Netanyahu’s Election Speech Hypocrisy

Since Israel is more of an apartheid than a democracy, it is becoming increasingly difficult for western democracies like the US and Europe to continually vouch for the Jewish state.

The Obama Administration has certainly broken from the traditions of its predecessors and perhaps the entire tradition of American politics by even SLIGHTLY suggesting a rift in relations between the US & Israel.

The underlying reality that Israel is an unjust entity resonates with the disenfranchised communities of United States, especially the African-American population, which only 30 years ago were granted the right to vote.

Largely disenfranchised socio-economically, African-Americans make up the majority of prisoners incarcerated in the US. The reality that African-Americans were only granted the right to vote 30 years ago cannot be understated in this context. Poverty, violence and disenfranchisement produce the kinds of demographics we see in the US today, with regards to the huge discrepancy in economic equality between White and Non-White Americans. Similarly, in Israel, the Arab and Palestine population endures the same levels of injustice. This is not to diminish either sides peculiarity or suffering but rather to reveal the ties between the forces responsible for injustice in the Middle East and injustices here in the US. Our attention is constantly being diverted by the media as it portrays Americans seperately from the rest of the world, the irony being in that the US is the most heavily involved country in foreign affairs in the entire world.

Islamophobia and racism are tools of the same political forces. That is why when Netanyahu made his racist comments regarding Arab-Israeli citizens just to harbor the election victory, it comes as no surprise. Similarly, US officials and police authorities spout racist comments so as to discourage and perpetuate suppression of African-American rights.

Furthermore, Israel’s hypocrisy is revealed in Netanyahu’s pathetic post-election victory apology for his racist comments, so as to appease the Israeli “left” and the West. He did not fail to make the following comment after his so-called apology:

“I think, similarly, that no element outside the state of Israel should intervene in our democratic processes.”

Was it not Netanyahu who intervened in US politics by speaking to Congress without consulting a bi-partisan coalition?

Hypocrites. But we’re used to it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32026995

Remembering Anthony Shadid (1968-2012)

On September 1st, 2011, late journalist & NYT foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid came to speak to UCF students about his recent escapades in the Middle East, namely his most recent experiences in Libya, where Shadid recalled being taken hostage with two other associates for three days.

I am grateful to say I had the opportunity to sit in on his speech. I was even able to meet with Shadid shortly after his speech during which I introduced myself. He was quick to smile with news that I am Syrian. I purchased his most recent book, Night Draws Near, in which he left me a little note, perhaps a little naive in hindsight, or just rashly hopeful as all Arabs tend to be. “See you in Damascus,” he uttered.

Anthony Shadid reminded me what it means to be an Arab, aside from the ordinary customs, our cuisine, language music and traditions. Anthony Shadid reminded me that at the heart of being Arab is the nature of resilience; our ability to laugh and chuckle even amidst the darkest of chaos. I vaguely remember a story told to me by close friend of mine, a Palestinian political activist from Ramallah, Tami Rafidi. Rafidi, whose husband was taken captive by Israeli forces never to be returned, embodied this resilience. Despite her frustrations; anger & suffering, Rafidi recalled memories of running wildly along the rugged Palestinian terrain dodging Israel fire while laughing, telling jokes & drinking the famous Arab liquor – ‘arak’.

In 2006, when Israel began bombing Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, the Lebanese people were seeking refuge by day; clubbing relentlessly by night. Despite all the misery and control, the Arabs found a way; an outlet.

It is Tami’s resilience, the resilience of the Lebanese people, which echoed the sentiments of Anthony Shadid, who did not stop short of asserting during his speech: “At the heart of the Arab struggle is Palestine, a very dear subject for the Arab & Muslim world. This cannot be understated.”

I admire this man for his courage and resolve.

In 2012, during a trip to Syria where he was capturing stories about the ensuing conflict in the region, Shadid suffered what appeared to be a asthma attack. Shortly after Shadid passed. I was shocked by the news. Without any history of medical complications except for minor sensitivities to allergens, Shadid was not on course for any type of health issues.

I remember having met his daughter at the time of his speech. She was quite young, very polite & beautiful. My prayers and thanks are with her, wherever she may be, for having had such an amazing man as a father. My dream is to honor his legacy and the struggle of the Arab people all over the world, which he represented so well.

I did not want to go into any details or elaborate on the possibility of foul-play regarding Shadid’s death, out of respect for him & his family. I will add, however that with regards to the Middle East, there is without a doubt an unrelenting fear among journalists, dissidents or activists of any sort, of persecution for propagating legitimate news, especially if it poses a threat to the interests of particular political actors. His bodies of work, including the aforementioned book, shows no restraint in exposing the consequences of the US government’s disastrous policies which would usher in violent instability & chaos that has yet to conclude, even a decade after the US initiated the invasion.

I pray that in the case of Shadid, his passing was a matter of fate and nature. Nonetheless, his legacy remains & the struggle for Arab dignity continues.

RIP Anthony Shadid. Thank you. May the children of Iraq see justice one day. Long live the Arab struggle for freedom & may Palestine one day be free!

The Armenian Orphan Rug (L.A. Times)

LINK: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-white-house-rug-armenian-genocide-20141015-story.html?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fnation+(L.A.+Times+-+National+News)

A historic rug tied to the Armenian genocide will go on display at the White House Visitor Center in November after several failed attempts to display the piece.

The Ghazir rug was created by orphans of the genocide and presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925. It will be featured alongside other artifacts in an exhibition highlighting gifts to the United States from groups that have benefited from American humanitarian aid.

“The rug … is a reminder of the close relationship between the people of Armenia and the United States,” National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement announcing the exhibition.

The tapestry, also called the Armenian Orphan Rug, has been in storage for decades with only limited public appearances. In 2013, the White House blocked a plan to display the rug at the Smithsonian Institution, saying the planned exhibition, which would have featured the release of a book about the piece, was a private event and thus “not viewed as commensurate with the rug’s historical significance.”

Armenian American leaders and several U.S. senators objected to the decision, saying the White House was bowing to political pressure from the Turkish government, which denies a genocide took place.

Historians estimate that 1.2 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during the political upheaval surrounding World War I. The circumstances of the genocide remain contested by Turkey, which maintains that the Armenians died of disease, starvation and being caught in crossfire. The Ghazir rug was later created by orphans as a goodwill gesture toward the U.S.

Members of the Armenian American community praised the decision to display the rug.

“Turkey doesn’t want people to use the word ‘genocide,’ so the United States doesn’t use the word ‘genocide,’ ” said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America. “We hope that this is the symbol of the White House finally doing the right thing.”
The delay in exhibiting the rug stemmed from rules governing historic objects rather than political considerations, senior administration officials said.

For elected officials representing Armenian American communities, the decision is a welcome relief after years of negotiation.

“It’s a powerful symbol of American generosity to victims of the Armenian genocide,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D- Burbank) said. “I’m thrilled that it will soon be on display.”

Schiff said he would continue to push for official federal recognition of the genocide, especially in light of the event’s 100th anniversary in April.

For Hamparian, the exhibition will be a success if it represents a change in White House policy.

“The victory will be if this symbolizes progress by this White House to speak the truth about the Armenian genocide,” he said.

ISLAMISM = ZIONISM

[REFERENCE ARTICLE HERE: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/29/the-sheikh-who-wants-to-put-the-hurt-on-hezbollah-in-lebanon.html]

ISIS, Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood.

All of these claim to be muslim organizations aimed at ‘liberating men from tyranny’.

Who chose you and what tyranny are you liberating me from? How do I know you yourself are not a tyranny?

Hezbollah is hated by many sunnis thanks to a very successful pro-sunni propagation machine initiated mainly by the Gulf. Hezbollah is viewed as an extension of Iran, and even Syria, and ultimately, as a representation of ‘heresy’ that leads only to slavery.

The Muslim Brotherhood is often viewed as the victim of disenfranchisement and in Syria, socialism and Ba’athism, prevented this group from gaining freedom.

The conflict between socialism and capitalism – I believe – has been manifested here.

The Islamists claim to be fighting for freedom, yet want to institute a system that subjugates freedom for the sake of religion. Hezbollah claims to be resisting Israeli occupation and Western imperialism. Syria is a battleground for these two ideologies; Palestine, Egypt & Lebanon too. In fact, the entirety of the Middle East has been turned into the global battleground of competing ideologies thanks to Western imperialists and their cohorts.

It is pretty clear that groups of right-wing persuasion are supported by the strongest power house of Islamism in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, which also happens to be Israel’s quiet little bitch, sitting idly as Palestinians are murdered, claiming to be a beacon of ‘pure’ Islam.

Iran is viewed as the ‘kfir’ (or heretic, in arabic) of the Middle East simply because of its sympathy for cultural diversity and artistry as well as its reluctance to submit to the influence of zionism, western imperialism and eastern expansionism.

Right now, Israel is more desperate than ever to legitimize its illegitimate and irrational religious existence in the heartland of the Middle East – and what better way to do that than to prop up a bunch of radicalized islamist groups that seek to delegitimize the genuine voice of the muslim people and the arab people as a whole, and the rest of the Middle East. ISIS is the new al Qaeda – it’s just going to be harder to deceive the average global citizen in today’s world. Bush’s WMD lies and 9/11 were our eye openers.

 

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An ignored injustice will breed a misunderstood injustice.

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The 3 Real Reasons Obama hasn’t dissolved the artificial relationship with Israel: 

1) Christian Fundamentalism in America (Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck, Fox News, G.O.P.)

2) Jewish-American Affluence (AIPAC, Starbucks, Google, Wall Street)

3) Israel’s strategic location in the Middle East (colonial satellite, keeps arabs divided, oil preserved, people suppressed)

Will Obama fail the Arabs as President Carter once did, or will he manage to muster up the courage and power to stand up to corporate elitism and global imperialism (guised by religion, christianity and zionism)? 

Is this just a matter of time? 

I believe in President Obama still, that he will stand for American principles of liberalism, freedom, self-determination, and human rights. I know deep down inside that Obama knows what Israel is doing and has done. He is calculating. The Obama Administration is calculating, and the Israelis look a little worried.