www.streamtime.org

In the meantime, in Iraq...

Phosphorus

When I was a kid/the tail end of my bike/had a red reflector/which glowed in the dark/like the eyes of a cat/illuminated by the headlights/of distant cars/Tiny bits of phosphorus/White phosphorus/illuminated the skies of Fallujah/five years ago/and now/infants are born there with two heads/or/without eyes.

by Iraqi Poet Sinan Antoon

Berlusconi - Kung Fu Panda - in Tehran

by Slavoj �i�ek in LRB

When an authoritarian regime approaches its final crisis, but before its actual collapse, a mysterious rupture often takes place. All of a sudden, people know the game is up: they simply cease to be afraid. [..]

There are many versions of last month�s events in Tehran. Some see in the protests the culmination of the pro-Western �reform movement�, something along the lines of the colour-coded revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia. [..]

The events in Iran can also be read as a comment on the platitudes of Obama�s Cairo speech, which focused on the dialogue between religions: no, we don�t need a dialogue between religions (or civilisations), we need a bond of political solidarity between those who struggle for justice in Muslim countries and those who participate in the same struggle elsewhere.

Two crucial observations follow. First, Ahmadinejad is not the hero of the Islamist poor, but a corrupt Islamofascist populist, a kind of Iranian Berlusconi whose mixture of clownish posturing and ruthless power politics is causing unease even among the ayatollahs. [..]

What all this means is that there is a genuinely liberatory potential in Islam: we don�t have to go back to the tenth century to find a �good� Islam, we have it right here, in front of us. [..]

Is there a link between Ahmadinejad and Berlusconi? Isn�t it preposterous even to compare Ahmadinejad with a democratically elected Western leader? Unfortunately, it isn�t: the two are part of the same global process. [..]

�If democracy means representation,� Badiou writes in De quoi Sarkozy est-il le nom?, �it is first of all the representation of the general system that bears its forms. In other words: electoral democracy is only representative in so far as it is first of all the consensual representation of capitalism, or of what today has been renamed the �market economy�. This is its underlying corruption.�[..]

This is not to say that democratic elections should be despised; the point is only to insist that they are not in themselves an indication of the true state of affairs; as a rule, they tend to reflect the predominant doxa. [..]

Berlusconi acts more and more shamelessly: not only ignoring or neutralising legal investigations into his private business interests, but behaving in such a way as to undermine his dignity as head of state. [..]

The wager behind Berlusconi�s vulgarities is that the people will identify with him as embodying the mythic image of the average Italian: I am one of you, a little bit corrupt, in trouble with the law, in trouble with my wife because I�m attracted to other women. [..] Perhaps by laughing at Berlusconi we are already playing his game. [..]

Our governments righteously reject populist racism as �unreasonable� by our democratic standards, and instead endorse �reasonably� racist protective measures. �We grant ourselves permission to applaud African and Eastern European sportsmen, Asian doctors, Indian software programmers,� today�s Brasillachs, some of them social democrats, are telling us. �We don�t want to kill anyone, we don�t want to organise any pogroms. But we also think that the best way to hinder the always unpredictable, violent actions of the instinctual anti-immigrant is to organise reasonable anti-immigrant protection.� A clear passage from direct barbarism to Berlusconian barbarism with a human face. -- [link]

Green Friday and the revival of Rafsanjani

by Arash Salehi Shahrabi, special to Streamtime

More than a month after the controversial Iranian presidential elections of the 12th of June, this Friday protesters showed one more time that the game still is not over and in spite of the severe suppression still run rallies in the heart of Tehran.

But this Friday was in its nature something very unique; from the same tribune from which supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved the elections and threatened demonstrators to be suppressed, this Friday protesters and their leaders used that same stage to reflect their voice.
They gathered in the place for the Friday prayers in front of the University of Tehran and the surrounding streets to show their will and power.

But why did they chose this place, which is usually a turbine for attacking reformists?

The reason is that these Friday prayers were led by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president who had a critical approach towards Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; in the eve of elections and in a very rare letter Hashemi Rafsanjani had warned the supreme leader, and had asked Khamenei to guarantee people�s vote in the interests of the country itself; which many believe did not happen.

Another reason is that the Friday prayers are an established state ceremony that does not need permission. So thousands of people found this opportunity with their leader, including Mirhossein Mousavi who declared he is the winner of the elections instead of Ahmadinejad.

From an other side Mr Hashemi Rafsanjani perhaps made the most important political act and speech of his life. He is the head of the Council of Experts which *technically* can impeach the supreme leader. He also is the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of the System which has an important role in the general policies of Iran.

For Mr Hashemi Rafsanjani it was a very decisive day: supporting the supreme leader or the oppositions. He chose for the second and explicitly criticized the Presidential elections and its aftermath events.

While the supreme leader said the election was fair and free, he explicitly said that the people are not satisfied.

He criticized the guardian council which is the observer of the electoral process; it must be mentioned that the half of this council (six clerics) are directly appointed by the leader and most of the others are his supporters.

Mr. Rafsanjani also demanded to release the political prisoners that have been arrested after the elections, and for freedom of the media.

He also showed his regret over the National radio and television�s role during the elections; the Head of the National radio and television also is an appointee of the supreme leader.

Rafsanjani criticized in the Friday prayers the suppressing of the demonstrations after the elections and showed his sympathy with families who lost their relatives.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said that the Quran refers to the �people� nearly 500 times. He said that Prophet Mohammad had told the first Shiite imam, Ali, that if the people do not want you, you cannot govern them by force; which means even a saint cannot be the head of society, so imagine ordinary people.

The Friday prayers were colored green this 17th July, and many people and youth for the first time participated in this ceremony. Even some Christians who wanted to show their solidarity participated!

It were the biggest Friday prayers ever since the Islamic revolution. But not every Friday prayers were tolerated by the establishment. Anti riot police and militia were there and beat up protesters, fired tear gas and arrested several of them.

The slogans were not �death to America� but �death to Russia and China�!

Friday was the revival of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and the day of the green movement of Iran.

Friday 17th July 2009 in front of Tehran University نماز ...

The Tragedy of the Left's Discourse on Iran

ZMag

By Saeed Rahnema

-- The electoral coup and the subsequent uprising and suppression of the revolting voters in Iran have prompted all sorts of analyses in Western media from both the Right and the Left. The Right, mostly inspired by the neo-con ideology and reactionary perspectives, dreams of the re-creation of the Shah's Iran, looks for pro-American/pro-Israeli allies among the disgruntled Iranian public, and seeks an Eastern European type velvet revolution. As there is very little substance to these analyses, they are hardly worth much critical review; and one cannot expect them to try to understand the complexities of Iranian politics and society.

As for the Left in the West, confusions abound. -- /snap/ [link]

United4Iran, July 25

United for Iran

Is there an Iraqi nation?

Skies

[Babel] -- "There is a book I see every now and then named �inventing Iraq�. The cover contains something like a war scene. There was something British in the cover but I cannot remember what it is now. And I got a friend with a big belly who said once: �Iraq is a wrong name, it is the wrong Arabic utterance of the word Iran, it is Iran where it came from, it is the origin�. An Arabic journalist asked Mithal Al Alusi once: �Have I heard you saying the Iraqi Nation? Is there an Iraqi nation?�

After I have seen all that I wanted to go more into the original neglected part of Babel.

The area was empty. With some fear in my heart I walked slowly into that area. I saw holes in the old walls, I thought about snakes. I thought about how far the medical clinic is from me. I stopped, changed my way into another area which was as old as the first but less frightening.
And in a matter of seconds I was next to Marduk.

Now that I am writing about that visit to Babel, I remembered my first experiences in Hilla. It is the Enuma Elish." snap/ [link]

Life goes on, except for the dead

3eeraqimedic

[UK] -- "Well to be honest, after the first episode my immediate response was what a load of c***p
But having persevered with the second episode I admit it is getting better

A BBC Ireland production, a drama of three episodes aired over three consecutive nights on BBC1.

The first episode tells the story of three �brave lads� from Manchester, soldiers in the first wave of �liberators� entering Basra in April 2003.

They are involved in a messy raid on a residential block of flats that ends with an explosion that costs one of their mates his leg, and nearly kills young Maysaa, an Iraqi girl, cue violins as brave Brit (James Nesbitt) runs across the screen carrying blood stained child into Basra hospital.

When the three return home, Maysaa and Aliyah her chain-smoking Iraqi doctor (Belgian / Moroccan Lubna Azabal) are flown to Manchester to receive treatment at the local hospital.

Within a year all three of our �brave lads� return to Basra." /snap/ [link]

Crossroads

Last-of-Iraqis

[Baghdad] -- "The US troops will withdraw from the Iraqi streets and be deployed in their bases and Iraq will gain its "sovereignty" as they say in the next few days, but what is behind the news? What is really happening on the ground? And what are the possible scenarios? And that will be what I'll discuss in this post.

It's so obvious that all the Iraqis are really cautious these days, we are watching with fear and crossed fingers the events and wish for the best to happen.

The past few days were the bloodiest since a very long time�350 Iraqi; killed and wounded as a result of explosions." /snap/ [link]

Nokia: Jailing People

C.R.I.M.E. Report - Civil Rights in the Middle-East

-- Back in April The CRIME Report reported that Nokia had provided the Iranian regime with an advanced data monitoring center. The full implications of Nokia�s partnership did not become clear until a few days ago, when the Iranian government began arresting hundreds of peaceful dissenters tracked via intercepted wireless communications. In the wake of post-election protests, Iran has put Nokia�s technology to use on a massive scale.

Under the title �Nokia: Jailing People� (a parody of Nokia�s slogan �Connecting People�), an urgent campaign has been launched to pressure Nokia to immediately end its contract with the Iranian regime, disable its monitoring center, and explain how Iranians can circumvent the monitoring system. At the site www.NokiaNo.com, over five thousand people in just five days have signed a petition and simultaneously sent an email to Nokia executives. Supporters have pledged to boycott Nokia products until Nokia stops helping Iran jail peaceful dissenters. -- /snap/ [link]

An Iranian student in Dhaka

Unheard Voice

-- Hanif Yazdi is an Iranian student in Dhaka. Last week, his grandfather was one of the hundreds arrested by the Iranian state in response to election protests. His op-ed addressed to the Bangladeshi people came out today in Daily Star:

Iran Protests
�I never, not in my wildest dreams, imagined that the first time I would vote in an Iranian election, I would be doing it in Bangladesh. On June 12, 2009, I voted at the Iranian embassy in Dhaka. I was proud to play my part, proud to ride a wave of hope that was sweeping our world. More than anything, I believed that this election would bring us a more just, humane, and representative government. The days that followed revealed in no ambiguous terms that the Iranian government had declared war on our people. The officials who were charged with representing us, and the police who were sworn to protect us, have betrayed our trust. No matter what your political beliefs, or what you think of the Iran elections, no government has the right to treat us this way.� -- /snap/ [link]

Updates on Iran's network situation

The netstrike against Iran seems to be ceasing, as some protestor's websites are reporting that "the electronic sit-in may be affecting networks other than the intended target sites". That's arguably true, considering most of the netstrike protest comes from the outside.

Meanwhile the article "A Deeper Look at The Iranian Firewall" gives us an update about protocols (or are those just ports?) being blocked.

As isolation seems to increase progressively, the resource of external proxy servers becomes more and more important to reach the outside, as outlined by the article "The Proxy Fight for Iranian Democracy".

Very determined but scared

Niac-blog

-- A friend of NIAC passes on this message, perhaps the most detailed description of yesterday that I�ve seen anywhere, from the perspective of a young woman in Tehran.

Tehran, 4.30 local time, Enghelab Street -

I meet with my students on Saturdays for a private class. We cook and eat together, then talk of philosophy. This time there is no class. We only try to keep up our morale. We are very determined but scared. That is how I can describe most of the people who came out to attend the demonstration today. After the Supreme Leader�s fierce speech at the Friday prayers, we knew that today we would be different. We feel so vulnerable, more than ever, but at the same time are aware of our power. No matter how strong it is collectively, it will do little to protect us today. We could only take our bones and flesh to the streets and expose them to batons and bullets. Two different feelings fight inside me without mixing with one another. To live or to just be alive, that�s the question.

There is another student who would have her lunch with us, but is not coming to the demonstration. She�s too scared and while pretending to be in control bursts into tears. She says she hates to see people suffer. We tell here we have suffered for years. She says she doesn�t want people to die. I tell her tens of thousands die each year on the roads in Iran, at least this time it would be for a good cause. She says we are elites and can save ourselves for better times when we can be more useful. We reply there is no difference between people when we are all in such a condition.

We finish the lunch and sit to read poems of Mirzadeh Eshgi." /snap/ [link]

Netstrikers targeting Iran

Netstrikers from all over the world are targeting governmental websites in Iran, with an on-line protest that is rapidly bringing down their frontend servers.

Websites like this are popping up on various internet servers and will presumably gather millions of clicks in the coming days, this might actually silence all "official" communication channels, reaching the point when bloggers voices will actually have more outreach than state, corporate and religious powers.

The netstrike protest form was born in the nineties by initiative of the pro-Zapatista Electronic Civil Disobedience group as well the European Counter Network in Italy who made the first on-line demonstration against French nuclear tests in Mururoa and police brutality at anti-G8 rallies.

Letter from Iranian protester

MadEast

-- "Dear Friends
Please pass these lines to those who are not here, can�t open their eyes and especially for those parachute reporters who should be more thorough while coming to Iran and making reports.

�I can�t remember having found any hard evidence and proof while the world was deciding sanctions against Iran on the eventual non-peaceful Nuclear program, so how come that this time all analysts and reporters still seek for a hard proof to finally believe that there was a fraud in the elections?� My Grandma

Aren�t these evidences enough?
1 � Many are justifying the rallies as a bad-loser manner of the urban Iranian and believe that as Ahmadinejad is well supported from the country-side of Iran he probably got the majority of the votes. Such analysts should study more to see that only 30% of the whole nation are living in the country side . So among the 46 million Iranians qualified to participate in the elections, there are only 13.8 million country-side voters. If all of them did really vote for Ahmadinejad (which is of course unlikely) there is still a 10 million gap to reach the 24 million counted votes for Ahmadinejad.
2 � The whole protests aren�t just limited to Tehran and cities such as Shiraz, Mashad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Ahwaz� are also among the protesting regions. Sure is that small cities are definitely unable to contribute on the same scale as controlling and of course confronting it is much easier for the police and militia.
3 � Only 1.5 hours after closing the polls, 5 million votes were already counted and within 4 hours almost 65% of the whole 39 million votes were settled. The polling system in Iran is manual.
4 � About an hour after closing the polls, state news agencies congratulated Ahmadinejad�s win with a dominant majority." -- /snap/ [link]

Tehran Imam Sq Black day 18 June Tazahorat

En Iran, les journalistes exercent dans une zone de guerre

Lib�ration

-- Pour Arash Salehi, journaliste iranien, la p�riode de relative libert� d'expression en Iran a laiss� place � une atmosph�re de terreur.

Arash Salehi, 31 ans, est un journaliste iranien. Il travaille actuellement � Radio Free Europe, un r�seau (radio/internet/tv) bas� � Prague. Suite � l'�lection d'Ahmadinejad en 2005, il a quitt� l'Iran pour venir travailler en France, puis aux Pays-Bas et en R�publique Tch�que.

D'apr�s votre exp�rience, est-il difficile d'exercer le m�tier de journaliste en Iran?
En temps normal, on peut �crire ce que l'on veut dans la presse iranienne. Si la t�l�vision d'Etat est une machine de propagande, tout comme certains journaux, l'existence de diff�rentes factions en Iran permet tout de m�me un pluralisme. Karoubi, par exemple, a son propre journal. Pendant les mandats de Rafsandjani et Khatami, les journalistes avaient la possibilit� de critiquer le gouvernement. Cette atmosph�re de d�bat et d'opposition au gouvernement n'est pas un ph�nom�ne nouveau. Mais, il n'y a pas de garanties. Aujourd'hui, tu peux �tre arr�t� si tu franchis certaines lignes rouges. Ainsi, il n'est pas sans dangers de critiquer le Guide supr�me ou d'�crire sur le programme nucl�aire iranien... -- /snap/ [link]

Iran - The revolution will bypass your filters

The Daily Star - Bangladesh

[Dhaka] -- "Tiananmen + Twitter = Tehran"
- Facebook status line

SOMETIME on June 12th, the official news is announced: "Landslide for Ahmadinejad". Then, just as quickly, other news starts coming out, louder, drowning out the state machine. Data analysis showing votes between Mousavi and Ahmadinejad, as announced in six waves, in a correlation ratio of 0.995, a statistical near-impossibility. Professor Mebane's analysis, showing 9 locations with abnormal outliers. Results that defy political alignments (Mousavi losing in Tehran, which is flashpoint for anti-Ahmadinejad vote), ethnic loyalties (Azeri candidate Mousavi losing in Azeri capital Tabriz, Lur candidate Mehdi Karoubilosing in Luristan) and demographic shifts (young, women, first-time voters).

So far, all this is familiar. Election fraud stretches from Pakistan to Burma to our near and far, Southern and Northern neighbours. Sometimes outrage over stolen elections is large enough to topple the government and force a re-election (Bangladesh). But other times, protests fade as the government waits until protestors are exhausted (Mexico).

June 13th to 16th, the attrition confrontation plays out differently. In 1968, protestors against the Vietnam War fought Chicago police and chanted at TV cameras "the whole world is watching". In 2009, the whole world is watching online, 24/7. The stage for Iranian activists are the streets, but also Twitter-Facebook-Flickr-Blogspot, and the censors can't stop any of it. As the Bangladesh government discovered after blocking YouTube, censorship isn't what it used to be. Just as we used proxy sites to get to YouTube (until our government gave up), Iranians are using anonymizers like Torproject.org. An Iranian tells The Independent: "The regime, can block Facebook today but they can't do it forever."

From the moment the Mousavi protestors hit the streets, Reddit, Digg, Flickr, LiveLeak, Facebook are flooded with links. Basij thugs beat protestors, and within minutes Youtube 's Mousavi1388 channel ("Iranian professionals and students") has the mobile phone video online. Nothing is outside the camera frame. -- /snap/ [link]

Tehran - Vanak Sq. 24 Khordad 1388. June 14th 2009

درگیری با پلیس و نیروی ضد شورش در خیابان‌های کشور
تظاهرات بزرگ مردم ایران در حال حاضر.
مردم خواستار حقیقت در مورد انتخابات کنونی ریاست جمهوری شده ا‌ند.

Massive Demonstrations in Iran are taking place at this moment against the Fraudulent Elections. People demand the truth and demand that their voices be heard. -- [link]
.

Networking situation in Iran

Many sources within and around the huge Iranian blogsphere are reporting problems in navigating on the Internet, using social networking websites and mobile phones.

Here is an update about recent changes of Iran's Internet routing table, showing that most connectivity carriers have been blocked, while the majority of the traffic keeps flowing via Turkey.

The topic spawned a huge discussion thread on Slashdot, counting more than 600 comments...

/read more/
.

Tehran protests against election results

TehranLive

[Tehran] -- "Finally i could upload the videos of clash and conflict between protestors to election results and riot police forces and somewhere Basij forces. The delay is because of very low bandwith of internet at these days in Iran.

You can see the photos here and here."

/snap/ [link]

The Virtual Museum of Iraq: ready.

The Virtual Museum of Iraq

تحيه للجميع..  يرجى ايصاله لمن تعرفون من الاصدقاء العرب والاجانب
 لاهميته بعد ان تم انجازه من قبل الايطاليين 
وهو عمل ضخم تحقق بعد جهد سنوات من قبل مختصين على مستوى دولي

Tehran protests, June 13

Massive Fraud Suspected in Iran Elections

Uskowi on Iran

-- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being declared the winner of Iran�s presidential election with nearly 35% margin over nearest competitor Mir Hossein Mousavi, with Karrubi and Rezaie receiving only 2% of the vote. The numbers do not add up. All the indications pointed to a very tight race between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi. Winning with 35% margin over Mousavi was unimaginable.

The questions is, if the government wanted to rig the votes in favor of Ahmadinejad, why did it need to show a margin of 35%. It would have been more believable if the margin was fixed at 1 or 2%. Here we might be witnessing not only an act of fraud on the part of the government, but a deliberate move to openly challenge and agitate the political opponents and the millions of ordinary young people who came out in droves on the city streets of Iran to register their unhappiness with the current situation.

The government seems to be challenging the opponents to come out again in anger in order to clamp down hard on them. The danger is for the IRGC and the Basij to raise their arms against the people in the coming hours and days.

To this analyst, the government�s move has all the hallmarks of a coup. -- /snap/ [link]

:::: Washington Post ::::
Iran Election In Dispute as 2 Candidates Claim Victory

Afghan rider

AfghanLord

[Kabul] -- "I am excited and impatient as well. I bought a Kawasaki motorbike 250cc offroad just a few days ago. With this I am going to travel to Bamyan and in central Afghanistan. It is a Japanese used dirt bike which currently is in a good condition. I am going to do a tour, passing through several districts and province to reach my village. My mother is sick and i promised to see her weeks ago. This time I am doing a quick tour with this motorbike and I hope to do it again but with a friend of mine who is still trying to make his mind." /snap/ [link]

Lands, Fire and Water

Baghdad Bacon&Eggs

[Countryside] -- "One day during the harvest there was a big fire in the agrarian reform lands in land. That day was the worst of all. I was sitting with my bunch and we could see the smoke and hear the bullets signaling, but everyone around me seemed all cool about it until about an hour later somebody pointed out that it wasn't so far from my land. [..]

There remains one massive gloomy cloud hanging over the parade though, and that's the country's massive water shortage. The government's giving no guarantees that they'll get the water flowing. Chatting to a guy today, it seems to hang on whether the government will be willing to give Turkey a cut of the oil in exchange for water. I don't know for sure if that's the truth but if it is I hope that they concede. Otherwise, it would be really stupid of the government to keep all the farmers holding their breath and spending money on the hope that there'll be enough water for water-thirsty rice instead of just calling the rice season off this year at the appropriate time which has more or less already passed." /snap/ [link]

And the streets will be opened

Sunshine

[Mosul] -- "Hello all, I didn't have time to write a post for so long, I re-studied all the subjects perfectly well, and I am ready for the examinations which will be on 20/6, and my holiday (which I deserve so much) will be on the sixth of july�
My friends and I decided to allocate money and buy fuel for the school generator, so we can have at least a fan during the exams! as we don't have air coolers or air conditioners, any way a fan will be better than nothing in the Iraqi hot summer..
Usually I used to go to the nearby markets every week, so I don't feel bored and depressed..
My spirit is high right now, the exams will be after only 2 weeks, I just want the sixth class to be over, i feel excited but a little bit worry, I know I've done the best I could and I'll be satisfied with the results, hopefully.. something in my heart is telling me that everything will go on well, I pray every day that the I'll be able to answer well, and the streets will be opened, and the situation can be better, because right now, the situation is horrible .." /snap/ [link]

My bag is outside

Leish

[Living somewhere else] -- "I thought it might be interesting to others to talk about what it's like to be an Iraqi in a foreign country. People see me and suspect I am foreign. They know I am foreign as soon as I speak. There suspicions are confirmed... the worse fears are sometimes realized when I tell them where I am from...

I signed up in a gym when I first came to this country. I was only working part-time and thought this would be a good idea. It was overall. I signed up in a women only gym - yes I am still Iraqi that way too! [..]

We were winding down after a work out. It usually involves doing stretches to calming music. We all became aware of a ticking sound that was louder than the calm music... the instructor said:" /snap/ [link]

Fishy dinner at Bu Qtair in Dubai

Attawie

[Dubai] -- "'There's a child inside of all of us' is a phrase that expressed the childish behavior all of us do every now and then but when it comes to my little sister, it's a whole different story. The other day her colleague asked her what does she want for her birthday and my sister innocently said "an airplane". My sister became 24 years old a couple of weeks back. [..]

Anyways� to celebrate her birthday, I made some sweets and bought a cake. Then she only wanted us to spend the rest of the evening at Bu Qtair, a seafood restaurant.

I don't know what words to use to describe the place and if the word restaurant is applied to such places. This is our second visit but since the place was dark it was hard to get a good photo. Everything is burly. So let me try to describe." /snap/ [link]

Check-It-Out: IraqBlogCount Experimental

Catharsis

[Amman] -- "A work in progress ... I'll get to it when I'm not busy pretending to be busy." [link]
.

Barack Obama to Muslim World: assalaamu alaykum

Afghan Citizen

[Kabul] -- "I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions.

For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.

We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world - tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam." -- /snap/ [link]

Land of mines and snakes

Inside Iraq

[Basra/Thi Qar province] -- "When I went with Jack to Basra province in the south of Iraq to write the story about mines, of one of the big problems that people in that area face, I never expected to find a bigger problem, another battle with a different enemy that is more capable than mines which at least can't move. They have a battle with snakes.

Over the years people there had become experts in defusing mines that filled their farms but they could not deal with the snakes that killed them in their beds.

We spoke with two families." /snap/ [link]

Somalia � inside the city the world forgot

The Guardian

-- In a rare dispatch from war-ravaged Mogadishu, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad found a city daring to hope for a break from years of violence. Then the fighting resumed

Mogadishu's best barometer of �violence is the little blackboard on which Dr Taher Mahmoud daily records the number of patients in his hospital. For the last 20 years the tall surgeon with huge hands has been operating on the victims of the city's civil war.

"It's good times now," he told me when we met a few weeks ago. "We are only getting four to six gunshot casualties a day. That's very good." [..]

Few respites in this most ravaged of cities last long, and within days of our conversation the relative calm had given way to a more familiar story: running battles between the forces of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the notional president, and the more radical Islamist al-Shabaab militia. More than 200 people have been killed in these skirmishes and as many as 60,000 people have fled.

Yet the chances are you won't have heard about it: with the exception of the latest pirate drama, Somalia is the country the world forgot-- /snap/ [link]

Cheney: Oops! Saddam had no link to 9/11.

Baghdad Treasure

[US] -- "What is it with all those Bush administration officials? As if it�s a game! Every time their terms end they show up and speak out loud about how they were mistaken regarding certain things. Wait, those things are not just things; they are decisions that created mayhem and horror.

After Bush�s first lying mate Collin Powell admitted on Meet the Press that Iraq did not have WMD, the ruthless former VP Dick Cheney confessed today that even Saddam had no link with al-Qaeda and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Hold on a sec here: let�s see, the two the main excuses for launching the Iraq war were the WMD and the link to 9/11! So basically the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and the more than 4,000 Americans who were killed in the war were because of two lies?" /snap/ [link]

Jokes and cartoons in hard times

Inside Iraq

[Baghdad] -- "Jokes and laughter are the most powerful weapons of man, especially during hard time. They are also the best way to reflect painful facts and events that we face.

Yesterday's failed attempt by the embattled Iraqi minister of trade to flee the country on a commercial flight found its way to people through this cartoon published by the alMashriq Newspaper. The daily newspaper was once a target for the resigned minister, who tried to sue it for publishing statements against the him related to corruption accusations a few week ago. The minister later withdrew the case but that was not enough to save him from the criticism and questioning in the parliament and it was not enough to dismiss the charges against him.

The minister was detained on Saturday after his failed attempt to travel to the United Arab Emirates. Iraqi authorities ordered the pilot to return back to Baghdad airport half an hour into the flight.." /snap/ [link]

Aesthetic pain and aesthetic pleasure

Worldchanging

-- Art goes politics, the first panel of Positions in Flux, discussed how/whether media art has the potential to contribute to global and local problems such as religious and territorial conflicts, environmental or social crisis.

One of the three artists invited to participate to the discussion is Wafaa Bilal. Born in Iraq, Bilal gained worldwide fame in 2007 with his performance Domestic Tension (aka. Shoot an Iraqi) which enabled web users around the world to control a paintball gun and shoot at him 24 hours a day. For a whole month. His works are being exhibited and discussed internationally and he is currently Assistant Arts Professor at Tisch School of Arts, NYU.

The artist presentation was articulated around his artworks:

Domestic Tension

How can artists today make images mean something, stimulate people and provoke them? Problems that political art face: disengagement of the issue and tendency of some artists to express the issues at stake through aesthetic pain rather than aesthetic pleasure. Bilal grew up in an oppressed society and didn't have the leisure to meditate on aesthetic alone. He therefore works with both aesthetic pain and aesthetic pleasure. -- /snap/ [link]

Baghdad prison (known as Abu Ghreib)

Baghdadentist

[Baghdad] -- "I will open my private clinic after finishing the installation of the dental chair and the a.c. All the delay was becuase i was looking for the proper place for the clinic. Finally i found the right place in our neighborhood, i can walk from my house to it.

This morning i was in Baghdad prison (formerly known as Abu Ghreib prison). I went to the hospital at the prison and i'll have frequent visits in the future.
I didnt like the place. I know its a prison but i didnt like situation there. Closed and narrow. I did my best to breath some fresh air and keep my self near the windows. Its a horrible place. There were many prisoners who were detained by the US forces including doctors and some medical stuff at the same time they work at the hospital.
The medical centre in the city of Abu Ghreib is now offering good dental services. The number of treated patients is increasing day after day." /snap/ [link]

Historical Dictionary of IRAQ - القاموس التأريخي للعراق

Catharsis

- [link]

Sheik Al-Modaribeen, Ammo Baba

Iraq The Lasting Love ~ العراق... اسميك المحبة

[NL] -- "He is the one who put the basics for football school in Iraq's modern history.

He is the master of Iraqi football.

The above are just some of the words echoed by many people upon receiving the news of death of Ammo Baba today in Dhuk, north of Iraq." /snap/ [link]

Watch the kids

Last-of-Iraqis

[Baghdad] -- "Few days ago we were getting back home at night from a visit to a relative of us, when we reached our neighborhood; two blocks away from my house, we noticed a gathering of people at the door of one of the houses, it was clear from the faces of the people and the way they were acting that something unpleasant happened.

I stopped the car and got out to offer my help in case they needed it. Unfortunately there was nothing I or anybody there could do because their son was kidnapped an hour ago from their very same street! He is a 7 years old kid, his father is a mechanic and about a year ago he started working with the Americans as people say�the kidnappers called and they asked for ransom, his parents didn't tell us how much exactly do they want.

I was a bit scared to be honest, because this might be the start for troubles and crime in my neighborhood, I thought the kid was kidnapped because his father works with the Americans but later I begun to doubt that." /snap/ [link]

Iraqi intelligence sues Guardian

the Guardian

[Baghdad] -- Iraq's national intelligence service has launched a court action to sue the Guardian, claiming to have been defamed by a story that characterised the regime of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki as increasingly autocratic.

The story, by award-winning correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, was published in April, when the Iraqi leader was in London on an investment drive. It included interviews with three unnamed members of the Iraqi national intelligence service (INIS), who said elements of Maliki's rule resembled a dictatorship. -- /snap/ [link]

:: The article by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad in The Guardian, Thursday 30 April 2009:

Six years after Saddam Hussein, Nouri al-Maliki tightens his grip on Iraq

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports on how a leader once seen as weak is now being compared to his infamous predecessor - [link]

IDPs� refugee camps near Karachi removed [Pakistan]

GEO Pakistan

[Karachi] -- The refugee camps of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) hailing from Malakand Division, which had been set up near Karachi superhighway, have surprisingly been removed on Monday, Geo news reported.

According to authorities, the refugee camps were removed owing to unfavorable security arrangements and inadequate facilities present for the IDPs there adding that the camps will be transferred somewhere else while local people said the removal of the camps took place after the people of the area staged protest as the refugee camps had been set up illegally on the land of the local village.

58 kilometers from Karachi near Nooriabad area, the refugee camps were established for the IDPs came from Malakand Division.

Denying the claims of the local people, the authorities in deface, termed the removal of the IDPs� refugee camps as a step taken due to the inadequate security arrangements and facilities for the displaced people in that area and vowed to transfer the camps onto other alternative place. -- [link]

:: Video on plight of Swat valley journalists ::

-- Reporters Without Borders has interviewed Swat valley journalists who had to flee the fighting between the Pakistani armed forces and the Taliban. About 100 journalists and their families have had to seek refuge in Peshawar and other cities since the armed forces launched their offensive against the Islamist fighters. Swat�s media have ceased to operate and most of their journalists are now without any means of support. --

The Baghdad battery

Where was electricity discovered? here is the mistery of the Baghdad battery, estimated to be 2000 years old. When the vase is filled with one or another electrolyte, such as lemon juice or vinegar, then it is able to deliver an electrical voltage of approximately 1 volt.

The similarity with the first battery such as those in 1867, demonstrated by the French man George Lechanch�, is striking. That also consisted of a pot with a negative (carbon) and positive (zinc) electrode, separated of each other by an electrolytic fluid.

This battery was in the National museum in Baghdad, but it is doubtful whether that it is still there after the plundering in 2003 (anyone knows more?)

/read more/

Nashat Akram joins Dutch club

Aswat al-Iraq

[Baghdad] -- Iraq's star Nashat Akram has joined Dutch Erendvise side FC Twente on a three-year contract from Qatari club Al-Gharafa.

The 24-year-old midfielder will be in action against South Africa in the opening match of the Confederations Cup on June 14 in Johannesburg.

He came third in running for the 2007 Asian Player of the Year award and starred in Iraq�s run to the 2007 Asian Cup title.
Akram, who had a trial with Manchester City last season, told the Twente website: �This is a dream come true, to play in Europe. FC Twente is a good club with a big coach.

�I want to develop further at FC Twente and grow together with the club.�

Coach Steve McClaren added: �We�ve been following Nashat for a year. He�s a young and very talented player, who has bags of experience given his age.� /snap/ [link]

Al Habbaniya

Iraq The Lasting Love ~ العراق... اسميك المحبة

[NL] -- "Al Habbaniya is a huge lake in the middle of the desert located between the city of Falluja and the city of Ramady, west of Iraq. Its size is approximately 700 m2 and can take more than 60 thousands inhabitants.

In the late 1970, the government in Iraq launched an ambitious project that turned the area into one of the most luxorious tourist resorts in Iraq. People of all ages, families with children, group of young boys and girls and university students from Baghdad and neighoring towns and cities used to go there to enjoy the weekend or spend either Al Eid or other holidays there. In addition, many young married couples decided to spend their honeymoon by booking a room in the luxurious hotel or in one of the small bricked beautiful houses.

There are many facilities used to be available for the visitors in Al Habbaniy: there were tennis courts, basketball fields, bycycles can be rented. There was a small hall with electronic games, not to forget the swimming pools, and the two disco halls - one on the rare side of the lake.

In the late 1980's Al Habbaniya became a destination for foreign tourists. I remember seeing groups of men and women from the Gulf and western countries when I used to go there.

I have been countless time to Al Habbaniya. Since I was a child my parents used to take me there accompanied with other family friends, playing with the kids and enjoying the sun and the water." /snap/ [link]

Basra�s Battered Culture Re-Emerges

IWPR

[Basra] -- The unveiled female dancers shimmied across the stage in ornate red dresses, their hips and arms flowing to the drum beats of Basra�s famous Khashaba music as the audience clapped along.

The performance, held by the Basra Band for Folklore Arts during a festival to honour the city being designated Iraq�s cultural capital for 2009, stood in stark contrast to a festival held last year. Fearing Basra�s notoriously brutal militias, the dancers then donned cloaks and veils that revealed nothing but their eyes.

Long considered the centre of Iraqi culture, Basra�s literature, music and dance scene largely disappeared as Islamic fundamentalists and gangs dominated the southern city in recent years. Fundamentalism and fear of armed groups persists, and cultural institutions are a shambles.

But observers say Basra�s richly diverse culture is slowly re-emerging amid improved security that has contained militia control of Iraq�s third-largest city. Artists and residents say shows by groups such as the Basra Band for Folklore Arts, which performs traditional dances, are evidence that Basra is reclaiming its roots.

�I thought Basra would need a lot to regain its freedom and revitalise cultural institutions paralysed by fundamentalists,� said Talib Abdulaziz, a writer and poet in Basra. �But I now realise we have made enormous strides.� /snap/ [link]

Embrace Baghdad

Skies

[Baghdad] -- "I see no light at the end of the tunnel" I heard that for the first time in the 80s when I was watching in the T.V. a Palestinian leader talking about his negotiation with the Israeli leaders. I asked my father back then what that means. He said it means no hope.

I heard that same thing "I see no light at the end of the tunnel" when I was watching T.V. in Baghdad in 2006 when an Iraqi politician was talking about his negotiation with other Iraqis. I felt really hopeless and frightened.
I went today to central Baghdad just for a walk not knowing what was waiting for me.
The first thing I saw was that the old library of Al Fulfuli (I think it was founded in 1908 or something like that) is selling old pictures of Baghdad and Iraq in black and white. A man holding his daughter in his arms was buying." /snap/ [link]

Statistics

Last-of-Iraqis

[Baghdad] -- "Yesterday, I was chatting with my colleague about the situation in Iraq and specially regarding the social aspect� we both reached an agreement that we would witness a social crisis or a disaster� the Iraqis' ethics and manner have really changed in the years after the war� so many people lost the good sides of the Iraqi manners.

And since he is much older than me, he said that after each war Iraqis losses some of their good manners, and I think he is right.

And today I received an email with some very interesting statistics that are gathered together�and I thought those statistics would be a great way to show my point.

1,000,000 widowed women according to a statistic published by the Iraqi woman's ministry in 2008

4,000,000 orphan child (estimated by the ministry of planning if the average of the Iraqi family is 4-6 children)

2,500,000 killed (according to the statistics of the Iraqi ministry of health and the forensic medicine (morgues) till December 2008)

800,000 missing (according to the ministry of interior till December 2008)" /snap/ [link]

All those officials accused of corruption

Inside Iraq

[Baghdad] -- "For the last two days the parliament made its first step to represent Iraqi people. The minister of trade was called to be questioned for corruption and misusing authorities.

As an Iraqi citizen I want the parliament members or the representatives to feel the Iraqi citizen�s needs and problems to be discussed and dealt in the sessions. Most Iraqis including me have many points against the people�s representatives as they were focusing on the privileges they can get for the period they occupy the position leaving the people�s important issues postponed.

On Saturday and Sunday�s sessions, Iraqi people were watching T.V. and seeing the integrity committee do its job questioning the trade minister of the corruption in his ministry. We don�t know if the parliament will vote for the no confidence or not, but we are happy that the parliament is going forward to deal with the problems that Iraqi have been suffering from including corruption." /snap/ [link]

From Mijan To Militant Mijan [Bangladesh]

Unheard Voice

[Dhaka] -- "Militant Mijan has been caught. Now he will face justice.

There are two kinds of justice in this country. The first is, lengthy chewing gum justice. This goes on year after year. [..]

But there�s another justice system. This is the supersonic justice system (it even has a teeth-breaking name: Rapid Justice Law). [..] That�s what happened to Bangla Bhai. Who is this Bangla Bhai, who created Bangla Bhai, who in the administration helped in the rise of Bangla Bhai, before the entire case�s political and economic context could be investigated, before anything could happen: trial, verdict, appeal, denial, hanging. [..]

My request, please don�t kill Mijan quite so easily, so cheaply. But rather, come, let us sit a while, let us hear Mijan�s story. [..]

Mijan is a product. If one product is destroyed, it will not take long for a new version of this product to arrive on market. The society that has become a factory for such products, first fix that society." /snap/ [link]

Iraq Nadhef - Clean Iraq [NEW]

Iraq Nadhef

:: is a NEW blog that aims to gather people around the theme of hazardous remains of weaponry and Depleted Uranium in Iraq, in order to DO something about it. -- >>

[In + Out Iraq] -- "In addition to the victims of DU weapons from Iraqi population, their use caused serious diseases on U.S. veterans and other service personnel who exposed to DU ammunitions. Medical test and investigations in some U.S. states have shown the presence of DU in many soldiers' bodies and urine and the suffering from many diseases and birth defects as a result of inhalation or digestion of DU aerosol dust and injured by DU fragments.
Because of the short- and long-term consequences on Iraq population and the impact of DU on the environment, international community must work together with the UN, universities, scientific centers, and other civilian agencies to promote and assess human and environmental programs including clean-up to cope with DU pollution and damages" /snap/ [link]

Colleges and universities graduation parties

In Iraq, sex is like snow

[Baghdad] -- "To disguise as one of the dreariest death symbols in your what supposed to be significant day of your life, is something weird. But since it is a masquerade party, i guess it would be a cool costume to wear. (in the picture below I'm trying to reap out a life of some poor fella :P)

Just to let you in the picture, most of the colleges and universities in Iraq hold two graduation parties for their seniors just before the end of the scholar year.

Those two parties are:" /snap/ [link]

SF Gays Organize Rally for LGBT Iraqis

IRAQI LGBT

[San Francisco] � A broad united coalition of human rights advocates and politicians will hold a spirited rally this Sunday, May 17, in solidarity with the LGBT citizens of Iraq, who face surging violence and killings. Recent reports out of Baghdad document the gruesome gluing of anuses of gay men, who are forced to swallow laxatives, leading to death by diarrhea, and come amid continuing genital mutilation of gays.

Responding to the atrocities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community organizers will hold a demonstration to support LGBT Iraqis:

WHO: Human rights activists and elected officials

WHAT: Rally and fundraiser

WHERE: Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market Streets

DATE: Sunday, May 17

TIME: 12:30 � 1:30 PM

A diverse array of leaders will speak at the rally, including Sen. Mark Leno, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, SF Police Commission President Theresa Sparks, Karen Kai of the Rainbow World Fund, Rev. Lea Brown of the Metropolitan Community Church, Debra Walker of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club, political artist Clinton Fein, and community organizers Michael Petrelis and Gary Virginia of Gays Without Borders.

There will be al so a �bucket brigade� at the rally and circulating through cafes and restaurants of the Castro soliciting donations for groups working with LGBT Iraqis. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a social advocacy organization, have donated $1,000, and will supply volunteers for the brigade.

Rainbow World Fund, a LGBT international humanitarian relief charity, is serving as the fiscal sponsor, and donations made through it are tax-deductible. The fund�s colorful and eye-catching school bus will be parked at Milk Plaza, to serve as a welcome-wagon full of banners, posters and donation buckets. Donations will be used to provide direct aid to the Iraqi LGBT community. More at http://rainbowfund.org.

Speaking for Gays Without Borders/SF, a group focused on global issues, Gary Virginia explained the motivations for the May 17 actions.

�We San Franciscans have a solemn duty to denounce anti-LGBT hatred in Iraq. Our demands to President Obama, the State Department and Congress are simple and doable � condemn the torture and slayings, investigate the human rights abuses, and create a sizeable number of asylum slots for LGBT Iraqis to enter and reside in America,� said Virginia.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRESS RELEASE

Contacts:

Michael Petrelis

Email: MPetrelis AT aol DOT com

Gary Virginia

Email: MRSFL96 AT aol DOT com

REEL IRAQ Filmfestival

Reel Festival - Reel Iraq Films

[Edinburgh] -- Reel Festivals are delighted to present a wide ranging showcase of Iraqi film-making talent at this years festival, and Filmhouse Edinburgh has again generously offered to host the screenings.

The programme is extremely diverse and showcases both documentary and fiction, and recent and archival. -- [link]

A golden-brown hint of nostalgia

The Words That Come Out...

[US] -- "/../ lost dreams
torn out by their roots
and flung into the Tigris
ripped earth as red
as the blood of the
lost years
expunged
then dried
then cracked by tank wheels
wet with more blood
and then left to rot

lost words
lost eye glances
lost meanings
all extricated
stuffed into a khaki
knapsack
and thrown into the Euphrates

lost moments
when the tea was passed
and the earth warm to our bodies
where we sat" /snap [link]

Widget generator for imprisoned bloggers, journalists, activists

Mideast Youth

"Dear friends,

Setting up campaigns for imprisoned bloggers, journalists, and activists is not an easy task if you don�t have the right tools. There was one tool that we at Mideast Youth always felt was missing, and that was the ability to easily create and embed a widget to help spread the word on imprisoned bloggers, journalists or activists. So we simply felt the urge to build one! And we did.

Please view it here, and read all about the useful features we have here.

We encourage you to use it, as it is incredibly customizable, and built for people who want a simple and effective way to spread the word about an imprisoned individual. You may even create a slideshow for multiple prisoners by ticking on the individuals whom you�d like to feature in your widget. The ones listed are automatically created when other users generate a widget.

Depending on the feedback we receive, we will build an improved version. The final version will be available in Arabic and Farsi as well, however this version is also fully operational so we hope you will find it useful for your efforts.

Thank you!" -- [link]

Farhoud

3eeraqimedic

[UK] -- "They had sat talking jut a few days before, just four elderly people, sharing a bench by the garden.

Interspersed with English when my Mum could not understand a word, a conversation that spanned knee aches, and headaches, lives of grown up children and school holidays of grandchildren, memories of shopping on Al-Rashid street and stories about Mosul and Basra.

But at the end Mr Israel was lamenting the loss �it was all taken, the house, the land everything�.

�You have your health, your children, and lovely grandchildren, and all those wonderful memories" he said reassuringly

It reminded him of an incident in his childhood, a friend of his father paid them a visit one night, he was leaving, and he was taking his family, �would they be interested in buying his house?" /snap/ [link]

Occupier Body Language زهو قصير الأمد

Catharsis

/snap/ [link]

�I�m here to understand what you mean by Taliban�, Arundhati Roy [Pakistan]

Farrukh Khan Pitafi

[Lahore] -- "Every day we see some new concern in the western media, our media or some apex western meeting. Yesterday Richard Holbrooke�s congressional hearing was quite pithy in this context. One comment from BBC�s anchor is still frozen in my memory, that some people argue that instead of AfPak policy it should be called the PakAf policy. In my humble view the nomenclature doesn�t matter. What matters is how you approach the heart of the problem. And that is what I am going to discuss here just now.
Somehow a fear in the western media seems to have been blown beyond proportions: that of nuclear proliferation. I say blown beyond proportions because even though the fear is very much there it obscures and often overshadows the far bigger fears. At the top of these fears is that of Pakistan�s total meltdown and the army�s transformation into a rogue force.
Now why would I say such a thing?" /snap/ [link]

:: :: ::

Celebrated Indian author and social activist Arundhati Roy addresses a gathering at the Karachi Press Club on Friday

Is there a threat of Talibanisation engulfing the entire region?

I think it has already engulfed our region. I think there�s a need for a very clear thinking (on this issue of Talibanisation). In India, there are two kinds of terrorism: one is Islamic terrorism and the other Maoist terrorism. But this term terrorism, we must ask, what do they mean by it.

In Pakistan, I�m here to understand what they mean by this term. When we say we must fight the Taliban or must defeat them, what does it mean? I�m here to understand what you mean when you say Taliban. Do you mean a militant? Do you mean an ideology? Exactly what is it that is being fought? That needs to be clarified.

I think both need to be fought. But if it�s an ideology it has to be fought differently, while if it�s a person with a gun then it has to be fought differently. We know from the history of the war on terror that a military strategy is only making matters worse all over the world. The war on terror has made the world a more dangerous place. In India, they have been fighting insurgencies military since 1947 and it has become a more dangerous place.

Swat and the Taliban boy

It is very important for me to understand what exactly is going in Swat. How did it start? A Taliban boy asked me why women can�t be like plastic bags and banned. The point is that the plastic bag was made in a factory but so was the boy. He was made in a factory that is producing this kind of mind(set). (The question is) who owns that factory, who funds it? Unless we deal with that factory, dealing with the boy doesn�t help us." /snap/ [link]