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The following is a selection of entries from daily reports over the last week, on issues including Turkey, Iran, and economics.
From the MEMRI Iran Blog www.thememriblog.org/iran
Ahmadinejad Gov't Backs Down From Islamic Dress Code Enforcement
Reports in the Iranian media are indicating that in the run-up to the March 2008 parliamentary elections, the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to renounce its responsibility for the campaign to enforce the Islamic dress code and public order.
The government is claiming that the police, who are implementing the campaign, are not directly accountable to the government and have not yet presented a plan of action to it for approval.
The dress code enforcement policy, which is supported by Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor Ayatollah Taqi Mesbah-e Yazdi and Ayatollah Nori Hamdani, has been implemented by police in many public places as a show of strength by the Ahmadinejad government.
Source: Tabnak, Iran, January 1, 2008; Rooz, Iran, January 2, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4365.htm
Iranian Reformist Cleric: Gov't To Blame For Iran's Economic, Other Ills
In an interview with the Iranian online reformist daily Rooz, reformist Iranian cleric Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari said, "The danger and the economic, social, and political woes that are threatening Iranian society are the result of the negative acts of the conservative-controlled government and Majlis."
Eshkevari, who in 2005 was released after five years in prison although he had been originally sentenced to death on charges of sedition following his participation in the 2000 Berlin Conference, added that Iran's conservatives and Guardian Council were joining forces to prevent key regime positions from falling into the hands of the reformists in the upcoming March 2008 parliamentary (Majlis) elections.
Source: Rooz, Iran, January 2, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4364.htm
Human Rights Group: Iranian Government Intensifying Repression, Killing In Province
Following the December 31 arrest of 150 residents of Ahwaz province in southern Iran, the Central Authority for Human Rights in the province announced that the Iranian authorities had stepped up repression and killing in Ahwaz.
The group reported that five residents were executed, the bodies of three long-term prisoners were discovered, and two prisoners' bodies were handed over to their families last week.
Other families in the province claimed that family members had been executed by the authorities and that their bodies had been hidden.
The human rights group has asked Arab and international organizations to step in to prevent the continuing massacre of residents and to stop the arrests.
Source: Al-Siyassa, Kuwait, January 2, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4361.htm
"Sobh-e Sadeq": U.S. Agreeing To Negotiate With Iran Without Preconditions Due To Defeats
An article in the Iranian weekly Sobh-e Sadeq, the mouthpiece of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei circulated among Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, stated that the defeat of the U.S. in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq versus the impetus of Iran's relations with the Arab countries – manifested by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's participation in the GCC conference in Doha and by Ali Larijani's visit to Cairo – had forced the U.S. State Department to announce recently that the U.S. was agreeing to negotiations with Iran without preconditions.
Source: Sobh-e Sadeq, Iran, December 31, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4360.htm
Iranian Report: Most Important Outcome Of 9/11 – Rise In Central Asia's Status In U.S. Foreign Policy
A report by Iran's Majlis (Parliamentary) Strategic Research Center stated that the most important outcome of 9/11 has been the rise in Central Asia's geopolitical status in U.S. foreign policy.
It also stated that the U.S. is aspiring to prevent the rise of an again-powerful Russia as well as Iranian and Chinese influence in the region.
The report concludes that the first item on the U.S. agenda is obtaining the energy resources of the Caspian Sea, and recommends that Iran resist any foreign presence in the region by drawing closer to China and Russia by using the Shanghai alliance.
Source: Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, January 1, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4359.htm
Contest Between International Zionism, Offspring Of Khomeini Will Affect World's Future
At the weekly meeting of the conservative Iranian group Ansar Hizbullah, Mojtaba Rahmandoust, secretary-general of the Iran-based Society in Defense of the Palestinian Nation, stated, "The contest between international Zionism and the offspring of the Imam Khomeini will be the focus of the political processes that will affect the future of the world."
He said that the U.S., Europe, and Israel would step up their pressure as the armed struggle bore fruit, and that the current Israeli and U.S. pressure on Egypt was evidence of the success of the armed Palestinian struggle.
He added that the Palestinians were now producing longer-range missiles than in the past.
Source: ISNA, Iran, December 31, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4357.htm
Larijani: Weakening Of U.S. Role In Region Encouraging Egypt-Iran Relations; Iran Will Help Egypt With Nuclear Technology
At a meeting with intellectuals and writers during his visit in Egypt, Ali Larijani, representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Iran's Supreme National council, stated that international circumstances and regional changes, including "the weakening of the exclusive role of America in the region," are encouraging Egypt and Iran to increase their mutual cooperation.
Larijani added that Iran is ready to help Egypt develop nuclear technology, in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency regulations.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, December 31, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4353.htm
Unrest At Universities Across Iran
The online Iranian reformist daily Rooz reports on unrest in universities across Iran because of increasing rumors that over 30 students, detained since early December, have been tortured in order to extract confessions, and because of the delay of the release on bail of the three students from Amir Kabir university even after their bond was posted.
At Isfahan University, students who have barricaded themselves since December 24 are continuing with their hunger strike against the repression of the student movement and the restriction of freedom of expression.
The student movement issued a communiqué protesting against the arrest of over 100 students in the past nine months.
Source: Rooz, Iran, December 30, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4352.htm
Iranian Ayatollah Montazeri Urges Iranian Reformists To Act For Free Elections
In a meeting with reformist activists in Iran, Ayatollah Hossein 'Ali Montazeri, one of the senior Iranian clerics critical of the Iranian regime, said that the regime was acting illegally by approving candidates for the March 2008 Majlis (parliamentary) elections based on the candidates' political proximity to the regime.
Montazeri encouraged activity to pressure the regime to hold free elections, and reiterated that the slogan of Iran's Islamic Revolution was "independence, freedom, and Islamic revolution."
Source: Montazeri's blog, Iran, December 28, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4342.htm
Iran Gets Second Russian Fuel Shipment
Russia has delivered a second consignment of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr power plant, said Iranian Atomic Energy Organization deputy head today, December 28.
He said that the delivery was the same amount as was supplied in the first consignment, which arrived December 17.
Russia is to deliver a total of 82 tons of nuclear fuel to Iran, over two months and in eight separate consignments.
Source: Fars, Iran, December 28, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4322.htm
Tehran Friday Sermon: Ayatollah Jannati Blasts U.S. For Lebanon Political Crisis, Says Christ Would Have Fought Oppression, Labels Israel "Cancerous Tumor" Planted By U.S.
In his sermon today, Tehran interim Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati congratulated all "real believers" in Christianity on the new year, and said that Jesus should be considered among the oppressed prophets "because certain individuals who allege to be an advocate of Christ, such as U.S. President George W. Bush, kill innocent people and trigger crisis among the world nations."
He lambasted those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ while committing murders in different parts of the world, and said that of the three options of silence, supporting the oppressors, and fighting with the oppressors, Jesus Christ would have certainly chosen the third if he was present among us.
He went on to slam the U.S. administration for sowing discord in Lebanon, saying that the ongoing political crisis there had been created and exacerbated by Washington. He said, "America has planted the occupiers of Quds [Israel] as a cancerous tumor in the heart of the Arab countries in order to create crises in Palestine and Lebanon."
He also said that Iran's upcoming March 2008 parliamentary elections would "show the world that religion and democracy are not incompatible."
Source: IRNA, IRIBnews.ir, Fars, Iran, December 28, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4315.htm
Iranian Weekly: U.S. NIE Report – Psychological Warfare, New White House Plan Against Iran
The Iranian weekly Sobh-e Sadeq, which is the mouthpiece of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei circulated among Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is claiming that the U.S. NIE report is actually "a searing accusation against Iran's nuclear activity" and constitutes psychological warfare and a new White House plan against Iran.
According to the paper, one of dangers of the report was that it cast great doubt on the International Atomic Energy Agency's oversight of Iran – because the agency had not spotted Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons since 2003. Thus, it said, there was no guarantee that Iran was not now concealing from the agency's inspectors a post-2003 renewal of its nuclear weapons development efforts.
The weekly said that according to the NIE report, Iran was concealing information – thus preparing world public opinion for further measures against Iran. Thus, the weekly said, according to the report Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons stopped in 2003 because of pressure and sanctions – so these should be escalated.
The weekly further stated that the NIE report gives world public opinion and the international institutions the impression that Iran can renew its nuclear weapons development efforts any time it likes, meaning that Iran is still a real threat to world peace.
Source: Sobh-e Sadeq, Iran, December 24, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4310.htm
Iran, Egypt Ready To Boost Scientific Cooperation
Ali Larijani, the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said yesterday, December 26, that Iran's religious and cultural centers are ready to cooperate with Al-Azhar University and other scientific centers in Egypt.
Ali Larijani proposed the cooperation during a Cairo meeting with the Al-Azhar University head and several Al-Azhar professors.
He said that Al-Azhar's role in promoting closeness among followers of major Islamic schools of thought has always been significant.
Source: IRIBnews.ir, Iran, December 27, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4299.htm
Russian Defense Ministry Source: S-300 Systems To Iran In Early 2008
The Iranian news agency Aftab reported that a knowledgeable Russian Defense Ministry source has told the Russian media that the S-300 air defense system it is selling to Iran will be supplied in early 2008, as stipulated in the agreement (see "Russia To Sell S-300 Missile System to Iran").
The commander of the Russian air force said that Russia had trained, on its territory, dozens of Iranian officers in operating the TOR M1 defense system, over several months in 2006 (see "Russian Experts To Provide Guidance For Operation Of Iran Air Defense System").
Under the Iran-Russia arms deal, Russia is to supply Iran with 29 TOR M1 air defense systems.
Sources: Aftab, IRNA, Iran, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4290.htm
Russia To Sell S-300 Missile System to Iran
Iran signed a contract with Russia on December 25 for purchasing the S-300 advanced missile system, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said today.
Najjar dismissed any link between this contract and the recent U.S. NIE report confirming the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities.
He added that the date of the delivery of the system would be announced later.
The S-300 system is considered to be among the most advanced anti-missile systems in the world, and is capable of targeting various types of missiles and warplanes at different altitudes.
Source: Fars, Iran, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4277.htm
Iranian MP: What Has Iran Gained From Building Relationship With Russia?
Iranian reformist MP Nour Al-Din Pirmozen has demanded that the Iranian government explain what Iran's relationship-building with Moscow has achieved.
He said that Russia's statements that the Bushehr nuclear reactor would not be completed until the end of 2008, which came the day after it transferred the nuclear fuel to Bushehr, proved that "Russia will never do anything for Iran at the expense of its interests in the West."
Pirmozen added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "playing with Iran's national interests in order to protect Russia's interests."
An editorial by the reformist daily Aftab-e Yazd stated that the Iranian government's baseless boasting of its "great diplomatic success" following the transfer of the fuel from Russia was likely to bring about an increase of pressure on Iran, from both its friends and its enemies.
Source: Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, December 23, 2007; ISNA, Iran, December 25, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4257.htm
Iranian Daily: U.S., Iran In "Little Cold War"
An article in the conservative Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami has stated, citing an Iranian research institute, that the U.S.-Russia Cold War did not end with the collapse of the USSR, but only changed form and location.
The article called the conflict between the U.S. and Iran a "little cold war" that is part of the ongoing bigger U.S.-Russia Cold War in some regions near Iran, such as Azerbaijan.
The article presents the Iran-U.S. cold war as an ideological struggle of Islam vs. liberalism over spheres of influence, and depicts the 2006 Lebanon war as "a war between Iran and the U.S. in which Iran triumphed."
The article also expressed pessimism regarding the possibility of strategic Russian-Iranian unity in the international arena.
Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, December 23, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4248.htm
Russian Experts To Provide Guidance For Operation Of Iran Air Defense System
The head of a Russian military delegation that visited Iran last week, Mikhail Dimitriov, has said that the issue of air defense heads the agenda of Russian-Iranian cooperation.
He said that the current deal under which Russia is to provide a TOR M1-type air defense system to Iran at a cost of $700 million is the biggest arms deal ever between two countries.
He added that Russian experts currently in Iran will provide guidance in the operation of the new system.
Sources: IRNA, Fars TV, Iran, December 22, 2007; Iran Daily, Iran, December 23, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4249.htm
Iranian Ambassador To Japan: Iran Won't Seek Nuclear Technology From Pyongyang; China Will Be Superpower; Next U.S. Pres Must Adopt Multilateral Policy
Iran’s ambassador to Japan Mohsen Tala'i has said that it is time for the U.S. to change its behavior towards Iran.
Speaking to the Japanese newspaper Sunki, Tala'i said that the recent U.S. NIE report proved that the U.S. had been wrong about Iran's purported development of nuclear weapons.
With regard to Iran's relations with North Korea, he said that Tehran-Pyongyang ties are limited, and that Iran would never seek to obtain nuclear technology from North Korea.
He added that Iran's ties with Russia would depend on whether Moscow regulates its policy toward Iran as a rival or as a partner. But, he said, Russia is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council and Iran won't and can't underestimate its importance. Japan, he added, is downplaying Russia’s significance, probably because it is close to another permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Tala'i also noted that China would be a superpower hereafter.
Iran’s envoy to Japan also said that the next U.S. president should adopt a multilateral policy, and in that case China and Russia would be more influential powers.
He said that Japan is the largest importer of Iran’s oil, and that expanding relations with it was high on Tehran’s agenda.
Source: Mehr, Iran, December 19, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4232.htm
From MEMRI’s Islamist Websites Monitor Project http://www.memriiwmp.org/
Mansour Dadullah Removed From Post of Chief Taliban Commander
On December 29, 2007, the Islamic website http://al-hesbah.com (hosted by NOC4Hosts Inc. in Florida, USA) posted a communiqué by Taliban leader Mullah 'Omar announcing that Mansour Dadullah had been removed from his post as chief commander of the Taliban forces. In the message, Mullah 'Omar accused Mansour of disobeying his orders and of carrying out operations that were at odds with Taliban principles. He stressed that Mansour "has been relieved of all his duties, and will no longer be assigned any role or responsibility in the Islamic Emirate [i.e. the Taliban], so [from now on] he must not be regarded as one of the Emirate's commanders..."
http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=337
New Osama bin Laden Audio Message
On December 29, 2007, Al-Qaeda's media production company Al-Sahab posted an audio message by Osama bin Laden on various Islamist websites, among them Al-Ikhlaas (http://ek-ls.org).
The message, titled "The Way to Thwart the Conspiracies," is an attempt by bin Laden to stop the increasing anti-Al-Qaeda momentum in Iraq, especially among those tribes which have joined the Awakening movement.
In it, bin Laden warns Iraqis that the new Iraqi national government is merely an American vessel through which the U.S. hopes to deepen its roots in Iraq, gain control of its oil, and destroy the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI).
Bin Laden calls upon the mujahideen to thwart the American plan to divide Iraq. He also urges national mujahideen in Iraq to join Al-Qaeda and thus to disobey their current jihad organizations which, according to him, only serve the Iraqi government, and, ultimately the American conspiracy. Finally, bin Laden criticizes Hamas for giving priority to national unity over the need to render the word of Allah supreme.
He then announces that Al-Qaeda will never relinquish the Muslims' rights over even one inch of Palestine, and that it will aspire to liberate all Islamic lands in Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=336
Al-Qaeda Maghreb Names New Central Region Commander
Hadhifa Abu Younes Al-'Asimi has been named new commander for the central region of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The appointment follows the September killing of previous commander Sufyan Abu Haydra.
Al-'Asimi, whose real name is Abdelmoumen Rashid, was a prominent commander in the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) in the 1990s. Al-Qaeda Maghreb's central region, also called Region 2, comprises the provinces of Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzo, Bouira, and Algiers.
In related news, Algerian security forces said that an Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb logistics brigade commander, Chaibi Khemissi, was killed by army forces on the night of December 27-28. Khemissi was also known as El-Atrous.
In addition, "repented" terrorists say that another commander, known as "Belhamar," is ready to turn himself in, together with 24 other terrorists operating near Algeria's western border.
Sources: El-Nahar, El-Khabar, El-Watan, Algeria, December 29, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4332.htm
ISI Commander Abu 'Omar Al-Baghdadi Announces Deaths of Three Prominent Mujahideen, Calls for Further Attacks on Awakening Movement
On December 23, 2007, the Islamist website www.alhesbah.net, which is hosted by NOC4Hosts Inc. in Florida, USA, posted an audio message by ISI commander Abu 'Omar Al-Baghdadi announcing the death of three prominent mujahideen and calling for further attacks against the Awakening, the U.S.-backed tribal movement aiming to expel Al-Qaeda from Iraq.
The following are excerpts:[1]
"Oh Islamic ummah... I turn to you today and say: Slaughter the apostates of the Sahwa [i.e. the Awakening] – may Allah accept your offerings – for they have become supporters of the Cross…
"We would like to extend our condolences to the Islamic ummah for the [death of] two lions of the Zuba' [tribe]: the heroic brother Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad Suleiman… who, by Allah, shot down a plane before he was killed, though he had only one hand... and the heroic unrelenting attacker, brother Abu Raed…
"…We would [also] like to extend our condolences to the Islamic ummah for the [death of a third] martyr… the author of The Abu Zubaydah Security Encyclopedia, brother Maysara Al-Gharib…"
[1] http://al-hesbah.com/v/showthread.php?t=158164
http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=334
Mullah 'Omar Urges Mujahideen To Intensify Attacks On Foreign Forces
On December 21, 2007, the Islamist website http://al-hesbah.com/v/ (hosted by NOC4Hosts Inc., Tampa, FL, USA) posted a holiday message by Mullah 'Omar urging mujahideen "to hasten their painful... attacks [on the enemy]" in order to humiliate it and compel it to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
In addition, Mullah 'Omar appeals to Muslims in general to cooperate with mujahideen everywhere, to advise them, to put aside their personal interests and the quest for honor... as their religion and nation are in danger... He also calls upon Muslims to go to the battle under faithful, realistic and pious leaders...
Source: http://al-hesbah.com/v/
http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=333
From the MEMRI Blog www.memriblog.org/
*Reform
Bahrain Parliament Approves Anti-Human Trafficking Law
The Bahraini parliament approved, on December 31, a law supporting the fight against human trafficking.
The law will now be brought to the government and the monarch for approval.
The new legislation will define the crime and set out the punishments and fines for those found to be committing it.
A national committee for the fight against human trafficking is also to be established, for examining foreign workers' exposure to it.
Source: Akhbar Al-Khaleej, Bahrain; Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, January 1, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4373.htm
Syrian Human Rights Organization: Syrian Prisoner Tortured To Death
The Organization of Human Rights in Syria has reported that Ahmad 'Abd Al-Ghafour 'Abd Al-Baqi, a 24-year-old prisoner from Idlib province, has died as a result of torture in a Syrian prison.
It was also reported that the Syrian intelligence apparatus had tried to obscure the incident, spreading rumors that Al-Baqi had been killed in Iraq – even though he had been in a Syrian prison for over five months.
Source: thisissyria.net, Syria, December 31, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4368.htm
Arrested Saudi Reformist Blogger Being Held Without Bond, At Unknown Location
The Arab Network for Human Rights Information has condemned the December 10 arrest of Saudi blogger Fuad Al-Farhan, who had called for reform in Saudi Arabia. He is being held without bond at an unknown location.
Al-Farhan, known as the "dean of the Saudi bloggers," is considered one of the most important Saudi and Arab bloggers, and is known for his serious writing and support for reform in his blog at http://www.alfarhan.org.
Al-Farhan had anticipated the arrest, writing that he had learned of an official order for his arrest and adding that it was because he had "been writing about political prisoners, and [the authorities] believe that I am engaged in a propaganda campaign to defend these prisoners and promoting their cause."
It is standard practice for Saudi authorities to release peaceful bloggers advocating reform in the kingdom after a few days; Al-Farhan has now been held for two weeks.
Al-Farhan, 32, is the director of Smart Info in Jeddah, and holds an MS in computer science from the U.S.
Sources: http://www.aafaq.org/english/aafaq_today.aspx?id_news=112, December 27, 2007; http://www.hrinfo.net/, December 24, 2007; http://www.alfarhan.org.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4308.htm
Syrian Information Ministry To Gov't Papers, Radio, TV: No Dealings With Journalist Who Wrote Against Central Monitoring Body
The Syrian Information Ministry has issued a circular to Syrian government newspapers and to Syria's state radio and television authority instructing them to have no dealings with journalist Wasah Mohi Al-Din, and not to publish his articles, because of his writings in the Al-Nour and Bak'at Sawa newspapers against Syria's central body for monitoring and oversight.
On the same issue, Syrian journalist Jihad Salah, who resides in Lebanon, wrote that the Syrian security apparatuses are threatening to harm him because he participated in a Damascus Declaration secretariat press conference in Beirut.
Source: www.syria-life.com, December 24, 2007; http://tharwacommunity.typepad.com/syrian elector/ , December 21, 2007 http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4186.htm
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4252.htm
*Other
Jumblatt: Hizbullah Trying To Force "Rule Of Jurisprudent" On Lebanon
Lebanese Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt has stated that Lebanon's problem is rooted in Hizbullah’s being an extension of the Syrian regime and of Iran, and accused Hizbullah of striving to take over Lebanon in order to place it under the Rule of the Jurisprudent.
Jumblatt announced that the March 14 Forces would not comply with the Lebanese opposition's demand for more than one-third of the seats in the next government, and warned that giving the opposition the justice portfolio would endanger the establishment of the international tribunal for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Lebanon, January 3, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4383.htm
Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah: 10 Days To Resolve Lebanon Crisis – Or Else
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that the Lebanon crisis will be resolved only if the opposition recives over one-third of the government seats in the unity government. He pointed at the U.S. as the main element thwarting agreement in Lebanon.
Nasrallah said that if the crisis was not resolved in 10 days, the opposition would decide what steps to take. He added that if the Al-Siniora government took over the presidential powers, the opposition would take "legitimate civilian measures, and will not promise that matters will not descend into the streets."
The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, reported that the opposition had an "action plan," whose details it would not reveal, against the Al-Siniora government that it said was "continuing to strengthen the presidential powers and to rule exclusively."
The paper quoted sources who estimated that the plan included closing down the country's airports and seaports, staging a large sit-down strike in front of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and blocking main roads. It also quoted senior oppositionists as saying that the steps taken would be surprising, and that the March 14 Forces would have no way of reacting in time.
Sources: Ghaliboun.net, January 2, 2008; Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Akhbar, Lebanon, January 3, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4378.htm
Hamas Threatens PA Following Arrest Of Activist Who Planned Suicide Bombing In Israel
Abu Ubeida, speaker of the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has said that Palestinian Authority Chairman Salam Fayyed and his government will regret the arrest, by Palestinian security apparatuses, of an Al-Qassam Brigades activist who was planning a suicide bombing in Israel.
Source: Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, January 2, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4375.htm
Sudan Press Reports On Murder Of U.S. Diplomat In Khartoum
The Sudanese press today dealt extensively with yesterday's shooting murder of U.S. diplomat John Granville and his Sudanese driver.
The Sudanese Interior Ministry said in an announcement that Granville's driver had crashed their car into another vehicle, but gave no further details.
Sudan's Foreign Ministry stated that Granville and his driver had gotten into an argument with merrymakers driving home from New Years' festivities, and that the latter had fired on them.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has set up a team to investigate the event, and the Foreign Ministry spokesman promised to trap the criminals and clarified that the incident was not politically motivated.
The media offered several hypotheses as to the motive for the murder: protest against the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Darfur; internal conflict between members of the U.S. diplomatic delegation that ended in shots fired from a vehicle belonging to the U.S. Embassy; or a fight between an inebriated Granville and other foreigners who were playing games of chance, which led to his death.
The newspaper Akher Lahza reported that knowledgeable sources said that murder was the result of Granville's personal conflicts, while the government daily Al-Ayyam expressed hope that the government would dispel the mystery surrounding the event and rule out the possibility that extremist Sudanese elements were involved.
Sources: Al-Ayyam, Al-Sudani, Al-Intibaha, Akher Lahza, Sudan, January 2, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4367.htm
"Awakening" Forces In Iraq: We Will Fight Al-Qaeda Until It Is Expelled From The Country
In response to Osama bin Laden's call to "Awakening" movement forces in Iraq to stop collaborating with the Americans (see http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=336), forces commanders said that they were determined to continue their war against Al-Qaeda until it is expelled from Iraq.
The Al-Anbar district commander said that Al-Qaeda had no influence in his province and that his forces would continue to hunt down the organization until the last of its men was eliminated.
A forces commander in the Salah Al-Din district, in northern Baghdad, called Al-Qaeda "gangs and highwaymen who harm the honor of the women of the Iraqis and shed [Iraqis' blood," and added that the deeds of bin Laden's men were counter to Islamic principles and to morality.
A member of the Awakening forces in the Diyala district accused Al-Qaeda of spreading corruption in Iraq and of attempting to occupy Iraq in the guise of serving the religion and Islam, and promised to eliminate Al-Qaeda members.
Source: Al-Hayat, London, January 1, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4363.htm
Assad Meets With U.S. Lawmakers
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad stressed during his December 30 meeting with U.S. Senator Arlen Spector (R-PA) and Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), that Syria viewed favorably any measure that would lead to real peace.
He said that Syria had participated in the Annapolis conference because of its belief that the positions and voices heard recently were a suitable climate for advancing the peace process.
Source: Al-Thawra, Syria, December 31, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4349.htm
Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: Muslims May Wish Christians A Happy Holiday
Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Council of Muslim Clerics, has permitted Muslims to extend greetings to Christians and to other "people of the book" (i.e. Jews) on their holidays.
He said that changes in the global situation have led him to disagree with Sheikh Ibn Taymiyya, who banned such greetings.
Al-Qaradhawi also called to replace the Islamic term ahl al-dhimma (the people of the dhimma) with the term "civilians."
Source: islamonline.net, December 29, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4346.htm
Egyptian MP: Sarkozy, Girlfriend Must Not Be Alone Together In Egypt
Independent MPs in the Egyptian parliament protested against the Egyptian government for wasting public funds on the visit to the country of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his girlfriend Carla Bruni.
A question in parliament by MP Dr. Gamal Zahran to the Egyptian government stated that it was illegitimate for the couple to be alone together because they are not married.
National Democratic Party MPs condemned the oppositionists' statements.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, December 30, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4340.htm
Syrian Columnist: U.S. Also Guilty Of Bhutto Assassination
In his column in the Syrian government daily Al-Ba'th, Omar Al-Muqdad wrote that extremist Islam was not the only element to blame in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
He said that the blame also fell on the American administrations that had given protection to fundamentalist groups in Pakistan for two decades and had provided fertile ground for their development, in the context of the fight against communism during the Cold War.
Source: Al-Ba'th, Syria, December 30, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4339.htm
Saudi Ulamaa Divided Over Legitimacy Of Braille Koran
Since the printing several months ago of a Braille Koran for distribution to the sight-impaired in Saudi Arabia and abroad, disagreement has arisen in the senior Saudi ulamaa apparatus regarding the legitimacy of a Braille Koran.
According to tradition, the Koran may be written only in Ottoman script.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, December 28, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4313.htm
Sudan To Use Euro, Not Dollar
Sudan's Central Bank has issued a circular to the country's banks stipulating that beginning January 1, 2008, the main currency used will be the euro.
The change is in light of the "risks" of using the dollar.
The CB has asked that banks with dollar balances convert them to euros as soon as possible.
Source: Al-Sudani, London, December 27, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4307.htm
Al-Azhar Emissary In Philippines Arrested For Suspected Terror Ties
An Al-Azhar University emissary in the Philippines, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Sayyed Sayyed Ahmad Moussa, was arrested December 19 on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.
The sheikh of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Al-Tantawi, has appointed a high-level attorney in the Philippines to deal with the judicial authorities in the matter, and the Egyptian Embassy in the Philippines is acting for his release.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4270.htm
Aafaq Publishes List Of Fedayeen Saddam Members In Exile
The liberal website Aafaq has published a list of the names of members of the Fedayeen Saddam militia who are living in exile in Bahrain.
The militia, once 10,000-15,000 strong, was formed in 1995 by Saddam Hussein's son Uday Hussein, and was implemented against the civilian population. After the war, elements from the militia joined the "resistance" forces.
To view the list (in Arabic), see http://www.aafaq.org/news.aspx?id_news=3583# .
Source: www.aafaq.org, December 25, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4269.htm
Algerian Media Enraged Over Aljazeera.Net Poll On Al-Qaeda Attacks In Algeria
The Algerian media has attacked Al-Jazeera TV over a poll on its website on whether readers "support Al-Qaeda's attacks in Algeria."
Speaking on Algerian national television, Algerian TV director-general Hamraoui Habib Chawki called the poll "a serious mistake that has made this station [Al-Jazeera] an official spokesman for Al-Qaeda, terrorism, and crime."
Al-Jazeera website manager Ahmad Al-Sheikh said that the poll was posted without his knowledge, and called it a grave error. He also accused Al-Qaeda members and others of skewing the poll results
The poll showed that of slightly over 30,000 respondents, 54.7% supported such attacks, while 45.3% were opposed.
Source: El-Shorouq El-Yawmi, Algeria, December 21, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4239.htm
From the MEMRI Turkey Blog www.thememriblog.org/turkey
Islamist Vakit Continues To Attack "Christian" New Year
The radical Islamist daily Vakit continues to attack New Year celebrations for being Christian. Under today’s front-page headline "Rebellion, treason, waste," Vakit wrote, "Celebrating New Year, which is a Christian custom, is rebellion against Allah, betrayal of our martyrs, and a consumption craze and waste".
Vakit criticized the decorations in shopping centers, colorful store windows that incite people to shop, and waste, adding that the most popular products were alcoholic beverages banned in Islam. It also lashed out at Turkey’s mainstream, secular media for criticizing the practice of sacrificing animals during the Muslim holiday but not saying much about the murder of pine trees used in decorating.
Chairman of the Islamist Happiness Party [SP] Recai Kutan told Vakit that New Year celebrations were against Muslim Turks' customs and traditions and that they should all be cancelled.
Chairman of the ultranationalist-Islamist Alperen Association, Eyup Gokhan Ozekin, said that he found it unacceptable that many institutions are organizing entertainment and celebrations, despite repeated statements by Islamic authorities' that say that celebrating the New Year is Christian belief, and that the ways in which it is celebrated are based on customs and traditions of Christians.
Source: Vakit, Turkey, December 28, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4323.htm
U.S. Resident Sues Parents In Turkey, Seeks Custody Of Sister
Omer Kaya, 33, a U.S. resident, sued his parents in Turkey when he learned that his 13-year-old sister Zehra was taken out of elementary school when she was in second grade and sent to Koran classes instead, and was forced to wear the carsaf [burqa]. He said that he was lied to and shown fake school report cards during his visits to Turkey.
Kaya filed a criminal complaint with the Istanbul prosecutor, claiming that his sister's right to education was taken away. He is seeking legal custody of the girl, whose diary reveals her depression and lack of will to live, due to family pressures, and to being deprived of love and attention.
It is reported that the parents have left with the girl for an unknown destination.
Source: Vatan, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Turkey, December 27-28, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4321.htm
US Congressional Delegation Visits PM Erdogan
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received a delegation of visiting congressmen from the U.S. House of Representatives. After the meeting, Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) told reporters that this was his first visit to Turkey, adding that their talks with Erdogan had been beneficial.
Stating that they had concentrated on Turkish-U.S. relations, Engel said that Turkey and the U.S. are allies sharing similar views and interests. He added that Washington is supporting Ankara's fight against terrorism.
Source: Türkiye, Turkey, December 27, 20
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4319.htm
Turkish Historian/Writer: "Barzani Is A Jew"
Historian/writer Cezmi Yurtsever, who investigated the family trees of some well-known figures in Turkey – among them former Islamist PM Erbakan – claimed that the Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani is a Jew and that his grandfather was a rabbi in Mosul in 1850.
Speaking at his geneaology exhibition in Istanbul, he said that Barzani was not even a Kurd, and that the Barzanis had joined forces with the Armenians and struck at Turkish soldiers in 1915. He added that Massoud Barzani does not serve the Kurds but rather works for foreign powers with the aim of weakening Turkey.
History teacher Mehmet Erkocak backed Yurtsever's claims, saying, "Barzani is a Jew. He entered the region through Islamist Naqshibandi sect, by hiding his true identity. Now, he claims that he is a Kurd, but he is serving the interests of foreign [i.e. U.S.] powers".
Source: Vatan, Turkey, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4318.htm
Islamist Turkish Daily: Terrorist Organization PKK Was Founded By U.S.
As a result of the intelligence sharing and cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey against the PKK, the mainstream media has changed its previously anti-American rhetoric and is writing about the improved relations between the two countries. However, the Islamist media is continuing its anti-American propaganda.
The Islamist Turkish daily Milli Gazete's front page headline today read, "The terrorist organization [PKK] was founded by America." The related report quoted a recent statement by Recai Kutan, leader of the Islamist Happiness Party [SP], that, "the source of the problem in Turkey's [Kurdish] southeast is the U.S., and the solution lies with the Muslim Brotherhood. The conflict in the east and southeast of Turkey began after 585 American peace volunteers came to work in the region in 1962-1972. These youngsters, who were anthropologists, historians and linguists, depicted the economic, social and cultural makeup of the region, and some powers pulled the trigger after that. If we are not aware of what lies at the source of the problem, we cannot solve it".
Source: Milli Gazete, Turkey, December 27, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4301.htm
Putin: "Russia Places Great Importance On Dialogue With Turkey"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday called Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend New Year's greetings to him and to the Russian people. The two also discussed economic and commercial relations between Turkey and Russia.
During the conversation, Putin said that Russia places great importance on dialogue between the two countries, and added that bilateral ties, including political ones, are going well.
Source: Star, Turkey, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4283.htm
Islamist Daily "Vakit" Attacks New Year Celebrations: "Scandal In Universities!"
The radical Islamist Turkish daily Vakit attacked Turkish universities for organizing New Year festivities on their campuses. In an article headlined "What a Scandal in the University!" Vakit attacked Trakya University for announcing on its website an on-campus party for university students and staff and guests to welcome the New Year.
The university's announcement, which was decorated with holiday symbols, said that the modern, democratic, secular and republican Trakya University had organized a night for faculty, students and administrative personnel, as well as other guests to entertain and ring in the New Year together. It also said that drinks would be free.
In its report, Vakit said, "Trakya University announced its New Year program on its official website. Look at what they are planning to do on the [Christians'] religious day of New Year! They have turned universities into [alcohol] drinking joints. Earlier, the Eskisehir, Osman Gazi, Kocaeli, Dokuz Eylul, Cumhuriyet, Gazi, Yildiz Teknik, and Canakkale Universities had also announced New Year celebrations with dancers and 'unlimited' alcohol."
Source: Vakit, Turkey, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4280.htm
Turks Express Support For Declaration Of Independence By Native Americans
Following recent news about the Native American Sioux-Lakota tribe's declaration of independence from the U.S., a message of support from Turks was sent to tribal representative Russell Means.
Turkish Consumers Union president Bulent Deniz wrote in a message to Means, "This independence that you have declared against U.S. – the main actor of imperialism – has pleased and excited everyone in the world that stands up against imperialism. In the present situation of the continuing tragedy in Iraq, this initiative of the real owners of American lands is fully supported by the Turkish Consumers Union".
Source: Milliyet, Turkey, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/4279.htm
From the MEMRI Economic Blog www.MEMRIeconomicblog.org
Dollar Depreciation Could Become Anti-US Weapon in ME
The depreciation of the dollar has been harmful to many economies, but particularly to the Gulf economies, which price their principal product, oil, in dollars. It is obvious that the euro is increasingly becoming the preferred reserve currency.
The impact of the dollar's depreciation has been quite dramatic in the Gulf. While oil revenues have sharply increased, these revenues were the cause of high inflation rates, which are intensifying calls to abandon the dollar peg. Kuwait is the first member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to have done so.
Economic observers have noted that the low exchange rate of the dollar "could become an additional weapon in the armory of the forces which oppose the US in the region... many [of which] have started using this weapon to attack the United States and raise doubts about its intentions."
Source: al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 3, 2008
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=592
Liberalization of Trade in Iraq
With the liberalization of trade and low tariffs, Iraqi consumers are now able to buy oranges from South Africa, apples from China and mango from India. [Abundance in the market has replaced Saddam's era of shortages and rationing.]
Source: al-Mada, Iraq, January 3, 2007; picture from al-Rafidayn, Iraq, January 3, 2007
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=579
Foreigners Buy Iraqi Stocks
Since Iraq gave its permission last August, foreign investors have traded 7 billion shares for $14 million.
There are 94 Iraqi companies traded on the Iraqi stock exchange, which will soon introduce an electronically traded system.
Source: al-Sabah, Iraq, January 3, 2007
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=577
Iran-Iraq Railway Project Underway
An Iraqi transportation ministry official said an Iranian-Iraqi railway project is underway and will be funded by Iranian companies.
"During the first phase of the project, a railway will cross from Basra to Iran", Javad al-Khorrasan, the spokesman for Iraq's General Railway Company, told al-Alam TV network.
A second phase will link Jalulah in northwest Iraq to Iran via the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The project will facilitate the shipment of goods from Iraq to Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean Sea.
Iran has pledged $1 billion for Iraq's reconstruction and part of this amount will fund the railway project.
Source: PRESSTV, Iran, January 3, 2007
http://memrieconomicblog.org/bin/content.cgi?news=588
OPEC's Hypocrisy
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an association of 13 oil producing countries working together for mutual financial interests. OPEC officially describes itself on the organization's website "as a permanent intergovernmental organization" whose objective is "to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry." OPEC was created at a conference in Baghdad in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. The founding members were subsequently joined by Qatar, Indonesia, Libya, United Arab Republic, Algeria, Nigeria, Ecuador, and Angola, in this order.
To Read the Full Post by MEMRI Economic Blog Editor Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli, Click Here.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4374.htm
Per Capita Income in Iraq to Double in 2008
Barham Saleh, Iraq's deputy prime minister, told the press that the per capita income in 2008 will be $2,000, or double the amount for 2007. To achieve this goal it will be necessary to put an end "to the financial and administrative corruption, which is considered a dangerous disease and the first challenge facing the government during the coming year."
Iraq's budget of $48 billion for 2008 will permit the implementation of investment projects. He added that 2008 will be a year of economic development and prosperity.
Source: Al-Sabah, Baghdad, December 26, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4325.htm
France Impedes Transfer of Saddam's €23 Million
The Iraqi government has asked France to transfer Saddam Hussein's frozen assets in Banque du France in the amount of €23,48 million in keeping with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1483 of 2003. An Iraqi diplomat said France is the only country which has failed to unfreeze Saddam's assets in its banks and criticized the government of former president Jacques Chirac for mishandling this matter.
A spokesperson for the French ministry of foreign affairs attributed the delay to administrative and legal procedures and promised to deal with the case expeditiously. According to the same spokesperson, Saddam has invested in real estate and villas in south of France, and the case is also under review.
Source: Al-Mada, Iraq, December 25, 2007
To View This Post on the MEMRI Economic Blog, Click Here.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4298.htm
Jordan to Host Chinese Automobile Factory
A Chinese auto factory [most likely an assembly plant] for Chinese "Chery" cars is slated for construction in Jordan in early 2008 at a cost 200 million Jordanian dinars.
The plant will initially assemble 700 medium- and large-size commuters, with expansion of capacity foreseen for a later date.
The plant will create 500 new jobs.
Source: The Jordan Times, Jordan, December 25, 2007
To View This Post on the MEMRI Economic Blog, Click Here.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4297.htm
Iraq: DNO Says its Oil Production Rose in November
Norwegian independent oil producer DNO said that its share of production from an oilfield in the Kurdish part in northern Iraq rose to 5,882 barrels/day from 2,632 barrels in October.
DNO, raised its estimate of extractable oil from the Tawke oilfield by more than double of earlier estimates of 230 thousand barrels of oil per day.
DNO's value largely depends on future production expectations from its Iraq asset which it holds under a production sharing agreement with the Kurdish authority.
Source: Al-Rai, Iraq, December 21, 2007
To View This Post on the MEMRI Economic Blog, Click Here.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4296.htm
From the MEMRI Arab Movies Blog http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/
Baghdad International Film Festival
"The French short film 'La Danse, l'art de la rencontre' (Dance and the Art of Encounters) won first prize at the four-day Baghdad international film festival which ended on Saturday. Domenica Hervieu's documentary, a poetic exploration of the world of dance, was followed by 'Abu Ghraib and Kilo 160', a documentary by Iraqi director M. Nafs, the president of the jury Akil Mahdi announced. The film by Nafs tells the tragic story of Iraq's 14-member taekwondo team who were kidnapped and slaughtered in the western Anbar province in 2006 as they returned from a competition in Jordan. The bodies of 13 of the team were found earlier this year.
"In third place was 'Palm Whisper' by Egyptian director Shireen Shaith. Nafs was the only winner present at the awards ceremony, which was held under tight security. The festival, held at Baghdad's Palestine Hotel, screened 63 films from around the world. [...]
"The Iraqi film industry dates back to the 1940s and was at its most popular in the 1970s and 1980s, when going to the cinema became a weekly family outing. However, the 1991 Gulf war and the economic sanctions that followed saw cinemas go into decline. The turmoil that followed the 2003 invasion saw many cinemas burned down."
Source: AFP, December 29, 2007
http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/12/baghdad-international-film-festival.html
Lollywood – The Pakistani Hollywood
Lollywood is the name given to the Pakistani film industry, which is based in the city of Lahore. To view a Lollywood video, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_khS_sfNz2Y&eurl=http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/12/lollywood-pakistani-hollywood.html
http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/12/lollywood-pakistani-hollywood.html
A look at the Pakistan Film Industry
"Pakistan's film industry is often described as hapless. Dubbed 'Lollywood' for its base in the city of Lahore, it doesn't compare with the thriving art, literature, and music scene of this cultural hot spot in the heart of Punjab Province. Funds are short, and movies are painfully formulaic. In fact, if film reflects a culture, then to outside observers Pakistan's collective psyche would seem to be fixated on love songs, dancing, and fistfights where good always defeats evil: something of a simplistic society. But in a country where poverty, illiteracy, religious fundamentalism, and population growth are all serious issues, the movie image circumvents reality. Films remain strictly escapist and stick to fun, frolic, true love, and heroism. [...]"
Source: National Geographic
http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/12/look-at-pakistan-film-industry.html
Beur Blanc Rouge: A Film on Second-Generation Immigrants in Europe
Beur Blanc Rouge
Director: Mahmoud Zemmouri
Script Writer: Mahmoud Zemmouri
Cast: Yasmine Belmadi, Karim Belkhadra, Julien Courbey. Fatima Hellilou, Abdallag Bouzida, Chafia Boudraa, Aymen Saidi, Sabrina Maache, Biyouna, Mouss, Yacine Mesbah, Annie Savarin, Kamel Bouakkaz, Rabah Loucif
Release Year: 2006
Genre: Comedy
Country: France-Algeria
Time: 1h 28min
About the Movie: "[Beur Blanc Rouge] is a comedy about young Algerians in France. The main character is handsome, unemployed Ibrahim. He is living in anticipation of the soccer match between Algeria and France. Of course, he's rooting for Algeria, but he's never been there and he doesn't speak Arabic.
"One of the funniest scenes is his insistence on singing the Algerian national anthem at the stands before the match even though he doesn't know all the words. But when Ibrahim is stopped by a policeman because he's flying three Algerian flags on his car, he shouts back that he's French.
"He also re-discovers his Frenchness when he attempts to enter Algeria with his French passport with no visa. The film deals with Ibrahim's dual identity lightly, as befits a comedy. Ibrahim is apolitical (he refuses to go the mosque where he could get free tickets to the soccer match and free jerseys donated by Zem Zem Cola), lost, and stuck without any prospects.
"To convince him to go to Algeria, his mother yells at him at some point: 'your name is Ibrahim and you have this face and you think you will get anywhere in France?' [...]"
Source: arabwomanprogressivevoice.blogspot.com
About the Director: Mahmoud Zemmouri is a well-known Algerian film director living in France.
Official Movie Web Site: http://www.beurblancrouge-lefilm.com/
Read about other films by Mahmoud Zemmouri:
100% Arabica
http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/search?q=arabica
http://memriarabmovies.blogspot.com/2007/12/beur-blanc-rouge-movie-on-second.html
From the MEMRI Arab Music Blog http://memriarabmusic.blogspot.com/
Belly-Dancing in Cairo
"Some 80 professional dancers from around the world have gathered this month at a luxury hotel overlooking the pyramids in the Egyptian capital Cairo to take part in an intensive dancing workshop, aimed at improving their technique and offering them style tips.
"From Kazakhstan to Brazil, Italy and Indonesia, lovers of oriental dance flock to Egypt to pay homage to the cradle of this ancient art.
"'If you haven't danced in Egypt, you are not a real dancer,' said Raqia Hassan, Egypt's most famous dance teacher, who organizes the winter workshops and who is also responsible for the Cairo Dance Festival held every summer since 2000. 'It is absolutely necessary to be trained here. Egypt is the source, after all,' said Nadia Sement, a French oriental dance instructor attending the workshop.
"With colorful sequined scarves jingling around their hips, the dancers, who each spent €1,000 ($1,437) for the workshop, train vigorously for eight hours a day and listen to lectures on the dance's history in the evenings in order to truly capture the spirit behind the moves, the organizers said. [...]
"For Raqia Hassan, the dream would be to set up an oriental dance academy granting recognition to an art that she feels has not been given its rightful due."
Source: AFP
http://memriarabmusic.blogspot.com/2007/12/belly-dancing-in-cairo.html
Another Moroccan Song Against Terrorism
Maqtish Bladi (Don't touch my country)
To view a video of this song, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdIkk-Hoe8g&eurl=http://memriarabmusic.blogspot.com/2007/12/another-moroccan-song-against-terrorism.html
http://memriarabmusic.blogspot.com/2007/12/another-moroccan-song-against-terrorism.html
From the MEMRI Arab Literature Blog http://memriarabliterature.blogspot.com/
A Pakistani Review of Musharraf's Book
"'Political speech and writing,' says George Orwell, is largely the 'defense of the indefensible.' So if the literary genius read General Pervez Musharraf's memoir In The Line of Fire, what would he say? Though most of the world knows George Orwell for his book Animal Farm I remember him for the essay called, 'Politics and The English Language.' It is his classic work on all political writing to date. Orwell deconstructs bad writing by politicians and fascists alike with ease, but I feel that he would be in quite a fix with Musharraf's book, and wouldn't know what to make of it really.
"[...] Now that I have read Musharraf's memoir, I wondered if I should go back to Orwell, or shall I put a value on the popularity that this head of state of a developing country has on, say, the Jon Stewart show. Pakistan is headed by a military dictator who can neither be dictator enough to do away with the extra-constitutional hudood laws, nor benevolent enough to resign as army chief and stand for elections. Flip-flopping between appeasing the mullahs and the West, he plays to the theatre by walking the much acclaimed tightrope of a moderate Muslim country's leader, all at Pakistan's expense. Orwell asked readers of political literature to notice how the word 'democracy' is used in a 'consciously dishonest way' and notice that when we say that a country is democratic 'we are praising it: consequently the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using that word if it were tied down to any one meaning.'
"When I bought the memoir, angry, I thought I was ready to unleash Orwell onto it. I thought I could circle a few embarrassing quotes from Musharraf that have 'private definitions but allow his hearer to think he means something quite different.' [...]
"I thought I could point to the images of a decapitated bomber who tried to assassinate him and say that it was in bad taste, that he was using an image of war to define urgency which reflected the decay of his political thought. I wanted him to stop condemning earlier politicians for what they did and begin by undoing their wrong if he cared enough. It wasn't that simple though, I noticed that Pervez Musharraf steers clear from George Orwell's most cautioned malaise – lack of clarity.
"[...] Musharraf labels rot as rot, and if his story is to be believed he never would be a dictator, nor does he support the interference of the military into politics, as he explains at length, for the right reasons too. Any witness to the history that maps his last 10 years has reason to substantiate the circumstances that led to his rise as army chief and supreme leader of Pakistan. [...]
"Refreshingly though, the book isn't written for the American, as much as it resonates with the nationalist Pakistani with the Jinnahist ethic – the secular democratic Pakistan that is successfully liberal because of its culturally Islamic background rather than despite it. Despite the clarity with which Musharraf approaches the book, he cannot be pardoned for the mistakes he's made in real governance. One only wishes he walked his text. Musharraf, as a young boy, escaping the violence of the Hindu mobs before Pakistan was created, says he cried on the day Pakistan's founder, Barrister Mohammad Ali Jinnah, died. A claim no one can testify to, but the nobility of which is not lost, for it to deserve mention in this world bestseller. Yet, I find that Musharraf's understanding of the political history of Pakistan's creation is a bit shallow. [...]"
Source: The News (Pakistan), October 20, 20067
http://memriarabliterature.blogspot.com/2007/12/pakistani-review-on-musharrafs-book.html
Bhutto's New Book
"Immediately after receiving the manuscript of Benazir Bhutto's new book, leading publisher HarperCollins decided to move quickly to get it on the shelves by February, following [...] assassination of the former prime minister. The book, entitled Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West, was part political treatise and part memoir of the first woman elected prime minister of a Muslim nation.
"HarperCollins had signed up the book for an advance estimated to be around $75,000 shortly before she returned to Pakistan in October after years of living in exile. 'We have a finished manuscript,' said HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman, who learned about Ms. Bhutto's murder from an email alert. When HarperCollins Executive Editor Tim Duggan sealed the deal with Ms Bhutto, he said: 'Pakistan is an increasingly volatile place, and Ms Bhutto's book is an eye-opening look at the mistakes we've made in the region and what we can do to correct them -- as well as what the consequences will be if we don't.' "
Source: Dawn (Pakistan), December 29, 2007
http://memriarabliterature.blogspot.com/2007/12/bhuttos-new-book.html
"Beirut Book Fair Salutes Freedom of Speech"
"The 51st Beirut International Arab Book Festival opened at the BIEL (Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure) conference center on Thursday afternoon after an opening address delivered from the Grand Serail by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. [...]"
Source: Daily Star (Lebanon), December 25, 2007
http://memriarabliterature.blogspot.com/2007/12/beirut-book-fair-salutes-freedom-of.html
