Iran -- Valentine's Day Protests. What Will Sarah Palin Say?

By Kathleen

"The creation of the spiritual artist is the expression of love."

Painting by Vivi Savitri

As our eyes move slowly away from Egypt our gaze becomes fixed on Iran. Undeterred by a ban on demonstrations by the Iranian government, Iranian protesters, encouraged by the infant success of similar demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia, are engaged in brutal skirmishes with the Iran state police. The essence of the protesters demands is the same -- the people of Iran want more say in who governs them. The New York Times reports that in an effort to disperse the protesters, the Iranian police used vicious methods such as firing tear gas into the crowds and beating them. The government news agency Fars claims that three people are reported to have been seriously injured, one person killed and countless people arrested over the day.

The following short amateur video uncovers some of the confusion that the demonstrations caused yesterday. Reports vary regarding the numbers of people taking part in the protests. Some say tens of thousands, some thousands and some say hundreds.

A few weeks ago Sarah Palin clumsily inserted herself into the then delicate political discourse regarding Egypt's future when she complained that Obama was not competent in his handling of the situation there. The implication of her assertion was that the Egyptian protestors were being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood and that as such the revolution there should not be supported. She questioned:

"Is it going to be the Muslim Brotherhood? We should not stand for that, or with that, or by that. Any radical Islamists. No, that is not who we should be supporting and standing by ... we need to find out who was behind all of the turmoil and the revolt and the protests so that good decisions can be made in terms of who we will stand by and support."

In doing so Palin unremittingly set herself aside from the legitimacy of the Egyptian people's claim to democracy and who it is that they wish to represent them.

On the 11th February with the full knowledge that the Iranian opposition party, led by Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, had already called for a day of protests in favour of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Palin twittered from her Blackberry:

Media:ask "Will Obama Admin exert as much 'constructive'

pressure on Iranian govt to change and allow freedom ~ as

they just did for Egypt?"

It appears that Palin apologists consider this twitter as proof that she is an excellent policy advisor who has the full attention of President Obama. According to Devonia Smith, President Obama was responding to Palin's twitter when he announced that Iran should allow its people to demonstrate. Smith seems to imply that President Obama had not known of the warnings given by the Iranian government to the Iranian opposition party that they should abandon their planned protest. That he was responding to Palin's taunting and not Ahmadinejad's government.

Whatever we may think about the wisdom of such claims it is evident that Palin supports the right of the Iranian people to protest against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because she does not believe that he is a legitimate ruler. Palin would like to see a form of democracy in Iran that supports a United States world view. She is no more interested in the will of the people of Iran than she was interested in the will of the people of Egypt. Just one more reason why she MUST never be President of the United States.

Jordan vs. Egypt: The Same and Yet Different

Guest Post by BanditBasheert

Prior to his death, King Hussein of Jordan married Elizabeth (Lisa) Halaby who was his last wife until his death in 1999. Taking the name Queen Noor, she has chosen to remain in Jordan and is known as the Queen Dowager. Lisa Halaby was born, raised, and educated in the United States. She attended National Cathedral School from fourth to eighth grade. She briefly attended The Chapin School in New York City's Manhattan, then went on to Concord Academy in Massachusetts. She entered Princeton University with its first coeducational freshman class, and received a BA in Architectureand Urban Planning in 1973. Queen Noor renounced her US citizenship upon her marriage and took Jordanian citizenship. She has remained actively involved in literacy issues in Jordan, is the current President of the United World Colleges and a strong advocate of the anti-nuclear weapons proliferation campaign Global Zero.

When King Hussein was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, the subject of the succession came under discussion. King Hussein received medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic in the United States on multiple occasions. When he at last came home to Jordan, to die, he surprised the world and named Abdullah as his successor.

King Abdullah II of Jordan succeeded his father King Hussein upon his death February 2, 1999. Born in Amman, Jordan in 1962, he is highly educated having attended St. Edmunds School in Surrey, England, and then attending the Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He has regularly attended Deerfield Commencements, flying his own plane to Boston and helicoptering to the soccer field at the school to give the address.

He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (U.K.) in 1980 and was commissioned as second Lieutenant in spring of 81.

He also has several attachments to the Special Forces and a year as a tactics instructor with Jordan Army's Anti-Tank, Cobra Helicopter Wing.

An adrenalin junkie at heart, he flies his own planes, helicopters and loves to race motorcycles. A very unusual king.

King Abdullah II has continued his late father's commitment to creating a strong and positive moderating role for Jordan within the Arab region and the world and has worked towards the establishment of a just and lasting comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. King Abdullah II is committed to building on the late King's legacy to further institutionalize democratic and political pluralism in Jordan. He has exerted extensive effort to ensuring sustainable levels of economic growth and social development aimed at improving the standard of living of all Jordanians. He is also working towards modernizing Jordan's information technology and educational systems.

Under King Abdullah's reign, Jordan was admitted to the World Trade Organization, and ratified agreements for the establishment of a Free Trade Area with the United States of America, the European Union, the European Free Trade Association countries, and sixteen Arab countries. King Abdullah II has also been involved in the drive for national administrative reform, as well as governmental transparency and accountability. He has been working on the advancement of civil liberties making Jordan one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East. Also, he has been involved in enacting the necessary legislations that guarantee women a full role in the Kingdom's socio-economic and political life.

King Abdullah II married Queen Rania on June 10th, 1993. The Royal Couple have two sons, Prince Hussein, the Crown Prince, born on June 28th, 1994, and Prince Hashem, born on January 30th 2005, and two daughters, Princess Iman, born on September 27th, 1996, and Princess Salma, born on September 26th, 2000. The King has four brothers and six sisters. Queen Rania is of Palestinian heritage.

King Abdullah II has a vision for Jordan that includes opportunities for all Jordanians to attend school. In the mid 2000s he announced he would build the first co-educational boarding school in the Middle East, King’s Academy. A daunting project, since a boarding school that included girls could be a challenge in a Muslim country.

Following the 2006 Kings Commencement Address at Deerfield, the Deerfield Reunion was treated to the exciting news that King Abdullah II of Jordan (a staunch supportive alum of the Academy) had begun building the very first co-educational College Preparatory School in Jordan, to be located in Madaba, outside of Amman. The first classes entered in the Fall of 2007. In addition, King Abdullah invited the Deerfield Faculty to a week visiting the school prior to its opening.

Kings Academy is a college Preparatory Academy for students wishing to attend a variety of American Universities worldwide. Set on 144 acres in Madaba, it took two years to build and includes the finest of facilities from an Olympic-sized swimming pool and equestrian center to a "spirituality center," where students of all religions will be free to practice their faith in the predominantly Muslim country.

Kings Academy has separate facilities for female and male students. According to custom. Even the pool areas are screened. A small token to the fathers of the female students.


When Egypt erupted in protests on Friday January 28, 2011, fear spread to the Jordanians. Unlike Egypt, in Amman, security forces were handing out water and juice says an International Crisis Group Official who was visiting Jordan from Washington, time.com reported. “It was really tepid and friendly”.

When King Abdullah II dismissed his cabinet, it was observed that this does happen frequently in Jordan, according to time.com. “The government was perceived to be a corrupt government. It was made up of businessmen who profit from their positions. It was a pre-emptive move.”

"There is no comparison between Egypt and Jordan," an Islamic Action Front official told AFP. "The people there demand a regime change, but here we ask for political reforms and an elected government. We recognize and acknowledge the legitimacy of the Hashemites."

Independent observers judge that the respect for Jordan's royals is grounded in realpolitik. The Hashemite royal family hails from the Hejaz of what is now eastern Saudi Arabia and was given control of Jordan by the British mapmakers who (with the French) drew the borders of the modern Middle East. Once a collection of nomadic tribes in what was dubbed TransJordan, the modern kingdom is majority Palestinian, having absorbed a huge number of refugees from the land Jewish armies took over in 1948 to create Israel.

The current monarch's charismatic father, King Hussein, not only navigated the demographic landscape but proved so adept at accommodating assorted parties — including Washington — that he made himself seem indispensable. Abdullah II, who ascended to the throne in 1999, has garnered less glowing reviews. But he married a Palestinian, Queen Rania, and when protesters began gathering in Cairo, he had the wits to get out of the castle that is Amman and be seen inquiring as to the welfare of his subjects in the desert south of the capital.

"While the sort of demands being voiced across the region are very similar — better governments, accountability, fighting corruption, political reform generally — the countries we're dealing with are very different," says Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group. "The way these demands are being processed is going to differ from country to country. In Jordan we have a situation where a monarchy has been accepted historically as an outsider bringing together different tribes and populations across Jordan, especially the Palestinians. The monarchy plays a very specific role and has been accepted because of it. I think in Jordan the Hashemite monarchy has a lot of good will."

Young of the Daily Star agrees. "Jordan is different from the region," he says. "There are problems. But the monarchy is not the same as a Mubarak. Mubarak may have behaved like a King, but he was a tyrant, and perceptions are different. No one is going to demand the removal of the Hashemite dynasty. Sure, they can demand that the government be changed, or the removal of parliament, but things in Jordan are a little more complicated than they are in Egypt."


Like so many countries in the Middle East, the ebb and flow of protests due to lack of food and water and education causes upheaval within the civilian population. Since the Middle East was artificially created as “states” by the British, not taking tribal influences into account, and leader influence, it is unfair to consider all of the Middle East leaders as corrupt or as a tyrant.

In 2004, King Abdullah II laid the cornerstone of the $62.5M Kings Academy in Madaba, fulfilling a dream to recreate his beloved Deerfield Academy in Jordan to provide educational opportunities for his people. Like Deerfield, there are many scholarship students attending. King Abdullah II is a modern leader, and politically astute. But he feels a great love for his people and is genuinely attempting to make life better for them.

Jordan has no oil or natural resources. It has no water access. It is forced to trade with its neighbors, often a difficult line to walk, but necessary for Jordan to survive. As the time.com article stated, King Abdullah II’s success is due to the “realpolitik”. He knows his strength and it comes from the heart of his people.

Jordan is a very unique Middle Eastern Country. A young, vibrant king, married to a Palestinian Queen, he is the intellectual equal of any ruler in the world.

He is a political moderate, and he loves and cares for his people. Upon arriving in Amman – we were overwhelmed with the kindness and the beauty of Jordan, the home of Mt. Nebo – overlooking the Dead Sea. We had the experience of Petra – an amazing artifact of the Nabatean Culture. Featured in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we took horses partway and walked the souk until the valley opened up and we were treated to The Treasury. We then hiked, rode donkeys, rode camels . We spent 2 days discovering the beauty of Petra.

Prior to visiting Jordan, we were located at the Nile Hilton, the hotel at the “right” of the Cairo Museum on the Nile. While in Jordan, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Amman, one of the hotels that was firebombed in 2005. It is very difficult to watch and see places that you love and treasure being blown up. Visually I can smell and hear both places. And it makes me sad. It becomes very personal.

The Middle East will survive. And those of us who were fortunate to experience the incredible caring and sharing of the culture are the better for it.

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Suppression and intimidation of the media: It’s not just Egypt

By Blueberry Tart

AP photographer Khalil Hamra is injured in Tahrir Square on Thursday. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abed from cpj.org)

Egypt is fast becoming one of the world’s most visibly barbaric examples of suppression and intimidation of journalists who are trying to provide on-the-scene reports of a popular uprising to the watching world. The Egyptian police’s Gestapo-like tactics in trying to silence the press is also a warning to us all about the threat to democracy when freedom of the press is lost or compromised.

Here is a report from the Committee to Protect Journalists on what is going on in Egypt to silence the media.

“Journalists in Cairo faced assaults, detentions, and threats again today as supporters of President Hosni Mubarak continued their efforts to obstruct news coverage of protests demanding the Egyptian leader's ouster. While the extent of attacks lessened after a peak on Thursday, ongoing anti-press activities remain at an alarming level that must be halted, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In addition, a journalist shot a week ago while filming a demonstration died today, a state newspaper reported…

Just in the last 24 hours, CPJ documented another 10 anti-press assaults, eight detentions, two attacks on newsrooms, and the hacking of a major news website. In all, CPJ has documented at least 101 direct attacks on journalists and news facilities this week, and it's investigating numerous other reports.”

The BBC also showed scenes of its reporters being mobbed and threatened, as did CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who also wrote this:

“…we would like to be showing you pictures, live pictures, of what's happening in Liberation Square right now, but we can't do that because our cameras have systematically been taken down through threats, through intimidation, through actual physical attacks…

I don't mind telling you I am a little bit scared, because we frankly don't really know what the next few hours will hold. And I think there's a lot of people who are scared tonight in Egypt."

These tactics, combined with the internet kill switch described in Kathleen’s earlier post, are the Egyptian government’s desperate and brutal attempt to keep the whole world from watching. Thankfully, they are failing. Images of what is going on are still getting out and being broadcast around the world; this is critical. The world’s outrage against the regime’s brutality is palpable. This ability to bear witness and to gain public attention is a key element of the non-violent resistance campaigns used so successfully to overcome injustices by Mahatma Gandhi, Rev. King and others. Whether it will be enough to effect reform in Egypt in the near term remains to be seen, but without the world’s witness, I think it is obvious that repression of the protests would be even more brutal and successful protest more unlikely.

These brutal tactics against journalists are becoming the norm during popular uprisings against violent regimes, and also in cases where journalists dare to delve into the underbelly of corrupt societies. They usually don't garner so much attention. Veronica Guerin in Ireland and Anna Stepanovna Politkovskay in Russia are two cases of reporters who tackled corruption and paid with their lives, and whose stories were reported internationally; but the International Federation of Journalists has documented 300 murders and disappearances of journalists in Russia alone since the early 1990s.

These images also caused me to think about erosion of freedom of the press in the United States. Remember the shocking incident last fall, when an editor for the Alaska Dispatch was forcefully detained by Joe Miller’s security goons? Rarely is intimidation here quite so brazen and overtly threatening, but it is nevertheless growing as a successful tactic to stifle full and honest reporting of the facts. Subtle intimidation is more pervasive, and probably more effective (we saw that Joe Miller’s bullying tactics backfired). As we have seen more frequently, the American media has fallen victim to another method of being silenced: the propagandizing of the right-wing controlled media, combined with the intimidation of mainstream media outlets that are too cowed to fully investigate and report the truth about how policies, politicians, power and power-brokers are manipulating the public and mischaracterizing the public interest.

Nowhere is this truer than in the misinformation about going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the hysteria about “Obamacare” and “death panels,” and deficit-hawkish legislators voting for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Yet it happens so pervasively, even on less momentous issues. Remember how Time Magazine reported for a cover story on Palin, based on emails she sent? Or how often her own statements have been reported as truth, without any corroborating evidence or even legitimate inquiry? This is how she has been “enabled.” Remember the “journolists” scandal that surfaced for a day or two, revealing that those journalists who questioned Palin’s implausible birth story were intimidated into not following up and reporting on their suspicions or the huge discrepancies in her often conflicting stories? This is more of the deliberate manipulation of the media. Instead of rifles, water cannons, handcuffs, the weapons of choice are discrediting factual reports and honest reporters, accusations of media “liberal bias,” disinformation and distractions.

The possible combination of media suppression and government control of the internet is especially chilling. The importance of the new, grassroots media, including its newest star, Politicalgates, is especially important to ensure that we can continue to provide the information the public needs to make good decisions about our collective future.

Egypt - Christians Stand Together to Protect Muslims at Prayer.

By Kathleen

Yesterday the situation in Egypt took a menacing turn for the worse as pro Mubarak protesters took to the streets with weapons because they believe that groups such as The Muslim Brotherhood could become the ruling majority if free elections take place there. They want Mubarak to continue as their leader.

Nevertheless, a throng of anti Mubarak voices resolutely persists in calling for Mubarak to step down immediately. They do so although Mubarak promised that he would not put himself up for elections in September – many do not trust him to keep that promise. They say that he has broken many promises in the past so why should he change now?

The Mail online reported yesterday that more than 1,500 people were wounded in the violent clashes which included Mubarak supporters on “horses and camels wielding whips, bars and sticks” against anti Mubarak protestors in Tahrir Square, Cairo. Reports estimate that five people were killed.

One victim of the attacks was CNN reporter Anderson Cooper who, together with his crew, was beaten by pro Mubarak demonstrators who also tried to take Cooper's videographer's camera from him. In an article at the Hollywood Reporter Cooper claimed:

"It was chaotic. I've been in riots and melees before, but this is the first time that I've been in a situation that escalated to a level where we really had no control. Many people in the crowd came for a fight and that's what they have."

Additionally, Christiane Amanpour for ABC News and an ABC crew were also confronted by pro Mubarak demonstrators. The crowd told them to turn back and when they did their car was stoned resulting in a cracked windscreen which shattered glass all over the driver. Amanpour stated that she and her crew felt menaced.

There are further stories of reporters being intimidated by soldiers, pro Mubarak supporters and plain clothed agents here.

In response to yesterday's events The White House advised Mubarak to begin preparations for democratic elections “now”. Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, revealed that President Obama "found the images" of the violence today in Cairo "outrageous and deplorable" and that the only solution that would satisfy the people of Egypt is that "transition must begin now". By stating these concerns President Obama appears to believe that this is an uprising by the people and not that of one particular sect. A true revolution of the people.

My concern is that such revolutions can be hijacked and idealism soon squandered. My hope is that the Egyptian people will be triumphant.

There can be little doubt that many Egyptians want their freedom and they want it now. In Cairo a young woman has been covering the events via twitter. Her name is Nevine Zaki and she twitters regular updates about the uprising from her perspective.

Yesterday at the height of the violence Nevine sent the following message via twitter:


@NevineZaki

"When I despair, I remember that throughout history, truth and love have always won" - Gandhi

Earlier Nevine was present when Christians formed a human chain to protect Muslims at prayer from the military forces and she took the following photos. They deserve to be seen by as many people as possible. I believe that this is one of the real stories of the Egyptian uprising. There is joy and determination in these photos.







Here is the link to Nevine's yfrog account which contains more photos from the protests. Please be warned that some of them are NSFW as they are of a more sensitive nature than the ones I have published here with Nevine's kind permission.

Nevine's quotation from Ghandi is appropriate, however, it would be remiss of me to leave the quotation unfinished.

"There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall - think of it, always."

The protests in Egypt are not about religion. They are about democracy and respect and an end to unjust rule.

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UPDATE

Horreyah!

I want to add the following video to the post because it beautifully expresses the will of the people. The music accompanying the video is "One Million Miles Away" by Joshua Ralph

Hat tip for the link to Nevine's photos to reader mmboucher.

Civil unrest continues in Egypt - Will there be an "internet kill switch" in the USA's future?

By Kathleen

I had hoped by now that the civil unrest that is taking place in Egypt might have calmed down. It hasn't. Since Tuesday it has been estimated that approximately 100 people have been killed and the unrest continues to escalate.

On Friday the government shut down internet and telephone services. The services were blocked from receiving signals in a bid to suppress images and posts from revealing the full extent of the anti-government protests. You can see from the following graphic how the internet in Egypt suddenly "died" on January 27, 2010:

(h/t to our reader "nomadicjoe, who runs the blog "A Nomadic View" and published a post about this subject)

Despite the protests Hosni Mubarak refuses to step aside leading to tens of thousands of protesters congregating in the streets calling for his resignation and burning images of him. Earlier they ignored night curfew limits and attacked police vehicles, setting them on fire. The military were brought in to control the crowds and patrol the streets and the numbers killed rose dramatically. Despite the rising death toll the demonstrators are determined to stay until Mubarak steps aside.

Many western leaders have called for reform including President Barack Obama who called upon the Egyptian authorities to "refrain from attacking the protesters" and further added "those protesting in the streets have a responsibility to express themselves peacefully". He also stated that:

"Now, going forward, this moment of volatility has to be turned into moment of promise. The United States has a close partnership with Egypt and we've cooperated on many issues, including working together to adbance a more peaceful region. But we've also been clear that there must be reform -- political, social, and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people."

President Obama also told the Egyptian government to "reverse the actions that they have taken to interfere with access to the Internet, to cell phone services and to social networks that do so much to connect people in the 21st century".

Watch his speech:

Coincidently, according to news reports, a bill was in the process of being floated by Senator Susan Collins, the Republican ranking member on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which would grant the President similar internet killing powers.

According to wired.com, an aide to the Homeland Security committee described the bill as one that does not mandate the shuttering of the whole internet. Instead, it would authorize the president to demand turning off access to so-called "critical infrastructure" where necessary.

It seems clear to me that "critical infrastructure" can be interpreted to mean just about anything that the Government may want it to mean. If this legislation is passed Americans may wake up one morning to find their internet is no longer available to them and that their phone has stopped ringing.

The discussion about an "internet kill switch" in the USA has been stirred up by the events in Egypt. Dan Costa, Executive Editor of "PC Mag", commented on January 28:

"The U.S. telecommunication industry is much more complex and far more decentralized. To do something similar in the U.S. would require a lot more than four phone calls. There are simply too many connections inside the nation already for them to be silenced. Also, since our economy is more dependent on the Internet obstructing the free flow of information would be disastrous. Still, the push for a U.S. Internet Kill Switch is here, but no one understands the consequences.

The fact is, no one in the U.S. should ever have the right or the ability to take the Internet offline. As an editor of a purely online publication (we made the switch from print a few years ago), it's very clear to me that freedom of the press relies more than ever on the Internet. No one in the U.S.—or anywhere—should have the right to shut it down."

CBS reported about the internet shut down in Egypt in the protests:

It is clear that Egypt is in turmoil and that the problems there may only be settled by the people via free and democratic elections. How likely is this to take place? Mubarak shows no signs of leaving Egypt despite being advised to do so by the powerful Arab Cleric Yusuf al-Quaradawi cleric of the Muslim Brotherhood. It seems that until Mubarak leaves there will be no peace. And whilst Mubarak stays the violence will continue and more people will be killed or seriously injured.

"The Daily Dish" provides excellent "live" reporting about the situation in Egypt.

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