An Arab Woman Blues - Reflections in a sealed bottle...

I just finished watching the Youtube video from Al-Jazeera - ENGLISH -- here on events in Ghazni-Afghanistan. I noticed slight variations from the news I watched yesterday around 8pm on Al-Jazeera ARABIC. I remember distinctly in the Arabic version, the same elderly person interviewed who features in the English video, said that --- the American troops stormed the Mosque and stomped their boots on the heads of those prostrated, then ransacked the place...he even put his hand to the back of his neck to show the exact location... The English version does NOT report -- the stomping of soldiers boots on the heads of those prostrated in prayer. And that is a typical American practice as testified by many eventually released, innocent detainees from Kabul, Kandahar and Guantanamo... How come ? Imagine you are praying, in the evening or at dawn, you are prostrated in a quasi foetal position, in total surrender, at least physically, vulnerable because of your position, and someone walks in an...

To my knowledge, the only website that regularly covers the crimes in Afghanistan is Uruknet . Other than this site, seems like the Afghan people are left to fend for themselves, cut off from the rest of the world, from Humanity... I do not know much about the ancient history of Afghanistan...my knowledge of this country is rather limited and I only started paying closer interest after the Soviet invasion... But when I come to think about it, I was "familiar" with the place through two Afghan items - a sheep skin coat and an embroidered dress. I am not sure that qualifies as familiarity, but in my mind it does. I cannot remember where I got these from, it was ages ago...Maybe someone gave them to me. I grew very attached to both, for some unknown reason. I loved that long flowing dress and the white sheep skin coat, that smelled of -- sheep. My friends would remark - "for God's sake, when are you going to get rid of this coat, every time you walk by, we smell a herd ...

About a year ago, some Iraqi blogger renamed me " Arab Woman Fuse". I found that to be too funny...have not stopping laughing since... He probably felt that I have a few wires missing, I guess. So "fuse" I shall be. Sounds better than "blues". Don't you think ?

Liberate them. Liberate this. Liberate it... Shackles have wounded the soul, torn it apart Chains embedded in wrists, dug into ankles, around heads, like some embedded reporter... Fighting the nightmare only to realize it is real, it happened, it is happening... No delegations à la Kerry visited, No Pelosi came by, No EU took photos... Cover it up, cover it up... Throw a blanket, a cloth, Make it White...as white as snow. No, better, dump them... Mass graves, rivers, anonymous tombs... Who will know ? Who will speak ? Who will testify ? Sand thrown over dunes of blood and tears Only the winds and the sky bore witness... And the rest ? Silent as stone, as rock, as gravel, as rubbles... The walls screamed, The trees wept The pavements wailed The fields cried The rivers agonized The morgue full, pregnant without a whisper... And the rest ? Silent...Silent...Silent. No security Council condemned No lawyers filed suits No war Crimes warrants were issued No convoys arrived... The courts are ...

Am I a psychic or am I a psychic ? I must start charging money for political consultations instead of this totally free altruistic sharing... Did I not say the following : - In November 2008, regarding the Iraqi provincial elections, I said " It is very possible that we might witness another inter Shiite front developing between Maliki's DAWA party and the Sadrists of Muqtada - yet again...This possible alliance between the Dawa and the Sadrists remains to be seen and I do not exclude it. Call it the race for power ." Well, well, what do you know - Maliki's party won the majority of the provincial electoral seats, and not less than 4 articles have pointed to the alliance between Sadr and Maliki --again with the drillers calling themselves " The Free Independent Thinkers " party of Iraq. Hahahahahaha - In December 2008, with regards to Pakistan I said : "I have mentioned it and/or alluded to it in most of my posts dealing with Iran, namely that Iran will...

I do not know about you, but I believe that "coincidences are when God wishes to remain anonymous"... And for the past 48 hours, too many coincidences took place, too many for me to dismiss or ignore... I know, I said I will not be writing anymore -- but I am (strongly) nudged, in a too obvious fashion to resume writing, whether I want, like it or not...And since my allergy to flagrant Injustices is greater than my fear, I am sitting here typing again... I must admit that the many emails I received, asking me not to stop, gave me hope and made me realize that the hours and days of blogging in the obscurity were not wasted in vain...So for those of you who wrote to me - a big thank you. People like you make it worthwhile...but not only you. A few others make it worthwhile..they are as anonymous as you are, maybe more so...and some of them have no fingers left to type, headless and no voices left to speak...and for them -- I shall continue... Let me share with you the "coi...

I am seriously considering closing down this blog after having closed down the comment section. I am sick and tired of receiving on a DAILY basis, emails and messages containing insults, slander, false accusations, rape and death threats. I do understand that the topics I deal with, may be controversial for some and may provoke some occasional reactions. But this has gone way out of hand. It started two years ago and the pressure and threats on my physical safety have been anted up to the point where I simply cannot tolerate it anymore... I have had to deal with witnessing my country and its people being starved, bombed senseless, occupied and totally destroyed and this has been going on since the 90's and that has been "controversial" to me -- to say the least. And despite my occasional outbursts of anger and at times raw rage, I did not go around threatening to KILL bloggers who did not share my perception of events, angst and grief. As a matter of fact, I think I have ...

By the way, this is my 500th post. I am not sure as to whether I qualify for some sort of jubilee prize/present or not...In any event, jubilee or no jubilee, I shall keep typing away... I must admit, Al-Jazeera keeps disappointing me, predictably so. Ever since Qatar decided to align itself to Iran, almost everything (I did say almost -- so please do to take into account my nuances) fall in favor of Iran. The last in line was tonight's program called " Itijah al Muakess" -- opposing views/directions. The program coincided with the 30th anniversary of the "Islamic republic of Iran", the so-called "Islamic revolution." Two guests, hosted by Faysal Al-Kassem -- Dr. Faysal Al-Kassem (very important the doctor part). Arabs (and they are not the only ones) are always impressed with titles... In order to impress the viewers even more, they invited an Algerian "doctor" by the name of Khewlefeh and another humble looking guest, residing in London by ...

Do you remember that film, entitled "Out of Africa" ? The story of a Danish "Lady" - the Baroness von Blixen something, who settled in Kenya...and wrote her memoirs about the place. She was a landowner...well not quite. She and her husband actually colonized the land -- plantations. The Kenyans, Kikuyus toiled their land on this plantation, in exchange for meager handouts, "gracefully" bestowed by this Danish "Lady". I can't remember all the details of the film, but I do remember some of the scenery. I was impressed with the natural beauty of the African continent, of Kenya to be more precise. I also recall a few scenes of "natives" toiling the earth in the heat of the African sun, like in some labour camp... And I also have a fleeting memory of some elegant colonial, cool, shaded bedroom, all white, with a big bed covered by spotless " dentelle " sheets and over which hung a bright white " moustiquaire ". A bed ...

As I have mentioned before, I have been watching quite a bit of TV lately, unlike my usual self. A program (on al-Jazeera, Arabic) I try not to miss at all, is Sami Al-Haj's detailed ordeal in Guantanamo. It is on every Tuesday. I missed part I but did manage to watch part II and III and I strongly urge anyone who understands Arabic, to watch it too. The program consists of a series of live interviews with Sami and how his nightmarish odyssey into the underworld of American democracy begun. Briefly, he was arrested and detained in Kabul, then moved and detained in Kandahar, then flown to Guantanamo. Prisoner 345, 7 years of his life gone in the dungeons of American democracy. He survived it to testify. It served a purpose, I guess. But at what price !? Watching him speak, is like watching a holocaust survivor out of a concentration camp. Nay, worse than a holocaust survivor. This man was detained, humiliated, tortured, traumatized for life, changed for ever, by American Democracy. ...

A very sporadic Internet access has been a blessing...it has freed me to pursue other things - away from politics, accursed and damned politics...it has freed me to read, and read and read, watch tons of TV and renew my ties with the real world of the living...as opposed to the dead. The dead end of politics. Yet, still, some things keep screaming in your face, and no amount of eyes shutting or plugging cotton wool in your ears, will do. A profound cry, a deep injustice that refuses to go away, that refuses to sit still, that refuses to be silenced. No amount of books, reading or any mundane activity will quell. That profound cry, that deep injustice was and remains Iraq. I am sure you are expecting me to comment on the new democracy, the sham democracy, the fraudulent democracy... I have a lot to say, essential things to say, that your democracy will not uncover, because your democracy is based on a lie, on a deceptive lie that has cost over a million souls...the democracy of the dead...