The Muddle East

Everything is the Middle East is the fault of USA and Israel .. and if you dig deeply you will also find British hands too, this is the accepted conventional wisdom in this wonderful region. So let’s now move on to get some clarity on what has been going on in this great neighborhood. 

The Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt in late 1920’s as Islamist resistance against the  British… Between the 1920’s and the 1950’s the Brotherhood cooperated alternately with Nazi Germany, the British and the Egyptian King …lots of interesting history, lots of accusations and smoking guns, sometimes a bit more!

The British used the Muslim Brotherhood against Nasser and Egyptian army in the 1950's ... but the Muslim Brotherhood were fierce fighters against the British before 1952!

Starting from the 1960's Saudi Arabia and the USA became the main backers of the Muslim Brotherhood, seeing them as counterbalance to Nasser and Egypt which was then in alliance with the Soviets pushing socialist Arab nationalism, dangerous stuff!

Egypt and Israel went into wars in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, but have signed a peace treaty in1979 and have since then been at peace…

Egypt’s Nasser helped Start the PLO and Fateh to combat Israel in the 1960's ... 

Israel countered by supporting the establishment of Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine to be known as Hamas as counter balance to the PLO ... later Hamas turned on Israel..

Everyone is scared of Iran ...

Iraq and Iran had a ten year war then Iraq invaded Kuwait ..everyone then invaded Iraq ..Iraq fired rockets on Israel ..

Qatar, a country with immense wealth and very few people, was worried that Saudi might just take it, so it became buddies with Iran and started Al Jazeera Satellite TV

Iran hates the USA ...

Qatar invited the USA to have massive military base, the largest US airbase in region, is now in Qatar, the most friendly Gulf Arab State to Iran ...

Qatar helps Hamas, but has minimal animosity towards Israel, indeed some commercial ties ...

Iran hates Egypt, USA and Saudi so it is siding with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt ...

USA is neutral on Egypt, gets blamed by both liberals and Islamists for supporting the other side ...

In Syria, Iran and Russia fight the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qada and other non Islamist Sunni forces ...

AlQada is off shot of Muslim Brotherhood who thought it too moderate, they occasionally ally again. One has a green flag, the other a black flag .. Both flags could be seen in Pro Muslim Brotherhood and pro Morsi marches in Egypt … 

Saudi Arabia supports Egypt against Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar supports Muslim Brotherhood against Egypt ....

Israel is, largely, minding its business, building more settlements and facts on the ground ...  The Palestinians are divided .. Hamas like the Muslim Brothers in Egypt and Syria and the PLO like Egypt and Saudi, later is supporting Syria Muslim Brotherhood.....

Anything that goes wrong is blamed on Israel and the USA so don't tire your brain if you are from the muddle east, it's easy!

And if you are American, the mission in Syria is very clear, as you can see from this tidy picture of the Muddle East, so let's bomb Syria!

AA

August 31, 2013

2011 New Year Massacre

The ten point swift and serious response to the brutal suicide terrorism in Alexandria that President Mubarak and the Egyptian Government should adopt immediately should look something like this:

1. Public recognition of the existence of a sectarian problem, society splitting up, lots of hate, suspicion and desire for isolation on both sides. No problem can be solved when we deny its existence, so the first point must be to be honest about the deterioration that has taken place in the last four decades.

2. Removal of religious affiliation from birth certificates and ID cards. It is absurd to treat faith as if it were an ethnic or tribal affiliation.

3. Adopting civil law for marriage, divorce, inheritance and the like. Individuals can opt to follow religious law if they so wish, but a Muslim must have the right to leave a valid will that does not get disputed on religious grounds following her/ his death, to adopt children if he or she so chooses and a Copt must have the right to divorce and remarry if he / she so wishes. The civil law can allow for and regulate polygamy too and grant easy divorce rights, so the civil law need not “western” style, but needs to be uniform and addresses the most glaring injustices against women that continue to go on in Egypt.

4. Establish common laws for zoning, construction, renovations for houses of worship be they churches or mosques including shia'a mosques.

5. Introduce world's religions as a mandatory subject in all schools. Ensure that all children receive education about what Copts, Catholic, Jews, Shia’a Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists as well as Sunni Muslim really believe, not what is wrong or missing in other faiths. While we are at the education part, perhaps fund few TV programs to teach people why Copts reject to be labeled a “minority”; it is not that they claim to be a majority, but they as a whole view this word to mean non Egyptian going back to the colonial days when foreign “minorities” had their own Laws and were tried under a separate justice system. This is why Copts hate to be labeled a minority, not because they want to take over the country as some Friday prayer Imams regularly allege.

6. Introduce new Law dealing with discrimination allowing for stiff civil penalties for victims. Perhaps a successful professor of gynecology would be more deterred if he had to cough up few hundred thousands Egyptian Pounds for a pattern of discrimination in grades against Coptic students. (Mr. President: perhaps you would also consider the same for torture while you are at if not too much trouble / distraction).

7. Introduce new laws and enforce existing laws dealing with hate and incitement. Set example of adoption of these laws and start with someone like Qardawi who condones the killing of Israeli civilians. This is where the slippery slope starts and the Anti Jewish hysteria and hate moves across to all who may be different.

8. Instigate an independent (for real) investigation to find and remove any judges, police or prosecutors who show leniency or discriminate in the application of Laws when the accused is a Muslim and the victim is a Copt. While you are at it, get the Mufti and Sheikh Al Azhar to reaffirm equal application of the Law including the death penalty on a Muslim for killing a non Muslim. Mr. President: while this is blatantly obvious to you and many others, it is not to a large number of people and our Coptic brothers and sisters need to hear this from you and others.
9. The President, ministers, governors, deputies from Parliament and Shoura must be visible attending events in churches on regular basis. Mr. President, we need as a society to reassure all Copts that their houses of worship are safe and that Egypt is their country.

10. Last but not least, Egypt should be in an official State of Mourning when a massacre of the nature of what happened in Alexandria occurs; this is what a national State of Mourning is for, it is not just for the death of Government officials or heads of neighboring countries.

May the victims of the tragic massacre rest in peace, may the loss of their lives cause a Government and a nation to wake up. I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish them all the strength and patience to deal with the horrible loss. I wish the injured physically and emotionally quick healing and finally to the extent possible, I wish all Coptic Christians a good Christmas full of healing, strength and hope for better times soon.

Ayman S. Ashour
January 3, 2011

Informed and Perceptive View of Iraq - Book Review of Night Draws Near by Anthony Shadid

This is easily the best book I can recommend to anyone on the Iraq war. Anthony Shadid, a third generation Arab American, who speaks fluent Arabic was on the ground before the Iraq war and lived through its phases all the way to the full blown insurgency.

Shadid demonstrates an excellent understanding of the people and the culture, this understanding makes his analysis very valuable indeed. A very important point that Shadid makes is the desire of the people for justice over democracy.

Shadid's understanding of Iraqi society makes his analysis on the insurgency, its roots and its nature very convincing. The analysis of the power structure with the Shiite religious leadership and the diverging loyalties as well as the Iranian versus Arab orientation of the leadership is very well explained. It is remarkable how ill informed much of the media in the US referring to the Mahdi Army, the Sader militia, as Iranian influenced when Shadid explains clearly their roots being as populist & nationalist counter movement to the Iranian dominated Shiite religion leadership.

Through countless daily interactions with Iraqis from all classes, all sects and all political views Shedid offers tremendous insight on the factors that shaped the views of the Iraqis and how these changed over time as the country sunk deeper into a depressing war. Shedid equally well covered the American troops, their perception of their role and of the Iraqis around them.

Can't say enough about this book except I wish it becomes mandatory reading for political and military readers. Shadid's Pulitzer Prize for his reporting of the war is very well deserved!