Lebanese Man Due for Beheading in Saudi Arabia

I think it's safe to say that people who enjoy living on this side of the 16th century should stay well away from Saudi Arabia. In today's news:

"A Lebanese man charged with sorcery and sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to be beheaded on Friday, the man's lawyer said Wednesday.

"May El Khansa, the attorney for Ali Hussain Sibat, told CNN that she and Sibat's family were informed about the upcoming execution. She said she heard from a source in Saudi Arabia with knowledge of the case and the proceedings that Saudi authorities 'will carry out the execution.'..."
(CNN)

Saudi Arabia is an outstanding example of a nation that follows Islamic law - just ask them.

As I've said before, "With friends like these, Islam doesn't need enemies."

The House of Saud's enforcers got their hands on Sibat when he was in Saudi Arabia for the Islamic religious pilgrimage known as Umra. If the 'gotta go to Mecca' sort of pilgrimages didn't predate the family that runs that anachronistic kingdom, I'd wonder if those Islamic requirements were made to help the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques keep an eye on his franchise.

I've written about this sad case before.

Related post:

• "Ali Hussain Sibat, Islamic Law, and Getting a Grip"
  (March 19, 2010)

In the news:

• "Lawyer: Beheading planned in Saudi sorcery case"
  CNN (April 1, 2010)

Ali Hussain Sibat, Islamic Law, and Getting a Grip

With friends like these, Islam doesn't need enemies.

"TV presenter gets death sentence for 'sorcery' "
CNN (March 19, 2010)

"Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to stop the execution of a Lebanese man sentenced to death for 'sorcery.'

"In a statement released Thursday, the international rights group condemned the verdict and demanded the immediate release of Ali Hussain Sibat, former host of a popular call-in show that aired on Sheherazade, a Beirut based satellite TV channel.

"According to his lawyer, Sibat, who is 48 and has five children, would predict the future on his show and give out advice to his audience.

"The attorney, May El Khansa, who is in Lebanon, tells CNN her client was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police (known as the Mutawa'een) and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008. Sibat was in Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic religious pilgrimage known as Umra...."

The Saudi legal system seems to have, ah, interesting procedures. Ali Hussain Sibat's case apparently went to an appeals court. And bounced a few times.

"...The case was taken up by the Court of Appeal in the Saudi city of Mecca on the grounds that the initial verdict was 'premature.'

"El Khansa tells CNN that the Mecca appeals court then sent the case back to the original court for reconsideration, stipulating that all charges made against Sibat needed to be verified and that he should be given a chance to repent.

"On March 10, judges in Medina upheld their initial verdict, meaning Sibat is once again sentenced to be executed.

""The Medina court refused the sentence of the appeals court," said El Khansa, adding her client will appeal the verdict once more..."

Ali Hussain Sibat and his family are people I'm sincerely glad I'm not.

Diversity and Islam

At times like these, it's a little difficult to shake the impression that Islam is the property of the House of Saud. I've written before, though, about Muslims around the world stretching Islamic beliefs and practices over whatever culture they have.

I'll admit that it makes Islam one of the more colorful of the world's major religions. You've got everything from the lot that's running Sudan to Indonesia's people deciding what Islam is. Having no central authority (that I know of) probably helps.

In its own way, Islam is one of the finest examples of diversity on the planet.

Culture Shock

It's occurred to me that Islam may have lasted this long partly because until the last generation or so we didn't have transoceanic telephone cables, communications satellites, and the Internet.

Another few generations back, and telegraph service was the latest thing in information technology. I live in America, where we've kept up, at least: and I remember when you couldn't call someone in, say, Hong Kong or Mumbai without negotiating your way across the globe. Good grief. I remember when Mumbai was Bombay. ("Well, That's Interesting: Brooklyn and the Names of Things," Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (March 9, 2010))

Getting back on-topic:

Over the centuries, every Muslim who could had to go to Mecca at least once. My guess is that most of the foreign Muslims were savvy enough to keep quiet about their own culture's brand of Islam. Death threats, particularly from an area's rulers, get people's attention. Back in the 'good old days,' foreign Muslims might not know all that much about what was "Islamic" and what wasn't in Mecca when they started their journey. But they had plenty of time to pick up travelers' tales on the way.

No airlines, remember?

So the folks around Mecca probably didn't get shocked too often. When they did, the carnage that followed would probably ensure that the next set of pilgrims would have gotten word that you didn't do whatever horrific thing the deceased did.

Like wear the wrong kind of clothes.

Welcome to the Information Age

Until just a few generations ago, almost all the folks on the Arabian peninsula seem to have been living pretty much the same way that their ancestors did when Abram moved out of Ur and changed his name.

Things weren't exactly placid as the millennia rolled by. Energetic cultures like the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans shook things up a little: but that was mostly politics and warfare. As each empire in turn (Alexander the Great was from the area we call Greece these days) had its heyday and crumbled, the nomads and farmers lived in a way Abraham would have recognized and understood.

Then, about four and a half centuries back, someone invented a machine that knitted socks. That was, arguably, the start of the Industrial Revolution. A century earlier, somebody in Germany invented movable type. You could call that the start of the Information Age, although I'm inclined to use Jacquard loom's invention or the implementation of telegraph technology as a significant milestone.

Then as century followed century, canals were built, steam power developed, factories automated, robot spaceships sent out to explore the solar system, and hundreds of channels of cable programming made available to just about anybody with a dish antenna.

Meanwhile, Back on the Saudi Peninsula

Meanwhile, folks living around Mecca and Medina weren't being bothered much. Which seems to have suited them just fine. Change can be - and usually is - a bit difficult to deal with.

Then folks in Europe - a place that had been bothered, big time - developed machines that needed something with more power per pound than coal. Today, we've got nuclear reactors, are working on developing fusion reactors, and there's a promising development or two in antimatter production. But we're still using petroleum products.

A lot.

The Arabian Peninsula is mostly desert. But underground are some of the world's richest petroleum deposits.

We're Rich! Good News, Bad News

I've gotten the impression that the first generation or so of oil production in Arabia profited westerners more than the folks living there. But things change and a few decades back, sheiks with suitcases full of money were a staple news item. At least one of the mansions they built here in America set a new standard for tastelessness.

It's likely enough that they acted as - eccentrically? - as they did in large part because back home they'd have been executed for indulging their personal tastes. Over here, they were among foreigners who simply didn't care what you did with your place, aside from restrictions like how much yard you had to have. But as long as you didn't own a place with a neighborhood association, pretty much anything goes.

Loud taste in lawn ornaments, repressed for decades and suddenly released, is not a pretty sight.

But that's yet another topic.

More seriously, the folks back home were dragged over several thousands of years of cultural change in a generation or two. A world of burqas and Sharia law suddenly had things like individual rights, Barbies, soap operas, bikinis, Mickey Mouse, Ex-Lax, and Budweiser roaring in over satellite feeds with hundreds of television channels.

Islam as a House of Saud Franchise?

I'm pretty sure it's not, but as I said before, it's hard to shake the impression that Islam is a sort of franchise owned by the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques." (November 14, 2008) Many franchises let local owner-operators tailor the brand to local culture: just like Islam has been shaped to fit a wide variety of cultures.

I hope the House of Saud doesn't see it that way: and I'm not going off on that topic.

16th Century Values, 21st Century Information Technology

Seriously: I can see charging Ali Hussain Sibat with fraud, if he received goods or services from his listeners, in exchange for (bogus, I trust) predictions. But I'm an American: and fortune tellers are legal in most parts of the country, provided they have some sort of 'for entertainment purposes only' notice up.

I think it helps that Americans had to learn to live with people who didn't believe exactly what they did, since before the revolution. All those Protestant Christians who came over from England probably look like a homogeneous group to an outsider. But many came over because they were convinced that they alone were the true believers, and all the rest were wrong. There were a lot of groups like that.

But as the 13 colonies grew - and eventually got fed up with King George III - these mutually antagonistic groups learned that cooperation and coexistence are good ideas.

America has more diversity now, ethnically, culturally and religiously, which I think helps us keep from going (too) crazy over religious differences.

Which is a good thing for me. As a Catholic, I'm part of a religious minority. Which, getting back to Ali Hussain Sibat, means that I wouldn't touch anything like the sort of fortune telling he seems to do. Divination is something we're not supposed to do. (" 'If you must see ghosts ...' Materialism, Being Spiritual, and Uncle Deadly," A Catholic Citizen in America (December 18, 2009))

But, apart from protecting people from fraud, I wouldn't force my beliefs on anyone. It's against the rules.¹

And yes, I know about the Spanish Inquisition. If you're an American, it's well to remember that those legal proceedings came to America after being filtered and edited by the sincerely non-Catholic English culture. Henry VIII and all that.

And, as I've said before, America isn't perfect. (July 3, 2008)

But execute someone because he did on-air fortune telling? Get a grip. This is the post-Magna-Carta world. You don't like fortune telling? You think it's wrong? No problem. But get a grip: Tell people why you think it's wrong; don't kill them.

Related posts:

• "Indonesia, Islam, Adultery, Stoning, Burkinis, Divisiveness and the West"
  (October 13, 2009)
• "Afghan Husband Rapes Wife: Culture, Law, History, and Catching Up"
  (September 24, 2009)
• "Tolerance: Yes, it's a Good Idea"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (August 3, 2009)
• "Indonesia: Still Investigating the Jakarta Bombing"
  (July 19, 2009)
• "Indonesian Deradicalization Program Working: In Indonesia, at Least"
  (January 15, 2008)
• "Saudi Arabia, Lawyers and Women: Edging Toward the 17th Century"
  (February 20, 2010)
• "Another Stampede-Free Hajj: Credit Where Credit is Due"
  (November 29, 2009)
• "Make That Two Egyptian Doctors, a Saudi Princess, and Thousands of Lashes"
  (November 14, 2008)
• "Saudi Cleric Wants Women to Use One Eye - I'm Not Making This Up"
  (October 4, 2008)
• "It's Arabic, Is It Islamic?"
  (November 21, 2007)
• "Sudan, Women, Trousers, Culture and Common Sense"
  (September 7, 2009)
• "Darfur: Overview of the Current Mess, and Some Background"
  (April 23, 2008)
• "British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)

In the news:

"TV presenter gets death sentence for 'sorcery' " CNN (March 19, 2010)
• "Group wants Saudia Arabia to stop execution over sorcery"
  CNN.com Blogs (rch 19, 2010)

More:

• "Saudi Arabia 'sorcery' death sentence upheld"
  Amnesty International USA (March 18, 2010)

---

¹Like I said, I'm a Catholic, and we've got rules about a lot of things: including tolerance.

• "The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace"
  (Synod of Bishops, Vatican City) (2006)
• "Intervention by the Holy See Delebation at the International Consultative Conference on 'School Education in Relation to Freedom of Religion or Belief, Tolerance, and Non-Discrimination' " (Madrid)
  Vatican.va (November 54, 2001)

Those documents are about as dry as their titles suggest. But they give a pretty good look at what the Catholic Church really teaches - not what you hear on the evening news.

That 2001 document refers to a United Nations Conference. I'm not the biggest fan of the United Nations, but the Church works with them, and with the national governments of places like America, China and Haiti. About fifteen centuries back, we worked with the war bands of barbarian Europe (my ancestors, by the way). We'll work with anybody.

Roxana Saberi Out of Iran, in Vienna: Islamic Mercy Followed Through

Roxana Saberi, the journalist who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, has dual citizenship, and went through several months of prison and trials in Iran, is in Vienna. She's spending some time with a friend.

That's good news.

I'm glad to see that she was allowed to actually leave Iran, after the Ayatollahs showed "Islamic mercy."

"...A judiciary spokesman says the appeals court reduced Roxanna's jail term to a two-year suspended sentence as a gesture of 'Islamic mercy' because she had cooperated with authorities and expressed regret...." (WDAY)

I'm impressed, if not favorably, with "Islamic mercy," as demonstrated by the Ayatollahs and their followers.

I still think there's reason to believe that the bizarre antics of Saudi courts, Sudan's reaction to a teddy bear, beheadings by Al Qaeda, and the Taliban's 'death to men who wear trousers' policy, aren't entirely representative of Islam.

But, Islam's loudest defenders seem determined to portray the religion as something that was over the top thirteen centuries ago, and has no place in the civilized world.

An ironic twist to the story of this Iranian-Japanese-American journalist and her treatment by Iran's rulers gets mentioned at the end of this video:

"She was working on a book about the Iranian culture when she was arrested." (AP)

"Freed Journalist Leaves Iran"

AssociatedPress, YouTube (May 15, 2009)
video (1:17)

Related posts:

• ""Islamic Mercy:" Roxana Saberi Free, Returning to Fargo, North Dakota"
  (May 11, 2009)
• "Ahmadinejad Urges Strong Defense for Roxana Saberi - 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'?"
  (April 19, 2009)
• "April 19, 2009
  Roxana Saberi, American-Iranian Journalist, Sentenced to Eight Years for 'Spying' "
  (April 19, 2009)
• "American Journalist Roxana Saberi: Fargo's Freedom; Iran's Ayatollahs"
  (April 14, 2009)

In the news:

• "US journalist freed from Iran arrives in Austria"
  The Associated Press (May 15, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi Arrives in Vienna from Iran"
  The Lede, The New York Times Blog, (May 15, 2009)
  • includes embedded video
• " Freed U.S. journalist leaves Iran"
  CNN (May 15, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi arrives in Vienna"
  Los Angeles Times (May 15, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi is released from Iranian prison"
  WDAY (May 11, 2009)

"Islamic Mercy:" Roxana Saberi Free, Returning to Fargo, North Dakota

Roxana Saberi is free, but not exonerated.

"...Her sentence was changed to a two-year jail term suspended for five years, Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reported.

"State-run Press TV, citing 'officials close to the case,' reported that the suspended sentence 'will be automatically abolished if Saberi shows no unlawful conduct in the next five years.'..." (CNN)

I'll take her release, and regard it as good news.

As for the Ayatollahs, They're doing a fine job of showing the world their notion of Islamic justice at work. We're obviously supposed to be impressed.

"...A judiciary spokesman says the appeals court reduced Roxanna's jail term to a two-year suspended sentence as a gesture of 'Islamic mercy' because she had cooperated with authorities and expressed regret. Roxana's supporters are eager to welcome her home...." (WDAY)

Me? I'm impressed with this "Islamic mercy." Arrest a journalist, say she's a spy, threaten her with a long imprisonment, and then brag about being merciful when she's released.

I certainly am impressed with this "Islamic mercy." As I've said before, I don't assume that all Muslims follow the 'behead people your Imam doesn't like' flavor of Islam: so I won't claim that all Muslims are like the Ayatollahs and their band of followers.

Still, I certainly am impressed with this "Islamic mercy."

Last month, America's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said: "...'Ms. Saberi was born and raised in the United States, yet chose to travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran due to her desire to learn more about her cultural heritage....' " (CNN)

I'd say that she's learned more about her cultural heritage than she wanted to. My own experience with Iranians has been quite positive, and I'm inclined to believe what her father said about the disconnect between the people of Iran and the little exercise in "Islamic mercy" that his daughter experienced.

"...The whole experience has been 'very depressing' for her, and she has gone through a great deal of frustration, Saberi's father said Monday. 'It will take some time before she can overcome it.'

"He added, 'It's not the [Iranian] people; they are very friendly. We don't understand why it happened.'..." (CNN)

Roxana's in good shape, according to her parents, considering that she's spent the last four months in an Iranian prison. According to WDAY-TV, the family will be back in Fargo in a few days.

I hope they are allowed to do so.

Related posts:

• "Ahmadinejad Urges Strong Defense for Roxana Saberi - 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'?"
  (April 19, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi, American-Iranian Journalist, Sentenced to Eight Years for 'Spying' "
  (April 19, 2009)
• "American Journalist Roxana Saberi: Fargo's Freedom; Iran's Ayatollahs"
  (April 14, 2009)

In the news:

• "Journalist's release prompts praise from Washington"
  CNN (May 11, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi is released from Iranian prison"
  WDAY (May 11, 2009)
• "Iran sentences U.S. journalist to 8 years"
  CNN (April 18, 2009)

Related posts, on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech.

Ahmadinejad Urges Strong Defense for Roxana Saberi - 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'?

Update (May 11, 2009)

• ""Islamic Mercy:" Roxana Saberi Free, Returning to Fargo, North Dakota"
  (May 11, 2009)

---

Roxana Saberi seems to have a supporter in Iran's government: Iranian's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to the chief prosecutor in Tehran, telling him, to make sure that Roxana Saberi got an opportunity to give a full defense at her appeal.

This could be no more than a matter of an official in one branch of the government urging another branch of the government to act. President Ahmadinejad is, presumably, in the executive branch. Iran's Revolutionary Court, which tried Roxana Saberi behind closed doors recently, seems to be in the judicial branch.

Iran's government is a theocratic republic, with three main branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. It looks like Iran's government has a sort of 'checks and balances' system, much like America.

Ahmadinejad's Letter Could be Nothing More Than it Seems

The report of President Ahmadinejad's plea for truth, justice, and the Iranian way comes from Iran's official news agency: IRNA. (CBC) The Iranian president's action may simply be the executive's effort to impress the judicial branch with the gravity of Roxana Saberi's case.

Or, the letter and the IRNA report could be an effort to impress foreigners with the wisdom and compassion of Iran's government.

Or something else could be going on.

I don't know.

'Good Cop/Bad Cop,' Roxana Saberi, and Iran's President Ahmadinejad

I do know that the treatment of Roxana Saberi, at this point, looks a bit like a 'good cop/bad cop' act in a television show: where one interrogator acts aggressively toward the subject, while the other appears to be protecting the subject from the 'bad cop.'

Considering the efforts of the current administration to reach out to Iran, President Ahmadinejad could be playing the part of the good cop: impressing America's leaders with his thirst for justice.

Or, maybe he really does want something resembling a fair trial.

Related posts:

• "April 19, 2009
  Roxana Saberi, American-Iranian Journalist, Sentenced to Eight Years for 'Spying' "
  (April 19, 2009)
• "American Journalist Roxana Saberi: Fargo's Freedom; Iran's Ayatollahs"
  (April 14, 2009)
• "Iran Has Heavy Metal for Bomb, No Bomb: Yet"
  (March 1, 2009)
• "If You Liked Hanoi Jane, You'll Love AMPAS in Iran: Maybe"
  (February 28, 2009)
• "'Towelhead,' 'Retard,' and Talking Sense in a Global Society"
  (February 24, 2009)
• "Iran Launched Satellite, Probably: and North Korea's Preparing for Launch"
  (February 3, 2009)
• "Ahmadinejad Wants America to Apologize: This is News?"
  (January 28, 2009)
• "Iran's Nuclear Program, Israel, Iraq, America, Bush and Obama: Simple? Not!"
  (January 11, 2009)
• "Iranian Newspaper Calls Hamas Terrorists, Gets Banned"
  (December 31, 2008)
• "Iranian Airspace Violated! Iran Forces Down American Warplane! (Whoops: Never Mind)"
  (October 7, 2008)

In the news:

• "Jailed American Gets Support From Iran’s President"
  The New York Times (April 19, 2009)
• "Iranian president urges full defence for jailed U.S. journalist"
  CBC (April 19, 2009)
• "Clinton leads outcry over Iran's jailing of 'spy' "
  The Age (April 20, 2009) (mem: international dateline)
• "Father: U.S. journalist holding up in Iranian prison"
  CNN (April 19, 2009)
• "Ahmadinejad calls for respect of U.S.-Iranian reporter's rights "
  Xinhua (April 20, 2009) (mem: international dateline)
• "Iran president calls for reporter's rights"
  Reuters (April 19, 2009)

Background:

• "Profile: Roxana Saberi"
  BBC (April 18, 2009)
• "Iran"
  World Factbook, CIA (last updated April 9, 2009)

Related posts, on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech.

Roxana Saberi, American-Iranian Journalist, Sentenced to Eight Years for 'Spying'

Update (May 11, 2009)

• ""Islamic Mercy:" Roxana Saberi Free, Returning to Fargo, North Dakota"
  (May 11, 2009)

---

Roxana Saberi is an American journalist. Her father was born in Iran, her mother is Japanese, and she grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. She's in Iran, where she was arrested for buying wine and convicted of being a spy. She's been sentenced to eight years in prison under Iran's own version of Sharia law.

"...'This is a shocking miscarriage of justice,' said US Senator Byron Dorgan, who represents the state of North Dakota where Saberi's family lives...." (ABC)

With due respect to the North Dakota Senator's statement, I disagree. To me, the word "shocking" means primarily to be "surprise greatly." (Princeton WordNet)

I am not in the least surprised that this American reporter was sentenced to eight years in prison for being a spy. It's the sort of thing I expect the Ayatollahs of Iran and their ministers to do.

I'll grant that Senator Dorgan's remark is accurate, though, if another meaning of "shocking" was intended: to "strike with disgust or revulsion." (Princeton WordNet)

Reaching Out to Iran and a Reality Check

The BBC gave a wonderfully succinct description of how the current American administration took word of Roxana Saberi's sentence:

"...President Barack Obama 'is deeply disappointed at this news,' his spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

"Correspondents say the case will have serious implications for US-Iranian relations at a time when Mr Obama has reached out to the Tehran.

"US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier expressed her disappointment at the sentence.

"She said the US would vigorously raise its concerns about the case with Tehran...." (BBC)

More of what Secretary of State Clinton said, from CNN:

" U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was "deeply disappointed" by the news. "We are working closely with the Swiss Protecting Presence to obtain details about the court's decision, and to ensure her well-being," Clinton said in a statement.

"The United States will 'continue to vigorously raise our concerns to the Iranian government,' Clinton said. 'Ms. Saberi was born and raised in the United States, yet chose to travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran due to her desire to learn more about her cultural heritage. Our thoughts are with her parents and family during this difficult time.'..."

I'm relieved to hear a high administration official say that America will 'vigorously raise our concerns' over this matter. I also hope that the current administration realizes that, while 'reaching out' is a very nice idea, the leadership in some countries quite simply isn't nice: and no amount of friendliness and good will is likely to change that unpleasant fact.

Roxana Saberi's Big Mistake: Not Acting Like AMPAS

A delegation of AMPAS (American Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) got a tour of Iran recently. Press TV ("the first Iranian international news network, broadcasting in English on a round-the-clock basis.) posted an article about one of the delegate's reaction to the Iran they saw.

"President of the American Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sid Ganis says Iran is very different from what the US mainstream portrays...."

"...'Iranians are very sophisticated, educated and culturally literate people and they have access to far more western media and technology than any of us had realized.' He said.

" 'We traveled freely around Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan and we didn't see any signs of political demonstrations or speech directed against Americans.'..."

"
(from Press TV, used w/o permission)
"Sid Ganis at Persepolis, Shiraz, Iran"

Maybe that's how Roxana Saberi should have acted: smiled a lot, said very nice things about Iranians, and not asked too many questions.

AMPAS, Smiles, and Saying Nice Things

I think it's wonderful that Hollywood bigwigs feel like taking time out of their busy schedules to travel abroad in the interests of creative exchange and education. And, it looks like they had a fine time on their trip to Iran.

I hope they had opportunities to compare notes with Iranian movie-makers. Hollywood could use some new ideas, in my opinion - but that's an entirely different topic.

And, I'm glad that they didn't follow the lead of Louisiana's Representative John "Towelheads" Cooksey. That was a boorish and ignorant remark to make in America. In Iran, it would be boorish, ignorant, and probably not a little dangerous.

Even "sophisticated, educated and culturally literate"people might be understandably miffed - and Iran doesn't have the reputation for protecting free speech, no matter how daft, that America does.

As it was, the AMPAS delegation met nice Iranians; had a great time, judging from that photo of Sid Ganis at Persepolis; and said nice things about Iran.

Roxana Saberi and Being a Reporter

We don't know anything about Roxana Saberi's trial, but she must have done something to make Iran's leaders peeved with her.

In a way, it really is her fault that she's looking at an eight year stretch in an Iranian prison - assuming she lives that long. She should have smiled a lot, not asked too many questions, and said nice things: like AMPAS.

Iranian-American Relations and Somebody from Fargo, North Dakota

In a way, the foreign policy of America must not be determined by concerns of - or for - one person.

On the other hand, I think the treatment of Roxana Saberi is a strong indication that Iran's leaders are not even close to being on the same page as America when it comes to basic ideas like freedom of expression.

I hope that Roxana Saberi survives her encounter with "her cultural heritage".

I also hope that the current American administration realizes that all the friendliness in the world will not make all countries as safe as America for people who ask questions.

Related posts:

• "American Journalist Roxana Saberi: Fargo's Freedom; Iran's Ayatollahs"
  (April 14, 2009)
• "Iran Has Heavy Metal for Bomb, No Bomb: Yet"
  (March 1, 2009)
• "If You Liked Hanoi Jane, You'll Love AMPAS in Iran: Maybe"
  (February 28, 2009)
• "'Towelhead,' 'Retard,' and Talking Sense in a Global Society"
  (February 24, 2009)
• "Iran Launched Satellite, Probably: and North Korea's Preparing for Launch"
  (February 3, 2009)
• "Ahmadinejad Wants America to Apologize: This is News?"
  (January 28, 2009)
• "Iran's Nuclear Program, Israel, Iraq, America, Bush and Obama: Simple? Not!"
  (January 11, 2009)
• "Iranian Newspaper Calls Hamas Terrorists, Gets Banned"
  (December 31, 2008)
• "Iranian Airspace Violated! Iran Forces Down American Warplane! (Whoops: Never Mind)"
  (October 7, 2008)

In the news:

• "US condemns Iran's jailing of journalist"
  ABC News (April 18, 2009)
• "Obama dismayed by Iran sentence"
  BBC (April 18, 2009)
• "Iran sentences U.S. journalist to 8 years"
  CNN (April 18, 2009)
• "Ganis: Iran far from what US media say"
  Press TV (April 13, 2009)

Background:

• "Profile: Roxana Saberi"
  BBC (April 18, 2009)
• "Iran"
  World Factbook, CIA (last updated April 9, 2009)

Related posts, on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech.

The West and Today's Somali President: The Enemy of Your Enemy is Your Friend?

It's hit the international news: Osama bin Laden, or someone who says he's bin Laden, and is using bin Laden's distribution network, wants Somali Muslims to overthrow Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, Somalia's president since January 31 of this year.

Radio Netherlands' headline reads, "Bin Laden attacks Arab leader." Their article starts with: "In a newly released video recording, Osama bin Laden has lashed out at an Arab leader. In the recording, the fugitive head of the al-Qaeda network called on his supporters to depose the new Somali president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad...."

That's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad in the photo,

I don't know Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad's biography all that well: his name and title certainly sound Arabic, and he's a Muslim, but, and I hope nobody will be offended by this: he doesn't look like most Arabs we see.

It's easy to assume that Radio Netherlands saw the name, read that he's a Muslim, and made an assumption. It's possible that "Arab" is a mistranslation in Radio Netherlands' English version. Or, maybe he is an Arab. It any case, once again:

• Not all Arabs are Muslims
• Not all Muslims are Arabs

Bin Laden is not pleased with the new Somali president. Sheikh Sharif has had control of Somalia's Islamic courts, but " 'as a result of inducements and offers from the American envoy in Kenya, he changed and turned back on his heels' and agreed to partner with the 'infidel' to form a government of national unity...." (CNN)

Don't Read the News: Study it

Or, if you stop at reading: don't assume that you've gotten the whole story. Or even, sometimes, accurate information.

The Curious Case of the Caption Caper

Sharia law's reputation has been taking a beating over the last few years, thanks to the lashings, beatings, and the odd stoning here there that Sharia law calls for. According to supporters of Sharia law, anyway.

Other supporters say that Sharia law is very nice, and not at all incompatible with Western values.

They could all be right. I've gotten the impression that there are considerably more varieties of 'genuine' Islam, than flavors of ice cream in a Baskin-Robins.

Here's what two different captions to photos of the new Somali president said:

• "President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has said shariah law in Somalia will not be strictly interpreted." (CNN)
• "Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has vowed to introduce Sharia " (BBC)

For the same of girls like Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow, I hope the CNN caption is a better match with reality. Somali courts listed her age as 23, before someone did a little checking. The young teenager had been raped.

Which, according to Sharia law - Somali style - meant that she was guilty of adultery. So, the court had her buried up to her neck and stoned to death. While about a thousand good Muslims watched. One of them explained that they were doing the will of Allah.

Yes, I know: America is Not Perfect

Some decades back, some screwball American judges had trouble telling the difference between a rape victim and an adulteress: but even they didn't pass death sentences, as far as I know. And, that application of warped cultural values to American law made quite a stink.

Yes, I know: Not All Muslims Stone Girls For Being Raped

As I said before, there is quite a smorgasbord of 'Islams' available, around the world. Whether a rape victim is stoned for the 'crime' she committed seems to depend on where she was raped.

Let's Hope CNN is Right

I sincerely hope that CNN hit closer to the mark. Quite aside from humanitarian concerns, Somali doesn't need more bad press - pirates in the north fighting Islamic fanatics in the south are doing a fine job of that right now. There's no need to go around, stoning young teens for being raped, and saying 'Allah told me to.'

Sheikh Sharif: Establishing Sharia, and "Surrogate" of Infidel America

In Somalia, it looks like no matter what a leader does: it's wrong. Support Sharia, and look like you're out to stone teenage girls; acknowledge the last thousand or so years of developments in human rights, and be called a "surrogate" of infidel America.

No matter what he does, the current president of Somalia is in for a rough time. My hope is that he doesn't do anything particularly stupid or evil, and escapes with his life.

Sheikh Sharif: No Friend to bin Laden

The new president of Somalia has "vowed to introduce Sharia." Osama bin Laden says he wants Sharia established and defended. So, what's the problem? Sounds like Bin Laden has one of his guys in Somalia.

Not so. Apparently Sheikh Sharif isn't establishing Sharia the right way. According to bin Laden.

As the new Osama bin Laden says, "...'beware of the initiatives which wear the dress of Islam and the religious institutions even as they contradict the rules of Islamic shariah, like the initiative attributed to some of the scholars of Somalia which gives Sheikh Sharif six months to implement Islamic shariah. They are asking him for something he was installed to demolish, so how can he possibly erect it?'..." (CNN) Sounds logical enough, given bin Laden's starting assumptions.

Osama bin Laden warned Somali Muslims who have been killing for Allah to beware. They shouldn't, bin Laden said, stop fighting and negotiate with the new Somali president. Sheikh Sharif, you see, is just the "new surrogate" - and he's under American control. According to Osama bin Laden.

" 'All intelligent people are aware of America's combating of Islam, and its past rejection of its establishment in Somalia, as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan,' " bin Laden said in his message. (CNN)

Who's Your Friend?

I've heard that "the enemy of your enemy is your friend" is a bit of wisdom that originated in the Middle East. Since that's an ancient center of civilization, I thank that's likely enough.

And, I think it may apply to relations between Somalia's current president, bin Laden, and the Obama administration.

Whatever preferences today's Somali president may have had, now that bin Laden has put the word out that Sheikh Sharif is persona non grata, I think that Sheikh Sharif should seriously consider not antagonizing America and other Western countries. With bin Laden and company gunning for you, a man can't have too man friends.

It goes both ways. If Sheikh Sharif wasn't a "surrogate" before, I think that the Obama administration should seriously consider giving limited and conditional support to the current Somali president.

Limited and conditional.

America: Intolerant and Biased

In a way, the view that many "intelligent" people in America is rather accurate. Despite decades of multicultural studies and the best efforts of America's self-described best and brightest, many American's remain extremely intolerant of some cherished customs of other cultures.

Like stoning rape victims to death.

More-or-less related posts:

• "Minnesotans Recruited for Terror?"
  (March 10, 2009)
• "Al Shabaab May Be Running Somalia Now: Just What We Need"
  (January 26, 2009)
• "Lebanon, Israel, Pakistan, India, and the Lizard People"
  (January 14, 2009)
• "America to Unilaterally Attack Somalia!"
  (January 8, 2009)
• "Guinea, Military Rule, and Terrorism: Beware Hasty Judgment"
  (December 29, 2008)
• "Chinese Navy to Somali Waters - Time Running out for Somalia?"
  (December 18, 2008)
• "Recruiting for Terror? Somali Minnesotans Missing, One Found Dead"
  (December 4, 2008)
• "Cruise Ships and Safety: Designated Smoking Areas and Sonic Cannons"
  (December 1, 2008)
• "Negotiated End to Somali Piracy - This Just Might Work"
  (November 26, 2008)
• "Somali Pirates, Sunken Trawlers, Missing Crews, and Fuming Hostages"
  (November 25, 2008)
• "Piracy and the War on Terror"
  (November 23, 2008)
• "Somali Piracy, Islamic Law, and Maybe a Piece of the Action"
  (November 23, 2008)
• "Piracy, Terrorism, and a Changing World"
  (November 20, 2008)
• There's more: use this blog's 'Search' function, in the upper left corner)

In the news:

• "Osama bin Laden Pushes Somali Cause"
  ABC News (March 19, 2009)
• "Bin Laden attacks Arab leader"
  Radio Netherlands Worldwide (March 19, 2009)
  • Somalia is in Africa, the current Somali president is, ethnically, an Arab)
• "Bin Laden: Topple Somalia's leader"
  Al Jazeera (March 19, 2009)
• "Purported bin Laden message urges Somali leader's overthrow"
  CNN (March 19, 2009)
• "Topple Somali leader - Bin Laden"
  BBC (March 19, 2009)
• "New worries over possible strikes by al-Shabaab in US"
  East African (March 14, 2009)

Background:

• "Save Women Now"
  Family Security Matters (March 6, 2009)
• "Islamic honor killings take center stage"
  WorldNet Daily (March 5, 2009)
• "Somalia"
  World Factbook, CIA (updated March 5, 2009)
• "Stoning victim 'begged for mercy' "
  BBC (March 4, 2009)
• "Osama bin Laden - "letter to the American people""
  GlobalSecurity.org (2000)

Pakistan, the Taliban, and Peace Through Diplomacy

Pakistan's national government has found a peaceful means of dealing with the Taliban: giving them what they want. The North West Frontier Province's Malakand region - including the Swat Valley - will be under Islamic law.

Taliban-style, that is.

Maybe it's the best that Pakistan's leadership could do.

If You Liked Afghanistan in the Nineties, You'll Love Tomorrow's Swat

I'm not at all comfortable with the situation: I remember what the Taliban did when they were running Afghanistan. And, although someone explained that blowing up the Bamiyan Buddhas was the fault of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the United Nations, and the world community in general (I'm not making this up), I think the Taliban is responsible. It was their explosives, used at their orders.

I regret the ancient statues' destruction, and believe that the AIIS slide show of the Bamiyan Buddhas just isn't the same as having the real thing available.

The real problem with the Taliban is that they don't stop with destroying statues that offend their notion of what Islam ought to be. Between flogging women, cutting off thieves' hands, and stoning adulterers (the women, anyway), the Taliban has a rather blemished record when it comes to human rights.

Islamic Law, Taliban-Style

The Taliban and their supporters wanted their notion of good old-fashioned Islamic law in the northwestern part of Pakistan. So far, in northwest Pakistan, they've destroyed

• Girl's schools
• Music shops
• Barbers
  • (timesonline didn't say whether it was Barber shops or Barbers

Now that that they've gotten the green light from Islamabad, they may start getting more hard nosed about making people follow their particular flavor of Islam.

I'm glad I don't live there.

Related posts:

• "Pakistan, India, Mumbai, Nuclear Weapons, and Pashtunistan: Simple This Isn't"
  (December 27, 2008)
• "Taliban Kills Christian Aid Worker, Striking Another Blow for Islam"
  (October 20, 2008)
  Particularly
  • "With Friends Like This, Islam Doesn't Need Enemies"
• "Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Foreign Troops: One Issue, Two Approaches"
  (September 16, 2008)
• "Honor Killing is Against Islam, Islamic Party Members Say"
  (September 7, 2008)
• "Pakistan, Terrorists, and the Mohmand Frontier Region: America is to Blame"
  (June 20, 2008)
• "Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Another Mosque Blows Up"
  (June 16, 2008)
• "Afghanistan's Arghandab District and the Taliban: More Than a Spot of Trouble"
  (June 16, 2008)
• "Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Taliban, Diplomacy, and Common Sense"
  (June 16, 2008)
• " 'They're all Muslims' - This Does Not Help"
  (December 29, 2007)
• "When Osama Talks, People Listen" excerpt
  (September 8, 2007)

News and views:

• "Pakistani woman watches Taliban take over town she loves"
  CNN (February 17, 2009)
• "Int'l community worried over deal between Pak and Taliban"
  Press Trust of India (February 17, 2009)
• "Swat valley locals happy to buy Sharia peace"
  Times of India (February 17, 2009)
• "Compromise in Swat: is the Pakistan army up to fighting insurgency?"
  Perspectives on Pakistan, Reuters Blogs (February 17, 2009)
• "Why the Taliban are destroying Buddhas"
  USA Today (March 22, 2001)

Somali Piracy, Islamic Law, and Maybe a Piece of the Action

I should have seen this coming.

When Somali pirates hijacked the Sirius Star, they ticked off the House of Saud ("Pirates Hijack Saudi Supertanker: Not the Brightest Idea?" (November 18, 2008)).

They also offended an Islamic 'militant' group in Sudan. It's name translates as "youth," or "the youth," and gets Latinized as the Shibab, al-Shabab, the Shebab, or Al-Shabaab.

It seems that, under (their version of) Islamic law, piracy is

• A capital offense
• If the ship is from an Islamic country
  • "...it is impermissible to detain the ship of an Islamic country..."
    (Mareeg Online)

That makes sense, sort of, in an antique sort of way: You don't pillage or kill your own people; but outsiders are fair game. Some of my ancestors, a thousand years or so back, experienced that sort of law - from both sides.

High Ideals, High Finance, and Spiritual Warfare

Since countries don't get much more "Islamic" than Saudi Arabia, Al-Shabaab is seriously ticked with the pirates. They've issued an ultimatum: release the ship, or get attacked.

Someone living in Harardhere, where the excitement (and the ship) is, thinks that what Al-Shabaab actually wants is a piece of the action. Which, considering that there's a multi-million-dollar ransom involved, is quite possible. The armored personnel carriers that Al-Shabaab uses to practice its form of spirituality cost money.

Piracy: From Boom Times to 'Kaboom?'

The Somali pirates may not be in the best position. Sure, they're living like kings with the ransom money that's flowing in.

But they've made shipping in the Gulf of Aden so dicey, that companies are diverting cargo around the Cape of Good Hope: longer trip, more expensive, but safer. Shipping companies don't like that, and neither do their customers: who get stuck with higher shipping costs.

Which makes countries like Russia, India, and America upset with the pirates. Saudi Arabia went on the list when their supertanker was hijacked.

The Somali government, for what it's worth, has threatened military action.

The United Nations is remarkably clear about not approving of what the pirates are doing.

And now, at least one bunch of Islamic militants is coming after the pirates.

My guess is that, if anyone wants to try the 'let's sit down and talk' sort of diplomacy, they'll have to hurry.

In the news:

• "Somali Pirates Move Saudi Tanker as Islamists Warn of Attacks"
  Bloomberg (November 23, 2008)
• "Tension mounts in Somali pirate lair as ransom clock ticks"
  AFP (November 23, 2008)
• "Islamist Fighters Threaten to Attack Pirates in Clash Over Hijacked Supertanker"
  FOXNews (November 23, 2008)
• "Islamic fighters vow to rescue hijacked Saudi tanker"
  CNN (November 23, 2008)
• "Somalia: Somali official says ready to act militarily if Saudi tanker's owners agr"
  Mareeg Online (November 23, 2008)
• "Tankers Rerouted From Pirates"
  Wall Street Journal (November 21, 2008)

Mickey Mouse Must Die! Agent of Satan Targeted by Saudi Cleric

I'm not making this up.

You've probably heard about it by now: Saudi Arabia's Sheikh Muhammad Munajid has identified Mickey Mouse as "one of Satan's soldiers" - and warns that everything Mickey touches is impure.

Sheikh Muhammad Munajid isn't some fringe nut case. At least, not the usual sort. He's a prominent Saudi, and for a while was a Saudi diplomat in Washington, D.C..

The Saudi cleric explains that, under sharia law, mice are unclean. He discussed his flavor of Islam in a religious affairs program on al-Majd TV, an Arab television network.

In the good old days, saying something in a language other than English was a pretty good way of keeping it away from Americans, Englishmen, and Australians. That's all changed. The Middle East Media Research Institute, an American press monitoring service, translated the Muslim cleric's remarks: "The mouse is one of Satan's soldiers and is steered by him.

"If a mouse falls into a pot of food – if the food is solid, you should chuck out the mouse and the food touching it, and if it is liquid – you should chuck out the whole thing, because the mouse is impure.

"According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature. How do you think children view mice today – after Tom and Jerry?..." (From the Daily Telegraph (September 15, 2008).)

In a way, Sheikh Munajid is right. Mice are not the sort of creature you want falling on your food. Or running through it.

But, "agent of Satan?!" I think that's carrying a dislike of household pests a little far.

In addition to being anti-mouse, Sheikh Muhammad Munajid doesn't approve of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He called them the "bikini Olympics," because the women weren't wearing as much clothing as he though appropriate. Again, he's got a point. In some cases, I've got a very clear memory of how the female athletes looked, from the chin down: but only a vague notion of what event they were competing in.

The Sheikh turns the volume of his protests up so much, that any reasonable objections get lost in the noise.

Sheikh Muhammed Mnajid didn't stop with 'death to the mouse.' It gets better. Or worse.

In the news:

• "Mickey Mouse must die, says Saudi Arabian cleric"
  Daily Telegraph (September 15, 2008)

Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.

This Should be Interesting: Sharia Law Officially Adopted in Britain

The British Arbitration Act 1996 has a clause in it that classifies sharia courts as arbitration tribunals. That means that decisions of a sharia court are legally binding, as long as both parties in a dispute agree to give the sharia court the power to rule in their case.

A network of sharia courts has been set up in Britain, headquartered in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. There are now sharia courts in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester. Two more are in the planning stages, in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi thinks these courts are a good idea. He runs them. In a TimesOnline article, he said: "We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are."

I understand how attractive it seems, setting up a separate-but-equal court system for civil cases. Just the same, I'm concerned about what may happen.

For one thing, having two different court systems working the same territory in the same country seems to be asking for confusion.

For another, sharia law has earned a debatable reputation lately. I've written about this before:

• "Don't Like British Law? No Problem!
  Set Up Your Own Courts!"
  (February 11, 2008)
• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)
• "Muslims, Terrorism, Islam, PBS, and 'Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics' "
  (October 20, 2007)

There's more: use this blog's search function, and search for sharia law.

I sincerely hope that the British Muslims who run Sheikh Siddiqi's courts don't follow Sudan's and Saudi Arabia's lead when applying sharia law to 21st century British cases.

In the News:

• "Britain officially adopts Sharia law on the sly"
  Daily News & Analysis (September 15, 2008)
• "MUSLIM COURTS HAVE HEARD 100 CASES IN BRITAIN "
  Daily Express (September 15, 2008)
• "Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts"
  TimesOnline (September 14, 2008)

Another news article, not directly related to the adoption of sharia law in Britain, presented as background: "'Have more babies and Muslims can take over the UK' hate fanatic says, as warning comes that 'next 9/11 will be in UK' " (MailOnline (September 13, 2008)). This article contrasts Anjem Choudary's views with mainstream Islamic organizations like the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). MCB condemned 9/11 and 7/7: which Anjem Chourdary says was 'selling their souls to the devil.'

Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.

Afghanistan's Arghandab District and the Taliban: More Than a Spot of Trouble

Over in Afghanistan, a bunch of "militants" have taken over some villages in the southeastern part of the country. Some news reports are cautiously admitting that there might be a connection between the Taliban jailbreak some days ago and today's actions:

• "Taliban fighters take over several Afghan villages"
  CTV.ca (June 16, 2008)
  • "...NATO spokesperson Mark Laity said NATO and Afghan military officials are sending troops to the district to 'meet any potential threats.'
  • "Laity seemed to link the jailbreak with the Taliban push into Arghandab.
  • " 'It's fair to say that the jailbreak has put a lot of people (rebels) into circulation who weren't there before, and so obviously you're going to respond to that potential threat,' he said...."
    [emphasis mine]

Other news services are a little more up-front with what's happening:

• "Taliban fighters take over several Afghan villages near Kandahar city"
  The Calgary Sun (June 16, 2008)
  • "KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Taliban fighters swarmed the doorstep of Afghanistan’s second-largest city Monday, bombing small bridges and scattering landmines to keep Canadian and international troops at bay.
  • "The president of the Kandahar provincial council and brother of President Hamid Karzai said the rebels claimed a handful of villages and were rumoured to be seeking a bigger target: Kandahar city.
  • "Canadian soldiers, U.S. special forces, and the Afghan army were deployed to the area to keep them from advancing, said Ahmed Wali Karzai. But landmines and bombed-out culverts stood in NATO’s path, he said.
  • "Karzai said rebels had nabbed control of several villages along the Arghandab district - just next door to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban....
• "Hundreds of Taliban occupy Afghan villages"
  CNN (June 16, 2008)
  • "KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of Taliban fighters have taken over several villages in the same southern Afghanistan province where about 400 Taliban militants recently escaped from prison, local officials and police said.
  • "About 400 to 500 Taliban militants were seen streaming into the Arghandab district of the Kandahar province late Sunday night on motor bikes and pickup trucks, said Haji Aka Jan, a tribal elder in the district.
  • "Abdul Wali Karzai, younger brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and head of the provincial council, also said a large number of militants entered the district, and Afghan and NATO forces were preparing to come into the area.
  • "Reports varied on how many villages were taken. Taliban fighters have taken at least 5 villages and could have taken as many as 13, locals said.
  • "The villages area is about 20 km (12 miles) north of Kandahar, a former stronghold for the Taliban, and close to the prison escape....

Taliban or Not, Does the Fate of Arghandab Matter?

Yes. Certainly to the people living there. And, sooner or later, it will matter to people living in Indonesia, Kenya, and Minnesota.

The Taliban, and the other jihandist Islamic groups, have demonstrated that they're not particularly tolerant of those who don't follow their flavor of Islam exactly. Back when the Taliban was in charge, Afghanistan lost the Bamiyan Buddhas, and other irreplaceable archaeological treasures, when the big Taliban boss, Mullah Mohammed Omar, said that all 'idolatrous' images should be destroyed.

The Taliban weren't any easier on people they didn't approve of.

There Isn't Any Real Threat, Right?

It wouldn't take too much effort to look at the situation in Arghandab as a matter for local law enforcement to take care of: Just

• Ignore a tribal elder's story that "400 to 500 Taliban militants were seen streaming into the Arghandab district of the Kandahar province late Sunday night on motor bikes and pickup trucks"
• Forget about the terrain
• Don't mention the enemy's habits
• Dismiss what's at stake as some sort of plot by Big Oil, or some other bogey man

If this bunch of Islamic enthusiasts gets a foothold in Afghanistan, there's a chance they could take over again.

That doesn't seem all that unlikely, given the terrain there. "A tribal leader from the region warned that the militants could use the cover from Arghandab's grape and pomegranate orchards to mount an attack on the provincial capital itself.

" 'All of Arghandab is made of orchards. The militants can easily hide and easily fight,' said Haji Ikramullah Khan. ("Taliban fighters take over several Afghan villages near Kandahar city" The Calgary Sun (June 16, 2008))

Plus, there's the charming habit that Islamic terrorists have of using civilians for cover.

" 'It is extremely difficult to chase these guys out of the villages when they are not wearing uniforms that say "I am the Taliban," ' MacDonald¹ said. 'They can just put down their guns and blend in. NATO may have to decide to bomb and that could bring civilian casualties.' " ("Hundreds of Taliban occupy Afghan villages" CNN (June 16, 2008))

In the (I trust unlikely) event that Afghanistan falls back into the hands of the Taliban, radical Muslims will have regained a major base of operations. For people who have gotten used to allowing their women to get groceries without an escort, and not do exactly what their imam tells them to, the world that the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and similar organizations have in mind wouldn't be very pleasant.

I harangued a bit about this, in "International Law Under a Global Caliphate: Think About It" (October 10, 2007).

Although the most serious changes under the rule of radical Islam's notion of sharia law would be social, like removing women from the voting roles and enforcing a no-trousers policy for men, America would lose some landmarks, too.

It's hard to believe that the Caliph of America would allow blasphemous images to remain in his domain: like the

• Statue of Liberty
• Lincoln Memorial
• Crazy Horse Memorial
• Paul Bunyan and Babe statues in Bemidji

Yes, Arghandab Matters

It's not considered 'tolerant' to say things like this, but the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and like-minded jihadist Muslims are doing bad things. They very likely will continue to do bad things on a larger and larger scale, until they are stopped by force. And, it will be easier to stop them before they re-establish their old bases, and create new ones.

Related post:

"Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Taliban, Diplomacy, and Common Sense"
(June 16, 2008)

---

¹ Norine MacDonald is the Senlis Council's president: The Senlis Council is a think tank based in the Kandahar province.

You Think American Courts are Crazy Now?

This ties in with the war on terror, really.

First, some of this week's headlines:

American Courts in the News

"Judge Orders Whites Out Of Atlanta Court"

WSB - Atlanta (March 28, 2008) "ATLANTA -- Judge Marvin Arrington insists he's not a racist; despite ordering white lawyers out of his courtroom on Thursday." (The judge's black, and as a member of two other ethnic minorities, I think he had a point: check out the article. What I think is crazy here is why Judge Arrington has to defend himself.)

"Judge Somma rethinks his resignation"

UnionLeader.com (April 2, 2008)

"Boston — A judge who resigned after being caught driving drunk in New Hampshire while in drag says he's reconsidering his decision to quit.

"U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Somma said in a letter to Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly posted Tuesday that an outpouring of support from judges, lawyers and others led him to reconsider"

Courts Around the World in the News

"Malaysian man gets double whammy divorce"

Idaho Statesman (April 1, 2008)

"KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — When Roslan Ngah took a second wife, he might have wondered if she would get along with his first.

"He need not have worried. The two women got on so well they decided to leave him at the same time.

"Faced with their united stand, Roslan, a 44-year-old Malaysian Muslim, divorced his two wives, aged 46 and 35, in an Islamic Shariah Court in northeastern Terengganu state on Tuesday, a lawyer said Wednesday.

"According to Islamic law, a woman can submit a request to leave her husband, but the pronouncement of divorce must come from the man or a court. Islam allows a man to have four wives."

"Man, woman stoned to death in Pakistan"

United Press International (April 2, 2008)

"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan ... -- A man and a woman, sentenced to death by a Pakistani tribal court after being found guilty of adultery, reportedly were stoned to death by Taliban militants.

"The stoning was supposedly carried out Monday in the Khwezai-Baezai tribal area, Dawn newspaper reported. The area is part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

"It was first such reported incident of a stoning by the militants, who usually put the accused before firing squads, the report said."

So We Become Part of a Caliphate: So What?

According to some of the 'deep thinkers' I've known, governments everywhere (with the possible exception of the Worker's Paradise) are pretty much the same: unless maybe American government institutions are more racist and oppressive.

I haven't talked with them recently, but my guess is that some would say that it wouldn't make much difference, if the American Congress was replaced with a council of Ayatollahs, and the Supreme Court justices were replaced by scholars well-versed in Sharia law.

The others would know enough about the shallow end of Islamic law to know that they wouldn't like it. American courts have their faults: but they do, in general, give a little wiggle room for human nature; and don't regard what goes on in the back seat of a car as a capital offense.

It Can't Happen Here

Don't be so sure.

Quite a few leaders around the world seem to regard Chamberlain as the paragon of international diplomacy.

Negotiation is great, it has a place in diplomacy: and really good negotiators have a shot at a Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking of which, have you noticed that negotiators like Yasser Arafat and Jimmy Carter have gotten the Nobel Peace Prize, but not Generals, many of whom actually ended wars?¹

I'm genuinely concerned that the next American president, and many members of Congress, may try to achieve "peace for our time," rather than peace.

As I said, negotiation is great: but there are people who regard negotiation as an opportunity to delay their enemy. The National Socialist German Workers Party made effective use of negotiation, and Europe's fervent desire for peace, in 1938.

Seven decades later, many leaders are as desperate for peace as Nevil Chamberlain, Edouard Daladier, and others were. I hope that today's - and tomorrow's - negotiators learn the right lessons from history.

---

¹ To be fair, American Commander in Chiefs - Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter - got the prize: in 1906, 1919 and 2002, respectively.

Don't Like British Law? No Problem! Set Up Your Own Courts!

I am not making this up.

"The British sharia 'crime' court in a cafe where knifemen walk free"

Well, not quite free. There was an exchange of money and an apology after a knifing.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is still dealing with reactions to a little speech in which he called for an "accommodation" with parts of the Islamic legal code. Quite a few Britons were not amused.

On the surface, allowing one minority to have their own little system of law courts seems daft. On consideration, however, I believe that that the Archbishop's recommendation, as implemented, is insane, bonkers, dotty, demented, unbalanced, wrong on several levels, and barmy, as well as daft.

I mean to say: letting one group decide that they'd rather not obey the law that everyone else does? I'm all for community involvement, but this is carrying the idea way and away too far.

British culture secretary Andy Burnham said it best: the Archbishop's mooncalf notion about independent sharia courts would be a "recipe for chaos."

British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed

Posts touching on the matter of a teddy bear named Mohammed vs. Islam:

• "The War on Terror - What It's For, What It's Against"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Good News for Infidel Teacher: Still No News on Anti-Islamic Teddy Bear"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Mohammed the Teddy Bear vs Islam: The Saga Continues"
  (December 1, 2007)
• "Sudan Court Defends Islam: Teacher Found Guilty of "Inciting Religious Hatred" / Inciting Religious Hatred - With a Teddy Bear??!"
  (November 29, 2007)
• "Beyond the Teddy Bear: Sudan, the Darfur Genocide, and Islam"
  (November 29, 2007)
• "Sudan Defends Islam Against Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 28, 2007)
• "Islam vs. the Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 27, 2007)
• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)

The War on Terror - What It's For, What It's Against

Western Plot Against Islam Thwarted!
Hatemongering British Teacher Flees to England!
Mohammed the Teddy Bear's Fate a Mystery!

British teacher Gillian Gibbons is back in England. I'd like to say "safe in England," but this year's bombings in London and Glasgow show that the United Kingdom has its share of religious nuts. As the news of Gibbons' attack on Islam filters through the Islamic community in England, someone's going to have a shot at carrying out their fellow-Muslims' demands for "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

Still, it's good that this teacher is out of Sudanese hands, and back in a country where sharia law isn't the law of the land.

Why those borderline-delusional headlines for this post?

I've read and heard that the people who targeted a London nightclub and drove a flaming Jeep Cherokee through the main entrance of Glasgow's Blackpool airport are upset at how western nations - including England - are oppressing Muslims.

Lord Nazir Ahmed and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, British peers who follow Islam, negotiated Gillian Gibbons' release earlier today. How elevating people whose immediate ancestors aren't anywhere near British to the peerage doesn't sound like oppression to me.

On the other hand, being more or less forced into national politics and international affairs isn't exactly a piece of cake. Maybe Lord Ahmed is oppressed, after all.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir may have gained some diplomatic ground from this incident. Lord Ahmed said "the relations between our two countries will not be damaged by this incident." He also said that Britain respected Islam. He apparently didn't explain why.

Meanwhile, the British teacher, Gillian Gibbons, gave the Sudanese government a written statement to work with. Under the circumstances, I can hardly blame her. Some excerpts:

• "I have a great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone"
• She wrote that she was sorry if she caused any "distress."

These statements may be useful to President al-Bashir's regime. He's been using a "mix of anti-colonialism, religious fundamentalism and a sense that the West is besieging Islam."

I think this successful philosophy may help explain why Sudan's genocide in the Darfur region was a non-event that wasn't happening for so long.

Western leaders, at least the self-described best and brightest in America, have a rather clearly-defined model of how the world works:

• Western imperialism, particularly American Imperialism, is the root of the world's ills
• The western religion, Christianity, is also the root of the world's ills
  (never mind that Christianity is, arguably, an Oriental mystery religion)
• Blacks/Africans are victims of
  • Oppression by whites
  • Specifically, oppression by northern Europeans, and people whose ancestors were northern Europeans
  Oppression by Christians and Christianity
• Believers in non-Christian religions are oppressed by Christians

This is over-simplified, of course, but I think that this list of assumptions is a fairly accurate description of part of the mental model that those people who believe themselves to be the educated and open-minded segment of American society.

It's a model that works fairly well, at least when looking at parts of the Old South before the sixties.

Then, there's the Darfur region of Sudan. That's where an Arabic, Islamic regime is, at best, hampering efforts to stop a systematic killing of Africans: in a part of Sudan where the (African) locals are rather more likely to be Christian than in the Islamic north.

Christians being oppressed by non-Christians?

Africans being oppressed by people who, although technically Caucasian, most certainly don't come from northern Europe?

This most certainly does not fit the 'America and Christianity is to blame' model.

I may be unfair, writing this, but I think it's at least plausible that Darfur stayed off the radar so long because there wasn't an obvious way to blame either America or Christianity for the killings. At least, without blaming the victims of the genocide. And blame-the-victim isn't very popular right now - thankfully.

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"Western Plot Against Islam" and all that:

I'm not making up that "western plot" stuff. Sudanese clerics said that "What has happened was not haphazard or carried out of ignorance, but rather a calculated action and another ring in the circles of plotting against Islam." There's more: "It is part of the campaign of the so-called war against terrorism and the intense media campaign against Islam."

"Hatemongering?" That's not my opinion about what the British teacher did. It's what a Sudanese court, following sharia law, said she was doing. She was found guilty of "Inciting Religious Hatred."

As for the teddy bear, brought to school by one of Gillian Gibbons' students: Mohammed the teddy bear hasn't been heard of since this exercise in lunacy began.

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Is Islam a Treatable Mental Illness?

Quite possibly not.

It's easy for non-Muslims to see Islam as a disorder similar to paranoid schizophrenia, based on

• Sudan's insane response to a teddy bear named Mohammed
• Saudi Arabia's sentencing of the "Girl from Qatif"
• The Taliban's execution of a teenage boy for teaching English and wearing pants

And that's just cases of Islamic jurisprudence that made international news in the last few weeks.

There seems to be more to Islam than that.

A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, Inayat Bunglawala, said that Gillian Gibbons should never have been arrested - and that the the Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the pardon. "It will be wonderful to see her back in the U.K. I am sure she will be welcomed by both Muslims and non-Muslims after her quite terrible ordeal at the hands of the Sudanese authorities," he said.

On this side of the Atlantic, the American Islamic Congress has issued a series of press releases as the matter of the British teacher, the teddy bear named Mohammed, and sharia law played out:

1. "American Islamic Congress Slams Sudanese Government over Teddy Bear Case, Demands British Teacher Be Freed Immediately"
2. "American Islamic Congress Slams Sudan for Jailing Teacher, Launches FreeGillian.org Letter-Writing Drive"
3. "American Islamic Congress Calls for Continued Pressure on Sudan Following Teacher's Release"

This case of the British teacher and the teddy bear named Mohammed is not a major event. I doubt that it will be more than a footnote, at most, in any history of this period.

On the other hand, I think it's an excellent example of what the War on Terror is about. Apparently, the 'Arab on the street' shares the opinion of those Sudanese clerics, who believe that the west is out to get Islam.

I can understand how people who fear the end of treasured traditions like honor killings and flogging rape victims would see the War on Terror as an attack on their beliefs. It is.

But it's not an attack on Islam. At least, not according to the likes of the American Islamic Congress and Lord Ahmed.

As I see it, America and several other nations around the world are defending a two-hundred-year-plus-year-old tradition of freedom, self-determination, and a rule of law that doesn't involve draconian decisions based on tribal law.

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Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks

"The Islamic world" is a handy label for that swath of territory and people from Turkey to Indonesia.

As the followers of Mohammed preached and hacked their way across Asia and Africa, they set up quite a wide variety of "Islamic" cultures. I'm aware that I'm over-simplifying here: This post is long as it is, without going into detail on what's happened in the last fourteen centuries, since Mohammed's conquest of Mecca in 630.

(The founder of Islam has my respect, if for nothing else than for raising an army, marching on a city, conquering that city with minimal bloodshed, and then refraining from slaughtering the inhabitants. Such a high level of humanitarianism has been rare in human history.)

(And, about the spelling of the Prophet's name. There's a variety of ways to take his name from the Arabic alphabet and drop it into the Latin alphabet as used in English. I'm going to use Mohammed, since that's what the standard set in the Associated Press style book I use. Exceptions will be situations where I'm quoting from a source, or where I make a mistake.)

Islamic Unity??

Since Islam is a sort of roll-your-own religion, with no central authority to define what's so and what's not, there are many varieties of Islam. I'm going to take a glance at three "Islamic" countries, and "Christian" America, and try to make some sense of what's out there.

Indonesia is just over 86% Muslim, compared to

• 70% Sunni Muslim for Sudan
  (with 5% Christian - mostly in south and Khartoum -
  and 25% indigenous beliefs)
• 100% Muslim for Saudi Arabia

For comparison, America is about 78% Christian, if you include Mormons:

• 52% Protestant
• 24% Roman Catholic
• 2% Mormon
• 1% Jewish
• 1% Muslim
• 10% Other
• 10% None

Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country, in terms of raw numbers, and is more "Muslim" than America is "Christian."

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia owns and controls Mecca, and is virtually all Muslim.

And, in addition to being about as far away from each other geographically as any other two Islamic countries are, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are very far away from each other in terms of their on-the-street, practical, Islamic beliefs.

Islam: Saudi Style

She's known as the "Girl from Qatif." She's a 19-year-old who was raped by about a half-dozen men, and (so far) sentenced to 200 lashes and prison time. The Saudi Justice Ministry's latest story is that she's guilty of adultery. And that's why she'll be flogged.

It makes sense, since what passes for justice in Saudi Arabia is run by a collection of Islamic courts and judges appointed by the king. The royal opinion has access to the opinion of Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council. The whole mess uses Sharia Law as the foundation for their decisions.

A little oddity in this case: The Saudi Justice Ministry's current story is that the "Girl from Qatif" was with a high school friend, recovering a photo that showed the two of them together. "Then they were spotted by the other defendants as the woman was in an indecent condition as she had tossed away her clothes, then the assault occurred on her and the man," is how the Houston Chronicle reported the latest Saudi story.

That sentence of prison and lashes, that the 19-year-old got after an appeal? It was legal, according to the Saudi ministry, and followed the "the book of God and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad."

Speaking of Mohammed, here's an example of

Islam: Sudan Style

A British school teacher has been sentenced to 40 lashes. She's guilty of a serious crime. She allowed her class of 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." The vote was 20 for "Muhammad," 3 for other names.

British Embassy in Khartoum said that it still doesn't know whether the teacher has been charged. Formally, that is. "We are following it up with the authorities and trying to meet her in person," said the embassy.

I'm impressed at how laid back Sudanese authorities are, about getting around to formal charges. Not favorably impressed, but I am impressed.

The teacher was following a British National Curriculum course for teaching about animals and their habitats. The animal this year was the bear.

After naming the teddy bear, each student could have the bear for a weekend. They were supposed to record what they did with the bear. Then each account was put in a book, with "My name is Muhammad" on the cover.

This apparently is an insult to the prophet of Islam. And, more to the point, regarded as an insult by the prophet's lash-happy followers in Sudan.

Sudanese police now want to question the 7-year-old girl who brought in the teddy bear.

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Islam, Indonesian Style

Since the Indonesian judicial system isn't based on Sharia Law, it wouldn't be entirely fair to use Indonesian court decisions as an example of Islam in action.

Christians have been executed in Indonesia: For example, the three Christians who were convicted of leading a militia that killed at least 70 Muslims during 1999-2002. After that, Indonesia sentenced a dozen Christian men to terms of up to 14 years: Because they beat two Muslims to death, and beheaded them. The nominal Christians were exacting vengeance for the earlier death sentences.

Christianity, American Style

America is less "Christian" than any of these three Islamic nations is "Muslim." And, America's judicial system, like Indonesia's, isn't based (directly) on a set of religious laws.

For both countries, I'm sure that the religious faiths of those who drew up the laws had something to do with what the laws dictate. I think, though, that America can take credit for putting more distance between traditional religious beliefs and actual judicial practice.

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Religious Values: or Cultural Values?

Islam isn't the only religion where decisions about the faith are made on a regional or local level. Protestant Christianity is very democratic in the way that its lack of a central authority demands that groups decide for themselves what they believe.

In the case of large denominations, like the Lutheran or Baptist churches, we don't often see beliefs preached that stray very far from the dominant culture.

At the other end of the scale, we've got outfits like the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. (Not the Westboro Baptist Church of Westboro, Ontario, which has nothing in common with the Kansas outfit, apart from the name.) I discussed this outfit's notions about the American military being part of a homosexual plot in "Tolerance Only Goes So Far" and "Does Free Speech Include Disrupting Funerals?."

Then, there's the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK. They're not a religious group, but their beliefs include disapproval of the existence of Catholics and Jews in their neighborhood. Or anywhere, I gather. And, their habit of burning crosses has seared the idea into people's minds that they're a Christian splinter group.

I'm no expert, but it looks like "The Islamic World" is nowhere near being a unified entity. From Saudi Arabia, where religious fanatics seem to be running the judiciary, to Indonesia, where religious fanatics are trying to topple the government for not being Islamic enough, there's at least as much of a divide as between Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who want to kill infidels in America, and elsewhere; and the infidels, who, by and large, would rather not be killed.

Certainly not for offenses like wearing pants.

The impression I get is that many of these "Islamic" countries are what America would be like, if the KKK or the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka ran the show.

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