On hippie Sufism

The BBC asks, "Can Sufi Islam counter the Taleban?", Maysaloon asks, "Does this Barbara Plett even know what she is talking about? "

It's one o'clock in the morning and the night is pounding with hypnotic rhythms, the air thick with the smoke of incense, laced with dope.

Is this Sufi Islam? The Sufism of Imam Ghazali and Ibn Arabi? Ibn Arabi, drunk from a night of revelry, claimed he heard a voice telling him, "I did not create you for this" and his nights of drinking were over from that point, his journey to Allah just begun. al Ghazali in his Revival set of books clearly believed that anything intoxicating was forbidden, haram. It is the essence of Sufism that a person dedicates themselves solely to worshipping the One, so how can these "Sufis" described in the article dance around and get high with something which separates them from their God as their own prophet himself said? These people are just stupid but then again, so is the BBC's reporting on Islam. I've heard Qawwali music before and it is indeed beautiful, but it is not a replacement to the fard, obligations of a Muslim, it is just music. That it glorifies Allah and leads to His remembrance is not contrary to Islamic belief and in fact admirable, but it becomes contrary when it is taken alone as the path to faith, or the key path to faith. al Ghazali himself pointed out the folly of some who claim Sufism when you see that they have abandoned the five prayers because they are beyond that "spiritually". He then cites what the Prophet Muhammad said, which is that whoever abandons the five prayers is no longer a Muslim. This is al Ghazali, the grand sufi master who is counted by some as belonging to the "moderate" history and branch of Islam. There isn't even a need to mention the dope in this article, which makes the BBC's writer sound absolutely ridiculous. If these Qawwali think taking hashish brings them close to the divine then they no longer belong to Islam and are something else. Sufis arise from Islam and are not exempt from Allah's laws nor are they superior to ordinary Muslims, they are just Muslim's a la Turbo mode who have turned their back on the world and on worldly desires.

In the article Ayeda Naqvi, claiming to be a 'teacher of Islamic mysticism" says "It was Sufis who came and spread the religious message of love and harmony and beauty, there were no swords, it was very different from the sharp edged Islam of the Middle East."

I see, the "sharp edged Islam of the Middle East"? Perhaps she got her qualifications to teach Islamic mysticism from the School of Oriental and African Sciences in London? As if to provide authority to this claim, we are then told that the Rand Corporation in the United States fully supports this version of "Hippie Islam" as an "open, intellectual interpretation of Islam". That's just grand isn't it? Still it gets better, our marvelous "teacher of Islamic mysticism" even offers advice. This time she is right, but it is just amazing how self-orientalising moderates love offering advice to the White Man on how to deal with the riff raff of her people:

Ayeda Naqvi, on the other hand, believes Sufism could play a political role to strengthen a tolerant Islamic identity in Pakistan. But she warns of the dangers of Western support.

"I think if it's done it has to be done very quietly because a lot of people here are allergic to the West interfering," she says.

"So even if it's something good they're doing, they need to be discreet because you don't want Sufism to be labelled as a movement which is being pushed by the West to drown out the real puritanical Islam."

What the West won't realise is that with all the different interpretations of Islam and various sects, the essence of Islam, the basis of faith is the Quran. The Quran is accessible and readable and it is clear in what it obliges Muslims to do in many matters. Whether these obligations are carried out is another matter, but in when it comes to fighting occupation and oppression, the rules of Allah are clear, fight those who fight you and who take your lands and push you out of your homes. In this case waging Jihad in any form possible, even violently, are an obligation and not just the manipulations of a few cranky mullahs in the mountains. The West will need more than just marijuana and drums if they want to try and destroy Islam.

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If you want to lose your temper just watch this clip of a US occupation soldier "lecturing" Iraqis about patriotism, courage and how he's doing them such a huge god-damn favour by occupying their country. 

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Colonialism and invented religions

"Iranian professionals post public apology to the Bahai'i"

What a ridiculous story. The Baha'i, like the Ahmadi's, are sects which were actively cultivated during the 19th century to further increase schisms and divisions within the Islamic communities occupied by the West, who naturally gave them great sympathy and support and continue to do so. Every now and then another story about the oppression of the Baha'i is wheeled out by American or European media just to keep the pressure up on Iran. By the way, London is one of the best places to meet an example of these "Iranian professionals", or gharbzadegi's (what a great name!). If there were any two religions which deserved to be oppressed it would be these two "faiths".

The Bahai'i headquarters are based in Haifa, occupied Palestine as a gesture of support by the Zionist state and with the encouragement of the British Empire. Incidentally their highest authority severely discourages providing any information that would encourage an Israeli to become a Baha'i. Why is that?

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The age of defeats is over...

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List of Iraqi academics assassinated in Iraq during the US-led occupation. (thanks Serene!)

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The rise of religious fundamentalism=the failure of secularism?

There is no topic capable of generating more cafe politics and intellectual navel gazing than that of secularisation and religion in the Middle East. Still, if one is to rise above the musings of the incontinent, then a serious attempt must be made to try and understand why this is even a debate in the first place, and why now and not before. Here is a short excerpt from a paper I had written a while back with a link to the full article:

In the world of Islamic discourse, there are no single accounts regarding democracy or what form a political entity should assume. Certainly one criticism of the democratic procedure put forth by Muhammad As'ad, an Islamic political thinker, is that the majority may not always be right in their choice, neither is the minority infallible (As'ad, 1985: 49). However, As'ad argues, in the absence of a better system devised for electing officials to government, a democratic system is indeed the most practical solution. Again, this does not represent the view of all religious fundamentalist groups, however, a common mistake most Western scholars do when writing about such subjects is they hardly ever consult the wealth of books and information which is produced by respected and well known Islamic thinkers. al Jazeera had held an interesting documentary where Sheikh Qaradawi had complained about exactly the same issue. He had written several books on the matter regarding Islam and the state but has never heard of any serious debate emerging from secular scholars regarding this. Islamic discourse is itself either knowingly or accidentally dismissed piecemeal.

Read more

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Lalla Fatma N'Soumer

I have never heard of this woman before reading more about the Algerian invasion but I was fascinated by the descriptions of her feats. A contemporary of the great Abd al Qadir al Jazairi, she led fierce resistance against the French occupation of her homeland and was finally captured and sent to one of their infamous detention camps, where she died. More here.

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On Piracy...

We've been hearing a lot of news recently about the Somali pirates and their disruption of trade through the Red Sea. Their recent capture of a massive oil tanker only boosted the level of attention that the world is taking in that part of the world. There are even rumours now of an "internationalisation" of that route, and potentially more drastic measures for Somalia itself. It is interesting here to note the parallels with a similar course of events which took place almost 400 years ago. The fall of Andalusia and the expulsion of the Arabs led to their eventual resettlement across the north of Africa. In retaliation, many took to the sea, raiding and pillaging the European shipping routes and coastal colonies. This was aided further by the Ottoman Turks, who would send admirals, men and ships to boost what were eventually known as The Barbary Pirates. These men made entire stretches of the European coast uninhabitable because of their activities, which eventually became motivated by slavery. They reached as far as Ireland and Iceland, capturing slaves, looting and pillaging and it was not until the French invaded Algiers in 1930 that this came to an end. Typically, the Dey cut a deal whereby he would surrender if he could not be harmed and would be allowed to retain his own wealth, then he set sail for Italy. It was the Sultan of Morroco who would support the insurgency against the French, led by the hero Abd al Qadir and many Algerian refugees were welcomed by Morrocans apparently, in stark contrast to what the present position between the two countries is today. It is interesting to see the attitude of the "liberal" Europeans towards the Arabs in two excerpts I found on Wikipedia:

Lieutenant-Colonel de Montagnac wrote on 15 March 1843, in a letter to a friend:
"All populations which do not accept our conditions must be despoiled. Everything must be seized, devastated, without age or sex distinction: grass must not grow any more where the French army has put the foot. Who wants the end wants the means, whatever may say our philanthropists. I personally warn all good militaries which I have the honour to lead that if they happen to bring me a living Arab, they will receive a beating with the flat of the saber... This is how, my dear friend, we must do war against Arabs: kill all men over the age of fifteen, take all their women and children, charged the buildings with them [i.e. probable allusion to military brothels], send them to the Marquesas Islands or elsewhere. In one word, annihilate all that will not crawl beneath our feet like dogs."[3]

In the same way, Alexis de Tocqueville, deputy and famous representative of the liberal tradition in political philosophy, declared in 1841:

"war in Africa is a science. Everyone is familiar with its rules and everyone can apply those rules with almost complete certainty of success. One of the greatest services that Field Marshal Bugeaud has rendered his country is to have spread, perfected and made everyone aware of this new science... As far as I am concerned, I came back from Africa with the pathetic notion that at present in our way of waging war we are far more barbaric than the Arabs themselves. These days, they represent civilization, we do not. This way of waging war seems to me as stupid as it is cruel. It can only be found in the head of a coarse and brutal soldier. Indeed, it was pointless to replace the Turks only to reproduce what the world rightly found so hateful in them. This, even for the sake of interest is more noxious than useful; for, as another officer was telling me, if our sole aim is to equal the Turks, in fact we shall be in a far lower position than theirs: barbarians for barbarians, the Turks will always outdo us because they are Muslim barbarians. In France, I have often heard men I respect but do not approve of, deplore that crops should be burnt and granaries emptied and finally that unarmed men, women and children should be seized. In my view these are unfortunate circumstances that any people wishing to wage war against the Arabs must accept. I think that all the means available to wreck tribes must be used, barring those that the human kind and the right of nations condemn.I personally believe that the laws of war enable us to ravage the country and that we must do so either by destroying the crops at harvest time or any time by making fast forays also known as raids the aim of which it to get hold of men or flocks."[4][5]

"Whatever the case", continued Tocqueville, "we may say in a general manner that all political freedoms must be suspended in Algeria.[6]

A very interesting article on the invasion and subsequent colonisation of Algeria is here.

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"My Iraq Adventure"....

Another clueless American on Iraq, "I was told that the American flag is there for the soldiers to see when they're being moved from the helicopter to the hospital.". I do wish they'd stop being so good to everyone.

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On the bomb attack in Pakistan, from The Times:

Pakistan's top leaders were to have attended a state dinner at the luxury Islamabad hotel devastated in a suicide bomb attack on Saturday but changed venue at the last minute, it emerged today.

On Pakistan and the United States from the BBC:

Pakistani troops have fired at two US helicopters forcing them back into Afghanistan, local Pakistani intelligence officials say

The helicopters flew into the tribal North Waziristan region from Afghanistan's Khost province at around midnight, the reports say.

Last week Pakistani troops fired into the air to prevent US ground troops crossing the border further south.

Tensions have risen after an increase in US attacks targeting militants.
Pakistan's army has said it will defend the country's sovereignty and reserves the right to retaliate to any border violations.

The latest on Lev Leviev from the Independent:

The British Government's plan to rent new premises in a Tel Aviv skyscraper hasrun into trouble after a wave of protests that their prospective landlord is a major participant in Jewish settlement-building in the occupied West Bank.

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After Syria, where else is there for us to go?

Syria has been in the spotlight a lot more in recent years and this has not always been for good reasons. The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, events in Lebanon and the continued aggressions of Zionism have all renewed attention in this small part of the world. Unsavory countries such as the United States, Britain and France continue to take turns waving either carrots or sticks in order to pressure Syria into submission to Israel, parting ways with Iran or with wielding an influence on the various resistance groups with links to Damascus. One of the sticks they have been using with great effect has been the prevention of any sizable assistance towards the refugee crisis which they, the West, have created through their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.

It shamed me to hear that Syria had effectively closed its borders last year and implemented tighter entry requirements on the Iraqis but regardless, Syria remains the best option for many Iraqi refugees amongst the other so-called 'Arab' countries. Primary and emergency healthcare are available to some extent but a large number of Iraqis there still have to rely on what little humanitarian medical assistance is available, primary and secondary education are free but materials and uniforms must be purchased, placing a bigger burden on already struggling families. It is far from perfect and certainly not comfortable but history has again chosen to have this ancient land play the role of unwilling refuge for the truly downtrodden and oppressed of this world. Throughout this article I refer to the land and its people rather than any passing government, past or present.

In Damascus there is an area called the Muhajireen (the immigrants) which had been used to house refugees from the Balkans and Eastern Europe that had been ethnically cleansed off their land. As the Ottoman empire crumbled, the advancing Europeans forced thousands of families off their lands and villages. Many of these, escaping to Islamic lands, found refuge on the mountain slopes overlooking Damascus in two successive waves, 1890 and 1896. In 1897, many more joined them as they escaped from massacres which had been taking place on the island of Crete. At the beginning of the 19th century the French invasion and occupation of Algeria had also begun and many Algerian families were exiled or escaped to Syria. Including these was the great hero Abdul Qadir al Jaza'iri, whose troops prevented the massacre of Christians during ethnic tensions in Damascus. His remains were eventually repatriated to Algeria upon its independence but his home and burial place remain to be seen in Damascus. At the turn of the 19th century, Circassians (including my great-grandfather) who were being ethnically cleansed by the Russian Tsar's troops also found refuge in the land of Sham (Greater Syria) and settled across the region, assimilating into the population. Then again, in the First World War, Ottoman massacres of Armenians also forced many thousands to seek refuge in these same lands and again, a fresh wave was added to the complex but beautiful patchwork which makes up the peoples of this land. The occupation and continued ethnic cleansing of Palestine driven by Zionism added fresh waves of Palestinian refugees to the mix and again, unlike in other Arab countries, they were not forced into ghettos nor persecuted. During the tensions in Jordan many Jordanian refugees also came to Syria and were subsequently given permits to work in various jobs such as taxi drivers. Some remained there. For many Lebanese, Syria has also been a safe haven during times of war and this was never made clearer than during the Israeli aggression of 2006 when thousands were given assistance and shelter, sometimes by normal Syrian families of meagre incomes.

It is inevitable that tensions would arise since this is not a rich country, but to have others, including many Syrians and supposedly 'progressive' bloggers and writers, lecture everyone else about the need to eliminate Syrian 'racism' is ludicrous. When I hear the British media talk about 'multi-culturalism' as if it is something they can teach to the rest of the world, I smile. The inherent racism which makes such a statement and political posture necessary would be looked at with curiosity in a country like Syria where it is part of the very fabric of society. Yet the West has always projected its own failures, its own sexual perversions and its own immorality on its victims, then sought to save them from themselves. Western (including Zionist) academia, the media and politicians all weave the lie, then believe it. They need the lie in order to feel good about themselves, in order to believe that what they are doing is just rather than see themselves for the rapists and pillagers that they really are. That some Arabs believe this discourse, internalise it and then have the temerity to lecture other Arabs about it is sad and misguided to say the least. Time and again, in spite of its many flaws, Syria remained the safe haven for all those in the Arab and Islamic world who have been persecuted and oppressed - mainly in the name of Empire. Syria has been hiding from the world for a long time, playing its role quietly, but we all know that the greed of these people is insatiable. After Syria, where else is there for us to go?

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The Western media can barely conceal its erection with the recent filming of an Iraqi female suicide bomber. Pretending to objectively 'dissect' her possible motives and reasons for doing this, they try to hide the perverse glee with which they gloat over her semi-bare bosom. The forbidden, exotic, Muslim woman is captured in order to then be tamed.

Lt Col DA Sims, deputy commanding officer of the Baquba-based US 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, whose staff also interrogated the girl, has an open mind about Ibrahim's intentions

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An "open mind"? Thank you Lt. Colonel Sims. Have you never wondered why your name is different from the people you 'interrogate'? Why you are different from these people? It is because you do not belong there you arrogant and ignorant man. I read this article and it is astounding how it goes - almost in one breath - from describing the womans arrest and the 'heroic' Iraqi mercenary pictured defusing her belt, to quoting her AMERICAN interrogator. Almost as if it is as natural for him to be there and a part of this process as it would be for any other Iraqi official. Can you picture one of Saddam's henchmen being quoted after the capture and 'interrogation' of a potential bomber? Can you imagine him saying he has an 'open mind' about her intention? You will not even bat an eyelid if they said his name was Abdullah, Mustafah or Riad. Don't these people understand? Are they insane?

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Sami Moubayed's recent article titled "Women of Valour" on Mideastviews.com (no I won't link) elicited two reactions in me. The first was to throw myself out of the nearest window, but luckily I resisted and instead went on to my second, a strongly worded letter. For those who care, here it is:

Sami,
I write to you with reference to your article "Women of Valour" to express my surprise with your conclusions. It is in the nature of man to aspire for the good but the problem has always been in identifying this good. A child would begin identifying this good with that which suits her own interests. However it is maturity, knowledge, and experience which make the young woman realise that there is a good which is beyond her interests and that is higher, nobler and finer to aspire to. Man is by nature a political animal, that means that the narrow interpretation of interests expands beyond those of the self, and into family, friends, tribe and country. This nobler and highest of goods makes it worthy of the greatest sacrifice when it is threatened, and morality rightly praises those who are prepared to undertake this. For an individual to hide behind their self-interest by invoking a sham that is abstract and which criminally disregards the reality of occupation, daily oppression and indeed, slow genocide, then we are compelled by morality to condemn such behaviour. The West has forgotten this lesson philosophically, politically and socially by institutionalising political liberalism and capitalism and thus murdering the souls of it's own people. Millions see this, see the West for what it is, yet you let down your own students, your own country -which you profess to love- and yourself by writing an article which insults the memory of these outstanding individuals who have, in their deaths, done more than a million living cowards for their nation. To sacrifice this for theatrical effect in your lectures and articles only adds insult to injury and I sincerely hope that you review your position in future.

Regards,
Wassim

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Quoting (with relish) As'ad Abu Khalil on the hapless Syrian trio who went to America:

"The Syrian delegation in Washington, DC deserves all the humiliation that it is receiving. After begging for an audience with AIPAC, the lousy delegation prostrated itself before the Saban Center in the capital. Their meeting with a U.S. official was canceled. I relish every humiliation that any Arab government can get. They deserve that--and more."

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Brown's arrogance is breathtaking as he stands like a pompous peacock in the Israeli Knesset, proclaiming his everlasting and undying love for the Zionist state. What I find amusing are his threats to Iran, made from the typically racist and colonial perspective that still permeates what is left of Britains tired "Establishment". The term Establishment means to me a washed out group of City Boys and financiers, over-educated at elitist establishments and imbibed with misplaced delusions of grandeur and their own self-importance. They still think that they have a say over the 'natives' of the Middle East, that they are smarter, stronger and more just in their cause. This misguided mockery of righteousness props up popular perceptions about the farce called the "international community" which is really the former colonial countries who have now graciously allowed some brown or yellow people to sit at their table sometimes. The poor buffoons, they still don't realise that the days of Empire are long dead.

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There must be more, so much more for Iraq and, one day, Palestine : The government has agreed to pay almost £3m to the family of Baha Mousa and nine other Iraqis tortured by British troops and issued a full apology for the "appalling abuse" they suffered.

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Apparently "I'm American!" is supposed to mean something

...but I haven't quite worked out what yet.

The recent attack on the US consulate in Turkey was a stark reminder of the arrogance and disdain that America holds towards 'non-American' lives. As usual it is local individuals who are, once properly vetted and cleared, placed in front of the cannon to bear the brunt of any attacks. American personnel are held to be sacred, protected and hidden away. A similar mode of thought holds true for British and particularly Israeli personnel. A local is to jump through countless hoops and holes until they are graciously allowed into the presence of an American where, awe-struck, they are to convince this haughty and arrogant gatekeeper of how much they love America, in order to obtain a green card to the land of (somebody elses) opportunity.

This tactic does not surprise me in the slightest as it is quite common in whichever land this despicable country interferes with and in fact I'd be surprised if it did not take place. Wherever the American goes they know they are not welcome, resented and alien. Not withstanding their country's grotesque ideology (a fascism concealed behind sophisticated wizardry, smoke and mirrors) they are also aggressors and occupiers. That many choose to deal with them accordingly is not as surprising as the number of people seduced or coerced into working for this arrogant and racist nation.

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The strange case of the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea continues. Simon Mann, the British mercenary who has just been sentenced there to 34 years, had previously claimed support by Spain and South Africa for the coup. The story now involves a Jordanian royal, wealthy Lebanese business men and the King of Morroco. This is all taking place just for a bucket shop country like Equatorial Guinea, I can only begin imagining the byzantine network involving Palestine, Iraq or Saudi Arabia...

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Good old fashioned colonialism continues in Africa:

In further testimony, Mann claimed that Spain and South Africa, with the endorsement of the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, had supported the plot. By January 2004, two months before the attempted coup was put into action, it was, Mann said, "like an official operation. The governments of Spain and South Africa were giving the green light: 'You've got to go, you've got to do it.'"

Spain, he said, was prepared to recognise the new government the day after the coup and to send in large numbers of military police. Outside the court, the Spanish ambassador, Javier Sangro, said he had no comment.

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"Obama pledges support for Israel", but that isn't what caught my eye. In criticising the current administrations policies in the 'Middle East', "He said the war in Iraq had emboldened Iran, which posed a real, grave danger". Nonsense, personally what I think is unacceptable is that the Western consumer is now having to walk, instead of drive, because of high oil prices. After 5 years of occupying Iraq and Americans get this? $130 a barrel?

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