| Administrivia - I hit my 15,000th post Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:30 PM PDT I wasn't keeping track, but this "Work accident!" post from Wednesday was my 15,000th post on this blog. Which is sort of...crazy. Cool, but crazy. My 10,000th post was in February 2011; my 5000th in November 2008. I have had dozens of other "work accident' posts documenting Arab terrorists blowing themselves up over the years. In 2007 and 2008 I even had the annual Splodie Awards for the best examples of terrorists dying spectacularly by their own hands or the hands of their much beloved brethren. The amount of text I've posted is about 70 megabytes. To compare, I am told that the 26-volume 1911 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica was only 25 MB of text. Thanks to my readers, commenters, contributors and especially thanks to those who have been sending in donations. (It's not too late....) 
 |
| Weekend links Posted: 28 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT From Ian:
LATMA: The media's math and Egypt's honor Hamas announces boycott of Barcelona FC following Shalit invite Despite mounting pressure, soccer team invites one-time prisoner to October match against Real Madrid
"Hamas on Thursday announced a media boycott of Barcelona after the leader of the Spanish soccer league gave a complimentary ticket for an upcoming match to Gilad Shalit, the former Israeli soldier who was held captive by militants in the Gaza Strip." The Palestinian Authority's Policy of Duplicity by Khaled Abu Toameh "Abbas is trying to show the US and the EU that he is serious about fighting the Hamas in the West Bank, and that is why he deserves a state and more funding. What the Americans and Europeans do not know is that many of these detainees are released within hours or days." The U.S. Should Throw its Support Behind an Israeli Strike by John Bolton The odds are long, time is short, and the choice is stark. But since a nuclear-armed Iran will change the world forever, America should support an Israeli attack as the least-worst option. No Surprise: America Under Attack Again in the Mideast by John Bolton "President Obama's highest priority, namely his re-election, is obviously foremost in his calculations. His "success" in Libya, overthrowing Gadhafi without U.S. casualties, now lies in tragic ruins in Benghazi. His narrative that the global war on terror is essentially over is revealed as a sham. And his claim that he could reverse decades of anti-American feelings through "outreach," concessions and apologies, is shattered irretrievably." The "Obama administration and the diplomatic tsunami By DANNY DANON Canada PM Sees Iran as "Clear and Present Danger" Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, said the government of Iran constitutes, "unambiguously, a clear and present danger and thus demands a very sober assessment." Oh Canada! Canada might very well be Israel's best friend in the world. Many signs have been pointing in that direction for a while now. Palestine: End the Jew Hatred – End the Conflict by David Singer Netanyahu's cartoon bomb wasn't meant for world leaders, and not even for Obama PM is hoping to convince American voters Iran is an immediate threat. Perhaps that way, the president will get the message. AP, Reuters Reportedly Post Bibi "Heil" Photos The Weekly Standard's Daniel Halper flags two photos of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the UN, which were reportedly pushed out on the AP and Reuters wires. ADL slams Ahmadinejad, Farrakhan for NYC meeting "In a press release, the ADL said the meeting of "two leading purveyors of anti-Semitism" was "yet another example of the extreme views of the Iranian government toward Jews and Israel and their attempt to promote those hateful views before an American audience by consorting with like-minded bigots." Tunisia rape victim accused of 'indecency' Civil society groups express outrage after woman was accused of "immoral behaviour" by policemen jailed for raping her. State Dept. commemorates refusal to shelter Jewish refugees Pre-Yom Kippur program focused on the St. Louis, ship sent back to Germany in 1939 How UK Can Learn From Israel's Tech Success While it may be desirable to try to replicate the success of Israel's tech firms, it may be better to learn through collaboration.
"Israel can boast more tech start-ups per capital than any other country in the world. So what can the UK learn from the country?
Israel has listed more companies on the Nasdaq than the UK and numerous tech firms are basing their research and development centres there."
Also: Mordechai Kedar: The End of Oslo - and a Glimmer of Hope (h/t Akusia) Blast targets Jewish community in Sweden Iran's FARS "news" agency falls for a satirical Onion article: Challah Hu Akbar on the PA's attempts to cover up a sexual harassment scandal Elliot Abrams: Riots, Rage, Videos, Politics, and Free Speech Just today, to take another example, I came across the most recent Palestinian Media Watch report on the defamation of Judaism in official broadcasts of the Palestinian Authority. Every religion is defamed, yet apologies appear to be expected and to be offered only in one case: Islam. The explanation is clear: only in that case is there fear of violence. And a reader sent this in: 
 |
| Saudi women defend polygamy Posted: 28 Sep 2012 10:30 AM PDT Saudi logic! In Saudi Arabia, polygamy appears to be a solution for women increasingly worried about spinsterhood which is seen as associated with a "shortage" of men.
"Saudi men travel a lot and live abroad for long times. This makes them forget about marriage altogether," Professor of sociology Ibrahim al-Anzi was quoted as saying by al-Sharq newspaper.
Left with few options, girls increasingly accept to be second wives, he said.
"When a girl reaches 30 in Saudi Arabia, she is automatically considered a spinster and that is when she accepts marrying a man that would only give her part of his time rather than not marry at all."
According to Anzi, polygamy not only solves the problem of spinsterhood, but also curb sexual relations outside the institution of marriage.
...For Noha Ahmed, if a man decides to remarry he would do that whether his wife likes it or not.
"I would talk to him and know why he wants to remarry, then I would choose his second wife myself and even accompany him when he proposes to her."
According to Fatima al-Ahmari, if a man wants to remarry and his wife refuses, he will start picking fights until their life together becomes unbearable.
"And then he would get married anyway. That is why women should not object to polygamy."
...Omm Rakan argued that the prevalence of spinsterhood is mainly because neither men nor women want to take responsibilities.
"The most suitable form of relationship for them is convenience, or mesyar, marriages, but this is not feasible in our present time." Once you get past the brainwashing, what they are saying is that since Islam discriminates against women by allowing polygamy, women must suck it up and happily accept their second-class status. The idea that Saudi women should be allowed to "travel a lot and live abroad for long times" just like the men is simply inconceivable. 
 |
| Today's Arab media anti-semitism Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:10 AM PDT Iraqi newspaper Nasiriyah has an article by someone named Osama Mubarak that reflects how many, many Arabs (and anti-semitic Westerners) think: The world community competes to find new scientific inventions to benefit mankind, and help us in everyday life. Not surprisingly, Israel is the only entity in the world that invented things that worry and haunt the rest of the world.
In the past they invented the so-called Holocaust and physically blackmailed the world, especially Germany.
Then came the invention of Zionism and the Promised Land, which is a fake Talmudic political movement, its main objective the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and by encouraging immigration of Jews around the world with the unlimited support of Western countries. This was not out of love of Zionism, but to get rid of the Jews and throw them amidst the Arabs.
Another invention is that of Jewish nationalism. The Jews are not a nation, as we know, but a religion, not a race or breed, but ethnic mixtures; nationalism in its true sense is the belief that one people are bound by language and culture, history, geography and interests.
And afterwards came the invention of "the state of the Jewish people," and they tell the world, especially the Arabs, that no solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict can occur without such recognition.
Among these strange and weird and deplorable inventions, a new invention is now unveled and unparalleled in world history - the so-called "Jewish refugees." But he never explicitly said that it was Jews who faked their deaths in the Holocaust, or that Jews created the idea that they were a nation, or that Jews claim to have been expelled from Arab countries. He doesn't even say that it was Jews who invented the fake Zionist movement. No, Osama Mubarak only says that it was "them." 
 |
| Morsi accused of corruption Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT From Egypt Independent: A report was referred to the Public Funds Prosecution on Thursday accusing President Mohamed Morsy of profiting from his position and giving unfair advantage to business figures who are members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Saeed Mohamed Abdullah, founder of the Independent Association to Fight Corruption, filed a report to the public prosecutor accusing Morsy of reaping profits to repay the money spent on his election campaign. Abdullah claims this amounts to LE2 billion.
According to the allegations, Morsy has still not made public the funding sources of his election campaign. The Freedom and Justice Party would not have legally been able to raise those funds.
The report also highlighted the appointment of Hassan Malek, a businessman and member of the Muslim Brotherhood, as head of the businessmen delegation. The report accuses Malek of extracting and exporting phosphate without paying any charges or taxes to the state. This will be an interesting test to see how different the new Egypt is from the old. Many Egyptians already see little difference: "We changed a leader but not the regime," said Negad Borai, a prominent lawyer and rights activist. "It is difficult to accurately assess his performance after he spent only three months in office, but he clearly has no vision and is going about governance haphazardly."
Underscoring those fears, lawyers representing Morsi obtained a court ruling to shut down a private television station whose owner ranted against the president and the Muslim Brotherhood on air. The station's owner and a newspaper editor are facing criminal charges.
Morsi also did not object to the imprisonment of a Christian for "insulting the president" — a seldom-used charge.
An insider at the presidential palace, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, says Morsi was not involved personally in a flurry of court cases against his critics, but the proceedings were initiated by lawyers from the Brotherhood or closely linked to the group.
He also said that decision-making is restricted to Morsi and a small group of senior Brotherhood leaders who meet at the president's home in an upscale suburb in eastern Cairo.
Alaa al-Aswani, a bestselling novelist and rights activist, wrote Tuesday in the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm that the time has come to take Morsi to task.
He pointed to a series of cases in which police were accused of abusing suspects, which although nothing on the scale of the torture under Mubarak's regime. He also noted Morsi has secured the support of the powerful state-owned media. He also charged that Morsi is suppressing freedom of expression and has failed to deliver on his promises of inclusion by allowing Islamists to dominate the drafting of a new constitution.
"The picture is now worrying," he wrote. "It's like nothing has changed in Egypt after the revolution except for the identity of the president — Mubarak is gone and Morsi has come." (h/t RK) 
 |
| Arab "intellectual" says ancient Jews never lived in Israel - but in Yemen Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:30 AM PDT From Ad Dostour (Jordan): Dr. Fadel al-Rubaie denied any relationship of any kind between the Torah and Palestine, stressing that the names, places and events that came in the Torah are Yemeni names and locations, and some still exist even today.
He denies strongly that Joshua Ben-Nun had crossed the Jordan River to Jericho, and inscriptions and figures available indicate that Joshua Ben-Nun actually traveled to the land of Yemen.
This was all said in a lecture given by Dr. Rubaie on Tuesday evening in the Jordanian Writers Association Forum moderated by Dr.. Hisham Ghassib.
..Al-Rubaie in his lecture spoke of the need to re-correct the region's history, and on top of that the history of Palestine, which requires corrections to the historical narrative promoted by Orientalists that are based in their stories of the Torah that they read misleadingly. He stressed that Jerusalem is not Jerusalem, and Jews have no trace in the Palestinian territories, and if there is a housing in Palestine from the Jews it is from the sons of the Arab tribes that migrated from Arabian Peninsula.
...Israel went to revive the Hebrew language, originally a Yemeni dialect.
The lecture included a heavy presence of intellectuals and other interested members. Al Akhbar interviewed him last year and he spouted pseudo-intellectual garbage like this: "Give me one example in which old Jerusalem is mentioned in the Torah." He notes that the city used to be called Ilia not Jerusalem. Therefore, there is no narrative text on Jerusalem prior to the Islamic conquest. Um...even if you forget the entire Tanach, which mentions Jerusalem about 700 times, what about Josephus and the Christian scriptures? Not to mention the Dead Sea Scrolls?
The Torah, according to what al-Rubai has documented, refers to old Jerusalem as located in Yemen and not in Palestine. He explains, "This is what the Assyrian and Babylonian inscriptions have proven, for they refer to nine enslavement campaigns that took place in Yemen, not Palestine." But why have historical narratives documented that the Babylonian enslavement incident as having occurred in Palestine?
Al-Rubai, who authored The Truth Behind the Babylonian Enslavement, says, "The reason lies in the monopoly over this tragic story, which was later used in the Holocaust narrative as a continuation of the historical persecution of the Jews, thus reinforcing their role as historical victims. All we need to do is to go back to the history of al-Tabari, which clearly mentions that Nebuchadnezzar's invasion was of Yemen and not Palestine."
Based on these controversial revelations, al-Rubai solidly concludes in his thesis that Judaism is an old Arabic religion, and the Torah is a Yemeni book. He also concludes that old Jerusalem is not present-day Jerusalem. It is located in Yemen and not Asir, as the late intellectual Kamal al-Salibi concluded in his book The Bible Came from Arabia.
Al-Rubai says, "I am not under the illusion that these ideas will prevail soon, given the presence of an enormous media power that dominates the historical narrative. It is enough to seek the documentation of our history from a critical perspective, away from the Orientalist lie. Perhaps what Edward Said has accomplished in that regard has shaken this perception to a great extent." Yes, this is the state of Arab intellectualism. The Jews are so powerful that they have managed to retroactively change history itself in order to profit from the Holocaust! The question is, when will the anti-Israel Left embrace this exercise in historical revisionism themselves? 
 |
| A video to make Israel-haters' heads explode Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT And one that makes Israel-lovers' feet tap: (h/t Richard) 
 |
| PalArabs underwhelmed by Abbas' lackluster hate speech Posted: 28 Sep 2012 03:11 AM PDT Mahmoud Abbas' speech at the UN yesterday was notable for being - boring. Filled with the usual lies and hate, the speech was an extended fact-challenged rant about the evils of Israel with barely a passing mention about Hamas, which controls 40% of his supposed people. Some lines were almost laughable for their obvious hypocrisy: Our people will continue to build the institutions of their State and will continue to strive to achieve national reconciliation to restore the unity of our nation, people and institutions via resorting to the ballot boxes, which will confirm our people's pluralistic democratic choice. Given that the last election results were overturned by Abbas himself and that he is now in the eighth year of his "final" four year term, his support of democracy is more than suspect. He also invoked "historic Palestine" again - an area that included Jordan and didn't include the Negev. And even his much-ballyhooed promise to mention the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, given to Alan Dershowitz, was watered down so much that no Muslim would even recognize it as such: The Security Council is called upon to urgently adopt a resolution comprising the basis and foundations for a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that would serve as a binding reference and guide for all if the vision of two-States, Israel and Palestine, is to survive and if peace is to prevail in the land of peace, the birthplace of Jesus (peace be upon him), and ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the final resting place of Abraham (peace be upon him), the land of the three monotheistic religions. Abbas couldn't even bring himself to say "Judaism." In fact, this absurd formulation is also consistent with the idea that today's Jews aren't the Jews of the Bible, a consistent formula in Palestinian Arab media. Abbas' speech did nothing to improve his standing with his own people: Palestinians who were galvanized a year ago by the launch of a campaign for statehood in the United Nations were left cold on Thursday by a watered-down bid from their leader President Mahmoud Abbas.
Citizens seemed wary of investing hope in the new plan.
"To tell the truth, we see it as all talk, and we know it will have no concrete results," said Hussein Izzat, a construction contractor, lighting a cigarette as cars and pedestrians clogged squares which last year hosted euphoric rallies and a live broadcast of Abbas's address.
"The last time around, there was real attention to the speech. But in the time since we have gotten bored and depressed by the lack of action. I have no confidence in the president's words," he said.
..Waiting for a fare beside his taxi, with the presidential speech at top volume on the radio, Mohammad Hammad questioned whether the president's rhetoric matched his people's reality.
"He sounds eloquent and knowledgeable of all the facts, but it seems to me that he has lost touch with what truly matters to the Palestinians," he said. Abbas and the Fatah leadership keep thinking that they can repeat the same lies and the same gimmicks over and over again and get the same results. They are utterly clueless that the international community is sick and tired of a fake, corrupt leadership that has thrown away every single chance for peace in favor of more demands and more intransigence. UPDATE: If you missed the speech and want to see the gist of it, this music video shown on official PA TV pretty much describes 80% of Abbas' speech - and his "peace" plan. And as we've seen from Abbas' censorship efforts in the past, nothing goes on his official TV station unless it reflects the actual positions of the PA. This one was broadcast on September 6. 
 |
