July 03, 2009

Sepia Mutiny — Caught in Carrie's Web

If you are in Los Angeles and looking for something to do this weekend, might I suggest getting caught in Carrie’s Web. Written and performed by Shyamala Moorty [of Post Natyam Collective], directed by D’Lo with video by Sangita Shresthova. Carrie, a body-conscious, high heel-loving spider is spinning out new moves when she inadvertently snares a young human woman who’s dealing with a terrible family secret. A fantastical web of entanglement is woven with classical and contemporary Indian dance and theater.[indiacurrents] I had the chance to check out the play a few weeks ago and was …

An Indian Muslim's Blog: News & Urdu poetry website — Homosexuality in Urdu poetry: Tolerance in medieval India and Islamic societies in the past

For once, the Shankaracharya and the Shahi Imam are on the same side as also the BJP and the Muslim leaders. They are all opposed to the court's decision terming consenting homosexual relationship among adults as legal.

Barely a handful of MPs have openly hailed the verdict. But it's interesting how tolerant earlier societies were to homosexuality. Even in Islamic societies from Iran to India, the Ulema and the common folk were quite understanding of the such relationships.

Gar aan turk sheerazi be-dast aarad dil-e-maara
ba khaal hindosh bakhsham samarqand o bukhara ra [Hafiz]

Translation: If …

Sepia Mutiny — Meetup Manhattan

Guess what? Ennis and I are going to hang out and we want you to come. When: 5-7 p.m. Sunday, July 5 Where: Leela Lounge Come one, come all. Lurkers, commenters, friends, associates… There will be a special surprise attendee....

Sepia Mutiny — Vinay Lal, "The Other Indians"

A few months ago, in the middle of the Sonal Shah controversy, I wrote a blog post criticizing Vijay Prashad’s The Karma of Brown Folk as a somewhat inadequate historical account of the Indian-American community. The example I focused on was the “Yankee Hindutva” chapter, which I thought was unbalanced and prone to cast aspersions rather than actually illuminate the topic at hand. But other chapters in Prashad’s book have similar problems: Prashad’s book is more a critique of the “desi” community in the U.S. than it is an introduction to it: we are too bourgeois (the …

Michael J. Totten — Comments are Fixed

The comments section was broken during the last couple of days, but it seems to be fixed now.

Sepia Mutiny — How the Sri Lankan Civil War was Won

I'll admit to not following the recently concluded Sri Lankan civil war very closely but other SM bloggers have been. Still, I found this interview with noted Atlantic Monthly correspondent Robert Kaplan quite enlightening about many aspects of the conflict. Kaplan is noted for his relatively unorthodox approach to understanding conflict and in discussing Sri Lanka, he comes out swinging - MJT: So you just got back from Sri Lanka. What did you see there? What did you learn? Kaplan: The biggest takeaway fact about the Sri Lankan war that's over now is that the Chinese won. And the Chinese...

altmuslim — Media: Al Jazeera’s new American challenge

On 1 July 2009, media relations between the Arab world and the United States took a fascinating turn. For the first time, the Doha-based TV station Al Jazeera brought its English-language news service to a large cable television audience in America, beginning in Washington, DC and then moving to other US cities. As the company’s director general, Wadah Khanfar, recently explained, the station is now expected to reach 2.3 million American viewers through MHZ Networks, a DC area cable TV provider, and has the potential to effect significant change in US-Arab relations. Though Al Jazeera launched …

Crossroads Arabia — Saudis Fire Extremist Preachers

Saudi Gazette reports—briefly—that a number of imams and khateebs have been removed from their jobs at Saudi mosques for preaching extremist beliefs. The article also alludes to some having been fired for being ill or negligent in their care of their mosques. No numbers or examples are provided, unfortunately, so it’s difficult to put this [...]

Crossroads Arabia — WHO Likes Saudi Swine Flu Program

As the number of swine flu (A/H1N1) cases creeps toward 100 in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization finds that the government’s program of detection, monitoring, and reporting is a good one. As Arab News reports, there’s still a lot of hope being put on the development of a specific vaccine against the flu before [...]

Crossroads Arabia — Saudi Students & Culture Shock

Arab News runs a piece on the culture shock some Saudi students meet while studying abroad. The story provides a couple of lurid examples; most Saudis know of others. The writer identifies an inconsistent program of pre-departure orientation for students. Coming from a closed society that has many rules at variance with the prevailing global norms, [...]

Ultrabrown — 11/26 audio intercepts

The UK documentary Dispatches: Terror in Mumbai got some horrific leaked audio intercepts of the gunmen. At 4:00, the 11/26 attackers calmly murder a Chabad House hostage in front of a phone so their Pakistani handlers can listen. The whole operation is conducted in relaxed Urdu and Punjabi. Related posts: Developing a covert capability, ‘Descent into [...]

Muslimah Media Watch — Friday Links — July 3, 2009

Afghan Shi’as rallied for the passing of the women’s law in Kabul. A widow and several other men and women in Bangladesh were whipped according to a women and children repression prevention act. The BBC highlights two sisters who design couture abayas in Dubai. More here. Via Hijab Style. A Moroccan woman is Spain’s first Swine flu death. [...]

Koonj: the crane — Me on the Sarzoky burqa affair

My latest post at Religion Dispatches: a satire, Take it off. Or we’ll make you.

July 02, 2009

democracyarsenal.org — The Hearts and Minds of Pakistan's Displaced

An important alarm bell today from the Times' Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah, who report on Islamic aid groups providing displaced Pakistanis with assistance -- and a heaping helping of anti-American, anti-government political indoctrination to go with. Any of...

Procrastination Kindle

I have finally got a Kindle and I like it despite some shortcomings.

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Rubin: Will Kurdish Democracy Follow Iran’s Path?

Iraqi Kurds will vote in long-postponed provincial elections on July 25. Michael Rubin writes in the Daily Star that Iraqi Kurds are impatient for…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Failed State Index Measures Progress for Iraq; Predicts Failure in Yemen, Pakistan

Foreign Policy has released its 2009 annual Failed States Index, which is a timely analysis of how a "virulent economic crisis, countless natural disasters,…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Egyptian Lawyer Reacts to Iran

Arab and regional opinions of the Iranian situation have been noticeably scant in media coverage, although the Washington Post reported last week that…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Jordanian King Names Successor

Today Jordan's King Abdullah announced his 15-year old son Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah as crown prince. The King's successor has remained uncertain for five years, after…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Lebanon Moves to Form Cabinet

Last Saturday, Saad Hariri was named Prime Minister of Lebanon, which has initiated a flurry of activity and dialogue in forming the new cabinet. Much like…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Boubekeur: Moroccan Political Parties Destabilized by Elections

Amel Boubekeur writes that although the Moroccan elections witnessed higher youth and women's participation, they did not cement Morocco's fluid party system (that is…

democracyarsenal.org — Process versus Politics: Conservatives confused about Honduran Coup

This post is by NSN intern Luis Vertiz The recent military coup in Honduras presents another thorny situation for President Obama to deal with. Conservatives at the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Examiner, however, have already pounced on him...

democracyarsenal.org — Should the Burqa be Banned?

The issue of the burqa (or the niqab) is one that I've struggled with because it forces us to choose between competing goods. It cuts to fundamental questions of the limits of tolerance and free speech. Mona Eltahawy is a...

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — State’s Plan to Reach Out

In a press briefing, Farah Pandith, the State Department's new Special Representative to Muslim Communities, discussed her recently created position, and explained her…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Freedom House Applauds Democracy Budget Request

Freedom House released a press release expressing its approval of a $234 million increase in democracy and human rights funding in President Obama's budget…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Iran Closes Opposition Newspaper in Response to Karroubi

Iran's government has shut down an opposition newspaper associated with presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi's party. Etemad Melli was closed in the wake of statements from opposition…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Baathist Reform on the Rise in Syria?

Middle East Online reports that stagnation in Syria's monolithic Baath Party has caused many to call for modernization that ensures compatibility between the Baath's…

democracyarsenal.org — Afghanistan Mission Creep Watch

In today's edition of Afghanistan Mission Creep Watch we see a mismatch between operations and the strategy laid out by the President (or at least an overemphasis on building up the Afghan government's credibility) and a complete lack of resources...

Sepia Mutiny — Progress!

Finally, the law has changed. Congrats to at the activists in India that made it happen! Our hats off to you. In a landmark ruling Thursday that could usher in an era of greater freedom for gay men and lesbians in India, New Delhi’s highest court decriminalized homosexuality. “Discrimination is antithesis of equality,” the judges of the Delhi High Court wrote in a 105-page decision that is the first in India to directly guarantee rights for gay people. “It is the recognition of equality which will foster dignity of every individual,” the decision …

Ultrabrown — On Mridula Koshy’s If It Is Sweet

In the first sentence of Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”, one of the founding stories of modern literature, we see the travelling salesman Gregor Samsa wake up one morning to find himself transformed into a huge insect. “Companion”, one of the stories in Mridula Koshy’s debut collection If It Is Sweet, offers us a similarly strange prospect, although it is not announced as swiftly and dramatically as in Kafka’s story. Instead, we are made to wait. For a while we are led to believe that the efficient and attentive companion to the old widow in the story is like any other domestic servant. But we …

Michael J. Totten — A Conversation with Robert D. Kaplan

Robert Kaplan.jpg

There are few places in the world Robert D. Kaplan has not visited and written about in his books and magazine articles. He travels to countries hardly anyone else even considers – to Turkmenistan, for instance, during the time of the lunatic "Turkmenbashi" who transformed his post-Soviet republic into the North Korea of Central Asia. He has an uncanny ability to see conflicts looming on the horizon well in advance and – reversing the standard relationship between journalists and officials – U.S. defense policy professionals often ask him for briefings about what he has seen.

His regular …

Ultrabrown — Rain mix

It’s not every day that I have the time to take a walk along the sea in the mornings. Today was one of those rare days when the weather was perfect and I had the time so I thought, “Carpe diem et coffee. Let’s go for a walk.” As I got into the lift, I [...]

Muslimah Media Watch — Muslim Women and Choice in Marriage

This is a slightly edited version of an article written by Sahar, which originally appeared at Nuseiba. You can also read Yusra’s take on the debates. Recently, I saw the Doha Debates, which is a show that debates controversial political, social and religious issues.  Journalist and mediator Tim Sebastian proposes a motion and the speakers [...]

Crossroads Arabia — Saudis Move to Watch Borders

Arab News runs this piece on a Saudi project to monitor its borders with a high-tech fence, electronic, and aerial surveillance. The project, estimated to cost $2.8 billion, is in addition to the current project on the Iraqi border. That project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. EADS wins contract for [...]

SyriaComment - Syrian politics, history, and religion — News Round Up (1 July 2009)

Reports emerge of Syrian-Saudi summit Detente between Damascus, Riyadh could include Hariri - reports By Nicholas Kimbrell, Daily Star Thursday, July 02, 2009 BEIRUT: Days after officials in Washington announced that a US ambassador would soon be sent to Syria, reports have emerged of an upcoming Syrian-Saudi Arabian summit to be held in Damascus that could include Lebanon. Conventional [...]

Crossroads Arabia — Terror Financier/Recruiter Arrested

Saudi Gazette/Okaz report, briefly, that an Al-Qaeda member arrested earlier this week by Saudi authorities was a financier and recruiter for the terrorist organization. The individual, yet to be publicly identified, was earlier reported to not be among the 85 ‘Most Wanted’. This piece suggests that police were led to him following the arrest and [...]

Crossroads Arabia — Saudi Maids, Just Not for Saudi Families

Here’s an interesting piece of investigative journalism appearing in Saudi Gazette. It appears to be a translation of an article appearing in the Arabic language magazine Roaa. It tells the tale of a female reporter who went underground, posing as a maid, to see how Saudi domestic servants might be treated by Saudi employers. An ugly [...]

July 01, 2009

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Gerson: The Freedom Agenda Must Live On

Michael Gerson at the Washington Post wrote a timely op-ed last week that considers recent developments in the Middle East as proof that…

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Mousavi: Protesting is an Historical Responsibility

Iranian opposition leaders, presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi and former President Khatami, issued statements today indicating the opposition's continued defiance. Mousavi told Iranians that it is…

American Footprints: Eric Martin — Stay on Target...Stay on Target

Mike Hanna is on point, as usual:

The United States took an important step yesterday toward leaving Iraq by moving combat troops out of Iraqi population centers in anticipation of the June 30 deadline specified in the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

This redeployment has focused attention on Iraq's current security situation and triggered stepped-up efforts by insurgents to undermine the symbolic importance of the transition, by launching attacks generally aimed at Shiite civilians. It has also provided fodder for those in the United States who wish to delay withdrawal.

However, …

Sepia Mutiny — A Little on Gauhar Jaan; and Remix vs. Original?

I was doing some research this morning on an unrelated topic, when I randomly came across the name Gauhar Jaan, one of the great recording artists in India from the first years of the 20th century. Gauhar Jaan is thought to have sung on the very first recording of a song ever made in India, in 1902. Here is what she sang: Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA It’s a kind of Hindustani classical song called a “khayal,” sung, I gather, in Raag Jogiya. At the end of it she says, famously, “My name is Gauhar...

'Aqoul — Palmyra's Last New Month Post?

For the first time in years, Aqoul skipped this tradition last June. Not many new posts, most contributors have deserted and comments on The Lounsbury's journal are even disabled - with no sign of life from the gentleman.

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Could Ahmadi be Barred from Egypt?

Al Arabiya reports that an Egyptian group has filed a suit arguing that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran should be barred from entering Egypt.…

City of Brass — Pirates of the Mediterranean

via Richard Silverstein of Tikkun Olam blog, the Israeli military has boarded and forcibly confiscated the crew and cargo of a humanitarian ship bound for Gaza, carrying medicine, toys and other supplies, in international waters. The list of passengers...



Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Applebaum: Look to Morocco to Find a Model for Democracy Promotion

In the Washington Post Anne Applebaum writes that despite the semblance of progressive democracy in Morocco after its June 12 elections, corruption is nevertheless…

altmuslim — British parliamentary candidate Osama Saeed: Muslims in Europe: The Scottish example

With the increasing influence of nationalist parties in Europe (such as Britain's BNP and the Dutch PVV party) and their subsequent demonizing of Muslim communities, you might find it surprising that a Muslim would run for British Parliament as a candidate for a self-described nationalist party. But the Scottish National Party (SNP) is no ordinary nationalist party and its candidate for British Parliament from Glasgow, Osama Saeed, is no ordinary Muslim. Though under 30, he is already an experienced activist, an award-winning blogger, and chief executive of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation. …

altmuslim — British parliamentary candidate Osama Saeed: Muslims in Europe: The Scottish example

With the increasing influence of nationalist parties in Europe (such as Britain's BNP and the Dutch PVV party) and their subsequent demonizing of Muslim communities, you might find it surprising that a Muslim would run for British Parliament as a candidate for a self-described nationalist party. But the Scottish National Party (SNP) is no ordinary nationalist party and its candidate for British Parliament from Glasgow, Osama Saeed, is no ordinary Muslim. Though under 30, he is already an experienced activist, an award-winning blogger, and chief executive of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation. …

Project on Middle East Democracy Blog — Egypt Activist Detained Amid U.S. F-16 Sales to Egypt

Amid doubts as to whether President Obama's outreach to the Middle East will be a break with past U.S. policy, the Arabist argues that…

democracyarsenal.org — NSN Daily Update: 7/1/09

For today's complete Daily Update, click here. What We’re Reading Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asserted that his electoral victory represented the failure of his enemies’ attempts at a “soft overthrow.” Iran’s chief of staff, Hassan Firouzabadi, was quoted as saying...

Crossroads Arabia — ‘The Saudi Arabia of X’

Now here’s a contest worth taking part in! Everything energy related, it seems, is being touted as “The Saudi Arabia of X”. The metaphor has grown clichéd and tedious. A blog from The New York Times is asking readers to come up with a replacement, not a moment too soon! Contest: Replace the ‘Saudi Arabia’ Trope! Kate [...]

Crossroads Arabia — Reappraising Khobar Towers Attack

Asian Times has a piece alleging that the Saudi government was not truthful in its investigation of the 1996 bombing of a US military barracks at Khobar Towers. The article (either part one of two or three) asserts that Al-Qaeda, not Saudi Hezbollah was responsible for the attack. I’m curious why this piece is finding its [...]

democracyarsenal.org — Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Is Right

I'm not exactly sure what to make of Bob Woodward's piece in yesterday's Washington Post about Afghanistan, but I will say that it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Of particular note is Woodward's recounting of this meeting between National...