Archive for Morocco

Protest and Pessimism in the Maghreb

Posted by: Ion | September 10th, 2007 · 7:08 PM

The left-leaning (if allegedly nonpartisan) 501(c)(3) group Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), has taken exception to our reposting from June, of SnappedShot’s enormously amusing Islamic Rage Boy project. AID notes that there seems little interest on our part by contrast, in heartening nationwide demonstrations in Algeria to protest Al Qaeda’s brutal terrorist operations there.

The weekend protests staged mostly by Muslim women, had some of the better chants you’ll read this year:

The crowd, which was made up mainly of women, chanted slogans such as “Terrorists are not Muslims” and “the Algerian people reject terrorism and support President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
(BBC via Americans for Informed Democracy)

This peaceful popular revolt is coming on the heels of the revelation that Al Qaeda is in acute crisis in North Africa, following the surrender of Benmessaoud Abdelkader, a key zonal emir of Al Qaeda (formerly of the notorious GSPC). Under debriefing by Algerian authorities, Abdelkader portrayed an encouragingly chaotic situation within the organization, perhaps conditioned by the July death of Sid Ali Rachid, the mastermind of AQ’s more spectacular attacks on the Bouteflika government.

In this context, AID was using us in a general and cynical rebuke of conservative (or at least anti-salafi) blogs and their zeal for pillorying the fanaticism of Rage Boy, at the expense of a more sympathetic Muslim majority (the extraneous component of the Rage boy’s unfair argument). But since I first read about the demonstration on Gateway Pundit and it’s thereby making the rounds on the rightblogs (and as customarily is being largely ignored by the Left, in its obsession with domestic politics), the point is more than a little unfair.

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Goofy Arab Girls

Posted by: Ion | May 1st, 2007 · 11:38 PM

Two very Westernized Arab girls in Morocco, doing very strange cat impressions. It’s so weird, it’s actually cute…albeit in a David Lynchian sort of way.

The influence of BOB is considerable.

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For want of Ellenbogens

Posted by: Ion | April 18th, 2007 · 12:57 PM

Marc S. Ellenbogen, on the United Nations in Western Sahara:

As with most territorial issues, the United Nations’ involvement has been mostly ineffective - even counterproductive. It would be best to remove the issue from the UN agenda and allow the principal parties to negotiate among themselves - with external help from foreign experts, should the need arise.
(Middle East Times)

Why can’t we have more Democrats like this?

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