Blogs

For some reason, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is the guru of Islamists in the Arab world. In fact, the reason is obvious: there is such a dearth of leaders in the movement that this man has become widely influential.

It would be unfair to say that his influence stems solely from the exposure that he is provided by Qatar through his weekly TV program on Al Jazeera. Qaradawi is a prolific author and he uses simple language to issue his declarations and rulings about interpretations of Shariah.

There is no question that United States President Barack Obama has been trying desperately for the last three years to avoid bringing attention to a fact that few Americans miss: the fact that he is an African-American.

Obama is aware of the widespread racism in the United States and he is a truly skillful American politician who knows that his race is a big problem among white voters (especially males).

There is something quite unique about the Middle East’s “Resistance Axis” which includes Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas and a smattering of smaller groups opposed to western imperialism and zionism.

It is the only major grouping or alliance in the region that includes 1) Arab and Iranian, 2) Sunni and Shia, 3) Islamist and Secularist.

So Jeffrey Feltman addressed a group of March 14 supporters in Washington, DC this week. He concluded his address, which was attended by the luminaries of the Zionist movement in the US, by saying this: “The inevitable fall of Bashar provides new opportunities for Lebanon. In 2013 Lebanon will hold its next parliamentary election.

Following last weekend's contribution to this blog from Gaza blogger Nader Elkhuzundar, I am posting a new guest post from Gaza by Ebaa Rezeq, a 21-year-old English and French literature student who blogs at gazanism.wordpress.com and tweets at @Gazanism.

It is hard to believe that there is anyone in Lebanon or beyond who takes this man seriously anymore. To be sure, he can still be used by this state or that regime, or by that prince or that Sheikh, but he has no credibility left. This is a man who does not even make claims of moral consistency. This is a man who admitted on Lebanese national TV that he embezzled money from the state Immigration Fund, which was set up to fund the return of Christians to the Chouf, having been displaced by Jumblatt’s militia.

The documentary about Benazir Bhutto titled Bhutto is nothing short of a silly hagiography. It is only surprising that Tariq Ali agreed to be part of the charade, although his old friendship with her during her time in the UK explains (and justifies) the lapse. To be fair to Ali, he did not shy away from criticizing her second term in office.

Last week, while Israel forces bombarded the Gaza Strip with missiles and artillery strikes, a 24 year old blogger from Gaza City named Nader Elkhuzundar published a moving vision of life in Gaza. Entitled "To My Unborn Children," Elkhuzundar's addressed his future children.. "Don’t leave Palestine. It’s where you belong.