The Arabs are not alone in believing the conspiracy theory whereby the American and Israeli secret service are doing a repeat of Lawrence of Arabia. Most of the "leftist" thinkers in the West join them in this theory.
Since the invention of Mujaheddin in Afghanistan to overthrow the pro-Soviet government, this theory is gaining supporters. Then there was the overthrow of the Shah of Iran by the opposition which included Shi'a clerics, Communists and socialists and had a great effect in destroying such a theory; especially when the Ayatollahs turned against their former allies and took over the country. There is some truth in the 'creation of Bin Laden by the CIA' and some truth in the encouragement of Saddam Hussein to invade Iran, as well as some truth in the US encouraging Israel to invade Lebanon so many times. But this is not the whole truth.
The overwhelming tendency towards Islam in the majority of Muslims around the world as a "reference" is something the Western thinkers would like to play down - belittling its effect on hundreds of millions of Muslims who are suffering poverty and injustice from their ruling systems even if those systems claim to rule by Shari'a.
Look at the Muslims in the West as a counter example of the theory: what happened in England amongst the second generation of good Pakistani emigrants, and the increasing hate and discontent of most of the middle class emigrants towards the social-political systems in their second homeland.
Yes .. the CIA can recruit some "leaders" or Hezbollah or Hamas, but who can convince a person to put bombs around his body to kill others including himself? Not by giving him or her a handful of dollars alone!
There must be more to it!
raouf
Saturday, May 26, 2007
A word on 'conspiracy theories' (see Welch Club post below)
Friday, May 25, 2007
About the 'Welch Club', from "Who's Behind the Fighting in North Lebanon?"
Courtesy of www.counterpunch.org
By FRANKLIN LAMB, Tripoli, Lebanon.
Given Bush administration debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan and its encouragement for Israel to continue its destruction of Lebanon this past summer, the situation in Lebanon mirrors, in some respects, the early 1980's when groups sprung up to resist the US green lighted Israeli invasion and occupation. But rather than being Shia and pro-Hezbollah, today's groups are largely Sunni and anti-Hezbollah. Hence they qualify for US aid, funneled by Sunni financial backers in league with the Bush administration which is committed to funding Islamist Sunni groups to weaken Hezbollah.
This project has become the White House obsession following Israel's July 2006 defeat.
To understand what is going on with Fatah al-Islam at Nahr el-Bared one would want a brief introduction to Lebanon's amazing, but shadowy 'Welch Club'.
The Club is named for its godfather, David Welch, assistant to Secretary of State Rice who is the point man for the Bush administration and is guided by Eliot Abrams.
Key Lebanese members of the Welch Club (aka: the 'Club') include:
The Lebanese civil war veteran, warlord, feudalist and mercurial Walid Jumblatt of the Druze party( the Progressive Socialist Party or PSP)
Another civil war veteran, warlord, terrorist (Served 11 years in prison for massacres committed against fellow Christians among others) Samir Geagea. Leader of the extremist Phalange party and its Lebanese Forces (LF) the group that conducted the Israel organized massacre at Sabra-Shatilla (although led by Elie Hobeika, once Geagea's mentor, Geagea did not take part in the Sept. 1982 slaughter of 1,700 Palestinian and Lebanese).
The billionaire, Saudi Sheikh and Club president Saad Hariri leader of the Sunni Future Movement (FM).
Over a year ago Hariri's Future Movement started setting up Sunni Islamist terrorist cells (the PSP and LF already had their own militia since the civil war and despite the Taif Accords requiring militia to disarm they are now rearmed and itching for action and trying hard to provoke Hezbollah).
The FM created Sunni Islamist 'terrorist' cells were to serve as a cover for (anti-Hezbollah) Welch Club projects. The plan was that actions of these cells, of which Fatah el-Islam is one, could be blamed on al Qaeda or Syria or anyone but the Club.
To staff the new militias, FM rounded up remnants of previous extremists in the Palestinian Refugee camps that had been subdued, marginalized and diminished during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Each fighter got $700 per month, not bad in today's Lebanon.
The first Welch Club funded militia, set up by FM, is known locally as Jund-al-Sham (Soldiers of Sham, where "Sham" in Arabic denotes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine & Jordan) created in Ain-el-Hilwa Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon. This group is also referred to in the Camps as Jund-el-Sitt (Soldiers of the Sitt, where "Sitt" in Sidon, Ain-el-Hilwa and the outskirts pertain to Bahia Hariri, the sister of Rafiq Hariri, aunt of Saad, and Member of Parliament).
The second was Fateh-al-Islam (The name cleverly put together, joining Fateh as in Palestinian and the word Islam as in Qaeda). FM set this Club cell up in Nahr-al-Bared refugee camp north of Tripoli for geographical balance.
Fatah el-Islam had about 400 well paid fighters until three days ago. Today they may have more or fewer plus volunteers. The leaders were provided with ocean view luxury apartments in Tripoli where they stored arms and chilled when not in Nahr-al-Bared. Guess who owns the apartments?
According to members of both Fatah el-Islam and Jund-al-Sham their groups acted on the directive of the Club president, Saad Hariri.
So what went wrong? "Why the bank robbery" and the slaughter at Nahr el-Baled?
According to operatives of Fatah el-Islam, the Bush administration got cold feet with people like Seymour Hirsh snooping around and with the White House post-Iraq discipline in free fall. Moreover, Hezbollah intelligence knew all about the Clubs activities and was in a position to flip the two groups who were supposed to ignite a Sunni Shia civil war which Hezbollah vows to prevent.
Things started to go very wrong quickly for the Club last week.
FM "stopped" the payroll of Fateh el-Islam's account at the Hariri family owned bank.
Fateh-al-Islam, tried to negotiate at least 'severance pay' with no luck and they felt betrayed. (Remember many of their fighters are easily frustrated teenagers and their pay supports their families). Militia members knocked off the bank which issued their worthless checks. They were doubly angry when they learned FM is claiming in the media a loss much greater than they actually snatched and that the Club is going to stiff the insurance company and actually make a huge profit.
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (newly recruited to serve the bidding of the Club and the Future Movement) assaulted the apartments of Fatah-al-Islam Tripoli. They didn't have much luck and were forced to call in the Lebanese army.
Within the hour, Fatah-al-Islam retaliated against Lebanese Army posts, checkpoints and unarmed, off-duty Lebanese soldiers in civilian clothing and committed outrageous killings including severing four heads.
Up to this point Fatah-al-Islam did not retaliate against the Internal Security forces in Tripoli because the ISF is pro-Hariri and some are friends and Fatah al-Islam still hoped to get paid by Hariri. Instead Fatah al Islam went after the Army.
The Seniora cabinet convenes and asks the Lebanese Army to enter the refugee camp and silence (in more ways than one) Fatah-al-Islam. Since entrance into the Camps is forbidden by the 1969 Arab league agreement, the Army refuses after realizing the extent of the conspiracy against it by the Welch Club. The army knows that entering a refugee camp in force will open a front against the Army in all twelve Palestinian refugee camps and tear the army apart along sectarian cracks.
The army feels set up by the Club's Internal Security Forces which did not coordinate with the Lebanese Army, as required by Lebanese law and did not even make them aware of the "inter family operation" the ISF carried out against Fatah-al-Islam safe houses in Tripoli.
Today, tensions are high between the Lebanese army and the Welch Club. Some mention the phrase 'army coup'.
The Club is trying to run Parliament and is prepared to go all the way not to 'lose' Lebanon. It still holds 70 seats in the house of parliament while the Hezbollah led opposition holds 58 seats. It has a dutiful PM in Fouad Siniora.
The club tried to seize control of the presidency and when it failed it marginalized it. Last year it tried to control of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee, which audits the government's policies, laws and watch dogs their actions. When the Club failed to control it they simply abolished the Constitutional Committee. This key committee no longer exists in Lebanon's government.
The Welch Club's major error was when it attempted to influence the Lebanese Army into disarming the Lebanese Resistance led by Hezbollah. When the Army wisely refused, the Club coordinated with the Bush Administration to pressure Israel to dramatically intensify its retaliation to the capture of the two soldiers by Hezbollah and 'break the rules' regarding the historically more limited response and try to destroy Hezbollah during the July 2006 war.
The Welch Club now considers the Lebanese Army a serious problem. The Bush administration is trying to undermine and marginalize it to eliminate one of the last two obstacles to implementing Israel's agenda in Lebanon.
If the army is weakened, it can not protect _over 70% of the Christians in Lebanon who support General Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement. The F.P.M. is mainly constituted of well educated, middle class and unarmed Lebanese civilians. The only protection they have is the Lebanese Army which aids in maintaining their presence in the political scene. The other type of Christians in Lebanon is the minority, about 15% of Christians associated with Geagea's Lebanese Forces who are purely militia. If the Club can weaken the Army even more than it is, then this Phalange minority will be the only relatively strong force on the Christian scene and become the "army" of the Club.
Another reason the Club wants to weaken the Lebanese Army is that the Army is nationalistic and is a safety valve for Lebanon to ensure the Palestinian right of return to Palestine, Lebanese nationhood and the resistance culture led by Hezbollah, with which is has excellent relations.
For their part, the Welch Club wants to keep some Palestinians in Lebanon for cheap labor, ship others to countries willing to take them (and be paid handsomely to do so by American taxpayers) and allow at most a few thousand to return to Palestine to settle the 'right of return' issue while at the same time signing a May 17th 1983 type treaty with Israel which enriches the Club members and gives Israel Lebanon's water and much of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Long story short, Fatah el-Islam must be silenced at all costs. Their tale, if told, is poison for the Club and its sponsors. We will likely see their attempted destruction in the coming days.
Hezbollah is watching and supporting the Lebanese army.
Franklin Lamb's recent book, The Price We Pay: A Quarter Century of Israel's use of American Weapon's against Lebanon (1978-2006) is available at Amazon.com.uk. Hezbollah: A Brief Guide for Beginners is expected in early summer.
Dr. Lamb can be reached at fplamb@gmail.com
Sunday, May 13, 2007
حمورية السلفيين or The Stupidity of the Salafis
نعرف جميعنا الخبر المنشور من كام يوم بإطلاق النار على احتفال اقامته منظمة انروا وهي المنظمة التي تقوم بمساعدة اطفال الفلسطينيين في المخيمات بالحصول على حقهم في التعليم,
اصدر السلفيون كعادتهم في الكذب بيانا ينفون فيهم قيامهم بالجريمة لكن البيان نفسه لم يستطع انكار موقفهم من برنامج الأنروا وهذا هو نص البيان الذي نشرته الحياة بتاريخ 8 مايو 2007 وسأعلق عليه في نهايته
ومع ذلك، استهل السلفيون بيانهم الذي حصلت «الحياة» على نسخة منه بالتعبير عن استيائهم الشديد ازاء ما وصفوه «عبث الجهات المعادية للاسلام من هيئات ومؤسسات صليبية بأخلاقنا وقيمنا ومؤسسات شعبنا عامة والمؤسسات التعليمية خاصة، لذلك اصدرنا بيانا نستنكر فيه هذه المنكرات وطالبنا فيه اولياء الامور وكل غيور على الاسلام ان يخرج بمسيرة سلمية للاحتجاج وإظهار انكارنا لمثل هذا العبث بأطفالنا وشبابنا».
ويشير البيان هنا الى بيان سابق لمركز البيان الـــسلفي عن نية «أونروا» تنظيم مخيمات صيفية لأطفال اللاجئين الفقراء والمعدمين من طلاب المدارس التابعة لها في المرحلتين الابتدائية والإعدادية يبلغ عددهم نحو 2502 ألف اثناء العطلة الصيفية التي تبدأ اواخر الشهر الجاري وتستمر حتى نهاية آب (اغسطس).
وقال البيان السابق: «الآن تتحول المدارس شيئا فشيئا الى دور للغناء والتمثيل والرقص والاختلاط تحت مسميات مهرجانات واحتفالات حتى بدأت الاستعدادات هذه الايام لجعل التربية الموسيقية مادة لها كتاب ومعلم وآلة عزف».
وأضاف البيان الذي حصلت «الحياة» على نسخة منه: «ها هي معالم المؤامرة تتضح شيئاً فشيئاً، اذ ان المخططات لم يسعها العام الدراسي بطوله، فامتدت لتستحوذ على الاولاد والبنات بالكامل، اذ وصل كل بيت فيه طلاب مدارس الوكالة (اونروا) دعوة للمشاركة في المراكز الصيفية التي تعدها الوكالة، وليس المجال هنا للحديث عنها، لكنه سيأتي ان شاء الله في بيان خاص، حتى يستولوا على عقوق وأخلاق ابنائنا بالكامل، فبدلا من ان يلتحق الطلاب والطالبات بمراكز تحفيظ القرآن، سيجدون اغراءً وفتنة تصرفهم عن المراكز والمساجد الى المراكز (المخيمات) الصيفية المخطط لها، حيث ان القوم اعدوا خططهم لاستيعاب ربع مليون طفل وطفلة وشاب وشابة واعدوا لهم كل الوسائل ليتمتعوا ولينسوا المساجد والقرآن».
وقال اطفال وطلاب في مدارس تابعة لـ «اونروا» يستعدون للمشاركة في هذه المخيمات الصيفية انهم سيتلقون تدريبات في رسم الجداريات، واساليب استخدام الحاسوب، وألعاب رياضية مختلفة وممارسة هوايات مختلفة كل حسب هوايته ورغبته. وأشاد هؤلاء الاطفال بالمخيمات الصيفية وما يتلقونه فيها من معلومات وتدريبات تفيدهم في تعليمهم المدرسي وحياتهم العملية. وأعربوا عن حزنهم لعدم تمكن «أونروا» من تنظيم مثل هذه المخيمات في الاعوام الاخيرة، وعبروا عن سعادتهم بإعادة تنظيمها.
تعليقي
مؤامرة ايه يابهايم ؟ انتوا عاوزين ترجعوا تكتبوا من تاني على لوح الاردواز وتروحوا تشتغلوا خدامين عند الاسرائليين ؟ ما حدش سمع عنكم نضال وقتال الاسرائليين . بدئتوا تعضوا الأيدي اللي تساعدكم مثلما عملتم مع مراسل البي بي سي !
سيبوا العيال تتعلم يا جهلة ..تريدونهم ان يقضوا وقتهم ليحفظوا القرآن . بس كده ؟؟ طيب وبعدين ؟ حايعملوا بالقرأن ايه لما يهاجروا إلى الغرب من اجل ان لا يعملوا عبيدا عند الاسرائليين وهم لم يدرسوا لغات وكمبيوتر يا حمير !مش عاوزينهم يغنوا ؟ ولا يختلطوا ؟ لأن مخكم وسخ ومليان خرا. رابحين يسمعوا مزيكة ويغنوا زي بقية الناس اللي من البشر . زي العصافير .. امال ربنا خلق العصافير ليه ؟ عشان نتعلم منها الحرية .. حتى الكمبيوتر.فير الاناث نقاب كمان يا اولاد الكلب.. ماله الكمبيوتر أمال تكتبوا بياناتكم السخيفة الغبية على ايه .. بالدواية والقرطاس ؟!.
ابالجزمة للي زيكم ما ينفعش معها حوار مؤدب . بالجزمة