mohammadalisalih.com Blog

NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: GOOGLE’S ANTI-MUSLIMS PROJECT

I am a little suspicious about Google’s new adventure to tackle “violent extremism.” I am not convinced by Google’s definition that includes former criminals and neo-Nazis. I believe Google’s project is another attempt to taint Islam and Muslims, and is influenced by Washington Jewish Leaders (WJL; my description and initials).

As I wrote many times before, I have become interested in the WJL (most prominent: Sen. Joe Liebermann) few years ago, after I became convinced that: (a) the so-called “war on terrorism” is but a subtle and indirect war on Muslims, if not on Islam; and (b) the US policy towards the Muslim countries have been greatly influenced (but not controlled) by the WJL.

I don’t criticize the WJL because of their dedication to their causes, skill to organize and ability to finance themselves; I criticized them because of their support of Israel’s expansionist policies.

Jared Cohen, one of the WJL and head of the Google’s project, just wrote an anti-Muslims book: “Children of Jihad.” Jane Rosenthal, one of Cohen’s advisers, is a New York Jewish leader.

Of course, Google’s two founders are Jewish. But, that is less important than for Google to be fair to the Muslims: Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers are occupying the West bank by force. Isn’t that “violent extremism”?

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NEWS: “WASHINGTON POST”: GOOGLE IDEAS GATHER FORMER EXTREMISTS

Technology giant Google, having conquered the Internet and the world around it, is taking on a new challenge: violent extremism.

The company, through its eight-month-old think tank, Google Ideas, is paying for 80 former Muslim extremists, neo-Nazis, U.S. gang members and other former radicals to gather in Dublin this weekend to explore how technology can play a role in de-radicalization efforts around the globe…

“We are trying to reframe issues like radicalization and see how we can apply technology to it,” said Jared Cohen, the 29-year-old former State Department adviser who now heads the project…

Google Ideas may be setting its sights too high, said Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: “You’ll never make a hard-core jihadi into a Jeffersonian democrat — it’s just not going to happen,” he said. He also noted that while there may be common threads to why individuals join extremists groups, the remedies to that problem are more likely to be “culturally, and even country, specific”…

Officials at Google express little concern that their efforts are overly ambitious or will tread in others’ territory…

Cohen also turned to the Tribeca Film Festival, which was founded to help bring people back to the lower Manhattan neighborhood after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the festival, is making a film about de-radicalization that will draw on the work coming out of the conference. “You have to create deeper opportunities for involvement,” she said.

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: MY WHITE HOUSE JIHAD: ALL OVER THE WORLD

My “until I die!”, silent, lonely and on some weekends, White House jihad that started in 2008 doesn’t involve, the way I see it, any heroism.

I am not a hero.

I am just voluntarily scarifying some of my time and efforts to express my opinion with two important conditions: (a) peacefully and (b) for the sake of justice.

Are there heroes?

Of course yes; two famous ones: George Washington fought for justice and Nelson Mandela (South Africa) spent almost 30 years in jail because he called for justice.

But, there are less famous heroes. (Read below).

I was inspired by the one-million demonstrators in London against the invasion of Iraq in 2003, few weeks earlier. I was also inspired by a similar demonstration in Australia; aware that the Australian government sent troops to Afghanistan and then to Iraq, I asked myself: “Why are people in far away Australia so concerned about Middle Eastern Muslims?”

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NEWS: (JUST SEARCHED):”WIKIPEDIA”: PROTESTS AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR:

Beginning in 2002, and continuing after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, protests against the Iraq War were held in many cities worldwide, often coordinated to occur simultaneously around the world. After the biggest series of demonstrations, on Feb15, 2005, “The New York Times” writer Patrick Tyler claimed that they showed that there were two superpowers on the planet, the US and worldwide public opinion.

These demonstrations against the war were mainly organized by anti-war groups, many of whom had been formed earlier opposing the invasion of Afghanistan. In some Arab countries demonstrations were organized by the government. Europe saw the biggest mobilization of protesters, including a rally of three million people in Rome, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever anti-war rally.

According to the French academic Dominique Reynie, between January 3 and April 12, 2003, 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war.

In the United States, even though pro-war demonstrators have been quoted as referring to anti-war protests as a “vocal minority”, Gallup Polls updated September 14, 2007 state, “Since the summer of 2005, opponents of the war have tended to outnumber supporters. A majority of Americans believe the war was a mistake.”

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: MY WHITE HOUSE JIHAD: LONDON

My “until I die!”, silent, lonely and on some weekends, White House jihad that started in 2008 doesn’t involve, the way I see it, any heroism.

I am not a hero.

I am just voluntarily scarifying some of my time and efforts to express my opinion with two important conditions: (a) peacefully and (b) for the sake of justice.

Are there heroes?

Of course yes; two famous ones: George Washington fought for justice and Nelson Mandela (South Africa) spent almost 30 years in jail because he called for justice.

But, there are less famous heroes. (Read below).

One is Brian Haw (62) who had been camping outside the Parliament in London since 2001, protesting UK and US foreign policies in the Middle Eat, particularly the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq .

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NEWS: “ASSOCIATED PRESS”: LONDON DEMONSTRATOR DIES OF CANCER

English peace campaigner Brian Haw, who camped outside the UK’s Houses of Parliament for the past decade, has died of lung cancer at the age of 62.

Mr Haw set up camp in London’s Parliament Square in 2001 in protest against UK and US foreign policy, particularly sanctions against Iraq.

His protest grew broader after the invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq and his makeshift camp over the road from Big Ben and Westminster Abbey became a familiar sight to millions of Londoners and tourists.

Over the past decade, Mr Haw fought a lengthy court battle to keep his camp in place.

His family said Mr Haw died in Germany , where he had been receiving medical treatment.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn has praised Mr Haw for his daily demand for peace and reminder to MPs about the consequences of their decisions.

Another Labour MP, Paul Flynn, said on Twitter that Mr Haw’s “24/7 protest in all weathers against the futile wars in Iraq/Helmand deserves the nation’s thanks and admiration”.

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: WHITE HOUSE JIHAD: JERUSALEM JIHADIST

My “until I die!”, silent, lonely and on some weekends, White House jihad that started in 2008 doesn’t involve, the way I see it, any heroism.

I am not a hero.

I am just voluntarily scarifying some of my time and efforts to express my opinion with two important conditions: (a) peacefully and (b) for the sake of justice.

Are there heroes?

Of course yes; two famous ones: George Washington fought for justice and Nelson Mandela (South Africa) spent almost 30 years in jail because he called for justice.

But, there are less famous heroes. (Read below).

One is Lucas Koemer, 19-year old Jewish college kid from Philadelphia, who was arrested in Jerusalem because he peacefully called for justice for the Palestinians.

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NEWS: “HA’ARETZ” (ISRAEL): VIDEO: VIOLENT ARREST ON JERUSALEM DAY:

Lucas Koerner, 19-year old from Philadelphia, was detained on Jerusalem Day earlier this month for ‘attacking and biting a police officer’

For one American Jewish teenager, this year’s Jerusalem Day earlier this month turned out to be an event not to remember, as he was detained for two days on suspicion of attacking and biting a police officer.

“Lucas” cut a rather different figure in the Jerusalem Day flag parade in the capital. Like many participants in the event, he wore a skullcap on his head; unlike the others, however, a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh were also part of his outfit.

The youth, who arrived in Israel as part of a trip arranged by a Jewish-Christian group, claims he was attacked by a policeman during the celebrations.

The parade turned ugly this year when a small group of participants walked through East Jerusalem, and the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, chanting “death to Arabs.”

Lucas, with a few comrades, stood opposite these demonstrators, and shouted out slogans in support of ending Israel’s occupation of the territories. He says that dozens of Palestinians gathered behind him, and formed a spontaneous protest.

In a videotape, Lucas can be seen refusing to give policemen his passport, after he was apparently identified as the leader of the protest. After a few minutes, in the clip, a police officer is seen dragging Lucas forcibly into a police car.

“Israel is occupying the Palestinian people in my name, in the name of world Jewry,” Lucas, clutching his American passport, tells the camera. “And I myself, an American Jew, is here to say that is completely unjustified and ethically reprehensible.

“And we, world Jewry and all people of the world, will not stop until this occupation ends and until the Palestinian people have their right – the right of return, the right to live without occupation, and equal rights within Israel . That is why we are here.”

Israel Police claims the young man attacked and bit an officer – however, the video does not show Lucas provoking any officers. It shows a group of policemen forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him; as a result, he required medical treatment afterward.

“I didn’t bite anyone,” Lucas says. “The police officer showed me his cuts [later], but they were caused by a sharp instrument, and there weren’t any bite marks.”

Lucas was held in detention for two days. The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court denied a police request to extend his remand; at the advice of his lawyer and family, the youth left the country after being released.

Which version of events do you believe, the young man or the police? Join the discussion on the Haaretz Facebook page.

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: MY WHITE HOUSE JIHAD:

It is summer in Washington, DC, and I haven’t done my “White House Silence Jihad Until I die!” for many months. I usually do it on weekends.

I usually stop when it is very cold in winter and when it is very hot in summer. Also, when there are celebrations and demonstrations.

Also, when the political atmosphere seems a little promising.

I stopped for more than six months when Obama became president, said he was going to end the so-called “war on terrorism” and went to Egypt to address the Muslims. But, I resumed my vigil when I realized that Obama was just another politician, trying to outsmart us – and outsmart history.

When last winter was over, I was ready to resume my vigil, but then came the Arab Spring.

I have been so excited about the demonstrations and the revolutions in the Middle East, especially in Egypt.

I thought I wouldn’t want to “change the subject” by rising my “WHAT IS TERRORISM?” and “WHAT IS ISALM?” sign.

Of course, I am planning to continue my vigil “until I die!” But, right now, I want to wait and see history in the making in the Middle East.

Of course, I don’t think that the US would end its “war on terrorism” even if all the Arabs become free. (Read below).

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NEWS: “SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG”: HANS LEYENDECKER: CHASING PHANTOMS (TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN):

A spectre has been haunting the world: the spectre of globally-networked Islamist terrorism. It appeared in various guises and forms and seemed to be omnipresent.

Because ghosts are also given names to better distinguish them from each other, this one was called al Qaeda. Some just called it Osama bin Laden. That sounded even more dangerous…

And then two bullets laid the phantom to rest. Even ghosts are mortal, it seems. Now the professional fear industry, which includes intelligence agencies and politicians but also academics and publishers, is warning against giving the all-clear. Lone attackers, bin Laden avengers, preservers of the al Qaeda myth may be abroad…

Yes, someone is always on the prowl. The security industry has its own concerned lobby, which is also perfectly capable of spreading fear. It needs the eternal devil so as to be able to fight him with everything an apparatus has at its disposal…

The very people who had first underestimated the danger promptly received powerful support to be able to combat the great threat. The fight against the Islamist spectre has so far cost many hundreds of billions of dollars. Two wars were waged, in which an estimated 150,000 people died. Was the threat really so great?…

It is perhaps noteworthy that the many experts on Islamist threats of all kind were able to minutely describe the networks of terrorists in Arab countries down to the last cell but, amazingly, failed to notice anything about the democracy movements in these countries.

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: OH CAPITALISM! (3): NATIONAL HARBOR

For about half a century as a journalist, I have been writing mostly news not views, and I probably never wrote an opinion on capitalism. But, I have always looked at the Scandinavian experience of free enterprise under government control as a compromise between communism and capitalism.

During 31 years as a foreign correspondent in Washington, DC, I have seen the growing influence of capitalists on politicians. I am saddened that most of the politicians in this greatest country in the history of mankind have become casualties of tendencies to accumulate money. I don’t even want to think about the politicians in Muslim and Arab counties.

But, I would like to give capitalists their dues for their creativity, ambition, risk-taking and historical successes. Globalization and the fall of communism are recent historical and world-wide successes.

But, the recent world-wide economic crisis has shown that capitalism could get out of control and damage the basic fabric of the historical social contract.

On the side, governments make mistakes; labor unions are sometimes also greedy; and humans by nature tend to be selfish.

For a change, three cheers for the capitalists for what they did in National Harbor, near Washington, DC. (Read below).

Still, I support a combination of capitalism and social justice.

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NEWS: “THE WASHINGTON POST”: TANGER OUTLET AT NATIONAL HARBOR

A collection of high-end outlet stores is slated to land just outside the Capital Beltway as part of a National Harbor deal that will give Washington area shoppers, accustomed to traveling long distances for bargains, a much closer alternative as soon as 2013…

Tanger Outlet Center at National Harbor will bring about 80 stores to rapidly growing Prince George’s County, where residents have long complained about a dearth of retail options. It will be the latest addition to the still-expanding $4 billion waterfront complex of condominiums, stores, restaurants and hotels lining the Potomac River near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge…

“The addition of Tanger Outlet Centers is a significant milestone in the ongoing evolution of National Harbor,” said Milton Peterson, chairman of the Peterson Cos., which opened National Harbor in 2008…

Steven B. Tanger, president and chief executive of Tanger, said his company has relationships with nearly 500 brand-name stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Nike, Cole Haan, Brooks Brothers, Coach and Tommy Hilfiger…

The new stores will open in one of the wealthiest majority-black jurisdictions in the country, but it is also one where residents say they have been repeatedly snubbed by the business community. Residents have been so underserved they rejoiced 15 years ago over the opening of an Applebee’s. And when Wegmans opened last year, there was essentially a countywide celebration…

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: OH CAPITALISM! (2): PORTUGAL

For about half a century as a journalist, I have been writing mostly news not views, and I probably never wrote an opinion on capitalism. But, I have always looked at the Scandinavian experience of free enterprise under government control as a compromise between communism and capitalism.

During 31 years as a foreign correspondent in Washington, DC, I have seen the growing influence of capitalists on politicians. I am saddened that most of the politicians in this greatest country in the history of mankind have become casualties of tendencies to accumulate money. I don’t even want to think about the politicians in Muslim and Arab counties.

But, I would like to give capitalists their dues for their creativity, ambition, risk-taking and historical successes. Globalization and the fall of communism are recent historical and world-wide successes.

But, the recent world-wide economic crisis has shown that capitalism could get out of control and damage the basic fabric of the historical social contract.

On the side, governments make mistakes; labor unions are sometimes also greedy; and humans by nature tend to be selfish.

All these factors, but mostly the capitalists, contributed to what is happening in Portugal. (Read below).

Still, I support a combination of capitalism and social justice.

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NEWS: “THE WASHINGTON POST”: DEEP CRISIS IN PORUGAL

… Mired in a worsening debt crisis that has claimed Greece and Ireland, Portugal is embarking on the region’s most sweeping societal transformation in a quest to modernize, with success seen as vital to visions of Europe as a united economic powerhouse. In exchange for a $111 billion bailout from the European Union and International Monetary Fund, the national government has vowed to cut waste and improve competitiveness by doing everything from rolling back a cherished culture of job security to reforming archaic laws that force landlords to rent out apartments for as little as $5 a month…

“This is a horrible idea,” proclaimed Raul Araujo, 62. “This kind of link between the people and their local government in Portugal goes back to ancient times. We understand we are in a crisis. But in this town, we are now afraid of losing an identity that goes back to 1419.”

Miguel Lesta, 72, lives with his elderly wife and 39-year-old son in a charming three-bedroom house. Together, the family earns roughly $2,000 a month. Their monthly rent: $28…

“I know, I know, this crisis was our fault, and I accept that. Portugal has made mistakes and now we have to pay the bill,” said Antonio Candeias, 62, who runs a construction supply shop. “But what are people in rural areas going to do if we lose our independence?”…

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: OH CAPITALISM! (1): SPAIN

For about half a century as a journalist, I have been writing mostly news not views, and I probably never wrote an opinion on capitalism. But, I have always looked at the Scandinavian experience of free enterprise under government control as a compromise between communism and capitalism.

During 31 years as a foreign correspondent in Washington, DC, I have seen the growing influence of capitalists on politicians. I am saddened that most of the politicians in this greatest country in the history of mankind have become casualties of tendencies to accumulate money. I don’t even want to think about the politicians in Muslim and Arab counties.

But, I would like to give capitalists their dues for their creativity, ambition, risk-taking and historical successes. Globalization and the fall of communism are recent historical and world-wide successes.

But, the recent world-wide economic crisis has shown that capitalism could get out of control and damage the basic fabric of the historical social contract.

On the side, governments make mistakes; labor unions are sometimes also greedy; and humans by nature tend to be selfish.

All these factors, but mostly the capitalists, contributed to what is happening in Spain. (Read below).

Still, I support a combination of capitalism and social justice.

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NEWS: “THE WASHINGTON POST”: SPAIN SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT RETREATS:

MADRID — When Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero took power seven years ago, he and his Socialist Workers’ Party set out to perfect the welfare state in Spain . The goal was to equal— or even surpass — lavish social protections that have long been the rule for Spain ‘s Western European neighbors…

Zapatero raised the minimum wage and extended health insurance to cover everything from sniffles to sex changes. He made scholarships available to all. Young adults got rent subsidies called “emancipation” money. Mothers got $3,500 for the birth of a child, toddlers attended free nurseries and the elderly got stipends for nursing care…

How times have changed. With a U.S.-style real estate bubble having burst and the 2008 global economic crisis having unfurled like a tsunami from Wall Street to Plaza de Espana, Zapatero’s main concern in his second term has become hacking away at government spending to preserve Spain’s credit rating. The icon of socialism recently concluded a pact with labor unions and business leaders to freeze pensions, push back the retirement age from 65 to 67, trim union bargaining rights, cut civil servants’ pay by 5 percent (including his own) and suspend the childbirth bonus. The alternative, he warned, was bankruptcy…

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VEIWS: THE JEWS AND OBAMA (1): BIN LADEN

Obama killed Bin Laden, leader of “Islamic terrorism.” Israel applauded and said how about its “Islamic terrorism,” the Palestinian Hamas. Obama said the Palestinians had a legitimate cause: Israel’s “occupation” (Obama’s word). Bin Laden was against oppressive Arab regimes and Israel’s occupation. The “Arab Spring” demonstrations are against oppressive Arab regimes and Israel’s occupation. Obama hesitated to support the demonstrations, mostly because Israel was afraid of them. Now, Obama supports the demonstrations and Israel is still afraid of them. Obama said there were no relations between the demonstrations and Bin Laden, although Bin Laden “won some adherents” (Obama’s words) among the Arabs.

I say that Bin Laden’s shadow will always follow the conflict between Obama and Israel.

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NEWS: THE WHITE HOUSE: OBMAMA ADDRESS: 5/19/2011:

… Bin Laden was no martyr. He was a mass murderer who offered a message of hate – an insistence that Muslims had to take up arms against the West, and that violence against men, women and children was the only path to change.

He rejected democracy and individual rights for Muslims in favor of violent extremism; his agenda focused on what he could destroy – not what he could build.

Bin Laden and his murderous vision won some adherents. But even before his death, al Qaeda was losing its struggle for relevance, as the overwhelming majority of people saw that the slaughter of innocents did not answer their cries for a better life.

By the time we found bin Laden, al Qaeda’s agenda had come to be seen by the vast majority of the region as a dead end, and the people of the Middle East and North Africa had taken their future into their own hands…

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NEWS AND VIEWS:

VIEWS: BRITAIN BETTER THAN AMERICA (4): “NEW YORK TIMES”

Last week, I published, and commented on, an editorial from the British “Daily Mail” about the British Parliament’s investigation of former Prime Minister Tony Blair for invading Iraq in 2003.

I wondered why the Americans didn’t investigate former president George W. Bush who led the invasion.

I couldn’t find an answer.

Today, I published an editorial from the British “Financial Times” about the US so-called “war on terrorism” and how it seemed endless. The editorial described:

1. Obama as not different from Bush in this regard.

2. Obama as “an unprincipled tyrant.”

3. The military operation that killed Al-Qaeda founder and leader Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan as “extrajudicial killing.”

4. The Congress’ resolution on an endless “war on terrorism” as “wrong.”

On the same day, “The Washington Post’ published an editorial calling for the re-authorization of the Congress’s “war on terrorism.”

“The Washington Post”?

What can I say?

However, on the same day, “The New York Times” published a positive editorial, under the title “A Conflict Without End.” (Read below).

“The New York Times” is better than “The Washington Post”, but not than the British “Daily Mail” and “The Financial Times”

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NEWS: “NEW YORK TIMES”: EDITORIAL: A CONFLICT WITHOUT END

… Not content with the president’s wide-ranging powers to pursue the arch criminals of Sept. 11, 2001, Republicans want to authorize the military to pursue virtually anyone suspected of terrorism, anywhere on earth, from now to the end of time…

This wildly expansive authorization would, in essence, make the war on terror a permanent and limitless aspect of life on earth, along with its huge potential for abuse…

It would allow military attacks against not just Al Qaeda and the Taliban but also any “associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States.” That deliberately vague phrase could include anyone who doesn’t like America, even if they are not connected in any way with the 2001 attacks.

It could even apply to domestic threats…

It allows the president to detain “belligerents” until the “termination of hostilities,” presumably at a camp like the one in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since it does not give a plausible scenario of how those hostilities could be considered over, it raises the possibility of endless detention for anyone who gets on the wrong side of a future administration….

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