It's a First!

A Linda Heard column that I agree with! At least the basic point, that the US Senate has no right to decide the future of Iraq (or any other country) in this way. I think that she is wrong on some of the minor points - e.g. I think that Iran would be the biggest winner from a partition of Iraq, not Israel. Also, the sentence "Either Joe Biden is clueless or..." should just be "Joe Biden is clueless", but that is a minor stylistic point.

I especially enjoyed her "suggestion for the Arab world... [to] vote on the break-up of America", since such a vote would be completely worthless and pointless, pretty much like this Senate resolution. But if people want to do such things, more power to them.

America's First Muslim Congressman Visits Iraq

Keith Ellison, America's only Muslim Congressman and a vocal critic of the war, was in Iraq over the weekend and was interviewed about the trip by USA Today:

"[The Iraqi sheikhs that he met] were very upset and concerned that al-Qaeda is misrepresenting Islam... And they were talking to me about what I can possibly do to work with them to give a clearer, more accurate picture of what Islam is all about."

Ellison said he would assist in any way he can. He is already helping a State Department outreach effort aimed at improving the image of the U.S. in the Muslim world.

Improving the image of Muslims in the eyes of the US and the image of the US in the eyes of Muslims cannot happen soon enough. I wish him luck.

Ellison said that local leaders in Ramadi told him of how they partnered with U.S. and Iraqi military officials to virtually rid al-Qaeda from the city. Although the lawmakers had to travel in flak vests and helmets, "we did see people walking around the streets of Ramadi, going back and forth to the market."

There have been fewer anti-U.S. sermons as the violence has been reduced, Ellison said, and religious leaders meet regularly with U.S. military officials....

Ellison said he was particularly impressed watching Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin, U.S. commander in the Anbar province, greeting people with "as-salama aleikum," meaning peace be upon you.

"And they would respond back with smiles and waves," Ellison said. "I don't want to overplay it. There were no flowers. There was no clapping. There was no parade. But there was a general level of respect and calm that I thought was good."

Juxtaposition

Two stories about Iraq that I saw today:

2 U.S. Soldiers Charged With Murder of 3 Iraqis

Michael Yon's report on an Al Qaeda massacre of an Iraqi village (warning: graphic images).

Say What?

I'm no expert on every detail of the war in Iraq, but I have never heard that "the US wants a mainly Sunni government in Iraq." Has anyone else ever heard this? Is there any proof of this statement?

Palestinians: Leave or 'prepare to die'

So I've had several online debates here about whether the US media is controlled by the Jews. So if any of you who believe that the media is controlled by the Jews are reading this, I have a question: Why isn't this story ( "Palestinians told to leave immediately or 'prepare to die'") in any of the US media*? I mean, spun properly, doesn't it makes Muslims look like they really don't care about what happens to Palestinians? Wouldn't any pro-Israeli conspiracy want that message out there?

[*Note on methodology: When I say that it is not in any of the US media, I mean that I searched CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC/MSNBC, CBS, the NY Times, the Washington Post, and Google News (only shows the Gulf News story) for the phrase "prepare to die", on the assumption that such a phrase would have to appear in any such story. I could be wrong in this assumption.]

[Update: 28 January 2007]
Ahmed has discovered that the Washington Post has run a story about this situation. Thanks for the find. They version of the story is if anything even more depressing.

Random facts

One of the things I love about working in a library is that you never know what information you will come across. For example, the June 2005 Atlantic Monthly has two brief articles about this area of the world of interest:

* According to the Congressional Research Service, the UAE has one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian rebuilding of Iraq after the war, especially when you factor in the relatively small population. It has given $215 million or about 790 million dirham. This is not military aid spent, this is rebuilding money. While it has not sent any troops, it has also contributed by helping train the new Iraqi police force. I had read about how generous the UAE was under Sheik Zayed, so this didn't surprise me at all. (On the other hand, France has contributed only $10 million. It is almost like they want project of creating a democratic Iraq to fail. Nah, that couldn't be it.)

* [27 July 2005 - This part of this post has been removed at the suggestion of a commentator. Since I'm still learning where exactly the line is between a fair observation and too strong criticism, I'm erring on the side of caution on this one, though to be honest, I really can't see how what I wrote could be construed as insulting or negative.]