Israel is being accused of ‘occupying’ the West Bank. The historical background of this ‘occupation’ is rooted in the act of aggression by the Jordanian army joining Abdel Nasser in the six days war after the late Egyptian President convinced king Hussein that he is winning the war.., see here. But fortunately, as we know, the IDF won the war, and perhaps unfortunately, Israel and the Palestinians, until now, didn’t find the solution to end this historical tragedy caused by king Hussein’s miscalculated aggression on Israel.
But in face of the Arabic ‘Human Rights’ insurrection in Tunis, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Syria and Iran, it would be necessary to redefine what ‘occupied ‘ means in their case. Because the only ‘aggression’ perpetuated by the people of those states was the fight for their own human rights in their own countries against their own corrupt regime.
In Syria, for instance, Bashar al-Assad’s regime belongs to the Alawy (His family has filled security organs with loyal members of his own religious group with the purpose of retaining his power. His military, ruling elite, and secret police are closely inter weaved).
Remembering that Bashar Assad’s father Hafez al-Assad had over 17,000 killed in the town of Hama in 1982 following protests there, we see now the same pattern, see here (“Mail Online”): “Up to 100 people were feared dead and many more injured after Syria exploded in violence yesterday.”
So, remembering that 13% of Alawite, Bashar Assad ethnic group, rule on about 74% of Sunnis Muslims, and that Bashar Assad was elected by 97 %..(?) of the Syrian voters give the real picture of the Alawyte Occupation Regime in Syria and his desperate decision to maintain his occupation regime in Syria by any means, andto fight the pro democracy protesters until dead.
So what we politically correct know as a a legal dictatorship, approved, under the cover of the western world’s interests, is only the inner occupation of a population by their own ruthless regime: see former Tunis, Yemen, Egypt, Libya and perhaps in the future ‘former Iran’.
A year ago on November 12, 2007, I published on this very blog., an article named “Dangerous Lingerie Under the Veil in Syria” ,see here. The same ‘Syrian Lingeries’ surfaced in the today actualities in the form of a book.
Lingerie in SyriaLingerie
On the German site “Quantara”, an Internet portal for sustaining a dialog with the Islamic world, an article by Susannah Tarbush under the curious name “Panties from the “Axis of Evil” see here, reveals the surprising fact that the Syrian member of the “Axis of Evil” has many sexy underwear attributes. Not to bad for an Axis of Evil..and very subtle for an entertaining dialog with the Islamist world.
Now let’s see what’s all about, I quote from the “Axis of Evil” article, ..”When Malu Halasa [journalist] andRana Salam [designer] visited the souqs and shops of Damascus and Aleppo during a visit a couple of years ago, they were surprised by the apparent contradiction between the unusually audacious and playful lingerie on display there and the relatively conservative society, in which so many women are veiled.
Lingerie
Halasa and Salam soon decided to co-author a book, “The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie: Intimacy and Design,” which was published recently by Chronicle Books of San Francisco… .”..see here.
And more…..It turns out that women in Syria’s conservative culture, “invest heavily in vivid, imaginatively designed lingerie to keep their men interested, not unlike the way a fisherman use brightly-colored flies to attract bass.”, seehere.
The BBC refers to this kind of lingerie investment in an article called “Sexy secrets of the Syrian souk “, for example “It stems from the Syrian tradition for brides-to-be to be given a trousseau of exotic underwear – sometimes dozens of items – usually by girlfriends, aunties and cousins, to add spice to their wedding nights, honeymoons and beyond.”
The souk
And further …”[On the contrary,] sex is there to be enjoyed to the maximum by Muslims – as long as they are married Muslims – and there are numerous religious exhortations on the importance of foreplay, mutual titillation and satisfaction for both partners. Adventurous underwear is popular among conservative Muslim couples. Indeed, if a husband fails to satisfy his wife sexually – or vice versa – it is considered grounds for divorce under Islamic law.”…see here.
QLICK TO PLAY..
Continuing in the same vein, the article “Syrian wedding lingerie: veils of the unexpected”
Rana Salam (below) and Malu Halasi
emphasise that ..”It is
extraordinary that this deeply religious and conservative society is producing such saucy and explicit underwear. But, according to Rana Salam, co-author with Malu Halasa”… of the book on the lingerie ..” Islamic society in Syria is far from prudish, and men and women have open discussions about sex: ‘Syrians are known for being direct about sexual matters, and they love to laugh about it, too,’ she says. Women in Syria are also by no means the most restricted in the Arab world: they have good jobs, go to university and can make their own decisions. While
The souk
researching the book, Salam, who was raised in Lebanon, found that the lingerie was considered a treat, for both sexes. ‘t’s all about fantasy,’ she says. ‘For the woman, it can spell freedom: it says it’s okay to experiment with your husband, so the man benefits too.’
It’s doing what it says on the packet – aiming to seduce – while conveying a deeper social message. “It’s saying that these people have fun and joy in their lives,” she says, “and the Middle East isn’t all just about war and repression.”….see here on TIMEONLINE.
The Miami Herald, on his “Fashion and Beauty” page, mentioned in his article “Panties in a twist: Syrian women wear sexy underwear, too..”:… ” ‘There’s an idea that because it’s Islam, they don’t have sex,’ explained Halasa, who is a co-author of several other books and writes for the British press. ‘We cannot make assumptions about the private lives of Muslims.’
Lingerie with birds and fur
Lingerie is a luxury item in Syria. Halasa doesn’t suggest that the women are wearing racy panties beneath their burqas; they are worn at intimate moments. When a woman gets married, she often collects up to 30 outfits for her wedding night. They are gifts to herself and from folks like her mother, future mother-in-law and groom.
The lingerie represents a rite of passage from virginity to respectable, married womanhood.
‘Some Syrian women think that buying lingerie is a waste of money and it has no role in their sexual lives. While for some traditional people, it is a must to buy lingerie with all different colors and styles before getting married,” an unidentified woman says in the book. “I think that not being able to wear what you want in daily life is a factor, which makes some girls feel that only marriage will give them the chance to show.”.. see here.
And in Israel…Lingerie..Lingerie… is women’s secret panache , even for Jewish orthodox women
Orthodox Jewish womenCan WE Do It ?
For example from an article on TIMEONLINE (April 15, 2006) ” Devout shoppers drawn to very unorthodox mall” in Bnei Brak.I quote ..”All the mannequins are headless and there is a dearth of in-store posters because of the Torah’s edict against any likeness of the human image. On the packaging for women’s tights the human form has been discreetly hidden behind strategically placed stickers.
The bedding department has only single beds because even married ultra-orthodox couples must sleep separately and refrain from sex at certain times of the month.
The lingerie section is also discreetly tucked away at the rear of the store and stocks colours no more racy than black, white or skin tones. There were complaints when one shop stocked pink-ish bras.
seehere for more.
Veiled women entering a lingerie storeInside Ali Nasser lingerie workshop
In the Gaza strip Hamas is banning anything interfering with his grip on the local media. But Lebanon is now lifting a ban on phone calls from Lebanon to Palestine.
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…”There is a famous Lebanese song by the singer Sabah that goes: “Hello, hello, hello, Beirut? Please, dear, get me Beirut, and hurry up please!”
[today]…many Palestinians in Lebanon have been putting new words to the old tune in the past few days: “Hello, hello, hello, Palestine? Please dear, get me Palestine, and hurry up please!”…
The reason is that the Lebanese government has officially lifted the ban on calls to the 970 country code this week, making it possible for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to call their relatives in historic Palestine for the first time in decades.
‘I am thrilled with the news, but I cannot help feeling bad about all the years I spent in Beirut without being able to contact my family and relatives who are still in Palestine,’ Imad said.’Still, better late than never.’
The 970 country code was established in 1993 and was issued to the Palestinian Authority which at the time was in control of both the West Bank and Gaza.
Since then, the Islamic Hamas party has taken control of the Gaza Strip, while President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party controls the West Bank. But the Hamas-Fatah split has apparently not affected the phone network.
Now that Lebanon has lifted the ban, Syria is the only remaining country that doesn’t allow phone calls to the 970 country-code.”…seehere.
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And where is the Israeli connection?
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…”Debsy, [Hisham Debsy, media adviser for the PLO embassy in Lebanon], bristled when asked about the possibility of security breaches in the telecommunications network now that the lines are reopened. “You have to refer to the Lebanese government for this answer. Israel did not wait for the lines to reopen in order to hack into Lebanese land lines and mobile phones,” he said. Indeed, even if it was impossible to call Israel/Palestine from Lebanon, it has always been possible to call Lebanon from Israel/Palestine.” seehere.
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Now, perhaps in the near future, we will hear a new song by the singerSabah, from Syria to Israel… “Hello, hello, hello, Israel? Please dear, get me Israel, and hurry up please!”…
“Was Bush’s Knesset speech a swipe at Obama?” is the headline of ‘Rosner’s Blog’ in the ‘Haarets’.I quote from the newspaper,..”Barack Obama’s aides were quick to respond. His people called it “extraordinary politicization of foreign policy.” While U.S. President George W. Bush was speaking in Israel and comparing those who would talk with Iran to those who would have talked to Adolf Hitler, a storm broke out in the American political arena. Did Bush mean Obama?”.. see here.
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Well, I wouldn’t dare to put my head between the Bush policy and the perhaps future policies of Barak Obama or senator McCain. But if we talk about appeasement, we know the consequences of such policies.The reminiscences of Chamberlain, Daladier and Marshal Petain in France (ww2)., The Molotov-von Ribbentrop nonaggression pact between Stalin and Hitlers Barbarossa invasion of the Nazi armies and the Pearl harbour attack by Japan, did not fade away.
Now, if i am looking in my own ‘neighbourhood’..the Middle East.
What can be said here? Well let Tariq Alhomayedspeake for himself, I quote, ..”An astounding article … was published recently by the editor in chief of Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (English edition), Tariq Alhomayed, under the headline “Iran and the fearful Arabs.” ….”The fearful Arab states…are the ones affirming, without conviction, that the Lebanese crisis is an internal matter and they are calling against confrontation with Iran. The fearful Arab states are unaware of the fact that the conflict with Iran will prevail and that it will not just end in Beirut.”…
Or in other words, appeasing Hezbollah and his Iranian sponsor will not evaporate Iran’s urge for an Islamic hegemony.
A further quote…”. “Hassan Nasrallah and his party were defeated the day the divinely-guided leader lost his credibility on the Lebanese street and before the Arab and Islamic worlds. It makes no difference how much he pledges today or tomorrow; the Arabs, Muslims and Lebanese will never forget how Hezbollah turned its weapons against its own people after numerous vows that it would only use them against Israel.”… see here.
Or in other words, Hezbollah’s vow of a non-aggression against his own people was a pure joke.
And Syria.. North Korea signed the February 13, 2007 agreement in the Six Party Talks – among the United States, the two Koreas, Japan, China, and Russia with the US on nuclear weapons,see here, meanwhile every one knows today that ..”A Syrian nuclear reactor built with help from North Korea was weeks away from functioning, a top U.S. official said Thursday after lawmakers were briefed on the site destroyed last year by Israeli jets.”… see here.
Or in others words, the north Korean 2007 agreement, appeasing the nuclear peace believers, morphed into a nuclear reactor in Syria.
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And about Nuclear Iran
Look at the US intelligence assessment …”The National Intelligence Estimate plays down any early threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon. It assesses “with high confidence” that Iran did have a nuclear weapons programme until 2003, but this was discovered and Iran stopped it. The NIE adds: “We do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.” The assessment admits that Iran appears “less determined” to develop nuclear weapons than US intelligence had previously thought. It says that the earliest date by which Iran could make a nuclear weapon would be late 2009 but that this is “very unlikely”.
Or in other words, is that not a sort of appeasement policy?
But considering what others say, I quote…”on 5 March, a senior British diplomat said: ‘Many of us were surprised by how emphatic the writers [of the NIE] were… I haven’t seen any intelligence that gives me even medium confidence that these programmes haven’t resumed’. Even the Director of US National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, appeared to backtrack on 28 February 2008, in evidence to the Senate Armed Forces Committee. In this evidence, he said that Iran had probably halted warhead design and weaponisation, but pointed out that Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium meant that it was continuing with “the most difficult challenge in nuclear production. He said: ‘We remain concerned about Iran’s intentions… Tehran at a minimum is keeping the option open to develop nuclear weapons.’ ” see here,
Is it not fun making of an otherwise serious situation?
And finally, adding the Hamas to the list. Two days ago, a poll on Israeli channel 10, shows that a majority of the Israeli’s don’t believe in a truce with the Hamas. And why? Because, despite the fact that most Israeli’s truly want peace, they see such a truce as an appeasement policy not quite fitting with the Hamas 1988charter. See Carter’s visit: ‘The Wasington Post’ remind us that ..”Hamas’s 1988 charter calls for the destruction of Israel, and its officials have repeated that stand in the years since. The charter also encourages the killing of Jews. But Carter said that in his negotiations, Hamas leaders referred to the charter dismissively as “an ancient document”, see here. Very appeasing indeed…
Putting all this together, in acute life and dead situations, appeasement strategy is only a bet. Paraphrasing on a family living in a dangerous neighbourhood, it is better to buy a good insurance against murders, robberies, vandalism, rape, Mafiosos, beating and who knows what other calamities, and then to decide, if after all, you want to make a bet on anything in such a neighbourhood.
Imad Mugniyah has been killed in a mysterious explosion in Damascus.
He is considered as the chief of staff of the Hizbullah.
Two Quotes:
1-“Explosion hits Damascus residential area
An explosion tore through a residential area in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear if it caused any casualties.
Security officials at the scene refused to comment.Witnesses saw a mangled white car being towed away by police who cordoned off the area, which houses an Iranian school, a police station and a main Syrian intelligence office.No further details on the explosion were immediately available. It was not clear what caused the blast”….see here.
2-…”Damascus car bomb kills man: witnesses
Security officials at the scene refused to comment.
The upmarket district houses an Iranian school, a police station and a main Syrian intelligence office. A police truck towed away the destroyed car, a new model Mitsubishi Pajero.
Syria’s Baathist government, which bans all opposition, prides itself on maintaining stability. The blast was not reported by state media and the target was not immediately clear.
Several officials from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas were at the scene but there was no indication any of its members had been the target”… see more.
From the israeli press ‘Ynet” Published: 02.13.08, 16:12
Military Intelligence: Hizbullah lost its number one figure
I quote…”Reservist Military Intelligence officers tell Ynet of Imad Mugniyah’s prowess as terrorist mastermind. Former Mossad chief Danny Yatom: One of most dangerous terrorists ever.”..
…” Military Intelligence and other national security organizations do not hide the fact that various attempts were made to track Mugniyah’s path. However, it appears that the arch-terrorist was well aware of his “popularity” in Israel and succeeded in using the strict compartmentalization of information among his associates to maintain a low profile.”…
‘As important as Nasrallah’ Yoram Schweitzer, a senior research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), believes that Mugniyah’s significance within Hizbullah was close to that of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s.”… …”Although Nasrallah is the leadership figure, political and very capable, and even though Mugniyah was an operational figure, he led tens of special missions and we shouldn’t underestimate his position,” Schweitzer said in a conversation with Ynet.”…see here.
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Update from the Hizbollah site in English
Hamas, PFLP-GC Condem Moghnieh Murder by Zionist Gangsterism
Source: Al-Manar TV, 13-2-2008
Quote…”In a series of condemnations of the assassination of Hizbullah top commander Imad Moghnieh, Hamas accused “Israel” of killing Moghnieh, saying it was a “new example of Zionist gangsterism.”…see more.
Quote ….”Israel” Accused of Killing Hizbullah Figure
…”Moghnieh was head of the Hizbullah resistance branch during Lebanon- ‘Israel’ war in 2006.”…””Down with “Israel” … Down with America,” shouted Lebanese peoples in the village of Tayr Diba where he came from, east of the southern port city of Tyre.”…”Former Mossad head, Danny Yatom said on ‘Israel” Radio,’ He was not only being targeted by ‘Israe’, but also by the Americans and many other parties.”…see more.
Addenda.
Because of the possible repercussions of Imad Mugniyah’s violent death, on Israel Syria Hezbollah Lebanon the USA and others, I bring here two interesting posts from Tony Bey,(Tony Badran) Research Fellow (Levant), Foundation for Defense of Democracy, see here.
The first post “Mughniyeh Assassinated in Damascus” see here.
The second post “Schenker on Mughniyeh and Syria” see here.
Islamic veils does not prevent Arabic women from normal human behavior. A symposium hold on August 24, 2007 (Khatt Kufi Kaffiya | Symposium on Arabic Visual Culture, see here), shows Arab lingerie in Syria.
(Syrian Lingerie – Image for the publication “The secret Life of Syrian lingerie: Intimacy and Design” This book will be published together with Scalo Publishers by the end of 2007. Photo by Omar al-Moutem)
“The Arab street – its vibrancy, innovativeness, traditions of design and contemporary expression – has been obscured by geopolitical issues. Any attempt to deviate from the established line that the region is a place of war, religious fundamentalism or terrorism becomes virtually impossible particularly within the context of mainstream Western commercial publishing.”
“My recently co-edited books, The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie, with Rana Salam, Transit Tehran – Young Iran and Its Inspirations, with Maziar Bahari, and Kaveh Golestan – Recording the Truth in Iran, with Hengameh Golestan, provide ample examples of the challenges facing books that show a different side of the Middle East.”
…..”However a more insidious problem exists. Books on the Arab and Iranian street, showcasing authenticity, are almost impossible to get published”…See more.
In an article ‘What lies beneath’ by Malu Halasa , published in the ‘NEWSTATESMAN’ on the 05 June 2006, I read:
“Syria – A conservative culture has produced some of the world’s most explicit – and bizarre – lingerie, as Malu Halasa discovers… In Damascus, sex is rarely discussed in public. Yet veiled women regularly appraise the contents of window displays featuring feathered bras, knickers and one-piece crocheted bodysuits with”…see more
Update.
Lingerie Laws – Men Banned From Selling Lingerie in Sharjah, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait…”Ultra-conservative countries have passed new laws barring men from working in lingerie shops. Only women can be hired as salespersons and shops who fail to comply are being shut down”…..”There are similar rules for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, however, shopkeepers complain that it is difficult to find women salesmen for the job in such a conservative atmosphere. (lingeriemagic.org) “, (see more).
