Islam And The West

This cartoon is produced by Arab cartoonist Emad Hajjaj. It shows former American President George W. Bush leaving office while being struck on the back a shoe thrown from Gaza war victim:

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The investigative journalist Robert Parry examines in the following article the failures of the neocon agenda after 2 full terms of the George W. Bush presidency.

Parry breaks down his analysis into 5 main areas and they are titled as follows pretty rhetoric, media megaphone, another front,turning points and gray areas.

Image source: Phxpma

He examines the role of the media in helping the neocon agenda to invade Iraq. Under the pretext of spreading democracy and human rights to the Arab world.

Parry finishes with a suggestion that we should all feel pity for the neocon movement as their dreams of Middle East conquest lay in the ruins of the history:

“…a bitterly disappointing end for seven-plus years of neoconservative dominion over U.S. foreign policy, a period that was supposed to conclude with the dismantling of Israel’s Muslim enemies in the region.

Contrary to those neocon plans, George W. Bush is limping toward a historical judgment as possibly “the worst President ever”…

..In 2001, especially after 9/11, the neocon dreams were so much more ambitious. The neocons planned to achieve “regime change” in all Middle Eastern countries that were perceived as threats to Israel and replace them with compliant, pro-Western leaders.

First on the list was Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, which was a center for Arab nationalism and an advocate for resisting Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Since Iraq was too strong – and too far from the effective reach of the Israeli military – U.S. forces would be needed to conquer Iraq.

After that, Iraq was supposed to become the staging area for projecting American power across the region, with the governments of Iran and Syria the next targets.

A favorite neocon joke in 2003 was whether after capturing Baghdad, U.S. forces should go east or west, to either Damascus or Tehran, with the punch line: “Real men go to Tehran.” Of course, unlike American soldiers, the neocons weren’t really going anywhere, except to the next AEI conference or a Georgetown cocktail party….

… Throughout this ambitious process, the neocons wrapped their plans in pretty or high-blown rhetoric.

There was talk about spreading “democracy” to the region (even though the neocons have never had much use for real democracy….

….Besides “democracy promotion” in the Middle East, the neocons talked about advancing “human rights,” even as their policies rained death and destruction upon countless thousands of defenseless Arabs…

…So there were plenty of pleasant rationales to justify the brutal strategies, so many that thoughtful analysts to this day express uncertainty over what the Bush administration’s real motivation was for invading Iraq…..

…By the 1990s, with the emergence of right-wing talk radio and Fox News, the neocons consolidated their power in the national news media…..

…in 2002 and early 2003, the neocons in the news media worked hand in glove with the Bush administration to rally public support behind the Iraq War….

.. As 2006 wore on, things went from bad to worse for the neocons. Their dreams of a “permanent Republican majority” – with them in charge of U.S. foreign policy – collapsed on Nov. 7, 2006, when American voters turned both houses of Congress over to the Democrats.

Two years later, the Republicans (and the neocons) fared even worse, also losing the White House to Barack Obama, despite a GOP and neocon smear campaign that featured Obama’s middle name “Hussein” and called him a secret Muslim.

Also disheartening was Bush’s capitulation in accepting a timetable for U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq…

…In Washington, the neocons now are scrambling to find themselves new places of influence. Some neocon-lites are hoping to decamp inside Hillary Clinton’s State Department…..

…the neocons feel little or no remorse for the butchery in Iraq where hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died and many more have been horribly maimed as a result of the U.S. invasion that the neocons demanded and rationalized. Indeed, it is difficult not to judge the neocons to be racist in their nonchalance toward the killing of Muslims, though the neocons would bristle at the assessment.

In many civilized societies, the intellectual and political authors of a crime against humanity as egregious as the Iraq War would be dragged from their offices in handcuffs and put on trial. In modern Washington, however, they don’t even lose their privileged spot on the Washington Post’s op-ed page.

But perhaps we all should feel some pity for the neocons. Their grand dreams of Middle East conquest – with them as modern-day Alexanders – have been reduced to them cheering as Israeli bombs smash apart the crowded neighborhoods of Gaza.” (Source: Consortium News)

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For those who do not know I run two blogs, the first being this one, Islam and the West and the second is called Islam – West Videos. In the second blog I concentrate solely on material that is related to online media such as Youtube, Google and Liveleak videos.

Since its coming up to the end of the year pretty soon I thought it would be nice to go through a top 10 list of videos from that blog. So here is my list of top 1o videos from 2008:

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Image source:Selva Morales

Dear reader it is that time of week again when we have a look at some of the interesting posts that can be found on weblogs throughout the internet.

So without anymore ceremony here are my “accelerated links” (in no particular order) for 12/23/2008:

1. An Indian Muslim with an orchestrated real estate boycott effecting Indian Muslims after the Mumbai attacks.
2. Atlas Shrugs on anti-semites “getting off” on the Madoff financial affair.
3. Austrolabe on the reaction of some in Australia to Afghan student and refugee Shaheen Hasmat.
4. Crossroads Arabia with more analysis of Bush and the shoe incident.
5. Elder Of Ziyon with the Arab states that fund the Clinton Foundation.
6. Fiery Spirited Zionist on what is wrong with Islam.
7. Israpundit on how dictatorships stay in power.
8. Indigo Jo on a Bosnian Muslim waitress in England who has a clothing problem with her employers.
9. Jews Sans Frontieres on why the Madoff affair is a blessing.
10. Lancaster Unity on a spate of new Hollywood films dealing Nazi Germany.
11. Majority Rights asks the question who’s behind the global financial crisis?
12. Haitham Sabbah with U.N. official Richard Falk’s expulsion from Israel.
13. Sabria Jawhar on the demise of Arab hospitality.
14. Samson Blinded on the real Hanukkah.
15. Sic Semper Tyrannis on why the Bush people should have their day in court.
16. Talk To Action on Christian who have a problem with giving women the vote.
17. Unveiling Christianity asks the questions does the Qur’an condemn Muslims to enter Hell ?

The links in this post are provided solely for informational purposes and inclusion should not be construed as endorsement or acceptance by the author of this weblog.

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Image source: S Zeimke

If you haven’t lived with your head in the sand literally over the last 24 hour news cycle there is a pretty good chance that you have seen what happened to American President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq.

For those of you who have some how missed the event and for those who just want to see it again here is the link to the video: George W. Bush Escapes A Shoe Attack

For a western readership that may not be too familiar with the intricacies of shoes and honour in eastern cultures, today’s Daily Telegraph explains the role of the shoe in Arab culture very well:

“Showing the sole of your shoe has long been an insult in Arab culture. To try and hit someone with that shoe is seen as even worse.

The shoe is considered dirty because it is on the ground and an item associated with the foot, the lowest part of the body to the ground.

By hitting someone with a shoe, it shows that they are regarded as even lower…..

…The shoe is such an offensive symbol that it is seen as culturally rude to cross an ankle over a knee and display the sole of the shoe while talking to another person.

The shoe is also considered unclean in the Muslim faith and believers must remove their shoes before prayers, while wearing shoes in mosques is forbidden.

Middle East expert Christopher Walker said is was also customary to remove shoes outside a person’s home because the “sole of the shoe is considered the most contaminated”.

“It is an object of the greatest scorn,” he added.” (Source: Daily Telegraph)

Muntazer al-Zaidi is the now famous Iraqi journalist from the Al-Baghdadiyah channel who was responsible for the shoe attack on Mr. Bush.

Until today you have probably never heard of him so I thought I would take a little of your time to acquaint you with a man who some now around the world are calling a hero:

“Zaidi, 29, a journalist with the independent Iraqi television station Al-Baghdadia based in Egypt, hurled his footwear at Bush on Sunday during a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Although both shoes missed their target, Zaidi captured the world’s attention with an act colleagues said he had plotted for months because he “detested America” and the man who ordered the war on his country.

His brother Durgham said Zaidi had been detained for a day by US forces at the beginning of the year, and that he had been kidnapped in the heart of Baghdad in November 2007 and held for a week by unknown captors….

…At Sunday’s news conference Zaidi jumped up and shouted “It is the farewell kiss, you dog,” as he threw his shoes at Bush.

They missed after Bush ducked and Zaidi was wrestled to the ground by security guards.” (Source: IC Publications)

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