Glenn Greenwald shreds Bill Maher on US intervention in Muslim countries
Last night I was on Bill Maher’s HBO show “Real Time”. There have always been numerous views of Maher’s with which I agree. But he has become one of the most vocal and extreme advocates of the view that - while religion generally should be criticized - Islam is a uniquely threatening and destructive force and that Muslims are uniquely oppressive and violent, and that mentality has infected many of his policy views (see here and here for some comprehensive background; just two weeks ago, he had a fairly typical outburst on this topic). When I was scheduled to do the show, I was hoping that the opportunity would arise to debate these views (or that I could create the opportunity), and last night it did.
Palestinians Establish a new Village, Bab Alshams, in Area E1
250 Palestinian activists established the new village of Bab Alshams, on the lands of al-Tur, in an area referred to by Israel as E1
250 men and women from across Palestine establish this morning a new Palestinian village named “Bab Alshams” (Gate of the Sun). Tents were built in what Israel refers to as area E1 and equipment for long-term living was brought.
The group released the following statement:
We, the sons and daughters of Palestine from all throughout the land, announce the establishment of Bab Alshams Village (Gate of the Sun). We the people, without permits from the occupation, without permission from anyone, sit here today because this is our land and it is our right to inhabit it.
A few months ago the Israeli government announced its intention to build about 4000 settlement housing units in the area Israel refers to as E1. E1 block is an area of about 13 square km that falls on confiscated Palestinian land East of Jerusalem between Ma’ale Adumim settlement, which lies on occupied West Bank Palestinian land, and Jerusalem. We will not remain silent as settlement expansion and confiscation of our land continues. Therefore we hereby establish the village of Bab Alshams to proclaim our faith in direct action and popular resistance. We declare that the village will stand steadfast until the owners of this land will get their right to build on their land.
The village’s name is taken from the novel, “Bab Alshams,” by Lebanese writer Elias Khoury. The book depicts the history of Palestine through a love story between a Palestinian man, Younis, and his wife Nahila. Younis leaves his wife to join the Palestinian resistance in Lebanon while Nahila remains steadfast in what remains of their village in the Galilee. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Younis smuggles through Lebanon and back to the Galilee to meet his wife in the “Bab Alshams” cave, where she gives birth to their children. Younis returns to the resistance in Lebanon as his wife remains in Bab Al Shams.
Bab Alshams is the gate to our freedom and steadfastness. Bab Alshams is our gate to Jerusalem. Bab Alshams is the gate to our to our return.
For decades, Israel has established facts on the ground as the International community remained silent in response to these violations. The time has come now to change the rules of the game, for us to establish facts on the ground - our own land. This action involving women and men from the north to the south is a form of popular resistance. In the coming days we will hold various discussion groups, educational and artistic presentations, as well as film screenings on the lands of this village. The residents of Bab Al Shams invite all the sons and daughters of our people to participate and join the village in supporting our resilience
As expected, Israel handed the Palestinians an eviction notice, despite the fact that they built on their own land — Palestine.
Photographs: The first tents of Bab Alshams are put up; Palestinians pray the first Friday prayer of their new village (Oren Ziv / Activestills)
The Israeli Defense Force has confirmed that while targeting Hamas’ rocket chief it mistakenly bombed the home of the Al-Dalou family, killing at least 11 civilians, four of them children and toddlers.
“Israel has killed a family of eleven people this evening, and many, many more. If Israel wants to stop its aggression, then we can talk. But before then, how could we consider any deal?” Salama Maroof, a senior Hamas spokesman told the Daily Telegraph.
IDF said the source of the error was either a failure to laser-paint the correct target or that one of the munitions in the strike misfired, Haaretz newspaper reported. The Israeli military is investigating the incident.
The Israeli military targeted Hamas’ rocket-launching unit led by Yehiya Rabiah, but apparently hit the house of a neighbor, the newspaper noted. Rabiah seems to have survived the attack despite earlier claims that he was killed.
The US carries out drone attacks and military drills across the Middle East in an attempt to examine the destructive power of its own war machine, a political analyst tells Press TV.
“I think it seems to me that it’s not really about achieving a military or security goal. It’s more an experiment or using these weapons and technology…to improve them,” said Ali Al Ahmed, director of the Institute for [Persian] Gulf Affairs [I(P)GA] in Washington, referring to the US military drills and drone strikes across the Middle East.
“It must be just training missions for the United States for any future conflict that it might have with bigger powers,” he added.
Ahmed argued that the US military does not put any value on the targets of its attacks, including humans, and it carries out its strikes based on “guessing.”
The analyst pointed out that the US continues its drone operations in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan without any concerns, because the defenseless people of these countries “are not able to retaliate against such attacks.”
“This is really a situation where it is the law of the jungle not international law,” Ahmed pointed out.
Loss of civilian lives at the hands of US-led foreign forces has dramatically increased anti-American sentiment and triggered anti-US protests across the Middle East and Africa.
Washington claims it is targeting militants but witness reports and details provided by local officials indicate that civilians are the main victims of the attacks.
The UN has called the US drone attacks targeted killings that flout international law.
In a twist to the Islamophobes’ “Halloween Jihad” theme, this year Sears was hawking a “fetishized Islamic ‘Arab girl’ burka-wearing ‘temptress’” costume for Halloween. Clearly, someone in Sears’ sales department thought selling such an “ethnic” costume was a good idea, there is a demand out there for “funny-Ay-rab-Mooslimy-savages” costumes and being the good Capitalists they are Sears wanted to corner that market.
At the time of the capture of the screenshot Sears either sold out or yanked the “product” from its line of Halloween costumes. It can still be found for sale on other sites like Buy.com.
According to tipster Sulayman F. a “student on Tumblr noticed it when doing a school project and searching google for images of Burkas.”
Sulayman went on to comment that, “This isn’t necessarily racist, but extremely degrading to the culture when the whole point of the burka is to preserve the modesty of the religious (from what I understand). And to add insult to injury, the description reads ‘Sexy In the Desert’.”
I concur that it is pretty degrading, and another ludicrous example of Halloween gone strangely awry. For some reason it is the one day of the year when people think they can dress up in whatever costume, Native American, Black face, “Arab girl” etc. and think they have a free pass from scrutiny and criticism. The reply goes something like, “get a sense of humor!”
What these people don’t realize is that this is not a costume for the people who actually wear “Niqabs” or “Burkas.”
Sallam Alykum,
There is an excellent documentary film on how Arabs are portrayed negatively in Hollywood films. It really makes you think why such scenes are even used - probably a tool to twist the people’s views to dislike and think lowly of Arabs. Even children’s movies such as Disney’s Aladdin degrades Arabs to such an extent.
Please watch the documentary at www.filmsforaction.org/Watch/Reel_Bad_Arabs/
What are your opinions?
[http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=341892]
Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei asked participants in the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran to pay special attention to the Palestinian issue.
The Leader reminded the Zionists’ bloody occupation of Palestine over 6 decades ago, and blamed the Zionist regime for waging various wars, massacre and state-sponsored terrorism in the last decades.
He blamed the western world for supporting and defending the Zionist regime of Israel against the oppressed Palestinian nation.
The leader further renewed Iran’s solution to the Palestinian issue, calling for a “comprehensive referendum to be attended by all the indigenous residents of Palestine, including those refugees who have been away from their motherland for decades to determine the country’s fate”.
The Iranian supreme leader cautioned the US against the continue support and defense for the Zionist regime of Israel, reminding that decade-long support for the Israeli regime has incurred many costs and losses on the American people.
The leader called on the White House leaders to revise their Middle-East policy and “show courage and opt for the referendum solution” presented by Iran to put an end to the astronomical spending that has been inflicted on the American nation for its support for the Zionist regime of Israel.
To conclude his remarks, he urged for collective management of global issues, asking the NAM member states “not to be afraid of the bullying powers and remain loyal to their own causes”.
He reminded failure of communism and capitalism, and said the world is pregnant to new events, saying the Islamic Awakening and the US and Israeli failures in North Africa and the Middle East are indicative of the very same fact.
