Monday, June 07, 2004

From London:
Looking at Arabic newspapers published in UK and ME, and watching AlArabiyyah TV station, one is struck by the extent to which the tyrannical House of Saud controls much of Arab media. You see why they hate AlJazeera so much? Here is a very popular media outlet that is not under the control of the House of Saud and that drives the Saudi government crazy. Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat daily had a full report on the Islamic Republic of Fallujah: fanatical groups there have taken over the city, and imposed a fanatical rule with whipping and lashing and killing as punishments. Those who drink alcohol are also punished in a country known for great poets who were inspired by the bottle. Great Iraqi poet Mudhaffar An-Nawwab is sometimes unintelligible on his recorded poetry concerts because he is so drunk. AlArabiyya TV had a half hour report on the Sunni triangle: things are pretty bad and lost, as far as the US desire to colonize the country. Residents trace the beginning of conflict to the time when US soldiers killed scores of Iraqi civilians who were demonstrating peacefully early during the occupation. When I watch the ascendancy of the traditional tribal and religious power in Iraq I get doubly mad at US war and occupation. My next update will be from Beirut. I watched interviews with the appointed Iraqi prime minister and Iraqi president. Allawi referred to Muqtada As-Sadr as "brother Muqtada As-Sadr." Was he not wanted dead or alive a few weeks ago? You want to know whether Iraq has sovereignty or not? Ask the new oil minister about oil prices? He said that Iraq wants them lower. Imagine the US saying that we would like the price of our exports to go down, because it is good for Chinese economy. I looked at French and UK newspapers: they are commemorating D-Day, but not in the same obnoxious, war- and military-worshipping, and jingoistic fashion of US newspapers.