The Nomad and the Olive Branch

I know this story is long overdue, and that I haven't been writing in a while. There are more things to life than sitting in front of a computer and rambling about whatever comes your way in the news or your daily experiences. But anyways, to the issue at hand. Last year on December the 14th, Muntazer al-Zaidi, an Iraqi reporter from the Iraqi-owned and Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV (البغدادية), threw 2 "size 10" shoes (according to Dubya) at the then pResident of the U.S., George W. Bush ( 1 ). All Dubya could do was smile at Zaidi, who was then assailed by Iraqi security forces and taken into custody. Of course, that was all said and done at the time, and usually at other events involving political figures being assailed one way or another by angry protestors, the news of such things tends to die off or remain in memory as an event alone. Of course, that's for most events of this theme. Sadly, Western - and unfortunately this time around, Arab - media outlets have...

And this time, the Iraqi government seems to be responsible. Just when I read the details, I couldn't help but feel irrevocable contempt for a government that is aiding the forces that seek to divide and conquer Iraq by actually promoting the divide. The headline here speaks for itself: It is a volatile city, but one that is vital to Iraq's future, and Kirkuk is now facing its toughest test yet. Just weeks before a scheduled referendum on the city's future, Arab residents are being paid to pack up and leave. It is a controversial scheme, tied up in the struggle over which community should have control of Kirkuk and its huge oilfields. The so-called jewel of the north lies around 250km northeast of the Iraqi capital, and has always been a valuable prize.( Al-Jazeera, 11-06-07 ) Un-!@#$%^&believable. What the hell are they thinking? And what's the issue? The fact is that we have three ethnic groups claiming Kirkuk as their own. Three cheers for this form of "demo...

The big news in Iraq these days has brought into the spotlight a religious minority that has yet to make it to the news, if ever. I'm not talking about Iraqi Jews or the Chaldo-Assyrian Christians, but rather the religious group known as the Yazidis. The casualties of the Iraq war have shown themselves to be rather equally discriminatory against all sects, as Sunnites, Shiites, Christians, Jews and now Yazidis alike have fell to the juggernaut of the Coalition, Al Qaeda and who knows who else is messing Iraq up. But this isn't just one event, but rather a series of events that happened over a matter of days. They have climaxed to truck explosions that left hundreds dead. To keep the events in perspective ( Al Jazeera, 08-15-07 ), In April, a Yazidi teenager who had recently converted to Islam was stoned to death after she reportedly fell in love with a Muslim and ran off with him. The incident appears to have sparked an increase in attacks on members of the sect. The bodies of ...

I couldn't help but delay my rant on the GOP "debates", but after watching a program hosted by Ahmed Mansour on Al Jazeera last night, I decided to post instead about a topic that "required" my attention during the Abu Ghraib prison scandal . I was watching Mansour interview a British anti-war activist, and as the program continued, they called a number in Jordan. They could've called me so I'd give my opinion, but apparently they weren't calling an ordinary follower of the news. They called the symbol of Abu Ghraib himself , Hajj Ali al-Qaysi , who is now an Iraqi refugee in Amman. Ali al-Qaysi went on a little spiel, denouncing the occupation of Iraq by colonialist governments who have interests that totally oppose the interests of the Iraqi people (and rightly so). But that's not what caught my ears. What really caught my ears was his mentioning that there were mercenaries present at the base that worked for American corporations. He mentione...

About a year ago, I decided that I had enough of reading opinions and propaganda outlets, so I started a blog of my own and posted on it. It wasn't until I realized that what I wrote and saw and had feedback on had more of an effect on my outlook on things than what I read that I began to obtain a clearer state of mind that saw things for what they were and not for what I wished them to be. Apparently, I'd have lived in more of a bubble if I read more than I blogged. I guess it was because blogging itself made me actively read, as opposed to passively read, all materials and pieces of information out there that existed on the net and elsewhere, and thus it helped me process this information more and more as I actually engaged in producing feedback to what I read and came across. Perspectives do change over time, and that's guaranteed, but I never expected mine to change so drastically over a course of 365 days. Allow me, then, to reflect on how my perspectives have changed ...

Friends, peace be upon you all. I've been away for quite a while because I've been swamped with exams. I'll be posting more soon. One of my friends was wasting time on youtube but came up with an interesting video that caught my attention: The movie parodies on Apple's mega-capitalist/commercialist values and the Iraq war. But it's clever as it hints at the corporate manipulation of this farce of a war. Oh, well, at least it's good for laughs. Stay tuned. Salaam, from Saracen P.S. Finally, the new blogger accepted my old blogs. I must say, the features blogger.com added to their blogging service are spectacular. Expect this blog to be souped up accordingly during the summer.