elsewhere would demand soul-searching and humility on the part of these talking-heads who pontificate from their comfortable think-tanks and self-appointed analyst positions in Washington, London and Brussels.

Some of these analysts have not amended their tired and outdated thinking even after the recent events, merely stating the relationship of the unrest to Israel and the peace process. They have become the dinosaurs of international affairs and foreign policy analysis and will not be shaken from their ideological foundations by facts that contradict their thinking.Many of these analysts, some who claim experience in Middle East affairs, like those who claim to have been part of a peace process negotiating team when they did little more than make the tea, lack a keen understanding of the region. They fundamentally ignored the UNDP Human Development Report for Arab states report in 2009 which was a virtual roadmap for the events that took place during the last few weeks.

This report stated that the Arab world is lacking in all areas of human development, such as freedom, women empowerment and education. In addition, nearly 40% of the Arab world lives below the international poverty line. For the Arab world to merely maintain its current position, which is at the lowest rung on the development ladder, it will need to create 51 million jobs in the next ten years.

The report, co-authored by Arab scholars was a scream in the dark for many western analysts to wake up and face the very real problems affecting the Arab world. In addition, the free Arab press relates to these issues on a daily basis. However, this patronizing and perhaps even chauvinistic approach by some analysts tells the people of the region what they should be thinking rather than learning and listening.

Nevertheless, they cling to the tired and discredited claim that building a few of apartments in Ariel is what drives the so-called "Arab street" to distraction. 

Read More

Paris Hilton converts? Arab sites get fooled by satire (updated)

Firas Press quotes American news outlets as saying that Paris Hilton is wearing a veil and has converted to Islam. It says she plans to open an Islamic school in Los Angeles and is changing her name to Tahirah.

Here's the photo proof:

The only problem is that this came from a spoof news site called The Daily Squib. Here's their "article":

JEDDAH - Saudi Arabia - Former American socialite, Paris Hilton has converted to Islam, her spokesman, Ian Brinkham, has revealed to CBS news.

"She has been toying with the idea for quite a while now and when she was imprisoned at Century Regional Detention Facility in 2007, she encountered a few people who had already converted," Mr Brinkham said.

By converting to the Muslim faith, Paris Hilton has decided to shun her old life as a celebrity skank.

Speaking from an Islamic study retreat in Jeddah, she said: "I have now found total peace in my life. Before, I used to be known as an STD-ridden streetwalker , a 'hoe' and a person of loose morals, but now, things have changed. Allah be praised."

Hollywood Jihad

Ms Hilton plans to return to Los Angeles next week to start her own Islamic school in the middle of Beverly Hills.

"Forget Scientology or Kaballah. This is the religion to be in now. I'm not going to be wearing a piece of red string on my wrist or walk around like a robot talking to Xenu. Islam is the new must-have religion. and I'm going to spread the word of the Koran to everyone," an excited Paris Hilton said.

Paris Hilton also plans to change her name to 'Tahirah' which means 'Pure, chaste' in Arabic. Her Islamic school will open in July and is set to become a popular Hollywood spiritual haunt for many celebrities.

UPDATE: Apparently, her love of Islam was short-lived.

(h/t Anna12)

Read More

Al Aqsa dudes freak out over Photoshopped Dome pix

Firas Press reports that the Al Aqsa Heritage people, having a slow news week, decided to condemn some unnamed Zionist websites that apparently show an edited photo of an Israeli flag flying on top of the Dome of the Rock. Although they say that they don't want to give the sites any more publicity, it shows that Zionist plans are to replace the site with a Jewish temple, yadda yadda yadda.

Unfortunately, they didn't provide the URLs of these offensive pictures.

So, I was forced to come up with my own:

UPDATE: Found the photo, at ABNA.ir. Mine's better.

Read More

Video: Libyans destroying Gaddafi "Green Book" monument

From Now Lebanon:


New video from Libya shows protesters in the city of Tubruq tearing down a monument to the Green Book on Thursday. The book was written by the country’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and it outlines his political views.

The YouTube site says this happened on Thursday.

(h/t Missing Peace)

Read More

Fun trivia fact

Far more Arabs have been killed by other Arabs during protests in the past month than have been killed by Israel in the past two years.

The toll so far:
Egypt 365
Tunisia 219
Libya 24
Bahrain 5
Yemen 4
Iraq 2

Total: 599 (at least)

That's more than quadruple the number of Palestinian Arabs killed by Israel since Cast Lead.

Read More

Latest Latma (2/18/11)

Including the Mohammed bedtime story.

Read More

Bahrain's revolution more problematic

The protests in Bahrain are not the same as in Egypt or Tunisia. Rather than protesting rising prices or freedom, it appears that the Bahrain protests are mostly by the Shiite majority against the ruling Sunnis.

But it is not as if Bahrain is a wasteland of human rights. It actually has one of the best human rights records of any Arab country and it has a diverse population. Bahrain even publicly called for the Jews who fled the country to come back.(It is not thrilled with gays, though.)

In fact, the major Shiite party wants to have more discrimination! From Wikipedia:

Al Wefaq, Bahrain’s main Shia Islamist opposition party, has for several years tried to introduce racial segregation, calling for the removal of third world immigrants from predominately Bahraini areas. In 2004, the head of Manama City Council, Al Wefaq’s Murthader Bader, called for the introduction of racial segregation in the city with the removal of South Asian nationals to other parts of the country.

So far, this has not morphed into an anti-US protest, but Bahrain is the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and concern is rising there. The Fifth Fleet helps keep the Gulf safe from disruptions of oil shipments that have been threatened by Al Qaeda - and Iran.

Iran is of course supporting the Shiites and denouncing the ruling government. Iran considers Bahrain to be a part of Iran proper and an Iranian takeover of the country to "redeem" it is not out of the question.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is very nervous and there are reports that it has sent its own tanks in to help Bahrain fight the protesters. Saudi Arabia has many Shiites that live in areas of the country where oil is pumped, and a revolution that spreads to the kingdom could be disastrous to the world energy supply.

The knee-jerk reaction to support every seemingly popular revolution can have far-reaching consequences.

Read More

UCLA's having "Palestine Awareness Week." Let's help them out.

I just saw a Facebook page advertising UCLA's "Palestine Awareness Week" next week.

I deeply believe in awareness for Palestine, so here is my small contribution to the cause:

• Are you aware that Palestine was never a country?
• Are you aware that the word Palestine is Roman, not Arabic?
• Are you aware that Jerusalem was never the capital of any Arab nation?
• Are you aware that before 1920, the area known as Palestine included much or all of what is now Jordan?
• Are you aware that practically every written history of the Palestinian Arabs starts after Jews started returning to the area in the late 1800s?
• Are you aware that practically no Arabs called themselves "Palestinian" before 1964?
• Are you aware that the first Palestinian Arab leader, Haj Amin al Husseini, originally wanted a "Greater Syria" to include Palestine and only changed his mind in the 1920s?
• Are you aware that this same Husseini instigated murderous rampages against the Jews of Palestine - including Jewish communities that had been there for centuries?
• Are you aware that this same Husseini colluded with Hitler to perform genocide on all Jews during World War II?
• Are you aware the Palestinian Arabs have never accepted any peace plan that included a Jewish state?
• Are you aware that modern terrorism was created by Palestinian Arabs?
• Are you aware that Palestinian Arabs never demanded their own West Bank or Gaza state when they were under Jordanian and Egyptian control?
• Are you aware that Yasir Arafat embezzled as much as $3 billion from his people, yet he is still regarded as a hero and no Palestinian Arab leader is trying to find his stolen money?
• Are you aware that the constitution of Palestine states that Sharia law would be the main source of legislation?
• Are you aware that Mahmoud Abbas bankrolled the 1972 Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes, and that he praised the ringleader of that attack as recently as 2010?
• Are you aware that Mahmoud Abbas' doctoral dissertation denied the Holocaust?
• Are you aware that Hamas does not want a Palestinian Arab state but instead a pan-Islamic caliphate that spans the world?
• Are you aware that the Palestinian Authority still officially states that there was no Jewish Temple in Jerusalem?
• Are you aware that the PLO wants to build a state with no Jews in it?
• Are you aware that the elected Hamas government has laws discriminating against women?
• Are you aware that Yasir Arafat was born in Egypt, but Ariel Sharon was born in Palestine?
• Are you aware that the biggest heroes to ordinary Palestinian Arabs are terrorists like Dalal Mughrabi and Samir Kuntar?
• Are you aware that the original 1964 PLO charter specifically excluded the West Bank and Gaza from the land they wanted, and their only desire was to destroy Israel within the Green Line?
• Are you aware that not a single refugee camp has been dismantled in the territories governed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas?
• Are you aware that even after signing the Oslo Accords, Yasir Arafat publicly said that a Palestinian state is simply a stage on the way to destroying Israel altogether?

Just a small public service for Palestine Awareness Week. 

Read More