Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, May 09, 2008

More of the same: News from Gaza

Islamic Jihad again shot four mortars at the Nahal Oz fuel depot.

A Qassam rocket was fired at Israel.

Hamas abducted another Fatah member in Gaza.

Pretty much the usual.

Defining yourself

Yom Ha'atzmaut celebrations, combined with the Palestinian Arab "Nakba" commemorations, are a good opportunity to notice a fundamental difference between Zionists and Palestinian Arab nationalists.

Zionists define themselves completely independently of any other players. Zionism is the national revival movement for the Jewish people in the land of their forefathers. Nothing to do with Europeans or Arabs or anything else - it is a completely positive, self-sustaining definition. One may argue that Zionists treated Arabs unfairly but the Arabs were not an inherent factor in the definition of Zionism; Zionism as a term is independent of other factors. Arabs who tried to destroy that dream weren't considered a threat to Zionism - they were considered irrelevant to the concept. If they accepted Israel, fine, if not, too bad for them.

Palestinian Arab nationalism, on the other hand, defines itself purely in relationship to others, and the definition is negative. And this 60th anniversary of Israel shows these differences in sharp relief.

Today, Yom Ha'atzmanut is being celebrated, but it is not the anniversary. The anniversary is on the fifth of the Hebrew month of Iyar, which is on Saturday. Since that is the Jewish Sabbath, the date was moved up to today to enable everyone to celebrate properly.

Nakba events were originally slated to occur on May 15th, "Nakba Day," but the very idea that Israel was celebrating today irritates Palestinian Arabs so much that they needed to declare today a day of mourning:

A national day of mourning will be held across the Palestinian territories on Thursday to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.

Palestinian and black flags will be raised on roof tops of buildings, a partial public strike will be conducted between 12-1 am on Thursday in addition to demonstrations in cities across the West Bank.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba called for all Palestinians to participate in the action in protest at " the celebrations by the state of occupation [Israel] at its establishment on the remains of Palestinian cities and villages by expressing the clinging of the Palestinians of their 'Right of Return' which is a legitimate right."

Today isn't the Hebrew or Gregorian or Muslim calendar anniversary, but since Israel celebrates today, Palestinian Arabs need to start their commemorations today as well. Their history and self-view is fully defined by what Israel does, not by what their supposed goals are.

If the Nakba is meant to mark the anniversary of the Palestinian Arab flight from their homes, it could occur on any day of the year, as there were no particular major population shifts on May 15th. They could choose the date of the surrender of Haifa or the date that Israel signed a cease fire with Jordan - ensuring that they would not be able to build a state. Yet they choose to mark it specifically when Israel does, and when Israel moves the date - so do they.

Similarly, look at this Nakba poster:

The shape of "Palestine" (portrayed as a keyhole) betrays the fact that Palestinian Arab nationalism is wholly dependent on external factors. Historic Palestine looks nothing like this picture; and while it would be hard to draw as the borders were never set in stone, everyone would agree that the Negev is not a part of it and that significant parts of what are now Jordan would be included in it. The fact that Palestinian Arabs have abandoned any pretense of trying to reconstitute "historic" Palestine and are only interested in the areas that Israel happens to control, with national borders created by the British and French, shows that Palestinian Arab nationalism is not at all about building a state, but about destroying one.

Of course, their history of accepting Jordanian sovereignty and citizenship in 1949 also shows that an independent nation was not their goal of the so-called "nationalists."

It has been nearly 15 years since Oslo. During most of that time, much of the West Bank has been under Arab autonomy. The PA has access to the same tools that embryonic Israel had access to in 1948. Before the intifada, there was a viable economy there; before 2003 there were no checkpoints.

Now look at how much progress they made with the autonomy they have, and compare it with what Israel accomplished in the 10-15 years after gaining its own autonomy. (We are not even beginning to talk about Gaza, the poster child for Palestinian Arab anti-nationalism.)

A real, independent national movement would take any opportunity and autonomy they could to build their institutions - their schools, hospitals, infrastructure; to build trade with other states, to gain jobs and security for their people. A sham national movement whose real purpose is destructive would do none of those things.

It is obvious which one fits the recent history of Palestinian Arab nationalism.

Egyptian security can't protect Israeli ambassador

Another EoZ exclusive...

Firas Press reports that the car of Israel's ambassador to Egypt was stolen last night in front of his house. He was home for only a short time to change his clothes for a dinner party.

This was despite the Egyptian security that surrounds the ambassador, Shalom Cohen.

His chauffeur had the keys to the car, a black 2008 Mercedes.

Of course, if someone could steal the ambassador's car under the noses of Egyptian security, someone could also plant a bomb on it.

Egyptian authorities are investigating the incident.

Ahmadinejad sure knows how to turn a phrase

More bile from Iran's madman:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the State of Israel is a "stinking corpse" that is destined to disappear.
"Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as having said.
"Today the reason for the Zionist regime's existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation."
Ahmadinejad further stated that Israel "has reached the end like a dead rat after being slapped by the Lebanese" - referring to the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.

Meanwhile, it is hard to find news stories about people risking their lives to move to Iran. I'm also not seeing much about Iranian startups in Nasdaq, Iranian innovations in medicine or a strong Iranian economy. Last I checked, they were having problems even refining their own oil.

Somehow, I think that the days of the current Iranian regime are far fewer than Israel's. But if Iran can figure out a way to export insults, then the situation might change.

Invest in Israel (literally)

From Reuters:

Israel at age 60 is a technology powerhouse, attracting billions of dollars in investment in innovative companies ranging from medical devices to wireless broadband communication.

But it is also home to exporters of more traditional products, such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals, some of which have benefited from just about the only natural resource Israel possesses -- the desert.

Here are some companies to watch:

-- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries , Israel's biggest company with a $39 billion market value, makes lower-cost generic drugs. It has said it expects to double its revenue to $20 billion by 2012. Its drug Copaxone is the U.S. leader for treating multiple sclerosis.

-- Israel Chemicals is the second-largest company traded in Tel Aviv with a market value of $24 billion. Its share price has more than doubled in the past year on soaring demand for its potash and phosphate fertilisers, extracted from the Dead Sea and Israel's southern desert.

-- MA Industries is the world's biggest maker of generic crop protection products. Like ICL, it is benefiting from the global rise in food prices that has sent farmers scrambling to increase their output. Its controlling shareholder, Koor Industries, recently said it is in talks to sell up to half of its nearly 40 percent stake.

-- Altair Semiconductor develops microprocessors and accompanying software for the wireless broadband market, including the technology known as mobile WiMax, which is expected to take off in 2009.

-- Discretix develops embedded security technology for mobile phones and portable devices and is now entering a new market -- mobile television. It recently announced a joint mobile TV security product with France Telecom subsidiary Viaccess. Discretix, whose customers include leading semiconductor companies and device manufacturers, plans to go public on Nasdaq in the second half of 2009.

By the way, this is one of the extraordinarily rare articles by Reuters about Israel that does not mention "Palestinians."

Amhadinejad claims messianic Mahdi is leading Iran

From WaPo:

Several leading Iranian clerics criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday for saying that the last imam of Shiite Islam, a messianic figure who Shiites believe was hidden by God 1,140 years ago, leads modern-day Iran.

"We see his hand directing all the affairs of the country," Ahmadinejad told theological students in the city of Mashad during a speech that appears to have been given last month but was not broadcast until Tuesday. "A movement has started for us to occupy ourselves with our global responsibilities. God willing, Iran will be the axis of the leadership of this movement," Ahmadinejad said.

Several clerics in the Iranian parliament accused Ahmadinejad of implying that Imam Mahdi or Imam Zaman (Imam of the Age), as the Shiite messiah is also called, supports his government. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran's government has been overseen by Shiite clerics, but religious leaders here have resisted Ahmadinejad's frequent hints that his government's actions are guided by the Mahdi.

Clerics said in interviews published Wednesday that the president should not use the imam to his political advantage or to silence critics of the government.

"If, God forbid, Ahmadinejad means that Imam Zaman supports the government's actions, this is wrong. Certainly Imam Zaman would not accept 20 percent inflation rates, nor would he support it or many other mistakes that exist in the country today," wrote Gholam-reza Mesbahi Moghadam, a cleric belonging to a powerful faction close to Iranian businessmen and established religious figures. His comments appeared in Ettemaad-e Melli, a Tehran newspaper owned by a cleric who is critical of Ahmadinejad.

Official inflation is more than 20 percent in Iran, according to economists, because of poor government planning and uncontrolled spending of billions of dollars in oil money. The administration says it needs more time to reduce inflation.

The clerics also feared that the president's remarks in Mashad could make it harder to criticize the government. "These kinds of statements might create an image of a holy relation between persons and religion, which will close the path for critics," Mahmoud Madani Bajestani, another cleric and politician told Ettemaad-e Melli.

Since Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, he has made the "hastening of the coming of Imam Mahdi" an important political theme and used it, for example, to justify slashing interest rates in an effort to help poor Iranians. According to several politicians and economists, his policies have led to disorganization in the administrative system.

As Wikipedia explains:

Shi'as believe that al-Mahdi will reappear when the world has fallen into chaos and civil war emerges between the human race for no reason. At this time, it is believed, half of the true believers will ride from Yemen carrying white flags to Mecca, while the other half will ride from Karbala, in Iraq, carrying black flags to Mecca. At this time, al-Mahdi will come wielding God's Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, Zulfiqar (Arabic: ذو الفقار, ðū l-fiqār), the Double-Bladed Sword.

Ahmadinejad's messianic Mahdi mania is exactly the reason why Israel needs to be worried about Iranian nukes, as a "mutually assured destruction" scenario doesn't fly with people who want to hasten the end of the world and the ushering in of a messiah. And who can discount him regarding himself as the Mahdi and the atom bomb as "Zulfiqar"?

Qassam rocket barely misses gas station - in Gaza

Firas Press (Arabic) reports:

Witnesses said the crowds at a DAPA gas station east of Gaza were shocked when a locally-manufactured rocket, that had been fired by the resistance factions towards the Israeli settlements in the south, fell a few metres from them

The missile landed near the wall of the station, which was teeming with citizens and gas pipelines.

Dozens of terrorist rockets, if not hundreds, have landed in Gaza over the years, often causing damage, injuries and deaths.

Proud to be a Zionist (5768 edition)

In prayers every morning Jews say a phrase praising G-d, describing Him as המחדש בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית - He who continually renews the act of Creation. In other words, the Jewish concept of G-d has him in an active role keeping the universe running, and as such it is appropriate to praise Him.

It is a little hard to conceptualize this idea, that the very laws of physics, of the world turning and revolving around the sun is not automatic, but only occurs due to the constant will of G-d. But perhaps it is easier to understand this phrase if we apply it to the modern state of Israel.

Every single day that the Jewish state continues to exist cannot be explained adequately with historical or social or military reasons. Which means that we are witnessing a miracle every day.

The most recent years have been very hard for Zionists, as well as for religious Zionists. Some have been having a crisis of faith in Zionism, given the actions of the current government. Yet when we step back and look at the big picture, Israel remains something to be very proud of.

Yes, I am a Zionist and I am proud of it.

I know that Israel has the absolute right to exist in peace and security, just like - and possibly more than - any other country.

I am proud of how the IDF is conducting itself during the current war on Palestinian terror. There is no other country on the planet, save the US, that would try to minimize civilian casualties in such a situation where innocent Israelis are being threatened, shot at, mortared, rocketed, and murdered in cold blood. We may argue whether the IDF's moral standards end up being counterproductive, but what other army could one even have this discussion about?

I am proud of how the IDF is performing doing the most difficult type of battle, urban warfare, while maintaining amazing professionalism under fire and minimizing its own casualties. I defy anyone to find any other nation who has performed as well -- and as ethically -- under similar circumstances as Israel has done during the current conflict.

I am proud that Israel remains a true democracy, with a free press and vigorous opposition parties, while in a constant war situation. Any other nation, again besides the US, would have imposed martial law to maintain peace.

I am proud of how the IDF responded to the terror attacks of the early days fo the intifada, managing to bring deadly suicide attacks down from 60 in 2002 down to a single attack in 2007. The enemy has not stopped trying, and if Israel hadn't acted decisively things would look like Iraq today. For every "successful" attack (if you can use such a term) there have been many failed attempts, and these are truly miraculous.

I am also proud of how ordinary Israelis responded to the dark days of 2002-2004. People who lost loved one created charities in their honor; responding to horror with amazing strength and selflessness.

I am proud that Israel will investigate any mistakes that happen on the battlefield and keep trying to improve its methods to maximize damage to the terrorists while minimizing damage to the Palestinian people. And over the years of the "intifada" we can see that the number of civilians killed accidentally by Israel has gone down dramatically. I challenge anyone to find an example of a country that was as restrained under these circumstances as Israel has been.

I am proud that Israel takes steps to stop vigilante actions from its own citizens living in impossible conditions.

And, of course, I am proud of Israel's many accomplishments in building up a desert wasteland into a thriving and vibrant modern country, with its many scientific achievements, world class universities and culture. A tiny nation, under constant siege, with almost no natural resources besides breathtaking beauty, has used its brains - and strength - to build a modern success story. In a short period of time Israel made itself into a strong yet open nation that its neighbors can only dream of becoming.

I am proud that the vast majority of Americans support Israel as I do, and that the rabid terror-lovers we see on the Internet are the aberration.

There is a right and a wrong in this conflict, and I am proud that Israel is in the right.

Right after the Jewish prayer phrase I quoted above is this one: מה רבו מעשיך ה , "How great are Your works, O G-d." It is easy to find faults but in the big picture, the accomplishments are remarkable and need to be highlighted.

The word "Zionist" is not an epithet - it is a compliment.

Reuters' insulting history of Israel

Here is how Reuters looks at Israeli history, which explains a lot about its coverage:

Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary on Thursday, according to the Jewish calendar.
Following is a chronology of its turbulent history:

May 14, 1948 - David Ben-Gurion proclaims the State of Israel hours before the British Mandate is due to end. On May 15, forces from five Arab countries attack Israel.

Nothing about Jewish attachment to the land for thousands of years, nothing about Zionist history, nothing about the miraculous building of the land before 1948, nothing about Arab attacks before 1948, nothing about the UN Partition vote, nothing about Arab rejectionism. Nope - Jews just decided to declare a nation in a vacuum.

1949 - Armistices with Arab states but no formal peace.

Because of....?

October 29, 1956 - Israel invades Gaza Strip and Sinai in conjunction with Suez Canal campaign launched by Britain and France against Egypt. Israeli forces withdraw in March 1957.

No fedayeen attacks, no immigration of hundreds of thousand of Jews from Arab countries.

June 5, 1967 - Israel launches pre-emptive strikes against Egypt and Syria after what it sees as aggressive moves by Egypt. Six Day War leaves it occupying West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Sinai and Golan Heights.

"What it sees as aggressive moves"? Nothing about Egypt's casus belli, nothing about Egypt expelling the UN forces from Sinai, nothing about non-stop incitement in Arab media for months leading up to the war, nothing about how Jordan attacked Israel - just somehow Israel, the aggressor, ended up "occupying" the West Bank magically.

September 5, 1972 - Palestinians kill 11 Israeli athletes at Munich Olympics. Israel later kills guerrilla leaders it blames.

So both sides are equally guilty.

October 6, 1973 - Egypt and Syria attack along Suez Canal and Golan Heights. After initial reverses in Yom Kippur War, Israel pushes both armies back within three weeks.

And losing thousands of young men.

February 1974 - Gush Emunim, religious Zionist group backing Jewish settlement expansion in occupied territories, founded.

Do you think that any other organizations were founded in the intervening years? Any universities, world-class hospitals...anything?

Skipping a little, we get to the worst of all:

September 28, 2000 - Palestinian uprising begins after Likud leader Ariel Sharon visits Muslim holy site in Jerusalem.

A Muslim holy site? Is it perhaps possible that it was the holiest site on the planet for Jews way before Mohammed walked the earth?

No, according to Reuters' worldview, Sharon specifically went to a Muslim holy site to rile up the hated Arabs, in a place that Jews should have no rights whatsoever. Not even a "disputed" site, in Reuters' worldview.

Reuters equally ignores any Israeli accomplishments in medicine, energy, defensive systems, computers, the Internet, physics...no, in Reuters' worldview, Israel's history is one of war.

And this history is supposed to be somewhat sympathetic to Israel!

Da Elda iz in da house

A couple of years ago I bought a baseball cap in a drugstore while on an outing with Junior Elder; I just picked something at random that looked fairly vanilla. I never wore it since.

Being that today is a warm, sunny day in the Ziyonist headquarters, I needed a cap to wear on my commute so I grabbed this same one.

At work, one of my co-workers noticed it and told me, "Makaveli - I think that this has something to do with Tupac Shakur."

Sho 'nuff, a quick Google showed that I spent the morning goin' gangsta.

Makaveli Branded is a clothing line created by the late Mr. Shakur's mother in his memory.

Holla at ya later, homeys, as I try to find more appropriate headgear for my evening commute.

Interesting WSJ posting - and more interesting reaction

In a WSJ blog posting, Iraqi Sarmad Ali talks about his experiences attending a Passover seder this year in Michigan. It is an interesting piece, talking about how Jews and Muslims used to live together in Baghdad and how Baathist rule changed all that.

Some Arabs commenting to the post, however, are incensed that an Arab can write something sympathetic to Jews:

This reads like a poorly disguised anti-muslim, halocaust sympathising tear jerker. Boohooo!
...
that the Muslims are told by Allah that their faith must be the dominant religion in any country where Muslims live - Allah has said so (it is in the Koran). The unbelievers in dar al-harb must come to understand this, or suffer the punishment that Allah will give them through his servants in Islam. There is no “middle ground” or compromise with the word of Allah - it is absolute. It is forbidden by Allah to commit violence or mayhem on people for the sake of it, but Muslims feel compelled to do this where Allah’s word commands it - because Allah commands that that the unbelievers are not to be spared except if they come into the Islamic faith and obey the will of Allah in truth, whereupon Allah will save them. This way, there shall be peace. The unbelievers live in decadence and corruption, with belief in blasphemies such as the Christian Holy Trinity, or in no god at all but man-made concepts such as “human conscience”, “freedom”, or “human rights”. These are nothing to do with Allah and must all be swept away by Islam and governance under the Shariah law. Great is the wisdom of Allah.
.....
..... the article here is written by an Islamic hypocrite who associates with unbelievers. He has strayed far from the word of Allah.

Allah tells us what to do with unbelievers and hypocrites in the Al-Nisa’ (verse 4:85): “They would have you disbelieve as they themselves have done, so that you may be all alike. Do not befriend them until they have fled their homes for the cause of Allah. If they desert you, put them to death wherever you find them.”

More Reuters propaganda for Palestinian Arabs

Another one-sided story from Reuters, filled with half-truths:

While Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, Palestinian refugees mourn the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) when they lost their homeland.

Perhaps the word "refused" would be more accurate than "lost"?

Often ignored in Middle East peace talks, they cling to a "right of return".

Ignored? They have been held up as the major issue by Arab leaders for sixty years!

Alia Shabati was 12 when she fled Jewish attacks on her village of Kabri, captured a few days after Israel's creation....

The fate of Kabri was part of what Palestinians -- and some Israeli scholars -- say was systematic ethnic cleansing ordered by Zionist leaders to clear the way for the Jewish state.

Israel rejects this, saying the refugee problem resulted from a war launched by Palestinians opposed to the U.N. partition plan adopted on November 29, 1947, and by Arab states which invaded as soon as the British Mandate expired on May 15, 1948.

Notice that Reuters cannot say that any historians agree with the Israeli version of history. No, all historians in the Reuters universe agree with the "ethnic cleansing" slander - even "some Israeli scholars," and the only people who cling to a narrative where Israel is not completely evil is the Israeli government itself.

The bias is stunning, if not unexpected.

Israel firmly opposes letting any refugees return to their original homes, on the grounds that this would effectively destroy the Jewish state by threatening its Jewish majority.

And possibly because the Arabs who left are the ones who want to see a genocide of Jews in the Middle East.

In recent years, camp conditions have worsened everywhere as UNRWA, the cash-strapped agency that helps Palestinian refugees, becomes less able to provide adequate health and education.

"Palestinian refugees now, more than at any time in the last 60 years, face a serious decline in services," said Sayigh.

Any chance that Reuters will mention that the word "refugee" has a completely different meaning that is unique to Palestinian Arabs, that UNRWA created?

Another day, another piece of garbage masking as "journalism" from Reuters.

The making of a libel

Anti-semitic websites are quoting an Al Ahram article by Saleh Al-Naami that says:

"All of the Palestinians must be killed; men, women, infants, and even their beasts." This was the religious opinion issued one week ago by Rabbi Yisrael Rosen, director of the Tsomet Institute, a long-established religious institute attended by students and soldiers in the Israeli settlements of the West Bank.

Al-Ahram's source for this is a Ha'aretz article written in the wake of the Mercaz HaRav massacre. The author's conclusion was that Israeli rabbis are calling for the genocide of Palestinian Arabs, which is what the headline of the Al-Ahram article said explicitly.

The problem is, the quote is wholly fictional.

Ha'aretz says nothing of the sort, and neither did Rabbi Rosen.

What Rabbi Rosen did say, quoted in its entirety in Ha'aretz, was:

Then there was the resounding article published by the head of the Tzomet Institute, Rabbi Yisrael Rosen, who clarified, "Amalek as a concept and as the object of our battle and our hostility exists in each and every generation," and that "this does not refer to the ethnic Amalek, but to all those in whom there burns a deep and abiding hatred of Israel on a national or religious basis." The Holy One, Blessed Be He Himself, noted the rabbi, "with his own hands" confirmed the eternity of Amalek's hatred and the commandment to wage war against Amalek: "'Because the Lord has sworn by His throne.'" The hand of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, was raised in an oath on his throne that he will battle and be hostile to Amalek all over the world. We cannot, according to the rabbi, "flee from this Divine commandment even if we hide under the wings of 'the family of nations' and even if the commandment is difficult for us to bear and we have been discouraged."

Rabbi Rosen said: "Those who slaughter students poring over their Torah, those who rain Qassams down indiscriminately on men, women, old and young, babes and sucklings - those who hail the destruction of Israel and dance on the blood, are Amalek in our generation," and therefore "only with hostility, and by conquering our humane emotions that are contrary to that, will we be victorious."

Al-Ahram took that quote, combined it with a quote from Samuel I 15:3 that has God telling Saul, "Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey" and conflated the two to create a complete lie, together with quote marks.

Obviously Rabbi Rosen was not referring to every Palestinian Arab, but only to terrorists and those who cheer them on. Rabbi Rosen was not issuing a halachic opinion either about whether today's Amalekites have the same legal status as those of Biblical times. Moreover, Samuel I is not a source for Jewish law.

Either way, Rabbi Rosen was not calling for genocide in any way, shape or form. He was saying simply that the kid-glove treatment that Israel is showing towards those who are sworn to destroy her is not effective nor wise - a completely accurate statement.

Not that this stops anti-semites from seizing Al-Ahram's fictional quote and publicizing it. Google now finds 3,850 websites that quote this "ruling" - all in only the past few weeks.

Given that Mr. Al-Naami specifically made up a libelous quote and attributed it to a rabbi, which is pure hateful incitement based on a lie, it appears clear that he does indeed fit within the parameters of Amalek, even if most Palestinian Arabs do not.

How to get out of an Arab prison

From Arab Times (Kuwait):

Quran memorizers to be freed: The Ministry Interior will reward 60 prisoners by releasing them from jail for learning the Holy Quran by heart, reports Al-Watan daily quoting a ministry source.

It is miraculous how memorizing a book instantly makes you moral.

And it is not only Kuwait:

Sitting at the head of a class, correcting a student’s recitation of the Holy Qur’an, Ata, 29, seems like any other Qur’an teacher.

However, what differentiates this tutor from others is the fact that Ata — who memorized the Qur’an in prison — is currently serving a life sentence for murder at Dubai Prison in Al-Aweer.

His students, all convicts, are participants of a unique Dubai government initiative — launched in 2002 by the late ruler of Dubai Sheikh Maktoum ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum — to release prisoners who memorize Islam’s holy book early.

Sheikh Maktoum was inspired by the belief that the Qur’an offers spiritual guidance and provides its readers with the ethos to lead upright lives.

“If an inmate honors the Holy Qur’an, then God will help him or her change themselves into becoming a better person,” said Ibrahim Bu Melha, chairman of the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award, which is running the program.

Prisoners who memorize the entire Qur’an are released 20 years early, those who memorize 20 chapters get 15 years off, those who memorize 15 chapters get 10 years off, those who memorize 10 chapters get five years off, those who memorize five chapters get a year off, and those who memorize three chapters get six months off.

However, as a convicted murderer, Ata is unable to have his jail term lessened. The program is not open to murderers and people guilty of serious crimes. “I’ve been in prison for 12 years and every day I regret what I did,” he said.

Hamas also subscribes to this rehabilitation program:

Inmates in the Gaza Strip's main prison can now reduce their sentences by one year if they memorize five chapters from the Quran, Islam's holy book.

The prison, controlled by the radical Islamic Hamas movement since its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June, holds 350 prisoners, 30 of whom are on death row.

The new scripture program seeks to encourage prisoners "to behave according to the Quran's law," said the prison governor, Col. Abu al-Abed Hamid, in a statement.

So is memorizing the Quran so painful that it makes up for years of prison?

Saddam: Iran more dangerous to Arabs than Israel

From AFP:

Saddam Hussein, the ousted Iraqi dictator hanged in 2006 for crimes against humanity, feared he would pick up sexual diseases while he was in US custody, according to extracts from prison writings published in an Arab newspaper.
Saddam said he asked his prison guards not to put their washing on the same clothes line as his, fearing he could contract "young people's diseases," the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported, citing his journal....
In his writings, Saddam also warned of the threat posed by neighbouring Shiite Iran to Iraq and the Arab world, saying it was more dangerous than Israel.
"The spread of the Persians... is more dangerous for Iraq than the Zionist entity, now and in the future," he said. "The Persians are similarly dangerous to the Arab nation, especially the Arab countries of the Gulf."