Archive for April 4th, 2010
What changed between 1991 and 2003 Iraq invasions? (Apr. 3, 2010)
The Morocco author Fatema Mernissi wrote in 1991 “Islam and democracy” after the first invasion of Iraq by President Bush the father or senior.
In 2002, she wrote an introduction to the English edition.
In 2010, the French editor Albin Michel asked Mernissi a fresh introduction to the updated French edition.
Mernissi suggested that the English introduction should be fine and Michel replied: “Do you think that nothing happened between 2002 and 2010 that young Europeans might be interested in knowing?”
After a good night sleep Mernissi realized that among the many changes, apart that Islamic/Arabic youth are double the Western rate, one change stands out grandly: In 1991, the Arabs were terrified of Western supremacy in technology (smart bombs for example that CNN kept showing their devastating effects in collateral damages on civilians);
in 2003 invasion it was clear that the American and British soldiers were the most scared of Islam virulence. Mainly, Islamic/Arab States had acquired the numeric information technology for disseminating instant news in sound, pictures, and videos and had begun rational communication discussions (jadal) on points and counter points to the benefit of every Arab/Moslems living in European States and the USA.
The unilateral monopoly in the diffusion and dissemination of information and “intelligence” was eroded: Moslems and Arabs could now enjoy 36 satellite channels broadcasting everywhere, including the most popular Al Jazeera channel that even the Western Medias watched for current and impartial news. Moslems in China were able to keep up with the rest of Islamic World events.
This information victory scared the Western civilization after it realized that the new Islamic/Arabic generations are no longer attuned to their local monopoly Medias run by dictators and monarchs: it is internet age and youth want changes and to discourse rationally. In 1991, Arabs had practically the CNN to cover the war in Iraq as direct source of information and it was biased toward showing the effects of “smart bombs” and Iraqi soldiers being shoveled alive under in the dune bunkers. Arab people got familiar with the term “collateral damages” and CNN failed to inform on the casualties. In 2003, Arab/Moslem masses had Al Jazeera channel to cover the war among 32 other satellite channels viewed for free.
It is estimated that by 2012, Islamic/Arab States will have over 1,200 free channels as option for the world to watch information and discussion sessions.
For example, since 1948, Israel has devoured all Palestine and waged countless major pre-emptive wars and the Arab masses had to rely on American Medias for totally biased information; the pickiest watchers occasionally selected the BBC. Things have changed in this numeric information age. In 2003,
Al Jazeera was offering as bonuses well targeted discussion panels with many foreign figures. For example, in 2001 and before the September attack on the Twin Towers, Al Jazeera ridiculed Taliban for bombing the ancient giant Buddhist idols in Bamyan (Afghanistan) while Richard Keller of the giant oil multinational UNOCAL was proclaiming “Taliban is good thing for us”
Western humanists grabbed the successes of the Islamic/Arabic satellite channels to become regular guest stars. For example, Dany Schechter of “Plunder: Investigating our economic calamity and the subprime scandal”; Adam Hochschild of “Burry the chains: Prophets and rebels in the fight to liberal”; and Chris Hedges of “War is a force that gives us meaning” are regular guests on Arab satellite channels.
Most ironic, it is the USA and a few European States that have been pressuring the obscurantist Arabic State dictators and monarchies to suppressing freedom of opinions and to shut down “controversial” Arabic channels. In France a few city mayors ordered Arabic channels banned for dissemination because the Arabs and Moslems living in these cities were hooked to Arabic channels and their mind being “poisoned” away from France patriotic indoctrination and inclusion programs.
“Man was created weak” (Apr. 2, 2010)
In verse 23 on “Women” the Koran said: “Man was created weak (da3eef).” The imams had no problem identifying the main characteristic of this weakness in men: men have untamable sexual desires (shahwat) and men frequently succumb to carnal desires (among other desires like voracious eating and drinking binge?)
The best remedy was not to educate mankind to take on his individual responsibilities but to minimize temptations; thus, women had to be the sacrificial victims and be made scarce in public; if need be to go out for tending to daily affairs then, women had to get veiled (preferably completely wrapped up in loose garments that hide rotund parts of the body)
An unveiled woman (mutabarrijate) is a “fragile prey” in the mind of the patriarchal societies and thus, women lack defensive “frontiers” and barriers (hosn). The best defense for women is seclusion at home and be provided for by a husband, a father, or a brother! The big threat nowadays for Islamic/Arab States is that there are no frontiers anymore, physically and visually.
High-tech enemies dominate the sky by airplanes and by satellites that diffuse all kinds of “inadmissible” sexually potent ads and movies. The frontiers (hudud) that Islam wrapped itself in to protect against foreign influences are down.
For example, the second Abbassid Caliph Al Mansur, who built Baghdad in concentric shapes called the city “Madinat as-Salam” (City of peace); to that effect, any quarters that necessarily required mixing of genders and with foreigners (such as commercial souks) were ordered outside city-limit.
Another example that might be a reason for that kind of thinking is that in the fifth year after the Prophet fled to Medina (the first Islam City-State) from Mecca, Mohammad had to adopt a defensive tactic suggested by a Moslem Persian convert (Salman) to dig a ditch around the city (20 yards deep by 20 large) to prevent Quraich tribe cavalry entering and invading the city. The Quraich alliances of tribes encircled Medina for a month and the Moslems endured badly this period. The city experienced civil unrest and great doubt about the new message and the Prophet’s ability to conduct political and military undertaking. Muhammad had lost the previous year the battle of Uhud and no raids were launched for three years to bring in loot and prosperity. During the siege, women were ordered to stay at home. Muhammad had to sit by the ditch facing the enemies to encourage volunteers to resume digging what was a first among tribal warfare.
It is no surprise that Moslems, after the Prophet’s death, picked up on the idea of erecting barriers; women were the first victims to be heaped upon all kinds of barriers and space division. During the first invasion of Iraq by Bush Sn (the father) in 1991, it was women who took to the streets shouting, demonstrating, and sitting in front of foreign Embassies of States that participating in the invading alliance. Women knew what to do while men needed plenty of time to discuss and reason out the pitfalls of getting on the move.
In this first invasion, Baghdad was defenseless from the sky and frontiers were destroyed; women tore down the psychological barriers and defied men were totally impotent to applying defensive measures, especially against collateral damages of “smart bombs” killing innocent civilians. In the war of 2003, one critical factor changed: it was the Western enemies who were scared because the Arabs had means for instant capturing of images and war reporting.
Note: Man was created weak but woman is endowed to becoming weaker as she learns to enjoying sexual pleasures; thus, harem were built and more space divisions erected to keep women isolated. Mankind has generally preferred to appreciate “raw potentials” in capabilities, physically and mentally, at the expense of slow continuous development of potentials. We may account for that tendency on the assumption that our psyche is aware of life duration and days are counted: we are in a hurry to judge and apply what is at hand.
By the age of fifty, we realize that we were fooled: we actually had plenty of time to develop our potentials but we were caught up in the survival process; now nobody is willing to hire us because we failed to develop new capabilities and skills. We react in frustration and anger for our current “impotence”.
Another dick: Great Dick Jo
Posted by: adonis49 on: April 4, 2010
Another dick; (April 3, 2010)
It is 4:45 pm on Great Friday. I have no idea what is Great about this Friday or what will be Great on the next Sunday. It is like “Great” connote nothing since good and evil are just Great. If you tell me “This is a great person”, I wonder “Is he Great as a humanist or as a great prick?” I feel that emotions are meaningless and can be expressed as “those great things”.
Well, I drove to the nearby town to have a hair cut across from the “Great Church”. As I stepped out I had to join the Great procession. Then, I met a cousin of mine Great Dick surrounded by his cronies. Dick is not his real name; he can be a Jo for what I care. What is Great in Dick Jo is his vast belly, large stature, and whatever is usually hidden from public exposure.
The Great municipal election in May 2 is around the bend. The election might be another Great topic if bylaws are kept and dates respected: Election can very well be postponed or just Greatly cancelled. I approached the Great gents around Great Dick Jo and shook hands and then asked Dick Jo what I thought was a simple and polite question “How is your daughter?”
Dick Jo’s daughter is working for the World Bank (another Great thing) and just visiting Lebanon. This Dick showed signs of nervousness and replied “Go and join the praying procession”.
It happened that the elder brother of Great Dick was passing by and I told him the short story. The brother said: “You should know that my brother is not on talking terms with his family (a separated wife and two grown up children no longer living in Lebanon). What can I say? Am I supposed to be investigating everyone on his latest state of mind before I venture to ask about the well-being of any member of his family?
Great Dick Jo was born to be rude to people, a Great Rude to his person first. In this century, he barely can read, much less write; he still feels that he can lord it out on people, especially the elderly relatives. We all know that he has many complexes, Great ones, but what is ironic is that many of our Great town people feel Great attraction to being brutalized verbally.
I don’t have much expectation to mental matters starting Great osmosis trips any time soon.
Note: This letter is to someone who unconsciously despises me. I am extending an escape reason for him to consciously hate me.
Adonis Diaries 