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Tag Archives: Iran
The Insolence of some Muslims
With news circulating that Iran has pulled the film ‘A Cube of Sugar’ from consideration at the Oscars over the anti-Islam film I can’t help but let out a large sigh.
I have tried to avoid writing anything about this subject mainly because I kept wrongly thinking the fuss would all die down. But to no avail as a couple of weeks in from the film first scouting controversy people are still talking, tweeting and protesting about it. Not to mention the fact that the controversy surrounding that damned film has been topically name dropped by nearly all the relevant leaders in their recent speech’s at the UN summit.
So not wanting to be left out of the fray, here are my two cents on the subject.
Disproportionate reaction:
First things first, I believe the outrageously violent protests that were sparked by this film were firstly un-called for. I don’t care how offensive it was, you don’t respond to a movie that practically labels the people who follow the faith of Islam as savages by acting like savages. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go ahead and protest, that is a right afforded to all, but protest like dam human beings. Having said that there were of course many protests that were carried out peacefully in many locations around the world. But with the world being the way it is, peaceful protests don’t enlist the media coverage as well as some angry flag-burning insult taunting Muslims losing their general shiz at a US embassy do.
US Focal point:
Another thing that has also annoyed me with regard to these violent protest is the fact they seem to be all aimed at US embassies or, in some cases, US franchises. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but last time I checked it wasn’t Barack Obama or any US senator or government official that was listed as a producer, director or even simple stage-hand in the credits of this nonsensical film. Too boot, I don’t remember any governmental budgets being set aside and stipulated for funding films *and to be honest, even calling it a film is in my mind giving it way too much credit* that spout hate-filled nonsense. This film was made by some twat who happened to have a U.S. citizenship. Hitler was born in Poland but you didn’t see the allied powers aiming all their ammo at Austria for simply being the homeland of the damned Fuhrer as opposed to Germany where boy had clearly set up shop during the war. Him being American is beside the point.
Over-Hype:
Another issue I find with all this controversy is the fact that the idiot who produced this beyond-a-low-budget-film-its-practically-replacing-the-Dead-Sea-as-the-lowest-point-on-Earth is that this tool has achieved what he set out to do. He has not only offended the people he set out to offend but also enraged a minority of those people enough to publicly make a**holes of themselves and further reinforce this negative ‘Muslamic Ray Guns’ rage stereotype of muslims. It’s like we Muslims aren’t complete unless we are seething with anger and burning a flag or 2. It’s utterly disgraceful. Adding to the fact that with all this extreme protesting more attention has been drawn to this film therefore affording it more publicity. The publicity means that more people are being exposed to the films insufferable views. Plus a point to note is that all the hits that are garnered on this video on Youtube do translate into money being paid to the uploader. The guy must be minted by now.
Priorities: Messed up:
And lastly I feel like these protesters who are so vehemently protesting the vilification of their prophet and religion are missing the bigger picture. Yes, the video was offensive, yes it was tacky. But can you not maybe think in this day and age of anything worse occurring that might be bringing a greater harm to your people? If you care so much about the muslim ‘ummah’ and the image of Islam surely you should be more outraged at the thousands of muslims being massacred in Syria? Have none of these hardcore touting muslims ever read this ayah in the Quran?
‘On that account We ordained for the Children of Isra`il that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity.’ Surah 5, verse 32
So where is the unbridled outrage at the death toll which numbers in the tens of thousands and which by far over-shadows the one person metaphor in this ayah? Or can the US flags you have stockpiled not wait to go up in flames?
I think the adequate response to a video like this is to simply give it the attention it deserves…which is none at all. It isn’t worth anyone’s time of day. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe as a Muslim this the movie is disrespectful, grossly offensive, racist and intolerant. I just believe the response to the hate eschewed in this film shouldn’t be more exaggerated and violent hate. You don’t win by one up-ing bigots.
I got 99 problems and Iran is all of them
Today an Israeli newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjimin Netenyahu and his Defense minister would like to attack Iran’s nuclear sites before the November U.S elections. Despite their strident views they lack crucial support both within their cabinet and their military. That coupled with the fact that If a war with Iran was to be launched this would considerably shake and rupture the bedrock of ties between Israel and the US as the latter country has made it clear about its desire to avoid any conflict of sorts.
Israel Israel Israel, what are we going to do with you and your fixated paranoia? If Israel was a person by now there would be a restraining order out on its ass. The problem with all this isn’t that Israel has a problem with Iran, after all, many countries do, it’s how it goes about justifying and then exaggerating its problems. The ironic fact about this latest report by Israel is that US officials only just yesterday released a report highlighting that Iran is not only not on the verge of having a nuclear weapon but that Tehran has not even made a decision on whether or not it should pursue one. Now how Netanyahu missed this tid bit of information goes beyond me, but what this statement does is virtually punch massive holes into Israel’s current war rampant tirade.
This Israeli paranio and ‘blame Iran’ mantra was even extended to the recent attacks in Egypt which left 16 Egyptian border police dead. Israel was quick on the mark, pointing the finger startlingly at Iran. This claim against Iran is largely unfounded as even when Israel accused it of the attack it didn’t offer up a shred of evidence to justify its claim. This kind of behavior literally reminds me of playground politics. It’s like when there is a kid you don’t like in nursery because he has taken your shovel in the sand pit whilst you were busy dilly dallying about with bucket… you try and snatch it back (in kids terms that amounts to; excuse me sir, but I happen to notice that thou has attained thee’s shovel whilst thy was unaware) but the kid refuses to hand it back…so you shove over a plant pot and when asked what happened automatically say ‘Ayatollah did it’…….even though you are at home and a week has passed by and said Ayatollah is holidaying in Iran (Came together nicely in the end didn’t it?).
Now yea that analogy is a complete curve ball and if you think about it doesn’t reeeeeeally make that much sense but I just wanted to give a young kid named Ayatollah his 5 seconds of fame in this drama. Point is Israel, stop waging war on an unimagined reality. You don’t need to make-up vices against Iran to have a grudge against the country. The more you fabricate the less ingenious any of your claims will be. Plus, you know the people at the top in Israel are waning in their judgment (more so than usual) when they are ready to throw the towel in with the US for the sake of meting out this undue punishment to Iran. The funny thing is, Iran and Israel are two faces of the same coin in many respects. They both like throwing around wild accusations at their enemies whilst turning a blind eye to their disdainful policies back home. They both like to take on this ‘me against the world’, ‘David vs Goliath’ attitude when it comes to defining their place on the world map. Also they are both largely seen to be pariahs in the region they reside in. So yea, practically twins.
Basically put your spears and war paint away Israel and settle right down … because unless you’re looking to be the newly added member of the Expandables cast, you’ve got no reason to be going anywhere with your battle cry, anytime soon.
Crackin’ Down
So yesterday Obama announced that he had signed an executive order targeting people and entities who use technology to help authoritarian governments crack-down on dissidents.
Obama stated in his speech on Monday at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington that:
“Technologies should be in place to empower citizens, not to oppress them,”
Ultimately these new penalties are aimed at pressuring authoritarian entities that use information technology to commit human-rights abuse. But the US in its statement specifically signaled out and targeted Iran and Syria for condemnation. The U.S. treasury department has already slapped sanctions on six Iranian and Syrian companies & government branches along with the head of Syria’s intelligence directorate. The sanctions implemented will freeze any of the assets they hold in US jurisdiction whilst also simultaneously banning any US citizen from doing business with them.
Now I am not one to criticize any steps made to help inhibit any authoritarian regimes crackdown on its people. After all, it is true what Obama has said, technology should be used to benefit the human race rather than crush it. But where my contention lies is in the selectivity of this policy. As is made clear, the policy is aimed at Iran and Syria, two regimes that aren’t or have never been in the good graces of the West. With the daily protests and rising death toll in Syria its emphasis in the statement makes sense topically as well as politically since the UN is at loss at how to best ‘discipline’ the regime’s wanton violence. But some may frown at the inclusion of Iran. If we are looking at the crackdown on dissidents, unlike places like Syria it is not going through an abnormal uproar of dissent. So why was it included? Two words… Nuclear Weapons. These sanctions fit nicely into the US’s Iran agenda and hence their integral inclusion in the statement is explained.
Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t to say there isn’t any dissent or human rights abuses taking place in Iran. On the contrary, its record on human rights is as bleak as any paranoid authoritarian’s regime. My point isn’t that Iran shouldn’t be included on the list, just that it should have been joined by the likes of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan etc. Its inclusion and especially Bahrain’s exclusion is comical. Bahrain has been spotlighted in the news lately due to the ongoing heavy-handed crackdown on protesters as the F1 race is held on its shores. The silence on Bahrain doesn’t surprise me, though. It fits nicely into the current US stance on it, i.e. Turn a blind eye.
But another interesting thing to note is the statements focus on ‘technology’. One might wonder why stop at technology that facilitates the authoritarian governments to locate these dissenters, why not also ban the weaponry these regimes use to crack down on these dissenters? After all, knowing who your dissenters are isn’t the same as having the means to punish them. So what’s the hold up? The US is the hold up. It is the biggest arms trader in the world. Awkward to say the least. Don’t want to be seen to be shooting oneself in the foot. It seems the US’s moral compass on those who aide authoritarian regimes is lost when it comes to weaponry. Technology? No No, Dear God No. Guns & Bombs you say? How many you want?
To view this hypocrisy one simply needs to look at any of the many events that have transpired in the Middle East’s revolutionary up-heavel. An example of this would be that during the crackdown on Egypt’s pro-democracy movement the protesters in Tahrir square were being told that the US stood by them (Regardless of how timid and late this stance was) in their battle for democracy… whilst they had tear gas canisters being fired at them daily with the words ‘Made in the USA’ proudly embezzled on the side. Hypocrisy, you’re doing it right USA.
The point I’d like to stress is the fact that this policy isn’t and shouldn’t be viewed as one void of US interests. Iran and Syria have abused their positions of power and have wronged their people and therefore should be punished no question about it. I applaud the step towards holding to account those who help authoritarian regimes wrong their people, but what I don’t applaud is an inherent selectivity and bias in these steps. It’s poignant that Obama made this speech in front of the Holocaust memorial. After all, it wasn’t technology that simply led to the devastating events of the holocaust, but weaponry.
People are not blind to hypocrisy and those who make grand overtures of being the ‘world’s police force’ should remember that. As the protests in the Middle East have shown us, eloquence of words and speeches from above do not make-up for the hollowness of in-action below.
Simply stated it should be: Accountability of all, in the interest of everyone instead of the few.
‘Donald Trump, your fired’… By Donald Trump
Before I get into the post, I’d just like to explain that I haven’t been able to update this blog as regularly as before due to end of year university exams and essays. This post was actually written a while back but I never got round to finishing it due to the above mentioned reasons but I have tried to modify it as best as possible so its up-to-date. So in summary, exams & essays are pure evil and I hope you enjoy this scatter-brained post. :)
So yesterday Donald Trump single-handedly crushed the dreams and ambitions of millions of comedians stateside… how did he do this I hear you ask? By saying that he would NOT be running for the US presidential office in 2012…. GUTTED.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Trump-fan policy or ideas wise…I just think he is comedic gold who channels the late greats before him like Sarah Palin and George Bush…he simply manages to carry the torch of Tom-Foolery onwards.
So now what? I guess we have got to pool our prayers and thoughts together and hope Sarah Palin makes a blast of a come-back and takes on the republican candidacy in the race for president. But until then, let’s all take a sweet, short and poignant look back at some of the gems that Trump bestowed on us *wipes tears*:
Let’s backtrack a slight bit.. for all those who don’t know who Donald Trump is. He is simply the ‘Alan sugar’ of America…but only in the sense that he hosts the same show as Alan Sugar which is ‘the apprentice’ but stateside…that’s where the similarity ends though. Still not completely sure of who he is character wise? Well simply imagine someone with the brains of Sarah Palin, the looks of Susan Boyle, and the arrogance of Piers Morgan/Simon Cowell but with nothing much to back it up save for a fortune bestowed on him by his parents. Point is, boi is putting the lemons out of business in the ‘sour’ department
So let’s look at some of the views Trump made in his fake-tease-of-a-run-up-to-presidency.
The current Political climate:
Trump: The American people are tired of being ripped off by their government officials, representatives and leaders
Fighting words Trumpy, fighting words. But in the rest of the interview in which he stated this point, he spent basically boasting about his excellent and finely tuned skills at ripping people off which has got him to where he is today…Not only that but he also bequeathed us with his strong moral compass directed at equality… Trump is no ordinary man, Trump is blind to our differences and rips off people equally regardless of their ethnicity, creed, nationality, religious belief etc. … *tears up* A man that stands for equality, I know, Martin Luther King would be so proud.
On being called a Racist:
Trump: I have a great relationship with the blacks
Unless boi is referring to Rebecca Black’s family….. Enough said.
On his response to Obama releasing his birth certificate to silence accusations by Trump and his fellow birthers that he was not born in America :
Trump: Today I am very proud of myself because I have accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish
I agree Trump, compared to your lackluster track record of achievements…this IS an achievement of sorts. I bet Trump felt the same kind of pride people at passport control feel whenever they ask to see your passport and you oblige…Nothing tops that high… you can see it on their faces…they are all kinds of E-C-S-T-A-T-I-C
On Libya:
Mirroring what we are all feeling watching these devastating events unfold and the untimely death and murder of innocent civilians by a mad dictator…
Trump: Are the rebels from Iran? Are they From Al-Qaeda?
Spot on Trumpy…spot on.. Smart play involving Iran and Al-Qaeda, that’s the buzz word that gets everyone in a tizzy… Doesn’t matter if they aren’t actually in anyway involved with the conflict… you got to use them buzz words…though I am slightly disappointed you didn’t mention North Korea, Syria, Godzilla, Voldemort etc. as possible candidates…but it was early days yet, I’m sure these big baddies would have got their time to razzle, dazzle and shine throughout you’re campaign.
On oil in the Middle East:
Trump: I’m interested in Libya if we take the oil, if we don’t take the oil ..No Interest.
And the same kind of mantra was espoused in relation to Iraq and any other oil-producing state. But when presented with the question of what he thought the Arab countries would think or feel to the concept of his policy of ‘it’s-all-about-the-oil’ he replied > Who cares
Simply put let us re-phrase the wise musings of Antione Dodson to best sum up his stance and message :
“I’m invading your countries, I’m snatching your oil, so y’all need to hide your kids, hide your wife, hide your husband, ’cause I’m stealing everything out here.”
Trumpy, you could have borrowed this campaign slogan for free if you had decided to run for office. I’d have gladly waivered all copyrights entitlements to this along with Antoine Dodson to help you best get across your message
And if you don’t know who Antione Dodson is and this refrence made no sense check out this Youtube link :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNhaLUT520
r
Though the above mentioned topics only scratch the surface of Trump’s views and opinions, it’s the most I could cram into a post without this turning into a personal autobiography of sorts. And to bring this Turmp-fest to a close we will end with a quote by Trump released when he declared he wasn’t seeking to run for office
Trump: I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election”
And that folks…is why he WONT be running for office…it’s only ever fun or right to run when the odds are you’ll lose…
Till Next Time,
r
r
Iran and the constant denial
Now reading the title you might be thinking that I am going to talk about the obvious issue of whether Iran seeks or doesn’t seek to build nuclear weapons. But that’s not the issue I want to actually talk about. The issue I want to talk about is Iran’s constant denial that there is any sort of internal rift in its populations over the current leadership of Ahmadinajad. Any sort of evidence to the contrary is blamed on ‘western’ interference and influence. The election demonstrations back in June- the west’s doing, claims of election fraud- the west’s doing, the recent alleged ‘assassination’ attempt on Ahmadinajad- a fabrication of the west. Now the last point is what initially brought me to post on this subject. On Thursday the president was visiting the city of Hamedan and during the procession a loud explosion was heard near his motorcade. In initial comments to western agencies the Iranian officials seemed to indicate that this was an attempted attack and that someone had been arrested. But this version changed during the rest of the day and the official response now was that it was just an over excited supporter letting of ‘steam’.
Now, I’d like to think I know a thing or two about celebrating, but not once have I felt the urge to throw a handmade grenade at a the person I am celebrating for. Wedding? throw a grenade at the bride and groom. Graduation? through a grenade at the graduate. Show them you REALLY care with a good old bang. A congratulatory hug just doesn’t cut it any more. And when the western news agencies round the world reported it was an attack the Iranians responded that the west where just doing what they do best and trying to undermine the government and make a story out of nothing. If I was Iran, id be firing my dam spin doctor, if your going to cover up something, do it right. Don’t just hand us your deceit on a silver platter. And if your going to lie badly, then go all the way, do it the North Korean way and realllllly push the boat out.
It seems like Iran out of all nations has achieved the impossible and has a government and leadership in place that apparently is supported by the whole nation. The citizens who don’t fit this criteria are apparently stooges and lackeys of the west. Though there is no denying that Ahmadinajad does have a great share of support within Iran it’s not to say that the support against him is not large. And its this point that the Iranian leadership just won’t publicly own up to. No matter how many times you try and sweep crap under the carpet you know its still there cause you can dam well smell it. And one day the Iranian leadership is going to have to face up to it, the more they lie the more they loose the support and trust of the people. The big bad wolf aka the west won’t be a good enough excuse forever.
Till next time
