Annapolis

Yesterday, Miret and I contributed to a story out of Jerusalem on the lack of optimism on the eve of the Annapolis conference, the U.S.-sponsored peace talks that take place today. We translated newspaper articles and Jazeera broadcasts, made a few phone calls and then we were finished.

The phone rang. An American-educated friend who works at the Egyptian agriculture ministry was on the line, asking what we were covering these days. I told him we were doing a reaction piece about Annapolis. I jokingly "interviewed" him about his thoughts on the conference.

"It sucks!" he said. "Write that down, I'm serious. You put that in and you're going to be representing a whole lot of people."

But why, you might ask. Who on earth would be against a chance for peace and, finally, an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

It's complicated here. Many Arabs see this as Bush trying to accomplish something big before he leaves office, they see it as Western powers forcing Arab states to normalize relations with Israel without getting Arab demands met in return, they see the double standard in the West's embracing of Fatah and shunning of the democratically elected Hamas movement, they doubt that perennial dealbreakers such as what to do with Jerusalem or Palestinian refugees will be resolved in a one-day conference. Mostly, however, they just seem sick and tired of this neverending war that's been the backdrop to so many other Middle Eastern crises and conflicts. They've gotten excited about conferences before, only to have their hopes dashed when leaders fly home empty-handed.

Here's a potpourri of excerpts from regional newspapers and government media agencies that show the range of expectations for the Annapolis talks:

"(The host is) Bush, who is stuck in Iraq, embarrassed inside and outside (his nation), who is forced to make a grand theatrical gesture that saves his international standing and gives him the honor of being the seeker of peace in the world, and saves face for the United States after a series of failures. The 'international summit' dwarfed with time into a mere get-together."

Erfan Nizam al Din, al Hayat Newspaper

"It is vital here to state to all parties that the danger in the Annapolis conference lies in raising the level of expectation and not anticipating what should happen after, particularly if the conference is unable to achieve concrete results -- and that is what we truly fear the most."

Tariq Alhomayed, editor-in-chief of Al Sharq al Awsat newspaper

"Vigilance of the Palestinian nation, which is tied to that of the Muslim Ummah, especially the great Iranian nation, will prevent materialization of the sinister objectives of the U.S. administration holding the conference."

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, IRNA, Iranian state news agency

"Those attending the meeting and giving concessions to the Zionist occupiers will not be remembered in history with good reputation."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, IRNA news agency

"The Annapolis conference is of no use, and any decisions taken at the conference are not binding on the Palestinian people, but only binding on those who signed them."

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, al Jazeera television

"After the conference's three days pass, we will not find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, but we'll find a new round of political and diplomatic clashes, and this round can go on like previous rounds without reaching a solution."

Abdel Moneim Saied of a Cairo-based research center, Ahram newspaper

"Syria will participate in the conference without any illusions of what will take place, and out of a conviction that Israel doesn't want peace, and that it's the one responsible for stalling the peace process. Syria's participation in this conference is to test the seriousness of the American administration to work for peace this time."

Ezzeldin Darwish, the Syrian newspaper Teshreen

"It's an important step. I cannot say it's a breakthrough, especially when I don't know yet what will come out of it, but we need to give it a chance."

Hossam Zaki, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, interview

Lebanon needs some love

So, yeah, Lebanon has no president.

He stepped down about the time you were tucking into Thanksgiving leftovers this weekend, after the umpteenth round of negotiations failed. The Western-allied, so-called moderate March 14 forces and the Hezbollah-anchored, Syrian-allied opposition just couldn't decide on a replacement for President Emile Lahoud by the time his term was up. Opposition parties have boycotted ballot sessions, leaving parliament without the quorum necessary to pick a new president.

Now, the Cabinet has assumed interim executive powers and martial law is in effect, with the Lebanese military handling security for a volatile land where fate (and some French cartographers) carved a nation that's approximately 1/3 Christian, 1/3 Sunni Muslim and 1/3 Shiite Muslim. Add in the Druze, Armenians, Palestinian camps, al Qaida's Levantine branch, Iraqi refugees and maybe a few Iranian Revolutionary Guards and you can see why this is no simple red state vs. blue state political crisis.

So, who's the man to lead Lebanon back from the abyss? He doesn't seem to be among the current crop of potentials, so let's cast a wider net. The Lebanese have given us the love ballads of Fairuz, steamy Mediterranean resorts and the most sensuous cuisine in the Middle East. Perhaps we should try a more romantic approach, along the lines of a personal ad. It might go something like this:

Failed state seeks new date. Country of good-looking, beach-going people who killed one another for 15 years ISO strong, presidential type. Let's start with reconciliation and statesmanship, and see what happens. We're not into sectarianism, we swear, but our ideal match must be a Maronite Christian. Eloquent and bold in a Nasrallah kinda way, sans the beard and turban. Sedate and reliable like Saniora, except not a crybaby when the Israelis come calling. All inquiries should be sent directly to the American or French embassies (no ticking or oddly shaped packages, please). Letters postmarked Damascus or Tehran will be returned to sender. Can't wait to hear from you! No, seriously, we can't wait...it's in the constitution.

Girl of Qatif

Caption: Shiite Muslim Saudi women smoke a water pipe in a husseiniya, or prayer hall, in the city of Qatif in the kingdom's Eastern Province.

Earlier this year, a reporting assignment took me to the oil-rich city of Qatif in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim and swarming with intelligence officials who keep their eyes peeled for signs of revolt.

Miret and I heard lots of wild stories on that trip to the east, but none lodged itself in our minds like the Girl of Qatif. That's what Arab media had dubbed a young Shiite woman who allegedly was gang-raped and then -- this is the headline-grabbing part -- sentenced to more lashes than some of her assailants. The female activists who showed us around Qatif whispered details of the incident, which they said was just another example of the pitfalls of the kingdom's justice system, especially as it's applied to Shiites.

Saudi judges, who rule according to no law except Islamic jurisprudence taken straight from the Quran, had decided the Girl of Qatif shared in the blame for agreeing to meet a former boyfriend in order to retrieve an old photo of herself. During the meeting, the couple was ambushed by a group of men who raped and beat both of them, according to police and news accounts of the incident.

Four of the seven attackers were sentenced to prison terms that ranged from one to five years, and each man received between 80 to 1,000 lashes. The Girl of Qatif and her male friend each received 90 lashes for "having met in private," Arabic-language media reported. At the time, relatives of the woman vowed to appeal the sentence.

They did, which is why the Girl of Qatif is back in the news this week. Upon appeal, the Saudi Higher Court of Justice doubled the woman's punishment to 200 lashes and added six months in jail. Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, the Girl of Qatif's attorney, was barred from practicing law after authorities confiscated his license.

U.S. First Lady Laura Bush just visited some of the kingdom's most senior sheikhas, or female royals, to discuss breast cancer awareness and other women's health topics. Did the Girl of Qatif come up in their conversations? Probably not. Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt and Jordan, is one of the United States' most reliable allies in the Middle East.

The Girl of Qatif remains silent and unidentified, her prospects for a peaceful future surely ruined. We'll leave the last word to her attorney, who will appear before a disciplinary panel in early December:

"Basic Islamic law states that an appeal shall not harm the person appealing," al-Lahem told the  English-language paper Arab News. "Once this rule is ignored, then people who appeal verdicts are only left terrorized. From now on people will be apprehensive to appeal fearing they might be punished or have their sentences doubled. That's exactly what's happened to the rape victim, who only wanted justice."

The Insha'Allah Factor

In Islam, it’s customary to say “insha’Allah” when describing actions you wish to take in the future. The Arabic phrase means “God willing” or “if God wills it,” an acknowledgment that the best-laid plans can go awry without divine approval.

You’ve probably seen it by now in several news stories about Muslims, albeit with many variations on the transliteration: inshallah, insha Allah, etc. In text messages and online conversations, young Muslims use the Internet shorthand “isa,” as in “c u tmw @ 5p isa.”

Many other cultures have similar part-religious, part-superstitious sayings. The Spanish and Portuguese have their own versions. Even my Texas-born grandfather was uncomfortable committing himself to plans without first muttering a quick, “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”

Before we go any further, let’s look at the scriptural support for the use of insha’Allah. A verse in the Quran (al Kahf, 18:23) states: “And never say of anything, ‘Indeed I will do that tomorrow,’ except [when adding] ‘If Allah wills.’ And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, ‘Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct.”

That being understood, Egyptians and some other Muslims are getting pretty darn nitpicky about what God wills. I’m not criticizing general use of the term – I use it myself every day and it can feel like something’s missing when I omit it. It’s so culturally entrenched that even completely secular Muslims invoke insha’Allah.

But are there no limits?

These days, you can’t hail a taxi and tell the driver you’d like to go downtown – you have to add insha’Allah. And once you’re in the cab, a typical conversation can go something like this:

Passenger: How long do you think it will take to get there, insha’Allah? Driver: Insha’Allah, there will be no traffic and we can get there soon. Passenger: So, half an hour? Driver: Insha’Allah.

In Cairo, fast-food joints such as KFC and Hardee’s deliver to your home. The telephone ordering process always involves a liberal sprinkling of insha’Allahs. I’m going out on a limb here, but could it be that God has bigger things to handle than willing whether you will get curly fries or regular ones?

And then there’s the alternate use of insha’Allah that’s akin to the “manana” brush-off in Spanish. Foreign diplomats working on projects with the Egyptian government often complain about “the insha’Allah factor.” Ordinary folks also deal with this every day, in a range of circumstances. Hey, boss, can I get a raise? Insha’Allah, says the employer. Dad, will you buy me that new computer game? Insha’Allah, says the parent. It’s an unassailable answer, yet one that somehow doesn’t inspire the greatest of confidence.

Most often, however, insha’Allah is used in the traditional Islamic sense, or at least in a superstitious spinoff of it. It’s mentioned in pop songs, scholarly writings, political speeches and Friday sermons. The Iraq war has accelerated Western familiarity with the term. “Insha’Allah” is one of the first phrases American soldiers learn when they’re deployed to the Middle East – it’s in the glossary of many military manuals.

It is used throughout the Muslim world, but in some countries more than others. For example, I was surprised to find out how comparatively rare it is in Iran, which is, after all, the self-described Islamic Republic. When I used the term there out of force of habit, many Iranians found it quaint. (“Say it again! How cute!” Persian friends would tease.)

I’m certainly not the only one to notice the extreme proliferation of insha’Allah and the questions it raises about when and how to use the phrase. Last month, a woman posed this question in a forum on the Muslim-focused Web site Ummah.com: “I just noticed that many people seem to insert ‘InshaaAllah’ in their speeches/sentences most of the time in the wrong place and for the wrong reason! Why is that?”

What followed was a lively, sometimes heated discussion of the term and its proper use. For example, Lebanese, Indian and Egyptian participants debated whether you had to use it for your expressed desires in addition to actions planned for the future, ie. “I want to start my own business” vs. “I’m going to start my own business.” There was no real consensus in the end – but one especially persistent Saudi got labeled “the Insha’Allah police."

All this is just food for thought, I suppose. If readers are aware of specific fatwas guiding the use of insha’Allah, I’d love to see them. I did a cursory search on a couple of Web sites where rulings are compiled and couldn’t find much. So, let’s leave the discussion there for today – I have to get back to work on a story I promised to have ready for my editors by this weekend.

Insha’Allah.

PIPS

Last night we filed a story on a new Refugees International report that accuses the White House of turning a blind eye to the worsening Iraqi refugee crisis. Whenever we work on a story that includes tying together a bunch of different feeds from different reporters, interesting tidbits or anecdotes can fall by the wayside. I was happy we were able to get some Iraqi voices in the story, but wish there had been space for the several other displaced families we had interviewed.

Yes, dear reader, I know you have Iraq fatigue. Believe me, so do we.

One of my friends, a reporter at the LA Times, jokingly calls these PIPS, for Poor Iraqi People Stories. When you write enough of them, they begin to run together, tales of misery and displacement that add up to... what?

I'm not sure yet, but here's another one. One more PIPS to add to the millions out there.

This is one of the many examples that couldn't fit into the story that was published overnight (with thanks to in-house correspondent Miret el Naggar, who interviewed the family):

Kamal Nasser, 50, served as a pilot under Saddam Hussein's regime. When Shiite militants assassinated two former airmen in his neighborhood, Nasser said, he decided it was time to flee.

After a short stint in Syria, Nasser and his family moved to Egypt in 2005. At first, he and his wife, 44-year-old Huda Fadel, could afford to enroll their five children in private school in Cairo. But with mounting expenses for rent, schooling and groceries, the family's savings account quickly emptied. And even if major attacks continue to decrease in Iraq, Nasser's history as a pilot makes it too dangerous for the family to return as long as Shiite militias rule most of Baghdad.

The UN's refugee agency was prepared to pay about half of the children's tuition in Cairo, but the family couldn't come up with the rest of the money. Nasser took his kids out of school this year and his wife now gives them lessons at home.

His son, Omar, 18, spends his days at Internet cafes or shooting the breeze with other displaced and jobless youths in his neighborhood.

"The Iraqi kids sit in groups around the block," Omar said. "Sometimes, Egyptian guys pass by and make nasty comments, like, 'You are Iraqi. You don't belong here.'"

I am Iran (And So Can You!)

How to Apply for a Journalism Visa to Iran in 5 Not-So-Easy Steps:

1. Go to your local Iranian embassy or interest section, schmooze with the nice folks at the front desk, fill out a three-page visa application form. If you are a woman, you must wear a scarf and modest clothing for the trip; ditto for the four required passport photos. Bear in mind that Google is available in Tehran, so bonus points if you don't have any Jerusalem datelines or if you've ever used the words "Great Satan" in reference to the United States. If you admit that you laughed at that New Yorker cover illustration of Ahmadinejad in the men's room, leave immediately and without a fuss.

2. Next comes the interrogation. Chances are, you will be called in for a two-hour meeting with a senior consular official who speaks no English and has no translator available. If applying in, say, Cairo, perhaps you and the questioner will both have a basic command of Arabic, which means that with enough mumbling, sound effects and wild hand gestures, you just might be able to get your point across. Topics to expect: your father's profession, how many brothers you have and where they live, your marital status, the famed vineyards of Shiraz, and the Russian news agency Tass. Watch out for the trick question: "Do you think it's easier to be a journalist in Iran or the United States?" Invoke Guantanamo and/or Iraq in your response and you can't go wrong.

3. Call the interest section a couple of days later in order to receive a "reference number," which tracks the status of your application at the foreign ministry in Tehran. (Under no circumstances should you anticipate that the application has been sent to Iran in a timely fashion; allow several days for this step in the process.) Then one day you will call and learn that you have been approved -- in a record three working days from when the application was received at the ministry. You will be instructed to go to the local branch of an Iranian bank, pay for your visa and then head back to the interest section to have the visa applied to your passport. Upon hearing this fabulous news, you might be tempted to rejoice with your editors, brag on Facebook, dust off your chador and book a ticket to Tehran. Don't.

4. Go to the Iranian bank branch to pay for the visa, as instructed. If you can't recall whether the fee was 55 euros or 65 euros, call the interest section. A consular officer will thank God that you called because she was trying to reach you all morning (no, don't bother checking your phone; you will not find any missed calls). The officer will break the news that while, yes, your visa technically is approved, you must now fill out a second application packet, this time through the Islamic Republic of Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations. In New York City. When you protest that you do not in fact reside in the United States, have no office in New York and that your nearest colleagues are in Washington, the officer will solve the problem on the spot: "Can't your editors just go to New York for a day? New York and Washington are very close." If extenuating circumstances prevent your editors from dropping world news coverage and trekking to New York for the day to sign a paper, then you need to call a press liaison at the Iranian U.N. Office.

5. E-mail the press liaison. Call the press liaison and leave a long-winded message on his voicemail. You can always try to sneak in an "asalamu alaikum" in hopes he'll recognize the super-secret code that translates, roughly, as "I fully support your right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program." E-mail the press liaison again. Leave another voicemail for the liaison, minus the secret code. (Try hard to keep that increasingly perturbed tone out of your voice in the ensuing messages, even if you are thinking, "Peaceful purposes? Yeah, right!" by this stage.) And then you're finished. All you have to do now is wait.

Extra, extra!

When I moved to Egypt at the end of 2005, the only options for local, English-language daily newspapers were The Egyptian Gazette and The Daily Star. (There is also a highly informative weekly, Al Ahram Weekly, a must-read for Arabist culture vultures and political junkies.)

The Gazette is an unintentionally hilarious broadsheet marked by lots of misspellings, grammatical errors and lurid crime stories. More than once, I've been tempted to clip a headline and send it in to Jay Leno's show. (Recent examples: "Employees milking the system" and "Cairo under a cloud again") The paper was founded in 1880 and remains a quirky Cairo institution, but perhaps not the most reliable source for hard-hitting news and analysis.

So, we turn to the Daily Star, recently renamed the Daily News (if anyone knows why/when this change occurred, please let me know). It was established in 2005 and is distributed as an insert to the International Herald Tribune. It also was linked to the troubled Lebanese paper of the same name, though the local paper's Web site says it has an Egyptian-led editorial staff and is "the only independent English-language daily in Egypt." (Its independence has been called into question. This photo controversy is one example.)

The growing pains were obvious when the Daily Star debuted in 2005. The paper ran mostly rehashed wire stories, a few sports updates and content borrowed from its sister paper in Beirut. As a newly relocated journalist trying to learn more about Cairo, I found it most useful on the entertainment front. Its listings alerted me to museum openings, film festivals and concerts that introduced me to Egyptian cultural life. For news, however, we still turned to the Arabic-language publications such as Al Masry al Youm and other semi-independent local papers.

Two years later, the Daily Star (aka Daily News) has become a valuable resource for keeping tabs on Cairo. I don't know whether it was just a natural growing process or the result of a management change, but the Daily Star appears to have come into its own. Every day, there are lots of bylined stories from local writers. An issue this week featured goodies that ranged from a look at the remnants of Cairo's Jewish Quarter to the state of blogging in Egypt.

If you're looking for a comprehensive English-language newspaper with an Egyptian focus, think twice before throwing out that insert to your Herald Tribune.

 

So they said

These are some of the more memorable quotations to emerge from the news this weekend:

"Everyone is dreaming of what he looks like. The face of Tutankhamun is different from any king in the Cairo museum. With his beautiful buck teeth, the tourists will see a little bit of the smile from the face of the golden boy."

-- Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, at the unveiling Sunday of King Tut's face in the historic city of Luxor (AP)

"We have also introduced important amendments to laws governing publishing offenses, and we abolished many of these offenses. Additionally, we abolished prison sentences for most of these offenses."

-- Gamal Mubarak, the son and possible successor of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, describing reforms to Egyptian media laws Sunday at the ruling party's annual conference in Cairo. (Egyptian television)

"Almost three years have passed since the (Egyptian) president made his promise to put an end to the imprisonment of journalists in publishing cases. He has not fulfilled that promise, nor even kept things as they were. On the contrary, the trend of imprisoning journalists and writers has worsened, which makes us wonder: Have we misunderstood the promise? Was it 'an increase' rather than 'an end' to prison sentences in publishing cases that the president promised?"

-- Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network of Human Rights Info (HRinfo), in a news release dated Oct. 29

"The Americans threaten once and give in ten times because they know that the Iranian nation is greater and more stable than the threats."

-- Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, speaking Sunday as thousands gathered in Tehran to mark the 28th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy during the Islamic Revolution

"Condoleezza Rice speaks about Lebanon as if it is an American state. The immoral and blunt U.S. interference in Lebanon's internal affairs has been clearly demonstrated."

- Pro-government Syrian newspaper Tishrin. U.S. officials made similar accusations about Syrian meddling in Lebanon's thorny debate over who will be the next president.

"He is the tyranny of Libya and is dragging the country to the swamp."

-- Abu Laith al-Libi, a Libyan al Qaida commander in Afghanistan, speaking about Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi on a recently released tape from the militant group

Islamofascism

The now-notorious awareness week has come and gone, but the term "Islamofascism" lingers in the post-9/11 American lexicon. Campuses throughout the United States played host to Islamofascism Awareness Week supporters, who welcomed the likes of Ann Coulter, and detractors, who staged large counter protests.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (better known as CAIR) was alarmed at some of the dubious backgrounds of speakers invited to American campuses for Islamofascism Awareness Week.

"There appear to be growing links between anti-Muslim bigots in the United States and European racists and anti-Semites," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Those who promote and exploit such links are doing a disservice to our nation and to its traditions of interfaith tolerance and understanding."

Hooper said other speakers on the "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" lecture tour have been accused of racism and anti-Semitism, or have been linked to European racists.

Now that the dust has settled and the word has stuck, I posted queries on listservs, poked people on Facebook and sent out a flurry of emails asking for interpretations of "Islamofascism." Responses came from students, educators and activists who focus on Arab/Muslim issues. Some of the respondants included photos of the events on their campuses. Here's a sampling of the reactions:

HOSSAM EL HAMALAWY

It was heartwarming that those who were involved in the action against the organizers of Islamofascism Awareness Week did not only come from Muslim backgrounds. The counter events, like the Oct. 25 protest, were sponsored by a variety of leftist, liberal, green, ethnic and religious organizations. This is a sign of a healthy community.

Hossam el Hamalawy is an Egyptian activist, journalist and blogger who is a visiting scholar at the University of California-Berkeley. He took photos of local Islamofascist Awareness Week events. To see them, click here.

MANAL OMAR

When I first learned of the infamous Islamofascist Awareness Week to be held on the campus of my alma mater, I simply shrugged my shoulders and pressed delete. I have been working for an international NGO for the past 10 years, primarily working in Islamic countries. It was never my intention to target Islamic countries. Just happens to be where all the wars are these days, and my particular humanitarian focus is post-conflict.

As a result, it takes quite a lot to jolt me into my student-days action. However, the next email did manage to get my attention. It was from a fellow alum who was trying to protest the week, calling for its cancellation or, as a last resort, putting together a counter-protest. I quickly pressed "reply" and added my two cents' word of caution.

There are many things that I hold dear. First and foremost are the tenets of my religion. Second is the right to be heard -- aka freedom of speech. In this sense, I have been accused of being an idealist. Yet I have seen many nations struggle for this simple right, and stand firm by the notion that everyone has the right to express opinions. Yes, even those screaming and running around with their hands waving about their heads as they yell, "The Islamofascists are coming!"

Naturally, there are caveats to this rule. Similar to screaming "fire!" in a crowded movie theater, any words that inspire hate should be closely monitored. It is a fine line that needs to be taken carefully, and my advice to my Muslim Students Association was to do research. In the past, did similar talks create a rise in hate crimes against Muslim students on campus? What materials were presented?

If it was an attack on the tenets of Islam, then I firmly believe my religion can handle it. If it was an attack on those who were using Islam to do horrible things, then the people who have done such crimes deserve it. For too long Muslims have adopted an apologist tone towards the crimes committed in the name of Islam. At the heart of the civil rights movement, people were able to distinguish between the tenets of Christianity and those of the KKK's version. The millions of deaths in history over trying to make Europe Catholic then Protestant and Catholic again is yet another example of how religion has been wrongfully used to spread bloodshed.

I had faith in the general public to distinguish the role of religion from the conduct of people. Those who wanted to believe that Islam preached death and destruction could find plenty of slanderous material on the Web. Overall, my advice was to do nothing except lead by example, demonstrating Muslims' respect and tolerance for others' space.

Manal Omar is the Middle East regional program manager for an international nongovernmental organization. She is a longtime humanitarian worker who has served in Iraq, Palestine and other conflict zones.

RAY HANANIA

I was really excited to hear that, finally, someone in the United States is making an effort to recognize Arabs and Muslims in a broad way, under the banner of "Islamofascism." We are so excluded and marginalized that any time someone recognizes us, we should try to make the best of it.

I am not exactly sure what "Islamofascism" means, surely a public relations spin master's creative way to combine two incongruent terms. But I was thinking, if this week is successful, we should expand it to include everyone. Let's make sure everyone as an "O-fascism Week." Diversity is everything in this country. How about JudeoFascism Week? Oral Roberts-o-Fascism Week? Christian-o-Fascism Week?" Another popular one might be GOP-o-Fascism Week.

...Rather than calling it Islamofascism Week, organizer David Horowitz should instead call it what it really is, a Celebration of Hatred. Horowitz and his Web site, Front Page Magazine, lead the pack when it comes to Muslim and Arab bashing. My biggest problem is that clearly his intent is to slander Islam and Arabs as he paints all Arab and Muslim groups as being "Islamofascist."

I always thought there were anti-hate laws to prevent events like this from taking place. But then, if neo-Nazis can march in Skokie, why shouldn't Horowitz regale in his own version of provocation? Arabs and Muslims should use Horowitz's hatred. But instead of responding to him with protests, we should organize our own "Islamo-Peace-and-Love Festivals" at universities around the country.

Ray Hanania is a Chicago-based writer and columnist of Palestinian descent. He's active in the National Arab American Journalists Association and has toured as a stand-up comedian.

MAHDA JAHANGIR

Islam in particular is not fascist at all. It is a peaceful, humanistic religion marked by a moderate lifestyle. Islam tries to help people return to their humanity instead of abandoning it. So, what's with this "fascist" label they're adding to Islam?

The word is not very new for Iranians. Before the Islamic revolution, in the last riot years of the Shah's era, Shapour Bakhtiar, the former president, used the word in his speeches. "Radical Islamist" or "Islamofascist." Then again, he was reportedly a drug addict and heavily dependent on the West, especially the United States.

Nowadays, we're hearing the word again. Interesting that when the Taliban was in power, we never heard "Islamofascism." But now that Iran pursues a nuclear energy program, the word comes up. They say it's a marker to separate modern, moderate Muslims from "fascist" Muslims.

Well, I'm a Muslim and I reject those titles. I think even writing about "Islamofascism" only helps Bush to propogate his stereotyped ideas.

Mahda Jahangir is a journalist in Tehran, Iran.

DR. MERIEM REIK

An appropriate response to the purely derogatory "Islamofascism," a nonsense word since there is nothing fascistic about Islam, is to recall that it was coined by people who belong to the world of Judeonazism, Shahak's term that draws real meaning from observed Zionist phenomena.

Dr. Meriem Reik is a former congressional staff member, former journalist and activist.

ARON KADER

I witnessed Islamofascism Week here from Los Angeles and saw the University of California (the alma mater of my Palestinian father and my brother) host two of the worst political hacks for a speech to the student body: Ann Coulter and David Horowitz. I was surprised to see there were supporters of these narrow-minded speakers who view them as celebrities or rock stars.

At risk of sounding redundant, I have to say the irony in all this was that they united the protesters who represented the Jewish, Muslim and peace activist groups on the campus. Well, finally the Right Wing brought Jews and Muslims together for peace! Although by accident, it could be a good sign that they are isolating themselves into a sect of crazy warmongers that force the other side to galvanize.

I wanted to point out a quote by David Horowitz, the leftist-turned-neoconservative, that was incredibly ridiculous: "This is a greater threat than the Nazis or the communists because these people have modern technologies...They want to exterminate Jews and impose religious law on everyone, through the state."

What the hell does that mean? Is he referring to the WMDs in Iraq?

At the beginning of WWII, the United States was so behind with its technology that our military still had horse cavalries from our civil war. We had muskets and WWI helmets that looked like woks. The German Nazis were incredibly technologically advanced and modern. In fact, without them, we would not have advanced our satellite or radar technology, nor would we have had Einstein or Oppenheimer, who invented The Bomb. Not to take anything away from the terrorists, but I don't think they are modern or technologically savvy.

These political hack talking heads that are out speaking to the drones, encouraging group think, should stop and realize that Ann Coulter and David Horowitz are just really bad and unfunny comedians. As a comedian myself, I want to encourage them to go to the open mic night over at the Laugh Factory on Monday mornings to work on their acts.

Aron Kader is a comedian who has been on the road with the critically acclaimed Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. He has performed on Comedy Central and recently filmed a TV pilot for NBC.

             
   

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